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ann stephens

EDUC 251 2/15 Checkin - 20 views

The point for me is not the amount of time I spend in a class, but having a filter for what is important. Posts, for example, that come with a highlight of what the link about or some reaction to ...

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ann stephens

You Digital Presence - 9 views

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    Jennifer's email to us was a catalyst for this post to inquire about your digital prescence experience. I, like Jennifer, have aliases that I use on social networks. It is a challenge, though, to manage multiple presences and even when I do, often have a feeling of unease about the information. For example, in this course a suggestion was for us to update our profile. Although I don't feel secrative that I am taking a course at Bellevue College, the email/signature I use for this course is also the one I use for some other professional endeavors (such a technology consulting). I is not something that is a "need to know" by everyone. I chose, in this situation, not to update my general profile. When we are conscious of what/how we are posting and putting up, is one thing. Often though, I get on a mailing list, that I have no idea how I was included, as I probably forgot to check a "do not include me" box on something I have bought on line. This article was particularly interesting to me, as it talks about a survey that 23% of children get a digital presence even before they are born - having a lasting imprint.
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    Ann, the information contained in this article (digital presence sometimes even before birth) was a bit shocking. The lasting imprint you refer to is definitely a reason to instruct our children/grandchildren/students to carefully consider what they want broadcast to the world before they publish it! Thank you for this reference.
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    Articles like this are designed to be shocking. My children have had a digital footprint before they were born. They also both have their own domain names. But my grandparents and great grandparents also have digital footprints after they've passed on! In my opinion, it won't be long before there is so much content online, that the information about individuals will be of little interest to any of the people we currently worry are concerned about it. More importantly, I hope it brings awareness of what it means to be human. We all make mistakes. Most people aren't 100% good or bad. I would prefer more people to put more stuff online so it becomes irrelevant. The way I see it, only those with privilege and access even have the choice about what to put online. If we put too much value on it, the only people who will benefit are the people with privilege, access, and either the foresight to keep their online presence squeaky clean, or the money to clean it up afterward.
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    I used to think that my name was off the beaten path enough that there wasn't anyone else with the name Bruce Wolcott - but I was mistaken, and was glad that I laid claim to brucewolcott.com. Over the past few years, I've slowly been working to build an online presence. A few years ago, the my top reference on the Web was at ratemyprofessor.com , which I've found in the past to have favorable reviews, but also some student reviews I felt were retribution for getting poor grades. I wanted to build a presence that I thought was fair, represented my true interests, and a way to quickly let people know about my background. After developing my website and blog, it turns out that Google has put the information I'm most interested in having out there, at the top of the list. I see this as a long term project, and something that I will be building consistently and gradually over time. After Jennifer's comments regarding Facebook, I'm having second thoughts about what kind of presence to be projecting there.
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    I was thinking of the direct experience with the first grandchild in the family. Her facebook is limited to family (I have an alias email for this) and friends, but you never know when something is really forwarded. She recently had a some minor illness - ear ache, slight temperature. This has now been posted on facebook. We often think of medical things as private and yet this was easily shared as a way for us to know what was happening.
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    Ann, the medical thing is a good point. I had a Twitter conversation with Howard Rheingold the other day, about the kinds of things we put online. He felt he didn't put too much personal stuff. I thought it was pretty personal that he had a cancer blog and a separate Twitter account for his butt :) He explained a little about why he did that. Read from the bottom to the top. https://skitch.com/injenuity/rmqq1/twitter-your-favorites
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    Howard's cancer post exemplifies the uneasiness I feel. Having a blog for an illness is a wonderful way to stay connected, get advise, not feel isolated, etc. However, when we do that we are thinking of family, friends, and a community we want to connect to, but we have no control of where this information goes and what the consequences of that might be as happened in this case. We all know now that Howard had cancer. I have personal reaction to this information - what type of cancer, reminds me of personal experiences, current friends, the medical system, etc.
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    One thing to think about is the reality of community to an individual. An outside observer might analyze and decide there is no real community. But if a participant perceives it as community, do they then reap the benefits of community? Could there be health benefits in believing there are people who support you and are there to listen?
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    I agree that there is a benefit to on-line blogs and support groups. The question for me is how do I get that benefit from the people I am targetting it to? So, for instance, I have used online support groups for a medical challenge I went through. It was helpful and beneficial to both them and me. However, that is different from having a digital footprint of the interaction. Maybe an employer or someone who would use the information judgementally, for example. So to Howard's example, did he realize that people that only tangentially are even aware of him, now know something intimate about his life. He probably doesn't care on one level, but it is the "unconsciousness" of this footprint that I think about.
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    I think he cares and just wanted to have control of it himself, rather than let other people decide what's out there about him. The optimist in me hopes what will happen is we'll start to discover we have more in common with people that we ever thought possible. I blogged through the loss of my baby, and that's online forever. Years after the fact, at least 4 men in my online professional network have told me how much they appreciated being able to see that, because they went through the same thing, but didn't feel dads had the right to that kind of grief. It's very rewarding to go a thousand miles away to a conference and get the biggest hugs in the world, simply for being open about a personal experience. I drop off line all the time. I delete accounts. I stop blogging. Every time I do it, people contact me to tell me how much they miss my interaction, and how they've been touched by my sharing. When I feel like I'm not making a difference, people always tell me I don't know that, because it's not something I can see. A lot of times I've written blog posts that go against the wisdom of my colleagues, yet I receive many private messages from people thanking me for saying the things they've been afraid to say. I think it's all a matter of choice, and I want to encourage people to stand up for their right to change their minds. People thought I was nuts deleting my facebook account, but I've never regretted it. I do say, though, that when people tell me I never know who I might be helping, I have to consider whether I have a moral obligation or not, to continue to share. I certainly won't be bullied into it with that argument, but I do believe it's an important consideration.
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    Good article to bring things into perspective about 'online presence.' I found a similar article that compared statistics relating to age and online presence. 92% of children by age 2 have online presence thanks to parents and grandparents. As Jennifer mentioned in her discussion of facebook -- maybe we don't want the world to see what we did in our high school days...we were 15/16. Can we separate a personal online presence from a business profile...
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    I do separate my profiles by having different email aliases. There is overhead in having multiple ones, however, so not ideal.
Susan Kolwitz

Evidence of Understandings - 32 views

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    I started this over the summer while taking the first course for this certificate. Please feel free to follow my postings on blogger as we continue in this course.
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    Thank you for sharing this. Our interrogation of "presence" has been interesting this week. I've been looking forward to seeing each of you make decisions about personal online presence.
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    Susan, In your second article on your blog you describe a PLE or 'personal learning environment' by saying: "The purpose of a PLE is to gather and process information, act on the learning that takes place, then showcase the results of what was learned to include how one arrived at those results." I'm curious to know how you set up a PLE, and maybe 1 or 2 examples if you could direct me there. Is this related to Microsoft's OneNote , or Evernote, which lets you copy, scan, and store web-based information? Also, could you explain how you have found this to be useful for you or your classes? Thanks!
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    Bruce: The blog is my ePortfolio. You can use different tools to establish your personal learning environment...I began with a blog. There is a nice example of a PLE by a 7th grader who used a different tool to showcase her science project. I think you will find it an excellent example of how web 2.0 tool are being used at the grade school level. Here's the link...it's a youtube video narrated by the student. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY Susan
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    Thanks, Susan For some reason, I thought a personal learning environment was a fish of a different color. I get the concept now, thanks to Wendy, the 7th grader who I found using your YouTube link. The personal learning environment can be a blog, a wiki, or note gathering app, that allows you to quickly organize, filter, and access the online information that makes up your personal knowledge universe. She was using a tool named SYMBALOO, which I'm definitely going to try out - as well as some other useful apps - Evernote for note-talking and Glogster, for building a collage of related information. I really liked Wendy's tutorial on the PLE - it covered a lot of information in a short span of time, while effectively communicating her ideas visually.
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    Here's a screencast I made about my PLE when I did a guest week in EDUC250 last quarter https://www.screencast.com/users/ccchit/folders/EDUC%20250/media/f974b78d-3c78-4a44-b231-b758bb54cdbd
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    Thanks, Jennifer This was very helpful. Also your strong endorsement of Twitter as a way to quickly connect with communities of common interest is giving me more motivation to become more engaged with that world. I've been a slow adopter of Twitter - but this week's events in Egypt organized by a younger generation on Facebook and Twitter are a strong testament to the transforming power of these media.
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    I've made the understandings entry to my blog.
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    This is my first Camtasia project. I realize that there is room for improvement. As I use it more, I'm sure I will begin to develop better skills. I can see where this is a good application for getting information up in an online course.
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    So glad you posted this! I'm in the middle of a similar process, and I appreciated seeing how you're comparing products.
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    Thanks for your comparison of Moodle, Joomla, and Blackboard. I was quite surprised to find out that Moodle leads the pack - since I assumed that Blackboard/Vista would have the majority following. It's been around since the mid-1990's. Great comparison chart, and use of Camtasia!
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    After looking at Joy's post about Canvas, I need to review this and compare to these three vendors. Will, then, have to update the comparison chart to include Canvas.
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    Here's the link to my ePortfolio with this module's assignment
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    Susan, I *really like* this list of reasons why stories work well for teaching that you posted on your blog. I've been teaching class sections on storytelling, and this gives me some well considered principles for how stories can be "put to work" for real world applications in education and information design. 1. A learning event is an unfolding story 2. People craft a story to make sense of what they are learning 3. Stories are at the intersection of people's synthesis of learning 4. Stories are tools for thinking 5. You can move through complex information more efficiently through story devices than through standard forms of discourse One of my favorite destinations for interactive stories is the Second Story website. It's jammed packed with terrific examples of interactive storytelling - on all sorts of interesting topics.
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    Thanks for your attention on storytelling! It's something that is applicable for so many different learning situations, and works particularly well online.
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    While the most story telling I have done is one blog post and a short story about "I love my new Grandma" which I posted in this site...I want to do more and will hopefully b eable to get to this later. Nothing sticks like a good story!
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    Bruce: Thanks for the link on more interactive storytelling. I think this will help me to develop using case studies as learning activities for our courses.
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    Susan, your activity on identifying sepsis in pediatric patients was clear, concise, and easy to navigate. I liked the fact that we were directed to a wiki page with the "case" facts presented in story form with a very clear picture of the "rash". if I were a trainee in your course, I would be excited by this lesson and the follow-up survey you posted.
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    Thanks for your comments Mary Ann. This is the first time I've used these tools for a case study...I'm hoping the wiki will allow the students to discuss the case and also allow them to pose thoughtful 'what-ifs'.
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    The thought the story telling definition you found to be a good guideline. Cases are great. One activity I might add would be What can you do to stop it? I know the student at this point is learning, but gives them a focus to think about their involvement.
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    In learning the Camtasia application, I found many good tips...I share them in my portfolio posting this week.
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    I left a comment on your blog. I had to carefully think about what you had stated and found myself differing slightly with what you suggested. I suppose that attests to our differences. Nevertheless I appreciated the blog post Susan.
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    Here's the link to my blog where my final project is located.
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    My end of class reflection is located on my blog.
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    Thought I had posted this...to keep my blog in order, I post dated this to 2/28/11.
Bruce Wolcott

Wolcott - Evidence of Understanding post - 16 views

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    This is my portfolio post for week 5
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    Your question - How do you represent ideas with images? - is a very powerful one. We are bambarded with images all day. I often think of these images as trying to sell me something - such as a commerical to buy something - or sometimes a quick reference to information - such as a symbol for a restroom. I realize now that technology has allowed for the production of images to be so accessible that they are now a part of our normal dialog. It is easy to make a video or take a picture. On Facebook, we see this all the time; people adding content to their story with images.
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    Just looked at your portfolio which is a learning course in itself! You've done a great job of summarizing what we've been working on. Our portfolios are a perfect place to store this. You've inspired me to take a few steps back before I move forward with Module #4. Thanks, Bruce.
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    Ann and Helen, Thanks much for your feedback on the website. It's much appreciated!
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    Bruce...I have a question. I wrote a story blog this week. Can you tell me if your course would help me create a video presentation of this blog? http://joystechtool.blogspot.com/ I don't have your email, except maybe the one you have at BC. I would have to take it as a senior. Which means space available. Can this be done?
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    Joy, Just to let you know... the visual storytelling class won't be offered again until Fall 2011. It sounds like your story would make an interesting educational online comic or presentation - explaining the idea of backwards design. One approach, is that you could use a virtual world environment like Second Life or BlueMars to engage virtual characters/actors, and set your camera positions to tell your visual narrative. You could synchronize narration and other audio, and then post it to the Web via YouTube, Google Presentations, or some other presentation application like SlideRocket. Just a thought...
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    Thanks Bruce. Fall would be perfect! That is if I could get in the class. I suspect it is very popular on campus. I would like to use second life; but have not tried. Is it free. My understanding is it is very expensive. While I would like a video of the story to put with the blog, it can be done at a later date. What I do not know how to do is synchronize the narration and other audio. My husband uses camcording to capture band performances. Could you maybe email me on this issue? jal8008cel@comcast.net. Unless I am taking advantage of your knowledge here. Please?
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    Thank you, Bruce, for sharing the objectives of your Course. It sounds so intriguing that I would love to be a part of it! Perhaps that will become a reality for me as time passes.
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    Joy, I could probably begin to answer your question here, and then if you have more questions we can connect via my other email address: bcweb20class@gmail.com. Probably the best online multimedia delivery application that I know of is SLIDEROCKET. I've been using it in my courses for about a year. You can upload Powerpoint slides, incorporate video directly from YouTube (or uploaded video), images, graphics, text, and integrate these all with a sound track. Everything is built online, and the interface works well. The catch is this - after the 30 day trial period, it costs $12 per month. I taught a very challenging online course this summer, and I didn't mind paying that fee because of the excellent results I got. SlideRocket saved the day by pulling me out of a jam. It also now integrates well with Google applications. Another (this one is free) cloud-based multimedia authoring application is EMPRESSR . Here's a quote from the website: Empressr is the first free online storytelling tool that allows you to create, manage and share rich media presentations online. Earlier in the quarter, Jennifer recommended another audio editing tool called AUDACITY , which is really terrific! It's simple to use and produces good results. I actually prefer Audacity for audio editing over some other commercial products that have a lot more bells and whistles. I hope that helps!
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    Here's my post for mapping an evidence for understanding to specific learning objectives.
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    Bruce, I especially liked the "evidence" requiring students to create their own business card. Each item you posted was very concrete and would definitely indicate understanding on the part of students.
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    I second that business card lesson. It will prepare them for job hunting in the future. I think creating ePortfolios are another good practice.
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    http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_17396167?nclick_check=1 - This is an OpEd piece by David Brooks of the New York Times, which came out this week. "It could be that the nature of technlogical changes is (causing) a shift in values". This is not an opinion about education, but goes to the point about preparing students for the future/present even that assumes technology. Maybe our values are and how we assess things has to evolve, as well.
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    I truly thought that blog was thought provoking! I absolutely agree about changing values. But, I think that change must come from this generation and what they want for themselves, for their community and for their country. Hopefully they can think that broadly about themselves and the world. I believe they can and do!
Jennifer Dalby

It is About Time: Getting Our Values Around Copyright - 7 views

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    Lawrence Lessig EDUCAUSE09 keynote, November 5, 2009, Denver, a remix building upon lecture at Tokyo University. While we're finding our role in teaching and learning, I think it's important to recognize some of the cultural movements that will influence our professional practice.
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    This was a long video (of a lecture) and although many interesting points were made, the crux of the lecture was out of focus for me. The model of copyrighting in an effort that relies on sharing information - as he points out, such as education and science - does not seem to fit. So many people violate it. Yet, I do believe people should benefit from their creativity.
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    After watching about 15 minutes of this video, I believe the main point of the lecture was to bring the listeners to the point that Copy Right Law needs to be revised and a hybrid created. After all, he is a law professor. Precedents set in a court case or at the US Supreme Court level, means the law is slowly corrected or changed to accommodate new evidence; that it needs guidance from the US Constitution precepts, as determined by the US Supreme Court Justices. Or Copy Right Law changed by Congress and the introduction of new legislation guiding the issue, which in this case would be Copy Right Law and the enforcers of this law, whomever they may be.
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    Jennifer, Thanks for posting this terrific presentation from Lawrence Lessig! He's one of my personal heroes for bringing up concerns over the growing privatization of information - looking at ideas and creative work as strictly property to be bought and sold. It's interesting that Walt Disney, whose company became one of the staunchest and most powerful advocates for expanding and enforcing copyright law, benefited mightily from public domain stories - Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, to name a few. It's doubtful that Disney would've survived without his release of the first cartoon with sound - Steamboat Willie (with Mickey Mouse). This cartoon took its premise freely from a movie made in the same year with Buster Keaton, called Steamboat Bill. That kind of informal use of other people's idea was common at the beginning of the 20th Century. Now a documentary film maker can be sued for accidentally including a Wendy's or McDonald's logo within a frame. The incredible complexity of copyright law makes it difficult to know what's legal and what's not under Fair Use. Lessig advocates the use of the new Creative Commons copyright designation (CC) - where creators/inventors can designate how their works can be used (non-commercial, commercial, credit, etc.). A great description of how Creative Commons works can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io3BrAQl3so I think it's extremely important that folks in the education fields stand firm in their insistence on continuing non-commercial access and use of a variety of media and information resources - it's the lifeblood of our profession - the open exchange and evaluation of ideas. Lessig is looking to build a future that moves us in that direction, while providing Creative Commons copyright protections. He also wants us to actively advocate for changes in the existing (broken) copyright regime and has posted a http://bawolcott.brinkster.net/educ251
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    Bruce - I tried going to the link at the end of your last post and got an error - page not found.
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    Ann, Thanks for spotting this glitch! The last line of the post should read as follows: He also wants us to actively advocate for changes in the existing (broken) copyright regime, and has posted a "Certificate of Entitlement" that give us official (tongue in cheek) permission to question the current copyright legal framework. Here's a link to the certificate...
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    A excellent case is made by Johanna Blakely for not having copyright protections on creative work. In this TED TALK she talks about the fact that the fashion industry has trademark protections for logos, but not clothing design - leading to many economic benefits for the entire industry. Here are a few interesting observations from her presentation: The reason the fashion industry doesn't have any copyright protection is that the courts decided long ago is that apparel is too utilitarian to qualify for copyright protection. They didn't want a handful of designers owning the seminal building blocks of our clothing. Somebody would have to license this cuff or this sleeve, because Joe Blow owns it. Because there is no copyright protection within this industry, there is a very open ecology of creative activity. Fashion designers can sample from all of their peers designs - they can take any element from any garment in the history of fashion, and incorporate it into their own design. As a result of this high level of continuing innovation, world wide fashion trends are quickly transmitted worldwide, and the entire fashion industry thrives. Blakely calls it one of the magical side effects of having a culture of copying.
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    I should amend this last comment to say that I'm recommending this for all kinds of creative work - there should some protections in place. However, I would advocate a shorter copyright period than the current 90 years past the death of the creator. Sonny Bono, a former entertainer (Sonny and Cher) and congressman from Los Angeles who was a staunch advocate of extended copyright thought that intellectual property protections should last "forever less a day". At the time of Thomas Jefferson, copyright protection extended only 14 years past the date of creation.
Jennifer Dalby

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms - 5 views

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    This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA's Benjamin Franklin award. For more information on Sir Ken's work visit: http://www.sirkenrobinson.com
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    Spot on! I have a MS; but have never had a job using my academic skills. In fact, the workplace has penalized me and on several jobs told me I have no skills to obtain other jobs or be advanced. In fact, I have been told NOT to put my academic degrees in a resume. So, I am a honor student with 9 solid years of academic education, and a work force retard. What do you suppose is going on here? Unfortunately, there a several varibles at work in my case. The "glass ceiling," discrimination, ignorance of what education means and is (or maybe a better grasp); no knowledge of what tranferrable skills are and as we brain storm the list goes on, especially as I get older.
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    I hear you. I turn 40 this year and I can't help but wonder if I'd be better able to support my family if I had a marketable skill, instead of knowledge about knowledge :) I fantasize about raising goats and alpaca and selling soap and sweaters. :)
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    Joy and Jennifer--EVERYTHING you shared hits home with me. I find myself in both of your places (as expressed in your comments) so I am now trying to enhance my resume and become more marketable as I age!--I'm already "too old and too expensive" to fit into the traditional classroom in either private or public schools so. . . thanks for being there for me and helping me learn new skills that are so needed in the domain of 21st century education.
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    I recently submitted my resume for an education software training contract and this was the response. "I read through your resume and realized that most probably our position would bore the heck out of you." I replied that I enjoy working with people and it's always a challenge and not boring. He responded with the other issue; salary. I told him that was very low for this area. His response was, "Most probably I'll be finding someone younger (less experience) or someone older (semi retired)."
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    Ouch that is discrimination! The "semi retired: comment was even worse!!! In the first case he stated you were over qualified; and in the second paying lower wages to "semi retired" people is even more discriminatory! His verbal behavior disgusts me!
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    One resource to join the movement against age discrimination is typing into a search engine...Gray or Grey coalition. http://www.graymatterscoalition.com/
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    AMEN, Sisters! I'm totally appalled at what happened to you, Jen--the whole thing was discrimination!! Thanks for the link, Joy--I'm looking into it!
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    WOW! The RSA Animate visualized version of Robinson's talk is terrific for a variety of reasons - I'm just trying to unpack it all! First the presentation provides an instant visualization of Robinson's talk - a shorthand for thinking and remembering his ideas. The animation is engaging, entertaining and memorable. Since it's on YouTube, you can go back and watch it all, or portions of it. The perspective moves from close up to big picture, and changes on the fly. What's especially powerful, however is the central idea that Robinson is talking about - a real elephant in the room. He says our educational system, which was created for a different time and economic era, is outdated. It's a factory system, arising originally from the Industrial Revolution, that to many students seems irrelevant to their own futures and careers in the 21st Century. It divides students into two camps - academic professionals (ie. "smart people"), and vocationals (blue collar, "not-so smart people"). In one memorable section, he distinguishes between "aesthetic" experiences - which enliven and engage human attention, and "anesthetic" experiences which deaden curiosity and passion. He associates these "anesthetic" experiences with our current educational process. The fact that he delivers these heavy hitting criticisms with such a light hearted, though well articulated sense of humor, is especially powerful.
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    Three points come to mind. 1. Presentation. The way the information was presented was totally engaging had me wanting to believe the message without question. I would have appreciated having the sources of his information indicated. As we've commented on in other posts as well, the verasity of information is always an issue. I tried finding the prescription distribution used in the tape, but could not find specific information to support the claim (although I'm sure it is somewhere on the internet.) 2. Education Model. Although his model definitely resonated with me, I think of education or I should say the educational system as having two goals - to train us to be academics (as he describes) and to prepare us for jobs. Some jobs do require specifc answer knowledge. 3. On-line learning. One of his earlier points about the educational system is that there was a paradigm shift when free, state-sponsored education became a reality. His description of education prior to that seemed to fit what we often see in "internet" learning - more individual driven learning.
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    Jennifer - I am so glad you included Sir Ken Robinson in your syllabus. I love his unique perspectives, especially about our educational systems. His talk about the importance of educators fostering creativity in the culture of the classroom is very powerful. I also finished reading Downes article about the role of the educator and I see his points regarding how technology has redefined/redesigned our roles. I find it very exciting. Regarding the value of"divergent thinking." As a teacher, I always encourage and appreciate this capacity in my students. However, I also ask they reflect upon this process of divergent thinking. "What led you to think this might be a possibility?" I often find asking students to be reflective and to articulate about meta-cognition frustrates them. In our overstimulating and quick answer/fix culture, is it wrong to ask how their ideas came about? "Could you follow your train of thought?" Also, (and not directly related) did anyone click on the game Downes referenced called "Evoke." What an amazing on-line game - a "designed, learning community" posing serious, real-life problem solving about starvation in Africa. Wow! I can see how a learning tool such as this would make a course very exciting, but I can also see where some basic geography, social studies and other content should be woven into the syllabus.
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    Ann, it is completely engaging. I recognize your concerns about sources. When they create the RSA Animates, they do take the talk out of the original context, and also add creative interpretation. It's interesting to see how those things can be mixed together for such a powerful effect. I've never taken the time to dig too deeply into them to find the original context and determine whether there's a publication with sources.
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    Helen, I like Sir Ken Robinson's stuff, but I do take it with a grain of salt as well. Like Gladwell, he's a good storyteller and can inspire, but everything's got to be taken in context. I love that you ask your students to follow their train of thought. I do that with my kids, and find I often have to explain my own train of thought to others. I like the way you are in tune with the benefits and risks of reflective practice. It can get messy, and it isn't always the best thing for every student. It sounds like you take extra steps to make sure they understand the value of it.
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    Helen, thanks for underlining the Evoke game. I did find it - www.urgentevoke.com - and was impressed by what a great representative of eLearning this was. Organized, engaging, lots of information - but what I liked most was that it led to action - i.e., the gaming playing is not just on the computer - but actions you take or are encouraged to take to make a difference.
Jennifer Dalby

Antisocial media - 3 views

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    In her important, controversial new book, Sherry Turkle reads our leap into digital technology not as the unfettering of a deep, human urge to connect, but as a dire symptom to be understood within an older framework: psychoanalysis. Whether you find this book's analysis convincing depends on how you read the Rorschach test that is the Internet.
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    Based on this Boston Globe book review, I think the slant that Turkle misses is that maybe the internet is redefining, rather than limiting, human development. She uses an example of people instant texting things such as funerals, disallowing deep human, emotional discourse to illustrate how the internet is "not better", but limiting. But maybe this is a reflection of a society where families are often split for a variety of reasons - divorce, geography - and the internet is allowing a connection, rather than isolation. The internet doesn't prevent a deeper discussion.
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    Ann, from a sociological perspective, I believe the way we handle death and grieving is one of the most important trends to observe with this new media. Death is something we will always have to modify our perception to accommodate, and I think we're only at the beginning of a real cultural shift, and even an assimilation of cultures around how we make meaning around these issues. I'm going to add the Stefana Broadbent TED Talk to our shared bookmarks here. I think you'd like it.
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    I think Sherry Turkle has voiced some of my concerns. I am not convinced that with the internet tools of social media the millennials and others are sharing deeper learning environments and relationships online. I think we need to reexamine these hypothesis as time goes by and they continue to develop.
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    Joy, you might like You Are Not a Gadget, by Jaron Lanier http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-Gadget-Manifesto/dp/0307269647 It's his personal observation of where things might be headed. Much of it resonated with me, though I do understand it's only one point of view.
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    The observation how death and grieving is handled evolves and is reflective of society is an interesting observation. One internet tool I have noticed is that an on-line capability is often provided for death announcements. For several people close to me and a couple of celebrities that resonated with me, I would read or contribute to some of these postings and had a broader and more connected sense of the person. I didn't feel so isolated in my grief.
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    I read an excerpt of the book and will try to find it in the library or buy it used! I really like what he is writing, Jen.
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    Since the Web is still less than 20 years old, I think the jury is still out regarding the darker isolating potential of online social behavior. Ann mentions online tools that announce death notices that allow people to publicly tell their stories and express grief over someone who recently died. I had a recent experience with an online service called CaringBridge that is used as a public communications forum for people who are experiencing life threatening illnesses or accidents. It gives well wishers an opportunity to express their support and lets family members communicate the ongoing status of the person who is sick. It provides a kind of forum for sympathetic and loving communications that has never existed before. My recent experience involves a friend I knew in high school who is battling brain cancer, and the debilitating chemo and radiation treatments. CaringBridge lets me join with a large group of other people to send messages of support to him. Recently, with difficulty, he has been able to begin writing posts to CaringBridge describing his day-to-day experiences and progress. Rather than being an alienating or "alone together" experience, I think it has a genuine positive effect on everyone involved, and is a powerful reminder of our own humanity and vulnerability.
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    Bruce, CaringBridge has been a great support for so many people. I originally discovered the site while I was following the story of Baby Allie http://www.scotthousehold.com/allie.htm whose mom documented her short life battling with AML. A huge community grew around her little life, and I discovered many CaringBridge sites. Jenny went on to start the Heroes for Children foundation, raising more than $3 million for families in TX with children undergoing treatment. My own early blogging experiences were around my own grief and loss http://momrealityblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/it-began-with-tragic-ending.html I had previously been involved in several online parenting communities. They were a huge support to me during that time. We have the potential to do a lot of good online and off. I think we just need to be cognizant of how our messages are amplified, and how we amplify the messages of others.
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    Joy, I am so sorry for your loss. I think grief is different for everyone, and the internet is a place we can find other people who share similar methods of grieving, so we don't feel so alone. In our own families, it's hard to support each other through periods of loss. I've discovered a lot of online communities, some healthy, and some not, where people feel comfortable expressing their feelings about loss. I think the most important thing I learned online during that time, was "be gentle with yourself."
Joy LaJeret

Final Portfoilo #10 Blog Post Relecting on Learning - 16 views

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    Joy, Your posts are quite sobering, regarding your own experiences working towards completing your university education. I strongly agree with the following quote in your post: "In sum, it is time for educators to make college and higher learning relevant to their students. It is not about us, it is about them. We are the facilitators of their learning. We must prepare them for the world they will find themselves in when they leave the protected walls of our colleges and universities" I found the recent events in Cairo to be fascinating, where large numbers of people suddenly rose up against an authoritarian and out-of-touch government. This largely peaceful uprising was fueled by the same Web2.0 technologies that are underpinning this class. It's possible that many traditional schools will soon find themselves in a similar situation to the Egyptian government, where students pass them by in favor of lower cost and more relevant educational experiences - many of them available online. Bill Gates recently came under fire for making the statement that valid online college degrees may soon be available for $2000. He may have said this to exaggerate a point, but the evidence of a growing number of online low cost educational resources can't be ignored. One of them is the Khan Academy - run by an MIT graduate who has created a large free archive of mathematics courses that are used by students all over the world - many who claim they are better than their university courses. Colleges and universities ignore this development at their own peril. It's not clear yet how we'll make this transition to relevancy for students, but the next decade will be very interesting...
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    Hi Joy (and fellow classmates) - we were out-of-town for a week. Internet was available, but for a price $.75 per minute. I had planned on using some of our vacation time to work on this course without the hassle of juggling work commitments. At a price per minute, this idea didn't pan out. To get caught up, I checked out our Diigo communications and visited your blog. I like the way you insert YouTube videos to add dimension to your ideas! The two I looked at addressed the LMS system - Canvas. I was particularly fascinated with the young techy who ended his presentation, asking his audience about how they might define the role for SOCIAL MEDIA in both course structure and as a learning tool. Interesting how our course materials (and we) have also been pondering this same issue! Thanks for finding and sharing a very relevant presentation. I also enjoyed your thoughts as well.
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    Today our senior population is aging at a rapid rate. Is it possible we, as a society, are sending them to an early end of life dead line because of our attitudes and out moded beliefs regarding aging in America? Can we not help keep their minds alive and well by changing some of our society's institutions...of higher education?
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    Joy, I just finished reading your blog posts and viewing the videos. I agree with Bruce. . . they are quite sobering. I am angered that there is so much age discrimination out there, excited that Japan has such a unique way of addressing the needs of its aging population, and frustrated that a college degree does not necessarily translate into a job. My own daughter is in that position--she has a teaching degree earned two years ago and no prospects of a job anytime soon. Her income is earned through subbing in the Sultan School District and managing a horse stable. All of this translates into 7 days of work per week, a very minimal income and burnout. She is 37 years old (not quite a senior, but in line with the unemployed GWU grads shown in the video you posted). Your passion definitely comes through in all of the blog postings, Joy. What you say about assessment aligns with my beliefs as well. I have never been a proponent of grades--to me, they are just part of a hoop that must be jumped through in order to achieve a goal. With that in mind, I was overJOYed when authentic assessment came onto the education scene as it offered a way to monitor and guide students in their learning, not just give them a letter or number that was supposed to signify that they had "learned" the course content. In my experience, most students who memorize course content for tests within a given course, will not retain it once the tests have been taken. There is simply too much competition for good grades at all levels of education and not enough desire for a true understanding of ideas and concepts.
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    Thanks you for your comments Mary Ann...the bottom line reads, we may be killing off our aged population by sentencing them to give up and give in to old out-moded concepts!
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    Joy: I've been following your blog postings for some time now and have been meaning to let you know I always learn and find your postings valuable. Keep the information coming our way.
Helen Maynard

Students Slog through College, Don't Gain in Critical Skills - 4 views

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    In today's Seattle Times, A3 section - interesting article which followed over 2,000 US students from 2005 to 2009. 45% made no significant improvements in their critical thinking, reasoning or writing skills during first 2 years of study. After completing 4 years, 36 % showed no significant gains in "higher order" thinking skills. Article also states some contributing factors, many students work part-time, however, most students only spent 1/5 time on their studies and 51% on socializing & extra-curricular. I have a strong hunch the internet is a big contributor to the socializing factor. When I read such statistics, it makes me ponder if on-line learning can truly change this social/educational trend. I am enjoying many readings on the diigo, both from Jennifer and others, however, I'm not sure I would design an on-line class which designated a considerable amt. of time to short readings and discussions. Your thoughts on this?
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    . . . and Jennifer, this isn't criticism of our course structure. I think I understand your reasoning for being introduced to diigo and using this "application" (is that the right word?) to respond to and communicate with our fellow students. I'm simply thinking about what kinds of course activities and applications really challenge students to read, research, analyze and CREATE some original thinking and student work products which can help change these types of findings, especially in higher-ed.
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    Someone observed once that when television first started, the people writing for tv came from a "reading book" age and we had shows like Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, etc. - shows with real stories. Now, although there are some of these, much of our tv is "reality" tv - where the focus is quick stories with emotions and that writers now grew-up watching television for entertainment. So, my connection here, is that perhaps education might need to de-emphasize some on-line usage tools and emphasize others, to balance students so they do get the critical thinking skills. I know with my math tutoring, that when the audio is not operational and they have to use a chat box, they learn more spelling and English. I purposely "chat" in full sentences and will often provide feedback on their chats. Hear and here, for example, is often incorrectly used.
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    Helen, it's important that you're recognizing that one tool or method won't work for all situations. For an online class, it's hard to predict what your students will do. There's a certain amount of control we have over design, but once things get rolling, there's a lot of improvisation. I didn't figure on Diigo playing such a prominent role so early on, but since several students felt comfortable writing here, I latched onto it for early community-building. We will definitely be creating more as we move forward. If we had a larger class, we'd do smaller group projects, as well. One of the big challenges in online teaching is the fact that so many of us are used to being motivated by grades. We've grown up in systems where we perform and receive a reward. Unless a student finds something to spark their interest and desire to learn, we risk a teaching and learning environment where learners only do the bare minimum. I think the short readings and conversation help learners discover what's in it for them. And, honestly, sometimes there might not be anything in it for them. I try to find something for everyone, but in a society that values certification/degree more than the learning experience, many students are forced to take classes that just don't interest them.
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    It would seem to me, given my comments on Bloom's Taxonomy, that creative and critical thinking can be stifled by Universites and colleges. If this is happening, maybe they need to re-assess the whole concept of teaching and learning. I think that process has begun in the US. Had my professors been able to guide my learning, as we are beginning to learn in our reading materials, I may have finished that Ph.d and written the theory I began to write or not. Who knows. It is a question yet to be examined.
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    I read this article too, Helen. It is indeed interesting to contemplate the reasons for very little forward progress in students' critical thinking skills, but you may be on to something with on-line socializing as a possible contributing factor. Since the wave of education today and into the future is focused on a combination of hybrid and on-line learning, I think it's very important that we as educators take the lead in changing our coursework to emphasize more critical and creative thinking as well as problem solving. After all, these are some of the 21st Century Learning skills that CAN be applied to digital technology and teaching. As for a series of short readings as proposed by Jennifer, I would be inclined to take part and enjoy discussions centered around them. Does anyone else have an opinion about this? Jennifer, I agree with your point that not all tools and ways of teaching things fit each learner in a given community, but considering learning styles and differentiated instruction, instructors (on-line) can create a community that is dynamic and viable. Have you ever thought of offering a "CHOICE of activities" focusing on different learning styles, all of which would meet a particular learning objective? Students could engage according to their own interests and preferred learning modes.
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    Mary Ann, all the portfolio activities will be your choice. You can get an idea of it if you skip ahead and skim the content for next week. I do as for a "cognitive presence" post, but you can use whatever medium you like. Next week we've got a collaborative document where we'll be adding potential activities. As far as learning styles are concerned, I'm not a big fan of how that theory is promoted and distorted. I'll share some resources about it, and you can tell me what you think.
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    I wanted to further Mary Ann's comment about this study making a case for the importance of elearning as tool for delivery of education. I understand elearning is in the early stages, but the internet lends itself to the written word and certainly has the flexibility to be molded to learning needs.
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    Helen: Very interesting article with compelling statistics. Statistics don't always tell us the true story, however. I say this after reading in our textbook about 'understanding' and 'misunderstanding' and learning how to determine how to express content so the student understands. Now, on the other hand, I agree that students spend more time with extra-curricular activities rather than their studies.
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    I too found the article interesting - thanks! I do wonder about the types of classes students completed especially in their first two years. The might be a marked difference in skills acquisition if students were completing many required large class survey classes to meet initial requirements vs. small, more focused classes in their areas of interest.
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    I am still trying to get the picture of "slogging" through studies! Is that what I am doing when reading all this material in Diigo? I don't think so.
Bruce Wolcott

FINAL PROJECT Fundamentals of Interactive Entertainment REVIEW - 12 views

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    In the Summer of 2010, I taught an online class called the Fundamentals of Interactive Entertainment for the University of Tasmania, via the Human Interface Technology Lab under the sponsorship of Dr. Thomas Furness of the University of Washington. This course provides an overview of interactive media - video games and real-time interactive simulations. It includes information concerning the history, theory, technology, design, and social impact of these emerging communications media. The course consists of thirteen modules, and in the Summer of 2010, was made up of two weekly events: 1) A lab session which met every Tuesday to provide discussions, team planning meetings, and hands-exercises and 2) a live classroom session which was videocast directly from Seattle to a University of Tasmania classroom in Launceston, Australia. I posted more information regarding this project on my Web2.0 Chronicle blog. PLEASE NOTE: This narrated screencast runs two minutes past the 5 minute recommendation given by Jennifer.
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    Wow! The background of this course and what you taught is fascinating. I'll limit my comments to a few points, but definitely look forward to an interactive, in-person session. 1. Video Logistics. You sounded poised on the video, as opposed to me, where I felt self-conscious knowing I was being recorded. I was also interested in how clearly you transition from one screen to the next - I used multiple windows, but it felt you had a different technique. 2. Course logistics. As for the course, one thing was interesting is how - like Jennifer - you posted a new lesson each week. Our prior class in this series we were provided everything at the beginning. I like the pacing, however, for the most part, as it keeps you focused. As for feedback, which you indicated you would do more explicitly, my guess is that your weekly audio sessions where you went into the studio, provided feedback as part of the process of teaching the lesson. 3. Content. Very interesting. Thanks for including the second video which provided texture on what you were teaching. The metaphor of the Christmas tree, with students putting "decorations" on the wiki was a good one.
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    I agree with Ann...what a great resource for the rest of the class. Putting the presentation together, I can tell you followed all the best practices of this tool...very polished. Showing how elements of your online material relates to the best practices was thoughtful and student centered.
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    Ann and Susan, Many thanks for your comments! One of the great benefits of this class and the Conrad/Boettcher textbook is getting a solid framework for understanding how to build and run an online class. Up until now, my learning process for creating online classes has been 1) suggestions/advice from colleagues 2) experimentation (flying by the seat of my pants!) 3) feedback from students 4) online resources. I really enjoy the dense concentration of information provided in the class and our ongoing conversation. The University of Tasmania class gave me the opportunity to pull out all the stops, and integrate everything I'd learned up until that point. Thankfully I made it through that stretch of white water, with an approach that seemed to work pretty well for that teaching situation. The final project exercise gave me a chance to identify key areas of every course that need to be attended to.
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    Aside from the logistics, how did you get involved in doing this and how did the lab get started to begin with? It sounds fascinating for the locations to be so far away. Its a wonderful example of elearning in the "one" world concept we are developing into.
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    Ann, Tom Furness started up the Human Interface Technology Lab (HitLab) at the University of Washington around 1988 - he's been called the "godfather of virtual reality". At the HitLab, he was on the forefront of virtual reality technologies, working on immersive displays for medicine, engineering, architecture, education, etc. Before then, his background was in designing virtual cockpit simulations for pilots of high performance military jets. They needed to augment the pilot's cognitive field, in order to manage the complexity of 50 onboard computers, while flying the plane at supersonic speeds. He decided that he wanted to apply this technology to civilian, rather than military uses, which is how he ended up at the UW. About five years ago, New Zealand and Australia decided to set up their own HitLabs because of their remote locations. They see virtual world technologies as way to develop an exportable information-based industry for real-world applications. Video games and interactive simulations are currently leading the way in terms of artificial intelligence, information design, and sustained attention (entertainment) experiences. I've been teaching a class in game theory and interactive entertainment for the past five years at BC, which is how I got involved with this University of Tasmania course. You might be interested to know that one of the offshoots of the HitLab work in Seattle is the retinal scanner, which is pointing the way to portable immersive multisensory experiences. Microvision of Redmond is working on these wearable computing devices which may provide a new alternative to desktop/laptop/smartphone devices. And I agree, Ann - culturally and socially, the world is shrinking exponentially because of the Internet.
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    A small world. I was in technology development and management prior to a career transition to teaching. My first job out of college was working on out-the-window portion of cockpit simulators. I was the program manager for the B-52 simulator program at Singer-Link. We called the people that did the actual design of the scenes via computer softwre illustrators, which when I first heard the title always thought of someone drawing pictures on the code, rather than comments. Anyway, I checked out Tom's page, very interesting. Thanks.
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    Bruce, applying the Boettcher/Conrad 10 Best Practices to a course you have already taught, was brilliant! It is always a source of learning when we can go back and critique our own work, finding needed areas of improvement or simply discovering how "right on" we were from the get-go! I enjoyed seeing this piece of your creativity!
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    I found your presentation very smooth and professional.
ann stephens

Bloom's Taxonomy - 4 views

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    This is an overview of a guideline for how learning occurs and how as teachers we can focus our lessons to this guideline. It is relevant in on-line education, as the on-line environment allows us to have different modes to provide information to our students. We can utilize everything from video to chat rooms.
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    This was so interesting, Ann! I was trained in Gifted Education and we used Bloom for all of our curriculum creation--I find the new version very appealing. It should also be easier to understand for people new to the taxonomy. I totally agree with your connection of its relevance to on-line learning.
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    I found that fits with the animated video concepts about changing paradigms. Also, neither my youngest daughter or I finshed high school in the same way. I tested out after the 10th grade. She was unable to graduate after the 10th grade, even though her course work requirements were completed. She spent one year going to college and one year as a foreign exchange student before she could graduate, since she had to wait until her class did.
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    Mary Ann - I hadn't realized the Bloom taxonomy had been revised and am not sure of the changes, but very much like the scaffold. I must admit, that it has taken me a while to use better questioning. It is more responsive to test information. Joy - Your point about how the education process was different for you and your daughter is interesting. Many students go for a foreign experience.
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    The real difference in my educational experience was my total boredom with school and cliques. It was not relevant to me, so I dropped out after my tenth grade year. I did a GED test and passed. At 33 years of age, I began a nine year journey in universities. This ended after completing my course work on a Ph.d. When my professors in my doctoral committee told me they could not really direct me, since I was ahead of them on the material I was researching. I see now that someone has stumbled upon my thesis and completed a book on conflict theory. Slightly to the left, it was not acceptable in the 80s but is relevant today, almost thirty years later.
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    Post Script-I was building a theory in a Pol Sci mode on the issue of the ill defined word terror and global attacks. If you can't properly define it, one might want to reexamine the current theories and definitions for the behavior...which is was what I was thinking at the time. Hence, I began a doctoral thesis on Conflict Theory and Transnational Terrorism. Looking deeper you may see how this ties into the Bloom Taxonomy concept and why I aborted the thesis project completely! You can deal with ignorance through education; but it is difficult to deal with the lack of desire to learn.
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    Joy, people always tell me, it's never too late! I also didn't go back to finish my BS until after I had my daughter, when I was 29. I do not do well with traditional university classrooms, and made my way through my degrees by talking my instructors into letting me do alternative projects. I'm lucky I knew to do that, and had instructors who were open-minded enough to accept it. Your thesis sounds like something that would have been quite valuable. with your interest in relationships, technology, and communication, I'd imagine you'd thrive in a program studying network clustering coefficient in an identified population. There are stunning statistical modeling and visualization tools that just blow my mind. Thanks for sharing so much of your interests and background with us!
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    Ann, do you have any tools or taxonomies that have helped you develop those questioning skills? And have you got any experience using the SOLO taxonomy?
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    I have not had experience with SOLO - Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes - but from the bit of investigation I have done, it is similiar to Bloom's in that it is based upon the notion that a studen'ts ability to grasp more abstract concepts, is based on more fundamental understandings and that you need to make sure you are not too advanced for where the student is. It reminds me of Piaget's concept that you can only learn something that is slightly more advanced than where you are (my paraphrase). As for my experience with help in developing questioning skills, which I feel is an excellent example of elearning, is that my company had us first take an interactive tutorial on Bloom's taxonomy. The "final" was taking a math problem and providing questions for each level of the taxonomy. We posted this on a dedicated discussion, with the teacher providing her response for everyone to see and learn from. We have since started another topic where teacher can post specific questions they are using and have tried and this will eventually be collected into a reference document. For example, one idea that was shared was that you after you have tested your student on a fundamental, you can ask them to give you a problem. My experience is that I often get back something I didn't expect. Like if adding decimels, they will return with a problem that might be in the millionths rather than the tenths. What I found most useful was not these specifics or having a question for each level, as much as the consciousness raising it did for me to think more creatively in helping the students. I have found that an elearning platform is very helpful in this regard. For example, they might take a lesson on adding or subtracting fractions and another on adding or subtracting decimels. I will then give them a problem in adding both - example - 1/2 + .25 = . By having an interactive whiteboard I can see how they convert the fraction to a decimal to add them and offer guidan
Jennifer Dalby

Technology and the Whole Child - Practical Theory - 4 views

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    "For years, in our schools, teachers have told students that school is preparation for real life - a statement that divorced the meaning of school from the lives kids led in that moment. With the research, creation and networking tools at our disposal, we have the ability to help students see that the lives they lead now have meaning and value, and that school can be a vital and vibrant part of that meaning. We can help students to see the powerful humanity that exists both within them and all around them. And technology can be an essential piece of how we teach and learn about that. "
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    Jennifer, I agree with the following quote from the Chris Lehmann article you cited, with some some additions: With the research, creation and networking tools at our disposal, we have the ability to help students see that the lives they lead now have meaning and value... Ideally, what evolves is our ability to help students find approaches to real world engagement. As computing becomes progressively smaller in size, and more portable, online activities don't need to be limited to sitting behind a computer screen with a mouse. For example, Project Atlas at Harvard is using GPS and hand held devices to augment classes and and create hybrid projects that integrate with the non-virtual world. Ann Steven's account of the teaching/learning community surrounding colon cancer is a great model of web-enhanced knowledge sharing. Another example. I belong to a large social dance community in Seattle that communicates via email, websites, YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook. This is the way that everyone keeps track of current dances, classes, and gossip - such as wedding anniversaries, babies, new arrivals, and departures. For those who teach dancing for a living, participation is essential to maintain a successful business. It's a thriving hybrid teaching and learning community that exists simultaneously online and in the "real world". Just as the Web enhances and supports the dance community, it can be used to sustain and support our classes. Here are a few examples (there are many more) of social dance related sites in Seattle: Northwest Dance Network Century Ballroom WaltzEtcet
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    Bruce, thanks for the acknowledgement. The part of this article that resonated with me was: The true promise of technology does not lie in being able to reproduce - in shinier ways - the things schools have always done. It is difficult to think this way. Creativity often goes into the tools, which are a part of it, but not really a different way of doing things.
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    I read this blog and decided to ponder it a bit. I think not only must schools and institutes of higher learning change the way they think about technology; but they need to consider what it can do and how to incorporate it into international learning, as well. Not only can students learn from each other; but they can broaden their horizons even more with international connections to other students.
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    Joy, good point. The internet allows for international connectivedness that wasn't possible before.
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    I think we will be hearing more about this in 1-3 years Ann.
Jennifer Dalby

Presentation Zen - 8 views

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    This is my favorite site to learn about powerful presentation techniques.
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    Not only is this a good site to teach more about the art of presentation, but Mogi, the presenter is an amazing man! I was in love with his slides that spoke about the need to keep "the sense of wonder" alive and that "curiosity" is what has brought us to this point. These are the very same words that I always used with my science students in middle school and college! I even had them in my syllabus! I've always held that we all come into this world as scientists because we all share the one common characteristic that all practicing scientists have: CURIOSITY. Kids were pretty amazed that they were already scientists before they even embarked on the great science learning adventure! Rachel Carson, the famous environmental scientist of the '60's wrote a book titled, "The Sense of Wonder" in which she expounded on the idea that every child needs at least one person (adult) to nourish and share his/her innate sense of wonder in order to keep it alive. I resonated with this man and now plan to read/see more of his stuff! Moreover, the new learning module in my ED250 class is a collaborative presentation of a topic using Google Presenter. I think the Presentation Zen site I just looked at may have some implications for that assignment! Thanks once again, Jennifer! I find myself thoroughly enchanted!
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    The concept of maintaining curiosity as the catalyst for true education and joy in life resonates. The challenge for me is the line between enterntainment and education. One of the comments to this article restated the debate is education to train one for a profession or to be educated and think. Why can't it be both?
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    I believe it can be both, Ann! Sometimes the "Experts R Us" and not those folks out there engaging in philosophical debates!
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    Ann and Mary Ann, I think you've touched on one of the challenges we find so frequently in discussing these things. It's not black and white. There isn't necessarily a right or a wrong. It's like potato salad. (Holy cow! I just made that up.) How many recipes are there for potato salad? People will argue about what it "should" have in it, but what really matters is the experience. And the experience isn't just in the taste. There's context around making it. There's a different context around the environment where we eat it, and our emotional state. We're not just training someone for a profession or to be educated and think. And even if those are our goals, where is the agency? What is the student's responsibility for learning? These are all complex issues, and I'm glad to see you all opening your minds and expressing both your gut reactions, and your own values. (Please forgive me for the potato salad. I maybe leaned to far on the entertainment side this time...)
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    The potato salad metaphor is a good one. In reading the post, it got my attention in a way that dry message might not. There is so much information (noise) out there, that it is important, maybe even mandatory, that information has something to catch us. What is a challenge for me as an educator, also with limited time, is the how much effort I put in to this "rising above the noise".
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    Great now I am hungry for potato salad!! Actually, a little humor now and then would be nice! Even songs need a hook and that is what I hear you saying Ann. I argee with that concept. Set up a "hook!"
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    I like the idea proposed by the potato salad metaphor. However, I may not forgive you Jen...LOL! I still want it! I like mine bland, no vinegar!
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    I want it too, and the more you keep saying it, the more I want it! I want mine with bacon and spicy mustard! You may just have to take a diet break, while we develop a collaborative potato salad recipe. P.S. Will you hate me if I post the site I used when I learned to make croissants from scratch?
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    Wonderful! Now I want potato salad and croissants! Okay I am open to recipes. Now I hope this does not get us off our intellectual track of study. Slogging through recipes might side track the ladies in the group: and reduce me to a helpless food addicted, potato salad craving croissant vixen. ::::sigh::::I am suffering from brain overload!
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    My philosophy is that I'm happier when I'm chubby and doing things I want, then (than?) I would be if I were torturing myself and trying to resist temptation. It's a balance thing. Do I beat myself up more for breaking a goal, or for having to haul my bigger clothes out of the basement. (Just did that.) This isn't an intellectual track of study. It's play. People learn by playing. In fact, I'm going to inject some more fun in this course. (If I ever catch up on the grading.)
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    Looks like a good site to go back to for good techniques for our presentations.
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    I think it is than...
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    I'm a little slow on the uptake, but the potato salad discussion was great!! I like bacon and sour cream in mine--but on the serious side--life, education, teaching, learning, ad infinitum, are rarely black and white; you are so correct, Jennifer, in the longer comment you addressed to Ann and me about the challenge centering around these things not having to be one way or the other because there are so many other factors involved.
ann stephens

Howard Reingold: Crap Detection 101 - 3 views

shared by ann stephens on 17 Jan 11 - Cached
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    The emphasis of this article, is that we can get in information overload, which impacts the verasity of the data we get. He discusses deliberate biases in websites and the need for us to use filters in the information we receive. To me, it is not just the information we receive, but how we ask the question. Using a different search engine or how a question is phrased can often provide a different answer. When I am trying to research something, I often will not only read the first couple of references, but randomly go to a later page and some of the references there.
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    I tend to agree with this. Without a crap detector, what you write in research or a blog may lose it's importance because of your primary and secondary resource validity.
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    Ann, This great article by Howard Rheingold (with lots of useful bs detector tips) hits close to home for me. One of the biggest challenges for me and other instructors I've talked to, is how to filter and sort out fact from fiction on the Web. There's a ongoing debate regarding Wikipedia, for example. Students have a tendency to use it like a one stop information shopping mall. This bad for a couple reasons. It promotes academic laziness, and always raises the question of credibility/validity. Consequently, I don't let students use Wikipedia as a cited source for their written work. Rheingold makes the point that printed materials sitting on library shelves has been vetted by professionals, and can be considered valid sources of information. In my experience, only a portion of my students actually rely on printed materials from the library - just about everything seems to come from the Web. I know Bellevue College librarians have been working on a variety of solutions to this business of "crap detection". The BC library offers a wide variety of online journals, newspapers, magazines, as well as services such as Books 24/7 - which actually provides a large library of up-to-date and digitized textbooks, novels, and how-to publications. It also has a service called "Ask A Librarian", where you can ask an information question of a live librarian night or day.
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    Bruce, I'm always surprised when people think the library resources are too difficult to navigate and therefore don't put in the effort. I can't count how many times I've shown people Books 24x7. It really should be promoted more to faculty and staff. I find it's one of the best ways for me to quickly dive into a new technology.
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    Library science has definitely evolved from the time of index cards and Dewey decimel system, as the only real tools we had to find information and books required physical interaction with the printed page. It is great to have access to more data, but makes filtering more challenging. I personally, still like reading words from the printed page, but find that I do much of my reading/getting information via the web or in some type of visual form. I think the ebook products are just the start. I do look forward (and I know it is beginning) when text books for our students will be primarily electronic and they don't have carry around such heavy bookbags. Also, as a new BC student, thanks for letting me about Books 24/7 and Bruce, your comment, about how the librarians are starting to use electonic means for "crap detection" in electronic media is good.
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    Just saw this posted by the Cybrarian who supports our MEDIT students. http://library2.norwich.edu/library/findingonlinebooks
ann stephens

eTeacher Assessment Example - 5 views

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    This week the focus is on assessment and evidence of understanding. The emphasis is, of course, on how we assess our students. However, eteachers can be more easily observed, so I thought the community might find it interesting as to how I, as an eteacher, am assessed. (The students do an automated self-paced lesson and then take a practice quiz. If they have questions during the lesson or in order to go the next one, we interact. Based on the quiz and other questions/discussions we have, I pass them to the next lesson. I have up to 4 students in one session.) Once a month, my supervisor listens to one of the recorded sessions and writes up an assessment. What I find interesting that is unique to elearning, is that my use of the technology environment goes into my assessment. I need to be logged in on time, I need to effectively switch among my students, etc. Also, if an area is weak, a request by my supervisor to re-take an automated class I have taken before - such as effective questioning - might be assigned.
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    I found those examples interesting and am reserving judgement and evaluation until I learn more about assessment.
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    Ann, Many thanks for this assessment form!
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    Great example of a very thorough assessment! It is also of interest that your supervisor logs in on a regular basis to assess your instruction--quite a good strategy to ensure exceptional delivery by the school's online teachers. Thanks for sharing this form, Ann!
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    The online environment provides for easy capture of the session. The requirement for teaching include having a degree and a background check, but not a teaching certificate. I feel the monitoring is an extra check and balance on both how we are teaching and our online presence. We go through training and have guidelines on what we can and cannot discuss with the students - such as sharing emails, contacts outside of class, etc. Recently this has come into focus, as the regular school teachers at the school I am tutoring with (we are a scheduled once a week class during the school year) encouraged the students to ask where we live, etc., to feel more connected. On our teacher platform, the teachers and our supervisor were able to post and share with each other on how they were and should be handling this. It is a balance - just as in a regular classroom - to be connected, yet have privacy. I do not find what information I should and should share or ask to be a problem for me, but the time focus is. The students are used to texting all the time and feel comofrtable with using the time that way. I have now developed my own transitions - from the explicit: "we've chatted enough for right now, please go on with your lesson" to a softer transition by using the information in our dialog to set-up a problem: You got so much snow! So if you had eight snowballs and split them evenly....".
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    This is fascinating! I've honestly never seen an instrument for a supervisor to evaluate an online teaching session. (Or maybe I just don't remember.) For distance education at BC, instructors/divisions can opt in to the online student evaluations. I don't know if Norma signed up to have this course included in the evals. If so, you may have received access to that today. As far as I know, that's the primary way teachers are evaluated here. It compares to how they are evaluated in f2f classes. For me, I like to get constant feedback from students, and that's why you see me poking around a lot, sending lots of email, and including self-checks. It's always an awful feeling to get to the end of a course and discover you could have made changes early on that would have made a big difference in learning. (But I always expect to discover some of that at the end, as well!) Thanks for sharing this!
Bruce Wolcott

Overview of existing online course structure - 3 views

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    I thought I'd try something a little bit different for Module 5, and do a CMS review of a current online course that I've been working on, called Visual Storytelling. It's a review of a Blackboard/Vista-based online class, but I'm also blending a couple of presentation technologies together to create this - SlideRocket and Camtasia. If you take a look at it, you'll want to make sure your audio is turned on - otherwise, it won't make much sense... It runs just under 10 minutes. This was a useful exercise for me, because I became aware of numerous changes I'd like to make for the next iteration of this class. These presentation tools are now very powerful and easier to use than in the past. SlideRocket has only been around for about 2 years, and it keeps getting better! You can also access this presentation by way of my Web2.0 Chronicle blog.
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    I enjoyed your presentation Bruce. Looks complicated!
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    Bruce, your work is amazing! Story Boards have long been a feature of teaching in the elementary and middle school grades with students creating original work or using the format for a book report, but to see this technique translated into an online format is thrilling. I can just imagine how much more engaged my former students would have been had I known how to use the digital tools you showcased. Will your course be offered during Spring Quarter? Please let me know.
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    P.S. to your post to me regarding my blog entry for Module 5--You referenced what I wrote about eLearning trends--that post was for my EDUC250 class. Did you have a chance to see the pictures I posted and read the entry for this week's module that referenced one of the activities on our class portfolio activities spreadsheet? What I spoke about is a very RUDIMENTARY story board (I realized this after viewing your post). Thanks, Bruce for YOUR "luminous presence" in EDUC251!!
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    This recording is an excellent example of what I'm looking for in your final project (only about half as long). I hope everyone gets a chance to view it. It's a great way to give a tour through a course and explain how to address the best practices. Great work! Would you be interested in taking over one of our office hours sessions to teach people how you used these tools?
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    Thanks Bruce for showing how you use Blackboard for one of your courses. I do agree that some of the mature LMS need to make it easier to use Web 2.0 tools. Jennifer's comments about being able to use these tools is so appropriate. All of these wonderful tools are available, the problem is learning when and how to use them in our online teaching.
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    Thanks everyone for your feedback and comments! Mary Ann, I did see your photos from the Galapagos, and it seems like they will make great material for an online class presentation especially with your underlying message - the importance of biodiversity to our long term survival. I'm really glad you're teaching this material... I wish we were more aware of these dire issues 50 years ago! The Visual Storytelling class will be offered again in Fall 2011. Susan... One useful application of online lectures/presentations is that they can free up classroom time for more exploratory dialog and hands-on activities, as appropriate. Students also like them, because they can stop and review material at their own pace. Jennifer - I'll be happy to give an overview some presentation media I use during your office hour on Thursday. This would be a good experience for me, since I've never taught a session using Elluminate. If you could give me some quick tips beforehand, that would be welcome. I can't do it this week, but Feb 24th or following Thursdays look open.
ann stephens

Class Roster (Activity 8.4) - 8 views

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    animoto.com is a tool that allows one to take pictures and create a slide show, adding text and music. It is a free tool, however, for a modest amount you can have additional features that allow you to do professional editting. I chose this activity as a way to connect with everyone and can really match faces with names. If you do see any mistakes, please let me know and I can easily update the slide show. I feel it goes to the discussion about creating community and having a presence that is more dimensional than just our names in a list. One could request and easily add other photos or snips.
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    Ann, what a wonderful video! The only problem I had was watching it as a complete stream--I think my network connection is slow this morning. My 250 class was introduced to this tool and as you know, I used it in my Course Framework posting, but another student used it similarly to you. She developed a video of herself when she is not teaching (activities with family and friends) and posted it as her "Course presence", Further, she said that all of the students in her Course would be making videos of this type and together, they would become the Course Roster! It's such a simple, cool idea!! Thanks for sharing!
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    Ann - what a great tool for introducing everyone and making the point that learning is a social activity and works best in an "intentional forming group." Perfect for creating a "Course Roster." Thanks for creating this demo!
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    Bandwidth is always a problem. I like the idea of "individualized" animotos that can be combined. The more advanced tool does allow for adding video. http://animoto.com/play/ye7XT0nzKSJvOWK8XGTh0A - this is an example of how I used in a personal way. My family and friends were more responsive to seeing this in this form and its an easy way for me to sort out pictures I want to focus on from all the hundreds I seem to take with the digital camera these days.
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    Ann, Nice to see your new baby Lilly wrapped up in this spiffy Animoto package!
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    Cool Tool! I loved it!
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    Ann: I agree with Joy...cool tool. What a nice way to introduce the class.
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    My thought exactly Ann!
Jennifer Dalby

Debunking the Digital Native - 7 views

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    This is a nice collection of papers debunking the myth of the Digital Native. My personal belief is that this myth has been extremely harmful. If you have a chance to read Selwyn's article, I highly recommend it.
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    I've always been somewhat skeptical of Marc Prensky, who made the original distinction between Digital Natives and Immigrants. The skepticism comes from my impression that he's built a financially successful career out of promoting this distinction. Not to say there isn't some level of truth to it, but I'm not ready to throw the baby out with the bath water. The written word, for example - which has been a cornerstone of stored knowledge and communication - is as important now as it ever was.
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    Some of the things I believe hurt the most, are when we make sweeping assumptions about access to technology. In many cases, it is the privileged who have the opportunity to be "digital natives." I also think the digital immigrant idea is completely false. I used to advertise to help senior citizens with technology. I found they were some of the most eager and enthusiastic learners, because we learned things that interested them. The digital immigrant idea has also allowed us to write off senior faculty, waiting for them to retire, rather than connecting them with technologies that suit their needs. We're at a point of convergence. You don't have to understand all the technologies in order to use them. One person can compose in email, and the material can be viewed on any kind of device. I just wish the damage hadn't already been done, to so many who now feel they don't have the ability to participate because of their age.
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    Okay I am depressed. If we have been wiped out after being the ones that created this knowledge and technology in the first place, there is no hope for me to ever teach on line!!!
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    Joy, what we need are people willing to stand up and say that whatever your level of skill with technology, we all need to be able to communicate. We will all need to compromise and sacrifice. That could mean knocking on doors or hanging out on front porches, or it could mean learning a new language, or reduction of a language :)
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    I still don't understand where the labels are coming from. It seems like these labels are simply a way of discriminating against seniors. Now, the truth is, we were using computers before these generations were a light in their parents eyes. Some of us were designing the technology they are using today. Ok, looks like I am going to be on a lot of porches like the neighborhood dog looking for a handout! As for knocking on doors, I might need to invest in a good battering ram! Anyone ever watch the Capital One commercials? Maybe those folks are for hire!
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    The Digital Native/Immigrant theory came from Mark Prensky in 2001, but there's debate about whether or not he was the first to use the terms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native
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    Hmmm...after reading that Wiki explanation, I feel a bit of frustration and anger. White middle class youth are probably digital natives if one wants to put a label on it. But, after reading articles on the subject, many lower income families with high school and college age students do not have the funds for technological devices & services: computers; IPADs; laptops; Kindles and the list goes on. I am even more certain youth in other countries do not have access nor would they have high speed internet access on as broad a scale as we have in the US. I suspect they could not afford it either. So this label probably only applies to a small percentage of millennials or digital learners.
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    Or I should have stated, for those labelled as digital learners...they are only a small percentage of the worlds's millennials and even GenX. Ithink sociological studies would support this conclusion. I prefer using statistics to test hypothesis. Then one can thread these into a theory and test it statistically.
Jennifer Dalby

Office hour conversation with Jennifer - 21 views

I'll record it and you can watch it later. Unless you want to nap and log in really late :)

#EDUC251 elluminate twitter

Joy LaJeret

Understanding Understandings - 16 views

Each day I read more and view more videos outside the class. I am learning quite a bit about Ubd and assessment and will take the next course on my way to the certification. There is nothing, so ...

#EDUC251

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