Learn

Resources and Reflections

Monday, April 14, 2008

Digital Vaults and LOC: A must see...and do

Imagine a unit you could make out of using these new image sources: the digital vault for primary sources and the 14 million prints, photographs and other visual materials at the Library of Congress, more than 3,000 photos from two of the most popular collections available on the new Flickr page, to include only images for which no copyright restrictions are known to exist (Source:Joho):
http://www.digitalvaults.org/# and http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/ , which could lead to a unit from http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/index.html

Must Read http://historytech.wordpress.com/2008/04/12/digital-vaults-social-networking-for-primary-sources/



Must Read http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2008/01/16/library-of-congress-partners-with-flickrand-you/

Visit http://averyoldplace.blogspot.com/ and see her cool projects

Cool Projects: http://connections.smsd.org/csi/, http://connections.smsd.org/veterans/,

Read http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/archives/1325

DST: Perform your writing..but how?

"The ability to create content, distribute content, and create a competitive voice that can be heard is an essential 21st Century literacy that needs to be developed in students." A must read: http://strengthofweakties.org/ or the updated verison http://strengthofweakties.org/?p=280

But why not teach/infuse Social networks, blogs, forums and instant messaging environments?

Perform your writing!!

I will create a DST: Digital Story Telling unit. Read: http://newtools.pbwiki.com/dst2 and use Photostory 3.

http://edblasting.wikispaces.com/Digital+Story+Telling to view rough draft of developing the unit.

So I took on a DST unit hoping that this would be an end of year project that would invoke an intrinsic motivator when eveything else this time of year is a distraction. I mean I didn't assign a research paper on a historical person or event that meant nothing to a 21st century student. And the project was still difficult like any project can be. I wondered since this was a project about themselves how hard could it be.

Barriers to understaning; students had a hard time using images for a story with a theme, purpose and point of view - as opposed to a random collection of photos posted in a social network meant to trivialize or embellish their existance.

Students are neither computer savvy nor visually literate as we may think they are. I think they use technology like an adolescent would - to serve their social experience. Sooo... when it comes to visual literacy students are used to aggregating photos aimlessly and recklessly in a way that communicates random embellishments. it's eself-serving. Think about it, posting your images of yourself at a party is self-aggrandizing, egotistical ...and totally appropriate (as far as a developing mind is concerned) for an adolescent. But it shows little understanding of visual literacy principles.

Anyway, using their images to showcase a theme about themselves has been excruciatingly difficult...as abstract as some math concepts. Maybe ppt is to blame? I admit I have considered backing off and asking students to disregard all DST criteria. But we're not creating a scrapbook...or a social networking page.

After three weeks and mid-project conferences into the DST project I see glimpses of the project coming togehter - signs of students internalizing their story, emotion, mood, and metaphor appearing. I see less randomizing but see incomplete 'stories'. I am unsure how music, text, images, and narration will coalesce -but then again, I am unsure how even teach this in a short 5 week unit??????? We have viewed many DST samples and discussed them. I wonder how well a student can recognize theme and plot in a movie...or a book?

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Quality Teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling

Read http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/ibes/5959

why technology has not delivered on its potential in schools

Copied from http://strengthofweakties.org/?cat=11

Read also http://www.tuttlesvc.org/2008/01/historical-role-of-ces-common.html

"Reason 1: Using technology to create and support learning opportunities in most schools is not considered mission-critical. Technology is seen as integrative and not integral. It’s nice, schools have to have some, and if something good gets done with it, well, that’s good. How many schools require teachers to have a Web presence? Or is it optional? And what does optional mean to a busy teacher?
Reason 2: Most administrators have failed to understand technology and how it applies to the learning process on the most fundamental level. How many could accurately and effectively assess the inclusion of technology within a teacher’s lesson so that they could comment intelligently on the added value that the technology brings to the learning process, or doesn’t bring? How many have a true and honest expectation that technology will be used properly by teachers and students, follow up on that, and ask teachers to demonstrate it? How many have worked to provide the proper climate for experimentation and innovation? But what happens when administrators do have a grasp of technology? Ask yourself this question: “When there is robust administrative support for technology, coupled with the expectation of use within the context of learning, what happens to technology use in that school?”
Reason 3: Schools have not provided teachers with the proper tool(s), infrastructure, or support to get the job done. This ranges from not supplying the right tool, or preventing the right ones from being used. Additionally, one staff development day a year doesn’t cut it with a complex tool and process like building Web pages.
Reason 4: Teachers are too comfortable. Why build Web pages? And with Reasons 1-3, they might just have an argument. But in 2008, a class that does not have an online presence to support the learning that takes place there is missing a critical component. It’s a class that could be much better. Too many are too comfortable with doing what they’ve always done.
Reason 5: Teachers have not seen the benefit. Teachers will use technology-I know this firsthand and so do you. But to take that step into technology use, most teachers have to see a return on their investment; they have to see an impact on learning, and this is a healthy expectation. Now consider building a Web page-what exactly could they put on a Web page that they couldn’t put on a handout? Asking them to build a Web page that only addresses productivity issues (contact information, class schedule, homework, etc.) and perhaps links to other Web sites is not enough. But unfortunately, that’s what most will be only capable of. A course presence must be much larger in scope, and include elements that focus not just on information and productivity, but on supporting learning. And please don’t suggest that teachers can link to things like blogging, wiki, and social bookmarking sites to add that component. By doing something like that-joining a collection of independent tools together-the skills and understanding and support required to make that a realistic component to learning is probably beyond most. Sure, some can do it, but I’m interested in doing it system-wide.
So, what to do? Get an approachable and usable tool. Get one that has productivity and learning applications built in. Get one that has type and submit content capability. Get some best practice examples that teachers can emulate. Get a vision, and get an expectation that having a digital component to student learning is absolutely necessary. Make it part of your culture, and support it relentlessly. Extend the learning beyond the hours of the classroom, and begin to extend the learning beyond the four walls of the classroom."

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Why teach GAM-BOTS?

My new curriculum will be GAM-BOTS. That is progamming (games) and robots.

Why ?

NML is a research initiative within MIT's Comparative Media Studies program. According to a 2007 study from the Pew Center for Internet & American Life, more than half of all teens have created media content and roughly a third of teens online have shared content they produced with others. In many cases, these teens are actively involved in what we are calling participatory culture.
Participatory culture stresses the role of teens as creators, circulators, connectors, and collaborators--rather than simply consumers--of media. Young people participate in the creation and circulation of media content within social networks that extend from their circle of face-to-face friends to a larger virtual community around the world.
Our central goal is to engage educators and learners in today's participatory culture. It is our belief that young people need to both make and reflect upon media and in the process, acquire important skills in team work, leadership, problem solving, collaboration, brainstorming, communications, and creating projects. http://www.mtl-peters.net/blog/


Below is a video of the Digital Youth Network as a sample of what Nichole’s programme is accomplishing with robotics. I have many

For budding Programmers

We have LEGO ROBOTS

Program and make a computer game at http://scratch.mit.edu/ or go to Alice.org for programming http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=what_is_alice/what_is_alice

Or learn programming at
http://www.csunplugged.com/

Note: A good number of teachers using things like Gamemaker (see lite (free) and pro (20.00)). Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Maker . XNA to bring game development into their courses so students can have incentive to learn so they can create things that interest them - games.
I also see teachers teaching mobile device programming which is pretty easy in Visual Studio because of built in emulators.

And then there are robots. We have Mindstorms and XML bots from Lego.
Programs like IPRE in college and FIRST Lego League in middle schools (usually as after school programs.) There are tools out there.

Solution Seminar

Computer Competency Seminar (aka Computer Literacy)

We will implement a 9 - 10 week Computer Competency Seminar for all studentsin all grades to earn computer skills and proficiencies as determined by NCLB and spelled-out in the Natinal Education Technology Standards from ISTE. The Seminars will take place during PLP, SSR, AAT times as determined by class mentors. Some students may test-out.Content for Competency:Basic computer operationsMS Office 2003 Suite (including email)Information Literacy (?)Cyber safety (??Web Apps/Web 2.0 (?)The break down: Students will take a pre and post-test to determine proficiency and earn a .25 credit. Student work with computers in other classes will determine the other .25 credit tp be showcased and graded in the student PLP. In sum, a student will earn the .5 elective credit and the compulsory computer proficiency as determined by NCLB (which says student will be proficient with computers by 8th grade) and earn a certificate. (This may be aligned with the MSOffice certiciate course offered by Microsoft ....or not). See online tutorials for more.