Map Your World November 29, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
OpenStreetMap is an interesting project that compiles information from users, like a wiki, but in this case, the information is a map. More specifically, it is a map of the entire world. It is just waiting for users like you, or maybe your class, to fill in some details. Take a look and contribute to an open source world map.
Thanks to TechCrunch for the link:
OpenStreetMap grows, spawns ecosystem
Feeling Download – Faster November 16, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Data.add a comment
I know that broadband speeds in the US are slower than they should be, but I recently took advantage of upgrading my home connection speed that resulted in a net decrease in the cost at the same time. Win-win situations like that don’t come along every day, but if it has been a while since you’ve checked on your home networking service, take this as a friendly reminder to see what options you have available.
I put together a Google spreadsheet to see a chart of network speeds, and am pleased that the curve is heading back up after a long time of relatively small increases. The exact dates are only as accurate as my memory, so take this chart below with a grain of salt. I figure my download speeds will most likely plateau for a few years before making another jump. What will it jump to next time? 20 Mbps or something even higher?
New Media Literacies November 14, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.add a comment
Today marks an interesting convergence of ideas amongst the feeds collected in my Google Reader. To start with, I’d like to extend my thanks to Smart Mobs, linked below, for pointing out this video on new media literacies. As a YouTube video, it qualifies as a nice example of what it tries to explain. David Warlick, among others, has often made the case that literacy needs to be redefined to include information literacy and technology and does so again in a new post. Coincidentally, Will Richardson draws a line in the sand and dares us to step across into that brave new ‘paperless‘ world. If literacy needs to be redefined, what are the core components on which we need to focus in our classrooms?
http://www.smartmobs.com/2008/11/14/new-media-literacies-nice-short-video/
How Much Do You Retain? November 8, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Data, Opinion.add a comment
There is a very interesting review of an oft cited set of statistics about how much information is retained based on the method of delivery. No need to go into great depth about the percentages here, we’ve all seen them before, about how little information is retained from lectures, a little more from reading, more from visual presentations, on up the list to teaching others. According to the blog post, the statistics have no basis in research. There is no data to back up the statistics.
Tell Me I forget, Show Me I remember, Involve Me I understand.
It is a funny thing about perceptions and what we hold to be true, especially when it relates to information we ‘retained’. Take the above quote for example. Sounds like a reasonable statement about how I view education. I’ve heard it many times. But where does it actually come from?
A cursory search through Google for the phrase resulted in 1,340 different links. Some links attribute its origins to an old Chinese saying while others point to Native American origins. If the origins of the saying are in doubt, should I also doubt the saying itself, or do I accept the quotation for what it reveals on its own merit and disregard the cloudiness of its inception? Is there even an indisputable truth to be found about its roots?
Putting on my teacher hat, I wonder how can we sift through the volumes of information to actually arrive at truth. Can we even hope to do so? How do we establish authenticity, or better yet, how do we teach our students to question enough to wonder about the truth when we (myself included) are so easily swayed?
I believe that, as we move toward data-driven classrooms, toward reliance on statistical models to illuminate student learning, we’d better make sure that our teachers are capable of questioning the statistics as they seek to inform their instruction. Taking those raw numbers at face value is likely to result in ‘retained’ information about student achievement rather than a transformational dialogue about learning.
Mea Culpa – Setting the Record Straight on Dale’s Cone/Pyramid — Open Education
OVPC – I Hope Not November 5, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Humor, OLPC.add a comment
One Velociraptor per Child is a darkly humorous parody of OLPC, which I’ve written about many times. At least I hope it is a parody. My thanks to Bryan Alexander for this link.
