Oct
28
2008
I was reading an article this morning in ISTE’s Technology and Learning journal for November that caught my eye. Well actually, two articles caught my eye and I thought I would share them with you. In both articles technology is emphasized as a tool to support and challenge learners. Technology is not a standalone device that is seen as the center of learning but instead a tool that is enhanced by solid teaching strategies.
The first article is Digital Storytelling by Regina Royer and Patricia Richards. Within the article the authors identify 16 strategies that have been found to enhance reading comprehension in students. These strategies include active listening, cooperative learning, fluency, graphic organizers, mental imagery, question asking, reciprocal teaching, sequencing, summarizing, and vocabulary. These strategies are incorporated into the five pillars of effective reading which is outlined by the National Reading Panel. The authors tie these strategies into content goals, scaffolding, and multimedia literacy.
Many tools popped into my head when I read this article. Below are a few.
The list could go on.
The second article is about technology professional development. It is entitled, Staff Development Café Style (PDF), by Jennifer Arns. I love this title. What a warm cozy feeling you get just from the title. I am already imaging the smell of fresh brewed coffee and pastries just waiting for me to dig in and enjoy. I am sitting with friends discussing issues of the day and we are sharing our solutions and or providing suggestions. Hey, this is a great idea for a technology professional development session isn’t it. It involves collaboration, excitement, and a supportive environment where tools and ideas can be shared and tried.
What a great idea.
Enjoy!
Aug
09
2008
I really like Web 2.0 tools. They are accessible, as long as you have an Internet connection, and relatively easy to use. Here is a tool that has caught my eye today, Dipity. Dipity is an online software tool that allows you to create timelines, flipbooks, maps, and lists collaboratively. Yes, you can add information to a timeline and any other member of Dipity can add to it. I found one that is very interesting, a timeline of Internet fads and events.
I think I will have my students create a timeline. Hmm…
Aug
07
2008
It is an interesting idea, using avatars on Web sites and in course management systems. It is believed that they have the potential to help guide students through the process of learning. I have created a Yahoo Avatar and posted my virtual resemblance to this message. I have also posted this avatar into my course management system - blackboard. Possibly, it will give my online students this semester an idea of what I look like. At least, virtually. Yahoo Avatar had many templates to choose from with many extra categories to embed into my image - from accessories to pets. I think one could become lost in the possibilities!
I have created an avatar using Voki but this service now places ads on your avatar. When using as an educational tool, I am not sure advertisements are a good idea.
Of course, you can create your own avatar using a paint program. This would be a static avatar - no movement. I think it would be effective though.
I was doing a little research on avatars in education when I came across this article, The secret life of avatars. What an interesting article. Using what education research identifies as good teaching to improve learning, a company, Global Matrix in England, has begun to develop avatars that can teach. Yes, teaching avatars. No human needed. Interesting idea.
Avatars are being utilized in schools around London, England - Not as teachers, but as guides on the side. Something similar to “talking notes”. If students are having difficulty with a lesson, they are guided by the avatar with practice problems in order to build skills and move on to the next level. If students have questions, at any point in a lesson, they can ask the avatar. A personal and hands on approach to teaching and mentoring a learner.
The U.S. Department of Education is looking into the possibility of avatars to help teach English to Spanish speaking students. Very interesting.
I tried to do a quick search on the company but came up with nothing. It truly is secret! Though, I did find proceedings discussing the U.S. Education Department’s interest in sign language avatars. Cool. To learn a bit more about signing avatars, meet Andy.
Jul
03
2008
Lately, I have been juggling classes, writing a book, finishing a grant, and trying to have just a bit of a summer. I am not sure I have achieved my last task - a bit of a summer - but, I am hanging on in the hopes that I will get one soon. I have, though, had a terrific summer as classes go. My students in my instructional technologies course are producing interesting, creative, and engaging activities and products that can be easily transferred to their present or future classrooms. Most of my students are trying new tools and doing so by combining personal interests. How terrific is that. In this way, students will begin to learn something new and foreign to them and then, when comfortable, apply these lessons learned into their classroom.
For example, a student created a flickr photostory of a process - making brownies.
My information literacy course is beginning to combine their hard work and effort into their wikibook. They as a class are learning a lot about wikibooks - style, formatting, coding, etc. - as well as, working as a team to create an interactive book. This is a difficult task but one that each student is accomplishing very well.
All in all, this is a very interesting semester.
Jun
23
2008
Students in the Instructional Technologies course I am teaching this summer are creating some good projects and organizing them into a Web portfolio. They are using googlepages for their portfolio and I must say that this tool only gets better and better. I thought I would share a few of the student portfolios (this is a large class) with you. If you like them, post a comment onto their blog to let them know. They will like that.
http://dnnwallace.googlepages.com/home
http://garyleeclay.googlepages.com/home2
http://wardlawmt.googlepages.com/teachingphilosophy
http://ronellerapp.googlepages.com/home
http://sophfronia83.googlepages.com/home
http://pnjbaier.googlepages.com/home
http://hfulkerson.googlepages.com/home
Jun
23
2008
Our class wikibook is coming along nicely. Actually, the students have taken over and are doing a terrific job. They found good research to support their topics and have written a draft page on wikispaces for their portion of the book as a group or independently. Now, it is time to look at each draft in order to make suggestions for edits, provide comments, and begin to look at how interactivity and media can be incorporated onto the page to enhance the content, message, and meaning.
Reminder: This book is intended for K12 teachers and is being written by K12 teachers. The goal is to provide a resource for teachers to learn about information literacy topics, ideas, and skills. It is important that teachers meet the needs of their students and to enhance their classrooms by incorporating these ideas into their curriculum. Our hope, this book will help with this process.
Take a look and provide any and all suggestions that you have directly on the wiki document itself. As one of my students suggested, please provide many and all suggestions that you have!
- Literacy Models and Relevancy
- History of Literacy
- Tools
- Differentiation and Information Literacy
I am adding a few more….June 24….to this posting. It is easier!
- Differentiation & IL
- ESL and Information Literacy
- Application of Information Literacy in the Classroom
Three more added June 24 (afternoon)
- Information Literacy
- Theories
- Safety and Information Literacy
Jun
11
2008
My information literacy students are going to work on creating an information literacy book on Wikibooks. We are now in the initial stages of book creation. As anyone knows who has created a book or thought about creating a book this is a big task but an exciting one. I have had students do something similar in the past - the difference - it was a page within an existing Wikibook.
I like the idea of students working with Wikipedia in some shape or form. It is a good way to get a true experience in creating a shared public document. In this case, a shared public presentation of work that others, colleagues and other teachers from around the world, will potentially access and use. A lot goes into creating something public - from needing to ensure the information is accurate and necessary to ensuring that information gathered is done so ethically.
I hope that anyone who reads this posting helps to keep tabs on this project to ensure that it is and remains a quality product. The idea is to create a book for K12 teachers to learn about information literacy concepts and ideas in this digital world that we live in. Hopefully, this information will provide what teachers need to begin carefully evaluating information found on the Internet as well as carefully creating and using information for and on the Web.
This is a work in progress that will be developed through the semesters.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Information_Literacy_in_the_K12_Classroom
An article I was recently reading, Make Students Info Literate, in TechLearning Magazine, highlights Wikipedia. It suggests that teachers provide opportunities for students to work with Wikipedia in different ways in their classroom in order to teach and enhance skills of information literacy. Timely I think.
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196605232
Jun
05
2008
Below are some resources that came through my email today. I thought I would pass them on to you. They provide teachers with resources, activities, and most importantly ideas.
- Science Whatzit! an online science learning project created by the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI), in collaboration with the Science Learning Network. Students can send the Science Whatzit Gremlin their science questions, queries, thoughts and ideas. They can also look on this site to find ideas for science projects.
- Kennedy Center’s ARTSEDGE site is giving the who, what, when were, and how of storytelling. There are also lesson plans.
- eMentoring is a collaborative tool where adult penpal mentors, chosen by teachers, will mentor your students through reading and discussing books, via email, about curriculum-aligned topics.
- COOL SCHOOL: Where Peace Rules! is an interactive computer game designed to teach children (ages 5 to 7) about conflict resolution.
- Climate Change: Connections and Solutions consists of two 2-week curriculum units—one for middle school and one for high school. The units have critical thinking activities built in. Focus is the global problem of climate change. Students are expected to collaborate on finding possible solutions.
- Mixing in Math offers 40 activities that can be used to “slip a little math” into students’ everyday routines.
- WorldWide Telescope a project at Microsoft that incorporates astronomy, education and computing together to create a great tool and resource site.
Enjoy!
