I wrote this a while back, but have wanted to save it for a time when we could just use a little marvelling:
I don't even have a clue how to begin thinking or communicating about this. After I heard about it, I wanted to go to a seminar about it - not becuase I thought it would be particularly useful to us (right now) as educators or even because it seemed personally interesting. Instead, I wanted to know more just because it is so incredibly unbelievable. With my size brain, it is incredibly hard to get a mental grip on this.
As I understand it so far, Second Life is:
- not a game
- a place
- happening now in real time and space
- using a currency that converts into real US dollars
- a virtual world
- owned by one company that sells "space"
- a place that can be built on and in
- home to it's first millionaire (in real US dollars)
- a place with universities and schools, where real learning can occur
- a place where avatars (3D images of people) can fly! and/or be transported
- a place where you can get a real job (wha???)
http://secondlife.com/
If you want to be stunned and amazed and possibly freaked out by something you most likely have never, ever thought about... go to that website.
This is a real, virtual world. (Real virtual? Can that be?) You have to have incredibly a computer with a large capacity for graphics, and you have to have a large broadband width. (Is that the way to talk about bandwidth? I don't even really know what that is. Apparantly you need a lot of it.)
Anyway, it's space out there. People log in and "get" these 'avatars' I think they're called. The avatar resembles a person, but it can look like any person you want it to. Essentially, you create an identity and can freely change the identity any way you'd like. Change hair, clothing, gender, etc. Then the avatar moves around and interacts with anything else that is in that particular space. For example, if there's a virtual apple tree in that space, pick an apple and eat it. Yum! Ok, then, say there's a library down the street. Walk over - or, fly if you prefer - enter the door and check out your favorite comic book. Or, if you prefer ancient Chineese philosophy I'm sure that's there too. I'm not sure if you'd need a virtual 'second life' library card, but you could probably fill out the virtual paperwork and get one.
Then, say there's a university there. Like, for example, Bradley University or Columbia University or Harvard University for that matter. Ok, so, you want to take a class at Harvard, but you don't want to physically leave your living room/fireplace/great dane. Give your great dane a rawhide and login to second life. Transport your avatar to Harvard's campus and walk to the building where the intro to biology class is that you want to take. Shake virtual hands with the prof and your other avatar classmates. Sit down, open your textbook, and get ready to learn something about cell structure. At Harvard. In your living room. Both! Unbelievable.
So, to guise the fact that I really attended this seminar out of pure incredulity, I can mention a few academic applications:
One academic institution is researching how SL can work in a middle school classroom. These students have already taken a SL science class in a virtual science lab. All the students had avatars, which was fun for them, but they also had virtual chemicals and apparatus. They concocted and experimented with no real-world danger (though the virtual goggles and emergency eye-wash were there) and I'm sure they really learned something about science. And I'd bet their retention will probably be high, seeing as though this was the first time they took a virtual class. d
Monday, February 19, 2007
More on Interactive Whiteboards
I just wanted to draw your attention to the previous post's comment section. The presenter of the session that I was referring to did post some great thoughts and also a great review of the resesarch from the U.K.
For anyone who may be new to this web-logging (ie 'blogging') stuff, just scroll down to my previous post and click where it says '3 comments'. Once you're reading the comments you can write in your own and click 'publish', I believe. Now you're in on the conversation!
Also, some links that were in the ppt presentation that the presenter sent to me:
Tangrams (on the web! example of manipulatives that teacher can use for interactive learning)
Differentiated Instruction (there's about a thousand great places you can go from here)
Virtual Manipulatives (wow)
Smart Board Resources
More on Differentiation (I think I may also have this link somewhere else on the blog.)
For anyone who may be new to this web-logging (ie 'blogging') stuff, just scroll down to my previous post and click where it says '3 comments'. Once you're reading the comments you can write in your own and click 'publish', I believe. Now you're in on the conversation!
Also, some links that were in the ppt presentation that the presenter sent to me:
Tangrams (on the web! example of manipulatives that teacher can use for interactive learning)
Differentiated Instruction (there's about a thousand great places you can go from here)
Virtual Manipulatives (wow)
Smart Board Resources
More on Differentiation (I think I may also have this link somewhere else on the blog.)
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Transformative Learning and Interactive Whiteboards
This seminar was titled, "Transformative Learning: Changing Teacher Pedagogy With Interactive Whiteboards." The presenter was Diallo Sessoms, a Ph.D. candidate in Instructional Technology from the University of Virginia. I highly recommend checking out his sight here. (Especially check out the 'interactive resources' link.)
From the conference booklet, "The purpose of this session is to report research findings about how elementary teachers use interactive boards and to highlight specific uses for interactive boards. Participants will see specific strategies for integrating interactive boards in elementary math and literacy lessons. Internet based resources will be provided for participants."
I was particularly interested in this session because it was not presented by a specific Interactive Board (IB) company such as SMART, InterWrite, or others. It didn't seem like a product sale.
The first point discussed was the need for educators to move from basic 'transmission' of knowledge to 'transformation' of knowledge. Historically, America's teachers have been transmitters of a body of knowledge that students are expected to receive and correctly catalogue. Today, students live in a world flooded with information. Children are growing up in a culture that assimilates information and synthesizes it for their own purposes - even creating knowledge and content with the ability to share it in a thousand possible ways. They can and do transform the information that comes to them. In order to prepare our children for existence (and jobs!) in this world, we must teach and model for them transformation of knowledge.
Technology for our students today needs to help them think differently, not just do faster what they are already doing. Interactive whiteboards can do exactly that, if the teacher uses it that way. They are extremely conducive to graphic organizers and whole-class problem solving. The teacher has the opportunity (which they may take or not) to become more like a coach as the students develop their own cognitive processes. Both independent and collaborative learning can take place.
The research on interactive whiteboards in the classroom is relatively new, and it sounds like the most authentic research is coming out of the U.K. I asked in the session if IB's have been shown to improve academic achievement - especially a concern in an inner-city, under-resourced school since we want to make the best investments. Apparently, IB's have not been proven in any way to increase academic achievement in the biggest research studies. What they are proven to increase are things like: student participation, student/teacher attitudes toward learning, student motivation, on-task student behaviors, and retention of learning. There is less repeating of lessons and reteaching when teachers use IB's. How that could not increase student achievement, I'm not sure. I think it's probably because IB's are a tool and not a method. As a tool, interactive boards are inherently subject to the manner in which they are used. Good teachers use them well, and other teachers... just use them, I guess. I think that in our school there is no question that they would be used well, especially if there is appropriate teacher training and follow-up and support.
The presenter of the seminar also included a prescribed process of developing a lesson for interactive whiteboards. Number one and two on the list was to analyze the challenge/variety in the current lesson plan and then think about how the plans should be modified according to student needs and interests. I'm thinking that with the visual/text/tactile components of lessons on interactive boards it is pretty clear how our students with learning needs can benefit from learning with the board as a tool. It seems almost like a launching pad for teacher creativity. I can think of about a thousand ways that instruction can be differentiated using IB's, especially when they are connected to the Internet. In fact, wouldn't it be great if we got a grant to study student progress before and after successful implementation of technology into the existing curriculum? I think so. We'd be a great case study.
I asked about the benefit of a Smart board as opposed to other brands of interactive whiteboards, and it seems like other IB's may do the job but that Smart Boards tend to have more 'bells and whistles' that really make things easier for teachers. For example, you can touch the screen with your hand, not just the special pens. It sounds like the board also comes with software/programs that are special for educators and really easy to use. Teachers who have used a Smart Board, what do you think?
I've emailed the presenter for his handout (which I missed, but will try to make available once I get it) and also the group that has done the IB research studies for a CD titled "The Good Guide to Interactive Boards." (I think it's the research group, I could be wrong.)
Also, click here for a site that has a ton of differentiated instruction information and handouts. Looks good.
One more thing: I asked about funding for such wonderful tools in our classroom, and the presenter mentioned that the Smart company may give grants for schools in situations such as ours. We should check it out, along with a billion other grants that I know are out there.
From the conference booklet, "The purpose of this session is to report research findings about how elementary teachers use interactive boards and to highlight specific uses for interactive boards. Participants will see specific strategies for integrating interactive boards in elementary math and literacy lessons. Internet based resources will be provided for participants."
I was particularly interested in this session because it was not presented by a specific Interactive Board (IB) company such as SMART, InterWrite, or others. It didn't seem like a product sale.
The first point discussed was the need for educators to move from basic 'transmission' of knowledge to 'transformation' of knowledge. Historically, America's teachers have been transmitters of a body of knowledge that students are expected to receive and correctly catalogue. Today, students live in a world flooded with information. Children are growing up in a culture that assimilates information and synthesizes it for their own purposes - even creating knowledge and content with the ability to share it in a thousand possible ways. They can and do transform the information that comes to them. In order to prepare our children for existence (and jobs!) in this world, we must teach and model for them transformation of knowledge.
Technology for our students today needs to help them think differently, not just do faster what they are already doing. Interactive whiteboards can do exactly that, if the teacher uses it that way. They are extremely conducive to graphic organizers and whole-class problem solving. The teacher has the opportunity (which they may take or not) to become more like a coach as the students develop their own cognitive processes. Both independent and collaborative learning can take place.
The research on interactive whiteboards in the classroom is relatively new, and it sounds like the most authentic research is coming out of the U.K. I asked in the session if IB's have been shown to improve academic achievement - especially a concern in an inner-city, under-resourced school since we want to make the best investments. Apparently, IB's have not been proven in any way to increase academic achievement in the biggest research studies. What they are proven to increase are things like: student participation, student/teacher attitudes toward learning, student motivation, on-task student behaviors, and retention of learning. There is less repeating of lessons and reteaching when teachers use IB's. How that could not increase student achievement, I'm not sure. I think it's probably because IB's are a tool and not a method. As a tool, interactive boards are inherently subject to the manner in which they are used. Good teachers use them well, and other teachers... just use them, I guess. I think that in our school there is no question that they would be used well, especially if there is appropriate teacher training and follow-up and support.
The presenter of the seminar also included a prescribed process of developing a lesson for interactive whiteboards. Number one and two on the list was to analyze the challenge/variety in the current lesson plan and then think about how the plans should be modified according to student needs and interests. I'm thinking that with the visual/text/tactile components of lessons on interactive boards it is pretty clear how our students with learning needs can benefit from learning with the board as a tool. It seems almost like a launching pad for teacher creativity. I can think of about a thousand ways that instruction can be differentiated using IB's, especially when they are connected to the Internet. In fact, wouldn't it be great if we got a grant to study student progress before and after successful implementation of technology into the existing curriculum? I think so. We'd be a great case study.
I asked about the benefit of a Smart board as opposed to other brands of interactive whiteboards, and it seems like other IB's may do the job but that Smart Boards tend to have more 'bells and whistles' that really make things easier for teachers. For example, you can touch the screen with your hand, not just the special pens. It sounds like the board also comes with software/programs that are special for educators and really easy to use. Teachers who have used a Smart Board, what do you think?
I've emailed the presenter for his handout (which I missed, but will try to make available once I get it) and also the group that has done the IB research studies for a CD titled "The Good Guide to Interactive Boards." (I think it's the research group, I could be wrong.)
Also, click here for a site that has a ton of differentiated instruction information and handouts. Looks good.
One more thing: I asked about funding for such wonderful tools in our classroom, and the presenter mentioned that the Smart company may give grants for schools in situations such as ours. We should check it out, along with a billion other grants that I know are out there.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Overcoming the "No Money in the Budget Blues"
This so-titled seminar was eye-opening. The presenter, Jack Nieporte, works for a small Catholic school in Norwood, Ohio. His budget situation is probably pretty similar to what we are dealing with at LMS. Basically, he gave a lot of practical suggestions for acquiring and integrating technology into a school when there is no $$.
Here's a list for starters, dealing with software:
Hey, if anybody read this far, I'll give you $5.00. (ok, just kidding, but that's a lot of information, isn't it??)
Here's a list for starters, dealing with software:
- Use Windows 2000 freshstart. This can be used on any computer that is donated to a school and is missing the original operating system CD's. We'll definitely want to check this out when we get donated machines.
- Use Open Office instead of Word. Of course! My question is, sometimes people who are using Word have problems opening other kinds of documents. Is it worth the headache? Probably. Because Word for 20 machines can - will - get pricey.
- For photo editing, use Picassa 2. I really want to check this out, but I don't have the space to download it on my computer. (Teacher laptops, anyone??? ;) This is free! And everyone says good! (Instead of PhotoStory 3 from Microsoft.)
- You can use a 3D imaging program from google called Google Sketchup. It looks amazing. Like cyber legos. Who doesn't want to play and build and create things? No way could you argue this isn't educational. :)
- Woah. Buckle up for this one. I just spent a summer class learning how to create a website using Dreamweaver - a product that costs $383.99 at amazon. Here, online, for free, is software called N-Vu ("New View") and allows you to create your own website using Windows, Mac or Linux. (Honestly, I don't know what 'Linux' is, but it works with NVu)
- Instead of publisher, which I love to use, and use often for classroom newsletters, you can use www.scribus.net. Wouldn't it be great if our kids could get good at this? It feels like graphic design isn't some strange art major at college anymore. Instead, it's infused into the way that people communicate in our global society. Our kids have to know graphic design and multimedia creation.
- An Inspiration alternative: MindMapper. The presenter said that this software doesn't have all the bells and whistles that Inspiration has, but can be used for the basics in graphic organizing. I'm sure it will pair well (and for free!) with our new Smartboards. (Which I am convinced are the right decision. More on that later!) Teachers, check out the website. This is definitely the first download we grab after we've got the whiteboards. There are a million positive things you can do with this. I'm imagining easily integrating higher-order thinking skills into each and every class.
- For photo editing: Use GIMP. (Not a really nice name, but it could be useful software.) From their website: "GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages." (taken 2/14/07, 4:13pm)
- For recording and editing sounds you can use Audacity (instead of Garageband with Apple, I'm assuming.) It works with "Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems." But I don't know, and doubt if, it is as good as Garageband.
- Apparently at gcast.com your phone can record a podcast. I'm not sure exactly what that means. Go see if you'd like! I think they say it's called 'Gcast' because it's so easy your grandma could use it.
- An alternative to Accelerated Reader: Book Adventure. It's only for K-8, but it has over 7,000 titles and is totally on-line. They say the tests are good, and it's really similar to AR. It's put out by Sylvan Learning. Good thing we didn't invest in AR!
- Finally, check this out: "SourceForge.net is the world's largest Open Source software development web site, hosting more than 100,000 projects and over 1,000,000 registered users with a centralized resource for managing projects, issues, communications, and code. SourceForge.net has the largest repository of Open Source code and applications available on the Internet, and hosts more Open Source development products than any other site or network worldwide. SourceForge.net provides a wide variety of services to projects we host, and to the Open Source community." (taken 2/14/07, 4:17pm) Wow. I can imagine there's just about everything here.
- First of all, he said that there really is not a lot of free hardware. We all could have guessed that much. However, the Department of Defense, of all people, gives out used hardware to schools. Apparently they are mandated to update every two years and so they have a lot of stuff to give away. He said they're main give-away point is their base in Dayton, OH. They don't ship, so you have to drive there and go through the whole security thing to get in and get your hardware. He says it's worth it - he's never been let down by a bad machine or anything majorly dysfunctional. He's mainly got Dells and Compaqs that have Windows 2000 on them. The link is above, and the program is called the 'Department of Defense Computers for Learning' program. I think it would be worth someone investing some time to look into. I'm sure LMS would meet the eligibility requirements.
- Along with that, he gave some tips about printers and ink cartridges. He said that he's saved a ton of money by investing in laser printers (about $1000/yr) instead of inkjets (about $5000/yr). (I'm thinking we had already talked about that.) Also, he buys the toner cartridges from ebay for $19.99 instead of spending the money at staples or other office supply places. That makes sense.
- He went to www.geeks.com to get really cheap USB port extenders. Kids use USB ports for all kinds of things, including backing up their work and being able to take it to other computers at home or a library, etc.
Hey, if anybody read this far, I'll give you $5.00. (ok, just kidding, but that's a lot of information, isn't it??)
Measuring the Value of Investment
I didn't get to go to the seminar titled 'Measuring the Value of Investment for Technology Projects,' but I did stop by the room and get the powerpoint notes for it. (Profcast anyone? Would be the perfect time to use it.)
Anyway, here is the description in the conference brochure of the seminar:
'Implementation and costs of technology initiatives can be estimated, as can the savings in terms of reduced expenditures and staff productivity. This return on investment approach falls short when value is aligned with qualitative elements of the school's mission. We will discuss measuring and aligning the value of technology projects with school goals and identify some of these areas of value.'
Sounds interesting, but I do think that (in part at least) there is a product advertisement hidden underneath. I think that this would be a good thing to explore once we get at least initial pieces of technology in our school. Probably we would want to use this tool once we have a more substantial technology budget or are talking about implementing technology for a greater number of students and staff.
Here are the websites discussed:
www.cosn.org
Go to www.edtechvoi.org for:
As an addendum:
What is a White Paper?
The term white paper is an offshoot of the term white book, which is an official publication of a national government. A famous white paper example is the Winston Churchill White Paper of 1922, which addressed political conflict in Palestine.
A white paper typically argues a specific position or solution to a problem. Although white papers take their roots in governmental policy, they have become a common tool used to introduce technology innovations and products. A typical search engine query on "white paper" will return millions of results, with many focused on technology-related issues.
White papers are powerful marketing tools used to help key decision-makers and influencers justify implementing solutions.
(taken from http://www.stelzner.com/copy-g-HowTo-whitepapers.php - Wed, Feb 14th, 3:33pm)
Anyway, here is the description in the conference brochure of the seminar:
'Implementation and costs of technology initiatives can be estimated, as can the savings in terms of reduced expenditures and staff productivity. This return on investment approach falls short when value is aligned with qualitative elements of the school's mission. We will discuss measuring and aligning the value of technology projects with school goals and identify some of these areas of value.'
Sounds interesting, but I do think that (in part at least) there is a product advertisement hidden underneath. I think that this would be a good thing to explore once we get at least initial pieces of technology in our school. Probably we would want to use this tool once we have a more substantial technology budget or are talking about implementing technology for a greater number of students and staff.
Here are the websites discussed:
www.cosn.org
Go to www.edtechvoi.org for:
- CoSN-Gartner Tool, Data definitions and case studies
- White papers and presentations
- Additional tools and resources
- articles and presentation
- One-to-one case studies
- technology project cost estimator
- project benefits worksheet
As an addendum:
What is a White Paper?
The term white paper is an offshoot of the term white book, which is an official publication of a national government. A famous white paper example is the Winston Churchill White Paper of 1922, which addressed political conflict in Palestine.
A white paper typically argues a specific position or solution to a problem. Although white papers take their roots in governmental policy, they have become a common tool used to introduce technology innovations and products. A typical search engine query on "white paper" will return millions of results, with many focused on technology-related issues.
White papers are powerful marketing tools used to help key decision-makers and influencers justify implementing solutions.
(taken from http://www.stelzner.com/copy-g-HowTo-whitepapers.php - Wed, Feb 14th, 3:33pm)
Podcasting
One seminar I attended was called 'Pondering Podcasting?' and was presented by - who else? - apple.
(Interjection: I think I want an apple. In my classroom. The built-in software seems amazing, and what's not on there, by golly, you can easily get for free on the web. I mean, stuff on the web is even almost as good as what apple is putting on their computers. But I just think it would be handy to have an apple. Any comments? I'm thinking CREATION: movies, podcasts, presentations, lessons, websites, images, music, you name it...)
This presenter showed us the basics for using the program 'GarageBand' that comes with apples now, for creating podcasts. Don't let the word 'podcast' throw you - you don't need an iPod to make one. It's basically just a multimedia creation that you can post to the web, use in class, send to others, or just use to process and build on existing information. You gotta love it.
I'm not going to take the time to describe how it all works - I'll just try to catalogue this memory along with a thousand others from this conference and pull it all back when we actually have this capability in... a few months (ok, i might be dreaming about the time frame... but just wait for more posts from me... this is going to happen!!)
Another thing you can use is 'Profcast' which... I don't totally understand, but may be worth checking out once we get more basic tools. Here's the website: http://www.profcast.com
(Interjection: I think I want an apple. In my classroom. The built-in software seems amazing, and what's not on there, by golly, you can easily get for free on the web. I mean, stuff on the web is even almost as good as what apple is putting on their computers. But I just think it would be handy to have an apple. Any comments? I'm thinking CREATION: movies, podcasts, presentations, lessons, websites, images, music, you name it...)
This presenter showed us the basics for using the program 'GarageBand' that comes with apples now, for creating podcasts. Don't let the word 'podcast' throw you - you don't need an iPod to make one. It's basically just a multimedia creation that you can post to the web, use in class, send to others, or just use to process and build on existing information. You gotta love it.
I'm not going to take the time to describe how it all works - I'll just try to catalogue this memory along with a thousand others from this conference and pull it all back when we actually have this capability in... a few months (ok, i might be dreaming about the time frame... but just wait for more posts from me... this is going to happen!!)
Another thing you can use is 'Profcast' which... I don't totally understand, but may be worth checking out once we get more basic tools. Here's the website: http://www.profcast.com
50 websites
This was a session I missed, but I think it's self explanatory. It's 50 websites. Check them out, educators.
More
"Multimedia content creation on the web increased at the rate of 3200% last year." Think about that for a second.
Keynote speaker, Monday
Monday's keynote speaker was Will Richardson. If you google the name 'Will' you'll see his site as the fourth listed. This means that of all the 2,950,000,000 web sites that contain the word 'will,' his is the fourth most visited. Obviously, he's doing something in the technology world.
He talked a lot about the connected, technologically savvy world we are living in. Our community is no longer a matter of the people who fall within a certain mile radius, but our community is global. He gave a ton of statistics that I can't recreate, but here are some of the changes going on in the world that we might be unaware of (as educators):
He said that his second grade daughter is being made to memorize state capitals. Why? He asked. She's always going to be able to know a state capital at the click of a finger. That information is never going to be hidden from her. But, she's jazzed about horses. Agreed, she must learn how to memorize. She has to exercise her mind and grow and expand her learning. But she loves horses! Make her memorize that, and look how far she'll go!
Kids need to know how to learn. The biggest thing for teachers to do, he said, is to model our learning. Are we connected? Can we model responsible use of information? Do we connect with the globe in new and exciting ways to expand our learning? Kids will follow. But if we don't model the learning that is possible in our technological environment, there is a danger that kids will keep using unhealthy social networks like 'myspace.' They WILL be connected, but it's not healthy for them to be on 'myspace' - we want them connected in a global, social learning environment that is appropriate and healthy. And it's possible, we just have to model.
He talked a lot about the connected, technologically savvy world we are living in. Our community is no longer a matter of the people who fall within a certain mile radius, but our community is global. He gave a ton of statistics that I can't recreate, but here are some of the changes going on in the world that we might be unaware of (as educators):
- What do you think will be the first country where every kid will have a laptop? The U.S.? China? Nope, it's Libya. Apparantly, they've jumped on this $100 laptop/kid initiative, and they're going to make it happen. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the so-called global leader, the disparity between kids who do have technology and kids who do not have technology becomes increasingly greater. (If you haven't heard of the One Laptop Per Child initiative, go visit the link up above. It's astounding.)
- MIT now has an open coursework option on-line. If you want to take an MIT class just to learn information, go ahead. The syllabi are available, the class reading materials, even videos of every lesson in the classroom, as well as the tests and quizzes (and answers!). Unbelievable. You can know anything you want to know! And you don't have to pay for it! You just learn because you want to learn. (Do our students want to learn? Because if they want to learn, and they know how to learn, then the world is literally open to them.)
- He talked about wikipedia. I've never been excited about wikipedia until he described it in this way: Wikipedia is really an open conversation about any and every topic you'd want to think about. It is a social areana of learning, all guided by the interests and passions of each writer who contributes. Of course, becuase any and every person can edit and change wiki information at any time, you can't necessarily believe every thing that is up there. But that is precisely what makes kids good, critical learners. They live in an environment innundated with knowledge and information. They've got to know how to resspond to information and edit what they see and think critically about everything they are presented with. The reality for children in this age is that the 'real' world and the 'virtual' world are not anymore distinguishable. Technology is so a part of their lives that they do not differentiate between reality and virtual reality the way that we, adults, do. Thus, they must continuously think critically about the world around them. In the same sense, the entire world is open to them in a way it never has been before.
- He talked about politics. Did you know Barak Obama has a website that is extremely appealing to internet users (i.e. kids?!)? Check it out. It's unbelievably genius - it appeals to the next generation of voters because of many reasons including: 1) it has social networking capabilitis 2) you can create your own blog from that site 3) it opens the door to a learning conversation 4) it's got links to facebook! partybuilder (political, that is)! voting registration! YouTube! and Flickr! (if you've not heard of those sites, check them out)
- He mentioned Really Simple Syndication which is an incredible learning opportunity. (Are we taking advantage of this stuff, teachers?) You simply set up your website (or blog, or whatever - I'll try it on here) to receive feeds about whatever topic you choose. For example, he put up a RSS feed to his blog about Darfur. So, whenever Darfur is mentioned anytime on the internet, he gets it fed to his post. He's got pictures, articles, videos, you name it - all having to do with Darfur. And people start learning - noticing, reading, conversing.
- This next topic I don't even want to talk about yet - it's too huge, and I'm having trouble getting my mind around it. Let me just say this: There is a whole other virtual world out there. No, no, you're thinking that I'm speaking of virtual reality video games or just the 'internet' in general. Nope, this is a WORLD called Second Life. Don't even go there unless you're ready to think about it. It's a real place. You take on an identity as what they call 'avatars' and you move and live and create and build and interact in real space and time. This isn't a video game where you can hit 'reset' and go back. What happens, happens. People can have conversations, build houses, go to school, read REAL books at a library, buy sunglasses, change their clothes and hair, walk around a REAL University campus, even fly. Universities are even starting to offer classes this way - it's not online, it in a SECOND LIFE. Unbelievable. I went to a seminar on this, so I can give more info later.
He said that his second grade daughter is being made to memorize state capitals. Why? He asked. She's always going to be able to know a state capital at the click of a finger. That information is never going to be hidden from her. But, she's jazzed about horses. Agreed, she must learn how to memorize. She has to exercise her mind and grow and expand her learning. But she loves horses! Make her memorize that, and look how far she'll go!
Kids need to know how to learn. The biggest thing for teachers to do, he said, is to model our learning. Are we connected? Can we model responsible use of information? Do we connect with the globe in new and exciting ways to expand our learning? Kids will follow. But if we don't model the learning that is possible in our technological environment, there is a danger that kids will keep using unhealthy social networks like 'myspace.' They WILL be connected, but it's not healthy for them to be on 'myspace' - we want them connected in a global, social learning environment that is appropriate and healthy. And it's possible, we just have to model.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
the blog debut
This is a blog set up in response to an overwhelming myriad of information that I've been recieving over the past few days and weeks.
Most people visiting this site will probably be a part of the LMS community. I am the 5th-6th grade teacher there, and I'm in the midst of a 3-day technology conference in (snowy!) Columbus, OH. The conference is titled 'eTech Ohio o7.'
I've decided to respond to the conference through the creation of a blog because:
As a school, LMS is working to vision the use of technology by students; acquire new technologies; and use best practices of integrating technology for the purpose of meeting every students' needs while they progress individually through the curriculum.
"The future is here," they say... so, here we go.
Most people visiting this site will probably be a part of the LMS community. I am the 5th-6th grade teacher there, and I'm in the midst of a 3-day technology conference in (snowy!) Columbus, OH. The conference is titled 'eTech Ohio o7.'
I've decided to respond to the conference through the creation of a blog because:
- the amount of information I'm receiving is VAST
- the topics of discussion and presentation are richly diverse, yet connected - I'm finding I cannot simply type up a Word document that succintly contains everything! Impossible!
- all of the information I'm dealing with is linked to the web in some way
- you've got to use the web to get at this stuff!
- my - OUR - processing can be continual, 'asynchronous' as they say, collaborative, and conversational through use of a blog (I don't have to put it all down now - this is a work in progress)
- blogging is fun! Let's get others in our LMS community on this bandwagon.
As a school, LMS is working to vision the use of technology by students; acquire new technologies; and use best practices of integrating technology for the purpose of meeting every students' needs while they progress individually through the curriculum.
"The future is here," they say... so, here we go.
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