Jun

26

Catching Up…

June 26, 2008 |  Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment

Ok, so it’s been a week.  Yea, I’m not quite keeping up the pace I had hoped for the summer, but it’s hardly due to sunbathing.  I’ve still been busy putting in my hours on the job as well as helping out with a graduate class at ASU West (which takes up the better part of my Fridays and Saturdays).  You can see some of the fruits of this in my flickr section.  These particular photos are from the geocaching adventure we had on campus last weekend.  An early start to beat the heat was a good idea-though those of marking the spots didn’t get much of break, walking around the previous afternoon with the GPS devices in 112 plus.  Ah, the joys of interning.  However, it has been a good experience for me simply in that I’m now getting some of the material for a second time around as well as seeing what a whole new crop of folks is doing with it.  Being able to spend time with these teachers, Dr. Christie, and the other interns has me really ready to get back in the classroom…

To see some of the work they are doing in the class, go to Dr. Christie’s 545 and 546 pages…

Jun

19

Go 2.0!

June 19, 2008 | | Leave a Comment

I’m finally getting my 2.0 resource pages up and running!  If you follow the link at the top for Go 2.0! you will find a number of educationally useful 2.0 sites/applications sorted out by category.  This is basically designed to be a resource bank for teachers-so please feel free to use as needed.  It is still a work in progress (you’ll notice a couple pages noted but without links-those are still in the works).  Also I would love it if you would add your ideas for use of any of these sites or to suggest others that are similar/better than those I’ve listed.

Jun

18

Summer of New 2.0 #2 - Twitter

June 18, 2008 |  Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

Ok, I’m a little late this week with my new 2.0 (when I say new I mean new for me, of course) but I figured it worth posting late to enjoy Father’s Day weekend (and it was :) ).  My new for this week was Twitter, basically an on-line instant messaging service,though you can use your phone with Twitter as well.  Getting started was easy enough but then I was kind of hit with a “what now?” moment.  One of my first thoughts was who really wants to read about my daily goings-on (had I done this more last week it would have read updating computers…updating computers again…still updating computers…etc…)  Perhaps part of the problem I’ve encountered is that Twitter, being a social networking tool, required a level of socializing and I just don’t know that many people using the service.  Even so, I’m still a little stumped as to a classroom application.  Perhaps this becomes more useful when actually away from school as a way to communicate with students/parents about goings-on school-wise (or between students working on assignments).  This may also streamline efforts to work collaboratively between different classrooms and schools.

One other question I have…I came across some folks who are “following” well over 100 conversations/people.  How do you keep up/keep track of all these different strands?  I know RSS is a possibility, but how do you keep it from becoming somewhat unwieldy?  So, if you have an answer for me on this, or other ideas for educational purposes, feel free to comment or twitter me-username azrunner.

Jun

7

Summer of New 2.0 #1 - co.mments & del.icio.us

June 7, 2008 |  Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment

Since (supposedly) I have some more time over the summer, I’ve decided to try challenging myself a little bit by trying some new 2.0 resource each week this summer. I’ve already got a few in mind I’d like to try and hopefully I’ll discover some new ones in the process. Of course, I’ll be looking at them from a teaching perspective and theorize on possible uses (but please feel free to add your ideas/uses). Eventually the good ones (being the ones I Iike) will become part of my page on 2.0 applications which will be coming soon. Of course, some will be added to my sidebars, as these two are already.

For this first week I’ve actually got two of them to look at, del.icio.us and co.mments. While I’ve wanted to try these out for a while, the driving force behind these two for right now is my participation in a class (as an intern/teaching assistant) for a graduate tech class at ASU West. I’ve used other social bookmarking sites, namely trackstar4teachers previously, but for the class all the students are using del.icio.us to save their bookmarks so I figured I better use it so I can answer questions. Just in terms of getting started it is pretty straightforward, though installing the buttons can be difficult if you’re working on a school/network computer and don’t have permission to install, but the bookmarklets (which you get to on the bottom of page 2 of the registration or can re-access by going through FAQ and click on the question about installing buttons on a different computer) work just as well if that is the case. It’s going to take me some time to get used to the organization of del.icio.us…I’ve gotten very used to putting things in folders but I can appreciate the value of tagging, especially as the list grows longer. Of course, this feature is what makes it good for teachers/education. Creating a list of saved sites for students to use suddenly becomes much easier since they can all access it on-line. Then by searching from tags students can find the sites to best fit their project. Even better, they can share sites they find by creating a network of shared sites and build on each others knowledge. All in all, a really good tool for both teachers and students.

Co.mments is an application I had seen on several other blogs and quickly realized the value after posting comments all over the place and realizing I wasn’t sure where they all were. Being someone who enjoys a good discussion I wanted to be able to participate without re-doing all my searches to find my comments (and follow ups). Co.mments has done a nice job of fixing that problem. After signing up and pasting a couple discussions onto my co.mments page I was able to use the RSS feed to add it to myyahoo page along with the RSS feeds from the blogs I like to read. While that is nice for me, I think the real educational value comes from adding it to a blog. This allows others to join your discussions and keeps thoughts moving around. For teachers this allows you to track student conversations. For older students (I’d say 4th grade and up) this is a really good tool to help them keep up with discussions with other students.

Jun

3

Whose lead?

June 3, 2008 |  Tagged , , | 1 Comment

It has come up in a few other blogs I’ve read as well as in comments to previous posts on my blog (see New Tricks). It seems many schools want to depend on younger teachers to take the lead in technology integration since, supposedly, they have more experience using it. However, I wonder if this is a tenable position. Can younger, less experienced teachers really be put into this kind of leadership position as they are still learning how to do the job for themselves, let alone lead or mentor other teachers? I’m a little removed from my undergrad program so I’m wondering how technology integration is approached in teacher prep programs today. While I certainly believe that teachers can and should work together and teach each other, placing the bulk of technology integration shouldn’t be on their shoulders alone. One possible solution…as part of a complete professional development program create a mentorship program between younger and veteran teachers with the intention that both are going to teach the other at some point. This can provide some level of on-going support for both teachers. What about other ideas? How do we support beginning teachers in the integration of technology within the classroom?

May

29

W.o.W!

May 29, 2008 |  Tagged | 1 Comment

Site: EcoKids

This environmental education site from Canada provides a number of resources that can apply k-8. The site boasts a number of informational resources regarding science and the environment, including interviews with some actual scientists. In addition to that, there are a few interactive games, some mostly for fun while others engage kids in some critical thinking when it comes to environmental decision making. To further the interactivity of the site there is also a blog built into the site as well as a discussion board. Finally, they also sponsor environmental challenges which, though focused on Canada, could provide good ideas for teachers & classes all over.

In terms of using this in class, there are a number of possibilities. Having students comment on the blog or discussion board, or by participating in the challenges, will give them a great chance to interact with others and really do something constructive. The games and information resources (titled “Homework Help” can provide good reviews of content, especially if done with a discussion period following the involvement…or posting to a blog to talk about what they did/learned.

Enjoy the site!

Learn well!

May

23

W.o.W!

May 23, 2008 |  Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Site:  Interactive Learning Games 

This week’s site hits on all the subject areas with some interactive flash/shockwave games.  The above link will take you to the interactive site for third-sixth grade (there are links for activities for younger and older students at the bottom of the page).  The one I got stuck on had you trying to bounce a ball into a cup, redirecting with various springs, blocks, and other tools.  It is part of the Utah Education Network, a nice resource for teachers overall.

While the games themselves are fun (and educational, to a point), a couple extensions come to mind to really prop up the learning power of these activities.  One, using the games up on an interactive whiteboard with the whole class (having students doing the work on the board) could provide good opportunity for class discussion on the learning points of each activity.  Alternatively, having students do the activities in pairs and then blogging about their ideas, process, and solution will get them reflecting on what they did.  If you have any other suggestions, they are always welcome.  Enjoy the site.  Learn well!

May

21

New Tricks?

May 21, 2008 |  Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

I hear it often said that “older” (some may prefer the term “more experienced”) teachers are the ones who struggle/resist technology integration & use. As I reflect on recent experiences I have to wonder if the Baby Boom (and earlier) generations aren’t getting a bum rap.

Case in point #1: Right now I am working with two teachers on two different projects. One is a second grade teacher and we are working to have her students create Voicethread projects. She has been teaching for over 20 years and is a self-described novice when it comes to technology use. The other is an AEP teacher working with 1st grade students to make a movie about playground rules (they’ve written the entire script with poetry-very cool :) ). She has recently returned to teaching after being away from the classroom for a number of years. What is most impressive has been their willingness to jump in and try something new (and somewhat foreign) because they see how excited the students get and how it can benefit them.

Case in point #2: My soon-to-be-retired professor from ASU West, Dr. Alice Christie. She is teaching her final class this summer after a teaching career that covers more than 40 years. I would be hard-pressed to find someone more in tune with current technology trends and how they impact (or could impact) students, teachers, and learning. Not to mention the fact that her energy level could out-pace others half her age…

Anyways, the point of all this… Let’s be careful about our assumptions and just what lengths good teachers will go to in order to help their students. Indeed, many are in fact the leaders when it comes to using technology tools as they have the experience to build new tools into what they do.  For those not as comfortable, they will recognize the value if we take the time to show them how it works… So, yes indeed…new tricks… :)

May

19

W.o.W! Defined

May 19, 2008 |  Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

I’ve added a new page to the blog titled “W.o.W!” It stands for Website of the Week and is a project I’ve been working on all year long, finding educationally useful websites for teachers to use, either for themselves, with students, or to share with parents. My basic criteria include: ad free, free content (why should we be forcing other teachers to pay for ideas???), as well as being well organized and visually appealing (who wants to use ugly sites?). There are a few exceptions to these rules, but that’s only because the content is really, really good…and some do require a free account sign-up. I’ll be adding to the list weekly, which you’ll see on my home page as well as on the W.oW! page. I’m also always looking for great sites, so please feel free to send links (and yes, I always try to give credit where due). :)

One other question: what helps you to find the best sites? Do you like them organized by content, grade level, type of use, etc…?

May

16

Pedagogic Value?

May 16, 2008 |  Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

I was reading an article in the latest (May 2008) T.H.E Journal and came across a quote that got me thinking.  This is from Robert Pleasants, Director of Education for Raybook, a company working to create software for handheld devices.  The article describes their efforts to create software for students to use on their ipods.  He says they are, “leveraging the cool factor of the ipod…taking learning content they need and putting it on devices they love.”  He also says in the article, in relation to web based content vs downloadable content that, “The pedagogic value can get lost in the shadow of what’s cool or neat.”  This may be, but what really interested me is that his company is working to, “keep content similar to what’s found on flashcards.”

My thought here is that while flashcards may be useful for some things, is this really what we want a company, who according to the article, is trying to corner the market on handheld software, to focus on?  Instead of taking time to create electronic flashcards, why not develop more authentic programs, such as a photo editor to work on the ipod, or a way to mix media on it?  Sure, right now it is a novelty to do flashcards and other simple tasks on a handheld device, but how long will we have that going for us?  At one time we thought that by putting stuff on TV we could hold kids’ attention because they like watching TV.  Am I wrong to worry that we’re not using time wisely in developing real applications for handheld use in the classroom?  Or do we need education specific software at all to use these items in our classrooms?