Scenario

    I see that I am educator in the 21st century. This is an age where if information isn't shared through the Web or on a Website it probably is going to be useless to half the population. My students have been brought up in a time where computers and laptops are ubiquitous which means many will be able to navigate them with ease, or at least have had a chance to use one in their lifetime. I can't say the same for myself, but with my own education and training I have learned where to find some of the most incredible and useful tools that I feel will have a huge impact on my students' learning and creative abilities. Maybe some students dislike writing an essay or have the inability to fully express themselves in a written essay. I will not fight an upstream battle in this case, I can have them record a well-planned and balanced argument or informational essay using their computer and thus have them make a Podcast that iterates the same information that would have been otherwise untapped in a written assignment. I can assign students the task of making a video that gives them the opportunity to be creative and express their individuality. They can present these to their peers on their computers, as well as edit and share however they may choose. Likewise, no longer are we confined to our classroom, our city or even our country. Maybe my students would like to share information with students across the globe in China or Europe and consequently learn about a new culture in a way that is new, invigorating and not done by reading words in a textbook but rather done by listening to children their own age who live it everyday. Some days illnesses or extracurricular activities keep students out of class, rather then leave them to catch up to the rest of the class I can stream my lessons via the Web and this gives any other students the opportunity to go back and be reminded of what I covered in class. I'd do this will tools like Voicethread and by making my own Podcasts. It's an incredible age where if I needed to I could teach to a class that is not even in the same state as I am. Whatever the case may be, in the years ahead I know I will have a Mac. I will use the Internet and all its tools to teach students in a way that I know they will better appreciate because they already spend hours a day on the Internet as it is. I want to create a fully functional and efficient Website (Half of which I've already done, but I'm working to better it) so that students get up-to-date information, news and grades. I won't allow for cellphone use continuously throughout a class period but I will allow for students to use them as references because many students have apps that let them look up words in the dictionary, for example. I will let them research and never say that the information stops when my lesson stops but that my lessons are merely a jumping off point to get them started on the journey. Information surrounds us now and I think we must open them up to it. One stipulation is that they have a computer, the Internet and the desire to follow my lead in the exciting process of integrating technology into our classroom.

My "Wow" Moment

    Much of this course has opened my eyes to tools on the Internet and the resources that the Internet offers that I probably wouldn't have known existed otherwise. Honestly, in all the time I had been using the Internet almost each piece of information taught in this course was new or I had just barely been acquainted with it. This indeed is a "wow" moment. I'm thankful to now know so much more about the tools and resources the Web offers. More specifically, when we began to use the Google tools I was taken back. Never did I realize Google offered these tools and never would I have thought to use them. They are incredibly useful and amazingly simple to use! They allow for multiple users to collaborate on a document in real time, meaning you see who is editing and what they are editing at the same time you may be typing something on the page. This does not all have to be done at the same time more importantly. You are given access to these tools and documents on your own time! There is Google Spreadsheets, Google Documents, Google Forms and Google Presentations, just to name a few. You can create tests right on the Internet that anyone can access and submit their answers to or just put up some links you'd like to share with your friends. All of it is incredibly user friendly, or for those who are struggling tutorials for using these applications are offered as well. I hope this link stays live because Mrs. Cindi Danner-Kuhn as comprised the most useful and relevant tutorials all on one page...Google Tools Tutorials.

Podcast favorites

    Each week for our DED 318 course we were also required to listen to a Podcast and reflect on its usefulness to us as educators. One very influential person who does incredibly relevant Podcasts is Wesley Fryer, out of Edmond, Oklahoma. His Podcast Moving at the Speed of Creativity gives listeners current news about technology within the field of education. He shares hundreds of useful and relevant tools that can allow teachers to enhance their lessons thus increasing their students' engagement. In his latest Podcast he discusses the ever-present iPad. This piece of technology is rapidly becoming the go to piece of hardware for classes because of the millions of applications it allows users to download for nearly any subject. Also, with a size that is just under 2 pounds in weight, it combines the endless possibilities of a Macbook with the convenience of something that can be taken everywhere with being too cumbersome, or heavy.
    In another Podcast he describes  Dr. Carl Owens' presentation, "Cool Tools for the Classroom," at the 2011 Mississippi Educational Computing Association annual conference in Jackson on February 8th. Carl is a Professor and the Director of Technology at the College of Education, Tennessee Technological University. These types of Podcasts Fryer presents are just as important as those that explain new technologies. One of Fryer's greatest attributes is he is global in his thinking and gives praise and recognition to those teachers he thinks are doing great things in their classrooms with technology. He is upbeat and enthusiastic with his Podcasts and I think everyone should listen.

Animoto examples 2...

Why I want to educate

Semester favorites - Animoto examples...

ChesnuttBio

Semester favorites

    So many things have been covered throughout the course of this semester in my DED 318 class at Kansas State. We've covered everything from inserting pictures onto a website to how to create your own comic strips online. While all of it has been intriguing there are some specific topics we've covered that I've personally enjoyed. To start, the web tool Animoto is an incredible application. On Animoto.com everyone has a chance to create their very own 30 second video simply by signing into the website with a user name and password. It is an awesome opportunity to take pictures from memorable events or pictures that can accompany a teacher's lesson and put them into an attractive video. Now, with a slight upgrade that requires a small payment Animoto does allow users to make videos as long as they'd like, so you are not restricted to the 30 second video length that is simply their introductory, free video application. Some of my very own Animoto videos will proceed this blog to show the variety available to users.
    A very similar web tool we have learned how to use through the course of this semester is on the website known as Voicethread.com. This tool takes the effectiveness of PowerPoint and ups the ante by allowing you to record your voice to the presentation, as well as allows for others to post their own vocalized comments to your presentation. You can use this tool and draw on the pictures in the presentation, you can add videos, and all of it can be accessed from any computer with Internet. This gives you the possibility of creating an online lesson for students to watch whenever is best for them, specifically when they have missed class for various reasons. Like the Animotos, I will insert in this post one of my own Voicethread creations. http://voicethread.com/share/1979883/
    Upon entering this course, I thought I had a lot of knowledge with computers and the Internet. I had grown up using the Internet for research as well as recreational purposes. However, I had only used a Macbook very sparingly in this time. This computers are revolutionary and one of my favorite things about them is you can take screen shots. That is, you can use the command "Command-Shift-4" (pushing them down simultaneously) and take a picture of anything that is open on your desktop. It is an incredibly useful tool because you are no longer limited to right-clicking, pasting and/or saving a picture for future use but instead take what you want when you want right off the web. I stress that you still MUST give credit for where you take the pictures from. Also, accompanied with this blog post will be a recording of this very blog in a recorded format! This can only be down with Mac's new operating system Snow Leopard, and I believe this will pave the way for all following operating systems. Every computer should have this and its influence is apparent in just how easy it is to use.

Podcast Reflection #11: EdTech Classroom Podcast Ep. 13

    In this EdTech Classroom Podcast Burt Lo, Modesto, CA and Joe Wood in Sacramento, CA and Karen in Michigan, use this their time to discuss some conferences they just observed. They discuss ABUG...a Promethean professional learning plan, that makes people much more comfortable with technology, putting it entirely in the hands of instructors. Interestingly, they discuss how useful Google Tools are. Burt himself discusses in this podcast how engaging Google Earth can be. The conference he went to and presented is known as CUE.
    Apparently you can Google and read articles that have been scanned in from newspapers as far back as the ‘70s. They mention Prezi, as well. What makes me feel good is the fact that everyone is getting on the same page, to a degree, technology-wise. I feel like some of the tools I’m learning to use are almost behind what others can use, but really its just a matter of how fast you learn and how much time you have to learn. Everyone can make a useful lesson using any type of Internet tool while making it engaging and applicable to the classroom. The main point I took out of this podcast is do not be afraid to use anything! There’s no question teachers need to utilize technology to its fullest in the classroom or at least show their students they are making attempts and here are FREE and helpful tools that do just that.

Podcast Reflection #10: EdTechTalk Seedlings Show 110

    Technology is ever changing and consistently coming up with new ways to make our lives easier. In this podcast by Cheryl Oakes, Alice Barr, and Bob Sprankle, an interview is done with teachers from Massachusetts. One of these teachers, Jen Bogart has the incredibly difficult task of getting her third grade class in South Berwick, MA to write wholesome and worthwhile stories. Of course, not too pride to ask for help, she contacted one of her previous teachers from Leslie school in Cambridge to come up with a way that these students could get more out of planning for their stories. The solution: Livescribe.
    Now as anyone knows getting started on writing a paper is a challenge in itself. Many people have many different techniques they deploy as far as planning, drafting, and writing a final piece they can present. In this instance, the students were in 3rd grade so they hadn't really effectively been using their planning and at the same time wouldn't do much by way of revising after a first draft was down. The incredible device Mrs. Bogart was able to obtain for these students, through a grant, was the Livescribe pen.  A pen that write while recording your voice. They capture everything you hear and write with a simple 'tap'. Mr. Sprankle calls it a "reporter's dream." Echo Smartpens link the recordings to the part of your notes you want to highlight. It does require special Smartpen paper, however it looks entirely like typical notebook paper.
    We never have to worry about missing a note or important phrase even from lecture. It's really a remarkable tool I want to have the opportunity to try out. Students from Mrs. Bogart's class used them with success. Suddenly, not everything was trying to be tied down in the students' minds but they could release some of their ideas vocally and record what they said. This helped immensely, making work and planning come together in an absolutely efficient manner. They are working in schools and starting around $100 they can be bought from the Apple store, Best Buy, Target and plenty of retailers. I see these pen becoming much more ubiquitous as time and technology drive on. In short bring down the cost so everyone can benefit from these devices.

Glogster

Reflection: Podcast, Website and Blog Mid-term Critiques

    Ms. Alison Adams and Ms. Megan Gibson
Part 1 (Podcast)
    Ms. Adam's podcast was based around incorporating technology in the classroom and included sites such as Animoto; a site we have used and that I plan to use continuously throughout my educational career because of the great opportunities it offers to students and teachers for creating one-of-a-kind slide shows with their own pictures and setting them to music in a way that looks very professional. This follows along the very same lines as my own podcast which was giving students and teachers a chance to use websites that would increase internet usage in the classroom, yet allowing that time to be worthwhile, educational and creative. She also touches on Google Art Project and Google Body Browser. This shows they are definitely thinking along the lines of biology and art lessons, as well as chances for fun educational websites that I think would greatly increase student engagement. Ms. Adam's touched on a new website I hadn't heard of as well which was Qtopia.com. Once an account is made on this website (for free) users can access hundreds of fun, but insightful games teachers can use within their lesson plans.
    Ms. Gibson's podcast focuses on resources for classroom success in an elementary setting. She discusses Google Translate, an online translator that is interactive, Thinkquest, which allows students to create collaborative projects and also allows them to build websites, Livebinders, which is a Delicious type site that can also be embedded into teacher's websites, Kidclick, a great websearch website designed by librarians for students only. Material that is searched on this engine is all student friendly (even elementary, seeing as Ms. Gibson's area of study is ElementaryEd.) Lastly, Ms. Gibson brings up mypyramid.gov which is the national website on nutrition and includes the revamped and revised food pyramid with helpful tips for healthy eating.
Part 2 (Website/Blog)
    Ms. Adam's website is also masterfully done. I like how the website looks similar to iWeb and it seems very easy to use as she has included javascript; something I haven't thought to incorporate yet. I contemplated switching to Wix after viewing Ms. Adam's website. The blog Ms. Adam's created as well is incredibly easy to follow, tastefully built, and shows that she has a solid grip on how to use Blogger. Similarly, Ms. Gibson uses iWeb and of course has created a lasting and memorable website with everything in its right place. This website will obviously translate into a successful and useful site once her teaching career takes off and is in full throttle. Needless to say Ms. Gibson's blog follows in this fashion, even going so far as to be color coordinated with her website.

Podcast Reflection #9: Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education

    Salman Khan has taken the classroom made it interesting and engaging as well as completely virtual. It isn't that he has completely invented a new idea, although. What Khan has done is simply take all the talk that has been going around the education field and done something tangible with it. As an analyst at a hedge fund in Boston, Khan began to videotape lessons and put them on YouTube for his cousins that lived in New Orleans; they said they began to "prefer him more on YouTube than in person." Why is this? Well the idea is OBVIOUS. Now, his cousins could pause, rewind, review, any and all of the lessons on their own time and at their own pace of learning. All thanks to self-paced math lessons. Even better it is all free and not for profit. Anyone can benefit from the Khan academy.
    I love this opportunity because new concepts and lessons aren't easy to pick up and learn right away, especially with so much other environmental factors that can occur within a classroom setting, including a possible domineering teacher breathing down the necks of the students waiting for them to learn the lesson. Without realizing really what he was doing, Khan began to gain notoriety and his lessons took off because of his apparent like-able attitude and demeanor as well as the receptiveness he had to ideas from those watching the videos. What this now does is takes the lecture time out of the classroom. Teachers now assign the videos for homework than have the students bring in their work for class. This vastly increases the value of student-teacher face-to-face time, because instead of feeling distanced from the students, the teachers are able to help them in more meaningful ways.
    One of the great points Khan makes is in a typical classroom, after a test the class moves on to the next topic. This begins to snowball and happen very rapidly which than exploits any gaps that a student may have had in learning the previous lesson because the TRADITIONAL model, what we should be moving away from, penalizes experimentation and failure but does not expect mastery. I love Khan's message: Encourage experimentation AND expect mastery. He gets the go ahead from someone we all know: Bill Gates, who shares the stage with him in this video near the end and we can just hear the teaching verbiage oozing out: Motivation, feedback, collaboration, continuity as well as teacher/student driven learning. It is something we can't afford to ignore nor can we argue isn't useful, but rather we must start accepting the changes now because they have already begun to happen. Get on board for the revolution of education via technology. (This video is a podcast from TedTalk.)

Reflection: Using Twitter as an Educator

    Really I think students are the ones who are more used to this microblogging. I'm still trying to figure out the importance of using this as a teacher. What I thought was since students relate to it much more than I think I ever will, up to this point, then fun activities can be created using Twitter. For example, what tweet would a character in a story be sending during or after a climatic scene in a story. Or, given the amount of charaters Twitter lets you use describe the main points of a story or plot. The speed at which others can access the information others put up for you to see is probably what is most useful in this case. Effective application of this in the classroom has yet to come to mind although...

Podcast Reflection #7: Tech Chick Tips

    This Tech Chicks episode talked about a lot of different blog, website, software programs and podcast resources for teachers. My favorite program that they talked about was Text Paint. You can download this FREE interface software, which is a drawing program for students 3-12 years old. Text Paint is a program that I plan on using in my class, and after downloading the program onto my computer and playing around with it I found out you can upload images and use paintbrushes and create interesting pieces of art. When thinking of ways for students to depict scenes or characters in a piece of literature this will get students more interested than staying with just the standard paper and markers. Another site that the Tech Chicks talked about was Think Quest, this is a really creative site that allows teachers to register groups of students who can then create their own educational websites. After they complete their website, it registers them into a contest and winners with the best site can actually get prizes. I think this site is great and allows for students to take part in technology while seeing what other students around the nation are doing in their classrooms. It also gets them actively engaged in their own lessons and what they are learning. Students can feel a sense of pride by taking part in what they are being taught.

Podcast Reflection #8: Tech Chick Tips (9/9/06)

The Tech Chicks shared the website Pencil on this podcast which is a fun and creative site for creating animation. This is an open source where you can download animation software that is compatible for both Macs and PC's. You can create hand drawn animation cartoons for FREE! This is a great resource really for any Art teachers, but more importantly for projects the students could definitely get some use out of this. I actually went to the website and downloaded the software and have had fun figuring out the program and it's interface. There is a gallery where you can see what others have created and it's really interesting to see other people who are concentration in other education subjects using this program besides just art teachers. Another site that I found useful was Super Teacher Tools, this website is a site offering tech tools for teachers, from classroom management tools to educational games. I also went to this site and found the tools to be very useful. It is no longer necessary for us as educators to make our own jeopardy game. You can find a version of it available on this site along with other games.  Lastly, the site A Thin Line, is a very serious site that was discussed that I believe secondary teachers should discuss with their students. This site revolves around the subjects of cyber abuse and how we can stop it. It provides videos with heavy content about online bullying, sexting and more, along with quizzes. This material is mature so it may not yet be age appropriate for grade school and may or may not be appropriate for middle school students. This subject is one that is prevalent in society and that must be addressed, however.

Classroom 2.0 Reflection

    If I've learned anything from listening to the EdTech Weekly and Moving at the Speed of Creativity podcasts it is that we can no longer stay comfortable and rely so heavily on just our physical social circle of friends for resources, tips and information. Instead, we must broaden our horizons and begin to think that maybe someone, more than likely another educator and Classroom 2.0 assures they will be, that is not even in the same state, country or hemisphere can have ideas and be offering useful help to something I may be doing in my own classroom. The world is shrinking in terms of collaboration. We can now find almost anything we need in any place. Classroom 2.0 simplifies that by connecting educators with their social network. Classroom 2.0 live is an incredible way to hear about the latest news in the field of education and it allows you to participate with those discussions that are going on! The forum has to be the most handy as it lets people post advice, questions, or prompts in order to have a chance for other educators to share and chat about their ideas.

EduTeacher Reflection

    One site that Eduteacher.net offers, that is also on the Kan-ed site, is 4teachers.org. You know this website is useful if it comes up on various websites. The biggest message 4teachers.org is trying to send is teachers need to be integrating technology into their classroom. It covers assessment of technology and stories of how other educators have successfully been using technology in the class. The Educators Resources is the best part about this page, more specifically the Assistive Technology which offers sources that can assist students with a disability or visual impairments all the way to training for educators on how to use technology effectively with students who have a disability. You could spend hours on this website.
    On Eduteacher I chose the subject language arts and another source it offers is bookshouldbefree.com which allows anyone to download free audio books in mp3 format. It has 19 different genres to choose from with plenty of well-known authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Herman Melville, Jack London even Beatrix Potter. Users simply click on the work of their choice and decide whether to send it to iTunes as a podcast or keep it as a compressed mp3 file.
    A lot of websites Eduteacher offers under the language arts heading are for ESL or ELL students such as EnglishCafe.com. You can find lessons even become a member and chat or collaborate with other teachers who teach English as a second language or to students who are just learning. It allows you sign up and do all of these things through Facebook as well. Registering is free and simple for those interested.

Kan-ed Reflection

    Right away on the Kan-ed website, once signed in, I enjoy the fun fact like Daily History and the NatGeo photo as well as NASA astronomy photo of the day. Those are really cool. Really, I think this website can do everything and be everything a teacher needs in electronic form. There is a grade book, a way to search a directory of students, a way to create of build tests with the test builder and it allows students to upload their assignments directly to the page.
    The Reference tools are incredibly valuable. This is a way to get students into the mindset of actually researching information using scholarly resources from an array of legitimate databases, as opposed to Google or Bing, for example. Also 4kids.org gives the students a website that they can get something out of and access fun activities as well as educational assignments while using technology.
    KERC is almost to good to be true. Actually integrating the states' standards, which I thought could only be found at KSDE.org up until this point, while giving resources and links to ideas for lesson plans that fit fight into those standards. Thinkfinity falls along these lines as well and just offers up more resources than one could do with. My favorite part of Thinkfinity is the information it provides on Professional Development. A state-by-state look at the available courses to better teachers in their areas of expertise. I don't think a teacher can go on without these resources and I don't think we can go wrong using them. This Kan-ed website basically offers a solution to every problem in the classroom unless it is how to physically get yourself and your students into the room and in their seats.

I just made a new Voki. See it here:

This is just one of two Avatars I've had fun making; the other is on my web page under the 'About Me..." page.

Joe Turner out of Manhattan, KS - My first podcast

Podcast #1 - Technology Meets Literacy

Animoto In My Classroom

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

    Just by looking at this tool, I think anyone can get a sense of its usefulness. It embraces the artistic and creative side of learning and allows for anyone to take pictures, even video, and make a completely original slide out of them. This would be great for emphasizing important vocabulary in a lesson or even just using it to show that the students understand a theme in a story by taking pictures they think match up with scenes from a book. If it looks difficult to make too, it is not. Any subject area can utilize this to its fullest. I am grateful that I have been opened to up to so many different outlets that can be used in the classroom. This media creation website will be something I will always remember and will continually use.

Podcast Reflection #6: Dropout Nation: The Importance of High Expectations

    Harvard’s “Pathways to Prosperity” report explains in its pages a ‘“college for all” goal...seems doomed to fail” in our country. Less than one-third of students actually graduate college with a degree. In fact, this report shows that only 40% of 27 years-old in the United States have a degree. With the United States owning “the highest college dropout rate in the industrialized world” (pg. 16).
   What I gleaned from these project:
    Our fundamental problem is that our system has not evolved to serve young adults in this radically different world. Behaving as though four-year college is the only acceptable route to success clearly still works well for many young adults, especially students fortunate enough to attend highly selective colleges and universities. It also works well for affluent students, who can often draw on family and social connections to find their way in the adult world. But it clearly does not work well for many, especially young men. (pg. 19)

    This project was headed by Robert B. Schwartz, Academic Dean and Francis Keppel Professor of Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Ronald Ferguson, senior lecturer at HGSE and the Kennedy School of Government and director of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University

    In response to this project is RiShawn Biddle’s Dropout Nation Podcast: The Importance of High Expectations. Biddle is an advocate for school reform in the United States and takes a liberal stand against what he deems “traditionalist” points of view concerning education like those at Harvard and those who support Harvard’s “Pathways..” which in a sense explains that the younger students who are minorities and often of a lower SES do not always benefit from a high education. So far the key efforts of the school reform movement according to Biddle have been overhauling curricula and aiming towards college preparatory education. Most recently, this has been seen as a revising of the common course standards. Biddle says these course standards, in fact, have been a cause of the nation’s dropout numbers.
    While Biddle says that Harvard’s goal is in good spirit what they are really doing is just rehashing old concerns that this nation has had since the early 1900’s. As a pre-service teacher, I obviously want to do my best and promote the well-being of any and all students I come in contact with and teach. My education I believe is leading me to a certain place where I can be comfortable in a classroom as well as effective, engaging and understood at the level I want to teach. Yet, Biddle would disagree. He believes poor recruiting, poor training (especially for the urban classroom environment), poor help in the early years of a student getting an education to become a teacher, as well as a poor system (mainly the topic of tenure) has teachers who aren’t great educators are being protected while at the same time it is disregarding new and innovative ideas from new and/or younger educators. I agree with him in some aspects here. I wish I knew the field better. I wish I knew the technical side of the “business” because when I get into teaching am I safe and secure and are my ideas going to be heard?
    In bringing up Biddle’s argument against Harvard’s propositions I mainly want to get a sense of what both sides of the coin are. Is our education system where it needs to be? Who, if anybody, is getting left to the side? Why now are these concerns coming to light if it has been noted multiple times how poorly our nation’s students are doing when they reach college. In the end, I would argue Biddle’s concerns are not to bash Harvard or the elitist Ivy League schools but rather his care lies with the kids. He believes “every kid needs a high quality education,” that we should “improve instruction early” or get to the source of the problem of education which can be in elementary. The students' successes really should be the mindset of every new or seasoned educator and I am hopeful that it is.

Podcast Reflection #5: EdTechTalk Weekly

Another EdTech Talk podcast is EdTech Weekly with Jeff Lebow, Dave Cormier (mentioned in the earlier blog), Jennifer Maddrell and John Schinker
    In Episode #183, they start with a discussion about the website Needlebase.com which takes content that normally a username/password combination would be necessary for in order to access and makes it available to link for users of Needlebase. It’s an interesting concept that is beginning to catch on but here the issue of privacy again arises, however. Dave mentions that at Purdue they use this to go through the LMS (Which I’m still looking for more info on, but it sounds like it’s their student database) and the administration looks at the kinds of connections people are making as well as how many people are going through it and from there can make a rating of how hard students are trying in their courses compared to peers. Basically, what it sounds like to me is Needlebase takes large amounts of data and makes it easier to reference. It can be used for how people learn online in online courses and such because, as Dave mentions, it can count clicks of links as well as tell how long people might be on certain pages like the "Help" page. This offers vast opportunities in the future to make computer learning and computer-based courses much more tailored to specific needs students and people have.
    Where the interesting discussion begins to take place is when Maddrell poses the question Are K-12 requirements giving students the necessary education, the necessary skills, to properly prepare them for the college level? The problem is one suggests is possibly too much knowledge and comprehension-based curricular education and not enough synthesis and analysis. A look at Bloom’s Taxonomy may help here. This is a hierarchy of learning and effective steps to learn and process information in the best way. Achieve.org is referenced by Maddrell also, specifically Closing The Expectations Gap in 2011. This fact is also thrown in, 40 to 50 years ago 6% of the U.S. population went to higher college level education. Now it is 44%.
    A Harvard study the EdTech hosts bring up addresses that maybe “not every is cut out for college and not everyone should be cut out for college.” DISCUSSION TOPIC IN ITSELF that could get everyone talking. I’m really going to have to find the time to read deeper into this. The hosts ask “Who decides?” Some kind of education, the hosts say, are hard to come by with just a high school diploma. Yet, some of them argue our society is built to where some people lead and others are set up to work the labor jobs. Can this be combated? How will this change in the future?
    Also interesting is the mention of the Horizon Report. This takes into account the technology up and coming for next year, 2-3 years down the line and even 4-5 years. SO, as educators we can look at what we will have at our disposal before we even begin educating, even while we are still in school?! This is intense. Why not be ahead of the game and begin to pick up what you can learn on these new facets of technology that will soon be delivered instead of being left to learn it all at one time once it hits the scene.

Podcast Reflection #4: EdTechTalk: Women of Web 3.0

EdTechTalk: Women of Web 3.0
Show #124

    This show Women of Web is presented by Ed Tech and is hosted by Sharon Peters, Cheri Toledo and Peggy George. In this episode they discussed the book Online Education for Dummies which was written by Kevin Johnson and Susan Manning. I thought it was funny that Sherri has known Susan Manning for 7 years but only within the week of doing the podcast has she met her face-to-face! Also they all live in Illinois and are colleagues but none of them even live in the same town.
    Manning is a 10 year veteran of online instruction who started as an administrator and was asked at that point to explore online education for immigrants learning English. What followed naturally was a lead into course designing and assisting faculties from many major universities in developing online courses, which is what she is still currently doing.
    Kevin Johnson taught in a somewhat traditional classroom setting as well and has a Masters in Curriculum in Instruction. He began by programming education materials for others and again followed naturally into how technology and online education courses can benefit students and teachers alike, but also he wanted to find the most effective and efficient means to do this and really the two of them together have begun to head the creation of standards and ground rules for how a good online course should be run.
    They discuss how helpful and beneficial the Synchronous and Asynchronous tools have been in the early stages of online courses. A wealth of information can be found regarding these online tools; here is just a few:

Mike Scheuermann, Drexel University
This is a YouTube video of a professor explaining the uses of Synchronous tools for an online course.
Tools for Synchronous and Asynchronous Classroom Discussion
A Chronicle of Higher Education article by Julie Meloni
Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication Tools

    Most of what Manning and Johnson currently do involves instructional design and what institutions can do to increase job satisfaction with distant faculty. They also concentrate on “Online Pedagogy” which seems to be a growing trend in the media world as more and more we are seeing a full transition from face-to-face class time into online courses. They frequently mention the Illinois Online Network. This gives "An Online Course in a Nutshell." The two of them believe that online education is just as effective if the course is designed well and students can navigate things effectively. Yet, they stress that the energy and teacher interaction is just as important for keeping things on track and keeping the pace where it needs to be. They mention Dave Cormier’s work that is being done in the realm of online courses as well as George Siemens. Two big names in the future of online courses.
    What is interesting in the discussion everyone has though is they mention the snags that can come with Accreditation agencies and those agencies assessing whether or not online courses involved the necessary standards worthy of getting accredited. I think this was the biggest “wow” moment for me because they seem to be sticking to their guns instead of really allowing faculty and students a say in the matter. In my own opinion, I would have really thought these agencies would run along side schools and universities when it came to inevitable technological progress within our education systems.
    Biggest thing I thought was interesting, the question was asked “What are the top 5 must have’s for a successful online course? Student-to-student work (Collaboration, interaction with one another), Media: Manning says, “We are beyond the days of having text only courses.” Reflection is big, allows learners for metacognition and “Clean Navigation” with the presence of the instructor. This is much of what our course pertains to and I think it is great that these people list the criteria which I would say KSU’s DED 318 course works into very well.

Warhawk Matt Scott in Nike 'No Excuses' Commercial

Mrs. Lane (Block 1, EDSEC 376) shared this with us in class Thursday (2/3)...

Podcast Reflection #3: Moving at the Speed of Creativity

   The particular podcast (Moving at the Speed of Creativity #368) I listened to and subscribed to, presented by Wesley A. Fryer, actually consisted entirely of Will Richardson's seminar Learning in a Networked World - for our Students and for Ourselves which was a part of the Teaching the 21st Century Student conference at the Education Service Center Region 16 in Amarillo, TX which was held Jan. 17, 2011. Fryer speaks very highly of Will Richardson and all that he is doing with technology for the field of education and explains that Richardson undoubtedly is a leader in the adaptation and "transformation of learning along with technology in the education system."
  Richardson, who is an incredible speaker, is highly devoted to complete student immersion into technology in the hopes that it can educate them in ways we have never seen before. He asks the question, how much technology usage in the coming years is going to be driven by teachers? Which, to me, seems like a direct challenge to teachers to stay ahead of their students in the technological race and stay caught up with the leading innovations that pose so many diverse possibilities in the classroom.
  "It's about connections. It's about networks." Richardson wants to know how can we, as educators, help students use the internet, use networks, to their advantage? He explains that, basically, there is nothing our students can't know if they know how to utilize computers. This completely exposes the differences of what you can do face-to-face. He goes on to say, "Change has to happen." It is imminent. "We have to begin thinking about different learning environments. Different ways to learn for our kids...ourselves as well."
  Richardson would like to see 8 Shifts take place which will propel us into what he thinks a more highly evolved technology-based education for students. His ideas are progressive, yet not without their price; loss of privacy being the biggest. It goes beyond that, however. He wants to see more networking and broader communication outside of our "physical space." Sometimes those that are across the globe or country share our passions and we certainly should not rule out the possibility of learning from those people through blogging, twittering, all those internet communication vehicles that are available.
   Last, but not least, we "cannot have a fixed mindset." "No big problems can be solved by big solutions; it is a series of small solutions" which lead to answers. We all have a part in Richardson's ideas, as well as in the system of how we move our students. To reiterate Richardson's thoughts, we must stop making our students wait for their lessons, but let them go out and find resources for what their passionate about online. Schools need to begin encouraging students to do this, as well and begin moving away from what has worked for so long but is now becoming an archaic style of learning, which is textbooks, handouts; the feeding of information at a time convenient for the school. I highly suggest checking out Richardson's notes as well as the full recording of the seminar. It's very eye-opening.

                                                                                       -Joseph Turner
  

Fun with Text

  I think getting students to create a collage of visually appealing words can always help trigger their cognition and assist them in remembering terms or phrases easier. For English this could be especially useful as many times there can be colloquial speech within certain stories that need defining or are essential to remember. Specific words that are apparent and necessary to achieve a greater understanding of a stories theme are also always present. Wordle takes this sometimes unavoidable task of memorizing terms and makes it fun!

Wordle's Homepage

TechSmith | Jing, instant screenshots and screencasts, Thank you

TechSmith | Jing, instant screenshots and screencasts, Thank you

Reflection 2: CDK's Education Technology Place

There are an incredible amount of links on this website. Just the site alone has so much to offer. The videos are definitely cool. I haven’t run into the problem of teachers being really behind on the technology of the day, but the video “I Need My Teachers to Learn” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCrhbgzf4Ys) is a great way to get the attention of those who aren’t taking technology as seriously. “Gotta Keep Reading” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6D9jiEYxzs) is a really cool message to students out there that may think reading can’t be fun. This video gets people’s attention focused on the importance of reading.

            I think these websites are going to move us forward in the way of sharing information. The speed with which you can share information via the websites is also not something to be overlooked. Now all this information can be put into one place for convenience of use. I can surely say I haven’t had a class function at this level of Internet usage. Most professors prefer KSOL to anything many, although, don’t even use that. So, I’m excited to see how this works out.

                                                             - Joseph Turner

Reflection 1: Technology Bits, Bytes & Nibbles

            I’ve always been a proponent of eBooks and, in fact, have done persuasive essays over why more public schools should push for eReaders in place of using traditional text books. The possibilities extend to a wider range of books available for students without the burden of over-weight backpacks or bags. However, after reading over “Can eBooks help bridge achievement gaps?” (Can eBooks help bridge achievement gaps?) by Nora Carr I was stunned at how just the sheer number of books in a household made available to children benefits them more than the level of education their parents have completed or even the father’s occupation in most cases. This makes eReaders all the more necessary because they allow for users to stockpile literature and have it all at their finger tips; I think this shows incredible potential for English and history programs in schools.

            However, a full-blown iPad for students, being given to them in as early as the 4^th grade like Webb school in Knoxville, TN (Tennessee school requires iPad for class) is attempting to do by August of this year, seems a little excessive. I agree that the rise of technology in schools is only going to be beneficial as far as quickness in communication and document sharing go, but giving out that many iPads seems unnecessary. The expense alone has to be overwhelming. With any new piece of technology, too, people must take time out of their normal routine to learn the device’s functions. As a teacher I think taking full advantage of the equipment will be crucial. It will just be nice to know what we are working with.

            I definitely went through and connected my Facebook profile with the Picscatter app. That is a cool and fun way to refresh your profile while making a real cool impression with people. It has got to be the easiest way I’ve seen so far to make your profile do that also. 3+ Ways to Customise Your Facebook Profile Picture
                                                                   - Joseph Turner