http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tycTY6TZvNwCFThSShwtJVw&output=xls
This is the link to the Google Spreadsheet that contains the budget information. Leave comments on how you think the money should be used!
Our budget is $150,000
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Second Life Script
Although Second Life has been called a video game, it does not have to be an insult. I consider myself “a gamer” and have noticed a few skills that were learned while gaming to transfer to real life. For example, between the ages of 15 and 16, I spent a lot of time playing Gran Turismo 3, a driving simulator. Breaking early to accelerate through a turn and hitting the apex to take the ideal racing line were skills learned in a video game, not in Driver’s Education. The military has used flight simulators for several years and first person shooters have given soldiers a head start in military training. So if Second Life is a life simulator, what skills could be learned in this virtual world that can be transferred into real life? The first thing that came to my mind was learning social skills for students who suffer from social anxiety. Behind the safety and comfort of an avatar, students can practice meeting a superior for the first time, how to relax and have small talk in a large group setting, ask someone to prom, etc. If Call of Duty can make me more comfortable shooting a real M16, then Second Life can help people learn social skills. The learning more video “A second life in Second Life” notes a success story of how a woman with severe social anxiety was able to land a job in the real world because of skills learned in Second Life. A woman with cerebral palsy who was homebound and unable to walk without assistance created the video. It was touching to hear how much Second Life meant to her. She is able to walk, dance, and socialize in a way not possible in real life. The sense of fulfillment, connectedness, and relationship felt while socializing in Second Life can fill affective domain objectives and INTASC technology requirements. For quadriplegic, students with cerebral palsy, and other severally physically limited students, where psychomotor objectives are nearly impossible to meet, Second Life is a medium to help students meet cognitive and affective domain objects (every PE lesson plan is to have at least one psychomotor, one cognitive, and one affective domain objective).
Aside from assisting those with disabilities, Second Life has appealed to educators in several fields. Because of the global interconnectedness provided by the internet, the world is smaller and without walls, so therefore so is education. As great minds continue to develop ideas for the utilization of virtual worlds in education, the standards will increase. Allow me to expand. When reasonable, people will demand the best education possible. If there is room for 100,000 people to attend a class, and the top experts in the field are teaching that class, then why would you take a course taught by some state school graduate (no offensive to the state schools)? In the near future, this may be a common scenario. Parents who want to best for their children will insist that their child takes Bill Gate’s computer programming class, Bruce Lee’s martial arts course, and J.K. Rowling creative writing class. Virtual worlds such as Second Life can make this possible.
Second Life has the ability for us to get a small glimpse of what it may feel like to walk to someone else’s shoes. The “Remembering the Middle Passage” blog entry outlines what it was like to auctioned off as a slave in Second Life. This made me wonder what other kind of experience could be re-created in Second Life. The possibilities are endless! Islands could be set up to help people gain a sense of what it was like to be black in 1950s America, Jewish in Nazi Germany, or a Christ follower back when He was alive.
I will close with a quote from Rear Admiral Fred Lewis, a 33-year U.S. Navy veteran who now heads the National Training Systems Association: "There's been a huge change in the way we prepare for war…Live training on the field is still done, of course, but using simulations to train them (the recruits) is not only natural, it's necessary." (end quote)
It just makes sense to me that educational methods are not far behind.
Aside from assisting those with disabilities, Second Life has appealed to educators in several fields. Because of the global interconnectedness provided by the internet, the world is smaller and without walls, so therefore so is education. As great minds continue to develop ideas for the utilization of virtual worlds in education, the standards will increase. Allow me to expand. When reasonable, people will demand the best education possible. If there is room for 100,000 people to attend a class, and the top experts in the field are teaching that class, then why would you take a course taught by some state school graduate (no offensive to the state schools)? In the near future, this may be a common scenario. Parents who want to best for their children will insist that their child takes Bill Gate’s computer programming class, Bruce Lee’s martial arts course, and J.K. Rowling creative writing class. Virtual worlds such as Second Life can make this possible.
Second Life has the ability for us to get a small glimpse of what it may feel like to walk to someone else’s shoes. The “Remembering the Middle Passage” blog entry outlines what it was like to auctioned off as a slave in Second Life. This made me wonder what other kind of experience could be re-created in Second Life. The possibilities are endless! Islands could be set up to help people gain a sense of what it was like to be black in 1950s America, Jewish in Nazi Germany, or a Christ follower back when He was alive.
I will close with a quote from Rear Admiral Fred Lewis, a 33-year U.S. Navy veteran who now heads the National Training Systems Association: "There's been a huge change in the way we prepare for war…Live training on the field is still done, of course, but using simulations to train them (the recruits) is not only natural, it's necessary." (end quote)
It just makes sense to me that educational methods are not far behind.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Socializing and Collaborating article
Social and Collaborative Media: Tools and Strategies for the Physical Educator
Here is a really cool video showing how technology can make exercise fun so that more people want to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw
By searching “physical education” in a Twitter directory, I was able find and connect with over 100 people/groups involved in my profession. Prior to this class, I had only thought of social networks as ways to waste time and post funny links and comments (this is all I use Facebook for). The only reference I had for Twitter was Conan O’Brien and ESPN, where they make fun of celebrity posts and mention something racy an athlete tweeted, respectively. This caused me to write Twitter off as pointless. But once I gave Twitter a chance, my world was flipped upside down. I feel like the benefits of a strong professional network are vast. I have a strong desire to “get away” once I am done school; I have lived in Carroll County my whole life. As I selected new PE people to follow, I could not contain my excitement. Brazil, Denver, San Diego, Germany, Switzerland… how awesome would it be to work and live in some of these places?! I really want to live where its warm all year so I can have all of my classes outside, but Colorado would still be great (I love to ski) and living anywhere overseas I am sure would be an awesome experience. I plan to use Twitter to market myself, establishing relationships with PE people who live/work in locations where I would like to live one day. If I contact enough people, and market myself strategically, I statistically improve my chances of meeting someone who can help get me a job.
Right now, the PE network using Twitter is not enormous, but it seems strong. Several physical educators post lesson plans for others to evaluate and comment on. Other tweets request ideas for classes (large group games, cooperative games, bad weather ideas, etc) and the responses are timely and constructive. I plan to take advantage of this network immediately as a grad student (I have my first unit plan due in a few weeks) and as a professional for years to come. Because I have no idea where I will be in a year and a half, it will be nice to establish relationships with other professionals via Twitter. This way, no matter where I end up, I know I will have a faithful foundation on this social network. Ideally I will work under an excellent veteran teacher, but if I am handed my own program at a brand new school with parents demanding excellence, I will need a strong network of support to help ease the burden.
Through Twitter, I stumbled across a PE teacher in Australia whose goal is to integrate ICT (Information and communication technologies) with his profession as a teacher. His blog (http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/) occupied me for several hours as I took the time to read all of his posts dating back to September of 2008. The guy is only in his second year of teaching (he is the same age as me) but seems to be doing wonders at his school and has a strong following on the web. The following include some of my favorite of his blog posts that refer to using social media in the classroom.
Mrrobbo is a big fan of using SMS text messages for education. In this post, he discusses how cell phones can be used to remind students and parents about homework assignments. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/sending-homework-to-a-phone-via-mms-messaging/ Since cell phones can easily be linked to Twitter, have your students follow you and post your reminders via Twitter (parents can follow to!).
This post outlines 13 of the author’s favorite technologies to use in the classroom. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/new-and-old-ideas/
The author (Jarrod) loves Skype and uses it to have guest speakers from all over the globe speak to his classes (i.e. the author of their textbook). He also suggests having a class teacher another class something from across the globe. How cool would it be to have a group of students from Australia teach some of my students how to play rugby? This post (http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/why-skype-is-the-most-valuable-tool-i-use/#comment-492) he demonstrates the usefulness of Skype so that he can be connected with his students after school hours.
Using a Flip Video Camera, (very simple to use and upload to a computer) students can post their videos on YouTube and then critique each others skill analysis. Because of the internet, the feedback is not limited to the students in the class and the teacher. Jarrod also suggests using GoogleDocs to create a spreadsheet that is updated in real time by the students of the class to document changes in heart rate. I thought this was a very cool way to motivate and engage students.
Another post featured Tinychat. Jarrod used it for a review session. The students only need an internet connection; it is basically a chatroom that the teacher can use for a last minute review session the night before an exam. Not only is the teacher very accessible, but students can “study group” from home with the expert present to answer any questions. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/a-tiny-way-to-make-a-difference/
Jarrod uses YouTube for days when he cannot be in class. I think every teacher should be able to do this. The way sub plans are done should be changed forever. Whether you are sick or out of town, simply use your webcam to talk to the class and tell them what they need to do for the day. Then, have the sub play the video at the beginning of each period. If the teacher is home sick, perhaps any questions can be left as comments on the video or asked through Tinychat.
http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/how-i-teach-when-im-away-from-class/
I hate doing research. Perhaps it was the long, sleepless nights of doing research to try and write a paper that was due in a few hours while all of my roommates were having fun. Boy, do I wish I had known about Delicious back as an undergrad. Delicious is a social bookmarking tool where you can view what other colleagues in your field have bookmarked. Basically, anyone doing research can share whatever they have found helpful for others to use, rate and comment. Jarrod’s page is here: http://delicious.com/robbo64
By following the right blogs and Twitter accounts, teachers can collaborate with each other for their own professional development. Students, if not doing so already, can use the social networks for more than funny links and comments. Similarly to how online classes require discussion amongst classmates, teachers can facilitate this type of communication by making sure students follow each other on Twitter and discuss content topics on blogs and discussion boards.
With all of this technological innovation in the classroom, roadblocks are inevitable. The first one that comes to mind is finances. Although technology cheapens quickly, computers, webcams, mobile phones, etc are expensive to purchase and maintain. In order to get the funding, the right people need to be convinced to embrace this technology, which is another roadblock. Very few, if any, administrators, higher-ups, board members, etc are digital natives and may be rooted in “old school” methods. The financial decisions makers need to be educated on the value of strongly integrating technology into education; the students are, for the most part, fully “plugged in” and school should not be the place where they need to “un plug”. Using the technology to cheat should also be a concern, as cheating via text messages has been reported. But if the teachers are savvy enough and instruction is designed appropriately, I think cheating will not become more of an issue than it already is. Lastly, as I read Jarrod’s blog, I wondered if there should be concern with constantly being connected. As a parent (non-digital native) would I be comfortable with my teenage daughter video chatting with her 24 year old teacher? When it is put that way, it does sound dangerous. I suppose as teachers (especially young male teachers) we are at risk for law suits if a student wanted to fabricate a story. To help avoid this roadblock, educating and including parents in the technologies used will be very helpful. If I am Skypeing with a student, I can send the conversation to the parent and/or Skype with the parent on a regular basis so that they know me well. Teachers also can cover themselves by recording all conversations and saving text scripts.
Here is a really cool video showing how technology can make exercise fun so that more people want to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw
By searching “physical education” in a Twitter directory, I was able find and connect with over 100 people/groups involved in my profession. Prior to this class, I had only thought of social networks as ways to waste time and post funny links and comments (this is all I use Facebook for). The only reference I had for Twitter was Conan O’Brien and ESPN, where they make fun of celebrity posts and mention something racy an athlete tweeted, respectively. This caused me to write Twitter off as pointless. But once I gave Twitter a chance, my world was flipped upside down. I feel like the benefits of a strong professional network are vast. I have a strong desire to “get away” once I am done school; I have lived in Carroll County my whole life. As I selected new PE people to follow, I could not contain my excitement. Brazil, Denver, San Diego, Germany, Switzerland… how awesome would it be to work and live in some of these places?! I really want to live where its warm all year so I can have all of my classes outside, but Colorado would still be great (I love to ski) and living anywhere overseas I am sure would be an awesome experience. I plan to use Twitter to market myself, establishing relationships with PE people who live/work in locations where I would like to live one day. If I contact enough people, and market myself strategically, I statistically improve my chances of meeting someone who can help get me a job.
Right now, the PE network using Twitter is not enormous, but it seems strong. Several physical educators post lesson plans for others to evaluate and comment on. Other tweets request ideas for classes (large group games, cooperative games, bad weather ideas, etc) and the responses are timely and constructive. I plan to take advantage of this network immediately as a grad student (I have my first unit plan due in a few weeks) and as a professional for years to come. Because I have no idea where I will be in a year and a half, it will be nice to establish relationships with other professionals via Twitter. This way, no matter where I end up, I know I will have a faithful foundation on this social network. Ideally I will work under an excellent veteran teacher, but if I am handed my own program at a brand new school with parents demanding excellence, I will need a strong network of support to help ease the burden.
Through Twitter, I stumbled across a PE teacher in Australia whose goal is to integrate ICT (Information and communication technologies) with his profession as a teacher. His blog (http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/) occupied me for several hours as I took the time to read all of his posts dating back to September of 2008. The guy is only in his second year of teaching (he is the same age as me) but seems to be doing wonders at his school and has a strong following on the web. The following include some of my favorite of his blog posts that refer to using social media in the classroom.
Mrrobbo is a big fan of using SMS text messages for education. In this post, he discusses how cell phones can be used to remind students and parents about homework assignments. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/sending-homework-to-a-phone-via-mms-messaging/ Since cell phones can easily be linked to Twitter, have your students follow you and post your reminders via Twitter (parents can follow to!).
This post outlines 13 of the author’s favorite technologies to use in the classroom. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/new-and-old-ideas/
The author (Jarrod) loves Skype and uses it to have guest speakers from all over the globe speak to his classes (i.e. the author of their textbook). He also suggests having a class teacher another class something from across the globe. How cool would it be to have a group of students from Australia teach some of my students how to play rugby? This post (http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/why-skype-is-the-most-valuable-tool-i-use/#comment-492) he demonstrates the usefulness of Skype so that he can be connected with his students after school hours.
Using a Flip Video Camera, (very simple to use and upload to a computer) students can post their videos on YouTube and then critique each others skill analysis. Because of the internet, the feedback is not limited to the students in the class and the teacher. Jarrod also suggests using GoogleDocs to create a spreadsheet that is updated in real time by the students of the class to document changes in heart rate. I thought this was a very cool way to motivate and engage students.
Another post featured Tinychat. Jarrod used it for a review session. The students only need an internet connection; it is basically a chatroom that the teacher can use for a last minute review session the night before an exam. Not only is the teacher very accessible, but students can “study group” from home with the expert present to answer any questions. http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/a-tiny-way-to-make-a-difference/
Jarrod uses YouTube for days when he cannot be in class. I think every teacher should be able to do this. The way sub plans are done should be changed forever. Whether you are sick or out of town, simply use your webcam to talk to the class and tell them what they need to do for the day. Then, have the sub play the video at the beginning of each period. If the teacher is home sick, perhaps any questions can be left as comments on the video or asked through Tinychat.
http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/how-i-teach-when-im-away-from-class/
I hate doing research. Perhaps it was the long, sleepless nights of doing research to try and write a paper that was due in a few hours while all of my roommates were having fun. Boy, do I wish I had known about Delicious back as an undergrad. Delicious is a social bookmarking tool where you can view what other colleagues in your field have bookmarked. Basically, anyone doing research can share whatever they have found helpful for others to use, rate and comment. Jarrod’s page is here: http://delicious.com/robbo64
By following the right blogs and Twitter accounts, teachers can collaborate with each other for their own professional development. Students, if not doing so already, can use the social networks for more than funny links and comments. Similarly to how online classes require discussion amongst classmates, teachers can facilitate this type of communication by making sure students follow each other on Twitter and discuss content topics on blogs and discussion boards.
With all of this technological innovation in the classroom, roadblocks are inevitable. The first one that comes to mind is finances. Although technology cheapens quickly, computers, webcams, mobile phones, etc are expensive to purchase and maintain. In order to get the funding, the right people need to be convinced to embrace this technology, which is another roadblock. Very few, if any, administrators, higher-ups, board members, etc are digital natives and may be rooted in “old school” methods. The financial decisions makers need to be educated on the value of strongly integrating technology into education; the students are, for the most part, fully “plugged in” and school should not be the place where they need to “un plug”. Using the technology to cheat should also be a concern, as cheating via text messages has been reported. But if the teachers are savvy enough and instruction is designed appropriately, I think cheating will not become more of an issue than it already is. Lastly, as I read Jarrod’s blog, I wondered if there should be concern with constantly being connected. As a parent (non-digital native) would I be comfortable with my teenage daughter video chatting with her 24 year old teacher? When it is put that way, it does sound dangerous. I suppose as teachers (especially young male teachers) we are at risk for law suits if a student wanted to fabricate a story. To help avoid this roadblock, educating and including parents in the technologies used will be very helpful. If I am Skypeing with a student, I can send the conversation to the parent and/or Skype with the parent on a regular basis so that they know me well. Teachers also can cover themselves by recording all conversations and saving text scripts.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
correction
last post I wrote " Until I have a mobile device that supports the internet, the instant updates of Twitter cannot be fully utilized."
Yesterday, I figured out how to receive Twitter updates via text message. Now I can choose whose tweets I get and be updated wherever I am, 24/7!
Yesterday, I figured out how to receive Twitter updates via text message. Now I can choose whose tweets I get and be updated wherever I am, 24/7!
Friday, February 26, 2010
FOLLOW ME AT: hintonzach
The uses of Twitter in my personal life are relatively limited. As far as I know, none of my close friends are Tweople. All of them are on Facebook; this provides all the connectedness and personal networking I need. My main use of Facebook is to make my friends laugh by posting on their wall and sharing funny links. Because I have Facebook, I have very little use for Twitter. I typically do not read or watch the news (general news, non-sport news that is) but as I progress into adulthood I suppose I should become a more educated contributor of society. By following newsfeeds such as the New York Times, Twitter can provide me with constant updates regarding the general news. I will still get my sports news from Pardon the Interruption (a daily show on ESPN), insidelacrosse.com, and other various sports websites. The sports news I want typically requires reading articles or viewing Fantasy Football stats. But by following the right sports sources on Twitter, I can be tipped off to a story earlier than usual and then go follow up on a website. Until I have a mobile device that supports the internet, the instant updates of Twitter cannot be fully utilized.
Twitter makes much more sense in my professional life than it does in my personal life. The network of educators on Twitter can be very supportive of teachers, from first-years to seasoned veterans. When I begin my career, I know that I will have a ton of questions and need the support of experts in the area. I may not be able to rely on the other PE teacher(s) (he/she could be as young as me or not be there at all). The administration may have no PE experience. If this is the case, then I can turn to Twitter to follow experts in the content area and tweet some questions, looking for ideas, becoming a better teacher. I had never thought of Twitter as a self-betterment tool!
Here are the basics for how to communicate on Twitter. A DM is a Direct Message, a short, private message sent between you and another person on Twitter. Use the @ symbol to reply to a tweet (the short message you post for your followers to see) and always include the Twitter ID following the @. RT stands for Retweet, in the case you want to post something you saw in another tweet to share with your followers.
The uses of Twitter in my personal life are relatively limited. As far as I know, none of my close friends are Tweople. All of them are on Facebook; this provides all the connectedness and personal networking I need. My main use of Facebook is to make my friends laugh by posting on their wall and sharing funny links. Because I have Facebook, I have very little use for Twitter. I typically do not read or watch the news (general news, non-sport news that is) but as I progress into adulthood I suppose I should become a more educated contributor of society. By following newsfeeds such as the New York Times, Twitter can provide me with constant updates regarding the general news. I will still get my sports news from Pardon the Interruption (a daily show on ESPN), insidelacrosse.com, and other various sports websites. The sports news I want typically requires reading articles or viewing Fantasy Football stats. But by following the right sports sources on Twitter, I can be tipped off to a story earlier than usual and then go follow up on a website. Until I have a mobile device that supports the internet, the instant updates of Twitter cannot be fully utilized.
Twitter makes much more sense in my professional life than it does in my personal life. The network of educators on Twitter can be very supportive of teachers, from first-years to seasoned veterans. When I begin my career, I know that I will have a ton of questions and need the support of experts in the area. I may not be able to rely on the other PE teacher(s) (he/she could be as young as me or not be there at all). The administration may have no PE experience. If this is the case, then I can turn to Twitter to follow experts in the content area and tweet some questions, looking for ideas, becoming a better teacher. I had never thought of Twitter as a self-betterment tool!
Here are the basics for how to communicate on Twitter. A DM is a Direct Message, a short, private message sent between you and another person on Twitter. Use the @ symbol to reply to a tweet (the short message you post for your followers to see) and always include the Twitter ID following the @. RT stands for Retweet, in the case you want to post something you saw in another tweet to share with your followers.
Friday, February 19, 2010
tools reflection script
My favorite digital storytelling tool has been Jing. It is extremely easy to use. No matter what application you are running on your computer, you can capture it. I used Flickr to tell a story in 5 frames and digital version of “The Giving Tree” for my book talk. Although there is a five minute time limit, it is great for creating any web tutorial that does not exceed that time.
My computer is approximately six years old so the processing speeds are pretty low compared to the new laptops on the market. I am proud of how well this computer has handled all of this new software. Jing has run especially smooth. With regard to system requirements, a broadband connection is recommended for both windows and Mac systems. Windows requires XP, Vista, or Windows 7, and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0. The Mac System Requirements are Mac OS X 10.4.11, or 10.5.5 or later and QuickTime 7.5.5 or later.
My Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 has worked impressively as well. The resolution is outstanding and the software was very easy to install- as soon as I plugged the camera into a USB port I was prompted to install the software and everything worked without any problems. The system requirements for the camera are as follows:
Windows® XP (SP2 or higher), 1 GHz (2.0 GHz recommended), 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)
Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
1 GHz (2.0 GHz recommended)
512 MB RAM or more
200 MB hard-drive space
CD-ROM drive
OS-compatible sound card and speakers
Hi-Speed Certified USB 2.0 recommended
And if you want to use video calling they suggest:
Dual-core CPU with 1 GB RAM
Broadband Internet with 256 kbps upload or higher
Because of Jing and my webcam, I feel like I could teach an online PE class to elementary school kids! While it may be a few years before this situation arises, I do look forward to potentially using some of this technology in my classes. Students, especially young ones, will love to see themselves onscreen after they have been filmed. After each child had been filmed performing a particular skill, the video can be uploaded to the school’s server. I can use Jing to create a screen cast to walk the students through the steps of opening their video from the school server and then add narration to their video using a media program (such as windows movie maker). The narration would be identifying and describing the parts of a skill (perhaps the video is in slow motion); upper grades can describe biomechanical principles that determine why a skill is performed the way it is. For example, we start with our side to a target to allow for sequential body rotation. Then the final projects could be uploaded to TeacherTube, YouTube, or Vimeo so that the parents could see!
My computer is approximately six years old so the processing speeds are pretty low compared to the new laptops on the market. I am proud of how well this computer has handled all of this new software. Jing has run especially smooth. With regard to system requirements, a broadband connection is recommended for both windows and Mac systems. Windows requires XP, Vista, or Windows 7, and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0. The Mac System Requirements are Mac OS X 10.4.11, or 10.5.5 or later and QuickTime 7.5.5 or later.
My Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 has worked impressively as well. The resolution is outstanding and the software was very easy to install- as soon as I plugged the camera into a USB port I was prompted to install the software and everything worked without any problems. The system requirements for the camera are as follows:
Windows® XP (SP2 or higher), 1 GHz (2.0 GHz recommended), 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)
Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
1 GHz (2.0 GHz recommended)
512 MB RAM or more
200 MB hard-drive space
CD-ROM drive
OS-compatible sound card and speakers
Hi-Speed Certified USB 2.0 recommended
And if you want to use video calling they suggest:
Dual-core CPU with 1 GB RAM
Broadband Internet with 256 kbps upload or higher
Because of Jing and my webcam, I feel like I could teach an online PE class to elementary school kids! While it may be a few years before this situation arises, I do look forward to potentially using some of this technology in my classes. Students, especially young ones, will love to see themselves onscreen after they have been filmed. After each child had been filmed performing a particular skill, the video can be uploaded to the school’s server. I can use Jing to create a screen cast to walk the students through the steps of opening their video from the school server and then add narration to their video using a media program (such as windows movie maker). The narration would be identifying and describing the parts of a skill (perhaps the video is in slow motion); upper grades can describe biomechanical principles that determine why a skill is performed the way it is. For example, we start with our side to a target to allow for sequential body rotation. Then the final projects could be uploaded to TeacherTube, YouTube, or Vimeo so that the parents could see!
Book talk
http://www.screencast.com/users/zhinton/folders/Jing/media/e49e1df2-0518-4e42-8639-9021df766a34
Here, I flip through "The Giving Tree" and note some philosophical discussions regarding the 1960's children's book.
Here is the link to the wiki page I mention: http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/wiki/The_Giving_Tree
Here, I flip through "The Giving Tree" and note some philosophical discussions regarding the 1960's children's book.
Here is the link to the wiki page I mention: http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/wiki/The_Giving_Tree
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
DST review
The EdTechTalk site featured a discussion hosted by three educators with Jason Ohler, their special guest. Dr. Ohler has an extensive resume in the field of digital story telling. Now retired, he speaks, educates, and provides workshops regarding “using technology effectively, creatively, and wisely to learn, work and play in the digital age (from jasonohler.com). The podcast was an open discussion between Ohler, the three hosts and also featured questions from a live chat room. When Ohler does a workshop for students he likes to tell them, “We aren’t writing, we are media scripting, like in the movies!” The students are very excited that they don’t have to “write” and get to “media script”. This shows that the stigma against writing in schools is an attitudinal, inspirational, and motivational issue, not a cognitive issue. I found this interesting; the implementation of technology is a great way to motivate kids and can act as a “distracter” from the fact that they are still writing.
Ohler mentions a “magical point in the evolution of story telling”. It sounded like he thinks technology (DST to be specific) can restore what has been lost with regard to creativity in schools. The teachers hosting provided examples from their students, citing that students ask questions such as “what is this supposed to look like?” and “what color should this be?”. Some of our schooling has become so strict that students are getting trained to not be creative. Ohler attributes part of this to NCLB. He states that the time spent making sure students can pass standardized tests could be used for creative processes. Additionally, he thinks that NCLB is taking away from the “art of teaching” and that it limits the number of teachable moments, so perhaps teachers are losing some of their creativity as well. I agree with Dr. Ohler, providing opportunities for students to think critically and create should be maximized in schools, not limited to a simple standardized test score. Much valuable assessment can come from analyzing the process of a task, not just the end product.
(Podcast from http://edtechtalk.com/taxonomy/term/618)
The “10 Technology Enhanced Alternatives to Book Reports” webpage was interesting. While the 10 suggestions are all great for classroom teachers, it was the introduction that intrigued me the most. The author, Kelly Tenkely, notes the dreadfulness of book reports and notes a the term read-i-cide, for which she provides this definition, “Read-i-cide n: The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools.” http://stenhouse.com/html/readicide.htm.” Tenkely suggests technology as a cure for read-i-cide. I think technology can be part of the cure for “x-i-cide”, where x is anything school related (school-i-cide, learning-i-cide, writing-i-cide, exercise-i-cide, etc.). When I long-term-subbed PE at
The Cogdogroo webpage (http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/StoryIdeas) provides suggestions on how to synthesize story ideas. The first suggestions are story prompt questions, such as “what was your favorite childhood pet?” and “what is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?”. The next set of suggestions provides visuals that have a certain mystic to them that could be potentially story-provoking. I found the phrasr tool very cool (http://www.pimpampum.net/phrasr/index.php). Type in any phrase and a picture is assigned to each word that represents the word in some way. This site stressed that the topic of the story was not crucial; one should pick a topic quickly and then get to know the technology. The point of the workshop is to gain experience being creative with the DST technologies. While this contradicts Dr. Ohler’s webcast thoughts, where he says that the story is what makes a good DST (not the technology) I understand that for the purposes of learning the tools that the content manipulated is not of highest importance.
Digital storytelling can be used in my classroom when addressing the affective domain. When I want my students to demonstrate how they feel in my class, DST can be a great tool. Using images from class, students can add their own emotions to a scenario. This will make me a better teacher as I will be able to know first hand what activities the students enjoy, dislike, find boring, want more of, etc. At the upper grade levels, students can observe their performances and describe what was going through their minds, or add a creative twist to the image of the athlete. The completed projects could be posted online; I bet parents would love to how PE has changed since when they took it!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
JingProject Tell a Story in 5 Frames
http://www.screencast.com/users/zhinton/folders/Jing/media/32ae8233-65f4-4313-a457-75a711d0c8a9
Tell a Story in 5 Frames with Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/groups/visualstory/discuss/72157623404204974/
How could you use this activity to support literacy?
I would use this tool in order to break down skills. I could show a sequence of frames that display a movement from start to finish. For example, the first frame could be a bowler beginning his approach by stepping with the opposite foot. The second frame would display the "push away" as the bowler pushes the ball away from them and begins the backswing. The third frame would show the back swing and step, the fourth the follow throw and toe drag. I could then have the students describe what is going on in each frame to assess their knowledge of the proper form and terminology. Using photos taken in class of the students would add a personal touch and provide some extra motivation.
How could you use this activity to support literacy?
I would use this tool in order to break down skills. I could show a sequence of frames that display a movement from start to finish. For example, the first frame could be a bowler beginning his approach by stepping with the opposite foot. The second frame would display the "push away" as the bowler pushes the ball away from them and begins the backswing. The third frame would show the back swing and step, the fourth the follow throw and toe drag. I could then have the students describe what is going on in each frame to assess their knowledge of the proper form and terminology. Using photos taken in class of the students would add a personal touch and provide some extra motivation.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Library Blogs
The New York Library blog is maintained by a small group of librarians, curators, and staff associated with the NYPL. Their goal is to establish an up-to-date database featuring librarian expertise to help take advantage of the library’s collection. The “About the blog” section provides an interesting metaphor. They say that the library is like an iceberg and that the part above water only represents a small portion of the overall size. The blogs are there to highlight some of the treasures hidden beneath the surface.
The Library of Congress Blog provides and wide variety of posts regarding anything with historical value. Several posts include the announcement of new exhibits coming to the Library. An 1860’s photographs of the West display, a NAACP exhibit, and the playing of antique violins are examples of events announced and detailed by the blog. A nice reading-themed poem was posted two days before Christmas. It seems the purpose of this blog is to provide news and announcements regarding the Library.
I am not sure if the Annoyed Librarian counts as a “Library Blog”, but it is written by a librarian. The blog is written through the Library Journal; the bloggers bio states “The Annoyed Librarian is possibly the most successful, respected, and desirable librarian of her generation”. Basically the posts are this lady’s rants, complaining and making fun of all topics librarian related. I, knowing very little about the job responsibilities of librarians, struggled to relate to the posts or find them entertaining. The Annoyed Librarian comes off as controversial, seems to have a lot of readers and a lot of haters (a few posts addresses her critics). I suppose that if I were interested in finding out more about what a librarian does then I would read her posts because they do have an essence of an entertaining wit. If she were a man and Adam Corolla was a librarian, then this would be that blog.
The PE Update blog provides a wide variety of topics regarding exercise, PE, sportsmanship, and anything else remotely related. Most of the posts are from the Dick Moss, the editor of PE_Update.com. Here is my favorite post so far: Teachers receive excuse notes. Lots of them But the excuse notes for physical education class can be the most creative and entertaining of all. Here are some examples of actual excuse notes from parents—including the original spelling—collected by schools from all over the country.
- My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.
- Please excuse Joanne for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.
- Please excuse Stephanie from Jim today. She is administrating.
- Please excuse Sam from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.
- Mike has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.
- Brad was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.
- Dana could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.
- Please excuse Jim Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.
- Please excuse Albert for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea and his boots leak.
- Brent was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.
- Please excuse Andrew for being. It was his father’s fault.
- Please excuse Kim for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.
- Please excuse Darren for not being in school yesterday. His father is gone and I could not get him ready because I was in bed with the doctor.
I was crackin’ up reading some of these!
All in all, this guy Dick Moss does a great job of a well rounded blog, keeping it full of PE success stories, his thoughts on legislation’s effects on PE, and obviously some posts to keep us laughing.
The New Jersey Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NJAHPERD) blog provides pertinent news regarding PE in NJ and the
The NYT > Education blog is the New York Times feed of all its education related articles. All articles from the online news section are fed to this blog. Therefore, it provides an extensive range of topics regarding national and regional news. Topics include how to educate an aging brain, the cost of college, and why it will soon be harder to earn an ‘A’ at your high school. I found the blog interesting because not only does it provide applicable national news, it also provides news from a non-familiar region so that I may compare to what is going on in
The New Media Literacies video discusses the changing world of media delivery. Media was once produced by a few select groups and consumed by the masses. The freedom of the internet has allowed the power of producing to shift to the masses; anyone can now be a producer of media. This change has prompted the genesis of a new set of skills and terminology. New Media Literacies’ goal is to provide the tools for people to thrive in the evolving media world, similar to the goals of SLM508.
The NECC (National Educational Computing Conference) ’09 link featured 5 videos discussing technology in education. In “Disrupting the Traditional Classroom” Harvard University Professor Chris Dede delivers some interesting thoughts regarding the implementation of technology in our schools. Dede looks at online classes as a disruptor of traditional classroom settings because it allows for the complete customization of the learning experience. He speaks of the educational system as a business, and online classes have no competition. The ability for technology to meet individual needs is highly attractive and, as Dede puts it, vastly superior to classroom education. Once the consumers (the parents) take note of this alternate, superior method, the supply will have to meet the demands.
In the “Ed Tech Classroom Climate” video,
The “Paul Sanfrancesco: Training Teachers On The Use Of New Technology” video outlines the needs and methods of educating teachers on the new technology of the classroom. His school offers a week long academy that trains teachers how to use the technology that they want implemented into the learning processes. Because the students are often more technologically savvy than the teachers, these types of training are vital to keeping up in the cutting edge world.
“Keith Krueger: Investing In Technology During Tough Times” speaks of the importance of demonstrating the value of technology in our classroom in order to receive appropriate funding. Title I schools and special education departments benefit greatly from technology funding and exhibiting this need helps to secure these funds.
“Susan Patrick: The E-Learning Challenge” is excited about the implementation of virtual learning in K-12 schools. Online training and classes are utilized at jobs and colleges, respectively, so that same technology should be available to K-12 students. Policy and funding models need to recognize the value of this and accommodate the demand.
The Newly Agent blog had a post titled “Educating Producers”. In it, the failure of the school system’s ability to educate producers is addressed. The author notes that the system is very good at teaching consumers, so that they may consume more knowledge more efficiently. The author calls for a reform of the educational system so that the needs of producers are met. For example, authentic practice needs to be allowed for producers to work on writing books, creating music, producing business, writing programs, etc.
http://newlyancient.com/2009/01/12/educating-producers
Common threads:
One common theme leaped out at me while exploring this media. My eyes were opened to the business-like viewpoint of K-12 education. All of the videos/articles reviewed made some reference to a business term. The New Media Literacies video discussed the increasing numbers of producers. The Newly Ancient blog was entitled “Educating Producers”. Consumer is to producer as is demand is to supply- very business-y terms. The “Disrupting Class” video referred to online learning as a product that would soon be in high demand once parents (not students) realize how awesome it is. It is funny to think that parents are the consumers here; I like this idea. They typically are the ones demanding what they want from the school board, and the schools boards tend to listen. In this scenario, if the parents are the consumers and the governing bodies are the producers, then what are the students? Pawns?
How does what you read align to your thoughts on teaching and learning technologies?
This little bit of exploration has gotten me super pumped for the future of technology in education. In my other online class, Issues in Inclusive Education, we were discussing where we think the future of special education laws are heading. One student thought that eventually every student would have an IEP. As soon as the “Disrupting Class” video mentioned the customization ability of online education I thought of special education. If anything can assist in the crisis of IEPs, high stakes testing, and learning disabilities, it is the massive implementation of technology.
In Bloom’s Taxonomy, the second highest order of thinking skills is synthesis. Synthesis refers to the act of creating, predicting, and estimating based on ones understanding of the material. When I saw how much technology allows the masses to become producers, I became a big fan of its implementation in schools. The higher order thinking skills incorporate the lower ones, so synthesis includes analysis, application, comprehension, and knowledge. The more we can have students operating at these higher levels, instead of just memorizing facts (knowledge level), the better they will learn, they better they will demonstrate their mastery of the content, and the better citizens the system will produce.
In conclusion, I am glad to be becoming a young teacher in the technological age where everyone needs to become a “techie” on some level. My experience thus far has raised some concerns. Will having a teacher for every subject in every school become obsolete? If there is a nationally renowned teacher teaching a highly regarded online course, will parents demand that their child learns from him/her rather than some 22 year old fresh out of college? Fortunately for me, I am a PE guy so I think it might take a little while longer before they figure out a way to replace me with an online super-instructor. Nonetheless, I think it’s possible. Additionally, because I am a PE guy, all of this technology scares me a little bit. I feel that its part of my job to get kids away from the screen in front of them and outside being active. “Screen time” refers to the amount of time a person spends in front of a TV, computer, etc. The problem with screen time is that one is typically sedentary during this time. I do realize that this is changing with the Nintendo Wii, and that exercise videos have been available for a long time, but for the most part people are sitting still while using a computer, watching TV, or playing video games. I worry that there is so much interesting technology available that it would be very easy to get caught up in ones “online presence” that you lose several hours of your day sitting in front of a screen. I fell victim today while working on this assignment. I stumbled upon TED, a website that has several very interesting video lectures, and added a few hours to my screen time for the day. This could be a slippery slope…
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Pagecast sharing
http://www.pageflakes.com/fremolari/13321978/
http://www.pageflakes.com/tryno/7100170/
http://www.pageflakes.com/scorruble/12043635/
http://www.pageflakes.com/thebillevard/16356292/
http://www.pageflakes.com/tryno/7100170/
http://www.pageflakes.com/scorruble/12043635/
http://www.pageflakes.com/thebillevard/16356292/
Welcome!
Hey ya'll-
My name is Zach; this is my first blogging experience!
Here is a picture of me with some friends in Pittsburgh for the Ravens game (I am wearing #55).
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