Ah yes, the crux of it all -- how do I bring all of this wonderful discovery to life. The open sources are amazing. Wikis, blogs, and web quests certainly need to be used. And if nothing else, my vantage point regarding my student's cell phones and laptops is fresh and new -- enlightened.
I do not want to lose the valuable tools that I have encountered during this course, but we all know the tendency to forget and go back to what we used to do. I hate that.
Curtis Bonk wrote about how WE-ALL-LEARN. I am coming to discover that he is completely right. The only question remaining is how we will experience it -- with a 20th century teacher or a 21st century one.
“Learning should be active, fun, and filled with creative expression” (Bonk, 2009). How sad that we have to admit how un-fun most of our educational time is and still is for learners.
I'm willing to work on it! It can be better!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
My First WebQuest: Triangles
Well folks, yes, it's true. I have made my very own webquest. I was skeptical, but now that I have labored through the process, I can see the immense value in it. Try it! Seriously, try it! I used Zunal.com. Great free website. They cannot make it easier for you.
Check out my triangles! Triangles Beyond the Text
Check out my triangles! Triangles Beyond the Text
Friday, July 29, 2011
Web 2.0 in my dreams, in my inbox, everywhere....
A month into this adventure in the world of educational Web 2.0 I am a saturated sponge. I have more ideas than an entire school year could hold, more login accounts than I thought possible, and yet I am happy about it.
Formulating a tech-onomy of my own based on Bloom's classic taxonomy was a pivotal process as well. The brain does some amazing things and I am coming to the realization that technology enhances are cognitive capabilities and experiences. As I begin to prepare my 2.0 pedagogy, I think it needs something different.
All the articles I read, the two texts and of course the experiences with the actual technology have enlightened me. I think I'll use the tech-onomy as a basis for the pedagogy. Well see...
Formulating a tech-onomy of my own based on Bloom's classic taxonomy was a pivotal process as well. The brain does some amazing things and I am coming to the realization that technology enhances are cognitive capabilities and experiences. As I begin to prepare my 2.0 pedagogy, I think it needs something different.
All the articles I read, the two texts and of course the experiences with the actual technology have enlightened me. I think I'll use the tech-onomy as a basis for the pedagogy. Well see...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
3 minutes and 45 seconds that make you feel good about learning
This video popped up on my stream to the left, and I found it quite enjoyable. I am going to share it with my high school faculty to encourage them to keep learning along with our students!
Curriculum Sharing - Open School Concept
This article popped into my inbox this morning and I thought it was worthy of sharing. This notion of open curriculum and sharing could change education entirely! Think of the publication companies!
Radical Curriculum Sharing (by Todd Finley)
Many cool resources listed too!
Radical Curriculum Sharing (by Todd Finley)
Many cool resources listed too!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Educational Networking: The Role of Web 2.0 in Education
Here's a wonderful synopsis of the marriage between education and Web 2.0 tools. At the end of the article, the following list has been charged to educators. This appears to be a good self-check for each of us to see how much Web 2.0 is influencing our practices.
Web 2.0 Building Blocks
Here’s a brief roundup of the features, or tools, that comprise Web 2.0 and that are commonly found in social and educational networks. By looking at them within the context of education, their usefulness for teaching and learning are pretty dramatically apparent.
Profile Page: In educational networking, the profile page is a purposeful representation of who you are that provides tangible and identifiable benefits to professional connecting. Not only does the profile page fulfill some of the tasks that a resume would, but it also provides a portal view to the content you’ve created or participated in on the network, becoming a dynamic e-portfolio.
Friending: While “friending” can have a terrible connotation, if you think “colleague,” this will quickly fall away. Now you have professional colleagues, and, if it’s not quite the same as eating lunch with your fellow teachers each day in the teachers’ lounge, your online colleagues may be more likely to share your direct interests and understand your specific challenges.
Forums: One of the great features that Ning networks strengthened was the discussion forum, through which discussions could take place over time (asynchronously) and were threaded (making them easy to read and follow). Having conversations gathered in one place where they’re easy to read and search takes discussion forums to a new level and often makes them the heart of an educational network.
Photo/Video/Audio/Document Uploading: The tools for uploading “resources” such as photos, videos, and documents take on new meaning in educational networking, enabling the kind of sharing that is so powerfully ingrained into the teaching profession. Uploading a lesson plan and tagging it so it can be easily found by others provides a platform for great collaboration.
Directory: While not formally called “directories,” in many networks, the combination of member listings with the ability to search for members based on their profile information helps members find each other and create a “colleague” relationship.
Event Calendars: Using this tool for educational purposes (e.g., highlighting professional development events or valuable broadcasts) makes an events module of significant value to an educational network.
Groups: Groups (smaller versions of networks) not only provide a way for existing affiliations or associations to expand, they also allow for new connections to be created, grown, and sustained around more thinly sliced interest areas, timely events, topical issues, ad-hoc projects, and much more.
Chat: Chat can provide a surprisingly meaningful way to use informal communication to get to know someone a thousand miles away. In a network made up largely of asynchronous communication tools, it provides the opportunity for immediate, synchronous responses and dialogue.
Hargadon, S. (2010, March 1). Educational networking: the role of web 2.0 in education [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/Editorial/Features/Educational-Networking-The-Role-of-Web-2.0-in-Education-5bAvailable-Full-Text2c-Free5d-61342.aspx
Web 2.0 Building Blocks
Here’s a brief roundup of the features, or tools, that comprise Web 2.0 and that are commonly found in social and educational networks. By looking at them within the context of education, their usefulness for teaching and learning are pretty dramatically apparent.
Profile Page: In educational networking, the profile page is a purposeful representation of who you are that provides tangible and identifiable benefits to professional connecting. Not only does the profile page fulfill some of the tasks that a resume would, but it also provides a portal view to the content you’ve created or participated in on the network, becoming a dynamic e-portfolio.
Friending: While “friending” can have a terrible connotation, if you think “colleague,” this will quickly fall away. Now you have professional colleagues, and, if it’s not quite the same as eating lunch with your fellow teachers each day in the teachers’ lounge, your online colleagues may be more likely to share your direct interests and understand your specific challenges.
Forums: One of the great features that Ning networks strengthened was the discussion forum, through which discussions could take place over time (asynchronously) and were threaded (making them easy to read and follow). Having conversations gathered in one place where they’re easy to read and search takes discussion forums to a new level and often makes them the heart of an educational network.
Photo/Video/Audio/Document Uploading: The tools for uploading “resources” such as photos, videos, and documents take on new meaning in educational networking, enabling the kind of sharing that is so powerfully ingrained into the teaching profession. Uploading a lesson plan and tagging it so it can be easily found by others provides a platform for great collaboration.
Directory: While not formally called “directories,” in many networks, the combination of member listings with the ability to search for members based on their profile information helps members find each other and create a “colleague” relationship.
Event Calendars: Using this tool for educational purposes (e.g., highlighting professional development events or valuable broadcasts) makes an events module of significant value to an educational network.
Groups: Groups (smaller versions of networks) not only provide a way for existing affiliations or associations to expand, they also allow for new connections to be created, grown, and sustained around more thinly sliced interest areas, timely events, topical issues, ad-hoc projects, and much more.
Chat: Chat can provide a surprisingly meaningful way to use informal communication to get to know someone a thousand miles away. In a network made up largely of asynchronous communication tools, it provides the opportunity for immediate, synchronous responses and dialogue.
Hargadon, S. (2010, March 1). Educational networking: the role of web 2.0 in education [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/Editorial/Features/Educational-Networking-The-Role-of-Web-2.0-in-Education-5bAvailable-Full-Text2c-Free5d-61342.aspx
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