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Ken Fuller

Unexpected Learnings: BackNoise Can Be Toxic | New Media Atlanta - 0 views

www.searchadvisory.net/arnings-backnoise-can-be-toxic

Web2.0 backchanneling BackNoise.com ITC121611

shared by Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • The first speaker was quite good, but he kept referring to the “backnoise.”  I didn’t know what this meant, but a quick check of Twitter and Facebook led me to the BackNoise website.  From what I can determine, BackNoise is the equivalent of passing notes or whispering in the back of the classroom, except anyone who wants to participate or listen in can do so.  Someone had set up a conversation area on BackNoise for New Media Atlanta, and people in the audience were typing in comments during the day that others could read in real time. 
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      Just what is backchanneling?
  • One thing I learned yesterday was how the existence of BackNoise can change the direction of an event in real time.  This sounds like a good thing, and it partly is.
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      The intended use and the ultimate outcome could be worlds apart; read on.
  • after lunch, the lights in the auditorium were low and several people posted on BackNoise that they were falling asleep, so the organizers turned the lights back up.  When a panel discussion and the keynote speaker got good reviews, they let those sessions run long (which meant the last session of the day didn’t happen, which would have upset me if I were that presenter, but it appears the audience got what they wanted).  And there were enough gripes about the “no beverages in the room” policy that the organizers had a shipment of bottled water brought in and added a break in the afternoon.  All good stuff!
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      Unfortunately, BackNoise, the backchannel service being used, allowed anonymous posts. In this case anonimity allowed the participants to take cheap shots at the presenters.
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      Getting feedback from the participants allowed the organizers to "cater" to the needs or interests of the participants. For example, improving the lighting, or being more flexible with restrictions, no beverages in the conference room.
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      Real-time gathering or dissemination of information can be good feedback for the presenters/organizers.
  • ...21 more annotations...
  • A majority of the comments were just plain mean in an irrelevant way – not constructive criticism, but rude, boorish, even vicious remarks. A few people commented about this rudeness on BackNoise and were immediately scolded with responses like “If you don’t want to read snarkiness, you don’t have to stay on this site!”  They were right.  I became more and more dismayed as I stayed on the site, and I kept telling myself I should leave (and maybe actually pay attention to the presentations – what a concept!).  But it was like catching the first few minutes of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” or trying to eat just one Frito…you know it’s going to be a junky trainwreck but you just can’t help yourself and you can’t stop.
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      The one and only person to post their handle was shouted down by the "crowd think". See Philip Zombardo on TED.com on the effect of power on one's actions. http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil.html
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      The remarks became more critical, each one seemingly worse than the previous remark.
  • That’s the silver lining in what became, for me at least, a big, ugly, gray cloud of negativity.  As the second speaker started, people on BackNoise started bashing his PowerPoint slide design, and then his content.  His content was pretty basic – I wasn’t learning anything new – so I distracted myself by continuing to watch the conversation on BackNoise.  It degenerated from bad to worse.  As the day went on, there were some posts of substance, such as people saying that they wanted more “how to” information than they were getting.
  • Only one person put his real name up, and pretty soon the masses bored of picking on the speakers and turned on him for awhile.  He was able to defend himself in a snarky (and presumably respected-by-this-crowd) way, so that mood passed.  But you could see the “crowdthink” forming right before your eyes – if one or two people designated a presenter “good” or “bad” early on, the vast majority of other posts would follow along in that vein.  And they’d almost try to one-up each other with the meanest and wittiest observations they could think of.
  • At one point, I had Twitter open on one browser (using the designated #nmatl hashtag) and BackNoise open on another browser.  The difference between th
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      The last speaker got wise and projected the live BackNoise feed for all to see. The perception of no longer being anonymous appeared to change the tone of the conversation.
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      Following another source (Twitter) the feedback was much more positive or just about fact finding.
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      ...the "crowd" had been very critical of a speaker who had the misfortune of seeing the comments as well.
  • Here are my takeaways from New Media Atlanta:
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      Questions to consider after this experience: Do you put a no laptop/mobile device policy in place? Should you continue to read the backchannel feedback, looking for ways to improve your presentations and better meet the needs of your audience? What positive/negative affect might that feedback have on you as a presenter? Are you sure the conference is a fit for you? What new information might you take away from it? Do you know your audience?
  • If you were reading Twitter, you’d get a very different (and more positive) view of the conference than if you were reading BackNoise.
  • The last speaker
  • instead of using a PowerPoint presentation, he put the live BackNoise conversation feed up on the screen behind him as he spoke.  The tone improved, partly because Chris was really good
  • I’m sure having the comments be so very public made people behave a bit better as wel
  • e two was significant – the majority of tweets were either positive or simply restated facts from the presentations. 
  • I cringed for one of the previous speakers when two separate people posted how much her presentation had sucked, and this was right up on the screen for the entire audience (including her) to see.
  • I was blissfully ignorant about BackNoise.
  • I’m truly nervous about presenting, at least to a group with laptops or smartphones in front of them
  • should I read the BackNoise chatter about my presentation afterwards or not?  If people have constructive criticisms that can help me improve my talk and give the audience more of what they want next time, that’s great!  But I don’t think I could handle people joking about or making fun of the way I look, the way I pronounce words, or other personal details that are completely irrelevant to the topic at hand.  That kind of feedback would probably make me a worse speaker – more tentative, less sure of myself, and less likely to want to present at all.  Come to think of it, could BackNoise have a dampening effect on professionals being willing to share their knowledge in general?
  • The negativity on BackNoise had a very large and detrimental impact on how I viewed the event. 
  • the conference and the speakers were not bad at all – in fact, they were quite good.  The problem was that there were too many advanced people in the audience, like me, whose expectations didn’t match what was being presented.
  • I don’t often bring a laptop to conferences, and now I see why.
  • too distracting.  It’s not just BackNoise, it’s Twitter, other social media sites (ironically), checking email, etc
  • anonymity tends to bring out the worst in peopl
  • How can you justify paying good money to attend an event and then not only fail to pay attention to the content, but instead spend the day trying to entertain people you don’t even know at others’ expense?
  • I have the naïve optimism to ask anyone and everyone who’s attending a conference or event to do two things: If you use BackNoise or similar sites, keep your comments constructive and focus on the venue or content rather than making personal attacks or jokes about fellow human beings. Have the guts to use your name when you have suggestions as to how things can be improved rather than remaining anonymous.  That would be the mature, professional thing to do.
    • Ken Fuller
      Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
       
      Things to consider when using some form of backchanneling as a presenter or participant: Find the right application for the venue, audience, purpose Encourage participants to focus on the content, contribute constructive comments to the conversation and use your name or handle
  • Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11
     
    Blogger Stacy Williams writes about the good, the bad, and the ugly of "BackNoise" [backchannel]
Siu Connor

INTERACT quadro interactivo nas salas de aula: Promethean na Educação - 3 views

interactsite.blogspot.com/...promethean-na-educacao.html

shared by Siu Connor on 15 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Siu Connor on 15 Nov 09
     
    The speaker makes many thought provoking statements that I think get to the core of what needs to happen in terms of technology's place in education. Curriculum needs to be overhauled and updated to reflect society's needs in terms of education. I think teachers should listen to this speech, because ultimately, success or failure is truly up to them.
Cheryl Ann Hurd

Laptop Carts vs. One to One (1:1) - 12 views

I think it can be done. I know I had an empty cart sitting in the server closet at 89. I think it would be better than letting them sit around doing nothing.

1:1 laptops cows 1to1

started by William Russo on 11 Oct 09 1 follow-up, last by Cheryl Ann Hurd on 19 Feb 11
Ken Fuller

All the right MOVES - 3 views

www.nysut.org/...newyorkteacher_15173.htm

school city albany interactive

shared by Ken Fuller on 14 Jun 10 - Cached
  • Ken Fuller on 14 Jun 10
     
    I found this article in the NYSUT magazine and thought about the possibilities for developing critical thinking skills.
Ken Fuller

A Thin Line : www.athinline.org - 1 views

www.athinline.org

cyberbullying cybersafety sexting athinline mtv education teens survey cell phone

shared by Ken Fuller on 29 May 10 - Cached
  • Ken Fuller on 29 May 10
     
    I think the survey would be a great way to begin a conversation with students about online responsibility. I try to get my teachers to bring their classes to the lab for an intro. covering AUPs, procedures, handling of hardware, etc.. It's a hard sell but I continue to do it anyway.
Ken Fuller

metaquark » AppFresh - 0 views

metaquark.de/appfresh

mac software appfresh metaquark technology tools

shared by Ken Fuller on 25 Aug 10 - Cached
  • Ken Fuller on 25 Aug 10
     
    I think AppFresh was on the last image. It's a great way to keep up on the most recent updates available for apps, widgets, and plugins. Be careful though, a few glitches you may encounter when: -the update requires an OS update i.e. Leopard to Snow Leopard -the update requires a new license the District doesn't own -the app goes from freeware to shareware
  • Ken Fuller on 25 Aug 10
     
    Hey I'm a Mac man but I will post PC resources when I come across them. No bias here.
Scott Nourse

Google Earth Lessons - 0 views

www.gelessons.com/lessons

tools teaching resources web2.0

shared by Scott Nourse on 15 Nov 10 - Cached
  • Scott Nourse on 15 Nov 10
     
    Lessons and tips on  using Google Earth to help students think Geo Spatially.
  • Scott Nourse on 15 Nov 10
     
    Check out the lessons section....
Scott Nourse

The Innovative Educator: Are Interactive Whiteboards a Smart Idea when they Make Even t... - 3 views

theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/...ve-whiteboards-smart-idea.html

tools learning teaching

shared by Scott Nourse on 24 Dec 10 - No Cached
  • Scott Nourse on 24 Dec 10
     
    Wow.  A passioned plea against IWBs. A couple valid points about some pitfalls, but I have the sense that the blog writer is missing something about effective use of IWBs. Interesting comments on both sides What do y'all think?
Ken Fuller

How Slang Affects Students in the Classroom - US News and World Report - 1 views

education.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/...ects-students-in-the-classroom

k12 web2.0 slang classroom students report socialmedia

shared by Ken Fuller on 15 Jun 11 - No Cached
  • Slang terms and text-speak such as IDK (I don't know), SMH (shaking my head), and BTW (by the way) have become a common sight on student assignments, befuddling some high school teachers who are unsure how to fix this growing problem.
  • According to a survey of 700 students ages 12 to 17 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 85 percent of the respondents reported using a form of electronic communication, whether through instant messaging, text messaging, or social media. Growing up in a technological era, high school students may be unaware they are using language shortcuts in the classroom, says Allie Sakowicz, a rising senior at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Ill.
  • "I think that students don't even realize that they're doing it," Sakowicz notes. "When we're using all this social media we're not thinking about spelling words right, so naturally that's going to translate into the classroom."
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • In fact, 64 percent of students in the study reported inadvertently using a form of shorthand native to texting or social networking. But, the problem does not end there, as Sakowicz acknowledges that younger teachers see the slang but "let it go." "Not that they like it, but they kind of expect it," she says. "Teachers that are older and aren't familiar with all the social media devices are really upset that this is what's becoming of our language."
  • While advocates of slang words may say this trend is simply an evolution of language, Chad Dion Lassiter, professor of race relations at the University of Pennsylvania, considers it "a dumbing down of culture." Lassiter leads an academic mentorship program for high school students in the Philadelphia area and has observed "this broken level of communication."
Siu Connor

Edutopia: What Works in Public Education - 0 views

www.edutopia.org

education teaching learning pedagogy technology

shared by Siu Connor on 13 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Siu Connor on 13 Oct 09
     
    A great site with some forward thinking ideas that some of us may want to try and implement in our buildings.
William Russo

Education Week: Inverting Bloom's Taxonomy - 3 views

www.edweek.org/...06wineburg.h29.html

Pedagogy BloomsTaxonomy Blooms learning

shared by William Russo on 11 Oct 09 - Cached
  • the aim is not merely to collect what is known, but to learn how to think about problems in a new way.
  • William Russo on 11 Oct 09
     
    Tremendous article regarding Bloom and learning. Consider technology's role in helping "flip the pyramid" to promote knowledge and critical thinking.
Ken Fuller

20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have -- THE Journal - 3 views

thejournal.com/...very-educator-should-have.aspx

learning Technology teacher K-12 teacher resources teaching

shared by Ken Fuller on 15 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Ken Fuller on 15 Oct 09
     
    This one is an oldie but a goodie. I use it whenever I work a new group of learners or learners that are new to educational technology. It's an easy read and can be modified to reflect the rapid changes in technology.
  • Siu Connor on 16 Oct 09
     
    Yes, I agree with much of the article and the skills mentioned, but at first glance, it's quite daunting. You're talking about skills that, for the average educator, takes years to acquire and with which to become comfortable. That is something we ,as integration specialists,s need to keep in mind.
  • Ken Fuller on 27 Oct 09
     
    Absolutely Sui! I think TISs face the same challenge as classroom teachers. How do we hook them? For people like you and I it's an intrinsic motivation to grow our knowledge base and fine tune our craft. Once a teacher told me, "there are three kinds of teachers, those that were born to do it, those that can be taught to do it and those that will never get it." I want to believe that the overwhelming majority of teachers fall into that second category. So, back to how do we hook them. I agree with Bill that Atomic Learning is woefully underutilized. One way to get the teachers hooked and increase the likelihood that AL is used is to adopt AL as our launching point for developing all PLOs. Take a look at the AL Toolkit http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/atomictoolkit. Assuming that we have done our due diligence and prepared our teachers to register for AL and view relevant tutorials prior to the PLO. Use the toolkit materials to "promote" our PLOs. Encourage teachers to subscribe to the AL newsletter and our web site blog feeds. Design PLOs with their work in mind - flipcharts using upcoming unit actiities, etc. I think it was Kathy Shrock that said something like, when teaching an unfamiliar application use a familiar task and when teaching an unfamiliar task use a familiar application. We also need to change the mindset so that the "learning" is their bag of bricks to carry and that we are here to coach, and support them to that end.
Ken Fuller

Buffalo Public Schools - Teacher Pages - 4 views

www.buffaloschools.org/...index.cfm

teacher web page K-12 teacher resources staff resources BSCD resource

shared by Ken Fuller on 01 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Ken Fuller on 01 Nov 09
     
    Buffalo City School District (BSCD) TIS Kathleen Emhof's teacher web page. The site is clean, efficient and provides or links to many staff resources. Three features really stand out . First the subpages under the section My Home Page are written in a conversational tone. I think that has an inviting appeal. Second is the use of the Calendar feature of the home page. This moves the lab scheduling off her shoulders and encourages the staff to plan and communicate with each other. Third and lastly, making all relevant itech forms available to the staff. I have just a few suggestions: - consider password protecting the teacher resources page - create separate student/parent resource section
  • Siu Connor on 01 Nov 09
     
    You can have the ultimate webpage, but the true end goal is getting teachers and others to use it. That takes a great deal of diplomacy. Hillary, are you listening?
  • William Russo on 02 Nov 09
     
    Ken, thank you for highlighting one of our colleagues pages. One of the areas I believe we must focus more on is improving teacher pages among the teachers (or just get them to start one!).
William Russo

News: Technology Gap - Inside Higher Ed - 1 views

www.insidehighered.com/...survey

web2.0 teaching

shared by William Russo on 06 Nov 09 - Cached
  • William Russo on 06 Nov 09
     
    Professors think they are doing reasonably well when it comes to using technology in the classroom, according to a survey released here this week by CDW-G at the annual meeting of Educause. Not everyone agrees with the faculty view of things
  • William Russo on 06 Nov 09
     
    Yikes!
Ken Fuller

Cornell University Library - Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools - 0 views

olinuris.library.cornell.edu/...webeval.html

evaluating evaluation webpage webtools

shared by Ken Fuller on 29 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • --- Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages (Jim Kapoun): Accuracy Authority Currency Objectivity Coverage
  • To evaluate Web sites go to this table of criteria and questions to ask when judging the reliability of information on the Web.
  • --- Generic Criteria for Evaluation (Hope Tillman): Stated criteria for inclusion of information Authority of author or creator Comparability with related sources Stability of information Appropriateness of format Software/hardware/multimedia requirements --- ...Criteria for the Evaluation of Internet Information Resources (Alastair Smith) --- ICYouSee: T is for Thinking (John Henderson)
  • Ken Fuller on 29 Apr 11
     
    This is an updated version of the Evaluating Web Sites handout you were given at the 4/27 faculty meeting. Follow the links to get more detailed tips for CONTEXT, EVALUATION CRITERIA, ONLINE SELECTION, and WEBLIOGRAPHY.
Ken Fuller

A Taste for Telepresence -- THE Journal - 0 views

thejournal.com/...A-Taste-for-Telepresence.aspx

telepresence CiscoSystems THEjournal DianShaffhauser VoIP location-free_communications Tandberg

shared by Ken Fuller on 29 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • He envisioned that telepresence would allow the district to participate in cultural exchanges among local students and those in other countries. It could be used to deliver staff development courses and enable people to get together for district business meetings without the time, expense, or carbon emissions associated with physical travel.
  • VoIP was a revelation to the district. Teachers have become more immediately accessible to parents, who no longer have to leave messages in the main offices and hope to be available when teachers call back. And now, when a teacher or staff member moves to another location in the district, the phone and a person's number can follow along; all it requires is a simple update through software. "We know who's got that device, where they have it, where they have it plugged in," Devkota explains. In short, VoIP gave the district community a taste for location-free communications, which naturally led to the next best thing to being there: telepresence.
  • Ken Fuller on 29 Apr 11
     
    I think this an interesting article. The only aspect that gave me pause, other than cost, was the idea of location-free_communications. I'm envisioning PA systems on steroids. I opened a topic "Telepresence" to see if anyone wanted to weigh in on the topic.
Ken Fuller

Big6 Resources - 2 views

nb.wsd.wednet.edu/...big6_resources.htm

Big6 research information literacy graphic organizer webpage

shared by Ken Fuller on 19 Mar 12 - Cached
  • RESOURCES for EACH BIG6™ STEP
  • 1. Task Definition
  • General-to-specific triangle
  • ...19 more annotations...
  • 2. Information-Seeking Strategies
  • Primary and Secondary Sources
  • Read•Write•Think lesson plans for selecting best resources (grades 3-5).
  • 3. Location and Access
  • Pathfinders
  • Online Databases
  • Great places for teachers to find WWW sites and resources to support school projects
  • 4. Use of Information
  • The Trash-n-Treasure Method of Teaching Note-Taking - This is our favorite method for teaching/learning notetaking skills.
  • Note-taking
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Inspiration- Software for creating graphic organizers. Download a trial copy. Includes Kidspiration for younger kids
  • Citing Source
  • Copyright and plagiarism
  • Copyright for Kids
  • 5. Synthesis
  • Products and Assessments - Elementary
  • 6. Evaluation
  • Assessment and Project-Based Learning
  • Ken Fuller on 19 Mar 12
     
    Graphic organizers, webpages, reproducibles, lesson plans and other resources for use to explain, teach, and implement Big6 research skills.
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