Totally geeking out

The new thing: I wanted to use an excerpt from a book I'm reading in my epistemology class, so I contacted the publisher to copy it and share it with my students. I got the permission, scanned it and turned it into a pdf file, but then started to worry about the photocopy/paper thing before I realized that I didn't have to print it at all. Instead, I emailed the pdf to the students, and tomorrow, they'll log into their school email accounts, get together in groups of three and read it together in their groups, a strategy that worked well with them last week. I love the fact that their class reading is already there, and I didn't use a single piece of paper. No paper, and total access to the document wherever they have internet access. Those that have flash drives will be encouraged to download it to their flash drives, and if I absolutely have to print it out, I can do it on an individual basis rather than multiple copies.

I love technology! :-)

Engage Learners Visually with Digital Projection

Using a digital projector in the classroom opens up a whole range of uses to visually engage learners. From the obvious of displaying general computer applications such as spreadsheets, presentations, web based resources to specialty applications like Geometers' Sketchpad and unitedstreaming clips - bigger can be better. Most digital projectors like the Epson 3LCD can attach to video cameras enabling large screen viewing of almost everything, such as; science tools and projects, works of art and literature, student work of all sorts. Imagine a large venue "show and tell"!? What would you project on the big screen? Jim Moulton at Edutopia has some thoughts on this very subject.

For all you Global Learners that have a Dell Latitude D520 laptop check out this video to maximize your projection capabilities.

Struggle

Okay, I am having a hard time admitting it to myself but I think I am a digital immigrant. My dad had an apple when I was 2 or 3 and I used to play with word processors, spreadsheets, and data bases for fun way back before we had "the internet." So in taking in all of this info on what is really out there (the billions of pieces of information organized in truly a spiderweb format) I am having a hard time making sense of it. I like information that is delivered in an organized manner whether outlined with some heirarchy or the basic top to bottom and left to right style. That way, I know how to organize it in my head and store it for future reference. I am really struggling with "getting" all of this, or at least most of it.
I jumped with excitement when I heard that there is a book called Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom by Will Richardson and felt guilty to share it since it seems to go against what we are trying to learn, i.e. books are out, webstuff is in.
My question is this: if I learned certain ways to take in data and organize it so that I can have this "background knowledge" that is so important for the capacity to learn, what are today's students doing? Are they struggling to make sense without the filing system in their heads that I learned? Are they doing just fine and it's me who is stuggling to make sense of it because it is so different from my experiences?
Ruby Payne's book references children who were barely read to have not learned to collect data in an organized manner, i.e. top to bottom and left to right. So without that system, even walking into a busy room causes their eyes to dart around and they could miss important observations, not to mention be overwhelmed. This is how I feel when I look at some webpages. Are today's students who are moving away from books going to miss that basic data collection/processing system that we all take for granted? Does this need to be directly taught at some point? Does anyone know of any references (either books or websites) that address helping students make sense and organize data in the digital formats of 2007?

Merging the Diverging

Click diagram to see text.




Increasing there seems to be a divide being created between what we teach in our schools and its relevancy to student lives and relevancy to what will be required in the next decade. This is not to suggest that literacy, math, and writing are no longer relevant, but rather the mechanisms for teaching these skills and the context within which they are made relevant may be diverging.

As we rethink pedagogy in the coming years and examine what content, skills, and competencies are truly necessary we should be finding ways to merge what is diverging. There are four domains to consider: (1) what schools teach in terms of standards or content, (2) how we currently teach it or what strategies we use, (3) what are those skills or competencies that will be most valued in the 21st century, and (4) what do students actually do in their everyday lives. The challenge is to merge those areas into a strategy.

Digital Kids: Who are They and How They Learn

Some good discussion of what 21st Kids are like and the culture they live in now. Look beyong the vendor's interest (Apple) and ponder on some of the data that is presented. Is it any wonder that many of today's HS students feel a huge disconnect between their school life and the rest of their world. If we can just begin to move closer towards providing a school environment that more resembles the world of "Digital Kids" we are bound to see greater improvement in student achievement and involvment in their education.

Digital Kids

Digital Text Can Do Better

Does this help clarify how the web is changing what we define and how we define what students are expected to know and be able to do.