10 steps to better lesson plans — iLearn Technology
On 10/15/2010,
in communications, digital video, drama/theater, ideas, music, online learning, online media, student-related, teaching & learning, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
Using web video to fine-tune student performance — from The Chronicle by Travis Kaya
For three years, faculty and students at Baruch College of the City University of New York have been honing their public-speaking and presentation skills online with the college’s Video Oral Communication Assessment Tool, or VOCAT, which allows instructors to view and give feedback on uploaded student videos.
After finding success with the tool on campus, developers are now actively searching for ways to take VOCAT to the next level, both beyond Baruch and across academic disciplines. They believe video-sharing on VOCAT has potential application in everything from distance learning and foreign-language instruction to performance arts and industrial trades.
“We’re looking ahead to where it might go,” said Mikhail Gershovich, platform designer and director of the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute at Baruch. “I don’t want this to be just an assessment tool.”
VOCAT allows students to view videos of themselves giving presentations or performances online—all video is taped and uploaded by a college technician—and lets them read and respond to feedback from faculty members. The software also keeps a log of student videos, allowing them to track their progress over the course of a semester…
On 10/13/2010,
in education technology, educational games / serious games, ideas, innovation, K-12 related, music, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
JoyTunes: A unique approach to computer-based music teaching — from thenextweb.com by Brad McCarty
Also see:
On 10/12/2010,
in 21st century, change, dangers of the status quo, disruption, education reform, Google, K-12 related, teachers, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
Change Agent — from edweek.org by Anthony Rebora
Will Richardson, a former teacher-turned-tech expert, says schools need to revolutionize teaching and learning to keep pace with societal changes.
Will Richardson at work, speaking to faculty members at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, N.J. — Emile Wamsteker
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You’ve written that too many teachers are “un-Googleable.” What do you mean by that and why does it matter?
What I mean is that too few teachers have a visible presence on the Web. The primary reason this matters is that the kids in our classrooms are going to be Googled—they’re going to be searched for on the Web—over and over again. That’s just the reality of their lives, right? So they need models. They need to have adults who know what it means to have a strong and appropriate search portfolio—I call it the “G-portfolio.” But right now—and this is my ongoing refrain—there’s no one teaching them how to learn and share with these technologies. There’s no one teaching them about the nuances involved in creating a positive online footprint. It’s all about what not to do instead of what they should be doing.
The second thing is that, if you want to be part of an extended learning network or community, you have to be findable. And you have to participate in some way. The people I learn from on a day-to-day basis are Googleable. They’re findable, they have a presence, they’re participating, they’re transparent. That’s what makes them a part of my learning network. If you’re not out there—if you’re not transparent or findable in that way—I can’t learn with you.
Also mentioned:
- Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms
(Corwin). Now in its third edition, the book has sold more than 60,000 copies and become one of the most influential books available on integrating Web 2.0 technology in the K-12 classroom. - Powerful Learning Practice
- His blog, Weblogg-ed
On 10/11/2010,
in adjunct faculty, digital video, education, education reform, faculty/staff, pedagogy, psychology, publishing, research, sociology, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
First of all, I got this item from:
One Facet of the Future of Educational Publishing — by Jeff Frank
I really enjoyed watching the Strage Prize video, and it led me to think more about the relationship between online video and the publication of educational research. In my role as Managing Editor of the Teachers College Record, I read a very large number of qualitative and ethnographic studies. While the best of these papers give the reader a strong sense of the subjects and the study location (and the author/researcher), after watching the 2010 Strage Prize video, I was fascinating by how much this video added to my understanding and appreciation of Lalitha’s paper.
…
I think having the two together–the written work and the video/podcast–adds something of unique value. I hope more educational researchers and publishers experiment with these kinds of paired works, because I think they offer readers a wonderful educative experience.
Side note from DSC:
Think interactive, multimedia on an iPad sort of device.
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Which led me to:
Strage Prize 2010 — by Gary Natriello | October 8, 2010
This video features the work of Lalitha Vasudevan and her paper, “Performing New Geographies of Literacy Teaching and Learning.” The paper focuses on the literacies and digitally mediated lives of youth, and was published in the July 2009 issue of English Education.
The video’s production and publication is supported by the Strage Junior Faculty Prize. The Prize was established in 2009 by Teachers College alumna Alberta Strage and her husband Henry to recognize junior faculty achievement. Alberta also serves on both the President’s Advisory Council and the International Advisory Council for Teachers College. We appreciate both their generosity to Teachers College and support for the work of our junior faculty.
The Prize supports the production of a web video to highlight original and innovative work of a junior faculty member at Teachers College. All currently untenured members of the faculty in tenure-line appointments are eligible to compete for the prize by submitting an article, book chapter, paper, or other original product appearing during the previous year.
Congratulations Professor Vasudevan!
On 10/09/2010,
in faculty/staff, personalized/customized learning, publishing, teachers, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
McGraw-Hill Education introduces next-generation custom publishing platform: Create Platform — from Textbook Industry Newswire
From DSC:
Congrats to McGraw-Hill for this innovation! Now let’s team this type of thing up w/ the Chalkboard of the Future!
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Create Platform enables professors to design custom classroom content from library of nearly 50,000 sources and receive e-books within hours
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NEW YORK, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ — McGraw-Hill Education has brought custom publishing into the 21st century with McGraw-Hill Create (www.mcgrawhillcreate.com), an innovative platform that gives instructors unprecedented control over and customization of higher education classroom content. Gone are the days when professors had no choice in how to assemble content for classroom instruction, or had to wait weeks to receive a customized text. With Create, instructors can produce their own e-books or printed texts by selecting content from a vast library of resources – and receive a digital proof in under an hour.
“McGraw-Hill’s Create custom publishing tool gives me the power to provide only the content that is relevant to how I teach,” said Cliff Thompson, director of Theatre at Freed-Hardeman University. “I can pick and choose what makes the most sense for me and my class, which allows me to be a more effective teacher and cost-conscious for my students.”
On 10/08/2010,
in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, multimedia, new media literacies, online media, productivity / tips and tricks, teaching & learning, tools,
by Daniel Christian
New “ELI 7 Things”…Brief explores online media editing — from Educause Learning Initiative (ELI)
In the 7 Things You Should Know About Online Media Editing, EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative’s (ELI) latest brief in the monthly series, find out how the use of online media editing tools encourages instructors and students to explore learning activities and assessments with new media.
Excerpt:
What is it?
Cloud-based media editing applications allow anyone with web access and a suitable computing device to touch up photographs, mix music, and edit video. These web-based services may offer a more limited tool set than full-scale software editing suites, but they are generally cross-platform, device-independent, and less expensive, particularly as most offer at least some of their services at no cost.
What are the implications for teaching and learning?
Web-based editors reduce logistical challenges for instructors by providing all students with access to media editing tools. The free or low-cost nature of these editors allows students to use them to build complex and collaborative learning projects involving rich media, something that should be inviting to faculty members who take the approach that students learn best when they are engaged in projects that result in creative output. Because these tools are inexpensive or free and do not require sophisticated user skills, they offer faculty new avenues to devise new kinds of activities that go beyond the standard term paper and, in many cases, might be more representative of authentic assessment. Moreover, because the threshold is so low to use online media services, the opportunities they present to work in new media are open to students in virtually any discipline.
On 10/07/2010,
in elearning, online learning, online tutoring, student teaching/teacher education, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, virtual K-12 schools,
by Daniel Christian
E-Learning 2010: E-Educators Evolving — from EducationWeek.com (9/20/10)
This special report, the second in a three-part series on e-learning, aims to answer questions related to the growing role of e-educators in K-12 education. It provides perspectives and advice from state policymakers and virtual school providers navigating through the new and often murky policy waters of online-only education, and features insights from e-educators in the trenches of virtual schooling.
On 10/01/2010,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, accessibility / UDL, Adobe, adult learning, animation, Apple, art, assistive technologies, Augmented Reality (AR), creativity, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, Google, graphics, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, hybrid learning, interactivity, interface design, learning ecosystem, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multimedia, music, new media literacies, online learning, online media, online tutoring, podcasting, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, programming, RSS, simulations, storytelling, student-related, teaching & learning, teaching online, training / L&D, user experience (UX), user interface design, visualizing information, web design and production, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
We use Lynda.com and the feedback has been excellent. Back in 1997, I took a 1-day seminar from Lynda Weinman out at SFSU’s Multimedia Studies Program. I learned more from her in a few hours then I have in many courses. She knows how to make things very understandable…and she’s a great teacher. If she doesn’t know the topic, she selects people who know how to explain that topic in easy-to-understand terms.
So when I saw this item — Connect@NMC: Panel Discussion Led By Laurie Burruss of Lynda.com – Implementing Lynda.com Campus-Wide — I felt that I should pass it along.
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Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie – Sept 22, 2010.
#637 – Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,132 Readers – http://www.masie.com – The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2010 – Oct 24 to 27, Orlando, FL, USA.
1. Flip Happens – Reversing Process for Teaching? My colleague, Dan Pink has written about the concept of “Flip Thinking” In a recent article, Dan talks about experiments in reversing the “natural” sequence of things. For example, what if a teacher were to give the lectures as homework and the activities shift to the classroom. The author of the now viral “Shift Happens” slideshow has been doing that for high school algebra – he provides videos of the lectures for the students to view before class and uses in class time for questions, discussions and practice. There is great promise for flipping processes in learning and education. Check out Dan’s article:
Think Tank: Flip-thinking – the new buzz word sweeping the US
Teacher Karl Fisch has flipped teaching on its head – he uploads his lectures to YouTube for his students to watch at home at night, then gets them to apply the concepts in class by day.
From DSC:
I saw this same innovative thinking/approach a while back with some high school chemistry teachers implementing this “flip” in their classrooms…check out:
The Vod Couple — from The Journal by Dian Schaffhauser — back from 08/01/09
High school chemistry teachers Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann have overturned conventional classroom instruction by using video podcasts to form the root of a new learning model.
Sams (left) and Bergmann
together practice a student-centered pedagogy.
On 09/20/2010,
in digital learning, education technology, multimedia, new media literacies, pedagogy, strategy, teaching & learning, writing,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Perspectives from an English professor at Duke University, who has also studied biology and neuroscience, and who has been working for years on a variety of items surrounding this topic.
Music and learning: do they mix? — Clive Sheperd (UK)
From DSC:
Check out the comments as well…
For me, digital storytelling carries with it some potent power to educate, influence, and persuade. At minimum, music seems like it has a solid place in the digital storytelling world. However, I also realize that extraneous audio can be distracting, especially for those of us who need it quiet when we are trying to concentrate. Giving the user the choice of whether to listen/hear the audio — or see a transcript — are useful features that help provide a more customized learning experience.
Employing adaptive technology for advanced special education (video) – from The Daily Local by Eric Smith (original resource from Ray Schroeder)
Technology allows students to connect with each other across borders, research information in ways never before possible and tackle real-world problems from inside a classroom. But technology is also allowing some students to speak, read and write when those tasks were previously considered an impossibility. “In the last 15 years, the idea of the Internet and digital content has grown so vast, and for people with physical and learning disabilities, it has been transformative,” said David Cattell, the head of assistive technology for the Chester County Intermediate Unit.
