Shift Happened April 22, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos, Opinion.1 comment so far
Stephanie Sandifer, on LeaderTalk and Change Agency, posted a nice article on what to do once the realization has been made that something must change in education in response to the shift in the world around us that has already taken place. She does a nice job of moving the discussion from tools (what to buy) to people. Stephanie identifies everyone on campus, teacher, administrators, etc. as learners, and I agree with the assertion:
If we are serious about changing our learning environments so that our students leave fully prepared for life and work in a globally connected and collaborative environment, then we are definitely going to be moving the cheese of many people in our organizations — it won’t be easy and we can’t wait for all of the state and federal policies and mandates to catch up before we take action.
Stephanie goes on to point out that traditional methods of distributing change in educational systems, such as committees and pilot programs, are just too slow. She calls on the early adopters to virally spread change. While this is effective among the early adopter set, I don’t think this approach will impact those in the later (and larger) adopter groups. Unfortunately, I don’t have a suggestion for a better way to spread change, especially in educational institutions.
Stephanie does a great job of identifying roadblocks, such as tolerance toward technophobic attitudes and sufficient infrastructure. Some of these same elements I’ve written about in the ocassional ‘Necessary Ingredients’ series. On a side note, the post is nicely annotated with helpful links. Link to the article below:
Encyclopedia Britannica Now Free For Bloggers April 19, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
By way of a post by Michael Arrington on TechCrunch, bloggers and others who regularly post to the Internet may sign up for complimentary access to the Encyclopedia Britannica. If they accept your submission, you can link directly to specific articles for your audience to read. This should allow annotation similar to what can be done with Wikipedia. I signed up and will let you know how it goes if I get access.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/18/encyclopedia-britannica-now-free-for-bloggers/
Safety on the Internet - Times Two April 11, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.1 comment so far
Wes Fryer has posted a pair of terrific articles on his Moving at the Speed of Creativity blog related to Internet safety. The first includes a video from Google and Common Sense Media that states most of the issues around Internet safety quite well. The second is a nice collection of tips everyone can/should follow to avoid identity theft. I’m not sure which is more likely, cyber bullying, or ID theft, but neither one sounds like much fun!
Safety - http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/04/10/a-common-sense-approach-to-internet-safety/
ID Theft - http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/04/10/tips-for-avoiding-identity-theft/
Copyright and a Great Example of Powerpoint April 5, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Fair Use.add a comment
By way of a Daring Fireball post, here is a link to Larry (I’ve always called him Lawrence) Lessig’s TED presentation on copyright. Worth watching for the content, which explains why the current state of copyright is working against creativity, not for it. The presentation is also a great example of how to use Powerpoint, or any presentation software, effectively by mixing short amounts of text, images, and voice. This presentation came shortly before Lessig left the copyright wars to focus on campaign finance laws in an effort to reform congress.
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/187
Flatten Your Classroom April 5, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos, Link Collections.add a comment
Vicki Davis, the Cool Cat Teacher, has posted details for how to flatten (connect to the world) your classroom. She lists 5 levels ranging from using tools like blogs but keeping the content and interaction within the confines of the classroom, all the way up to student directed interaction of connections around the globe. Examples of each level are very helpful. In the past I’ve outlined levels of technology integration for a class I teach and I think this is a nice 2.0 extension.
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2008/03/five-phases-of-flattening-classroom.html
$100 Laptop - Software Only - Jooce Style March 30, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, OLPC, Opinion, Tools.1 comment so far
Business Week has an interesting article about Jooce. It is a virtual desktop that allows a single access point to be used by many individuals. They make their money through advertising, but it removes the need for each user to have their own hardware or network connection. There are other solutions in this space, some of which I have bookmarked in del.icio.us and tagged as webOS. http://del.icio.us/mwoolums/webOS. I hadn’t thought of web OS solutions in this context, and am not sure how this solves much for classroom use, because you still need equipment, whether it is a lab with one computer for each child, or a mini-lab where students work in small groups or as part of a rotation. Still, in places where there may only be a few access points or limited disk space, virtual (online) desktops make sense.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2008/gb20080325_844094.htm
10 Million Fans Can’t All Be Wrong March 28, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Data, Tools.1 comment so far
Tech Crunch and others are reporting that Wikipedia has reached a milestone: 10 million articles. That is quite an achievement for something that is free to everyone. On a side note, only 2.3 million of those are in English.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/28/10-millionth-article-written-on-wikipedia/
Bebo Fighters March 28, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos, Opinion.add a comment
The BBC is reporting the arrest of six teenagers after they used the online social networking site Bebo. This is a story because it illustrates that kids can be very resourceful and are likely to use online resources as a daily part of their lives. This isn’t a story because kids organizing a fight by talking in the hallway or meeting up in neighborhoods just isn’t interesting.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/derbyshire/7318816.stm
Bit by BitTorrent March 27, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
When keeping track of all the new technology, or Web 2.0 specifically, it isn’t an easy task. One technology that I haven’t mentioned at all, but that fits the idea of the end users being in charge of the content, is BitTorrent. What is BitTorrent? In my mind, it is a distributed file sharing protocol. But what does that mean? Andy Carvin posted a question on Twitter asking for analogies for BitTorrent, and several people posted some very good ones that help explain what it is.
I like to think of BitTorrent as ‘the network is my hard drive.’ In other words, the location of the information isn’t as important as my access to it. What I wonder about is how BitTorrent can impact education. Imagine a district or school or classroom that isn’t concerned with having all of the answers, but instead is dedicated to making the best use of those answers or resources regardless of where they are located. I think BitTorrent is a great analogy for the way education should be structured. We each have a small part to contribute.
http://www.andycarvin.com/archives/2008/03/in_search_of_the_perfect_bit_torrent_ana.html
Who Knew? Social Computer Gamers? March 26, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.add a comment
By way of a Howard Rheingold tweet, Physorg.com (anyone know who they are?) has posted an article about how computer games can make kids more social. Common opinion, and a certain car commercial that wants to rethink stuff, notwithstanding…
…in two recent studies of kindergarten and first-grade students, Ching has observed that children find ways to transform their experiences with technology into fun, highly organized group activities. She also found that technology-based activities can be explicitly designed to foster social reflection and advanced planning among young children.
http://www.physorg.com/news125684705.html
Diigo Video March 26, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
By way of a CoolCatTeacher (Vicki Davis) tweet, here is a YouTube video that explains Diigo. Having watched it, Diigo sort of has a Flock feel to it, but without the extra browser. Of course Flock has additional drag and drop integration with blogs, but Diigo has an easier Facebook side to networking.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0RvAkTuL02A
Interested in Timelines? March 25, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
Library Power has a nice discussion about a couple of online timeline tools, Mnemograph and Xtimeliner. Timelines can be very helpful in organizing information, outlining stories, or to compare changes over time.
http://libpower.blogspot.com/2008/03/what-time-is-it.html
Mr. Winkle Goes to School March 24, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.add a comment
Mathew Needleman has posted an interesting video on his Creating Lifelong Learners blog called Mr. Winkle Wakes. It tells the story of a man who wakes up after sleeping for 100 years. He is very uncomfortable in an office building and a hospital because of all the changes and technology in use there, but he feels very comfortable at a school, where things are essentially unchanged. The blog post is linked below, and the Teachertube version is embedded here. Enjoy!
Download Video: Posted by videointheclassroom at TeacherTube.com.
http://www.needleworkspictures.com/ocr/blog/
Net Neutrality Update for March 2008 March 22, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality, Opinion.add a comment
I haven’t mentioned Net Neutrality for a while, but in case you were wondering, it is still an important issue. If you are a little unsure about what Net Neutrality is, imagine that everyone in the US is receiving a service, and then that service provider decides to change the rules and charge people based on different ways that service might be used. If your electrical service provider decided today that they would charge extra for connecting solar energy devices in your home, that would be a deterrent to moving to alternative energy sources, right? What if they also decided to charge extra if you wanted to watch TV shows that argued against your right to use solar powered devices? That wouldn’t sit so comfortably, would it? Take it one step further and this service provider makes could make it financially almost impossible to purchase any devices that were not manufactured by them. Suddenly you are locked into a system that determines what you can do with the service instead of working for you.
Now I’m not saying that the electrical company is doing that, but your Internet service provider might be. Did you know that “nearly 99 percent of all residential connections are provided by incumbent cable or phone companies” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/americas-internet-future_b_92763.html?) Your cable company already decides which channels you have access to on your TV. Do you also want them to decide which Internet sites you have access to on your computer or cell phone? That is an essential question to Net Neutrality.
Earlier this year, Verizon and AT&T plunked down a combined $16.3 billion for the largest blocks of licenses to use the public spectrum up for sale on the “700 band.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/americas-internet-future_b_92763.html)
This means that a limited resource to provide Internet access was just sold to those same few limited companies that already make decisions about who does get access, and potentially what those subscribers are allowed to do with their access.Another part of Net Neutrality has to do with access. Many urban areas have considered (or have already started providing) free or reduced cost wireless access. In some places, this effort is falling short because there just isn’t enough profit for the providers.
EarthLink announced on Feb. 7 that “the operations of the municipal Wi-Fi assets were no longer consistent with the company’s strategic direction.” Philadelphia officials say they are not sure when or if the promised network will now be completed.For Cesar DeLaRosa, 15, however, the concern is more specific. He said he was worried about his science project on global warming.“If we don’t have Internet, that means I’ve got to take the bus to the public library after dark, and around here, that’s not always real safe,” Cesar said, seated in front of his family’s new computer in a gritty section of Hunting Park in North Philadelphia. His family is among the 1,000 or so low-income households that now have free or discounted Wi-Fi access through the city’s project, and many of them worry about losing access that they cannot otherwise afford (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/22wireless.html.)
This means that our friendly ISP is already limiting who can participate in this great social collaboration experiment. It isn’t all hopeless though. Even the ISPs have to account for market forces.
Prices for Internet service on the broader market also began dropping to a level that, while above what many poor people could afford, was below what municipal Wi-Fi providers were offering, so the companies had to lower their rates even further, making investment in infrastructure even more risky, he said (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/22wireless.html.)
So what’s next? The issue of Net Neutrality is still being debated. Legislation is working its way through congress (http://www.whereabill.org/#110_s215.) The FCC is holding meetings (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/03/20/18487350.php There are even things you can do to participate in this on-going debate (http://www.savetheinternet.com/=faq#help.) Your voice is important, but only as long as others have the ability to hear you.
This article was inspired by a single twitter from Will Richardson.
Wikipedia How To March 21, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
MediaShift has a great post on steps to being a model Wikipedian. While some items are specific to only Wikipedia “6. Get Familiar with the Talk Pages.” other items apply to almost any collaborative or social-centric site. I really like “5. Be Bold: Don’t Get Discouraged.” and “4. Assume Good Faith.” These suggestions sort of remind me of the idea that we learned everything we needed in kindergarten.
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2008/03/demystifying_wikipediahow_to_b.html
