Thursday, March 18, 2010

NETS PowerPoint - NETS 2

 Presentation demonstrating proficiency in PowerPoint and giving lesson ideas meeting NETS-S.  PowerPointEE

NETS Collaborative PowerPoint Rubric - NETS 3


 Rubric made collaboratively with classmates using the iRubric website to evaluate NETS PowerPoint presentations. 

Journal 6 - Google Earth - NETS 5

Google Earth is a map with superimposed satelite images.  Some images are available in 3D, and in some areas "street view" is available.   Users may search for addresses (for some countries), navigate the map with the mouse or enter coordinates.  There is also sky mode and historical imagery view.

There were two threads on the Classroom 2.0 website, the first being "Cross-curricular uses of Google Earth". The discussion generator had used the tool in his math class measuring distances in miles and kilometers. They also used it to plot a historic typhoon, and to plan a mock search and rescue of a missing person. Other ideas for the math class were working with population figures or longitude and latitude coordinates. One teacher was using it in ecology/biology to visit the various biomes of the world. It was used in a literature class to visit places discussed in a novel, and this looks like a good resource. Google Earth has been implemented in Science and History lessons to visit sites discussed, and another idea for Math was to make a 3-D model of the school to learn about scale, measurement, angle and geometric shapes. These sites were also offered up as alternatives to using Google Earth.

The second forum discussion was about this. Teachers seemed to agree that these ideas would help students understand the meaning and purpose of the math concepts they are learning in the classroom. Making information useful is important for students!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Journal 7 - The Beginner's Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips - NETS 5

Zanetis, Jane. (2010). The Beginner's guide to interactive virtual field trips. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4516&ContentID=25443&DirectListComboInd=D

This article was about virtual field trips (VFTs).  Virtual field trips or videoconferencing allow students to engage with experts near or far without the transportation costs of leaving the classroom.  These virtual field trips could involve a tour, witnessing experiments or demonstrations, or attending events.  There are Asynchronous VFTs are not real-time; they involve viewing websites which may have video tours, podcasts, etc.  Some reference websites for VFTs include: www.efieldtrips.org, www.accessexcellence.org/RC/virtual.php (mainly science and health related), www.gaillovely.com/VirtualFieldTrips.htm.  Interactive VFTs are real-time, and involve videoconferencing with special equipment.  30% of schools do have this equipment.  According to the article, the author knows of 300 different organizations that offer Interactive VFTs in which credentialed persons present on a curricular topic related to the organization.  Students can interact with the presenters using the online interface, and after the initial adaptation to the technology, the "walls disappear."  The article goes on to explain ways one might acquire videoconferencing equipment if it is unavailable at his/her school, and recommends this site for finding quality content.  Some VFTs have a fee, but many are free.  The article also lists the 2008-09 Award-winning VFT content providers.

1.  What are the drawbacks to VFTs?  In our media/virtual saturated society, I feel like a real field trip would be more engaging in certain circumstances.  For example, actually going to the zoo would be very different from a VFT.  I don't see how asynchronous VFTs are different from watching a DVD.

2.  What about the cost?  Yes, we've eliminated the cost of transportation, but in some cases there is a fee for the VFT.  Therefore, is it really worth it?  Maybe I am just one for real-life experiences.  

Friday, March 5, 2010

Journal 4 - Finding Students who Learn with Media - NETS 5

Bull, G, Alexander, C, & Ferster, B. (2010). Finding students who learn with media. Learning & Leading with Technology37(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25255&DirectListComboInd=D



This article is about student-created media for learning.  Student projects may be created using a suite of online tools and primary source documents accessed through Library of congress and the Smithsonian websites.  PrimaryAccess MovieMaker is one such tool; it allows students to add text, primary source images, and audio narration.  The Smithsonian American Art Museum uses this program as part of their virtual exhibit called Picturing the 1930s.  PrimaryAccess was created to keep costs down and make movie-making simple, so students focus on learning content, not how to use the specific technology.  The authors/researchers of the article realized that the PrimaryAccess program really took about three class periods for students to put a project together, so they made an extension called Storyboard, which has been used without additional class time.  Students using the tool have performed as well as those who wrote traditional essays as assignments.  On average, students spend more time on the Storyboard than essays with approximately 40% engaged in both the historical content and the activity.  Some students were engaged by the technology, but not the content, while others were engaged by the content, but not the technology.  15% of students were not engaged by either the Storyboard activity or the historical content.  In addressing student disengagement, these issues are often discussed:  authenticity, student interests, real-world importance, and degree of student choice.  The authors of this article believe that it has been shown that student engagement increases when student-authored media is introduced into the class, and that this can be done without increased time on the unit.  Students engaged by media, not content need help with time management.  One advantage of the online environment is that a teacher can access information about a student’s performance early, and perhaps adapt the assignment/instruction to meet the individual’s needs.


What degree of student choice is involved in using Storyboard?  Looks like students can make quite a range of visual changes.  They choose backgrounds, actors, talk bubbles, and props; they also have the freedom to upload their own images.  They can also add Ken Burns style motion to images.  As far as I can tell, the program looks similar to PowerPoint or maybe iMovie.  If the content is most important, for the sake of student choice and increased engagement, perhaps those students who would prefer to write a traditional essay should be allowed to do so to demonstrate their learning of the content. 

Is adding technology not worthwhile when it takes too much time?  This depends entirely, of course, on the nature of the class and the standards by which one is judging.  If the content is most important (and the content is not technology), it is good to have created a more easily used program such as Storyboard to replace the MovieMaker program.  However, sometimes it might be worthwhile to be learning the complexities of a program/dealing with software even (maybe especially) for those students who shy away from technology.  The learning could be considered interdisciplinary.  

Journal 3- Keeping the Peace - NETS 5


Levinson, Matt. (2010). Keeping the peace. Learning & Leading with Technology37(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfmSection=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25237&DirectListComboInd=D



This article is about problems encountered with Instant Messaging when Nueva Middle School launched their one-to-one laptop program in 2007.  Whereas, students’ parents view technology as information, it was clear that youth view technology as entertainment and a means of socializing.  Eventually, the school had to ban the use of IM.  As soon as the program started, students were IMing one another during class.  After school, they spent their time video messaging, and, apparently, one student let another see his mother in her pajama.  One frustrated teacher said she would not use the laptops in her classroom.  There were heated debates between parents and faculty, some wanting school restrictions, some wanting students the freedom to learn.  When iChat was eventually blocked on the school laptops, there was an outcry.  Students petitioned and students and parents alike wrote letters.  One student wrote that students used iChat for important issues and the decision to ban it should be up to individuals’ parents.  One parent felt that iChat had broken down “cliques” and offered her commuting student an opportunity for socialization with her classmates.  Again, this parent was against the censorship.  Some parents, however, were for it, feeling that by providing the software for the student the school’s authority had clashed with their own.  After the first year, the school instituted new policies such as, a laptop orientation for incoming students, a partnership with Common Sense Media, online research training, faculty training, parent education workshops, an acceptable use policy that must be signed before laptop distribution, a school-only IM program for use with teacher permission, and continued flexibility to manage the cultural divide between adults and children and to deal with the students’ “social landscape”.   

Should the school have let the students’ parents decide on a case-by-case basis?  I would usually agree that something of this sort is best left for the parents to decide.  However, I can understand this perspective from the author of the article:  we did not want to “pit those who had access against those who did not.”


Could the school do more as far as their new policies regarding the student laptops?  I think the school has implemented a great plan for educating teachers, parents, and students about the appropriate use of the new technology.  Common Sense Media seems like an especially great resource from detailed rating for the newest movies to advice on cyberbullying issues. 

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Journal 2: Using Podcasts to Develop a Global Perspective - NETS 5

Maguth, B.M., & Elliot, J. (2010). Using Podcasts to Develop a Global Perspective. Learning & Leading with Technology37(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25244&DirectListComboInd=D



Teachers must educate students about cultural diversity.  At a high school in Ohio, some teachers are using podcasting to get students excited about learning about other cultures and interacting with people around the world.  For this podcast assignment, students had to moderate and record a debate on a global issue, such as climate change, in a Meet the Press format.  After researching their topics, students worked in groups to write scripts for the podcasts in which they would pretend to be the invited panelists and respond to questions.  In this way, they were to discuss and understand the multiple perspectives.  Using Garage Band, students recorded their scripted debates.  Audacity is another recording program available for Mac and PC.  After scripts were successfully completed, students used postproduction software to edit and include features such as music and commercial breaks.  With the recording finished, students converted the file to an MP3 and posted on the Internet.  One student said, “We need to turn in good work because people all over the world could see this.”  The assignment helped students explore opposing views on relevant issues.


How adaptable is this lesson plan and could it be used to foster communication with others outside of the school's community?  I think the podcast idea using a pretend debate between global leaders on a relevant issue was great.  The podcast assignment is also neat because it introduces a medium that could be used for presenting research on a myriad of topics.  Further, one could actually facilitate some type of “exchange” with a school in another part of the country or the world where students could give feedback on the various podcasts.

Is this a feasible assignment for most students in most schools in Southern California?  I am not sure about this one, but at this point, I would tend to say ‘no’.  Outside of taking specific technology courses, do high schoolers have access to the necessary software and Internet to work on such a project during or outside of class?  Students of certain economic backgrounds probably do have access to such software etc., but can I make such an assignment knowing the ease with which it will be accomplished by one student and not another?