What was your experience with tagging, RSS feeds, and Yahoo Pipes?
I was not really using these technologies. I am starting to add some RSS feeds to my FireFox browser and now find myself wondering why I didn't look into this earlier. I need a way to keep up with current events. It also allows me to feed my Delicious account so I don't have to have that page handy anymore. I also like how I can look at the news headlines without going to the sites themselves before deciding what I want to look at. There is a bit of a learning curve with Yahoo Pipes. I watched a couple of tutorials in YouTube before I could figure out hoe to do what I wanted. I do see myself continuing to use these tools.
My Pipe
How might these be used in the classroom?
I made my Pipes able to sort information from various news sites. All you have to do is enter a search term and then it will give ou all of the results. This could be good for projects where you want students to search only a hand full of sites. To do this you could make a text interface that will only look at the site that you give. The RSS would be a great way to handle current events and my weekly look at political cartoons. I often feel overwhelmed by the information out there and hate poking around web sites for good stories.
What literacy skills do these tools incorporate?
If you started with an article and then looked at the RSS feed for it then students would see an example of main idea and summary. Students could then create their own RSS feed based on an article they read. Students will need to interpret relevance of stories based on limited information. Students will learn how to filter information by keywords.
How might you use them for your own professional purposes?
Mostly to keep up on current events. I don't want to miss an important article that would be valuable to share in class. Most stories have a shelf-life. I want to give students a fresh look at the events as they happen.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Twitter Reading
7 Things You Should Know About Twitter
I am struggling to see the benefits of this one. Perhaps once we talk about it in class I may change my mind. I do see one possibility. In a setting where you want students to communicate without talking you could have them Twitter instead. The teacher could then monitor and guide conversation to learning, and like the article says students would be forced into metacognition.
Any way that we can encourage students to think is good. I do see how this could be a good tool for teams of colleagues or students who do not share a common location. It is really an exciting possibility for me that we could still function as a society while not necessarily being present. This could mean more family time, less travel and potentially a return to a real neighborhood where everyone lives and works in the same place.
I can't wait to see more...
Wikipedia Reading
Jimmy_Wales_on_the_birth_of_Wikipedia
It is impressive to see something important like shared knowledge being generated at such a low cost and with the help of volunteers.
I have used this site extensively and found only one error in thousands. One of my students did a search on Edgar Allen Poe and some of the subject line was changed. Other than that it has been completely reliable. I just checked the entry and it has been fixed. Many students have said to me that their other teachers have rejected the site. I think that it is probably more reliable than a great majority of the printed materials out there.
One of the things Mr. Wales said was, the principle of neutrality guides creators of content for Wikipedia. This is truly born out in the entries. In fact, I often will have a student start with Wikipedia for a good overview to leap from.
The idea of collective input and intelligence is working and can only grow further. This is a powerful tool in the advance of intellectual freedom and democracy. People today are no longer at the mercy of those who control the information. Now everyday people control the information. This brings a level of accountability in our society while easing tyranny and control.
My only fear is that at some point these tools could be turned against us as a measure of control. We can write something in a book and it stays, a program can be changed. Let us also hope that our collective intelligence is a good and moral one that will protect all of the citizens of the world. The mass can be just as tyrannical as the few. Can we expect Orwell's 1984?
It is impressive to see something important like shared knowledge being generated at such a low cost and with the help of volunteers.
I have used this site extensively and found only one error in thousands. One of my students did a search on Edgar Allen Poe and some of the subject line was changed. Other than that it has been completely reliable. I just checked the entry and it has been fixed. Many students have said to me that their other teachers have rejected the site. I think that it is probably more reliable than a great majority of the printed materials out there.
One of the things Mr. Wales said was, the principle of neutrality guides creators of content for Wikipedia. This is truly born out in the entries. In fact, I often will have a student start with Wikipedia for a good overview to leap from.
The idea of collective input and intelligence is working and can only grow further. This is a powerful tool in the advance of intellectual freedom and democracy. People today are no longer at the mercy of those who control the information. Now everyday people control the information. This brings a level of accountability in our society while easing tyranny and control.
My only fear is that at some point these tools could be turned against us as a measure of control. We can write something in a book and it stays, a program can be changed. Let us also hope that our collective intelligence is a good and moral one that will protect all of the citizens of the world. The mass can be just as tyrannical as the few. Can we expect Orwell's 1984?
Week Six reading 1
Wikis and Podcasts and Blogs! Oh, My!
I really like how the author understands that the first step in assisting an instructor with tech integration is to evaluate his teaching practices. I have found that a barrier for a lot of teachers to using technology is a fear that they will have to change their style which is the equivalent of changing ones personality. What is needed are technologies that compliment and enhance the practices and personality of a given instructor. teachers would be a lot more likely to adopt a technology that compliments their style while bringing tangible results.
On the same note the author suggests surveying students to see what sorts of technology work for them and at what level. Different age groups have different preferences. You need to also look at the value of the technology in reaching the overall goals and curriculum. Do the tools have a pedagogical value? So, this article agrees with the TPACK model for technology integration.
So, for future success with tech integration we need to have a complete understanding of all the parties involved and about all that needs to be accomplished in the particular class.
I really like how the author understands that the first step in assisting an instructor with tech integration is to evaluate his teaching practices. I have found that a barrier for a lot of teachers to using technology is a fear that they will have to change their style which is the equivalent of changing ones personality. What is needed are technologies that compliment and enhance the practices and personality of a given instructor. teachers would be a lot more likely to adopt a technology that compliments their style while bringing tangible results.
On the same note the author suggests surveying students to see what sorts of technology work for them and at what level. Different age groups have different preferences. You need to also look at the value of the technology in reaching the overall goals and curriculum. Do the tools have a pedagogical value? So, this article agrees with the TPACK model for technology integration.
So, for future success with tech integration we need to have a complete understanding of all the parties involved and about all that needs to be accomplished in the particular class.
Multi-Touch reading 2
7 Things That you Should Know about Multi-Touch Interfaces
It blurs the lines between the virtual and the physical world. Here is a small but significant step into an intuitive and truly human interface with the digital world. How far are we now from a Holo Deck demonstrated in Star Trek?
Some of these surfaces allow for heat and pressure. You could start with a lump of clay, or even have it placed on a spinning table, then use pressure and heat to form the clay into you desired object as if you really physically manipulated the clay. Then you could have a computer model generator make the object like some of the engineers do with parts, and such, that they design on the computer.
It is exciting to know that there are companies like Apple, who are developing and implementing this technology right now. This has many exciting applications for the classroom. This is a big step in the direction of creating a virtual world where teachers are the guide and the students are fellow travelers. This could ultimately save schools and communities money since so much can be done on the computer. Instead of buying and baking clay, schools just need to download a program. This will, also, be a further argument for moving away from physical buildings where students congregate to learn.
It blurs the lines between the virtual and the physical world. Here is a small but significant step into an intuitive and truly human interface with the digital world. How far are we now from a Holo Deck demonstrated in Star Trek?
Some of these surfaces allow for heat and pressure. You could start with a lump of clay, or even have it placed on a spinning table, then use pressure and heat to form the clay into you desired object as if you really physically manipulated the clay. Then you could have a computer model generator make the object like some of the engineers do with parts, and such, that they design on the computer.
It is exciting to know that there are companies like Apple, who are developing and implementing this technology right now. This has many exciting applications for the classroom. This is a big step in the direction of creating a virtual world where teachers are the guide and the students are fellow travelers. This could ultimately save schools and communities money since so much can be done on the computer. Instead of buying and baking clay, schools just need to download a program. This will, also, be a further argument for moving away from physical buildings where students congregate to learn.
Multi-Touch reading
TED: Jeff Han, A Year Later
It has been some time since the last time I have been so impressed with an emerging technology. I Love the fact that this really makes technology more accessible for two reasons. One, it is inexpensive, and two it makes for a more intuitive and accessible computer interface.
The second video showed how this technology can add dimension to computer interaction. You have always been able to use interfaces to explore 3D worlds but this is a more meaningful way to interact with these worlds.
It is exciting to think about all of the educational applications here. I have had some reservations about SMART Boards and this technology solves many of those concerns. It is pixel allinged and touch sensitive where a SMART Board has to be aligned where you don't have a pixel alignment, and there are all these little buttons that one must press for it to operate. Multi-touch allows for more than one input at a time allowing for more users at any one time and for multiple input multi-touch devices. This technology will eliminate everything from buttons to mice.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
NoteFish
- How will this technology support and improve teaching and learning outcomes?
So, the better outcomes for both the teacher and the students is organization and portability. Students can concentrate on the project rather than the technical task of compiling and organizing data in a tool designed for word processing. The hope would be that students could engage in better and more productive constructivist activities where more and better quality work is done in any given time span.
- Does this technology provide students with the digital literacies required to live and work in contemporary society?
NoteFish will help students greatly in this area. They will be able to keep track of useful sites, and then practice highlighting and copying the most important and useful information. Later, they will be able to go back and synthesize the data they found and organize it in NoteFish. So. literacy for web site and informational text will be aided by this organizational and collection tool.
Libray 2.0 Perspectives
Away from the “icebergs”
This article addresses three areas of change. It is written by a librarian to librarians. First, the idea of compiling a large collection of books may be out moded due to major drops in circulation and the digital availability of materials. Second, may be instead on a focus on educating users on how to get the information they need the information should be more user friendly with less barriers. Third, consider the reality that location is more relative than it use to be. Students can now access volumes of information in journals and other materials that were once paper based online.The bottom line is that libraries will need to consider these three point if they are to survive.
To a temporary place in time...
Here is a look at the evolution of the library from 1.0 to 4.0. We are now somewhere between 1.0 and 2.0. Dr. Schultz compares the evolution to the evolution of commerce where the focus moves from the commodity to the experience. I heard it once said, of a popular restaurant for baseball stars, that people don't go to restaurants for the food they go there to be around the people that they feel comfortable with. I wonder if this isn't where the author is going with this. Libraries are becoming part of us rather than a tool or a commodity.The implication is that we need to accept and even embrace this inevitable change that is already occurring. I know that if I could go to a library and have that be an experience where you could move from a passive approach to information to an active approach then I would never want to leave. You could also make it more of a social and cooperative approach as well where people can share and assist each other in experiencing and and accessing information, ideas, worlds, treatments, and history in way that would only be superseded by the originators.
Synthesis and Thoughts
My first experiences with the library was with the cards organized by subject, author, and genera. I must admit that of all the systems I'm still the most at ease with this one. In fact, I use to used the electronic catalogue to help me find the appropriate section then rely on my judgment of the books to narrow my search as I did with the card system. In my previous blog I mentioned how I recently tried this again. I must say that for some reason, nostalgia, predictability, etc. I really enjoyed having this experience again. I was able to quickly locate a stack of relevant books then physically carry them home. On the balance, I am also the most high tech guy I know, and use more high tech tools then I have to. I love technology but that was not always the case. I did not own my own computer until six years ago. I hated computers until a few years ago, and today I can fix just about anything that can go wrong with them and use just about any application. I still feel safe, though with a book in my hands. I love the smell and feel of books. I like the fact that no one can hack into my book and change the information in it. I love that this book could be shared with anyone by physically handing it to them and then later sharing with them what they thought about it. I love that books represent a time when life was slower. Authors use to write books that had a slower pace and took longer to read because people, even adults, use to have the problem of needing to pass the time.
So, what does the future hold in 5-10 years. I've already broke one of my promises. I vowed to never use or need computers when I was in High School. Due to changes in the way the world works I had to break that vow by using computers to do at least some of my duties at work and at school. Now I have several computers, a digital recording studio, and I'm working on a Masters in Educational Technology. I am now the guy that everyone goes to with any and every problem they are having with technology. Where will I be in ten years? I will be helping others take a step further into using technology. I will help people with their fears and reservations over technology. I will model what is possible with technology in the classroom. I will move further and further into a virtual world where my students are not warm bodies in a traditional school room to a virtual classroom not limited by boundaries to learning, geography, and space. Is this getting too SI-FI no, because it is already possible. I only have one concern. We are only starting to understand the implications of a hurried life with high tech everything. Technology has the power to connect people but it also has the power to isolate people. My hope is that with a greater emphasis on cooperative and commutative technologies people will reverse the trend of anonymity and isolation and even be closer knit than communities of the past.
Library 2.0 and tools
I have been using the tools provided by the ASU libraries for two years now. With the exception of the librarian page it is also very similar to the resources that I had available at The University of Akron for my undergraduate work. I have used Refworks off and on. I tend to be okay with simply typing in the necessary information. I have on a few occasions had Refworks improperly cite a source. I may or may not use it again. One thing that we have not mentioned in this class is Google scholar which is a fantastic Library 2.0 tool that I use all of the time.
The LibGuides are the most helpful tool that I have been introduced to when it comes to the traditional uses that I have had for libraries. I am taking the 575 class and it have a wonderful page set up for it, http://libguides.asu.edu/content.php?pid=3104&sid=147093, with links to electronic books and other sources of literature and literature guides beyond the library search and ERIC. Last week I went to the shelfs for the first time in years and just looked at what was there in Fletcher library. I was amazed at what I found that way. I left with a stack of books that I hope will work nicely for my project. At times it is good to go low tech too.
I have spent some time playing around with LibraryThing on two occasions so far. It seems like a Flicker for books. I was very interested in some of the books reviews that I read. I have been interested in reading some books that I will now skip and I found that I was not alone in my disappointment over a book that I'm currently reading. I'm hoping that I can use this book to screen out duds. I also wonder if it would be a good place to give people a heads up about some of the companies who are making poor quality bindings. You can find book reviews on Amazon that are honest but there is no opportunity to network and communicate with a community of readers. I really want to give this site a chance. I have been hoping for the last year to get into some kind of book club. This could be a one step into that direction. It is so much better to be able to discuss a book that you have read rather than just keep it to yourself, or worse find that everyone you know does not care to hear about it. At LibraryThing there is a potential to find like minded people who have read the same or similar books as you.
The LibGuides are the most helpful tool that I have been introduced to when it comes to the traditional uses that I have had for libraries. I am taking the 575 class and it have a wonderful page set up for it, http://libguides.asu.edu/content.php?pid=3104&sid=147093, with links to electronic books and other sources of literature and literature guides beyond the library search and ERIC. Last week I went to the shelfs for the first time in years and just looked at what was there in Fletcher library. I was amazed at what I found that way. I left with a stack of books that I hope will work nicely for my project. At times it is good to go low tech too.
I have spent some time playing around with LibraryThing on two occasions so far. It seems like a Flicker for books. I was very interested in some of the books reviews that I read. I have been interested in reading some books that I will now skip and I found that I was not alone in my disappointment over a book that I'm currently reading. I'm hoping that I can use this book to screen out duds. I also wonder if it would be a good place to give people a heads up about some of the companies who are making poor quality bindings. You can find book reviews on Amazon that are honest but there is no opportunity to network and communicate with a community of readers. I really want to give this site a chance. I have been hoping for the last year to get into some kind of book club. This could be a one step into that direction. It is so much better to be able to discuss a book that you have read rather than just keep it to yourself, or worse find that everyone you know does not care to hear about it. At LibraryThing there is a potential to find like minded people who have read the same or similar books as you.
Monday, September 8, 2008
ASSURE and Big Six models
How are they similar and different?
Big Six seems to be a little more straight forward and easier to use. Though they both have six steps Big Six is less wordy and does a great job defining how you should plan a high tech lesson that is balanced. It does seem a little redundant to have a step to pick media and another to use the media, may be this lesson stresses media too much as a focus. Is there a non-media technology or other low-tech tool that you could be using? Both models use an evaluation component. A teacher who does not practice this is missing out on truly refining their art and adapting to the needs of their students. has a reflection for students on their own learning. Getting students to practice metecognition is important. with content and pedagogy. The ASSURE model has a step that asks you to Require learner participation. I suppose that we need this reminder, and it is possible to use technology in a teacher centered way. This is not addressed in Big Six.
How do they fit within the TPACK framework?
They both have you define objectives or address the problem that you are facing. The ASSURE model is good in that it has you consider your students and their unique needs at the very start. This step, I believe, needs to be explicitly stated. This is an example of good pedagogy. They both have you consider technology that supports your purposes and goals rather than the reverse. They both do seem a little like on content, but ASSURE comes a little ahead of Big Six in attempting this since it asks you to define your objectives. In education today we seem less focused on the actual content. Content is an important element that supports the other two, technology and pedagogy. So, yes they do fit the TPACK framework especially ASSURE.
Which one do you find most useful when conceptualizing the ways emerging technologies can be used in the classroom?
This has got to go to Big Six. Big Six though it falls short in some areas does a great job in helping a teacher plan on using new technology. It has you looking for technology and does not assume that the technology is media based. It would help you think through using any technology, new or old, in a way that fits the problem or objective that you are facing. It also comes of more constructive in that you are using tools to solve problem and then thinking about how to synthesis your findings.
Big Six seems to be a little more straight forward and easier to use. Though they both have six steps Big Six is less wordy and does a great job defining how you should plan a high tech lesson that is balanced. It does seem a little redundant to have a step to pick media and another to use the media, may be this lesson stresses media too much as a focus. Is there a non-media technology or other low-tech tool that you could be using? Both models use an evaluation component. A teacher who does not practice this is missing out on truly refining their art and adapting to the needs of their students. has a reflection for students on their own learning. Getting students to practice metecognition is important. with content and pedagogy. The ASSURE model has a step that asks you to Require learner participation. I suppose that we need this reminder, and it is possible to use technology in a teacher centered way. This is not addressed in Big Six.
How do they fit within the TPACK framework?
They both have you define objectives or address the problem that you are facing. The ASSURE model is good in that it has you consider your students and their unique needs at the very start. This step, I believe, needs to be explicitly stated. This is an example of good pedagogy. They both have you consider technology that supports your purposes and goals rather than the reverse. They both do seem a little like on content, but ASSURE comes a little ahead of Big Six in attempting this since it asks you to define your objectives. In education today we seem less focused on the actual content. Content is an important element that supports the other two, technology and pedagogy. So, yes they do fit the TPACK framework especially ASSURE.
Which one do you find most useful when conceptualizing the ways emerging technologies can be used in the classroom?
This has got to go to Big Six. Big Six though it falls short in some areas does a great job in helping a teacher plan on using new technology. It has you looking for technology and does not assume that the technology is media based. It would help you think through using any technology, new or old, in a way that fits the problem or objective that you are facing. It also comes of more constructive in that you are using tools to solve problem and then thinking about how to synthesis your findings.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Reading 1
Are there any more activity types not mentioned above that could be added?
Yes, some of the specific kind of writing activities. Write a persuasive article, etc. There are also activities like Podcasting and Vodcasting missing. Though, I suppose that I could make the argument that the missing activities are similar enough to not be included.
Which ones are specific to your content area?
Surprisingly, they all do.
Which ones do you use the most?
Read text, view presentation, research, answer questions, simulation/practical work, and really, all of set two.
How might these benefit from the use of technology? What kind of tool might you use?
Technology is not always a benefit. With text and presentations there are a verity of ways to digitize and display information. With much of the set two activities you could use a WebQuest. You can use on-line or computer based applications to draw political cartoons. Most could be accomplished using the Microsoft Office Suite. Civic engagement could be through a blog, or writing to a newspaper or congressman. Their are, really, an infinite number of tools out there. They will benefit from Technology if students draw a deeper and more permanent understanding or skill. Technology is also good if it allows you to more practically carry out an activity. Technology can take you places and simulate scenarios that would be difficult in the class-room. For instance; you could take a virtual Field trip, or dissect a frog.
Describe how you would incorporate the technology.
I would use it to take my students where I can't take them. The power of the spoken and written word is not always enough. I would use it to create more realistic problems that they can then use technology to find realistic solutions. I would show them the real world and how we and our learning fits into it. I can use technology to release students to construct their own learning and explore solutions. This is best done with one-to-one computing, and I don't have this luxury, but I do the best I can with an LCD projector.
Is the technology available to you? Do you know how to use it?
Yes, and yes. I have about the average access to technology. I can write grants for what I need. In some cases I can take a class in order to receive a piece of technology. I will begin tomorrow to use a wireless mouse and laser pointer. This will free me to move about the room so that I can exercise classroom management and informally assess student learning.
Yes, some of the specific kind of writing activities. Write a persuasive article, etc. There are also activities like Podcasting and Vodcasting missing. Though, I suppose that I could make the argument that the missing activities are similar enough to not be included.
Which ones are specific to your content area?
Surprisingly, they all do.
Which ones do you use the most?
Read text, view presentation, research, answer questions, simulation/practical work, and really, all of set two.
How might these benefit from the use of technology? What kind of tool might you use?
Technology is not always a benefit. With text and presentations there are a verity of ways to digitize and display information. With much of the set two activities you could use a WebQuest. You can use on-line or computer based applications to draw political cartoons. Most could be accomplished using the Microsoft Office Suite. Civic engagement could be through a blog, or writing to a newspaper or congressman. Their are, really, an infinite number of tools out there. They will benefit from Technology if students draw a deeper and more permanent understanding or skill. Technology is also good if it allows you to more practically carry out an activity. Technology can take you places and simulate scenarios that would be difficult in the class-room. For instance; you could take a virtual Field trip, or dissect a frog.
Describe how you would incorporate the technology.
I would use it to take my students where I can't take them. The power of the spoken and written word is not always enough. I would use it to create more realistic problems that they can then use technology to find realistic solutions. I would show them the real world and how we and our learning fits into it. I can use technology to release students to construct their own learning and explore solutions. This is best done with one-to-one computing, and I don't have this luxury, but I do the best I can with an LCD projector.
Is the technology available to you? Do you know how to use it?
Yes, and yes. I have about the average access to technology. I can write grants for what I need. In some cases I can take a class in order to receive a piece of technology. I will begin tomorrow to use a wireless mouse and laser pointer. This will free me to move about the room so that I can exercise classroom management and informally assess student learning.
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