Well I'm done with the courses, but I am just getting started trying to make all this new stuff work. I don't think my ideas have changed much from the start, but I do have a few really good new tools. I will use the bookmarking system, I will use my new PLN with other physics teachers. I will use lots of the GOOGLE tools and encourage my school to as well. I have already started a new web-page in Google. I will try lots of other things to enhance my teaching and more importantly my students learning.
Thanks for the help on my journey. It was a good way to get myself motivated to begin the process of enhancing my class. Much better way than the endless pd mini lessons that we are supposed to learn these things in a 1.5 hours and then use them...
later
Take a few moments to reflect on your journey. You've covered a lot of material over the past ten weeks. What does it all mean? How has your thinking changed between Thing 1 and Thing 23? Has this program changed how you view the Internet or how view teaching in the digital world? What plans have you made for using these tools in and out of the classroom? How will you continue to learn about Web 2.0 tools? What are your big "take aways" from this experience?
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Thing #22
I like You Tube and Teacher tube.
I use You Tube videos to show ideas that we as discussing in class, but that are hard, expensive, or dangerous to set up . I have just included links in notes and then stream them to the class.
i.e. When we were studying waves and shock waves in stead of just tell the kids about how planes can create shock wave I tell them AND SHOW THEM. They are much more interested when they can SEE and HEAR the results of our discussion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX04ySm4TTk&NR=1
I know you wanted to see!
You tube is banned/blocked from our school building. But not for teachers. The amount of material that is blocked often hinders my students from searching and researching. I usually help them with lists of resources, but this is really a crutch. We need to open up communication more not block more stuff especially as students get older high school etc. I have end of the year physics projects that are very student driven. It is frustrating for me and my students to do research at school. I will keep trying to change things ...
later
I use You Tube videos to show ideas that we as discussing in class, but that are hard, expensive, or dangerous to set up . I have just included links in notes and then stream them to the class.
i.e. When we were studying waves and shock waves in stead of just tell the kids about how planes can create shock wave I tell them AND SHOW THEM. They are much more interested when they can SEE and HEAR the results of our discussion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX04ySm4TTk&NR=1
I know you wanted to see!
You tube is banned/blocked from our school building. But not for teachers. The amount of material that is blocked often hinders my students from searching and researching. I usually help them with lists of resources, but this is really a crutch. We need to open up communication more not block more stuff especially as students get older high school etc. I have end of the year physics projects that are very student driven. It is frustrating for me and my students to do research at school. I will keep trying to change things ...
later
Thing #21
I could not access the video thru the embedded link, but I got it at
http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter
the teacher tube link died i guess.
I do not really know or have not yet thought of a good use for twitter for my class. It may be a way for students to ask questions during a large group activity where I am helping other groups or when they think of a question, but have to wait for me to finish my thought before they can ask. Some students are real frustrated when they are not allowed to ask a question as soon as they think of it. If they could twitter it they get it down out of their head and I get copy of the question that I can address when appropriate.
It is important to know that these type of things exist so that we as educators can understand how students are interfacing.
I might use twitter with my PLN to post questions or submit ideas, but there are already other ways to do so. I do not know right now because I am still pretty new at this.
Later
http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter
the teacher tube link died i guess.
I do not really know or have not yet thought of a good use for twitter for my class. It may be a way for students to ask questions during a large group activity where I am helping other groups or when they think of a question, but have to wait for me to finish my thought before they can ask. Some students are real frustrated when they are not allowed to ask a question as soon as they think of it. If they could twitter it they get it down out of their head and I get copy of the question that I can address when appropriate.
It is important to know that these type of things exist so that we as educators can understand how students are interfacing.
I might use twitter with my PLN to post questions or submit ideas, but there are already other ways to do so. I do not know right now because I am still pretty new at this.
Later
Thing #20
I guess I was just working ahead, but I did the inport thing already in #19. It was very easy to do, but I had to go back and edit the tags. I guess thats why you asked the comments about how to create good tags in #19.
Anyway here is my del.icio.uc accout
Hooray! Your import job is complete! To see your bookmarks, visithttp://www.delicious.com/btrapp
As I said in #19 I will this soon. I will enhance my bookmark sharing in our physics projects.
latrer
Anyway here is my del.icio.uc accout
Hooray! Your import job is complete! To see your bookmarks, visithttp://www.delicious.com/btrapp
As I said in #19 I will this soon. I will enhance my bookmark sharing in our physics projects.
latrer
Thing #19
Delicious is very cool indeed. A teaching comment: Please put this lesson closer to the top of 23 things! It would have saved me lots of time doing many assignments. I have been working on several different computers with lots of NEW websites. I have been e-mailing the URLs to myself so that I could find them later when I need to, but this takes lots of extra time, many open windows,tabs,.....
I WILL use this a LOT! I have a bank of over 1000 + websites and I have sorted them but sometimes the sorting overlaps so a site that has them tagged will be very beneficial!
That final comment about sharing them I will share these with my students and this will make many activities much simpler to do. I was wondering about the tag cloud! I have seen them come up in several searches and wondered why, how they were built. Knowledge is power! Cause now I know.
Assigning the right tag is key, try to keep them general enough so that each site doesn't have its own tag. You can overlap tags if things fit in more than one category. i.e. an advanced or boolean type of search can sort them further i.e. physics and highschool not electricity
Later
I WILL use this a LOT! I have a bank of over 1000 + websites and I have sorted them but sometimes the sorting overlaps so a site that has them tagged will be very beneficial!
That final comment about sharing them I will share these with my students and this will make many activities much simpler to do. I was wondering about the tag cloud! I have seen them come up in several searches and wondered why, how they were built. Knowledge is power! Cause now I know.
Assigning the right tag is key, try to keep them general enough so that each site doesn't have its own tag. You can overlap tags if things fit in more than one category. i.e. an advanced or boolean type of search can sort them further i.e. physics and highschool not electricity
Later
Thing #18
As you look through the Ning, reflect in a blog post about the potential uses of a PLN within your organization. What opportunities do you see? What problems do you think about with a social network PLN?
I looked around Ning and Joined a Physics Teachers group. (pending)
It seems as a great place to share ideas (I found lots of feed back on a wii-mote whiteboard writer that a few students of mine are building. I'm off task again I know!)
I don't really see any problems other than possibly having an administration forcing a group of teachers to join a PLN. Otherwise I see only positive results from sharing ideas.
Later
I looked around Ning and Joined a Physics Teachers group. (pending)
It seems as a great place to share ideas (I found lots of feed back on a wii-mote whiteboard writer that a few students of mine are building. I'm off task again I know!)
I don't really see any problems other than possibly having an administration forcing a group of teachers to join a PLN. Otherwise I see only positive results from sharing ideas.
Later
Thing #17
Explore the site you selected.
Tweet Scan
What is this? Sign in Download Advanced Find People
For more information check our API page or read our Blog
It makes Twitter more useful. It is like a hybred between twittering your life away and being able to in contact and then looking at it later via an rss feed or e-mail.
The adva ntages of twitter/non comericial media no spam or ads get in the way of your using it (yet someone will find a way nodoubt)
uses in school may be limited. I have not used twitter much, but I know some of my studnets use it all the time. This would be a way for them to find/search for information stored in the twitter realm.
For fun I am looking at real esate stuff to buy a vaction home. I'll try Zillow....
later
Tweet Scan
What is this? Sign in Download Advanced Find People
For more information check our API page or read our Blog
It makes Twitter more useful. It is like a hybred between twittering your life away and being able to in contact and then looking at it later via an rss feed or e-mail.
The adva ntages of twitter/non comericial media no spam or ads get in the way of your using it (yet someone will find a way nodoubt)
uses in school may be limited. I have not used twitter much, but I know some of my studnets use it all the time. This would be a way for them to find/search for information stored in the twitter realm.
For fun I am looking at real esate stuff to buy a vaction home. I'll try Zillow....
later
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thing #16
Well I agree with the digital students ideas about college especially the idea of the cost not being worth the price. I think we have changed k-12 instruction and college needs to change as well. But I see the new reforms in high school education and the amount of curriculum that needs to be processed will make us more like college,more paper and pencil.... But I refuse to let the curriculum needs change my teaching. It does mean that I have to be more creative.
That leads into video #2 which is on my favorite subject creativity. In the TED video Sir Ken Robinson relayed lots of good information about public education and how it has become entrenched in teaching kids to be able to do well in college. The real change has happened since I started teaching in the early 1980's. In the 1970's we were still given lots of opportunities to try many kinds of non-college types of education. Art, band, WOOD shop, Industrial Arts, Metal shop, etc.... Where has my wood shop gone? It would like to know how many high schools have eliminated shop classes. I see many kids that are so good things other than academics that could be encouraged to ex cell, but now they get little opportunity and have little joy in school.
The last video is a montage of kids and their voices regarding what/who they see there educational needs versus how society says they should be educated. I agree with them, but not all teachers see kids in these limited roles. I think I actually see kids and give students lots of opportunities to show their talents, but they are scared to fail. I my class I tell them you will fail! You will make mistakes! But most of all You will Learn BECAUSE of your failures, mistakes, but mostly from your ability to keep trying despite your failures. I believe the key to prolonged success in ANYTHING is persistence! I don't think you can teach persistence, I think all people become persistent when then are doing what they like, they choose to do, and what drives them.
It is our job as educators to help them find those things!
Officially off my soap Box!
later
That leads into video #2 which is on my favorite subject creativity. In the TED video Sir Ken Robinson relayed lots of good information about public education and how it has become entrenched in teaching kids to be able to do well in college. The real change has happened since I started teaching in the early 1980's. In the 1970's we were still given lots of opportunities to try many kinds of non-college types of education. Art, band, WOOD shop, Industrial Arts, Metal shop, etc.... Where has my wood shop gone? It would like to know how many high schools have eliminated shop classes. I see many kids that are so good things other than academics that could be encouraged to ex cell, but now they get little opportunity and have little joy in school.
The last video is a montage of kids and their voices regarding what/who they see there educational needs versus how society says they should be educated. I agree with them, but not all teachers see kids in these limited roles. I think I actually see kids and give students lots of opportunities to show their talents, but they are scared to fail. I my class I tell them you will fail! You will make mistakes! But most of all You will Learn BECAUSE of your failures, mistakes, but mostly from your ability to keep trying despite your failures. I believe the key to prolonged success in ANYTHING is persistence! I don't think you can teach persistence, I think all people become persistent when then are doing what they like, they choose to do, and what drives them.
It is our job as educators to help them find those things!
Officially off my soap Box!
later
Thing #15
Podcasts. I first thing I saw in the video was a lot of kids using i-pods and other devices, we do not allow any of these in our school. It just seems funny that we elimated the i-pods and we are now considering having every student use a lap top.
I already use podcasts in my teaching, but I do not produce any at this time. I think it would be cool if I could put homework and major talking points on a website that woudl automatically be pushed to a students pod catcher. (no excueses about having forgot the assigement) I guess there would just be NEW excuses, my battery died, it was charing, my parents too away my phone so I couldn't do my homework.
I don't know about the value of using them while in school, other than as a shared activity. I worked for several years a t getting the students to talk with each other about the classroom activities and not just hide away in their devices.
later
I already use podcasts in my teaching, but I do not produce any at this time. I think it would be cool if I could put homework and major talking points on a website that woudl automatically be pushed to a students pod catcher. (no excueses about having forgot the assigement) I guess there would just be NEW excuses, my battery died, it was charing, my parents too away my phone so I couldn't do my homework.
I don't know about the value of using them while in school, other than as a shared activity. I worked for several years a t getting the students to talk with each other about the classroom activities and not just hide away in their devices.
later
Thing #14
I read the article and side with the teachers who suggest that real live lectures are better than recorded podcasts. I do feel that podcasts are better than notes only especially for the auditory learners (like me).
On a personal note I took a few classes that were offered on TV and on audio tape. The audio tape class was a waste of time. Reading the book was better than listening to a monotone lecture on cassette.( Sorry Dr. Hammer) The TV lecture was better than nothing, but without any real life person in front of you it was hard to see facial expressions, etc that you in person.
Finally and my main point of contention is that learning, especially in high school, SHOULD NOT BE ABOUT LECTURE!. I work very hard to engage my students and I limit my lecture time to less than 30 % of my total classroom time. Sometimes less IS more!
Here are the POD casts that I use with my class. I like information that is current and from respected sources (i.e. don't just listen to me class) . The other kinds that are valuable are shortened versions of Video that allows us to discuss.
E = mc2 . often misunderstood
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/rss/podcasting.html
Dark matter... Just the most of all the universe. My kids eat these kind of things up. It is right at there level.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0301/01.html
On a personal note I took a few classes that were offered on TV and on audio tape. The audio tape class was a waste of time. Reading the book was better than listening to a monotone lecture on cassette.( Sorry Dr. Hammer) The TV lecture was better than nothing, but without any real life person in front of you it was hard to see facial expressions, etc that you in person.
Finally and my main point of contention is that learning, especially in high school, SHOULD NOT BE ABOUT LECTURE!. I work very hard to engage my students and I limit my lecture time to less than 30 % of my total classroom time. Sometimes less IS more!
Here are the POD casts that I use with my class. I like information that is current and from respected sources (i.e. don't just listen to me class) . The other kinds that are valuable are shortened versions of Video that allows us to discuss.
E = mc2 . often misunderstood
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/rss/podcasting.html
Dark matter... Just the most of all the universe. My kids eat these kind of things up. It is right at there level.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0301/01.html
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Thing #13
Oh lucky 13.
I tried to use ZOHO show. It was very slow to upload my files. ( I don't upload very many files so this maybe me only or the computer line I was working from). I did seem to me that the 10 Mb filke size limit would be routeenly been exceeded by powerpoints I would use for presenttions as it was for may of my students. I posted one from a former studnet. It was his guitar final project.
I hope you like it.
http://show.zoho.com/export/Guitar-PPT-ppt.html?p_id=489841000000004037&p_name=Guitar-PPT-ppt&p_name_url=Guitar-PPT-ppt
I tried to use ZOHO show. It was very slow to upload my files. ( I don't upload very many files so this maybe me only or the computer line I was working from). I did seem to me that the 10 Mb filke size limit would be routeenly been exceeded by powerpoints I would use for presenttions as it was for may of my students. I posted one from a former studnet. It was his guitar final project.
I hope you like it.
http://show.zoho.com/export/Guitar-PPT-ppt.html?p_id=489841000000004037&p_name=Guitar-PPT-ppt&p_name_url=Guitar-PPT-ppt
Thing #12
I tried the knowtes sight. It is a flash card site.
http://www.knowtes.com/browse
The first thing I did not like is the somewhat incrypted way to sign up. It was just weird, you had to get an invite.... then the sign in forms were just kind of creepy...
The idea of a web-site flash card system is good. You are supposed to be able to share or develope them with a study group etc.
If you take the ones on line no real way to make sure they are correct, terminology may differ, and the system has no feedback that I saw. You marked when you got them wrong, but there was no wrong pile. It may do that for you in the software.
Also I saw no way create my own. I looked all over, but could not find any place to ask for help that worked or any way to solve it.
later
http://www.knowtes.com/browse
The first thing I did not like is the somewhat incrypted way to sign up. It was just weird, you had to get an invite.... then the sign in forms were just kind of creepy...
The idea of a web-site flash card system is good. You are supposed to be able to share or develope them with a study group etc.
If you take the ones on line no real way to make sure they are correct, terminology may differ, and the system has no feedback that I saw. You marked when you got them wrong, but there was no wrong pile. It may do that for you in the software.
Also I saw no way create my own. I looked all over, but could not find any place to ask for help that worked or any way to solve it.
later
Thing #11
As in the title Google Docs Rocks.
This is probably the most useful part of the class so far. I can see how and why I will use this. I will use this for sharing lab data, for a way to have student collaborate on projects and also I can monitor and comment on their on going work.
I will defiantly use it.
later
This is probably the most useful part of the class so far. I can see how and why I will use this. I will use this for sharing lab data, for a way to have student collaborate on projects and also I can monitor and comment on their on going work.
I will defiantly use it.
later
Thing #10
Thing #10
https://phizziksphunn.wikispaces.com/2009+Project+List
That's my wiki page. I might use it sharing information about projects or as an input or output space where I can get/give feed back from students about long term projects.
I thought it was rather difficult to use the text editor to format tables or more complicated text boxes etc.
It was fun to use other than than and it one more tool for my tool box.
later
https://phizziksphunn.wikispaces.com/2009+Project+List
That's my wiki page. I might use it sharing information about projects or as an input or output space where I can get/give feed back from students about long term projects.
I thought it was rather difficult to use the text editor to format tables or more complicated text boxes etc.
It was fun to use other than than and it one more tool for my tool box.
later
Monday, April 6, 2009
Thing #9
Thing # 9 Icky Wiki or A sticky Wiki
Maybe I'm a little old school, but when I read about the study hall wiki I saw it as an opportunity for students to share information that may be used for inappropriate sharing. The article talked about how fast the information flowed around the school. I saw as a way to "share" things like what is on the test, answers, and a "copy my homework page". I have had to spend lots of my time teaching kids how to use the new technology in a positive way and I see this as another "opportunity" to do more teaching.
In the past several years the amount of cut and pasting my students do has increased 10 x. It is always a shock to them that the are not allowed to simply take what the see from an internet sight and simply paste it over to there worksheet or paper and call it their own work. I hope I can find a way for them to share effectively in a meaningful and sharing way. If I can then this new wikki space will a positive space and help me educate my students.
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