Podcasting

Not all podcasts are created equal. Not all schools are created equal. Not all Technology is created equal. Yet we always try to fit technology into round holes. When you look at the ways that technology have changed our lives, there are major impacts on the base model compared to innovation. Maybe this is a good thing.

The Waves of Tech Samsung Troubles, Microsoft Forced Updates and Facebook Workplace blog gives us a view of just that. When examining consequences, so often we just think of the good that can come from the end result, and not the competition it came from. So often companies force out content that is not yet fully tested, and it often results in problems. Is that what we want from our tech? Of course not. This is a lesson we must teach our students, all options are not equal just as all podcasts are not equal.

Comic Strip Generator

Movie

"Create stories, poems, sketches, songs, and plays, including those that reflect traditional and popular American culture, using typical features of a given genre; create an effective voice, using a variety of writing styles appropriate to different audiences, purposes, and settings."

Much like Animoto, the comic strip generator could be used for a variety of purposes. Compared to Animoto, I would be more likely to use the comic strip generator with a younger crowd. While you are still able to create stories and the above performance indicator, you lose much of the customization that you get through Animoto. 

Student sketches would be judged on their ability to cohesively address the topic in logical order. Students would be required to write a sensible dialog of at least 3 scenes which follows a logical pattern. Students are then asked to support their own work and explain why the chose the actions they did. Students who score well will have demonstrated why their comic strip addresses the question presented to them.

Animoto

Animoto

"Create stories, poems, sketches, songs, and plays, including those that reflect traditional and popular American culture, using typical features of a given genre; create an effective voice, using a variety of writing styles appropriate to different audiences, purposes, and settings."

Through the use of Animoto, students will be given the opportunity to create their own digital short videos. The assignment couple be something simple, or it could be more complex. While topics may very, the prompt could be something as simple as, "Show me something that's important in your life." With Animoto, students would be required to find/upload pictures that fall in line with the subject they choose. Students should understand the appropriateness of what they choose as well as showcase their ability to create a media piece.

Ted-Ed

I created a Ted-Ed lesson on the Use of Technology in Foreign Language Classrooms. The idea is for students to begin thinking outside the box when it comes to technology. So many students tend to focus on the social implications of such materials, but I think that the engagement and feedback mechanisms can play an even more integral part in student achievement. While the video showed one way technology could be used, it also shows the teacher giving students extra help along the way.

Students would be judged on whether their proposed use of technology would be potentially useful in a classroom. If students shows some level of thought in their response it would be considered successful. The main idea is to spread engagement through engagement. An active student is more likely to learn successfully than one who tries to absorb information via osmosis.

Flipped Classroom

The idea of a flipped classroom is an interesting one. Changing the focus from lecture to engagement can definitely have its benefits. The more one on one time that can be spent with students, the more likely teachers will be able to quickly sort out learning gaps. Depending on the type of class and type of student, this may be a very successful way to conduct class. On the other hand, it may also land far below expectation.

Flipped classroom approaches allow students an easier medium to catch up if they are to fall behind, but are there unexpected consequences to this? What is the likelihood that the students won't just take this as an excuse to not go to class at all? In high schools, this issue may be circumvented due to attendance restrictions, but in colleges this may be an issue.

Another issue is the availability of technology for the students to view their lessons. If a student encounters an issue where they cannot, or do not, watch the video, the teacher may be stuck teaching the material as a lecture anyway, in essence costing time rather than saving it. While actually in the classroom, this may be accounted for by making the videos available to those who haven't watched them, but will the students stay on task.

While there are benefits to this teaching style, I think that it takes a certain class with a certain teacher to really make it successful. I think the most effective way to implement this would be for the students to join the class in a college environment knowing this is the way the class will be held in advance. Giving them the option to do so, rather than force it on the students as a way of teaching would be the optimal way to increase engagement while also minimizing downtime.

Twitterchatting

Twitter chatting has become an interesting concept within learning communities. Think of it as a virtual conference, where like minded individuals get together to discuss topics within their communities. The Twitter chat started out a bit slow for my liking, while I saw the tweets coming in, it seemed that the Q&A portion didn't really kick in until about 10 minutes into the "start" time. At this point, the moderator began posing questions which resulted in a give and take among participants.

I think that Twitter chats have a place within the professional development community, although they are not something I would use by myself given the choice. The pace was too slow for my liking, and this is in one of the more "lively groups." I think that a similar concept could be successful given an online teaching forum. This would allow users to see many different relevant concepts, pose different questions about different topics, and still gaining the desired feedback that Twitter chats provide. Forums, however, provide a similar medium without equal time constraints. The only downfall is that you need a larger number of people for them to be viable.

Twitter in Education

Twitter was founded a little over ten years ago. While the uses of Twitter have mostly focused around it being a social media tool, the way we think of social media has evolved over the years. Twitter has become about more than just connecting, people have found a variety of ways to utilize it for their own purposes. Educators, for example, have found ways to engage their students in schoolwork, while not in school.

Within classrooms, Twitter can be used in classrooms in a variety of ways. Twitter can be used to post questions for students to answer, almost in a gamified way. Twitter can be used to share ideas about a topic once your students have left school for the day. Students can be told to, look to Twitter for updates, which can range from educational materials, to videos, to just keeping them thinking about class material while they are not in school. Is it more likely students will go home and willfully think about material on their own, or watch a video about Civil War history, given a subtle push? Keeping students engaged is key to success.

Twitter as a Learning Community in Higher Education.
Is Twitter an Effective tool in Higher Education?

ePals

ePals appears to be a social networking site designed specifically for teachers. On the left hand side of the page you are able to filter exactly what type of teachers you want to connect with, from the  grade level, to the language spoken, etc. ePals allows a medium for collaboration with like-minded individuals as what appears to be challenge ideas for students to participate in.

The explore experiences tab allows users to collaborate with others on a specific topic or idea. Allowing students to participate with others around the world can lead to a cultural exchange that the students may not otherwise be able to experience.

Connectivism in Learning

Learning in today's society is like trying to move an ice cube through a funnel, no matter how hard you try, it takes a long time to get to where you're going without diluting the message.

One of the most persuasive factors is the shrinking half-life of knowledge. In today's society, we are constantly bombarded with information. Whether it comes from peers, the media, or the internet, information comes at a much lower cost than it did in the past. A learner is often presented an objective, and then told to get to the result. But how does this work? As more and more information is produced, we must filter out (funnel) what is really important. While some of the information we find will slowly seep through, it takes a long time to really get what you need. 

The knowledge in a technology field changes extremely quickly, but it's extremely reliant on the connections you've made with others. So with all this information out there, what is the best way to find what you're looking for? In many cases, virtual communities have begun to pop up as ways for learners to share ideas and get feedback from those who have similar experiences. This can provide a much more fluid exchange of ideas resulting in much better results at a faster pace. While this is not necessarily a benefit for all topics, it can allow many to proceed much more quickly than they could have otherwise.

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age
Siemens Video

Google+: Teachers for Interactive Language Learning

Teachers for Interactive Language Learning is a community on Google+ designed for the sharing of, "opinions and experiences related to helping others acquire an additional language." The idea is to create a community where we can learn from each others mistakes, and benefit from others gains. The feed on the site mostly consists of discussion posts, along with live conferences. The sharing of ideas promote engagement within the community which in turn, benefits both the students as well as the teacher.

Sites such as Google+ allow for an interactive medium that teachers may not have had access to in the past. Before you may have been limited to resources within your own school or local area. Finding a community within Google+ is fairly simple, allowing for easy access to those who may not have others to work with. The sharing of ideas allows for feedback to occur much more quickly than it may have otherwise.

Diigo vs Pinterest

Diigo is a social bookmarking site which allows users to save links to various websites. This can allow a teachers to set up a list of sites for students to use on a certain project or given a certain focus. When you have a large number of sites, it is easier to use Diigo in many instances because of their use of tags. Students are much more likely to find useful information if they are to search for "Gettysburg" vs "The Civil War." Being able to filter is a huge advantage in this context.

Pinterest allows for a much more visual representation of the material in which you are searching. I think that if a student were to pull up both a Pinterest page and a Diigo page containing the same information, more students would use the Pinterest page due to its visual nature. I think that by creating a medium where students feel that what they're doing is less like work and more like a game, they are more likely to become engaged in the material. Engaged students are more likely to spend more time with the material and, in turn, learn more about the topic.

Other differences include: being able to comment directly on Pinterest posts while this is not necessarily possible on all Diigo posts, the ability to add your commentary directly to your posts on Diigo (via the description you create), the ability to private message those you are following on Diigo, and the ability to automatically find articles related to whatever you have searched on Pinterest. Both sites allow me to follow others, as well as be followed back. 

While I feel that for a student like myself, a Diigo would be more effective, for younger students, Pinterest would be a better option. Depending on the context, I can see either being useful to me in the future.

The Ever-Changing Classroom is the Same as it's Always Been

The video Educational Change Challenge talks about the movement from lecture to education reform. When you look at the what we've learned in the last 100 years, the way we've been teaching has not kept up with the times. Being able to connect with your students can be incredibly advantageous in creating a learning environment that can benefit everyone. It's true that not all students learn at the same pace or in the same way. Creating technology that can meet these different student's needs may be key to education in the future.

The video Networked Student talks about a teacher that took a constructivist approach to learning. The idea is that students will learn by making connections with ideas that they have already learned. Rather than lecturing, the teacher allows the students to explore the newest ideas, rather than learning in traditional methods. While this is good in theory, the way it is described seems to miss the necessary direction that you may need if you are totally unfamiliar with the topic. This method also may cause students to become sidetracked more often than if they were in a traditional classroom setting, even if they think that their focus is in the correct area.

Blogs in Classrooms

Blogs can have a variety of uses within ESL classrooms. Students who are ESL may have difficulty expressing themselves to teachers. For many, it can be difficult to understand a foreign language unless they have had a lot of practice with it. You can learn to read and write very proficiently in a language, yet still have difficulty speaking it. Blogs can be an outlet these students. Through blogs, teachers and students can have a meaningful interaction without having verbal communication. This can allow the teacher to understand the student better, and vice versa, leading to a greater understanding of the material. This serves to support Grade 5-8 Standard 1, performance indicator 7: "Present information clearly in a variety of oral and written forms for different audiences and purposes related to all academic content areas."

Teachers can also use blogs as an accessory to their teaching. If students need extra practice, teachers can post materials on their blogs that students can access from anywhere. Teachers can also post notes, videos, slides, and other materials they may think are beneficial to student learning. Many students learn more effectively through multimodal lesson plans. This serves to enhance students understanding of material as well as helping prevent students from falling behind if they miss class.