Also see:
On 08/07/2011,
in accessibility / UDL, neurodivergent/special needs, personalized/customized learning, project-based learning, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
Universal Design for Learning: It’s Not Just for Disability Experts Anymore (The Confessions of a First-Time Teacher) — from National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) by Amy Katzel
Excerpt:
All students, with or without disabilities, have different strengths and weaknesses. Early on, it was clear to me that I had a wide range of abilities in the room. Some students started out unable to consistently construct full sentences, while others were already writing complex prose. Some students raised their hand frequently to answer questions, while others preferred to stay quiet. When we did reading assignments during class, everyone read at different speeds. Some youth demonstrated they understood the material on quizzes, but then struggled with applying those concepts to their essays.
When I get up in front of the class, to which student am I teaching?
Also see:
- Leading Project-Based Learning / Universal Design for Learning
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL): What it is and Why You Should Care — from ISTE.org
On 05/21/2011,
in active learning, engagement / engaging students, ethics, global / globalization, higher education, K-12 related, project-based learning, relationships, social learning / networks, sociology, student-related,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
I originally saw this at:
- A Global Student Network-And Our Future — from forbes.com by Quentin Hardy
Excerpt:
Of course, the future belongs to the young. You get a decent look at it ahead of time, though, by watching how they build new ways seize it.
Earlier today a 17 year old named Priyanka Jain launched a student run nonprofit called iCAREweCARE, which is dedicated to helping high school and college students identify causes they care about, find local organizations that address those problems, and then write about their experiences, or connect with their friends over them. There is a Web site, and Facebook connections for rapid and deep information sharing.
The cause-centered orientation is praiseworthy. The implications of this kind of social platform, however, could be what proves really world-changing
On 05/04/2011,
in 21st century, active learning, assessment, education reform, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, global / globalization, ideas, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, love of learning, morals/values, motivation, participation, play, policy, political science, presentations, project-based learning, real-world assignments, relationships, society, sociology, staying relevant, story, storytelling, strategy, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teaching & learning, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
John Hunter on the World Peace Game — TED March 2011 — my thanks to Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Kate Byerwalter for this great presentation
About this talk
John Hunter puts all the problems of the world on a 4’x5′ plywood board — and lets his 4th-graders solve them. At TED2011, he explains how his World Peace Game engages schoolkids, and why the complex lessons it teaches — spontaneous, and always surprising — go further than classroom lectures can.
About John Hunter
Teacher and musician John Hunter is the inventor of the World Peace Game (and the star of the new doc “World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements”).
On 04/18/2011,
in business, economics, legislatures / government / legal, political science, project-based learning, real-world assignments, society,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Here is an idea for a project-based learning assignment for Business, Economics, & Political Science Students/Faculty:
Your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to investigate and answer the following questions:
- Can people on Wall Street affect the price of a gallon of gasoline?
- If so:
- How? How could they do that?
- How much could they increase the price of a gallon of gasoline?
- When do they make their move?
- Are their any limits to what the folks on Wall Street can do?
- How much are we paying — not to the companies actually producing and selling the gas — but possibly to those who work on Wall Street? (Who is making the $$?)
Find out. That’s your assignment. Then…
- Once you determine those things and IF there should be a change in our systems…what are your recommendations for change?
- Who would be involved in making this change? i.e. How could the average citizen get involved to help make positive changes?
This tape will self-destruct in 30 seconds…
Why so few computer science majors? — from voices.washingtonpost.com by Jenna Johnson
The lives of college students revolve around technology — yet not enough are studying computer science to keep up with industry demand.
Computer science programs across the country are scrambling to change this, often by trying to make coursework more relevant to the lives of students. One example, which I wrote about in today’s paper, is a professor at Virginia Tech who helped his students create a mobile application that tracks city buses.
But why the lack of interest in CS in the first place?
Here are just a few reasons, according to several professors and others I interviewed for the piece. (I know there are additional reasons, so please share them with me in the comments section.)
Many don’t realize the world-changing potential of CS.
.
Also see:
.
On 03/15/2011,
in computer science, mobile technologies, programming, project-based learning,
by Daniel Christian
Computer science courses use mobile apps to make coursework relevant — from The Washington Post
The Virginia Tech student’s concern about buses, Tilevich said, offered a chance to show students that coding can be relevant. By the end of the semester, the advanced software engineering class had partnered with the city transit system to obtain data from Global Positioning System devices on dozens of city buses. An algorithm soon was predicting arrival times and beaming the information to a prototype mobile application.
“Sometimes as faculty members, we have to step back. We have to let them run wild,” said Tilevich, a former professional clarinet player who blogs about his teaching experiments.
Originally saw this at GetIdeas.org
.
Also see this video on project-based learning:
.
— Originally saw this from Tim Hawkins, in Melbourne, Australia
On 01/29/2011,
in creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, education technology, history, ideas, multimedia, music, project-based learning,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Not only is this a slick way to learn about a musician and about history…but it made me think…how about having students create something like this? Project-based learning with a great splash of creativity!
— apologies…I can’t recall where I first saw this.
On 01/22/2011,
in project-based learning,
by Daniel Christian
and
What if kids designed their learning? Here are some resources to get started. — from the Innovative Educator
On 10/27/2010,
in Apple, business side of he, collaboration, computer science, creativity, curriculum, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, ideas, K-12 related, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multimedia, music, programming, project-based learning,
by Daniel Christian
.
Concept, graphics, idea from Daniel S. Christian:
But free for your taking and implementing!
.
What:
- Choir Practice: A mobile-based method of practicing one’s part
Features
- The ability for the choir member to go directly to measure ____
- The ability for the choir member to highlight measures ____ through ____ (like highlighting text in Microsoft Word), then click on the play button to loop through those measures
- One could speed up a song up or slow it down (without affecting pitch)
- The application would allow for all of the vocal parts to begin playing upon downloading a pre-packaged song or the application could always start playing with a certain part (i.e. 1st or 2nd soprano, alto, tenor, or bass)
- The musical notes could be the same color or one could choose to display the notes in different colors
- Bonus features might include a video of a director directing this song
Why:
- This type of thing would be a great cross-disciplinary assignment for your institution’s curriculum — Music and Computer Science come to mind for this application
- Your institution could sell this application on Apple’s App Store to develop a new revenue stream
- Your choirs could produce the packaged songs / tracks
- Plus, such an app would help choir members learn their parts — 24x7x365 — in the car, on the road, in the gym, etc.
- Enhances one’s ability to listen to other parts as well
- Aids your marketing departments as you point to this as a solid deliverable from your programs
- Creates “study aids” for your own school’s choirs/students as well as for choirs at smaller churches and institutions (worldwide)
- Helps those choir members who don’t have access to a piano or don’t know how to play a piano
Have fun whomever takes this idea and runs with it! The choirs of the world will appreciate you — and so will their audiences! 🙂
Along these lines…another win-win here includes:
That students in the future (I hope) will be able to choose from a multitude of potential roles when presented with multi-disciplinary projects/assignments/courses:
- Vocalists, pianists, and other type of musicians
- Composers
- Programmers
- Graphic artists
- Videographers / video editors
- Audio specialists
- Writers
- Project Managers
- Actresses/Actors
- etc.
As such, students could:
- Learn to appreciate other disciplines
- Participate in/contribute to projects that could be published on the web
- Exercise their creativity
- Practice being innovative
Daniel Christian
On 08/03/2010,
in computer science, innovation, IT in HE, programming, project-based learning,
by Daniel Christian
U Michigan iPhone app grows from student project — from CampusTechnology.com by Dian Schaffhauser
An iPhone app conceived by two students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, built as a computer science class project, and purchased by the school’s IT organization has made its public debut in the Apple iTunes store. Formerly named iWolverine, now called “University of Michigan,” the app allows users to track buses in real time through the popular Magic Bus Web application, listen to the school’s fight song, check dining hall menus, and search for buildings, among other features.
On 05/25/2010,
in engineering, K-12 related, mathematics, project-based learning, science,
by Daniel Christian
On 04/22/2010,
in art, computer science, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, economics, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, engineering, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, learning spaces, multimedia, music, new media literacies, physics, programming, project-based learning, psychology, science, smart classrooms, sociology, storytelling, student-related, user experience (UX), virtual field trips, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, visualizing information, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
What sorts of cross-disciplinary assignments come to mind when you view these items?
- Visitors explore the electromagnetic spectrum on a custom 100? multitouch table
- AudioTouch Multitouch Audio Table
- MT 50 Multitouch Table
- Microsoft Surface – The Possibilities
- Innovative use of technology
- Interactive Retail Solutions
- “Holographic” Multitouch (Eatang Digital Technology)
- The Big Screens Show
- Touch Topics
- Multi Touch Music Wall
- Video-wall / Multi-display / Big Screen / Super Size Display
- How to Build a 20′ Multitouch Screen in 3 Weeks
- Interactive Storytelling on Microsoft Surface
- More Multi-touch: Multi-touch Table at Schlossmuseum Linz, by Struckt Design Studio (added 4/24/10)
For these and other reasons, I’m trying to get a multi-touch wall built into our future smart classrooms.
Talk about keeping students engaged! Talk about working together in teams — very real-world!