Please check this video out, it may change everthing.
Read full post >>Recently, during a short flight I had the opportunity to watch a lecture by Thomas Friedman, author of the "The World is Flat". Mr Friedman's lecture, which can be viewed via itunes U, was insightful and thought provoking. I highly suggest that anyone who is involved with educating students watch his lecture and read his book. Friedman explains that much like a computer, people must update their personal operating system to keep themselves relevant and working efficiently. Unfortunately, updating your personal operating system is not as simple as clicking a button. Updating your personal operating system requires you to recognize and implement technology that fundamentally changes the way people create, communicate and share ideas and information. This is no easy task but fortunately many small updates build on one another and make subsequent updates much easier with less downtime. So how does all this relate to teachers? Well many of us need a big update, or maybe a whole new operating system, a fundamental shift in the way we keep up on what's going on in the world. We can't sit back and skip these updates, ignoring the constant reminders that there is something new to learn or incorporate into our personal operating systems. We need to check for updates everyday and realize that technology is changing the way things are done in this world. Whether we like it or not, keeping our operating systems up to date is a necessity if we are to prepare our students for the world they will compete in. The job is never done, the next update is just around the corner. Stay tuned and hang on it is a wonderful ride.
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Kind of like voicethread but maybe a little better
After teaching a web 2.o course and trying to keep up with all that is going on at NECC this week, I finally got a chance to answer a question that was posted on the moodle course, "How do you know what tool to use" or more specifically is a blog or wiki more appropriate? The answer to this question, like many others, is it depends. With some imagination either platform could be made to work on a number of different levels. Obviously, one is more suited to group contribution and one is better at a more conversation like dynamic. That being said, a blog authored by several people or a wiki edited by just one person blurs the lines. As a teacher you must learn about the strengths and weaknesses of each tool you employ. No one tool will do it all, just like no one teaching method will reach all your students. You as a teacher use all the tools at your disposal to get the job done. The more tools the better. The more versatile tools are the most valuable.
I often hear, "how can I use this technology in the classroom?" Well, it is my experience that even the creators of some tools don't realize how it will be used. Animoto is just one example (by the way I got my free account extended thanks to my web 2.0 class network). It is the magic of the classroom teacher that takes a tool and uses it in a new way, in science we call it transference, when one technology developed to solve a problem is applied to a new problem with favorable results. Transference is the idea behind "space age technology" technology developed by NASA for space travel often makes its way to other applications to help mankind on earth. I believe the same thing is going on right now with the internet and web 2.0. It's up to teachers and their imagination to find ways to transfer these new tools and from what I have seen we are up for the job. The conversations at the recent web 2.0 workshops were amazing. The next time someone says teaching is not rocket science you tell them if you do it right it most certainly is!
I had a blast working with folks during the wiki workshop held recently. See the fruits of our labors on the Tech Two Teach wikispace, the links to the other participants wikispaces are on the front page. I am so excited that we all got a chance to collaborate ideas on how to use wikis in the classroom. We were also able to set up some social networking tools like twitter and de.licio.us to keep in touch after the workshop was over. The Tech Two Teach wiki is open to everyone and I hope folks who attend my workshops will continue to visit and contribute. It would be a great place to showcase teacher work. So if you do something really cool using technology go ahead and showcase it on the wiki there might be a prize for the best use of technology by a teacher for the 2008-2009 school year. How about the "techie awards"?... O.K maybe the name needs some work but the idea is good. Thanks again everyone, I can't wait to check on the wikis and see how they have grown. M
A new study conducted by the University of Minnesota appears to confirm what many of have suspected; social networks are helping kids learn even if they don't realize it. The study also suggests that the technology gap between students of different economic levels is decreasing, a finding that seems to contradict previous studies. You can see a summary of the report here and watch a video on the research. It is well worth checking out.
What a cool logo, for those of you who are not familiar with Wesley Fryer and his blog Moving at the speed of creativity you should really subscribe. His dedication is inspiring and his thoughts appreciated by this blogger. Keep it up Wes, we are listening.
Every school year should start with a review of all the things you can do with google. Google's Search Features Just keep getting better and better.
This is a really short post to introduce TeacherTech my new google site for teachers. This is the companion site to my blog. Please check it out and give me some feedback. Its been a super school year and I can't wait to meet with some of you at the workshops this summer. Take care till then.
M
Just a quick post on Gawker a free time-lapse program for mac users. Simple interface, does what it needs to do, type of program I love. Great for all sorts of school projects. Also great for filming yourself while surfing the net! Download and enjoy!
While I do not usually blog on my private life. I would like to share the arrival of my second child. Charles Steven Uleau. Born on May 14 and coming in at 7 pounds 12 oz Charlie has brought great joy to our family and Crystal and I could not be happier. Another future mac user is born.
A little tutorial on an apple script I found.
Please Check out some animoto examples on my YouTube channel. Animoto is awesome for showing off student work, or displaying pictures of a school event. Check out animoto and everyone will ask how you did such an awesome video.
I came across this post in undernews and thought I would share it you. It is the story of Mr. Chew and his convictions regarding standardized testing. Please read and comment.
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Webware just released the top 100 web 2.0 sites of 2008. Check them out! There is a lot you probably already use but some that I am sure you could have fun exploring. I am bookmarking this site for future reference. If you know of any innovative ways these sites can be used in the classroom please leave a comment and I will be sure to include it in my next post.
I have been fooling around with ustream tv and CamTwist over the last couple of days and I am really impressed. Ustream tv is a service which allows anyone to to have their own internet tv channel and record show or stream live shows. CamTwist is a Mac application that allows you to add various quartz elements to you webcam, things like an RSS feed, Scrolling text, Pictures, and tons of visual effects. In fact CamTwist has so many features and is so user friendly I can't believe its free! How could you use all this in your class? Start your own channel. Imagine having the kids script and record there own T.V. show. Or how about using your class as a studio audience and streaming your own show. You could then download a copy of your show to your hard drive and post it to YouTube. The possibilities are endless. Check it out for yourself.
I found this video to be very enlightening and entertaining. If you have not checked out TED Talks your missing out.
I just wanted thank the folks at Animoto for offering an educator account. I am pleased that they are offering this service. I suggest you check it out and see how you can use Animoto in your classroom.
I just stumbled upon this list of top 100 tools for teachers and it got me thinking. What are my favorite tools? Well Keynote for sure (Mac's version of PowerPoint) but what else? What do I use everyday? Minuteur is one of my best tools, and so simple, and so free. Minuteur is for the mac but I am sure there is something for windows users. Basically Minuteur is a small timer application that sits on my desktop. It can display a timer on the screen in the front of my room using my projector. I use Minuteur at the beginning of class as a visual and auditory cue that class is going to begin. Minuteur also comes in very handy during standardized testing, and any other activity that is time sensitive. I am also becoming a huge fan of Google docs, specifically the presentation application now available. I have an example at the bottom of the page and I also have one on my Wikispace. I see a huge potential for this presentation application. Some things I hope to see in the future are: audio, animation and something like VoiceThread. Ahhh dare to dream. Anyway what are your favorite tools, what can't you live without?
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Our new video on Web 2.0 is out. View it here.
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