HELLO BRAVE STUDENTS FROM EDU 700

Lets start here: Language Learners (good overview of Web 1.0/2.0 and the future!)
and consider what is shared in this posting

I will share my thoughts on creating a Working Webpage
NICHY – National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
IRIS Center - The site we worked on for the modules

Introduction: high incidence vs. low incidence discussion starter
ATIA Triumph Stories
Making decisions

DAY ONE:
Journal of Special Education Technology
Center for Implementing Technology in Education
CAST – Center for Applied Special Technology
CEC - Council for Exceptional Children Technology and Media Division

DAY TWO:
DAISY
American Association of the Blind
National Institute for the Deaf
tool: Sign language browser

DAY THREE:
Autism Spectrum
Specific Learning Disability
Speech and Language Impairments
Occupational Therapy
Handwriting without Tears

DAY FOUR:
Edutopia
Iris Center

Sites to sign up for.....
a gmail account
Google Docs (www.docs.google.com)
Blogger (www.blogger.com)
TeacherTube (www.teachertube.com)
Our Ning
CLASSROOM 2.0 http://www.classroom20.com/
EDUCATION http://education.ning.com/
Wikispaces http://www.wikispaces.com/site/features
Firefox - browser (let's talk about add ons) magnifier, highligter, colorful tabs
http://etherpad.com/
http://pixton.com/
http://www.toondoo.com/
http://slideshare.com/

PODCASTS

NPRs StoryCorps:Recording America's History program is inspiring, and what it does for teachers is provide students with an authentic exemplar of how podcasts can be used.
I plan to use this an introduction to the power of stories told in a nontraditional medium. I encourage my students to understand that emotions usually hide behind text in papers and journals. Video is recursive and it captures the human condition.

NPR Story Corps

MODULE #9 - Global Cooperation

FOR PART ONE OF THIS MODULE:

I visited the Center for Innovation in Science and Engineering Education. I was specifically looking for a problem-based curriculum I could use in a Methods course I'm scheduled to teach next Fall for secondary ed. majors.

CIESE became part of the Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in F ebruary 2004. Stevens Institute of Technology was the first college in the country to require students to own a computer (1982).

"CIESE's enhanced mission is to catalyze and support excellence in teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and other core subjects through innovative, research-based instructional strategies and use of novel technologies. CIESE collaborates with K-12 and university educators, researchers, policymakers and educational organizations to develop curriculum materials, conduct professional development programs, and research new methodologies to strengthen STEM education. Dedicated to improving K-16 STEM education through the meaningful and effective integration of technology, CIESE fosters the use of research-based instructional methodologies and technologies to improve and pioneer novel technologies to explore and better understand their impact on improved education and society."

A complimentary site to the The Savvy Cyber Professor is Global School.Net.

Doors to Diplomacy

The U. S. Department of State sponsors the "Doors to Diplomacy" educational challenge to encourage middle school and high school students around the world to produce web projects that teach others about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. Take a unit from the Savvy Professor and then have students produce a web project with hyperlinks and web 2.0 tools.

FOR PART TWO OF THIS MODULE:

The Web 2.0 tool from Module 7 that I found most interesting was BigThink (asynchronous)

The Idea behind BigThink - "In the global digital age, there is a glut of accessible information. And while this information empowers you, the citizen-consumer, the only way to make any sense of it, is to begin an interactive relationship with the global thought leaders who can deliver the best news and analysis on the Web."

Here's the portfoilio assignment I made for my students:

1. Visit The Savvy Cyber Professor.

2. Select one of the lessons from RealWorld Learning Objects

3. Prepare a unit (according to your content area certification) that you can incorporate into your teaching practicum site in November.

4. Your final submission must include:

• your unit plan (with at least five hyperlinks to digital documents you've created to support student learning)
  

• an exemplar of a multi-modal student product (think outside the box on this one)
  

• a two page reflective essay that tells about why you selected the unit plan, why it's timely and developmentally appropriate for your students, and how you would strengthen the content of your unit plan with an expert perspective from BigThink. You must embed a photo of your expert. You will also need to (1) identify the expert, (2) categorize his/her perspective so your student's can understand why he/she thinks this way, (3) and tell me whether or not you agree with the expert's stance on the particular issue you researched.

VIDEO in the classroom

The traditional "educational video" or exemplar video used by teachers and/or students to present an idea or project is a way to increase student's engagement in a lesson. I've used YouTube clips to connect with my students and get them on topic for a class discussion or project. The nice thing about YouTube is that videos are short and entertaining. They are also presented in a way that inspires students (and professors) to see that video making is doable, creative and interesting.

Video is a tool that has provided me an exciting way to learn about what my student's are thinking and learning, and also what I need to address and teach. The way I've benefitted from video, is by turning the camera on myself and having my students turn the camera on themselves. Videotaping a lesson, an interview, a video confessional (I'll show one) can be a powerful way to capture data for action research, formative assessments, and reflection.

This semester I'm teaching a service-learning course. My students coach Special Olympic athletes (for 2 hours) and then attend class (1 hour) where we plan, reflect, learn and "video confess." The idea I had going into this project was that I wanted to give student's a "space" to reflect outloud. Using the learning theory of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) I wanted to provide students a way to express their ideas, concerns, and knowledge, without completing more traditional reflective journals. Video confessionals in my course are modeled after video confessionals you might have seen on reality TV. Although not an expert on reality TV, I spent a lot of time thinking about "Who" I was teaching this semester. This generation of college students - they KNOW their reality TV.

I captured their interest on the first day of class when I said we weren't going to have any research papers in the class, what they didn't realize is that I was going to have them research themselves by doing weekly video confessionals. I've had my students watch their confessionals twice this semester. Most students say it's hard to watch themselves on video, but that it's interesting to observe the way they've changed (especially in relation to the way they feel about people with disabilities).

This past week I gave students a chance to video confess as teams. I noticed, however, that they are a bit more silly when confessing together. Since this is a pilot study for me, here's an example of a solo video confessional that is more representative of the type of reflective thinking video confessionals capture:

Surfing

As the semester comes to an end, my favorite thing to do is distract myself from writing papers and surfing the net. Tonight (I gave myself 5 minutes of surfing before I started my real work) I wanted to write down these few blogs that are worth visiting if you have time:
Steve Haragadon
Will Richardson
Rebecca Blood

OK. more later.

WIKI WONKA

OK. So here's my "Pre" wiki post. I'm the initiator for our group, so this is what I sent out. I wonder what the final product will look like?
I have a three member team and I will post our Web 2.0 tool presentation when we are done. Stay tuned.
Actually.... I couldn't attach the pdf... hmm...

Microblogging in Education and my reaction to "tweets"

I recently joined the world of texters, so this assignment was timely. I think the microblogging application provides an intensity to dialogues that are created in shared spaces. Twitter, and following the conversations of others enables learners to expand their learning spaces, ideas, opinions and perspectives. What is most valuable about this evolution of Web 2.0 tools, is that it is free and limited to less than 140 words.
The article I read, Why We Twitter: Understanding Microblogging Usage and Communities (2007) written by researchers from Univ. of Maryland, empahsized the democratic nature of sharing information. Information that we should consider, in light of connectivism, a new product of learning and engaging with technology. Twitter was analyzed as a phenomenon. This makes me think of all those who still discredit technology as a band-aid approach to improving education.
Although my initial reaction to Twitter discussions was dire confusion, over the course of the week I noticed how the microblogging established ideas/opinions over time. Twitter exchanges were based in the "present" and I appreciate this. I think of how many of my students at Niagara Univ. are not living and learning in the "present" rather they are going through the motions of learning for the future. Twitter, unlike texting, is an opportunity for multiple conversations to take place. I will use it in my classroom for a debate we are holding in March. I'll keep you posted.

More on this next time you visit...

Building PLN with Web 2.0 tools

ooh! aah!
Here is one of the ed/tech RSS feeds on my Bloglines account. Apple Learning Interchange.
When you visit this site there are several posts that will grab your attention (especially if you are a Mac user)

The most interesting post was Building a PLN with Web 2.0 tools. Check it out to hear three turbo charged tech specialists (all women) explain their work and "our" future.

Click on this Presentation link to see and hear what inspired me late into the night. I appreciated the text-version of the presentation, but the audio (they use a "food"metaphor) was the hot chocolate fudge on my vanilla ice cream. I'm very interested in Second Life and they reflect on this at the end of the presentation. I could hear some reservation in their voices. (I'm glad I'm not alone.)

So, I give this a 10 out of 10. Easy to follow and would be helpful if you needed to sell technology to your staff.

an all-purpose tool for educators who seek to use social media in pursuit of a more participative pedagogy

All you Ning-users, check this out!

This semester I've created a Ning social network for my classes at Niagara University. Thank you Dr. B for the Blip.tv inspiration which enabled me to teach a concept via podcast each week.

At University at Buffalo, if you are interested in developing an add free version learning/social network check out this website.

As a UB student you are able to sign up to be a member of the New Media Consortium (I'm into video, digital literacy - and if you are too this is a great organization). It was through the NMC RSS feeds that I found out about the Social Media Classroom.
I'm planning to pursue this for my teaching next semester.
I'll keep you posted!