Computers Don't Byte, A Blast from the Past

Just to show how far we have come I dug up this piece of ancient history. While 1981 doesn’t count for ancient history in most subjects, some think it might in classroom technology. It’s hard to believe this report is almost thirty years old, but see for yourself. It was written as a guide on how to use computers in the classroom when computers were big and slow and not in very many classrooms. While most of use can’t imagine a world without them, it serves as a reminder that once that world existed and in some cases still does.

In Computers Don't Byte. A Starting Point for Teachers Using Computers. A Resource Booklet. By Michael Lieberman the author profoundly states;

“Many educators want to stand back until the pace of change has slowed in hopes
that their money will not have been “wasted” on obsolete technology. However,
the pace of change is unlikely to slow down significantly in the near future.
Obsolescence is a way of life in the computer era. Even if the machinery
changes, the concepts learned on a computer never become obsolete. The real
world is already computerized; if educators continue to wait they may be
jeopardizing their student’s abilities to compete in the job market.” (p.41)

As true now as it was then, let me know what you think,

Mike

Free Movies and Shows for the Classroom

Regardless of the level of sophistication in technology each of us feels we have, more than likey we have at least heard of You Tube, a website that has allowed people to post video clips and allowed others to view them. You Tube has recently announce something very exciting in its release of You Tube Shows found at http://www.youtube.com/shows .

The folks at You Tube have assembled hundreds of television shows and movies and offer them for free. The potential for classroom use is incredible and my guess is the collection will continue to grow. Many of the current offerings have potential classroom use and the direct linking capability makes them very easy to use.

Some of the options include;

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Winter Comes to Cougar Country

Scientific American Frontiers Cybersenses

Remembering Vietnam

Supersize Me

And hundreds of others check it out and let me know what you think,

Mike

Games in the Classroom

Here is a great article from Business Week about using gaming as an instructional tool.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_08/b3972100.htm

The concept is not new, educators have long known that keeping the students interest is a great way of "selling" the lesson. What is new is the use of computers to deliver the lesson.

This quote from the article struck me as pretty interesting;

"Game developers estimate that at least 10% of the classrooms in the
nation's 2,500 major school districts use mainstream titles for learning, up
from only a handful five years ago."

One of the reasons they give for the sharp increase of the use of games, is that the younger teachers are coming to work having grown up with computer gaming so it is a natural extension to use them int he classroom.

So now how do we get the experienced teachers in on the "game". Well it comes back to professional development. Do anyone know of any school districts that use gaming as part of their professional development program? It sounds to me like an interesting approach.

Let me know what you think,

Mike

The Media Equation

Over the years I have met all kinds of people and as you would expect different kinds of people interact with their computers in a variety of different ways. I read the Media Equation (Reeves et al., 1996) with a smile on my face as I thought of some of these people.

I know them all, the ones who talk to their computer, sometimes actually pleading with it to work faster or magically perform some function it was never asked to do. I also know the ones who blame the computer for “messing up”, usually not allowing entry after receiving an incorrect user name or password. But my all time favorite is the one who gets mad because something is in a “stupid place”.

Humans tend to humanize things to help them understand. They often give animals and objects human traits and think nothing of it. It’s only natural that we have also done this with computers. As I put down the reading I reflected on the importance of what the authors had to say.

Humans have become media dependant and many often confuse what they see on the screen as real life. They take things literal and we have to help guard against that. I have spent hours assuring family members and friends that just because there is a flashing sign on the screen that says their computer has some kind of awful virus, that doesn’t mean that its really there.

We have a responsibility as educators to remember this when we teach. One of the important things to point out to our students is the “Media Equation”. In other words, to some perception is reality and media can give many people false, unsettling perceptions which they construe to be real.

Now this doesn’t always mean this is bad. We can use this to create simulation for teaching that can hold the learners attention and provide a safe, inexpensive way for people to learn expensive or dangerous things. But it is something to remember and work into our teaching.

Here is a nice review of the whole book http://www.ics.uci.edu/~jpd/publications/media-review.html and I also found a small PowerPoint http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~fishwick/ac/2009/MediaEquation.ppt

Let me know what you think.

Mike

Reeves, Byron, and Clifford Nass. 1996. The media equation, pp. 3-18. Cambridge University Press.

UNI Model of Performanced-Based Competencies

It was interesting to find that the University of Northern Iowa (UNI ) has developed performance-based competencies for teachers based on several of the national standards we have discussed in this blog. While this model was developed by their College of Education for pre-service teachers in K-12, there is no apparent reason why this type of thing can’t work for college level instructors.

The 31 competencies are divided up into three areas;

I. Basic Technology Equipment Operations and Concepts

II. Technology Resources and Tools for Information Literacy

III. Technology Resources and Tools for Content Areas

The model allows readers to self rate themselves on each the competencies in one of five levels ranging from Pre- Novice to Expert. Below is an example based on competency #1

Operate a multimedia computer system, including installing software, accessing
programs or files in other drives (such as CD-ROM in drive d:/), saving and
deleting files, organizing folders and maintaining backups within the context of
Macintosh, Windows, and networked systems.

Pre-Novice
I do not know how to operate a multimedia computer system.

Novice
I use the computer to run a few specific, pre-loaded programs. I sometimes save
documents I’ve created but often cannot control or identify where they are
saved.

Apprentice
I use operating system tools to install software, access programs or files in other drives (such as CD-ROM in drive d:/), and save and delete files within the context of Macintosh, Windows, and networked systems. I create my own folders to keep my files organized and maintain backups of my work.

Practitioner
I have designed authentic learning activities for diverse learners to teach my students to access programs or files in other drives, save and delete files, organize folders, and maintain backups within the context of Macintosh, Windows, and
networked systems.

Expert
I reflect upon and make educated decisions in determining the effectiveness of activities that teach my students to access programs or files in other drives, save and delete files, organize folders, and maintain backups within the context of Macintosh, Windows, and networked systems.

Source http://www.intime.uni.edu/model/technology/comps1.html

There is also a matrix which traces each competency back to the major standards we have discussed from ISTE and other organizations.

I have a tendency to agree with these standards for college level instructors and would like to hear from others on the subject. The point is we have to start somewhere is there common ground we can agree on?

Let me know what you think,
Mike

www.Thinkfinity.org

This week’s Web Site of the Week is http://www.thinkfinity.org/ . A site sponsored by the Verizon Foundation to help students, parents and teachers teach and learn with technology.

“Our goal is to improve student achievement in traditional classroom settings and beyond by providing high-quality content and extensive professional development training.”

The site contains over 55,000 standards based lesson plans and other resources for teachers and after school programs including technology based learning tools. One feature I found especially interesting was FREE TRAINING FOR EDUCATORS.

Also mentioned on the site are the ISTE Standards I have discussed before and new organization to me http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/, a group dedicated to teaching students the technology skills they need for the new century.

There seems to be a lack of information available that helps define what teachers should know about technology, but I keep coming back to the question, if a certain skill set is expected of students, should not teachers also be held to this standard? We really need to start somewhere.

Let me know what you think.

Mike

Does Technology Count?

Education Week published its 2009 Technology Counts report which in part grades states in their current use of technology.

Take a look and see how your favorite state did. http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/tc/2009/26stc.pdf

It would be interesting to compare the assets used in the states that scored well with the resources spent on teacher professional development in the technology arena.

Anyone have any thoughts on that? Let me know what you think.

Mike

Staying Connected

I liked this article about a teacher who used teleconferencing to keep in touch with her students during a trip to Washington D.C.

http://www.jdnews.com/news/koczot_63468___article.html/students_teacher.html

It made me wonder if many teachers think about ways to use technology to keep connected.

What really hit home was this quote from one of the students;
“It made me want to be interested in what is happening in the world"

I guess the first step in changing the world is getting students interested in the world.
Let me know what you think.

Mike

Assess Yourself

Most of us would agree that seeking self improvement is a good thing and engage ourselves regularly in activities which promote self improvement. Here is a nice little article I found that targets technology skills and educator self improvement. Written by Dr. P. MacGregor-Mendoza, the article outlines seven steps that teachers can take to develop and improve their own use of technology in the classroom.

1. Assess your own level of skill and apprehension towards using technology
2. Find what learning resources are available
3. Plan ahead
4. Start small
5. Consider your audience
6. Have a backup plan
7. Have a way to measure your success

While these steps may seem basic, is this good advice? Let me know what you think.

Mike

MacGregor-Mendoza, P. (Jan 2009). Assess yourself: along with better diet and exercise, follow these seven tips for getting your personal technology professional development in shape. (FEATURE STORY). Technology & Learning, 29, 6. p.20(2). Retrieved April 04, 2009, from Academic OneFile via Gale:http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=AONE