Information Overloaded

I went to the NECC 2008 conference in San Antonio, Texas and thought I would bring my notes and links together on a wiki so I don’t forget all the great things I heard at the sessions.

Care to take a peek at what pulled together?   http://neccsessions.wikispaces.com

I read about a class recently where students were podcasting their literature circle meetings! What a great way for the teacher to listen to the conversation without actually being at the table.

When I did literature circles in my grade 8 Language Arts classes, the most difficult aspect was making sure that students were talking about their books when they met in their groups. However, podcasting their meetings would ensure that they were on task.

Hehe, I love this idea!

Today I worked with two Grade 8 boys to create screencasts of mental math strategies they are learning in class. I thought I would work with two of them so I could create some experts and also see what the best way would be to introduce screencasting to the whole class.

We are hoping to put the videos on a wikispace so other students can use the how-to videos to review math concepts.  Our site will feature studetnts teaching students.

When they came in one student was already familiar with creating screencasts using Cam Studios. Both of them knew what screencasting was, and all that was needed was my 5 minute explanation and they were off to the races.

One boy discovered that his windows media player would not open his test file. So he found out that by importing the .avi file into Moviemaker, he could preview it and edit.

They took the remainder of the 50 minute class to write their script and set up smart notebook with items from the gallery, text, and different slides. Tomorrow they are going to record using the Smart Notebook Recorder.

What a great way to incorporate literacy into math class. The boys were using procedure writing to explain their math concepts. One realized the need for visuals. He was teaching his strategy using apple and bathtub photos.

I will post them once they are finished. I can’t wait to see how they will turn out!

During a school visit one day I was struck by the talent that our students possess. Their artwork work was smartly framed on the walls for everyone in the school to see.

I thought it would be neat to put this on a website so even more people could enjoy it. I contacted some of the Art teachers in the District and we are now in the process of collecting and showcase their work on our Virtual Art Gallery website.

But it gets better! The Literacy Mentor and I were talking a few months ago and we are hoping to use the site to teach Middle School students how to comment on artwork. We are hoping to be able to link students’ comments about the art to the actual piece on the website!

Cool!

http://virtualartgallery.nbed.nb.ca

In 1991 I took a course called “Sociology of Communications”. We studied Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian Professor of English who was interested in media and communication and coined the well-known phrase – “the medium is the message” .

Ironically enough, I typed my Marshall McLuhan essay about the need to be producers and creators of media for that course on my Smith Corona electric typewriter (while wishing I could afford a Mac Classic like my roomate).

My audience for my labors was Professor Peter Weeks and the blue plastic storage box in my garage where those papers currently reside. My typewriter became my message; I got an A and passed the course and my ideas….well they are still in my garage.

I guess the point in all my ramblings is this–now when I write, I have the potential to have a real global audience. I write for more than my plastic storage bin and the professor that will give me marks.

The same can be said for the students we teach… and the same can be said for Mr McLuhan.

I can’t help wondering what he would think of his own interviews being on Youtube. No longer do you have to sit in a university course and buy a $150 text book to learn about Marshall McLuhan. I can google his name and read about him on a website; I can watch his interviews on youtube, and I can even hear his radio interviews.

The participatory nature of our changing Web would really have him saying, “I told you so”. (Check out the video below)

I have found an excellent document written by a teacher in the US by the name of Mr. Ben Wilkoff entitled, “101 Tools and Resources For Authentic Learning Environments.”

At a first glance, I was immediately struck by all the great sites and tools listed for teaching and learning. We have already been using some of the resources listed here in our own District: things like Skype, Audacity, Wikispaces, Teachertube and Smartboard Applications, to name a few.

However, the best part of the document, for me, was found on page 3, when Mr. Wilkoff writes about an authentic learning environment:

An authentic learning environment is anywhere that asks students to create products and learning processes with real purpose and real audience. Purposes outside of getting a grade and pleasing the teacher increase ownership of learning. This means that teachers should create activities…based upon the idea that all learning can and should last longer than the course. (I love that last line).

Making learning last beyond the scope of the course! That is what teaching is all about! It’s not about the technology at all. He goes on to explain how he has differentiated between “Tools” and “Resources”. “Tools are not something that challenge thinking. It is something to use within the authentic environment, but it cannot become the reason to do an assignment.”

See, he’s right. We can have all the tools and equipment we want in classroom, but authentic learning is not going to occur merely with these things alone. Good lessons have always been about so much more than that.

Resources [he continues] are places you keep coming back to because there is frequently updated content. They are works that challenge you to think differently and teach differently. They are places that ask you for contribution to the conversation.

In his “Resources” section, he lists ePals, School 2.o, Ted, and various blogs, such as David Warlick’s 2Cents Worth, his own “Discourse about Discourse”, and Vicki Davis’ Cool Cat Teacher. Things that you read and think about, and revise your own methods because of it……

So much good stuff. Thanks Ben! This will Overload my brain for many weeks to come.

…that there was a movie that you were able to mix and re-edit and win a prize if it was good?

Well, Bruce MacDonald, Canadian director of “Tracey Fragments” has done just that. His movie about a 15 year old who loses her brother and tries to find him.

What is neat about all of this is that Bruce MacDonald has allowed his movie to be produced under the Creative Commons license. The movie footage is available so people have the ability to change, adapt and make their own version from the footage. The winner can win an Apple’s “Final Cut Pro” package and have their creation appear in the bonus features when the DVD is released.

Cameron Parkins writes in the Creative Commons Blog:

McDonald’s decision to embrace CC-licensing for The Tracey Fragments is remarkable in both practice and scope. Fans can choose to do what they will with the massive amount of assets provided ( under the terms of the BY-NC-SA licence), interpreting and re-envisioning the the film and its subject material in what is bound to be a variety of ways. By putting the film’s assets in the hands of would-be-editors and film-makers under CC-licences, Tracey: Re-Fragmented recognizes and embraces the concept of a hybrid economy, allowing people to experiment freely with the content around them while retaining the film’s commercial interests.

Okay, how’s that for collaboration! Kudos Mr. MacDonald! I can’t wait to see who the winner is…or maybe I should give it a try myself.

Interested? Click here to read more.