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| Lunch with Vinnie, Andrea, Carl and Jeff |
Designing and Using Screencasts.
Session notes are available at
This was another session using Prezi. He mentioned that screencasts are short, relaxed, not professionally produced videos. They can be used of homework problems, tutoring, and other situations needing short explanations requiring a visual component. They upload to iTunes U. Large increase in views just before exams. Students find them very useful and request additional video resources. Over 80% of students watch the videos. An optional resource. They are available via mobile devices. More useful than text with the audio, video, annotations using tablet PC. Used for mini lectures, test problems, software tutorials, conceptual problems, and exam reviews. These promote active learning by supplementing class materials and freeing up time for discussions. They can be used to supplement office hours, exam reviews, replace in-class examples, and for absent students.
Another marvelous resource for video tutorials is the Khan Academy at khanacademy.org
He also mentioned the flip classroom. Something for me (and you?)to check out.
To get started, identify issues, identify misconceptions, and determine what would help. Then write out the major points, draw out the figures, and check all numbers and solutions.
Materials needed include a tablet PC, headset with mic, and a screen capture program such as Camtasia, Jing (free but not editable) or Captivate. Use the PC tablet stylus to annotate the screen as needed. After video completion, edit the video as needed.
Suggested practices include matching your learning objectives, keep short (no more than 10 minutes), speak freely and fix later, highlight and annotate, pause while recording and take a short break, and follow a problem solving outline.
Places to disseminate videos include Vimeo, iTunes U, Youtube, and Ning. You can also create your own site such as Learncheme.com. All of the content resources have analytics that provide data on who is watching and how.
Personal Learning Environments (PLE) as a Teaching and Learning Environment
PLEs are informal learning environments. Check out the EduCause Learning Initiative, 2009. PLEs consist of Tools (blogs, wikis, Flickr, Audacity, podcast), Services (iTunes, Google Reader, iGoogle, Symbaloo, Mendeley, youTube), and Communities (MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook).
We need to assist students to distinguish the important points in the knowledge presented in a lesson. This also includes processing the various points of view. This session was heavily theory-based. This is certainly not a bad thing but I prefer more application-based sessions for a conference of this type.
One PLE site mentioned was Scoop It (www.scoop.it). The presenter shared her ScoopIt site available at www.scoop.it/t/ple-on-ple. This site provides a number of integrated resources for students to follow, discuss, and otherwise interact in an academic setting. A great site for classroom technology tools is cogdogblog.com. Cogdogblog merges the love of dogs and bicycles with the occasional discussion of technology.
Internet Video: Sharing Schools with the World
This session deals primarily keeping children safe on the internet. He mentions future shock, where we experience when the world no longer fits the model of what we were educated for. The read/write web is an interactive experience, a two-way electronic communications method. Kevin Honeycutt is mentioned as a blogger, blogging about how we are getting our kids ready to spend the rest of their lives in the future. He also mentions Gordon Parks, an innovator. He then discusses current classroom and school digital media policies and how they align with what is happening in the world. Paul Bogush (blogush.edublogs.org and www.youtube.com/user/moranmustangs) is a middle school social studies teacher. Bogush emphasizes the learning skills that blogging assists with.
Creating a Google Site
http://sites.google.com/
This was a hands-on session for creating a website using Google Sites. It's free, no HTML language is used or needed. The presenter has used Google Sites for several projects, creating a unique page containing resources used by project participants. An example of a site is followmolly.com, a site created by a friend of the presenter.
The three most useful buttons used throughout the site creation process are the Create Page, Edit Page, and More Actions buttons located on the top right of the site page. This is where virtually all development tools are accessed. The site creation process begins with the creation of a site name which becomes the URL, the site template, and the site background. The background scheme can be changed at any time. However, you are locked in to whichever template is selected (one column, two column, etc.). After your basic layout is created you begin adding elements such as links, images, text, and whatever else you like. You can make the site public or private. And, just as with most (all?) Google tools, site hosting is free.
Noon keynote: Michael Kodas
The keynote was a journalist, photographer, professor, adventurer, and author. Michael began his talk lamenting about the closing of the journalism school at CU-Boulder and the need for news organizations. It's news organizations and their reporters that keep government officials and associated entities on a relatively honest path. He pointed out the recent uncovering of corruption by the LA Times at the city government of Bell City, California. This was where city officials were paying themselves outrageous salaries from a blue collar town of 30,000. The Bell City newspaper closed long ago but sharp reporting by LA Times reporters uncovered to scandal. Michael goes on to say how print media may be dying but it's being replaced by just-in-time reporting using easily obtainable devices such as smart phones, blogging, Twitter, and so forth. Print will never die out completely but will not be where people search for the latest news updates.
Internet Video: Sharing Schools with the World
This session deals primarily keeping children safe on the internet. He mentions future shock, where we experience when the world no longer fits the model of what we were educated for. The read/write web is an interactive experience, a two-way electronic communications method. Kevin Honeycutt is mentioned as a blogger, blogging about how we are getting our kids ready to spend the rest of their lives in the future. He also mentions Gordon Parks, an innovator. He then discusses current classroom and school digital media policies and how they align with what is happening in the world. Paul Bogush (blogush.edublogs.org and www.youtube.com/user/moranmustangs) is a middle school social studies teacher. Bogush emphasizes the learning skills that blogging assists with.
Creating a Google Site
http://sites.google.com/
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| Google Sites logo |
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| Create, Edit and More Actions buttons |
Noon keynote: Michael Kodas
The keynote was a journalist, photographer, professor, adventurer, and author. Michael began his talk lamenting about the closing of the journalism school at CU-Boulder and the need for news organizations. It's news organizations and their reporters that keep government officials and associated entities on a relatively honest path. He pointed out the recent uncovering of corruption by the LA Times at the city government of Bell City, California. This was where city officials were paying themselves outrageous salaries from a blue collar town of 30,000. The Bell City newspaper closed long ago but sharp reporting by LA Times reporters uncovered to scandal. Michael goes on to say how print media may be dying but it's being replaced by just-in-time reporting using easily obtainable devices such as smart phones, blogging, Twitter, and so forth. Print will never die out completely but will not be where people search for the latest news updates.
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