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Stephen Simon

MapSkip - Places Have Stories! - 6 views

  • MapSkip makes the world a canvas for our stories and photos.
  • It is an ancient human instinct to share our life stories with others, as the paintings and hand prints in stone-age caves show.
    • Stephen Simon
       
      Storytelling is part of being a great teacher. Making it relevant is part of being a great mentor. This is not always as easy as some think it is but for those who invest in the art of storytelling realize that that is how lasting memories are made. Think of going camping and sitting around the fire telling stories; what was it that made those memorable to you?
    • Janice Wilson Butler
       
      And charting your own adventures - I keep having trouble remembering where I ate a great food or saw a play, etc. I like when a tool can be powerful for personal reasons as well as for educational reasons.
    • Joe Pedraza
       
      This would be good for my 9 year old to track our summer vacation. He can take photos, videos and add the stories to the map. The MapSkip can even be linked to your twitter account allowing the user to tweet as you post stories. I think this for me would be a little too time consuming but overall great for users with time on their hands.
    • Don Martin
       
      I could see something like this being used in combination with a interactive timeline. You could put your history on the timeline and then use the map locations to tell the stories behind the events.
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    • Stephen Simon
       
      I do not agree that it is human instinct to share our life stories. The reason being that if everyone wanted to do that, no story would ever be heard. Do you agree with the premise that we, as homo sapiens, instinctually want to share our stories?
    • Merrill Redfern
       
      People share life stories for various reasons. They share stories in an effort to connect themselves or others with someone or something. To feel a belonging to something significant that will define or confirm their characteristics, attributes or identity. I do agree in that not every person instinctively wants to spill the beans about their life and does not need to share stories for fulfillment. Introverts have a difficult time telling stories and find it challenging or exhausting. However, I believe technology has set a forum for some introverts to "safely" tell stories in an environment in which protects them from the world they may find challenging.
    • Jeff Blackman
       
      Yes, I do think there is an instinct to share stories. Not necessarily to the whole world but at least to one other person. For example, our kids, spouses, families. People we are comfortable with - we want to share our stories - even the mundane ones like "how was work today?" It fills a need.
    • Jose Escobedo
       
      I try to find ways to keep in touch or share my experiences with my kids back home and MapSkip offers that opportunity. I can share my experiences with my little girl especially when she has a school project due. Instead of sending pictures and or trying to explain a place via email or text, she can access my stories with her tablet at school.
    • Stephen Simon
       
      Using a tool like this one can lend itself to sharing with family as Jose has pointed out. Usually these stories are somewhat private and so long as you know that they are public, fine with me. If more people did this then perhaps some stories which are usually isolated to an individual could possible be cross-indexed to someone else. This would certainly give you some perspective on the story itself when told by different individuals.
    • eeverett3
       
      I believe that humans have a need to share their stories. That is how we make connections with each other and how we work out our differences in opinion. We are always trying to explain, share, and teach.
    • Joe Pedraza
       
      I believe that we as homo sapiens do want to share our stories, not necessarily instinctively but more subconsciously. Our subconscious is the storage of our knowledge and prior experiences. When we meet others that we have something in common with like an idea, or something that triggers an emotion, we feel a connection that triggers our subconscious to share this information.
    • Eric Folks
       
      OK people, I can't believe we're debating whether or not ppl like/need/want to share stories. Let's leave it at storytelling has been a part the human culture creation process since the beginning, but sharing stories is an individual choice. More importantly, so is the means by which we do it! Does MapSkip offer tools and services other sites don't? Maybe. But from what I can tell, this doesn't offer much more than Google Maps Engine (https://mapsengine.google.com/map/?pli=1)...other than another site we need to create, manage, and curate content on. Another option is Dr. Alice Christie's GoogleTreks (http://googletreks.org/). MapSkip seems cumbersome to me in comparison to some mobile options out there, like location-based posts in Twitter, G+, FB, and my favorite for this type of thing, Instagram. Here are some other apps for location-based maps/activity etc. http://www.slideshare.net/matteoroversi/beyond-foursquare-overview-on-the-best-location-based-apps
    • Brenda Wohlfeil
       
      Digital Stories were foreign to me. I appreciate the video that Simon posted, although it was a bit advanced for me. I have since found a website that gives a basic overview of digital stories with information on how to map them. http://maps.playingwithmedia.com/digital-story/
    • Olivia Basham
       
      I agree that story telling is what forms the basis for human culture. This tool looks like a fun and interesting way to do just that. Gosh it would be a fun way to share travel stories or even share reviews or tips for particular locations or venues for others on their travels.
    • Don Martin
       
      Brenda, Thanks for the link that clarifies the digital story possibilities. I agree that it can be a bit confusing and overwhelming at times. I think the key is having a good plan before you start. If you have a story plan then you can go and find the "places" you want to use to tell your story.
  • - Our Partners
    • Stephen Simon
       
      Check out this teacher resource who partnered with MapSkip.
    • Stephen Simon
       
      Capturing family history through stories was pretty much the only way to keep the story alive. Now you have new tools to make it live on. Investing in a flip-cam is great for impromptu video capture of a story. Many times my kids tell me that not everyone wants to be on video so I am more cautious when I take it and film. But what you get as a product is priceless as I look back at video of my father and realize how much I miss his stories.
    • Janice Wilson Butler
       
      This looks like a very interesting tool. I can see it being of great benefit for students who are learning English - a way to connect the English language to their own culture. It should be a cool tool for social studies as well - the discovery of the United States, the Pilgrims, etc. Or battles of the Civil War - so many uses!
    • Eric Folks
       
      Stephen, we invested in Flipcams a while back, about 5 per campus for check out via library. They discontinued support for them right after we bought them :( but they've nevertheless been useful for long recordings. Since so many now have smart phones, and the shorter the video clips often the better, the flip cameras are not used as much... I am curious how difficult (or easy) the workflow would be to add video resources to your MapSkip post. Might give it a try and let you know!
    • Eric Folks
       
      OK, so you can't upload a video (only add a YouTube video, which is easy enough to upload yourself), add a jpg image, and even upload a sound file (mp3), which I thought particularly nice. After exploring the features a bit more, I've got to say it's more capable and less cumbersome than I orginally thought!
    • Stephen Simon
       
      I thought that the capacity to narrate (mp3) was perfect for this type of We 2.0 tool. That way the story is not lost in all the extraneous material a video brings. But the youTube capacity adds an element of commercialization to the artifact which I don't like; especially in the classroom.
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    This is an ambitious method of story-sharing using integrated GoogleMaps with pins to denote where a story, with and without photos, can be posted and accessed.
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    Here is a video on Digital Storytelling from a lecture in SecondLife. I found it informative and an sharing it with you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XRS-45wKWk
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    I love storytelling as a means to teach. I always try to weave stories into my training as I think it helps people connect to the material better.
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    Storytelling is a natural way to create meaningful and sometimes emotionally rich connections. When my grandfather would sit me down and talk about all the various places he had traveled to though out his life, I couldn't help but feel connected to those places. It also gave me deeper insight as to what those places must have been like. I believe that because storytelling forces our minds to envision the situations, it keeps learners interested and assists in information retention.
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    When I make a connection to a lesson, I love to tell my students my personal stories or experiences especially traveling to different places. My students are so attentive and if I bring pictures, they can appreciate the story and lesson even more. Of course this leads to some students making their own connections and wanting to share their stories and experiences. And although not all students may have many opportunities to travel, they all have something to say and listening to their classmates tell a story makes everything very meaningful.
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    I don't know if I would tell every story and detail of my life, but if the situation called for it, I probably would share. I know some people, like my stepfather, who is not shy will share his stories about the past, but maybe because he is older and has nothing to hid. However, I will share my stories with my students if I feel it will make a lesson more meaningful.
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    I see this a good tool for students to map places they have explored that have personal value to them. For example, as a former boy scout, I would map places where we setup camp and document the skills I learned. This would later be used to reflect upon. I agree with Eric that they are other tools that are somewhat easier to use but for me it works fine.
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    It has occurred to me after reading all the comments, Dipity and MapSkip combined together could turn a student autobiography into one neat project! What a way to engage students to reflect upon the on the places and events of their lives.
natalie_cepeda

What are Discussion Forums and How do They Enhance Learning? - 21 views

In your first Diigo Group post, please summarize your understanding of the Discussion Board and discuss how you could use this in your classroom to deepen learning. From personal experience, I hav...

technology education classroom pedagogy

dbrookpark

A GeekyMomma's Blog: Share Students With ClassDojo - 3 views

  • teachers can now collaborate to improve student skills and behaviors and students build important skills across all of their classes and grade levels
    • dbrookpark
       
      I highlighted the parts of these two green sentences because they are the positive consequences of these improvements to ClassDojo.
  • Students will benefit greatly, too, as it becomes possible to track and reflect on their development across all classes, and even grade levels. 
    • dbrookpark
       
      I highlighted this sentence because we are all in it for our students and these changes will benefit them too. Do you agree? Why or why not?
  • Shared Students enables teachers in the same school to share students across different classes and view their student reports. Individual students can now move between different teachers and classes, but still build on their progress over time. This makes ClassDojo much more feasible for older grades, allowing teachers to better understand how their students are performing in other classes very quickly. Indeed, the company says this has been middle school and high school teachers’ greatest request
    • dbrookpark
       
      The possibility of tracking a student's behavior over more then one year is interesting to me. Although I wonder if this could lead to a teacher singling out a student for bad behavior because of his or her past. Similar to when teachers from one grade to the next talk about a student coming up. What do you think about this?
    • Jose Davila
       
      The sharing of information among students in different classes can be appealing. However, the teacher would need to be very cautious because posting certain comments and etc... might turn to be a negative impact instead of being a helpful tool among students. Moreover, communication among students is a great and positive tool that if handled properly it will definitely benefit the student with his or her assignment. The results will be amazing with having constant communication and helping each other.
    • morgantucker
       
      What a thought!- Have the students engaged and on their best behavior all day...haha. It sounds so obvious but sometimes the obvious can escape us as educators due to the fact that we wear so many hats on any given day. Our teachers really like ClassDojo. I will be sharing this with them. It takes something that they already understand and makes it even more powerful. Thanks for sharing this.
    • ksspurgin
       
      Our secondary school is organized into instructional teams by grade levels instead of content area departments. For example, the 6th-8th grade teachers are all on the same team and we meet regularly to discuss student learning and progress. Something such as this feature in Dojo could give us some very valuable information for our discussions on how to better serve our students.
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    A blog on the new additions to ClassDojo that will encourage collaboration among teachers who share the same students.
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    After reading the blog post on the new features of ClassDojo what do you think about these new features and how do you think they will be received by the teachers in your school? This video, http://youtu.be/Yg8NSW3sz_Y has a teacher using ClassDojo in his classroom to manage behavior. Some of the comments are very interesting and there is a lively discussion if it is just a fancy sticker system. What do you think?
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    The idea of sharing information about students between classes is appealing. I can think of several times throughout the last year where, if I had better access to instant communication between teachers it would have benefited several individual students. Some of the drawbacks I can foresee is teachers inadvertently writing comments about students that they think are private but turn out to be public (but that's just a user-error problem). I also see it possibly getting gossipy about students which is always a problem. But the core idea seems to be a good one. Communication is usually a good thing. - C Hilgeman
stacey perkins

Voicethread in the classroom - 10 views

  • collaborative projects
    • stacey perkins
       
      Voicethread works as an asynchronous discussion board, so students could work collaboratively in different class periods or locations.
    • Elizabeth Rodriguez
       
      Stacey, I've not heard about Voicethread but I am excited to look into it and come back and comment more in depth on this web 2.0 tool. It's amazing just how much technology is out there for use in the classroom! I love it because I am always looking for innovative technology tools for our faculty to use in their courses!!
    • Gena Jean
       
      This app was new to me as well, but I could definitely see where it could boost communication among students. As a design instructor I could definitely see how it could be used by students to help them in sharing their work and providing constructive criticism to one another's works.
    • Karla Fabiola Garcia
       
      This tool is also new to me. I love what I have read so far and the different ways it can be incorporated into the classroom. I am defenitily sharing this with my colleagues and brainstorming on diffrent ways we can incorporate, as some of us don't have many computers in our classroom.
    • Maricela Gonzalez
       
      My initial response to Stacey Perkins Article Post- As was stated in your link, it makes sense that "text alone can't deliver the subtlety and expression required for meaningful connections (http://njea.org/news-and-publications/njea-review/march-2011/voicethread)." Students need a place to be able to communicate and learn from each other. Not just via text, or typing forums- but also through real life asynchronous discussion boards. This allows students the ability to work together and collaborate to come up with some real solutions to problems. What I noticed about this particular medium, was that as an educator I would have the ability to use a webcam, and reach all types of students in that manner. It appears to be a good way for students to learn from each other, and really get into the lessons that are being taught.
    • Maricela Gonzalez
       
      My 2nd reply- @Gena Jean- I agree with you that this application can help students communicate and thus collaborate with each other- in efforts to gain knowledge. It is important in today's world that our students are as tech savvy as possible, and so the incorporation of asynchronous technology such as this has so much value in today's educational realm. The students of today are living within the technology revolution. They grew up with smart phones, and my daughter who is only 1 year old…screams when I take away my phone because she in some way understands apps like "Candy Crush." She literally knows what to do to manipulate and thus communicate with the technology. It's truly amazing in that same regard, how Voice Thread can help even the shyest students come out of their shells. As educators we need to speak our students language and that is making sure that we learn as many technology driven programs as possible- such as Voice Thread and so on.
    • Pedro Rodriguez
       
      @stacey perkins I have heard of voice thread but have not seen its potential in the classroom. I am glad you shared it with us. I a begin to start integrating discussion into lessons, I can see how voicethread is a good tool for students. This tool changes things up a bit, instead writing, one can record their voice. I also like the integration to LMSs.
  • You can look at examples of how other educators are using VoiceThread on its digital library or browse Ideas for using VoiceThread, a collection of 143 examples from the library
    • stacey perkins
       
      If you aren't sure how you might incorporate Voicethread into your classroom/curriculum, check out how these teachers are using it.
    • sharonmahabir
       
      Thank you for the link. I have never used Voicethread in my classroom. I wanted to implement a new technology this year and I think Voicethread is a great tool that my PreK students will be able to use. I particularly liked the Brown Bear example. We do a Brown Bear unit at the beginning of the year and this would be a great way for students to represent their learning.
    • stacey perkins
       
      Sharon, I have taught in the elementary grades for years, and have struggled to find tech tools that were user-friendly to my students. Their frustration threshold is low! But I think Voicethread would require minimal training.
    • Maricela Gonzalez
       
      My 1st reply- @ Elizabeth Rodriguez- just like you I had never heard of Voice Thread. I think that it is definitely something that I can use in my classroom. Right now I'm really trying to use as much technology within my curriculum, but I really need to figure out which Web 2.0 technology is going to be the most effective for the amount of time that I have with my students. I will need to research a little more about this particular software, and I hope that I can find some online You Tube tutorials to help me figure out an easier way to use this platform.
    • Pedro Rodriguez
       
      Wow, there are many examples one can use. I know sometimes the hardest part of web tools is learning how to integrate them into the curriculum. I can see the examples are also grouped together by subject. Best part is that educators can contribute to the examples.
  • Examples of classroom VoiceThreads
    • stacey perkins
       
      Examples of some finished products...
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  • New Jersey Education Association Sign in for member information and resources. Member Sign In Need help signing in? function toggle_signin() { if(document.getElementById('member-signin-form').style.display == 'none') document.getElementById('member-signin-form').style.display = 'block'; else document.getElementById('member-signin-form').style.display = 'none'; } jQuery('#login-username').keydown(function(e) { if(e.keyCode == 13) { e.preventDefault(); postToLogin(); return false; } }); jQuery('#login-password').keydown(function(e) { if(e.keyCode == 13) { e.preventDefault(); postToLogin(); return false; } }); jQuery("#login-button").click( function() { postToLogin(); return false; } ); function postToLogin() { jQuery.cookie("loginusername", jQuery('#login-username').val(), {path: '/'}); jQuery.cookie("loginpassword", jQuery('#login-password').val(), {path: '/'}); var query = window.location.search.substring(1); var launchUrl = "https://njea.org/resources/help-desk"; if (query != null) { launchUrl += "?" + query; } window.location = launchUrl; return false; } Facebook YouTube Twitter RSS Feeds Message Pinterest Flickr Email Texting AboutWho We AreCalendar and EventsAffiliated GroupsRegional OfficesCounty/Local AssociationsNJEA Hipp FoundationClassroom Close-Up, NJEmployment OpportunitiesContact NJEANews & PublicationsNews RoomGood News About NJ's Public SchoolsNJEA ReviewNJEA Reporter ArchivesTeaching & LearningAdvocacy TrainingProfessional LearningClassroom ToolsNJEA ConventionE-Learning AcademyESP AcademyJobs and CertificationNJ Center for Teaching & LearningCenter for Future EducatorsParents & CommunityFamily InvolvementPRIDE in Public EducationTeacher for a DayRead Across AmericaPartnerships and ContestsFamilies and Schools Together (FAST)¡Contribuya al éxito de su hijo!Issues & ActionAnti-BullyingCollective BargainingElectionsESEA - No Child Left BehindEvaluationHealth and SafetyNJEA Political Action Committee (PAC)NJEA Position StatementsPensions and Health BenefitsTenurePolitical Action GuideSchool FundingTake ActionVouchersResourcesAID-NJEAAssistance for RIF'ed membe
  • A single educator license is free and class and district memberships are reasonable
    • Pedro Rodriguez
       
      Trying out the product at no cost is a great idea. By creating voicethreads, you can showcase your work and it becomes easier for the school of school district to see how it works. This can convince administration to purchase voicethread for the whole school or district.
  • rather than using text to talk about text (which doesn't jive when you're teaching art history)
    • stacey perkins
       
      Since virtually all of my students are struggling readers (I'm a dyslexia teacher), I think they would be more engaged with--and more willing to respond to--pictures or videos than a written prompt.
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    How could Voicethread be used in the classroom to differentiate instruction?
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    VoiceThread seems to be a great tool to have students interact with each other. I have found in my own experience that sometimes students have a difficult time sharing in person, in front of a classroom. VoiceThread would give students the ability to share their thoughts with the classroom on different assignments. I think its a great collaboration tool!! I would not hesitate to use it in my classroom!
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    Hi Stacey! I have never heard of Voicethread but after reading the article you shared it seems like a very intriguing tool to use. What I loved the most about Voicethread is that it allows those with hearing impairments to collaborate through webcam commenting by using sign language. Thank you for sharing.
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    It's very nice to hear about the voice threads. I've never actually used them before, but I've seen students present information using them. It looks like something I'll be looking into for my future classes. Thank you so much for sharing.
emrodriguez

Tips for Teachers Who Wish to Use YouTube in Classroom - EdTechReview™ (ETR) - 9 views

  • YouTube for Schools:
  • YouTube Edu:
  • It plays a significant role in the educational field as many students, educators and institutions discover and share excellent educational content here. There are  thousands of channels on YouTube specially for education. From basic concepts to complex experiments, YouTube enables Students and Educators to discover anything they want to learn as a part of their academic, curricular and extracurricular activities.
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  • About the AuthorAuthor: Santosh Bhaskar KWebsite: http://www.twitter.com/SantoshBhaskarKDevotee of Dr. Abdul Kalam. Following his path of Creating Creative Education in India. Contributing my works in "India Vision 2020". Former EdTech Blogger/Researcher at ETR India Administrators Educational Videos Teachers/Educators Tips for Teachers/Educators // // AdvertisementWhy this Ad? AdvertisementWhy this Ad? // AdvertisementWhy this Ad? [Infographic] Microsoft in Education: Adding Value to Experiences both Inside and Outside of the Classroom Why and How Should Educators and Administrators Use Google Apps Tips for Choosing and Using Educational Videos in Your Classroom // The EdTech Tweets E
  • About the AuthorAuthor: Santosh Bhaskar KWebsite: http://www.twitter.com/SantoshBhaskarKDevotee of Dr. Abdul Kalam. Following his path of Creating Creative Education in India. Contributing my works in "India Vision 2020". Former EdTech Blogger/Researcher at ETR India Administrators Educational Videos Teachers/Educators Tips for Teachers/Educators // // AdvertisementWhy this Ad? AdvertisementWhy this Ad? // AdvertisementWhy this Ad? [Infographic] Microsoft in Education: Adding Value to Experiences both Inside and Outside of the Classroom Why and How Should Educators and Administrators Use Google Apps Tips for Choosing and Using Educational Videos in Your Classroom // The EdTech Tweets E
  • Educators can share a YouTube video in many ways. Mailing the video URL, sharing it on social networking platforms and embedding it in your blog, website, Wiki, etc., are the numerous ways of sharing a YouTube video
    • emrodriguez
       
      For those who are educators, have you used YouTube in your classroom to supplement your instruction? If not, please state the reason why whether it be the site being blocked at your campus, not aware of the informational videos on the site, etc.
    • emrodriguez
       
      I think that sharing videos with your students is an effective way to supplement your instruction because the student may not be able to grasp the entire lecture during the time they have with you at school. Sharing a video can be done via email, on a social networking site such as twitter, or your personal blog. What benefits and drawbacks can you see to implementing this tactic in the educational setting?
    • emrodriguez
       
      Were you aware that a part of YouTube is specifically made to offer educational videos to its viewers? YouTube education offers a variety of educational videos posted by universities, private organizations dedicated to education, and companies such as PBS, National Geographic, and NASA. YouTube for Schools is a section made available to educators who can register using their school email address. These educators will then have have access to only educational videos and never have to worry about showing their students inappropriate material. It's even customizable to the educators likes and dislikes as to what they want to present to their students. Knowing that YouTube offers videos specific to the classroom, would you now be more likely to use this technology in your own classroom?
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    What do you all think about the use of YouTube in the educational setting? Do you believe it can be beneficial to instruction?
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    Any comments on the article about YouTube being used in the classroom?
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    When I worked for Brownsville ISD, YouTube was a blocked website. Therefore, no teachers used the site. I think that blocking off the website is detrimental to instruction when there is so much information available and nothing can be done with it. Fortunately, there are ways around this. Videos could be downloaded at home and shown in class. Of course, one should take the time to review the video to make sure it is appropriate and of course beneficial to learning.
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    I think sharing videos with students can be beneficial to them by having supplemental instruction in case they didn't understand the material during class. The link could be emailed to students via email or by setting up a YouTube channel specifically for your class. I think a good way to implement this would be to have administration give you the okay and of course, inform parents of what you are trying to do and get their consent. Once everything is good to, videos can be shared with your class. More time could be spent learning a concept, videos could provide more in depth information, and so much more.
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    Before I started my masters, I wasn't aware that YouTube had channels specifically made for education. They offer a great amount of information that can benefit all persons whether it be children or the elderly. These channels are a great source because the videos have already been filtered to make sure that you are only showing students appropriate and relevant material.
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    What does everyone else think about this article and the specific questions mentioned?
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    I've only ever encountered youtube videos used in graduate classes so aren't facing the issues of the other commenters. I think it makes a huge difference in attention. Being able to hear the words straight from the horse's mouth in a TedTalk or hear an author speak...etc. changes everything. The conversations inspired from a video talk were better than I think from articles.
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    @ tvisco. Yeah, I too have only encountered YouTube videos in my graduate education as well. As for the comments, videos can ban comments or approve them if they have those video settings set up. I do agree with you that hearing information straight from the expert is a big plus to these videos. Regardless, I believe that the videos can truly supplement instruction.
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    Does anyone else have anything they'd like to share regarding their thoughts/views on YouTube in the classroom?
Merrill Redfern

Tomorrow's Classroom (2014) - YouTube - 6 views

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    This video is a great example of how technology can influence a classroom for the greater good.
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    What a powerful experience. Those students will always remember, their sharing and learning with others around the world. It makes me feel so guilty focusing so much on standardized testing, especially as it the time gets closer to test. Obviously there is so much more to a student's learning than just testing. http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/effects-standardized-tests-teachers-students-10379.html
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    That must have been an amazing experience for all those involved. Collaboration on a global scale offers so many opportunities for students and educators. Teachers collaborating with students as peers. Voices and opinions are shared across continents. Instructors learning from each other through sharing ideas on what it takes to become better partners in education. That sounds like exciting stuff. Araceli, I also agree that there needs to more to education that a high score on a standardized test.
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    I couldn't agree more about standardized testing. I saw a quote one time that stated, "teachers are required to differentiate instruction to students who need to pass a standardized test." Makes one think. Our campus is currently preparing for the Writing STAAR next week. Our 4th grade teachers are doing an awesome job at trying to keep it fun. For instance, they are calling this week Writing Boot Camp and keeping all things military. Wearing camo all week, moving up a rank each time they complete a mission (homework) and then holding a boot camp graduation (party) at the end of the week are just a few of the fun activities planned. My favorite is when they march up and down the halls chanting..... momma, momma can't you see, what 4th grade has done for me.....
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    Last year, I discovered epals.com. Epals.com is a safe pen pal program via the internet for classrooms around the world. Students can email and/or Skype. The best part is that classes around the world can actually work on projects together like the one in the video. http://www.epals.com/#!/main
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    Merrill, the Writing Boot Camp sounds fun. I would like to find fun ways to review math. We are at the end of our review week for the ITBS exams, and I can tell my students are burning out.
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    Brenda - I like the idea of students connecting with other students around the world. That in it self, is an education. I hope learning about other cultures, traditions as well as completing projects together will one day be more common for students as more technology advancements fill up our schools. There are always obstacles though like the lack of money, etc. On another note, we will be preparing for our STAAR Math in a few weeks. I've been tutoring Math and have found Pinterest.com a handy site for math games. http://www.pinterest.com/tlsafran/math-review-games/
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    Talk about thinking outside the box for this teacher. I can imagine the enthusiasm those students felt everyday they interacted with each other.
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    I enjoyed the video and particularly the teacher' purpose...connecting lessons to real world applications!
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    Merrill, thank you for the link.
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    Merrill, I love that idea of Writing Boot Camp. This gives the students a nice break from the same routine of passing the STAAR and only focusing on the test. I will definitely share this idea with my grade level and with 4th grade so maybe they can incorporate something fun like this for next year. Your students are very lucky that they have teachers who care enough to keep them motivated. Thanks for sharing.
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    This project will definitely keep the students interested and involved. Experiences like this enhance the learning process by expanding the classroom across continents. Students learn to solve real world problems by working together. Instructors can also share teaching strategies.
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    We too use Writing Boot Camps...we've noticed a huge correlation bt student's ability to write and their performance on other subject-area assessments, not to mention general weaknesses in writing TEKS. Each summer we do a Writing Boot Camp to help address those, and it seems to be paying off. Our scores have shown improvement!
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    Eric, we have also instituted a writing boot camp this year. We will see this weeks what the results are!
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    Really inspiring! It's amazing to think how much more those kids are learning about world cultures from this kind of experience vs. reading about it in a textbook or listening to their teacher lecture. I love this type of learning because it hits so many different modes - doing, hearing, listening, conversing... Wish I'd had a teacher like that!
mmcavazos

Integrating Tech: More Than Just Having Computers - 9 views

  •  
    This is an awesome article about just some different tips to integrate technology in the classroom slowly. What are your thoughts and how do you integrate technology into the classroom ?
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    This is a great article. All the sites will help keep my eleven-year-old busy. Technology is an everyday part of my home schooler's life, but she get tired of the same old sites. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of options, but this list will save time finding some that are worth while.
  •  
    I love the ideas in this article. Thanks for sharing. I took a class a few years ago where each student was assigned a date to bring in a news article relevant to the class topic. Only one student brought in a newspaper clipping - the rest brought in videos from TedTalks and Youtube to share. These current events warmups and subsequent discussion were the best part of the class.
  •  
    I think this article provides good ways to get teachers used to incorporating technology into their classroom. If they are to technology themselves, the article offers tips and even websites that the teacher can use in class. I am not a teacher, but can appreciate the positive impact that technology can have on the classroom. I like the idea of a teacher visiting "Today in Science History" website and just providing his/her students information on what's going on in the world regarding science. This article would make a useful read for a teacher who wants to integrate technology into their instruction.
  •  
    Thank you for sharing this article. What a wonderful resource! It's a great way to get teachers to warm up to technology. It's a nice, slow start. I am going to share the article with my colleagues and hope that they try at least 2 of the suggestions offered. Teachers need to realize that technology is a tool that not only helps and engages students, but it can help them with lesson planning, teaching and much more. It most definitely fosters learning in today's technologically savvy students.
Don Martin

Will Web 2.0 Technology Send Copyrights the Way of the Dinosaur? - 4 views

  •  
    Interesting that an article about Web 2.0 Technologies that suggests that copyrights might be going the way of the dinosaur will not allow you to capture or highlight using a tool like Diigo.
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    Consider this statement from the article above: "The internet has made it cheaper and easier for authors and other creators to create material and make it widely available to a global audience. Critics of copyright law maintain that since it is cheaper and easier to produce a book, film, song or image, copyright protection is no longer necessary to protect and encourage creativity. They believe that by freely allowing a person to reproduce or adapt an existing work, creativity will flourish. This dichotomy is at the heart of the relationship between web 2.0 technologies and copyright. The nature of web 2.0 makes it easy for anyone to create an original work, to adapt or reproduce an existing work. Many of these creators have little knowledge or regard for copyright law. As a result many users are infringing copyright. Again, critics of copyright law argue that the law has been slow to adapt to how people are using copyright material and that the law should be changed to reflect this." Have copyrights outlived their usefulness? Why or why not?
  •  
    Don, That site was very informative about all the issues of copyright. Before this class, I never realized how serious an issue copyright laws are and how easily they can and have been broken. The one item that stood out to me was "Using Material Created by Other People." It says those people who join your social network (for me it would be Facebook) and use pictures, videos, etc. have limited provisions. So all those pictures and memes need to be copyright? Something to think about and be wary of next time I share a picture/meme and I do not know who created them. Should those images be attributed or not shared at all. http://www.nyccounsel.com/business-blogs-websites/who-owns-photos-and-videos-posted-on-facebook-or-twitter/
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    I don't have Instagram or Twitter and I rarely uppload any pictures to my Facebook account. I wonder who is worse the NSA or these social networks.
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    Web 2.0 certainly adds to copyright confusion! Especially when people are sharing lists of links that contain so much information, however, it is always the researcher's responsibility to find and credit the originL source!
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    Araceli, the article that you posted was quite interesting. I never paid attention to the terms of social media websites like Facebook. It is scary to think that anything (i.e., picture, movie) a person posts to the website now becomes the property of Facebook and they can do anything with it as owner. Yikes!
  •  
    Brenda, It is super scary. I have lots of my friends who are no longer on this social media. I now have it in the back of my mind, if and when I do post pictures, do I really want Facebook owning that image. Something that makes you go hmm?
  •  
    The social media site doesn't "own" the content, what you are agreeing to is a license for them to use the content. The ownership stays with the creator. I find the contention by some that copyrights are no longer a valid way to handle content to be more troubling than Facebook or Twitter's licensing agreement. Just stay away from posting things to Twitter and Facebook or other social media site that you don't want other to have control over and your problem is solved. However, if we give in to the idea that copyright laws are outdated and that since it no longer is cost prohibitive to produce content we should just give up copyrights then we have a new and different issue. What happens to print, music, art, video and other media once it has been produced without copyright laws? Is there a better way to define copyrights that would be more in line with how content is shared and distributed today? Should we just bring an end to copyrights? Should we go the other way and try to rigidly enforce copyright law? Is that even possible in the social media world we live in?
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    Don, I found the site quite informative. Copyright on the web has become a complicated issue. As Araceli stated, websites can use what you post on the their sites. But what if what is posted infringes on a third party's rights. Could the owners of the website also be held liable. I know that people upload songs to Youtube. Is simply giving credit enough to avoid litigation? What if the author does not want their song upload on Youtube.
  •  
    I have noticed when I upload videos to YouTube that it scans for copyrighted music and flags those videos. I uploaded a student created video that had a song off the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack in the background. YouTube immediately noticed it and prompted me to investigate, concede, or remove the video. With too many violations your YouTube account can be suspended or revoked. As impressive as it is that YouTube can scan all the content that is uploaded to it on a second by second basis, I've got to agree, managing copyright law is a bit of a nightmare in this day and age of social media. Facebook, G+, Twitter (and others) all want us to share, and often. But our culture reinforces this sense of immediacy and urgency that seems inextricably tied to online activity...how do we balance the two. I think it's clear we have a long way to go in this area.
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    Ibanuelos, very few artists don't want their music uploaded onto YouTube. That's how they make money now. For instance: If I make an educational video that used a third party song, YouTube gives me a chance to acknowledge any third party content that it flags (and it always catches it). Then, any ad money that comes from my video goes directly to that third party (all of it even though I added my own content) because their content has the preceding copyright. This is how Psy made his money. Every parody video that was uploaded to YouTube that contained his song had ads placed before it that paid him. He made 7 million in a year. "Giving credit" isn't how it works, YouTube's algorithms get the artist paid (and embeds a link where the song can be downloaded with another payment to the author). Now it's a different problem for movies...
  •  
    Olivia and Ibanuelos make good points here even though they are on opposite sides. How do we protect those that do not want their songs uploaded on YouTube? Clearly as Olivia concedes there must be at least a "few artists" that don't want their music uploaded. It seems that most are probably happy with the licensing arrangement that YouTube has in place. The question remains though is copyrighting an archaic system that has not kept up with the innovations of technology? It is clearly very easy to get around a copyright and use the material in almost any way you choose with little or no consequences in the vast majority of cases. Would removing copyright restrictions on content produced using Web 2.0 Technology foster creativity?
  •  
    Have copyrights outlived their usefulness? Given all the exploring and talking we have done this semester on copyright, I would have to say "no". Artists and creators should have some form of protection. Now, does copyright law need to be looked at and revised to apply to all of the stuff that is out there now? Yes, I think so. The problem is, our media landscape changes faster than anyone can come up with a standard.
Gena Jean

Piazza * Ask. Answer. Explore. Whenever. - 8 views

shared by Gena Jean on 17 Sep 14 - No Cached
    • Elizabeth Rodriguez
       
      This is a short video that will give you a brief overview on what Piazza is and how it works!! Excellent way to interact with your students online!!
  • ntegrates with every major LMS and is FERPA compliant
    • Gena Jean
       
      It is amazing how complicated FERPA can be, but it is a very important part of an educator's job to know the guidelines
    • Elizabeth Rodriguez
       
      Gena, yes FERPA is huge here on our campus. Although it has not been done since I started here, I know we are looking to make sure that all our faculty members go through a FERPA training. It's important to know as much as we can with these regulations!!!
    • Gena Jean
       
      It can be very tricky, especially when you are dealing with dual credit students. Parents feel as if they should have automatic rights to their child's information, but we have specific guidelines that we must follow that are designed to protect the students' rights.
    • Elizabeth Rodriguez
       
      That is so true Gena. We deal with dual enrollment students all the time and it's difficult when parents call and you have to tell them that you are not allowed to give out any information. Some simply do not understand. I've even had grandparents calling. Go figure.
    • Maricela Gonzalez
       
      @ Elizabeth Rodriguez- Yes, you're right on about the importance of FERPA compliance within schools. It is so important to ensure that student information is kept as confidential as possible, and sometimes as teachers- we may not know which programs comply with FERPA. Therefore, we can get in so much trouble if we violate FERPA, and student information gets released online. We run the unfortunate risk of getting sued. Therefore, after having reviewed Gena Jean's Piazza link, I am feeling much more comfortable in being able to use this medium in my classroom with my netbooks, and continue to add on to my flipped classroom.
    • Maricela Gonzalez
       
      My initial response to Gena Jean's Article Post- I like that students can ask questions, that anyone can answer and that it's in real time, much like Google Drive. It's collaborative and so thank you for sharing this with everyone Gena Jean I am definitely going to definitely start looking into this platform, because I think that my English Language Arts and Reading class will greatly benefit from it. I thought it was so neat to see that a woman is the CEO and founder of this particular online program. Actually, it's quite inspiring to see that educational tools can be used in this way, and brought to the forefront by women.
    • Pedro Rodriguez
       
      Very interesting tool. I will give it a try. I like the fact that it integrate to major LMSs such as Canvas, BlackBoard, and Moodle. Currently I am using Moodle 2.8 and I would like to see how it works. I also like that it is FERPA compliance. I will definitely bookmark this and give it a try. Thanks for the resource.
    • Elizabeth Rodriguez
       
      Since I work for a higher ed institution, this is a big one for me because we are always looking to see how we can integrate different web 2.0 tools to assist our instructors in their classroom! Especially online tools!
  • ...3 more annotations...
    • Elizabeth Rodriguez
       
      See what others are saying about Piazza! It is a powerful tool to help student communicate and learn from each other!!
    • Pedro Rodriguez
       
      The also like the analytics it has. I can see how the classroom is doing as a whole and individual students engagement levels as well. I wonder I there is a real time chat window. I know some LMSs have chat enabled. Once again this is worth exploring and trying out.
    • Elizabeth Rodriguez
       
      How would you use this Web 2.0 tool in your classroom! I think sharing each other's thoughts is a great way to learn from each other!
    • Pedro Rodriguez
       
      I think I would use it to more for discussion as it seems to have powerful communication and notification tools. One idea comes to mind. During the lesson, I can use polls to see how students are grasping the content or to see if they are paying attention. I wonder if one can use a microphone and camera for Piazza
    • Gena Jean
       
      I find it very beneficial that this uses the familiar wiki style to make it easier to use!
    • Karla Fabiola Garcia
       
      I have never heard of this tool. I already like how similar it is in terms of style, to wiki.
    • stacey perkins
       
      I am immediately drawn to the filtering and hierarchy of importance you can apply to student questions. I love the idea of bringing order to all those posts!
    • Maricela Gonzalez
       
      @ Karla Fabiola Garcia- Yes, I had never heard of this online tool "Piazza" before either- however, it definitely seems like a great tool, as a teacher can see how many of their students are online. Students can help each other, and therefore know that they are not alone. The purpose of this program appears to me to exemplify what a true learning community should cover. Autonomy and accessibility outside of just the classroom environment. As was mentioned in the video from the website link- "a lot of it is kind of thinking through challenging problems with other people (- Pooja Nath Sankar, Piazza Founder & CEO)."
    • Maricela Gonzalez
       
      My initial response to Gena Jean's Article Post- Thanks for sharing this online tool with us all Karla. Symbaloo is a smart way to bookmark important things that educators may need to go back and reference. I tend to use Twitter to bookmark my educational resources…but that can get tiring- because sometimes frankly I don't want to share them with everyone, but I need that source to be retrievable at a later time. I'd like to have the ability to organize other things within my educational realm, such as my online modules, training videos, of which I've created throughout my pursuit of my master's degree- and this appears to be a more streamlined way to do just that.
  •  
    This is a great tool to use in the classroom! It allows for an online platform to be used by students and teachers to get questions answered!!!
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  •  
    This looks like it could be very beneficial to a higher education instructor, especially as an additional Discussion Forum activity. I found this interesting article : http://www.sicet.org/journals/ijttl/issue0801/4_1_6_Wang.pdf that discusses wiki use in education that you may find enlightening.
  •  
    Just wondering why my post states that someone else shared it. I started the post on Piazza. Can anyone tell me? I'm new to Diigo. I just want to make sure I get created for starting this discussion post. :)
  •  
    Elizabeth, apparently when people comment, it can replace the original author. Hopefully the administrator of the group will be able to tell who was the original host/author of each post. I do apologize if I inadvertently made a setting selection that caused this to happen. This is definitely your original post. I wonder if by doing a sticky note it changed it to mine?
  •  
    Thanks Gena. Hopefully Dr. Chavez will know.
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    Hi Gena, As I'm going over all these great tools, I feel a bit overwhelmed with all this information. I have never heard of Piazza before. From what I have read it is used in Colleges and University but I feel that with where technology is heading in high schools and middle schools, I can see this in that setting as well. Thank you for introducing this tool.
sharonmahabir

Project Share "A professional online learning community" http://www.projectsharetexa... - 5 views

This is a very interesting site. I think it is very important to continue to collaborate with other teachers. Unfortunately, it is increasingly hard to do this face to face, with the demands that w...

http:__www.projectsharetexas.org_

Gena Jean

The Rise of Competency-Based Education - eLearning Industry - 1 views

  •  
    Higher education is seeing a rapid increase in the installation of competency based education. Traditional education has three main issues - 1) More people need education, but few can afford it 2) A traditional Degree can take too long to earn 3) Traditional Degrees don't really show the skill set of the graduate Competency based education helps to address these issues while providing students with affordability and flexibility as they continue their education.
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    Competency Based Education, or CBE allows the participants to personalize their educational pathway. Students can work through assignments at their own pace and complete a large amount of curriculum in a short amount of time if they are determined enough and willing to work hard.
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    in Spring of 2014, the Competency Based Education Network announced that 18 different universities will work together to test and use CBE and share their findings. This could help to revolutionize the education industry, which has remained the same for a very long time.
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    Gena thank you for sharing this very important information. I've been in higher ed for about a year now and I had not heard of CBE! It think this is a wonderful tool for students. I for one am going to look into this further and share with my institution. I believe this will definitely help our students in so many ways. Often times you have students following a career path that isn't even suited for them. Thank you so much for sharing this excellent resource of information!
  •  
    Elizabeth, It is something that we have been discussing for the past year at TSTC. It has it merits as well as disadvantages and would work better for some instructional areas than others, but I know that as a student I would have loved to have been able to do something like this. I think that WGU does something similar.
  •  
    My initial response to Gena Jean's Article Post- My initial response to Gena Jean's Article Post- Thanks for posting this article. I have long thought the same thing about traditional education' it lacks the innovation that today's students need in order to be successful in the 21st century. I like the logic behind Competency-based education, (CBE). With CBE "credits are awarded based on the demonstration of content mastery, rather than on seat time (http://web2014.discoveryeducation.com)." One can experience this type of education online or in the traditional classroom environment and so the benefits can reaped in either platform.- which is awesome. However. it is great that students are able to take courses from the comfort of their own home, and still learn just as much without having to drive to school, and waste precious time. CBE is all about levels, as your article stated...students are able to master concepts, and then move on to the next "set of competencies." Therefore, they are always challenging themselves, and trying to get to the next level. I love the competitive nature of this type of instruction. Very informative article- thank you.
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    @Elizabeth Rodriguez- I also had not heard of CBE, but I think it is great. Looking at the research that Gena presented to us, CBE is a tool that really allows student to be successful from virtually any place. Students can learn so much when they immerse themselves in higher education. With programs like CBE they find more flexibility in their learning process, and in turn this brings more students to the educational realm. I will also be looking more into CBE, as I think that it is a great resource for us in education to know about. I believe that our students can greatly benefit from seeing other options to educational programs such as this. Furthermore, the fact that CBE is flexible, transparent., personalized, and affordable makes it that much more appealing to me. Overall, as the article points out "higher education continues to rise," and so therefore, it is important that we begin to look into other more affordable options to get the higher learning process going for those that simply
  •  
    @Gena Jean- It's awesome that students are allowed to work without the pressure of performing at a moments notice. They can simply work at their own pace, to ensure that they get their work done and turned in online. How beneficial is that? Greatly beneficial...in fact, it is the way of the world at this point. Education needs to rise to the occasion of our current internet revolution. I love that education has accepted online schooling, it is the reason that I choose to get into a degree plan that will really teach me a thing or two about online learning, and online instruction. Honestly, sometimes it feels as if my online courses have been way more challenging than my traditional courses. I believe that this is due to the flexibility and regards to creativity that an online classroom provides for the online student. Great things are to come!
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    @Gena Jean I have not heard of the name Competency-Based Education, but I wonder if it just means online learning. The article explains its self-paced, but but would like to get more information of the meaning self-paced. I also have questions on what does it mean by personalization. How personalized will the CBE be? I think I am still trying to get more info on it. Its sounds like a great idea. I would love to see the list of the 18 universities and their findings.
  •  
    @Maricela Gonzalez @Elizabeth Rodriguez I can agree many students can benefit from the many options that are available out there. I am curious how affordable it is and what courses will be available. I would like to see the interface as well. But yes, I agree with Maricela, it is important for us to know about these options. As an instructional designer, I am always open to new innovative technology tools.
  •  
    @Gena Jean You mention TSTC is working on CBE. I wonder what courses will be on CBE. Will the instructors create the CBE's or will they hire or will they outsource it? If instructors know how to create CBE's, will they get a higher salary? Im sorry for the questions, but I am curious how they will implement the CBE's courses.
Karla Fabiola Garcia

SymbalooEDU is FREE - 8 views

  • For Symbaloo Beginners
    • Gena Jean
       
      Karla, This one was new to me, but a s website hoarder, I am drawn to anything that could help me to organize them. I downloaded the app and began to set up some tiles and so far it looks like it could be very useful! I love that you can create different pages for different sections, so I can have graphic design, publishing, photography, e-learning, etc. Thank you!
    • sharonmahabir
       
      Thank you for the resource! I have to explore it some more, but at first glance, it reminds me of the Windows 8 desktop. It looks to be a great way to stay organized.
    • Karla Fabiola Garcia
       
      I have personally found it very useful in the elementary setting where we must be more careful as to the sites students visit. This allows teachers in elementary to have some control while allowing studetns to explore independently.
    • stacey perkins
       
      I love that, for special education elementary students, there are icons to help non-readers organize and identify apps and websites.
    • Pedro Rodriguez
       
      @sharonmahabir Yes, it does remind me also of Windows 8 tiles. I like the visual part as compared to regular bookmarks which are text only. I wonder if the tiles? are responsive to fit on a mobile device. I think anything that is visually appealing works better than text based information.
  • Check out our Symbaloo EDU User Guide, which provides all the basics for getting started
  • Use it for yourself, or to help teach colleagues and/or students how to use Symbaloo!
  • ...7 more annotations...
    • Karla Fabiola Garcia
       
      This quick guide can help you, colleagues and students understand how to use Symbaloo.
  • Use the Symbaloo Bookmarker to save your favorite sites with a single click!
    • Karla Fabiola Garcia
       
      I personally bookmark resourceful websites & often forget I did because they are hidden under "my favorites ." This tools allows everything you find relevant and important to be front and center.
  • Helpful Webmixes from Team Symbaloo Tuesday Tutorials Thursday Did You Know
    • Karla Fabiola Garcia
       
      Professional development! Tips from symbaloo to make your life much more simple. (:
    • stacey perkins
       
      Many of my elementary teacher friends have been singing the praises of Symbaloo for a long time now, but I have never explored it. Thanks for the beginner's guide :-)
    • Pedro Rodriguez
       
      @stacey perkins Because I am not yet a full time teacher, I have not seen or heard any other teachers talking about it specifically, but I have heard mentions of needing central place for getting to resources. I am glad I've heard about it and now I can recommend it. I like the video tutorials as it makes it easy to understand.
  • Recent Posts
    • Karla Fabiola Garcia
       
      Resourceful tips!
  •  
    Symbaloo is a FREE page & app that not only helps with personal organization, but also enables users to share online tools and resources. Students too can easily navigate and access only relevant websites and information.
  • ...3 more comments...
  •  
    The following link is a quick start guide. http://www.symbalooedu.com/wp-content/uploads/Symbaloo-Manual-New-Interface.pdf This tool was actually introduced to me by a colleague last year, but I never got around to using it. I am starting off this year on a very organized note, and it has allowed my students to access websites & information that are relevant to their learning. Aside from that, it is a super time saver in elementary calssrooms. (:
  •  
    Watch this introductory video for SymbalooEDU. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TX9zSYC0mCo
  •  
    @Karla Fabiola Garcia I been bookmarking pages for many years. I often see how difficult it is to navigate around all my bookmarks and folder. I even have subfolders and admit that I do not like going through my bookmarks. I am going to give SymbalooEDU a try. I wonder how well it works with all my devices. I guess I just need to try it out. 1st Reply
  •  
    Thanks for sharing Karla. I have two classrooms and have to go back and forth all day. I have bookmarks galore on my desktops and two laptops. This resource is great and will keep me organized and keep me from having to go back and forth from one room to the other to look up a book mark. I will continue exploring so that I can see how I may be able to use it with my students.
  •  
    Right away to recognize a Web 2.0 Tool is knowing that it's free! Thank you for sharing, Karla. I've honestly never heard of the tool, but it really does sound interesting. Hopefully I can use this in and out of the classroom. It's always great to keep updated with new information, and this tool can help that happen.
elliottquezada

Techniques for Unleashing Student Work from Learning Management Systems - 3 views

  •  
    While empowering, the challenge of this model is that everyone's creations are spread across the open Web. The way that most courses deal with the problem of distributed production is by forcing all students to post in the same place, in the password-walled, institutionally controlled LMS. The way that Connected Courses deal with this challenge is by aggregation, sometimes also called syndication. All of the content produced on student blogs, websites, Twitter accounts and other social media accounts is syndicated to a single website.
  •  
    Great article and interesting site. Thanks for sharing. I like the ideas he proposes and which we're doing in this class which is creating the structures that allow us to share, compile our learning, and communicate in professional like-minded communities. Like in our class, he suggests getting away from Blackboard and other course platforms and having students create wikis of their work, connect on twitter, and use places like Diigo to share. I can't say I feel as strongly that Blackboad and the like are truly evil as he paints them. I just think we're growing beyond them. We can all meet in google hangout, share our wikis, chat...etc. We don't really need Blackboard except to compile grades somewhere. I'm also not sure I think it's so evil that the content students post to Blackboard gets deleted after 6 months. He makes it sound like we're burning books. Most students have copies of what they post and any truly great ideas that arise during class will find a way to survive. Still, I liked the article for bringing up some excellent points and raising the question of who LMS's serve and are they really supporting learning in the ways we want them to.
Stephen Simon

Dipity - Find, Create, and Embed Interactive Timelines - 6 views

  • Dipity is a free digital timeline website. Our mission is to organize the web's content by date and time.
    • Don Martin
       
      Timeglider is another nice timeline application. There are actually a lot of great timeline resources. Timelines are a great tool that allows you to create linear content with embedded learning objects like pop-up text boxes, videos, pictures, sound files, and more. I've used timelines in my courses in the past and have even embedded them in presentations.
    • eeverett3
       
      This is a neat, free tool! I searched WWII and the Holocaust because I know that my 8th grade AP English teachers are about to start a project on this that will involve a timeline. I will share this immediately with those teachers! We will experiment with the students adding information to one timeline. I looked at the sources listed on one of the Holocaust timelines and that information was not very detailed so I will be looking closely at sources as I play! Thanks for the link, Stephen!
    • Joe Pedraza
       
      This tool can be integrated into the classroom, workplace or at home. Timelines are a great way for students to visualize what they are learning and engage in the lesson. Dipity would be great for history teachers. They can use the power of multimedia, social media content with trends like timestamps, geolocations and real time updates to bring the lesson to a life-like experience.
    • Jose Escobedo
       
      Dipity can be a very useful tool for those students who have a difficult time being creative with school projects. As Joe P. mentioned, the use of social media will facilitate the need for students to think "outside the box".
    • Merrill Redfern
       
      This timeline tool is wonderful and can be integrated into the library as well. Each year our campus celebrates the author, Theodor Seuss Geisel's (aka Dr. Seuss'), birthday with book readings, book trivia, etc. I searched Dr. Seuss and found many interesting facts about the beloved children's author. What a great way to conduct an in depth study about him while incorporating history and literature.
    • Eric Folks
       
      Did you all see this post from Tech & Learning? Top 20 Sites and Apps for Creating Timelines (Feb. 21st) http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&entryid=7150
    • Merrill Redfern
       
      Thank you for posting the Tech & Learning link. Being fairly new to the technology of timelines I found this top 20 list very inspiring. As I sifted through the list of apps thinking about how I could implement such a great tool in the library I found the app TIMELINE. It's FREE :) and is practically effortless to navigate through. One can simply tap on the timeline at the location where you want to add an event including label, description and image. Projects can be saved in a file within the app and can also be sent out to others. I like the idea of my students conducting research on authors and creating a timeline of books published by the author.
  • Dipity allows users to create free timelines online.
    • Stephen Simon
       
      Drag the timeline around; there is some interesting content here but it looks largely aggregated. Have you tried integrating a timeline in your classroom with any success?
    • Brenda Wohlfeil
       
      Although I did not have the internet as a resource, I have had my students create mini-timelines using PowerPoint.  Each slide portrayed a different event and were in chronological order with dates.  My favorite was a timeline on the the battles and events of the American Revolution. Students were responsible for creating slides for different battles including sound and animation.  The slides were imported together into a class PPT. I don't think it will be something the students will forget.
    • Don Martin
       
      I have used timelines in my courses to teach the history of the Surgical Technology Profession and show the development of various technological innovations as well as surgical specialties. The interactivity of the timelines and the addition of a visual component to the information makes the timeline effective. Add in the fact that you can embed learning objects such as videos and links to other information and timelines can be very flexible and effective as a tool to help reach an objective.
    • Araceli Gracia
       
      I know it is horrible to admit, but I had no idea what a meme was so I had to look it up. If I am correct it is an idea that gets replicated and then evolves from sensations like famous people, videos, or certain phrases. http://thedailymeme.com/what-is-a-meme/
  • ...2 more annotations...
    • Stephen Simon
       
      Internet Memes Timeline can provoke an interesting discussion on memes, how they get started, and what fuels their expansion. Is it possible to create a meme within a school?
    • Joe Pedraza
       
      A meme is an idea that is spread from person to person quickly. The internet has become the home for the modern memes. The use of email, instant messaging, social media allows for the spread of memes. Humor is a great way to create a new meme. I think it is very possible to create a meme within a school. It's easy to pass along a meme to your colleagues by email. I have included a link to the top internet memes. (http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/weirdwebculture/tp/The-Best-Internet-Memes.htm)
    • Eric Folks
       
      Timeline Maker claims to have the interactive capabilitites of Dipity but with the ability to integrate your timeline into Power Point and other MS programs. It is $125 however...this is a one-time cost and not a yearly subscription. http://www.timelinemaker.com/
    • Stephen Simon
       
      This is an example of a broken-link and is usually a sign that the site is not maintained regularly. I consider it a red flag. It is just one more thing that can make you nuts. We all have our pet peeves; what is yours?
    • eeverett3
       
      I agree with Brenda that timelines are a must in history classes; however, I think they are just as valuable in researching biographies in all subjects and as tool for building relationships with students. When elementary children create personal timelines, they see the connections between all their lives and what common stories and events they share.
    • Stephen Simon
       
      Yes timelines are the most applicable to history and perspective. Great app!
    • Eric Folks
       
      Life is really about turning points, and so is history. What better way to make them come alive than through the creation of interactive timelines! Araceli Gracia nailed it: what a perfect storm of events that must fall into place for an indvidual to become a US president...what better way to highlight these turning points than Dipity!
  •  
    Timelines are an excellent tool to get the "big picture" of an event, or events. I have always liked using it in projects that participants can study and formulate time-based concepts.
  • ...4 more comments...
  •  
    I find this tool similar to VoiceThread. See what you think.
  •  
    I firmly believe visual timelines are a must in history classes. From my own experience, it was not until I taught my own children history using a timeline did I really understand history. For me, it was just events and a bunch of dates until I created one with my daughters. We built a timeline around our schoolroom of all the historical events that we were studying. Each time we studied and added another event, we were able to see it in the context of the world's history. I helped me see history in context for the first time. As Simon said, the "big picture." Dipity and other timelines like it, should be one of the pillar of tools used in today's history classes.
  •  
    I recently had students do a project for President's Day but this would be a great way to incorporate this project even more. They would be able to understand the person they have chosen and the events that went on during their time and like you mentioned Stephen get the "big picture." Awesome.
  •  
    Its easy to see how this technology could be used in the educational setting. It allows the instructor to set the background for a lesson on a particular event. It can be used to teach history but other topics as well. For example, in literature it can be used to list situations leading to a climax in play such as Romeo and Juliet. I was most surprised to see it being used in journalism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvCyLrY9rDs http://www.dipity.com/alexvoa/Timeline-Chile-Miners-Ordeal/
  •  
    Besides Presidents, timelines can be used to deepen our understanding about any person. Seeing a person within a specific era, can help up better understand the thinking process of that person. Furthermore, it can help us really appreciate the uniqueness of people who think outside of the common thinking of that time.
  •  
    Dipity can be power tool in the classroom. Integrating pictures and video in a timeline can enhance retention. Dipity add multimedia to instruction. Both visual and audible learners will benefit. I remember one of my teacher in middle school discussing how bills become laws by showing us a "School House Rock" video. To this day, I can still sing some of the lyrics to the songs in the video.
Stephen Simon

Home | JOG THE WEB - 5 views

  • synchronous guide to a series of web sites
  • allowing the author to annotate
  • ask guiding questions for each page
  • ...3 more annotations...
    • Stephen Simon
       
      This is a great way to supplement your discussions but it has one drawback: if your URL changes in your stored Jogs, the link is essentially broken and will not display. This creates overhead for the teacher which most of us don't need.
    • Don Martin
       
      I have seen something similar to this done with a Prezi presentation where the links are embedded in the slides and the presentation is uploaded to a cloud or other website.
    • Stephen Simon
       
      It is nice that one can post annotations (sticky notes) and keep the discussion synchronous. Most paradigms of this nature place the impetus back on the teacher instead of shifting it to the student. Do you agree?
    • Stephen Simon
       
      This try-it feature is nice because you do not have to join anything to take it out for a spin. Does this way of getting you to test drive something make you wary?
  •  
    This is a great tool for displaying specific web pages in Powerpoint-like sequence with annotations. Virtual sharing during a lecture might be another way of describing it.
Stephen Simon

How Collaborative Learning Leads to Student Success | Edutopia - 8 views

  • "What our collaborative learning style empowers and enables is a student's resilience -- how do you look to your neighbor as a resource, how do you test your own theories, how do you understand if you're on the right track or the wrong track?"
  • But now it's clear to her why allowing her students to learn in this way is so powerful. "They're learning more than just math," she says. "They're learning to be more proactive; they're learning how to depend on their peers. When they go off to college, they already know how to work with people and draw out their strengths."
    • lbanuelos
       
      When students engage in peer learning, the build self esteem and a sense of responsibility. http://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-ideas/engaging-students/collaborative-learning.html
    • Stephen Simon
       
      Being more proactive enhances how we move forward with advancements in every discipline. College Prep forces students to learn to depend on each other in times of need and stress. Leaving the nest is an experience that everyone who goes away for college encounters. The more at ease you feel when join a new group in a new setting just lubricates the learning environment.
    • Don Martin
       
      I like the statement that students are learning more than math. What are they learning? They are learning life skills that cross the content area boundaries. Skills such as critical thinking which are so important in problem solving, creativity and general success can only be learned through collaborative learning. It is not possible to learn to depend on peers or to learn teamwork without working with others in a collaborative environment. In order to be proactive you have to be able to see the possibilities before they occur, this can't be done without interacting with a complex environment that involves others. You cannot predict in a system you have no familiarity with. Collaboration is a key scaffolding tool in the effort to constantly expand understanding and performance.
  • In math, for instance, the teachers prompt the students to ask each other their questions before asking the teacher, so that students learn to rely on their own collective wisdom.
    • lbanuelos
       
      Peer learning is a mutual experience where student make equal contributions. Learning is also less formal. It may start in the classroom but can continue through social media.
    • Stephen Simon
       
      It's now OK to ask your classmate for help. This is a great idea and really fosters two things: learning and socialization. When certain tasks are intentionally harder, it nudges the student to explore if their classmates are having the same situation: a shared learning experience. This is an awesome approach to what can be both tedious and difficult in nature. This particular paradigm to math will foster metacognition in the individual learner.
  •  
    With the onset of many Web 2.0 tools we can all agree that collaboration is easier that ever before. As a student in high school I remember doing poorly in one of my Spanish classes so my teacher sat me next to another student that was doing much better. Together all three of us formed a partnership that ultimately helped me pass that class. Back then I never really understood why it was easier for me to learn with the help of my peer. How can we as educators encourage collaboration in the classroom? http://www.smu.edu/~/media/Site/Simmons/CCCD/Peer%20Teaching%20in%20Math.ashx
  • ...10 more comments...
  •  
    After the sticker shock of the private high school costs, I was able to focus on the many ways they are using collabortion! What I enjoy in collaborative efforts is watching the students justify their answers/opinions. That is going to serve them well in future jobs.
  •  
    I think the tools we will be showcasing in this class could be one way. I didn't realize there were so many of these types of tools out there and I'm looking forward to hearing about more. It can be overwhelming, though. So, I'd pick one or two to focus on and get my students going on those.
  •  
    Luis, I think teachers and administration would encourage more collaboration, but since everything is so data driven, they are weary of what that would do to their numbers especially in the upper grades. I like the idea of collaboration because like your article mentioned students do not all have to agree and they are able to challenge each others ideas. The opportunity to work with others gives everyone a chance to learn from one another, however there could be students who do not like being part of a group. My younger son sometimes does get frustrated when in a group, since he is just one of those who likes to work alone. http://www.districtadministration.com/article/benefits-teacher-collaboration
  •  
    As a math teacher, I love having my students collaborate. However, I found that just throwing a group of students together and hoping for the best does not work. I found an article called "So Collaborative Learning Tips and Strategies for Teachers" that summarizes a lot of what I have learned in to have successful collaborate learning. Check it out, it is one that you might like to bookmark for future reference. http://www.teachthought.com/learning/20-collaborative-learning-tips-and-strategies/
  •  
    Elizabeth, I had to laugh at your mentioning the sticker shock! I was thinking I must be in the wrong private school. Although my private school is in Texas, the Archdiocese of San Antonio decided to incorporate the instructional shifts of Common Core, especially the mathematical practices. I find that collaboration is strongly needed in satisfying these practices. Collaborating is essential in make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. (MP.1) and constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others. (MP.3) One of my favorite activities is to put a challenging problem on the board and have the students collaborate in groups to solve it. Then the groups debate between themselves as to the correct answers. We have many lively discussions. http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice/
  •  
    For me the best thing about collaboration is that it all fits well with the things that I feel work best in the classroom. I am a big proponent of scaffolding in the zone of proximal development. Problem based learning (PBL) and task centered learning (TCL) are two of my favorite scaffolding tools. Many of the web 2.0 tools we have seen this semester are excellent tools to help develop PBL and TCL experiences. The collaborative nature of many of the Web 2.0 tools lends itself well to learners helping learners and I think this is the best method of learning that we can foster in our classrooms whether they are online or face to face. Collaboration is great but it needs structure and guidance in order to be effective and have long lasting results.
  •  
    I'd say I'm going to play devil's advocate here and argue what I don't really believe, but I'll be honest: I'm on the fence about collaborative learning. I know in this day and age disparaging collaborative learning is like arguing for ObamaCare in Texas, especially with Social Media and sharing tools everywhere - many, many of which I use and advocate - but working in a group sometimes frustrates the snot out of me, and I'm not alone. http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/cl1/cl/story/middlecc/TSCMD.htm#speed Some people like to just get the work done on their own, at their own speed, without all the trials and tribulations of working in a group. Here it is, Sunday night, and my son and I are waiting to hear back on a video presentation due tomorrow for his 8th grade English class. Obviously they're done with their Staar test and have more time and flexibility than they did a couple months ago, but the teacher has instructed them to work together collaboratively on a video version of a book they read...completely outside of class. So having worked through the challenges of scheduling a shooting time for the raw clips, and the challenges of everyone voicing different ideas on what to shoot, how to shoot, how to operate and so on, we finally got all the raw footage put together Friday afternoon. I keep saying "we" because for some reason my wife didn't want my 13 year old son going over to someone's house and recording themselves shooting BB guns !? Anyway, we specifically agreed and confirmed with one kid, who volunteered to do the editing and put the video together, that we wouldn't wait till Monday to see it for the first time. I send him the footage clips in the form of a Dropbox link Friday evening. At 12:15 AM last night he says he just got them and will hopefully get the video to us sometime today (even though the sent email below showed he rec'd the email Friday). Same old small group story. I know there are times when we need to collaborate in the real w
  •  
    Eric, I feel your pain. I have to say I remember those days when my kids brought group projects and were always waiting for the group to meet during the weekend. Like always dad had to help on Sunday night. Of course the main excuse they got from their peers was the lack of transportation. Luis made a good point when he mentioned the availability of Web 2.0 tools. With all these real time collaboration tools it should be easier for my youngest daughter once she gets to Middle School and HS.
  •  
    Eric, I also feel your pain. My daughter ends up doing most of the work on collaborative projects. But I think with the tips in the link I left and teachers giving students time to work on projects in class, a lot of this pain we go through could be alleviated.
  •  
    Eric, I believe the fault is not in the concept of collaborative learning but in the design of the collaborative project. How can there be a fault in any learning tool or style that works? When we look at anything we do or use in the classroom if that system fails it is usually a design flaw as a result of the creator. Power Point is a great example, I don't claim to be a power user of Power Point but I know what the system is capable of and I know when I have seen a really bad presentation. Collaboration is no different, it takes a great deal of thought and effort on the part of the instructor to create a successful collaborative exercise that can be used to scaffold a class or subject effectively. I think that if you went back and looked at the design of the project you could probably identify ways to make it better and make it work. If you do that you should send feedback to your child's teacher, let them know what the problem was for your child and give them feedback on how to fix it. Remember, teachers are learners too!
  •  
    Don, I train 240 teachers and even more para professionals and staff on an ongoing basis. I get that they are learner too. My point was not that any and all collaborative learning models are flawed; it was that it's proponents seem to go unchallenged and in practice, many times anything deemed or labeled "collaborative" is considered good teaching. I believe collaborative learning has its place, but I also believe individual learning does as well. If the project is collaborative, there must be clearly delineated roles and rubrics, and "group" grades must be coupled with grades that target individual contributions. Google Docs and Murally are just two tools of many I share with teachers to more accurately determine who has done what and when.
  •  
    "How Collaborative Learning Leads to Student Success"
Lauren Simpson

Districts Learn Lessons on 1-to-1 From Others' Missteps - Education Week - 8 views

  • "I wanted to observe and study what went wrong [in other districts] and why."
    • Lauren Simpson
       
      This is a first! I find that many of those in power in education often like to jump headfirst into something then try to troubleshoot problems along the way. I applaud Mr. Carvalho.
  • In fall 2013, districts across the country were running into trouble implementing ambitious 1-to-1 computing initiatives:
    • Lauren Simpson
       
      Before reading further, what do you think went wrong in so many districts with the 1-to-1 roll outs?
  • The initiative remains shelved.
    • Lauren Simpson
       
      What else could this money have been used for??
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Still, Ms. Diaz acknowledged that the school system didn't get as much teacher participation in workshops as expected, since teachers were being asked to attend on their own time.
    • Lauren Simpson
       
      I find this too be all too common, districts often try to implement new tech or just new resources and want teachers to attend on their own time. This is a systemic problem across education, I know that as a teacher I value my personal time away from school, and when I am asked to attend a training on my own time and money, I get a slight bit perturbed.
  • "It's not about the devices,"
    • Lauren Simpson
       
      This is the hardest thing for new teachers to understand, in my opinion. I feel that they see having or not having a particular device is going to make or break the students' learning. It really isn't about the device, the device just helps enrich and expand an already good lesson base.
  • Districts Learn Lessons on 1-to-1 From Others' Missteps
    • Lauren Simpson
       
      If you were the head/lead of a committee bringing 1-to-1 to your campus/district, what advantages could you provide to motivate/persuade people to get on board?
    • Lauren Simpson
       
      If you were the head/lead of a committee bringing 1-to-1 to your campus/district, what advantages could you provide to motivate/persuade people to get on board?
  •  
    My questions are a little out of order, not sure what happened with the annotator. Just read thru my comments/annotations and answer in one reply. Thanks! -Lauren
  • ...5 more comments...
  •  
    Sticky #1: I think the best way to get someone on board is to show results. I would do research into how other districts that have implemented a similar program have improved their students learning. Also look at the steps taken by districts that had a successful implementation, and how far or close our district is to being able to do the same. Sticky #3: They probably didn't have an effective implementation plan. It's easier said than done. It could be teacher training on the how to use devices or how to incorporate them into their curriculum. I think that's something that districts need to focus on, is the education of teachers on the technology and continual monitoring and assistance. Sticky #4: They probably should have invested in ensuring that wireless coverage would be good enough to carry out online lessons before moving on to actually implementing the technology. More research could have gone into lessons that were aligned into the state standards. Sticky #5: I think that teacher training is very important to the survival of technology programs. School districts need to realize this and invest in providing professional development for its teachers. My school district is very good at providing professional development opportunities, unless it's very outrageous, our requests for professional developments get approved. Sticky #6: I wouldn't say that this thinking is exclusive to new teachers. I think in general some teachers will hear of a new technology that is all the rage and must have it because without it they will never catch up to other districts. I agree with you its not about the device, its about how its going to be used to enhance the lesson.
  •  
    This article was a perfect read for me right now. We are in the beginning phases of a 1 to 1 program in our school using iPads. I keep trying to tell the other teachers and admins that getting apps and devices are the easy parts of design model, but what are we going to do with apps and devices, is the hard part? I like how the article says to focus on one subject and give teachers trainings that are organized and well focused. As the instructional technology coach for our campus I have my work cut out for me and getting teachers trained. I can't wait to help these teachers understand how use the iPads to facilitate problem solving and higher level thinking skills.
  •  
    Mr. Carvalho gets a thumbs up! Usually those in power just jump right in! It is great that he wanted to check out what went wrong in other districts first.
  •  
    1 to 1 needs to be more grade/need specific. We cannot use a PENCIL for all activities at all grade levels in all schools. We need to keep this concept in mind as we move to implement innovations. AND we need a plan that is shared with all stakeholders BEFORE we even decide on which device(s) to purchase! Then we need a training and implementation plan to assist teachers, students and administrators!!! Hmmmm.
  •  
    Candace you are so right! Finding what you will use is easy, but the challenging portion is using it effectively to transform learning. Mrs. Evans I agree plans need to be shared with everyone, because often times when the plans aren't shared there is less buy in to the program.
  •  
    Would a committee work in these cases? Perhaps having a sampling of everyone involved would help in this situation! Then professional development is essential!
  •  
    A committee would work, but only if the committee truly represented the population accurately (sorry I so sounded like a math teacher there). I think it is an idea worth exploring, maybe on a smaller scale first.
jnfreeman7

A Simple Comprehensive Guide on The use of Personal Learning Networks in Education ~ Ed... - 3 views

  •  seek out
  • other learning venues that could be experts in their field or other professionals with whom they can exchange information
  • A Personal Learning Network ( PLN ) is a way, a process, a network of interrelated connections you make for the purposes of discovering, collaborating and sharing ideas and resources.
  • ...25 more annotations...
  • easy to set up
  • communicate
  • share
  • discover
  • learn
  • connections
  •  resources
  • remove physical barriers
  • life long learner
  • students
  • connect
  •  post about their learning experiences
  • share
  • seek help
  • compare
  • latest and hottest trends
  • collaboration
  • blogs and websites that interest you and subscribe
  • start participating in discussions
  • allot a specific amoutn of time t
  • Some  PLNs platforms to start with
    • jnfreeman7
       
      Are you apart of any of the listed PLNs? If not, which ones are you apart of?  What are your favorites and why? My favorite is Twitter. I check my twitter feed every night to see what is going on with the people and hashtags that I follow. This is where I get so many of my technology resources and ideas for teachers.
    • jnfreeman7
       
      These verbs are so important when you look at growing as a teacher.  Getting connected is important to further your career.  If you only communicate with those you see everyday, how can you expect to be exposed to new things?
    • jnfreeman7
       
      I never really thought about the use of PLNs for students.  I'm not sure why it never crossed my mind.  It is just as important for them as it is for us as educators.  
    • jnfreeman7
       
      Challenge: Join or begin to follow one blog, website, twitter feed, community, etc...
  •  
    This website has a lot of great information on personal learning networks.It is an awesome resource for information on why they are important and how to start one. I think it's easier to understand my annotations by actually looking at the article. Here is a link to the annotated version. https://diigo.com/07biu
Maricela Gonzalez

Enhancing Teaching and Learning with the On-line Discussion Forum - 6 views

@Karla Fabiola Garcia- Students will definitely run with the idea of the discussion threads and help each other, all the while providing their own insight and responses to certain embedded hyperl...

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