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?