On more occassions than not, I keep hearing how the world is becoming “flat” via the Internet. The following link: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/129 once again demonstrates how the wonderful world and all the beauty and uniqeness it holds can really be inter-linked via the Internet and software. This video really demonstrated the dynamics of what we will be facing in just a few short years when it comes to imagery. I was blown away at how images can be used in any type of environment (classroom or otherwise) to help individuals achieve a 3-D image of the world in which they live by hyperlinking photos together though special software. This software also provides the capability of providing high resolution to photos for the purpose of zooming in on details. What the mind can conceive, Microsoft can build! ha ha 
Jaw-Dropping Photosynth Demo Friday, Sep 28 2007
EDUC 685 6:45 pm
Design & Development of On-line Classes Wednesday, Sep 26 2007
EDUC 685 2:59 pm
When one looks at designing an on-line classroom, several things must be taken into consideration. According to the textbook Online Education: Learning and Teaching in Cyberspace written by Greg Kearsley, traditional classrooms impart information and get students enthused but on-line classes requires the teacher to be more like a coach or moderator. Design and conduct of learning activities should engage students in the subject matter along with fellow classmates (p. 78). On-line classrooms should require students to engage in self-exploration of the subject matter which in my opinion requires them to engage in high-order thinking and problem-solving skills. This type of environment also requires students to be self-motivated to be an active learner. Teachers in an on-line environment should develop activities that are meaningful to the subject area and not just busy work for the students to complete and submit.
Dr. Lowell asked the question regarding tools in on-line classrooms: is it better to have more or less? In my opinion, two or three really effective tools that the teacher can really utilize and engage the students is much better than using many tools and not really having a specific direction of what the tools need to accomplish to help enhance student knowledge in a particular subject area. The trouble I have is, I like so many tools and would like to utilize all of them but that makes for a very ineffective on-line classroom environment. If I have learned one thing from teaching high school students, it would have to be, that the teacher and/or tools have to be very entertaining in order to get and keep their attention. One may want to consider not utilizing the same tools each year and switch off from year to year with the tools they use. But as we all know, that makes a much harder job on us as teachers when we have to change things from year to year. Oh, I forgot, those are the teachers that don’t work with technology; technology teachers have to make changes (every day it seems) very often to their lessons or they will be left in the dust! :)
Lecture-Ware – How Effective Can it Be? Tuesday, Sep 25 2007
EDUC 685 4:39 pm
I went to the web-site of www.elluminate.com to see what this type of lecture-ware was all about. I found the tutorial very interesting of the capabilities with this type of on-line tool. This would be an awsome tool for both the students and teacher when it came to lecture time. This program allows for not only voice, but it also allows for chat along with the ability to transmit files and information immediately to your students while keeping them actively engaged in an on-line discussion.
Dr. Lowell threw out the question about lecture-ware; is there a benefit for using the Internet to keep students in their seats and quiet while somebody lectures to you in real time and my response would have to be “yes”! I think that if students are talking and not paying attention to what is being said or demonstrated, that they are not able to actively participate in a lesson. And on many occassions, once you have finished with your lesson, and moved on to the assignment section, those students that were not listening and paying attention will always be the first to ask what they are supposed to do! (MAKES ME MAD!!!) I am the type of teacher that if you have something to say, the class should listen and if I have something to say, the class should also listen! I think that this type of on-line tool helps students to pay attention because if you are not infront of them, it makes it a little more difficult to ask “What are we supposed to be doing?”. It also provided the resource for the student to replay a lesson to reinforce what they thought they heard or would like to hear over. The downside to this type of software is expense – especially for public schools!
3D On-line Worlds – Is It Live or Is It Memorex? Monday, Sep 24 2007
EDUC 685 7:35 pm
I was watching a special the other night regarding on-line 3D worlds and they interviewed two individuals who participate (live) within these types of worlds. The first person they interviewed was a middle-age woman that was excessively overweight and the other individual was a middle-aged man who was confined to a wheelchair. The special focused on how these types of worlds allowed individuals with issues the ability to develop/create a world in which they can project an image of what they would like to be. It showed the world in which each of those interviewed created and it was the total opposite of what they really were like. The woman had a wonderful figure and the man could walk and together, the two could dance and go out on a date, etc. The special demonstrated how many of these individuals are becoming obsessed with this type of on-line environment and were having difficulty keeping sense of fantasy vs. reality. I remember watching this TV special and wondering what type of program offers this type of on-line environment. Now I know!
After conducting research into 3-D environments, I can understand how individuals could become obsessed. It was really neat how people could become someone/something in the virtual world that they may not be able to become in the real world. Most of the 3-D virtual environments that I created required you spend money for the purpose of purchasing merchandise for your virtual image. I could see how this type of world could get very expensive; but if you think about, if you are an individual that doesn’t get out in the real-world, why not spend money in a virtual world?
Would our students like to become someone/something that their not? Would this type of world allow our students to have more confidence if they could take on the image of a virtual person? Something to think about as a teacher when you have that shy child that sits in the corner and won’t hardly speak out, but you look down and they can express themselves through drawings or other types of medium! I like to know what makes my students tick – this would be a really good way to see how they do or would like to see themselves.
Blogs vs Wiki’s Sunday, Sep 23 2007
EDUC 685 9:40 pm
In reviewing the difference between a blog vs a wiki, my findings were very similiar. They both contain a lot of information that require reading but the main difference is that a blog contains the thoughts and insight of one particular individual that many can read and comment upon where as a wiki is a database of information in which several individuals may edit or add their information on an as-need basis.
Both of these tools are very useful under the right situation and can provide the reader with a lot of insightful information. I think that blogs and wiki’s can both be geared to focus on specific information for the reader. For example, I as stated in my blog on MUD’s, MUSH, and MOO’s, that MUD’s are Multi-User games and a prime example of this would be WOW (World of Warcraft). My student’s informed me that there is a wonder wiki that they go to that helps provide them with valuable information when playing the game. Once again, I love to learn from my students, don’t you? On this WOW wiki, they can verify the information provided and if it is not correct, they have the option to edit the provided information. On a blog, they would just leave a comment based on the owners information.
Like I stated before, both blog’s and wiki’s are valuable tools. Similar beast and as an on-line user, you will probably wind up utilizing both!
My Toolbox – What Is Working For Me! Saturday, Sep 22 2007
EDUC 685 9:33 pm
When looking at on-line tools for the educational environment, I have been introduced to many different and wonderful tools that can be utilized by the teacher and/or students. I find that the best tools out there are assistants for the teachers but require the students to think, write, and problem-solve. If I had to develop a toolbox, I would have to include some of the following types of tools: (this will be updated on a continious basis – based on new information presented to me and/or searched out)
1. Classroom Management Tool – One of the better free tools that I ran across when looking for an on-line classroom management tool was HotChalk.com. This site allows the teacher to develop an on-line classroom environment based on their on-site classroom and provides the teacher with the ability to post assignments, grades, test/quizzes, etc. for the purpose of monitoring and maintaining their classroom even when they are not there.
2. Blogs – This is another wonderful on-line tool that can be utilized by the teacher along with the students to help put ideas out there for consideration not to mention to help with the enhancement of their writing and/or problem-solving skills. I created a blog for my Information Technology students that will allow me to present information to my students and provide them with the medium to respond to that information. One can reach my blog and read what my students had to say at: http://pratersviewofit.wordpress.com. I was really surprised at some of the answers I received and how their thought processes seemed to be better in my blog then they would have ever been if I had them write those thoughts with pen and paper. This tool was harder to get up and running, especially in a public school system, because of the internet security in place. I also think that with any tool, one should not use this medium everyday or the students will soon develop burn out and your responses may not be at thoughtful!
3. Wiki’s – Wonderful tool for information – one must be careful on the reliability of the info and back the information up with other sources. My students have been utilizing this tool long before I even knew about them for all types of games! I am really just beginning to enjoy what this tool has to offer.
4. MySpace.com – At the beginning of the year, our administrative staff informed the teachers throughout the district that if they had a myspace page, they would need to get rid of it (some teachers were not utilizing this tool in a professional manner). I didn’t have a myspace page nor did I want one because all of my students had one and I thought they were for “kids”. After taking this class, and looking at on-line tools, I can kinda see how myspace could be a useful tool in getting aquainted with your students. I am a teacher that likes to know what makes my students tick and this is a wonderful way.
I also saw first hand what a wonderful tool this can be in keeping up with past students because one of my favorite students who graduated two years ago joined the army. I was talking to him through IM (Which is another tool I will be discussing in my list) and he wanted to show me pictures of him in the service and he was able to do this through his myspace page. Before I could view his pictures, I had to create my own page (another adventure I have embarked upon) and I began to see why my student enjoy myspace. One must ask themselves, do the students know more then us?
5. IM (Instant Messenger) – What a great tool for communication! I have selective hearing and on many occassion, I have a tendency to block people out who are talking to me. I notice that with IM I have to read, which makes me “have” to pay attention to what they are saying to me. This is actually a fairly good tool for those who suffer from ADD (Attention Deficient Disorder)! I needed to add one of my students to my IM for one reason or another and when I was in the process of adding that one student, all my other students were saying “add me, add me”; I did and it is really fun to talk to your students after hours. You can get a lot of insight into their thoughts and what makes them tick! But always remember, be professional; after all, they are your students!
TOOLBOX: To be continued…..
MUD, MUSH, MOO – Oh, Which Will I Choose? Saturday, Sep 22 2007
EDUC 685 9:00 pm
I love it when I can learn from my students, don’t you? During my research, I used a wiki (wikipedia.org – which I will get to in my next blog) to research the difference between a MUD, MUSH and a MOO and was very interested in what I discovered. That was, that my students knew much more about the difference between the three then I ever thought possible. I had heard of a MUD but never heard of a MUSH or a MOO but yet my students could update me on all three of them.
According to wikipedia a MUD is a Multi-User Dungeon, Domain or Dimension multi-play role-playing game. Many of you may have heard of WOW (World of Warcraft) if you have middle and high school students; this is a prime example of a MUD. With MUD’s, the themes are usually a fantasy world that has elves, goblins, dwarves, along with other mythical or fantasy-based races. They allow many users to play the game and interact through social chat rooms. MUD’s provide a 3-D visual environments for the user.
MUSH stands for Multi-User Shared (Hack, Habit, Holodeck, or Hallucination) which are basically text-based online social mediums which allows users to be connected at the same time. There are many different varities with different features but they all are basically the same format. MUSH also allows for a roleplay environment without visual images.
MOO’s are like a MUD but they are just text-based games requiring the user to use problem solving skills without the visual environment available in a MUD!
I know as a teacher, who needs my students to use the Internet, that I get very aggervated with them when they are on games instead of doing the work I assigned them to do; I must admit, that on many occassions, that the games they are playing are requiring them to utilize problem solving skills along with communciation skills through these on-line multi-user games but that doesn’t eliminate the problem that they are not problem-solving for me, as a teacher, they are problem solving for WOW (World of Warcraft). As a teacher, should I take this personally or just be happy they are using their brains for something?
Podcasting-Where will it take me? Wednesday, Sep 19 2007
EDUC 685 2:00 am
I am over the STLP (Student Technology Leadership Program) at the Career and Technical Center where my students compete on a yearly basis in all different areas dealing with technology. Last year, a new competition was added called “Educational Podcast” where students could create an educational Podcast that focused on some form of technical information. I remember thinking to myself that I wasn’t really familiar with this type of technology and neither were my students. After reading the statement from Dr. Lowell’s blog, I now understand why:
phaedrus » Blog Archive » Podcasting
Podcasting didn’t exist before September, 2004. I first got interested in the technology in November of 2004 when I started listening to Adam Curry’s “Daily Source Code.” At the time, there were, maybe 200 podcasters. Today, there are thousands. The second anniversary of podcasting has just gone past and the tools are beginning to get some attention so let’s spend some time bringing you up to speed.
It is always amazing to me how fast technological concepts spread once they hit the world-wide web. This year, I already have students that want to compete in this category because they have now been exposed to Podcasting and are utilizing them on a regular basis. This should be an adventure for my students and I as we advance into the age of Podcasting.
I am also looking forward to doing a little bit of investigating myself to see what I can find in the world of Podcast – who knows, maybe I can learn to speak spanish or download podcast that will help my own children learn to speak spanish since they are not exposed to a foreign language at an early age when they need to be! The possibilities are endless.
Easy Ways to Post Blogs! Tuesday, Sep 18 2007
EDUC 685 10:24 am
As many of us know, keeping up with Dr. Lowell’s blog and our own blog has been a very time consuming experience and yet, my grades in the area of writing and participation hasn’t really been what I would like them to be. After an in-depth conversation with him last night regarding what it is that he is really looking for, I found out that many of us are not utilizing the blogs to our advantange. I have been reading his blogs and trying to respond under the comment section which I have noticed that many of you are also doing the same thing. This is not what he is actually looking for! Our blogs need to be where our comments are placed regarding his blog along with our classmates blogs. If one notices, Dr. Lowell inserts quotes and comments from other blogs in his own blog in which he wants to address. This can be done through your weblog site!
If you are using wordpress.com along with IE web browser, you can follow the steps listed below to insert sections of other’s blogs into your own blog for the purpose addressing issues:
Scroll down to the very bottom in the “write-post” tab and right-click on the “Press-it – your blog name” link and add to favorites
Once this link is added to your favorites, you can go to another’s blog and highlight the section you would like to address in your blog and then go to “my favorites” and click on the “Press-it” link and it will automatically insert it into your “write-post” section of your blog. (Really neat tool)!
If you have any problems or concerns regarding this blog, feel free to e-mail or IM me! Just a reminder that Dr. Lowell is very helpful in anything you need if you just ask!
Tools! Monday, Sep 17 2007
EDUC 685 10:56 am
I really wasn’t aware that there were so many tools available until Stephen Downs OlDaily’s blog Top 100 Tools for Learning 2007 (http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=41630) shed a “little” light on how many tools are actually out there. This blog introduced readers to a list created by Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies (http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/recommended/pdf.html) on the top 100 tools in many different categories such as web browsers, classroom management tools, social networking sites, RSS/Feed readers along with many more. This is a PDF document that provides the reader with links to sites for each tool that is discussed throughout the document. This document is a wonderful “tool” for anyone who is becoming or wants to become familiar with the many wonderful tools available in the on-line world.
I consider myself fairly experienced when it comes to computers but I am amazed everyday at the things that are out there that I am unaware exist. I have enjoyed this class because of the many different tools that have been made available to my knowledge base! I have been looking for classroom management software that provides an environment for my students and I to exchange information when I am not in class and I will be interested to see what the top tools are in this area. I am hoping that they supply ones that are free not just ones you can purchase! I am off to do some investigating; I will let my readers know my findings in this particular area.
