Backchannels for Nov 16 - Technology Trends & Education

Afternoon Lectures



Morning Lectures

Due 11/16 - Technology Trends & Education

The following resources will support our discussion of Technology Trends and Education on November 16, and they are also useful resources that can support your blog project (240:031 students) or final presentation (ideas for improving the use of technology in your unit).

Read: Reflecting on SketchUp - a blog post by Iowa teacher Seth Denney reflecting on this 6th grade students' use of free 3D modeling software from Google. Mr. Denney will join us via Skype, so think about what you would like to ask him or his students.

Read: Florida Virtual School - An education case study about the Florida Virtual School's exponential growth.

Read: Stumbling Blocks: Playing It Too Safe Online Will Make You Sorry

Watch: Hack the Debate, a short video (2 min) about how Current.tv and Twitter teamed up to hack the presidential debates in 2008.

Watch: Disrupting Class - a (2 min) video excerpt from Second Life about social learning (from North Carolina Virtual Public School - ncvps.org)

Watch: Second Life with Autism, a short video (4 min) about how persons with autism are using Second Life. (FYI: the full Amanda Baggs video referenced is here.)

Download the 2-page PDF handout: 7 Things You Should Know About Virtual Worlds (from educause.edu)

Read: Listening to Themselves: Podcasting Takes Lessons Beyond the Classroom (from Edutopia.org)

Preparing for the Final Presentation (Nov 9)

There are no RWLDs due for November 9. However, please familiarize yourself with the Presentation and PowerPoint assignment description pages when they are released in eLearning.

Backchannel for Nov 2, Assistive Technology

Afternoon Lectures:


Morning Lectures:

Due 11/2 - Assistive Technologies

We will be reviewing the issues that students with disabilities must confront. As teachers, we are legally and morally obligated to provide our students with learning opportunities that best accommodate their needs.

IDEA (The Individual with Disabilities Education Act)
Introduction to the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. Please read through the whole page.

Universal Design for Learning
Explains the basis of UDL and how it will support learners in achieving their goals.

Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams
From voice-activated software to customized laptops, technology can change the way disabled students communicate, learn, and play.

Assistive-Technology Tools: Keys to Learning for the Visually Impaired
A teacher at Boston Latin School demonstrates the latest devices for helping students who have visual impairment.

Aimee Mullins: Running on High-Tech Legs
In this TED archive video from 1998, paralympic sprinter Aimee Mullins talks about her record-setting career as a runner, and about the amazing carbon-fiber prosthetic legs (then a prototype) that helped her cross the finish line. (This a video of a presentation from TED Talks. We STRONGLY suggest that you visit TED.org to hear some of the greatest minds on the planet present their ideas and visions.)

AbilityNet GATE
Read the opening page and review the software solutions that are listed in the box on the left side of the page.

photo: flickr.com/benson

Due 10/26 - Digital Natives and Web 2.0

CoverItLive Back Channels archives at the bottom of this post.

This week we will be exploring how the digital world has changed the world, the people and how we interact with one another. This week's assignment begins with an article by Marc Prensky about Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. This is followed by a group of videos to introduce you to blogs, wikis and twitter. There are a couple of podcasts that include interviews of educators about using new technologies in schools. Have fun!!!

Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.
This is the classic article about generation differences. Reflect how this applies to your life and your associates.

Growing Up Digital (Don Tapscott)

This 25-minute video with Don Tapscott discusses what he has learned about the Net (Millennial) Generation. You may recognize some of your friends in this discussion. =-)

Generation Y: The Millennial Generation
This article discusses the characteristics, shared experiences and mindset for Gen Y students. Also includes a number of tips for teaching Gen Y students.

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog in the Classroom
Here are the opinions of 10 high school students about why to use blogs in the classroom. It isn't educational theory, but it provides some personal insights of students.

Using Wikispaces in the Classroom (Podcast)
This is a 31-minute interview with Vicki Davis, a high school teacher in GA, and Adam Frey, the developer of Wikispaces.com. (There is an error in the link on the webpage. Find the box that says "Duration: 31:02" and then click on the Blue Q in the right side of the box.)

Twitter in the Classroom (YouTube Video)
In this 9-minute video a high school AP Biology teacher tells how he uses Twitter in his classroom. Begins with an explanation of Twitter and then discusses the applications.

Shifting Our Schools Episode 9: How to Go Deeper in Student Learning. Why Go Deeper?
This is an exceptional podcast where Michael Lambert shares some of his instructional and assessment practices that take the learning deeper and make it more meaningful for his students. Mike will talk about making connections in the brain and making connections between other areas of study. You can read more about this in the podcast's "show notes."

CoverItLive Back Channel (Morning)




CoverItLive Back Channel (Afternoon)