How do You see the World?

Wow,
Last week. I hope everyone had a great semester and learned a lot. Everything except the movies, final taskstream, and photoshop are graded.

We will work on taskstream and photoshop for Monday and watch all of the cool movies on Wed. Please ensure that I have your movie and I'll try and have them graded by Wed!

Thanks for a great semester.

This week's question: What is the best thing that you will take away from this class?

Is that Artificial Light at the End of the Tunnel?

PHEW . . .you're not finished yet, but you can see the end! If y'all take the time to look back at all you have accomplished this semester, you should be very proud of yourselves. I realize everyone probably feels overwhelmed. . .I just want to encourage you to keep going.

Assignments: I noticed that only 40 of my 61 students submitted a weblink for the Journals 6-10. . .please submit the same address as either a link or just type in the address. . .You still have the EdTechProfile, Spreadsheet, and Taskstream to finish. All past work is due this Friday!!!

Today & This Week: Monday you will finish your movies and iMovie software proficiency. On Wed, I would like to introduce Photoshop. . .so bring a .jpg of you or your family!

This week's question: Last week's questions seemed to confuse some of you. . .I am surprised by how the educational system has seemingly only taught us how to chase carrots; thereby, killing any intrisic motivation that we might have gained from book learnin'
To lighten things up a bit. . .tell me about your favorite assignment that you have completed in this class and why!

Does Big Brother ever Blink?

Lights, camera, social action! I hope your movies are coming along well. You have today and tomorrow to work on them. It might even be the case that you can work on them through the week (unless you are in my 364 class). I will be helping everyone polish their projects and finish the iMovie proficiencies!

Assignments: Don't forget the spreadsheet assignment, the EdTechProfile post test, and Taskstream. . .I gave feedback to everyone who submitted the narrative for NETS-1. It was due last Friday and a few didn't get it in :-(

On Wed, we will be participating in a Video Conference on how to use GarageBand. We will be meeting in Markstein Hall, room 104. If you have a Mac laptop, please bring it to class with you!!

This week's question: Last week we discussed the competency model versus the competitive model in grading. This week, I wonder if we need grades at all? In a standards-based system, who are the grades really for? Would you be less motivated to do well in class if all you received was a Pass/Fail? If so, what does that say about the source of your motivation? Is extrinsic motivation a good thing?

If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Did Someone Push it?

Enjoy the poster. . .it is from despair.com

Week twelve has arrived. . .how are you doing with all of your work?? I realize that many of you are a bit stressed about all that you have to do; however, there is still a lot of time between now and the end of the semester.

Assignments: I have graded everything that was turned in, including redo work. If you do not have a grade for your PowerPoint or Inspiration project, that means I do not have your rubric. . .I went back to Taskstream to check for the into work. . .and noticed that there are not very many of you who have written your first narrative. . .I need the first narrative turned in by Friday.

New Assignments: I posted the spreadsheet assignment. . .it is fairly easy to follow the instructions. The only problems I have seen in the past is with the graphs. . .so I included a screen shot of what the finished graph should look like!

Journals: all of the topics are out there. . .I gave you until the 27th of April to finish them. . . the longer you procrastinate, the heavier they get. . .

I am really impressed with everyone's contribution to the wiki. . .there are some awesome resources there. . .a few redundant sites, but overall, great!

This week: Hopefully, you have some video to download today. . .if not, you can work on your iMovie Software proficiency assignment. . .Editing takes time, so you really need your footage, pictures, and music loaded onto your computer ASAP!!

This Week's Question: In this class, I allow you to improve assignments to get full credit. I believe in a competency model versus a competitive, one-try method that often separates groups into A, B, C, D, groups. Do you believe that it is possible for everyone to receive an A, or do you think that should be reserved for the upper 10%, like many past educators have told me? Justify your answer.

Do Headphones get Charged for Long Distance?

I expect everyone is well-rested and ready to win the next academy award! We only have 5 weeks left! Y'all should be able to see light at the end of the tunnel.

This week: You will be pitching your movie ideas to me and either working on your software proficiency or another assignment. Don't forget that you do not have to come to class on Wed. . .take that day to do some filming! Cameras can be checked out in the library! Also, please get your first Taskstream narratives in by Friday so I can give you feedback.

Journal #9 & 10: Use a current or past issue of L&L for journal #9. . .for journal #10 (extra credit), search L&L for an article that relates to an issue of diversity, which you can also do for #9 if you wish. . .

This week's Question: How necessary is homework in a K-12 setting? Does a large amount of homework place some students at an advantage or disadvantage?

Does Art Imitate Life or Plagiarize it?

I assume everyone is soooooo excited to come back to class? Anyway, for the next few weeks we will be working on video production. . .from you learning how to use iMovie to small groups making movies around issues of social justice. And in between, you can work on everything else that is in your procrastination queue. . .

Headphones would be a great thing to bring to class for the next few weeks, as you will be working with music and dialogue!

Journal 8: Hopefully, y'all received the lastest issue of L&L. . .I would suggest reading the article "Virtual Schooling", by Niki Davis and Dale S. Niederhausen. If you find a more interesting article from the issue, feel free to use it instead. . .just ensure you cite it correctly in the blog.

This week's question: If you were able to change one thing about K-12 education, what would it be? Think about your personal history of education, the institutional structure of K-12 education, or the pedagogy of your teachers. . .

Does a Spring Break require a Cast?

Assuming this works, I thought you might enjoy a little video clip on procrastination (I would say it is rated PG-18, but you are all adults). I found it in an interesting culture & technology article from Slate magazine. See the link on Ze Frank . . . Slate article under cool links.
Have a great week off and be safe!

This week's non-question: What is currently in your procrastination queue?

Do Google Docs see Patients?

I am going to try to write this week's entry on Google Docs and then post it on our class blog. I thought everyone might appreciate my awkward attempts at integrating new technology (even perhaps before I'm ready :-)
Today, I am going to introduce you to the concept of Google Docs and also how to use the track changes feature on Word. If this works, I would like you to find a partner to share your draft narrative of TPE 1. Exchange gmail addresses and then you will do two things. First, send an email with your draft attached as a Word document. Then, you will copy and paste your narrative into a Goggle Docs file. After it is copied, you will add your partner as a collaborator. If done correctly, your partner will receive an email with the link to go and edit your narrative. . .She or he will then edit your document, and then go to the Insert tab and add a comment (which will show their name and date). I will show eveyone in class how to do this as well as how to use the track changes feature. . .it would be a GREAT idea for y'all to come to class.

For Wed, please bring a .jpeg of yourself or your family for a Photoshop project

Journal 7: Choose any article, besides the one we already had for Journal 6, from the March 2007 issue of L&L. If you have not received your copy in the mail, you can download an article after you sign in!

This week's Question: What would your ultimate vacation look like? Snow or surf, city or country, home or abroad. . .

Who Moved My Wiki?

Officially, the 1/2 way point of the semester! Wow, y'all have already done an amazing amount of work. . .If you are flexible, feel free to pat yourself on the back. I hope that the journals didn't keep you awake all weekend. And I look forward to seeing some awesome Inspiration/Kidspiration examples.

This week: We are going to finish the Inspiration/Kidspiration assignments and then we will be introduced to the wiki. . .I believe everyone will really enjoy this assignment, as it not only teaches about wikis, but it will be a resource for you as you progress through your credential program!
I have also made the Copyright assignment available to you. This is something that you can complete on your own time. I believe I gave you around 3 weeks to do so!

Journal #6: As most of you should have the new L&L, I am going to choose a few articles from that issue. This week, "Social Justice: Choice or Necessity?", by Colleen Swain and David Edyburn.

This week's Question: Name A favorite (not THE favorite, as it causes some of you to freeze and renders you unable to offer a response ;-) book you read in school and then name a book you wish you had read in school and why. . .I'll start you off: My favorite book I read in school was The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. The book I wish I had read in school (assuming I could suspend time and space as it was written after I graduated) is The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle.

CFA Strike Update

Just to let everyone know there will be class on Monday. . .there will be no impact on us from the strike until the beginning of April at the earliest!! Please tell everyone you know. See you Monday.

Where do You get Your Inspiration?

Phew. . .I have officially graded all the resubmissions. Please check your grades and/or inbox to see if you have a grade or need to fix something. There were still too many of you who haven't completed the scanning assignment and the taskstream intro. . .please get those in ASAP. You know who you are ;-)

This week: I am going to introduce Inspiration and Kidspiration for you to play with. This will be our most constructivist assignment. For those of you who don't like strict guidelines, this is your assignment. For those of you who just prefer to follow a list of instructions or copy a sample. . . .not so much.

Journals: There will be no journal assignment this week. DON'T FORGET THAT JOURNALS 1-5 ARE DUE FRIDAY. . .how much does this assignment weight on your shoulders right now?

This week's question: Who is your favorite painter or your favorite painting and why? I'll leave you with one of mine in the post. . .Cafe Terrace at Night by Van Gogh. It was painted by one of my students on ceiling tiles. . .my entire ceiling was covered with paintings like this!

How bright is YOUR future?

As we begin week 6, I want to reinforce a few things. . .I am constantly in search of new and interesting ideas or technologies that will ehance your classroom and your future use of technology. As such, I frequently make little, or sometimes big, changes to the assignment. For this reason, the most important thing to me as an instructor is that you COME TO CLASS!! I cannot help you if you are not here; I cannot help you if you are not listening when I am teaching; I double-don't like having to go over the same assignment instructions twice w/o a good reason. Since I allow multiple submissions of the assignments, I would like to believe that your resubmissions are due to refining an assignment that was not quite right, not because you didn't listen or chose not to come to class. . . . there, I have officially lowered my blood pressure a few points;-)

This week: Monday we will work on perfecting your PowerPoint assignments and rubrics with the expectation that we can show/grade them on Wednesday! I'm sure we can finish the majority of both Monday. . .with minimal work on your own. Make sure you ask me or a peer in class if there is something you don't understand. . .and if that doesn't work. . .read the instructions.

Journal 5: This is an optional journal that is worth 2 pts of extra credit. You have the option of finding any article you like that relates to technology and education or you can use the article in the Cool Links section on cyberbullying. I read it yesterday in Parade Magazine!

This week's question: What is your learning style and how does it affect the way you learn? What? Don't know your learning style? Click on the Learning style link and take the test! Or search Google for another type of Free learning styles test/inventory.

Should the NETS be Dolphin Safe?

By this point, everyone should have familiarized themselves with the NETS, taskstream, and some student performance indicators?? Please let me know if you are having trouble accessing any of the material or understanding the content. . .

This Week: We will be finishing the intro to Taskstream, use the student performance indicators to create PowerPoints. . .and maybe discuss rubrics.

Journal #4: How about adding an audioblog to your journals? In the November 2006 issue (Vol 34, no 3), read the article "From Toy to Tool" by Liz Kolb. To access: go to ISTE, log on, then go to publications, then L&L. In the right column, click on past issues. You will then see all of the past issues. Select November and find the name of the article. As long as you are signed in, you should have no problem downloading the article. Please let me know if anyone attempts to create an audioblog!

Today's question: What is your current favorite type of music, artist, or performer? What is the last song/CD you purchased or downloaded?

Should Cats Sell Some of Their Lives on eBay?

As we begin week 4, I expect that everyone is settling in to the flow of the class. I expect that you should always have something you can be working on. . .with so many assignments you will definitely learn how to juggle ;-)

This Week: We will work on perfecting those way cool newsletters, discuss how to submit the scan, and get an introduction to Taskstream (Wed).

Journal #3: "Video in the Age of Participation," by Glenn Bull. This is from the most recent L&L (Feb 2007).

This week's question: What is your current favorite poem? Share with the class. If you don't have one, find one. . .Might I suggest Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda, or . . .

Can You Ever Step in the Same Taskstream Twice?

As we begin week three, I want to spend a good bit of time today to ensure that everyone understands the assignments so far and help anyone who may be falling behind. I hope everyone took my advice and refused to stress over the assignments until I returned today. . .for those Type A personalities. . .well. . .

Monday we will take another look at Yahoo Bookmarks, Blogg(ing), and EdTechProfile. I will also discuss scanning and the required scan for Wed, when we begin the newsletters.

Journal #2: This week's article comes from the most recent issue of ISTE's Learning and Leading with Technology (which we will refer to as L&L). The article is titled, "Breathing Fire into Web 2.0", by Justin Hardman and David Carpenter. If you go to iste.org and look for the publications tab, select Learning and Leading. You should be directed to a page that has the most recent issue displayed. The article I chose is available for a free download if anyone is still waiting on funding ;-)

This week's question: Name one of your favorite teachers and explain why she/he made a difference in your learning.

R U Hving Fn Yet?

It's week two and I expect that you are finding your way around "The Six", the class blog, and the discussion board? I noticed that almost everyone left a comment on the blog, which is a great start. By now you should also have subscribed to ISTE and Taskstream, as well as bought a travel drive (portable storage device). . .Have u?


This week: You will be introduced to blogging, bookmarking, and the EdTech profile. I expect to get you started on your blogs today (Mon) and introduce the Yahoo!Bookmarks assignment. . .the EdTechProfile is for you to do on your own, I hope ;-) Download all instructions from The Six when you arrive in class.

Journal #1: the link is under the "Cool Links" section of the class blog.

There will be no class on Wed as I have to be out of town for a meeting. So, I expect that you work on your EdTechProfile assignment on your own.

This week's question: What is your current favorite teacher movie and why?

Welcome to Ed422!!

Welcome to EDUC422, Technology Tools for Education:-)
It is my hope that everyone will learn many new tech tools while having fun at the same time. I am constantly tinkering with my assignments and trying to add the newest and most relevant technology for this class. As such, there might be times when the assignments or syllabus change a bit. However, I will post a blog entry at least once a week to keep everyone updated on what we are going to learn.

I will also leave a question for everyone to answer in the comments section. This allows me to ensure that everyone is reading the blog and to have fun at the same time.

For our first week, I hope to introduce many of you to the wonders of the Mac computer, webCT6 with its benefits and frustrations, discuss browsers (like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.), the Intro Letter assignment, and other geeky topics.

This week's question: What is your favorite piece of technology & why? At the bottom of this entry you will see a "comments" section underlined. . .click it and leave your comment. Thanks.