New Assignment

Patrick Welsh had an opinion piece in today's USAToday entitled "Txting away ur education". It is directly related to our discussions last night.

I have written a reply to Mr. Welsh. Read his article and the comments that have been made. Be prepared to include these materials in your podcast plans for next Monday night.

New Assignment - Review These Podcasts/Videocasts

Ashton and Jake, students in Mr. Lamshed's Class (6th grade) created this podcast/videocast entitled Chameleon.

Armel and Mitch, also in Mr. Lamshed's class, created this podcast/videocast Lions.

Watch these two podcasts/videocasts.

Leave a comment for both of these posts when you visit the posts on Mr. Lamshed's site. Tell the students what you thought of their work.

Then write a post on your blog in which you create a link (that works) to their podcasts and answer these questions:

1. Are you prepared to teach these students?
2. What do you need to do to be able to be an effective teacher in classes where students are already doing videocasts?
3. Any reactions to what is happening? podcasts? international links? 6th grade students? your preparation to teach in this new world where new communication tools seems to emerge daily?

New Generation Learning

If you are keeping up with the posts on the blog At The Teachers Desk you will have seen Mr. Fawcett's (@TeacherNZ) post on the web site New Generation Learning. It is an important site and will give you a better understanding of what is being attempted in other countries in the use of technologies and learning and will also provide you with examples of what can be done! You should read this site. Expect a modification to yur assignments which will make that assignment explicit.

And if you are not reading (and watching the associated videos and exploring the links in the posts) At The Teachers Desk in its entirety, on a regular basis, I am now making that an official assignment. At The Teachers is a fantastic resource. Read it! Watch the Videos. Explore the links. Regularly. And when you do, leave a comment for the authors. It helps them understand how readers respond to what they have written. In addition, you will be building your network of professionals who are actually contributing to education in significant ways. And furthermore, they are all over the world. And the world is quite different from Alabama!

Monday June 15 (Week 3)

What we covered:
1. Presentations
a. Sharing
b. Embeding
c. Audience
d. Chat with Audience
2. Tweet Deck
a. Follow this week
b. Create special columns for key people you are following. Shows their tweets and tweets to them (with @)
c. Direct tweets
d. Responses (@)
3. Podcast Assignments
a. Kitty and Nicole will interview me around my claim that what is needed for education is a permanent link to the internet, not classrooms as presently conducted. Be prepared to challenge this assertion with facts, arguments and examples.
b. Megan and Dana will interview me on my assertion that we have moved into a culture of "listener/watchers rather than reader writers and that the 3Rs need to be replaced with the 6 Cs. I also contend that the "Big 3" are no longer Ford, Chrysler and GM but rather Apple, Amazon and Google. Be prepared to challenge this assertion with facts, arguments and examples. See a separate post for example podcasts. The podcasts in that post are to be substituted for the podcasts referred to in your Blog Assignments.
We will practice next week and record the video and audio in week 5.
4. Weeks 4 and 5 are switched
5. I reviewed how iTunes works and encouraged you to explore the voluminous content available through iTunes which can be used for instructional purposes.
6. I asked you to review my Professional Blog as well as the Professional Blogs done by some of my students last semester. Read the instructions on Professional Blogs that can be found on the class blog. Think about the key attitudes, attributes, tools that you intend to bring to your teaching. Begin making you list. See a separate post for student examples. Also, you should read "A Letter to My Students".

Examples of Student Professional Blogs Spring 09

Here are some examples of the Professional Blogs created by a few of my students kast semester. They are not perfect, nor are they necessarily the best from last semester, but they are examples which should stimulate your thinking about what you would include in your Professional Blog. Yours will be different, because you are you. But you will probably learn some important things about what I want you to do in creating your Professional Blog by reading and reflecting on these samples.
Kimberly White
Christina Moore
Rachael Callahan
Amber DeVore
Megan Green
Marikate Howell
Michelle Kennedy
Helen Ramsay
Jessica Courville
John Dunlop

In addition, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you consult A Teacher's Manifesto as you work on your Professional Blog. Mr. Chamberlain has undertaken a similar effort. His colleagues have offered suggestions, amendments, questions, support, and disagreement with his "Manifesto." Read his "Manifesto" AND the comments to his post. You will find this "conversation" extremely useful as you work on your Professional Blog.

Listen to Podcasts

Listening to these podcasts will help you prepare for your podcast. They are not perfect, but they are similar (in some ways) to what you will be doing. In addition to following the process of the podcasts, think about how they can be improved. What would make them better? more interesting? more informative?
The Strange Crystal Ball: A Conversation About the Future with Dr. John Strange
Reader/Writers and Listener/Watchers: An Interview with Dr. John Strange
An Interview with Ms. Angela Rand"
Burp Back Education: A Discussion with Dr. John Strange

A Strange South African Safari

Adding A Picture to A Post

Creating a Link

1. Make sure that the EDit HTML Tag is selected.
2. Click the link icon. It looks like a link in a chain.Spring Class Blog

To Be Covered in Class

We will cover as much as we can of the following:

Using the Electronic Library at USA

Delicious
1. Bookmarks in the Sky!
2. Collaborative Bookmarking

Blogs
1. Do on time!
2. Adding Comments. ALWAYS make comments when you read other blogs!
3. Adding links to your blog.
4. Adding pictures to your blog
5. Always click on Edit HTML Tab
6. HTML Tags
7. Layout Options

Presentation
1. Storyboard
2. Reduce "Size"of pictures
3. Using Google Documents Presentation

iGoogle
1. Searching for Gadgets
2. Adding Gadgets
3. Removing Gadgets
4. Window Shades
5. Adding Tabs

RSS Feeds
1. Adding Feeds
2. Using Google Reader

Google Search Techniques

Twitter
1. Setting up a Twitter accout
2. Following
3. Contributing
4. Using Tweet Deck

Professional Blog
1. Examples
2. Content
3. Different Blog Techniques

Read Your GMail!

Remember, I am communicating with you via GMail. Check your GMail regularly. I just sent you a GMail this morning!

Confused? Don't Worry!

The only way you can learn what we cover in class is to PRACTICE. But one night a week especially in the summer) make that hard to do with help.

So... CALL ME anytime. I really mean that! My phone number is on the syllabus.

I have very few students who do call me, but I enjoy it and learn a lot about how I can be more effective. Students reports it helps as well.

So call me!

Welcome!

Welcome to my Summer Session of EDM310. I have posted a Syllabus and other materials on this blog. Links to them are found on the right.

I have also included links to other important blogs and website. They are in a separate section on the right.

I look forward to seeing you tonight!