LISD Ed Tech Connection

What videoconference opportunties did you find in the Berrien RESA Videoconference Program database? Were you pleased or disappointed? Did you find someone or some place you’d like to connect with in the future?

 If you could videoconference with any site, organization, or person for educational purposes, who or where would it be and why?

Blogging is starting to get a foothold in some Lenawee County schools and classrooms. Check out some of the local blogs below; some feature interesting media posted by students, while others have information written by educators. To harness the power of interaction that blogs allow, consider leaving a comment on one or two of the blogs.

LISD TECH Center Principal’s Blog, Lenawee ISD

Mr. Musolf’s Mathematics Blog, Britton-Macon Area School

Mrs. Spohn – Third Grade, Onsted Elementary

Room 14 Third Graders, Adrian Michener Elementary

TMS News, Tecumseh Middle School

The list above is not exhaustive. Please send links or leave a comment pointing to other blogs from Lenawee schools.

In a time when many educators are recognizing the benefits of using technology to connect and collaborate with others around the world to explore relevant content and concepts, the Youth Media Exchange (ymex) provides a platform to do just that. Ymex is an online social networking site created by Taking It Global and Global Kids “for youth interested in using digital media tools to share information on major global issues.” Below is a quote from the “About” web page:

We believe that online social networking is a powerful tool for learning and positive action worldwide. A platform that is both self-guided and collaborative, both easily accessible and inherently complex, online social networking, in theory, enables action along a wide spectrum of skills and engagement. Empowered by technology to create, share, and connect online, individuals who have collaborated to take action via social networking have produced significant, unexpected achievements in political, social, and cultural spheres—from uncovering inaccuracies in network news reporting to coordinating humanitarian assistance in response to events such as the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.

And yet, social networking has come under fire from parents, schools, and authorities, who aim to limit young people’s access to these tools. Although these are valid claims in some cases, social networking and other forms of digital media engagement have the potential to enable new kinds of learning, empowering youth to become a driving force in creating and shaping a shared future in an increasingly interconnected world. By keeping the spirit of ymex.org focused on positive social change and cross-cultural exchange, we envision ymex.org to be a space where this can happen.

It is important for researchers, practitioners, parents, educators, and policy-makers to understand how young people around the world are currently using and thinking about social networking and digital media, as well as how social networking and digital media can best be used as an instrument for education and social engagement on a global scale. This is a long-term, overarching goal for the field of digital media & learning at-large, but we hope ymex.org can contribute in substantial ways.

The site includes embedded video and audio, external links to media, digital photos, comments, discussion boards, online groups and more. One point of care/concern is proper citation or copyright of media that has not be created by users. Read the guidelines for using the site.

Two innovative chemistry teachers in Woodland Park, CO are using videocasts (aka vodcasts) to redefine lecturing, homework, and how time is spent in their classrooms. The teachers have data showing that student achievement in their classes has increased because their students watch video-lectures as homework then come into class prepared to ask questions, engage in hands-on work and solve problems. This is in contrast to what happens in many other classrooms where much time is spent sitting and listening to lectures, which leaves less time for hands-on work and more paper-based practice at home where students are often stumped.

The teachers, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, have created a web site to teach other educators about their methodology: http://educationalvodcasting.com/

A page of their site includes a narrated slideshow from Bergmann and Sams detailed their teaching methods and achievement data. The page, In the News, includes a TV newscast about the teachers and the process as well as other links to press.

Various groups and individuals are pushing the boundaries on how mobile devices are being used for productivity and learning. According to a New York Times article, a young woman from Japan named Rin authored a novel on her cell phone while in high school that ended up as a hard cover book which sold over 400,000 copies. Another such person is Michigan educator Liz Kolb whose presentations (Cell Phones as Classroom Learning Tools) and book (Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education) have been stretching the thoughts of teachers, tech coordinators, and administrators.

Here’s another bleeding edge use of technology that may have some professional video production folks cringing: Mobilife Film Festival – a video festival from Culture Unplugged Studios about “capturing and sharing our mobile life” by using devices like video-capable cell phones. Video submissions must be less than 2 minutes in length and fit into one of 5 categories – comic moments, enlightening experiences, eco-friendly lifestyles, breaking boarders, or citizen watch. Rolling!

It was announced at the 2008 National Educational Computing Conference in San Antonio last week that Apple will now offer K-12 institutions the ability to distribute audio and video content through iTunes U. Eight states, including Michigan, will serve as pilot content providers. Michigan Department of Education’s corner of iTunes U is called MI Learning. (Search for MI Learning in iTunes.) At the time of this post, MDE has uploaded about 100 free pieces of educational media for public consumption from 5 main providers of content. MDE plans for offer stipends to local educators to develop content. The focus will be on Michigan history although other content areas are welcome.

In an interview, Michigan Department of Education’s Director of Educational Technology and Data Coordination, Bruce Umpstead said these rich media assets for teachers, students and parents, “make education more relevant to where the students are at today.”

According to Director Umpstead, iTunes is blocked by most school districts due to the possibility of questionable content and downloading large amounts of data not related to curriculum that have the ability to clog schools’ networks.  So, why go through iTunes to distribute media? Director Umpstead citied these reasons:
•    To get educational media into the hands of students, engage them as lifelong, 24 hour learners, outside of classrooms
•    For parents to understand that the hardware their children use (computers, mp3 players, etc.) can be used as learning tools to access relevant educational content. When parents start to ask districts about using these technologies, districts start to listen.
•    For teachers to post media
•    Apple (iTunes) has a big share in the distribution of digital media

Unfortunately, at this time a glance at the 100 or so pieces of media on MI Learning shows that many of items are not geared toward students. Only about 30% focus on curriculum (Marketing).

Michigan Department of Education has partnered with MACUL on the project. Judy Paxton is the part time coordinator. She can be contacted at jpaxton@macul.org

Related links:
Listen to the Inside Michigan Education interview with Bruce Umpstead
Related article in the THE Journal (note: site supported by many ads)

Many are familiar with Daniel Pink’s thought provoking book, A Whole New Mind (if not, it may prove to be worth your time). Some Lenawee ISD staff members have had a chance to read portions of the book and jigsaw it in a professional setting. Those who have not read the book or just want more media about the thinking behind it may want to view streaming video of Daniel’s keynote address at the 2008 Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Conference: http://webcast.kzonetworks.com/plugins/webcast/regform.php?id=155 (Viewing from KZO Networks is free, but one must register with a name and email)

Pink’s central ideas in an insufficient nutshell:
Routine work in the USA is disappearing, and right brain abilities (see below) are becoming more critical to our economy. The “write-right” rule applies: If you can write down the steps of a process and there is a right answer, then the task will go to the place that can supply providers of the task at the lowest cost. Right-brain abilities can be nurtured and developed.

Pink claims that the 3 questions that matter now can help determine who gets ahead and who gets left behind:
Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
Can a computer do it faster?
Is what you are doing in demand in and age of abundance?

He says that the 3 factors contributing to the offshoring of logical left-brained tasks are:

Abundance
We’ve experienced huge changes in middle class living standards in the last couple of generations. Example: We now have more automobiles than licsenced drivers. We need self-storage units for our extra stuff outside of our homes which translates into an industry that is larger than the motion picture industry.

Asia
The highly educated fraction of the people in India and China overwhelm entire populations in other regions of the world. By 2010 India will become the world’s largest English-speaking country.

Automation
Routine work that can be done by computers (ie. some kinds of legal work, preparing taxes, etc.) cuts into our need for certain professional services.

There are 6 right-brain abilities that are hard to outsource and automate and matter most in an age of abundance (read the book for detailed definitions and suggestions for exercises):

• Design
• Story
• Empathy
• Symphony
• Play
• Meaning

A big take-away for education:
In schools we now have relatively good access to hardware (computers, camcorders, cameras, headsets, mp3 players/recorders, etc.) and software (Photo Story, iMovie, Audacity, Inspiration, Garageband, web 2.0 apps) that allow students to exercise and grow their right-brain capacities, however it is clear that we need to change our instructional practices and expectations so that students are engaging with these tools in meaningful ways.

As the flattening of the world becomes a commonly agreed upon concept, building understanding between cultures and countries is increasingly important. Somewhat similar to the groundbreaking Encyclopedia of Life web project (which was written about in this blog in July 2007), the proposed World Digital Library will seek to distribute an unprecedented amount of “significant primary materials from cultures around the world” via the Internet. All kinds of media will be archived and made freely available in multiple languages as early as late 2008 or the beginning of 2009.

The project, proposed by James Billington, Librarian of Congress, will include robust search functionality, translation, and magnification, among other tools. The project is being spearheaded by a group of international institutions led by the Library of Congress and including Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the National Library of Brazil, the National Library and Archives of Egypt, the National Library of Russia, and the Russian State Library.

PD opportuntity from Oakland Schools:

Power UP! 2008 Educational Technology Conference
Fri. April 11, 2008 – 8:00 am to 3:30 pm – Oakland Schools

Power UP! 2008 will feature discussions about Web 2.0, Michigan School  Technology Requirements, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and survey  information from the Pew Internet & American Life Project (conference brochure)

LISTEN to national and local professionals speak about  technology in education!
OBSERVE student demonstrations showcasing technology use!
VIEW an extensive technology vendor area!
Conference content questions? call Mike Souden at 248.209.2287

COST: $35 per person, which covers food and meals
Registration (online) accepted through 5 PM, Friday, April 4, 2008.
For registration questions please call Event Management at 248.209.2500.