I am pretty sure that I should not be the one recommending online applications, but I did have some success editing some photos with Piknik. The process was easy and fast. It was nice also to be able to change the picture size. I liked seeing how the pictures would change as you moved the adjustment arrow. You can not really screw up too badly because you can go back and edit again until the picture is how you want it to be. I liked Piknik and would recommend it to someone looking to edit their photos.
My next experimental jaunt into online applications was Google Documents (GD), which I did not like as much. Maybe it is because I am used to working with Microsoft Word, but GD seemed awkward to me. It does look to have more options, but not enough to make me want to switch. However the Google product I did find to be very interesting was Google Scholar. http://scholar.google.com/
When I used the advanced search and looked for Instructional Design articles with the phrase “rich media” between the years 2007-2009 there were 266 articles to read. When I searched for Robert the Bruce, a medieval king of Scotland, I had 282 articles to read. Wow! What a tool for research! You can select what subject area (chemistry, biology, computer science, social studies, math, the list goes on!) you want the article to relate to. This is a web site worth looking into even if it is not exactly what our assignment was asking for.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
R/D13
In this chapter the thing that struck me was the possibility of Instructional Design advancing to the point of being a personal tutor for each student. When the students can interact with computers with some type of artificial intelligence to help create their own “learning experience” the possibilities will be endless. If this is the case imagine the shift in learning that will happen in our country. Our schools will not be the same. In a way it will almost be like using an ancient or medieval model for schools. Hiring a tutor was the norm then, now though the tutor will be a computer!
The activity I liked the most was reading other peoples responses and seeing some of the great ideas my classmates had to use technology in their classrooms. Another part of the class I liked was the feeling that I was really starting to not be a dilettante with computers, but someone who could take advantage of some of the possibilities they offer us, in the classroom and personally.
The activity I liked the most was reading other peoples responses and seeing some of the great ideas my classmates had to use technology in their classrooms. Another part of the class I liked was the feeling that I was really starting to not be a dilettante with computers, but someone who could take advantage of some of the possibilities they offer us, in the classroom and personally.
R/D12
Chapter 30 did a very nice job of explaining how people learn. Of course we all know that everyone learns differently and that students need to participate in learning in a variety of ways. When I was studying Latin the best way for me to learn the vocabulary was to write the words and definitions out, and say them. I was engaging both the visual and phonetic parts of working memory, and I know that the writing engaged another part of memory too. This is a really exciting part about what we are learning. Students will be engaging that third file of learning by actually help to create what they are learning.
One of the best ideas to apply in this chapter is the use of an advance planner. A planner would be easy to create. This strategy would help the students gain prior knowledge of an event, era, upcoming chapter etc. By using headers and sub headers the material could be organized in a way that could help students write notes, review for a quiz or test, or just help with homework.
Another good idea is to increase the use of visuals. Studies have shown that there is a increase in learning when visuals are used (p 315), and that both still visuals and animation are effective (p316). Using still visuals would be easy, and they could be used for a preview of upcoming material, an in depth look at a topic, reviews, etc. Students could use visuals in their projects. I wonder about where to draw the line on what is too much. I am going to use a gradual approach to using to find what best suits the majority of our students.
One of the best ideas to apply in this chapter is the use of an advance planner. A planner would be easy to create. This strategy would help the students gain prior knowledge of an event, era, upcoming chapter etc. By using headers and sub headers the material could be organized in a way that could help students write notes, review for a quiz or test, or just help with homework.
Another good idea is to increase the use of visuals. Studies have shown that there is a increase in learning when visuals are used (p 315), and that both still visuals and animation are effective (p316). Using still visuals would be easy, and they could be used for a preview of upcoming material, an in depth look at a topic, reviews, etc. Students could use visuals in their projects. I wonder about where to draw the line on what is too much. I am going to use a gradual approach to using to find what best suits the majority of our students.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Screencasting
At this moment I am so frustrated with Camtasia. After trying multiple times for three days to download the thirty day trail offer I have given up, but when I do get the (expletive deleted) downloaded I can see multiple uses. From Udell’s article I can see diagramming plays for our flag football team in the fall and going over different situations in softball in the spring. This would be a new and attention grabbing way to go over different strategies. Our players could use this to broadcast the results of our games. The school would have a news show of our programs and the students would be learning a cool way to use the web.
An idea for a student based project with screencasting is to create a virtual timeline of the Civil Rights Era. Each student would have an event or person (Selma, Montgomery, Martin L King, President Obama, etc.) to create a screencast about. I would make the first screencast (assuming I can get the expletive deleted downloaded) about the coming of slaves to Jamestown in 1619. This would give me a chance to practice making a screencast and give the students something to model theirs after. I always require sources from more than just the web for our projects. This project would not be “window dressing” as the students would be teaching each other about an era of American History that would involve core values, such as equality, research skills, tech skills, and also cover benchmarks of the MME. This is an assignment that will be fun for the students! Also, Google Maps would be a natural with this project.
Now, I am going back to trying to download Camtasia. Did anyone else have a problem? We use Hughes Satellite, maybe that is part of my difficulty.
An idea for a student based project with screencasting is to create a virtual timeline of the Civil Rights Era. Each student would have an event or person (Selma, Montgomery, Martin L King, President Obama, etc.) to create a screencast about. I would make the first screencast (assuming I can get the expletive deleted downloaded) about the coming of slaves to Jamestown in 1619. This would give me a chance to practice making a screencast and give the students something to model theirs after. I always require sources from more than just the web for our projects. This project would not be “window dressing” as the students would be teaching each other about an era of American History that would involve core values, such as equality, research skills, tech skills, and also cover benchmarks of the MME. This is an assignment that will be fun for the students! Also, Google Maps would be a natural with this project.
Now, I am going back to trying to download Camtasia. Did anyone else have a problem? We use Hughes Satellite, maybe that is part of my difficulty.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
R/D11
Many of the Instructional Design (ID) competencies are readily applicable to teaching. Perhaps the toughest one for me is to “update and improve my skills and knowledge in instructional design.” I like to expand my knowledge in history and it seems that I don’t have enough time to do that! Now I have to stay up on ID too, but that is what I am doing now. Fortunately I am finding that I enjoy some aspects of ID and can see that they will be of benefit.
Another competency that is hard for me, but I am working on now is “using technology to enhance training” or in my case teaching. The blogs, html, etc. are all new for me, but I am gaining a very modest level of competency in using them. I know these will bring a boost in interest to my classes, and will help students learn in a way that many students are more attune to than I am since they were born with a computer chip embedded in them! Using this technology will require some planning on my part. What is the best use for some of new tools I will have at my disposal this Year. All of this ties in with the communication aspect of ID. This will be a new way to communicate knowledge to the students.
Instructional Design will help with another competency for teachers, “stimulate and sustain learner motivation.” Students like and need variety in instruction, and they jump at a chance to use computers. New projects generate a lot of enthusiasm, especially projects that use technology. Any advantage a teacher has should be used!
The competency of “analyzing the characteristics of the environment” is critical for teaching at an alternative school. Our students are immature. You have to think about if a particular class is ready for a project, especially a project involving computers. Are they going to stick to the assignment or get on a site that is prohibited. It is very difficult to monitor a class in the computer lab or even just a few students online while you are teaching the rest of the class. However, after adding the pros and cons I find that there is no way that technological innovation should not be used to improve your instruction methods.
Another competency that is hard for me, but I am working on now is “using technology to enhance training” or in my case teaching. The blogs, html, etc. are all new for me, but I am gaining a very modest level of competency in using them. I know these will bring a boost in interest to my classes, and will help students learn in a way that many students are more attune to than I am since they were born with a computer chip embedded in them! Using this technology will require some planning on my part. What is the best use for some of new tools I will have at my disposal this Year. All of this ties in with the communication aspect of ID. This will be a new way to communicate knowledge to the students.
Instructional Design will help with another competency for teachers, “stimulate and sustain learner motivation.” Students like and need variety in instruction, and they jump at a chance to use computers. New projects generate a lot of enthusiasm, especially projects that use technology. Any advantage a teacher has should be used!
The competency of “analyzing the characteristics of the environment” is critical for teaching at an alternative school. Our students are immature. You have to think about if a particular class is ready for a project, especially a project involving computers. Are they going to stick to the assignment or get on a site that is prohibited. It is very difficult to monitor a class in the computer lab or even just a few students online while you are teaching the rest of the class. However, after adding the pros and cons I find that there is no way that technological innovation should not be used to improve your instruction methods.
R/D10
To quickly summarize the different contexts: (1) Business uses Instructional Design (ID) to lower the cost of training and to quickly train employees. (2) P-12 would use ID to completely revamp the educational system. (3) Higher education uses ID to improve teaching methods of professors and for distance learning, like our class. The most important theme these chapters have in common is using technology to improve performance. The differences come in the methods used to create improvement. In general, the more tech-savvy newer members of the faculty will be able to see the benefits of using more technology in the classroom.
Both the business and the higher education models use technology to improve the system that is already in place. For higher education, the emphasis is placed on moving faculty away from only lecturing and toward using technology to enhance their teaching. This, I believe, will take a long time. Almost all the professors I had for both my bachelor's and (more recent) master's degrees were strictly lecturers. It is how they were taught, and how they are comfortable teaching. Even so, just offering the faculty of a university the chance to learn to use some of the new technologies to improve learning will be a beginning.
The biggest difference in the three chapters is the way they want to create improvements. It seems the authors of the P-12 Ch 21 want a radical revision of public schools, while the higher education and business models are using a more evolutionary strategy. Change is inevitable and good, but I really feel a more gradual approach is the best when it comes to improving public schools.
I believe the best application for me as a teacher would be the use of workshops such as those used in higher education, to promote more modern teaching methods. The state should mandate that a class similar to ours be part of an education degree. Established teachers still have to take six credit hours every five years, so the state could require them to take a similar class. This would be the fastest, most efficient way for our schools to enter the 21st century. It would also take the financial burden from the schools, but it would not increase the cost for teachers because they need to take classes anyway. Another way to bring more technology to the classroom is to have a workshop in ID at the beginning of the school year. Every district has at least two days of meetings. One day could be used to increase staff technology skills in regard to teaching. It would be time well spent for the staff and it might lead to some jobs for instructional designers.
Both the business and the higher education models use technology to improve the system that is already in place. For higher education, the emphasis is placed on moving faculty away from only lecturing and toward using technology to enhance their teaching. This, I believe, will take a long time. Almost all the professors I had for both my bachelor's and (more recent) master's degrees were strictly lecturers. It is how they were taught, and how they are comfortable teaching. Even so, just offering the faculty of a university the chance to learn to use some of the new technologies to improve learning will be a beginning.
The biggest difference in the three chapters is the way they want to create improvements. It seems the authors of the P-12 Ch 21 want a radical revision of public schools, while the higher education and business models are using a more evolutionary strategy. Change is inevitable and good, but I really feel a more gradual approach is the best when it comes to improving public schools.
I believe the best application for me as a teacher would be the use of workshops such as those used in higher education, to promote more modern teaching methods. The state should mandate that a class similar to ours be part of an education degree. Established teachers still have to take six credit hours every five years, so the state could require them to take a similar class. This would be the fastest, most efficient way for our schools to enter the 21st century. It would also take the financial burden from the schools, but it would not increase the cost for teachers because they need to take classes anyway. Another way to bring more technology to the classroom is to have a workshop in ID at the beginning of the school year. Every district has at least two days of meetings. One day could be used to increase staff technology skills in regard to teaching. It would be time well spent for the staff and it might lead to some jobs for instructional designers.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Using Google Maps
Towards the end of every school year we have a project I call the Great Adventure. We divide into teams of 3-4 and plan a trip anywhere in the world. For the trip students must show where they are going, how they will get there, any important physical features they will see, major cities, different sites they wish to see (including a description and why they want to see it), and any other items of interest. Pictures from off the web, magazines, or newspapers are used. In the past the maps have been drawn by the one member of the team. Now, we can use Google Maps for this project, and I am betting that the students will love it!
View A Trip to Scotland in a larger map
View A Trip to Scotland in a larger map
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