Due 9/25 - Student-Centered Learning

I know that I told you that I wouldn't have any RWLDs this week because you (the students) were going to spend the week deciding how we should reorganize this course to make it more student-centered/directed.

Unfortunately, I think that I left you flailing in the wind. It is important to have some direction when you are trying to accomplish something like this. I have found some resources that you should R/W/L/D for some direction.



7 steps to a Flat Classroom (Atomic Learning)
81 videos (most < 2 minutes) that explain the instrumental parts for creating a student-centered multiple

Super Safety Sleuths RWLDs

RWLDs

-Go to the Wiki and post any personal examples of when you have been bullied online.

-Fill out googleform prior to class.

-Watch this informational video about Internet safety.

-Read this article about cyberbullying and be prepared to discuss in class.

-Listen to podcast #7 Parenting Guidelines about how parents can help keep their children safe on the internet. Its about 45 minutes long so listen to as much as you can.

Sign Up for the following:
- delicious - Watch this tutorial (if you need help signing up for an account)

- Nettrekker - Watch this tutorial about how to sign up for Nettrekker and explore the site.
**Do this as soon as possible because it takes a few days for approval and to get a user name.

See you all Thursday night!
photo from flickr by graham

Tablet PC 101 RWLDs

Our opportunity is here.

We will be able to experience the excitement of traveling to Cedar Falls High School and get our hands on real HP Tablet PCs.


To prepare for our journey, you will want to go to the RWLD for the evening and read/watch/listen and do the activities that they have created for you.

Remember that we will meet at Cedar Falls High School for our next class.

Photo: flickr.com/affan-basalamah

October 23 Presentation- The Exciting World of Podcasting and Vodcasting

This week we will be exploring the exciting world of podcasting and vodcasting. As you might realize several academic institutions are leveraging podcast/ vodcast technology as a means of providing instructional support to tech savvy students. Podcasting and vodcasting are becoming increasingly important in the dissemination of instructional materials to students of all ages. This week we will learn how to create podcast/ vodcasts and discover how they are used in academic settings. If you have a USB microphone and headphones please bring them to class.

(iPod photo courtesy of Apple Computers)




Please review the following materials before our next class session:

1. You Tube- Podcasting in Plain English
Running time- 3:00

2. You Tube- MacMost Now 118: How to Create Your Own Podcast
Running time- 5:22

3. Learning in Hand
This is an excellent site for educators interested in podcasting. Please review materials provided in the Podcasting and iPod tabs.

4. The University of Missouri School of Journalism- Podcasting and Vodcasting- A White Paper
Another great resource for understanding basic concepts associated with podcasting and vodcasting.

5. Northern Illinios University- Podcasting in Blackboard
A very good primer for educators interested in posting podcast materials on the blackboard learning management system.

6. You Tube- MacMost Now 119: How to Make a Video Podcast
Running time- 3:25

7. You Tube- MacMost Now 121: Video Podcast Secrets
Running time- 5:00

8. Apple- Creating Video Podcasts on OSX
Here is a good tutorial for creating video podcasts.
You will need Quick time 7.0.3 to view this video tutorial.

9. Finding Video Podcasts on iTunes
Running time- 1:39

Due 10/16 - Video Authorship

Ever create a video and upload it to YouTube? Everybody's doing it. Although the statistics haven't been openly available since Google acquired YouTube for $1.650,000,000 (in Google stock), Comscore estimated that in January 2008 alone, nearly 79 million users had made over 3 billion video views.

Here is a video by Jon4Lakers about how to make a video using Macintosh iMovie HD and upload it to YouTube. It is not too complicated. You will note that he did this video while on a studybreak from "writing essays for business school" (note that it has been viewed almost 11,000 times - not bad for a studybreak.)

Jon4Lakers was also courteous enough to provide some instruction on how to use Photobooth on his Macintosh to create YouTube videos.

Wondering how to do this with Windows Movie Maker? It is a little more complicated, but JohnGregory08 from Australia provides a 10-minute video about using MovieMaker to create a video.

Want to know how to do specific things in Movie Maker?
Atomic Learning has a set of 63 free videos for Windows Movie Maker 2.

Screencasting
Wondering how to share what's happening on your screen? This is called a screencast. There are a number of programs that you might want to use: Snapz Pro X (Mac) or Camtasia (Windows)

Another option for screencasting is Jing. This is a free, on-line version of Camtasia by the same company, TechSmith. Dr. Z has already posted on Jing in an earlier blog posting. It is a powerful tool that will allow you to create an online video up to 5-minutes in length. Read his posting to learn more about it.

Here is a video that demonstrates and explains Jing.

YouTube Google-Eyed Generation
The world is different. A new "Learning Ecology" is present that steers education towards collaborative and (co)creative purposes. Read about this in:
Engaging the YouTube Google-Eyed Generation: Strategies for Using Web 2.0 in Teaching and Learning by Peter Duffy.

Speaking of Google, watch this 8-minute interview between Jim Cramer and Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google.

Video Collaborative and (Co)creative Examples:
The world is full of examples of educators using videos to involve k-18 learners in expressing and exploring new ideas. Here are a few examples. Those of you in the EIT class should have received invitations for becoming authors in this blog so add your own examples (followed by your name). If you aren't from this class but have ideas, add your suggestions as comments:

• A Vision of Students Today (Dr. Michael Wesch - Kansas State University)
• A Vision of K-12 Students Today (bjnesbitt)
• 3 Steps for 21st Century Learning (paul)
  
• . . . your ideas? . . .

Photos: www.flickr.com/Aster-oid, jon4lakers. atomiclearning.com, jingproject.com

Due 10/9 - RSS

This will be a fun-filled evening.

• Steve Hargedon, creator of Classroom 2.0 will Skype with us. Review http://classroom20.ning.com Identify at least 2 questions that you want to ask him about his Classroom 2.0, social networking and Web 2.0 in general.
• Dr. Dan Powers, Owner of Iowa Island on Second Life, will join us "in-world" (SL).
• RSS - You have been introduced to RSS but there a SOOOOO many things that it can do. Review these resources and you will be prepared for the work in our class. We will be learning about the RSS opportunities and you will be creating your own RSS resource center.

Using RSS Feeds (15:26) - UTech Tips .com http://tinyurl.com/usingrss Video introduction to RSS. We have heard from this person earlier in the semester. Do you remember when and who? RSS 101: Using RSS in Education http://tinyurl.com/rssineducation Explains more about RSS and shares some applications. RSS and Education List of 15 educational applications for RSS on a website that has "Everything You Need to Know about RSS." Explore the RSS resources that are listed in the left column.
Aggregator as Textbook - Will Richardson Will reflects on how RSS aggregators have changed the way he makes sense of the world. GoogleReader How to Blog Posting http://tinyurl.com/googlereaderblog Describes how to get the most out of Google Reader. Includes directions for setting it up and organizing your RSS sources. Try this out on your own Google Reader. Set up the blogs of your class.

Due 10/2 - Virtual Worlds

This will be an opportunity to meet, greet and talk with people through virtual means. Review these materials, enroll in Second Life (SL), and explore Second Life before we meet on Second Life.
After you sign-up for SL. remember to post your Second Life name on our SL wiki page.

Remember that we will have an Out-of-Class meeting "In-World" (that means in the Second Life world) at 9:00 pm. You will need to be signed up and have spent some time in SL before our meeting. (If you didn't have time to spend some time in SL, just show up anyway.)

7 Things You Should Know about Virtual Worlds
A virtual world is an immersive online environment whose "residents" are avatars representing individuals who participate through the Internet. Many institutions are experimenting with virtual worlds for educational purposes. They may foster constructivist learning by placing students in a context that challenges them to learn without explicit learning objectives and assessment.

Using Second Life for Immersive Learning (Educause Connect Podcast) 14-minute podcast with Dr. Cynthia Calongne, Professor of Computer Science at Colorado Technical University. Discusses how she uses Second Life to provide rea-life laboratories for her students.

Educational Uses of Second Life
Interesting 7-minute video introduction to the educational possibilities of Second Life.

Dr. Z's Intro to Second Life Wiki
A series of YouTube videos that Dr. Z found to introduce you to Second Life.

Virtual Social Worlds And the Future of Learning
Learning in Three Dimensions: Experiencing the Sensibilties Imagining the Possibilities of virtual worlds in education.

Build fast in Second Life with free stuff
Tutorial on how to build a house in second life.

Second Life Building Tutorial by NSS
Fun to watch video that teaches basic building skills

Second Life Camera Turorial by NSS
Really helpful for looking at things and getting differents views of objects

Due 9/18 - Social Networking & ?

Here are ALL of the assignments for Thursday.

Each of you should download Twitteriffic or Twitteroo for your own laptop computer. These are the desktop applications that will enable Twitter messages to appear on your desktop instead have having to go to the Twitter website.

RSS in Plain English (Video 3:44) - RSS is the Real Simple Syndication system that has been developed to allow you to subscribe to blogs, podcasts, news feeds, and ?? It also explains the Google Reader.

20 Types of Blog Posts - A list of type of blog posts that will fit into the Google Docs project we discussed on Thursday. Use this to begin to populate the spreadsheet. Add others if you think of some.
Listen to at least 1 of the following "Shifting Our Schools" Podcasts (You might want to listen to both.)

Shifting Our Schools Episode 7: How Do Adults Learn? (Podcast 60:00)
60-minute discussion between the two hosts (Jeff and David) and a professional development professional, David. Full of insights for teaching professionals in a higher-ed setting.
Shifting Our Schools Episode 9: How to Go Deeper in Student Learning. Why Go Deeper?
This is an exceptional podcast where Michael Lambert shares some of his instructional and assessment practices that take the learning deeper and make it more meaningful for his students. Mike will talk about making connections in the brain and making connections between other areas of study. You can read more about this in the podcast's "show notes."
Classroom 2.0 (An Educator's Social Network)
This website is a social network created by Steve Hargadon. You will notice that it has over 8,000 educators. There must be something that professionals find interesting and useful.

• Sign up to be a member of Classroom 2.0
• Add your photo (optional) and as much information about yourself as you feel comfortable doing.
• Look for your classmates and add them as colleagues. (Search for them, click on their names, click on the "Add as Colleague" link below their photos. (This may take a few visits if you want to get all of them. Begin with Leigh Zeitz.)
  
• Read the groups and join one that interests you.
• Review the Media section and upload a photo or movie or ?? that might interest others.
• Explore the other aspects of Classroom 2.0 to see how it might be useful in your profession.

We will share your experiences in Classroom 2.0 in class. Be prepared to tell us what you found, what it meant to you and how you will use it in the future.

C U Then.

Photo: flickr.com

Due 9/11 - Social Networking

Social networking has added another level of depth to learning. It can facilitate deeper connections between learners and extend one's personal network beyond geographical boundaries. Review this information and consider what social networking means to you.

The Machine is Us/ing Us
A 4:34 video taking us on a tour of what and how the Web is changing who and what and where we are.

Classroom 2.0
This ning website has over 29,000 educators registered. It was created by Steve Hargadon to give educators a place to go. Register in Classroom 2.0. Build your profile. Explore the community for 20 minutes. Look at the groups, forums and ??. Watch some videos. Consider how you would use this in your corporate setting, university or k12 classroom.

Personal Learning Networks are Virtual Lockers for Schoolkids
Vicki Davis explains how she uses PLNs in her classroom

Prensky, M. (2001) Digital natives, digital immigrants.
This is the classic article about generation differences. Reflect how this applies to your life and your associates.

Prensky, M. (2005) Young Minds, Fast Times: The Twenty-First-Century Digital Learner
Read your the article and leave your own insightful comment.

Blogs, a primer: Class content (Blog)
Review this blog. It reviews using Blogs as well as Podcasts as well as ?????

Blogger: How to Start a Blog (YouTube Video)
A 2-minute video on how to create your Blogger blog and begin with your first posting.

Using Wikispaces in the Classroom (Podcast)
This is a 30-minute interview with Vicki Davis, a high school teacher in GA, and Adam Frey, the developer of Wikispaces.com.

Dr. Z video on "How to Post Your Blog Link to Our Class Wiki Page" (video)
This is an instructional video on how to put your blog link on our wiki page. You will find our wiki page linked to our WebCT opening page or you can get there from here (There appears to be some screen size problems with the video so you might have to play with it to see the whole picture.) Emerging Instructional Technology Wiki Fall '08

Twitter in Plain English (YouTube Video)
A 3-minute video explaining Twitter. (Optional)

Introduction to Twitter (YouTube Video)
A 4-minute video that explains how to sign-up for Twitter and how to find people to follow. (Optional)

Photo: http://www.problogger.net

Due 9/4 - Distributed Learning Environments

Distributed learning environments emphasize building a community of learners where individuals can be experts and are acknowledged as such.

Prensky, M. (2007) How to teach with technology: Keeping both teachers and student comfortable in an era of exponential change (.pdf)

Dede, C. (2004) Enabling distributed learning communities via emerging technologies - part 1 (.pdf)

Dede, C. (2004) Enabling distributed learning communities via emerging technologies - part 2 (.pdf)

Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire
Learn which learning styles are your strengths.
Remember to PRINT OUT your results for later use.

Remember to complete the Tech Background Survey at the WebCT site.

8/28 - Introductory Class

We began a wonderful semester with a number of interested and interesting students.

Each of the classes will be podcast through this blog. We will be using the Zoom H2 recorder to record mp3 files that will be edited in Garageband and then uploaded here.

You can subscribe to each of these class podcasts by clicking on the orange button to the right.

Image:flickr.com/photos/janicelin