Podcasting in the Classroom

Podcasting can be a useful way to get snippets of information to students using audio.  Here is an example of one.  The concepts of character and setting in a story can sometimes be difficult for students to grasp. This podcast is one more way of transmitting the concept.http://audioboo.fm/boos/208837-character-and-setting-of-a-story.

TED, Videos

I love the ideas on TED they always make me think about what can be and not what is today.  I agree that information can be more easily delivered through video than it can with written words.  I am amazed how much more information my students at school seem to pick up be watching the video clips I am able to use in class than they are just through books or discussion.  I think there is a great need for better teaching videos than are available right now on sites like TeacherTube.  This is one site that is not blocked for us at school but the quality of the videos are not as good nor plentiful as on Youtube.

Flickr in the Classroom

Flickr in the Claassroom

Flickr is great for using in the classroom anytime a visual is needed.  Here is a list of ideas to get your creative juices flowing.  If you need more ideas just present a few to your students, set up an account for them to use and then stand back and let them create.  This can be done by using the photos already posted or they can shot their own and add to the collection.

• Single photo for vocabulary development
• Writing prompt
• Multiple shots for storytelling
• Virtual fieldtrips
• Background, projected onto a smartboard as scenery for a play
• Slideshow of student work or a report
• Several images to show a change over time
• Slide show to show steps in a process
• Motivational posters
• Collage, artwork
• Research using photos for students with limited English
• Computer class projects
• Documentation of speakers or programs
• Teaching culture, travel, geography

One of the great things about Flickr is that the site can be restricted to a class, family, friends or other group by making the site only available by invitation.  This restricts the viewers to only the intended audience.

It’s a great way for everyone to show creativity and to feel creative and in control of the final product.

Faces of Social Networking

The Many Face of Social Networking

The name of the networking site:  Ravelry  http://www.ravelry.com/

• What was the target audience for this social networking site? People who are interested in fiber arts including knitting, crocheting, spinning and weaving
• How long was the site in existence?   It has been in existence since 2007.
• Why was it popular? About 850,000 people worldwide are members of this site.  It is still going strong.
• Is/was there another competitor in the same market that was more popular?  I did not find any other sites that are as large as this one with this focus.
• Would you ever consider creating an account and using it?  Although I do crochet on occasion I do not have a strong enough interest to join this site and follow it or its members.  If I were more interest in this hobby or in buying or selling items of this type I would join so that I could increase my market contacts.  It might also be an excellent place to find supplies.  I just thought it was interesting to see that there is a social network on this topic..

The Name of the networking site:  DailyBooth http://dailybooth.com/

• What was the target audience for this social networking site? This site is of interest to people who are interested in photography.
• How long was the site in existence?   The site has been up since August of 2009.
• Why is it popular? There are about 5500 listed members to the site.  It is popular with teens because you can follow other users in real time and see what they are doing.  There are also a few celebrities who are members of the site and that could be a drawing card for some.
• Is there another competitor in the same market that are more popular?   I am sure there are other sites that have photography as their focus.  A Google search turns up many thousands of sites on social networking and photography. Some of them deal with taking the photos while others are more focused on the marketing or sharing of the photos.
• Would you ever consider creating an account and using it?  I would not consider joining this site again because this is not a strong personal interest but I will be passing this information along to my daughter who is starting a photography business and would be very interested in having this information.

Cathleen's EDU 255 Blog: The Fabled Six Degrees of Separation

Did you see the movie Six Degrees of Separation? I thought it was very thought provoking. It was interesting to see how everyone fit together even though they didn't know each other.

Social Networking

Social Networking

From what I can discern, social networking is all about getting people to communicate and share information on a given topic.  Sometimes these topics are very broad but in general they are specific and focused.  Steve Hagadon believes that it is important to have focus  when deciding on a topic for a social network.  With the internet having such an overwhelming supply of  information.  I agree it is critical for the site to have a focus so that readers will be willing to follow the site.  

 The focus of the topic may be as narrow as members of a social committee or a classroom.  Or it may be broad enough to cover  the subject of American government .  If the topic is excessively large such as American history, it will be difficult for followers to stay up on the multitude of information that would flow through the site.  There would be more interest it the topic were more focused on key elements or subtopics within American history such as, battles of the Civil War.

With this in mind, it is almost impossible to predict which sites will be successful and have a large following and which will be lost in cyberspace.  The best any of us can do is to give it some thought and then  just  jump in and begin to swim.  I know enough to know that it will be necessary to constantly modify, recreate and if necessary start from scratch anything that I produce right now if I intend to stay up to date on web applications.   The web is constantly changing and it is impossible to predict the interests of the consumers of information.  Erratic or impulsive behavior of consumers is actually the norm and it is anyone’s best guess what will happen with the web in the future.   

Everything is moving very quickly and the applications of the web are only just beginning.  In reading the textbook, I was amazed to see the multitude of applications for the social networking component .  I will need to be diligent about spending time on the web if I plan to stay current on how technology can be used in the classroom so that my students can be a part of this revolution.

My Wiki

Here's the link to my wiki.  Please feel free to comment or to edit.
http://kindiwiki.wikispaces.com/

Wikis in the Classroom

At first I wasn't sure how I could use a wiki in my classroom with the young children who have limited reading, writing and certainly computer skills. But after spending time on the internet and seeing how others are using them I now see that they would indeed be a great motivator for my students.  there are also many examples on the web that i could use to show them where we are headed over the next few months.  This would be a real reason for learning to read, write and to to learn to work together.

I would need a little additional adult assistance so that they would all have opportunities to use the limited computers that we have.  With a little training I know I could incorporate the assistance of the middle school helpers that i have for about 45 minutes each day.  It would be a good time for them to increase their computer skills also.  This would be the old, each one teach one, model.

I think I will start with the use of photographs that I can have the students take around campus and then post and have other students comment on.  Then we can delete or add photos as we all become more skilled with the process.  Each student will be responsible for taking one picture.
What a great learning experience for us all.

Education Nation

Did anyone watch the presentation by MSNBC last week called Education Nation?  Have you heard about the documentary Waiting for Superman?  www.waitingforsuperman.com ?This documentary tells the story of education in the US and leads the public to believe that teaching and learning is not happening in many schools. It profiles charter schools that are doing some wonderful work in raising student achievement for the lucky students who are able to win their lotteries and get into select schools. I have only seen the trailers and listened to the tv shows of last week.  This movie was created by the same guy who filmed Inconvenient Truth about global warming. I think it will be just the starting point of some near future heated discussions about teacher accountability and student achievement.

Pedagogical Changes in Education

Pedagogical Changes in Education

Ready or not here change comes.  When change is on the horizon or staring you in the face you have the choice to run and hid and act as though it isn’t happening or stand and face it head on with gusto.

Will Richardson brings up the point that educators need to embrace and understand changes in technology and the read write web before they will be able to bring it into the classroom for their students.  I agree that this is necessary because we are never able to teach what we do not know.  Having the opportunity to experience the Web 2.0 is giving me an appreciation for the power of the system and the process necessary to use it.  Teachers need to opportunities to experience the read and write web in professional learning communities which are very constructive in the same way they will be asking their students to collaborate and create with others.  It’s a great way to develop new skills and have a chance to practice those skills in a safe environment of peers who are doing the same.  The supportive connections that are made through collaborative groups adds to the interest and desire to continue to learn and grow.

Publishing for a real audience adds an element of authenticity and purpose to writing.  This different style of writing requires both the creator and the receiving audience to be critical consumers of ideas.  These ideas can be presented in a variety of ways and is not limited only to text.  In order for me as the recipient to respond I must become a critically participatory partner in the process.  The payoff is that by getting and giving feedback on the published creation everyone involved learns and comes away with more skills and knowledge from having participated.  It feels wonderful to feel that your ideas and thoughts are being heard and to have others comment on those observations.

My Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education is simply the interaction of a learner and an experience which results in a change in knowledge, skills, and or character of the learner. This change will be reflected in the individual’s interaction with future activities, thoughts or events.

One of my favorite quotes on the subject of education comes from the late tennis pro Arthur Ashe who said, “Start where you are, use what you have and do what you can.”  This opens up a multitude of possibilities for teaching and learning.  With that said, education can happen at any time or in any location.  It is not limited to age, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.  It can be highly structures and planned or it can be haphazard and sporadic while often ebbing and flowing for an individual over time.

So how does the teacher, mentor, director, guide or facilitator fit into this picture?  In formal or structured education the organizer has the role of managing information and materials while acting as an overseer of the process ready and available to inspire, instruct, ask question and keep the process moving towards established goals or objectives.  This overseer frequently has a big picture perspective and is skilled in orchestrating some form of progression, moving forward and backwards along the learning continuum as necessary.

In the case of informal education, the teacher is often difficult to identify because there is not always a clear delineation of roles between the learner and the teacher.  For example when a new product is being developed who is the teacher and who is the learner on a development team?  Sometimes the roles are shares and a tag team of teacher or learner is created.

For education to actually happen a change has to be demonstrated by the learner.  Sometimes the learner is not overtly aware that a personal change has taken place.  Nevertheless, when learning has occurred the new behaviors will be played out as needs and situations arise calling for action from individual.  The cycle of a learner having an experience, acting or reacting to the situation, reflecting or processing the event and then rapidly making assumptions, predictions or generalizations about the scenario happens very quickly and is actively processed countless times during an individual’s life.

Learners carry the responsibility of mentally showing up and participating in the activities and events of daily life.  Individuals through active participation and reflection determine how experiences will influence their future personal growth.  When changes in behaviors, attitudes or skills are demonstrated the learner has experienced education.