Dr. Z Reflects

Sunday, August 26, 2012

What Happens when Reality Meets Virtual

I just had to share this video with you. Here we have a real frog trying to get lunch off of the screen of a smart phone.

What do you think? Do you see any metaphors for life? Z

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

What Characteristics Make 4th Graders Better Keyboarders?

Keyboard (Photo credit: Shane Pope)

Recently, Amy Lockhart and I had an article published in the Journal for Computing Teachers. It was the result of our research with her 4th graders into what characteristics affected their success in keyboarding. We investigated gender, age, hand size, music experience and athletic experience. Beyond the characteristics, we explored using the Almena Method for Keyboarding.

The Almena Method is quite different than your typical instructional model for teaching keyboarding. Almena King developed a series of mnemonic jingles to assist in remembering the key locations. Once you learn these jingles, you can recite them to yourself to assist in remembering the location of the keys.

Here is a brief overview of the study we completed:
This study evaluated the effectiveness of using the Almena Method keyboarding program to teach keyboarding to 4th grade students. Student characteristics were evaluated to measure their effect upon keyboarding success. Seventeen Midwestern fourth grade students of a mixed sex, ethnic, and racial orientation were involved. Students participated in daily 30-minute keyboarding lessons for four weeks. Students tended to increase their keyboarding speed by 33%. Age affected success inversely. Younger students improved more than older students. Music Experience had a positive effect. Larger-handed students improved the most. Gender and athletic background didn’t have any effect upon keyboarding improvement. Specific student characteristics can make a significant difference in student success.

Here is a link to the complete article: http://www.iste.org/Store/Product.aspx?ID=2523

What do you think? Does it fit your experience in student keyboarding?

Z

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Tools for Educators to Collect Their Own Resources

blog.empowerlms.com

Textbooks are resources that have been collected by publishers to fulfill curricular needs. Printed textbooks are provided in a "one size fits all" format. The two largest states, California and Texas, usually identify what they want in their textbooks and then the rest of the country uses these texts. Some of the publishers are providing the opportunity of states, school districts and educators to customize their textbooks. Publishers provide a collection of information and then the educational organizations create their texts from the material offered. The problem is that they are still printed texts and they are stuck with them until they print the next edition.

Readings, Watchings, Listenings and Doings
As a professor of at the University of Northern Iowa, I don't use textbooks. I have a great deal of resources that my students must master, but they are collected in a textbook. I make my resources available through the Web. Millennials or Generation Y students are not readers of books. They read a great deal but it is from screens for the most part. This group of learners (ages 11 - 28) work best with multimedia. This means that they want to read, but they also want to learn information and build knowledge through video, audio and activity. They want to learn through interactive learning opportunities even as they encounter new information.

Readings: This is where we refer the students to online articles and readings in books (printed and digital). Just because we don't use textbooks, it doesn't mean that we don't use books. There is a plethora of information contained in the tombs of knowledge.
Watchings: Our students are visual learners. Pew Internet estimates that Millennials spend as much as 8 hours on the screen per day (watching TV, viewing YouTube, interacting with Facebook, etc.) This is the medium that is best for their learning. I find many videos on YouTube, Edutopia, and other subject-specific sites. Sometimes I create my own videos to address specific needs.
Listenings: Our students are multi-taskers. Many of them are audio learners. I have found a wealth of resources in podcasts. The beauty of using podcasts is that they can listen to them on their iPods/phones while they are walking or working out. Learning while jogging may seem blasphemous, but we are learning all the time. Why not include coursework in the informal learning that we do.
Doings: Learning by doing is the key to meaningful learning. This is where you ask your students to complete surveys, research information, collaborate in problem solving, or ???? Your actual assignments will probably be described on a different online page, but these are usually the activities that lead to the final assignments.

Here are some examples of my RWLDs:

iBook Author
While using a blog is a simple way to organize resources for class, Apple has released the iBooks Author. This is a much more sophisticated but simple way to create your multimedia RWLDs or Digital textbook. The best thing is that as we create these books for our courses we can share them with other educators.

Apple has not only created a tool that enables us to create our own digital textbooks, they have also developed/uncovered a market in digital books. They are using their iTunes store to distribute their interactive books for $15 each.

How does this fit our quest into using digital books in your class? What do you see as how you can make your resources more interactive and instructional for your students?

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Bye Bye Textbooks . . .Hello eBooks.

Here is an infographic that shares some interesting facts about how digital textbooks are taking the place of printed textbooks. It is the first of a series of postings I will be providing about what is happening with textbooks.

Courtesy of: Schools.com

Thursday, July 12, 2012

iGoogle Disappears November 1, 2013

On June 8, Google announced that it would discontinue iGoogle on November 1, 2013.

The official explanation for this change in marketing strategy is "with modern apps that run on platforms like Chrome and Android, the need for iGoogle has eroded over time."

What this really means is that Google has decided that they cannot successfully market ads to a personalized environment like iGoogle.

What will be in its place? Google probably envisions Google+ working as a handy substitute. It doesn't have the features of iGoogle, but this means that Google will be updating Google+ to try to accommodate the present needs for an RSS resource center.

Many users who use iGoogle as their start page, may replace their control dashboard with NetVibes or ProtoPage or My Yahoo. Lifehacker provides a good comparison of NetVibes and ProtoPage in a recent posting. They are both great alternatives for iGoogle.

If you are interested in making Google+ your homepage, I believe this would be in the form of a Business Page. There are already tutorials about making Google+ Business Pages like this one from Social Media Examiner. It could be pretty cool to have your Google Hangout on your opening page. You could talk with your friends at the beginning of your day and never get any work done. =-)

NOTE: Discontinuing iGoogle is part of a "spring cleaning" that Google appears to be doing to streamline their offerings.

Google Video stopped accepting submissions in 2009 and will be moving its content to YouTube soon. if you have videos on Google Video you have until August 20 to migrate, delete or download your content.
Google Mini, a customizable search engine, will discontinue at the end of July.
Google Talk Chatback has been discontinued.

What will you do? Do you use iGoogle to organize your PLN or with your students' PLNs? How will this affect how you organize your life?

Z

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Are These REALLY Things That Will be Obsolete by 2020?

Flickr: Corey Leopold

I just found a posting by Shelly Blake-Plock where he shared some predictions from 2009. Some of them are plausible but some of them seem trite. Do you really think that we will ever outgrow paper?

In short, here is a list of the soon-to-be-gone stuff. You can review the list and then read a more in-depth discussion of them at his blog. Provide your opinion in the comments section.
Will these be gone in 2020?

Desks,
Language Labs,
Computers,
Homework,
The Role of Standardized Tests in College Admissions,
Differentiated Instruction as a Sign of Distinguished Teachers,
Fear of Wikipedia,
Paperbacks,
Attendance Offices,
Lockers,
I.T. Departments,
Centralized Institutions,
Organization of Educational Services by Grade,
Education Schools that Fail to Integrate Technology,
Paid/Outsourced Professional Development,
Current Curricular Norms,
Parent-Teacher Conference Night,
Typical Cafeteria Food,
Outsourced Graphic Design and Web Design,
High School Algebra 1, and
Paper - Really?.

Do you agree with these? Are they reasonable or what others predictions do you have for 8 years from now?

Z

UPDATE: Here is an interesting article talking about the Internet of Things and many changes coming in the near future: Are You Ready for These World Changing Technologies in 2018?

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Professional Development Meme 2012 #pdmeme2012

Montgomery College

It's summer and it's time for rejuvenation and renewal. My summer class is complete. I have given my presentations at ISTE '12. School doesn't begin until August 20. This gives me some time for some professional development. I am constantly learning every day, but this is my opportunity to identify some specific short term goals for PD.

I was just reading Clif Mim's blog, Clif's Notes, where he was talking about setting some personal PD goals for the summer. He has set this up as a blog meme (or template) that he could share it with other bloggers. He has challenged his colleagues to identify their personal professional development goals and share them with the world.

How can I pass up a challenge like this? The more important question is how can YOU pass up a challenge like this as well?

Here's the deal. I will begin by telling you how you can post this on your blog (copied from Clif's blog) and then share my short-term goals for the next couple of months.

Guidelines:
NOTE: You do NOT have to wait to be tagged to participate in this meme.

Pick 1-3 professional development goals and commit to achieving them this summer.
For the purposes of this activity the end of summer will be Labor Day (09/03/2012).
Post the above directions and these guidelines along with your 1-3 goals on your blog or preferred social media platform (Facebook, Google+, Posterous, etc.).
Link back/trackback to http://tinyurl.com/pdmeme
Use the following tag/ keyword/ category on your post: pdmeme2012.
Twitter about your progress using the #pdmeme2012 hashtag.
Tag 5 or more educators to participate in the meme.
Achieve your goals and “develop professionally.”
Commit to sharing your results on your blog during early or mid-September.

My Goals

Submit an article concerning TPACK to a refereed journal.
Create a preliminary proposal for my learning and millennials book.
Explore Google+ and create a social presence through Google+
Explore Google Hangout and have at least one session with "friends." (This may be too formalized, but it is a beginning.)

Other Bloggers I Tag . . .

http://www.psdgraphics.com

I encourage the rest of you readers (both of you) to take up this challenge as well.

Do it! It will induce you to learn something new and challenge me to address my short-term goals as well.

If you decide to join us, leave a note in the comments along with a link to your posting.

Have fun,

Z

Related articles:

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Dr. Z's Creative Cookbook for Collaborative Communication - Part Deux

Once again we are at ISTE '12.

What a wonderful opportunity to meet old friends, learn new things, and walk in the sun.

Here is a link to my Slideshow for my Cookbook presentation. Unfortunately it is just a .pdf for now, but I will post the real posting later.

Twitter search for #Drzreflects (As time progresses, these tweets may disappear.)
Collaborative Google notes that were created by one of the attendees. These were open for everyone to contribute during the presentation but have been locked to keep the content valid.

VoiceThread:

Letters from the Internment Camps - 5th graders interview survivors of internment camps.
21st Century Learning - Example of including video lecture, documents and videos in a VoiceThread.

WikiBook on TPACK - WikiBook created by UNI Masters students in Spring, 2012.
QR Codes video - Useful introductory video by Common Craft.

Share Your Screen

Join.Me - Share your screen with up to 250 people simultaneously.
Google Hangout - Watch a short introductory video about using Hangout with fellow students.

Audio Annotation

AudioBoo - Create an audio response to your students' work. Just send them the URL to the audio file. Includes a mobile app. These files are not private.
Chirbit - Another tool for creating an audio response to your students' work. Just send them the URL to the audio file. Includes a mobile app. These files CAN be made private.

Screen Casting

Jing - Free brother-version of Camtasia by TechSmith. I have used this as my default screencaster for years. Limit of 5 minutes. You download the program to your computer.
Screencast-o-Matic - Just discovered this option this summer. This system will allow you to record up to 15 minutes. You can save your files in .mp4, .avi, and .wmv formats. It is all online.

Video Annotating and Editing

VideoANT - Provide written notations for a video as it progresses. The viewer progresses through a collection of notes as the video plays.
WeVideo - Full video editing capability online.

I hope that these resources are useful for you. If you have any additional resources that you would like to share, add them to the comments section.

Z

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Copyright vs Creative Commons in Education

SuperNova - Smithsonian

No known copyright restrictions [?]

Copyright

Copyright was created to protect artists' work from being stolen or used without permission/compensation. This worked well for the pre-Internet days, but the Internet has expanded the opportunity for sharing content. Under the existing copyright rules, you could either release your work to public domain or leave it completely protected from anyone else to use.

Just because something is on the web, it doesn't mean that you can use it. EVERYTHING that is captured in some sort of media is copyrighted. Even the notes you are writing - they are copyrighted as soon as you write or type them.

Review the Basics of Copyright from the Copyright.gov website.

The Library of Congress has provided a set of videos to Take the Mystery Out of Copyright. These are animated so that you can share them with your students as well.

Looking for notes on copyright that you can share with your students (and colleagues)? Use these Briefnotes: Copyright for Students.

Creative Commons
Creative Commons was designed to provide the artists with control of their work. It allows them to give permission for others to use their work just so they identify who created it.

Creative Commons allows the creator to grant permission to:

Copy and use the work as long as the creator is identified;
Make derivative works;
Distribute the work under your designated license; or
Profit from the work.

How important is licensing in your realm? Do you think that many of your teachers (colleagues or teachers) fully understand Copyright/Creative Commons? Do they follow the rules? Do they think that the rules are important?

Saturday, June 16, 2012

How to Subscribe to Podcasts

iTunes 6, vlog, shared libraries (Photo credit: thepatrick)

Now that you have the background for podcasting, it is time for you to subscribe to some podcasts. How do you go about doing that?

It is possible to go to a site directly and subscribe to a podcast from a specific website, but that can get a little complicated. I would suggest that you use iTunes to organize your podcasts. iTunes began as just music management application, but it has blossomed into so much more. Now you can use it to organize songs, TV shows, podcasts, movies, books and even radio stations. Let's see what it will take to use iTunes to organize your podcast listening on your computer.

Download iTunes to your computer. It is available for both the Macintosh and Windows platforms.
Next open an Apple account. This will be part of the process of initializing iTunes.
Find a podcast to which you want to subscribe.

Go to the iTunes store (this cannot be accessed through your browser. You must use the iTunes application to access the iTunes store.

Across top of the opening iTunes screen, you should see a black menu bar. Click on the Podcasts link.
You will find a plethora of podcasts. Click on the drop down menu in the upper right corner under the "Podcast Quick Links" header. Select Education.
A wide collection of podcasts will appear on your screen. You can select audio or video with the buttons in the upper right corner. Explore for a little bit.
Find a podcast that you find interesting. It might Story Nory (elementary story books), This Week in Science, Ted Talks (an necessary addition to your collection), or whatever looks good.
Click the Subscribe Free button below your selected podcast.
iTunes should immediately subscribe to the podcast for you. Click on the Podcast link in the left column of your iTunes app. You should see your selected podcast in the list.
Click on the arrow to the left of your selected podcast. It will provide a list of podcasts that are greyed-out. This means that they are not yet on your computer but you can select them by clicking on the Get button to the right of each title.
Click on the Get button next to a couple of the episodes. You will see them begin to download. The title will turn black.
Double-click on one of your selections and it will begin playing.

Now you can listen to your podcasts using iTunes on your computer.

Searching for a Podcast and Subscribing.

Return to the iTunes store (click on iTunes Store in the left column) and click on the Podcast selection.
Using the Search Store box in the upper right corner, enter "Z & M MediaCast" and hit Return.
Our podcast will appear. Isn't that cool!!!!!!!!
Click on the Subscribe Free button below it and subscribe to our podcast.
Remember to go to iTunes to ensure that they have been downloaded onto your computer.

Downloading Your Podcasts to Your iPod, iPad or Phone
Now you have your podcasts on your computer but maybe you don't want to sit at your computer while you listen to them. Wouldn't it be great if you could download your podcasts to your iPod or iPad or phone? You can.

The process is actually called synching. This means that files on your computer will be downloaded to your phone and files on your phone will be uploaded to your computer so that they are the same ('N Sync). You can actually modify the synching process so they only synch the podcasts or songs or ???? BTW, you need to have a Smart Phone (not necessarily an iPhone) to do this.

Here is a video that tells you how to do this:

If you don't want to use iTunes to corral your podcasts, you can download specific podcasting apps for your smart phone. I use Downcast. I don't know how to link this with iTunes, but it does have access to some rather interesting podcasts.

What do you use? How do you use podcasts?

Z

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