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Monday, February 18, 2013

Second Life: Another Perspective on Virtual Reality

        Second Life is a virtual world of imagination. Locations, avatars, and ideas are integrated into a realistic 3D setting. This computer-based, simulated multi-media environment enables users to assume unlimited roles in the shape of an avatar and graphically interact with other individuals in user-created worlds. More than 1 million users sign-on per month and it generates over $75 million per year in sales. These sales include rentals in Second Life as well as the sale of virtual goods for avatars (i.e., clothes, houses, decorations.)
         Creating an account is the first step in exploring Second Life. It is simple to create your account and define yourself with an avatar. You can begin by exploring the many lands that populate Second Life for free. Later you may want to create your own space by buying a plot of land for a minimal cost. You can create your own land of imagination and elaborate your dreams in ways that can only be explained through experience. 
            Second Life is actively used in education. It is estimated that as many as 300 higher education organizations teach courses or conduct research in Second Life. Here is a directory of academic organizations who have a presence.  Eighth grade through twelfth grade schools had a presence in Second Life until 2011 when Linden closed the Teen Second Life Grid.
            Innovative technology has been integrated to the training sessions in many of the companies and organizations. Companies use Second Life for product demos, virtual  fairs, or 3D presentation of data. Virtual training can be presented in a gaming format. Virtual learning environments can be enriched with embedded Youtube videos, slide shows, and even links to websites outside of Second Life.
Want to get started? Here is a blog posting giving step-by-step instructions on creating an account in Second Life:  http://goo.gl/nBL1Z

Web Resources on Second Life in Education:
Image: Some rights reserved by John "Pathfinder" Lester
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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Student-Centered Online Learning?


Student-Centered Online Learning?     Is it possible?

This is one thing that I have been having problems with in my online learning classes.  Years ago, I was teaching online though Adobe Connect and some other video conferencing tools but I was unsatisfied.  I wanted all of us to be able to see each other online, but we just didn't have the bandwidth. I would complain to our technical gurus but they just reminded me of the laws of physics that limited the amount of data that could be shoved through a digital hose at one time.

So, I began to teach online like the rest of the professors where the students watched me and then responded by typing their comments in the chat box (see lower left box above.)  The problem was that it was too ME-centered. Yes, some of you may have just dropped your gum hearing me say that, but learning isn't about the teacher talking. It is about the students interacting in the process of discovering new ideas.

Anyway, this is the way that I have been using video conferencing as a teaching tool for the past couple of years and it has been less than rewarding. I would talk and students would type.  I was proud of my ability to read the scrolling written discussion as I spoke and incorporating it into my talk without a stutter.  It just didn't have the interaction that I typically have in a face-to-face classroom.

Last semester I was teaching my Selection and Integration of Instructional Technologies course to our Instructional Technology Masters students. One of the assignments involves small groups of students finding journal articles that relate to our study module. They lead online written discussions about the articles but then they also have to lead a video-conferenced discussion as well. This process involves these students using their webcams to show their likenesses and then leading the discussion. Please note, I (Dr. Z) turn off my webcam AND mute my microphone so that I have no input into the discussion except for an occasional text message telling them that we need to "move on."

I LOVED this!!!!  This is the way it SHOULD be!!!!  Students are sharing their ideas and leading the discussion. They are taking control of their own learning and I am sitting at the side guiding the process in a forwardly direction - whatever that may mean.

SOOOOOOOO, I am teaching my Selection and Integration class again this semester. I have been talking and the students have been typing in the notes section. We haven't begun the Articles assignment yet, but I wanted to get the students more involved tonight. The question was - How?

I begin each class (before we begin recording) by verbally greeting each student. I expect them to respond verbally. I even ask them to use their webcam when available, but they seem a little shy for that. Tonight, we were discussing the definition of Literacy and New Literacies.  I began the discussion but asked students to use their webcams when they responded. It was slow at first, but most of them allowed us to see them as they spoke. I shared the screen with them for while, but eventually turned it off and the light "only shone on them." I spoke to provide some direction occasionally, but found that just sitting quietly when students weren't talking was quite successful because teachers can't stand "Dead Air" and they rush to fill the void.

As class proceeded, the students took over. See the screenshot ↑↑↑↑↑ UP THERE ↑↑↑↑↑ The students are in charge and Dr. Z is no where to be seen.    HOOORAY!!!

It was a successful evening and I look forward to our future discussions.  Many of the students mentioned that they enjoyed the process and looked forward to doing it next week and in the future.

I believe that this is a significant step in my journey to make my online courses more student-centered.  Online learning is not necessarily 21st century learning.  It can be just as 19th century as boring lectures in the flesh only they can do more damage across a larger stretch of land.   =-)

The key is in the pedagogical design that places students at the center of their learning experiences.

What do you do to help your students take control of their learning in your online courses?

Z
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Saturday, January 26, 2013

EduCon 2.5 in Philly this Weekend!!!

EduCon 2.5 is happening in Philly this weekend!!!!Educon 2.5 is a national conference in Philly this weekend. It has some of the leading minds in 21st Century education attending. http://educonphilly.org


Here are the guiding principles behind EduCon
  1. Our schools must be inquiry-driven, thoughtful and empowering for all members.
  2. Our schools must be about co-creating — together with our students — the 21st Century Citizen.
  3. Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
  4. Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate, and collaborate.
  5. Learning can — and must — be networked.
  6.  
At this time, there are 278 attendees.  Here is a link to a page with their names and photos. http://educonphilly.org/attendees

You can see the schedule of presentations down the right side of the page. 

Wish I was there, but instead I can watch the conversations through live streaming video.  You can TOOO!   

  1. You have to begin by signing up and creating a profile. http://educonphilly.org/register
  2. Go to the Conversations and find ones that interest you. http://educonphilly.org/conversations
  3. You just need to select the conversation and then sign-in.
  4. The list of conversations look appetizing and the people presenting them are leaders in our field.  These aren't lectures, they are interactive sessions with attendees discussing ideas and the presenters facilitating discussion.
  5. You can watch it occur as it happens because they are using YouTube Broadcast to stream the presentations.  The greatest part is that if you miss a session, the session is posted immediately for your enjoyment.
You can also follow some of the happenings through Twitter using #educon

This is a MUST experience.

Good luck and enjoy your first Virtual conference.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

End of the Semester Humor

Does this sound like your interaction with some students?

Brittany and her professor discuss her success in class.




Another student complains about his grade.

 

 Hope you had a good semester. 

 Z

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Your Class Might be Learner-Centric If . . . (a work in progress)

flickr.com/superkimbo

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 I woke up this morning thinking about learner-centric learning environments. Hmmm, is that dedication or distraction if you dream about 21st century learning? 

Anyway, I had the opening phrase "Your class might be learner-centric if . . . " on my lips when I awoke. I am interested in making a conscious effort to make my courses learner-centric.

Many of my activities and my teaching philosophy tends to be learner-centric, but I want to finding a set of guidelines that I could use in refining my courses. 

So I began my search for such a list and composited the list below. This is a work in progress, so please provide me with feedback or your ideas about the list.

Please note that I have stated that your class MIGHT be learner-centric if it has these characteristics. A learner-centered learning environment is more than a few characteristics.  It is an overall learning experience that can be created when these characteristics are present.

Add your ideas to the comment section down below.

Your class might be learner-centric if: (apologies to Jeff Foxworthy . . . )

  • ·      Your students talk more then you do in class.
  • ·      Your students are working harder than you.
  • ·      Your students are explicitly learning the required thinking skills for mastering material in the discipline.
  • ·      Your students are reflecting, analyzing and critiquing what they are learning and how they are learning it.
  • ·      Your students have some choice about which assignments they complete.
  • ·      Your students help create the assessment criteria/rubrics.
  • ·      Your students are collaborating as learning communities.
  • ·      You share the learning commitment with your students.
  • ·      You and your students see learning individually and collectively as the goal of education.
  • ·      Your students demonstrate their knowledge in unique ways.
  • ·      Your students are actively engaged in individual and group learning activities.

What do you have to add?




Monday, November 26, 2012

Steve Jobs: Self-Proclaimed Hippie


Steve Jobs was one of the most fascinating people of the 20th century. He was a visionary, marketeer, designer, and self-proclaimed hippie (see the end of the video.)

I just wanted to share with any Jobs-Heads out there that last night I found a 1995 video, Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview, on Netflix. 
It was terrific!!!!!

This 72-minute video takes place when Jobs wasn't employed by Apple.  He had been released from employment by John Scully and was running his new computer company, Next.

I found the video absolutely fascinating. Jobs talked about using a computer when he was 10 years old. He led us through his whole developmental process from creating a "blue box" to creating and marketing the Macintosh.  The greatest part of this video is that it provides insight into how Jobs thought and what he valued.

Robert X. Cringley led this 1995 interview. I have been a big fan of Cringley as well since the early 80s.

Hope you enjoy this video. Tell me what you think.

Z
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Monday, October 15, 2012

ITEC 2012 - Making Learning Meaningful for Millennials



What does it take to make learning meaningful to your millennial students?  That is a question that should be on the lips of every teacher.  The first thing that we need to do is realize that our students today are different than 20 years ago.  They are the first generation to live in a digital world.  They may not be born knowing how to use technology, but they have grown up in a world where digital answers have always been available and they are Digitally Comfy (as Angela Maiers says).

I am sharing my ideas about how we can best address our Millennial students' needs.

Here are the resources that I used. If you have additional ideas, please add them to the comments below.

We will be using technology throughout the session so let's begin with some of the opening resources:

Twitter: For all of your twitterers, we will use the hashtag #ITEC12 When you tweet, include this hashtag in your message so that others can follow along with your ideas. If you want to see what was posted, click on the hashtag above and it will show you what has been said.

Collaborative Notes: We will also use collaborative note taking. This is a Google Doc that I created and then laid open to the world for anyone to edit.  This means that you just need to click on the link and it will take you to the Google Doc. You don't have to sign-in but you will be known as Anonymous???? when you are entering your ideas.  Go ahead and add the info that you find interesting.  Go out on the web during the session to find relevant information and add the link to the document.

The Slideshow


Who Are the Millenials?
Readings, Watchings, Listenings and Doings

Millennial Mindset

    I hope that this session has been useful for you. I am interested in knowing if and how this material has been useful to you. I hope that this is just the beginning of our connection.
    • Subscribe to this blog using the link in the right column.
    • Send me an email at zeitz@uni.edu
    • Follow me on Twitter:  @zeitz
    • Let's visit on Skype:  leighzeitz
     How else can I help you?

    Z