Cherry Pie

Final Impressions for Fall Course

I found the first online course to be excellent at introducing me to new, applicable technological tools and then giving my the time and confidence to actually be able to use them. Many times I find things that I think might be helpful and cool but don't take the time to actually use them. This course was great because it allowed me to be proficient enough to expand the use of the technology on my own.

Yes, I have taken an online course before but they were much more convoluted than this. This is the first online course I have taken that was purely about technology- usually I have taken course based on science or teaching.

I think everything worked well. I liked blogging and reading other people's blogs. Again, I also liked the nice pace of being introduced to new technology and then having time to use it.

The only problem I had was waiting for people to catch up so that I could complete the chapters (I needed to leave feedback on at least two people's blogs...)

I think the structure was extremely appropriate and I would love to take a class with the same structure in the future.

Yes, the content was appropriate. Again, I thought all parts of the course were useful and many of the features I am using daily or plan to use with my classes next year (blogging).

Lori was very accessible and answered questions quickly even on weekends.

I don't haven any suggestions on how to improve future online courses other than just having more courses available (I realize this is not an easy feat).

* Would you recommend this course to others? Why or why not?
Yes, I would (and have) recommended this course to others because of the great deal of useful items I have learned as well as the convenience and flexibility of taking an online class; many of the chapters I finished in the wee hours of the morning while my wife and kids were sleeping.

Yes, I would definitely take another online course because of the convenience of when I did my work as well as the collaboration that I had with my classmates.

I would like to see a class, or a section of a class, on video podcasts; once I learned how to do video podcasts I could not only share more of my weekend and summer travels with my students but also teach and empower them to make their own segments to share with their classmates and me.

Once again, thank you for a wonderful class, Lori! I learned a lot and use a great deal daily.

Welcome students!

Hello Earth science students. I would like to try to blog about science so that we can all spend more time outside the school day thinking about science and how it applies to your life.

Please post a reply about something in your life that you have found affected by Earth science. I will get the ball rolling...I found mica in my toothpaste! Yes, the mineral is in the gel as a gentle abrasive to polish up my pearly whites.

Now I know what you are thinking- Earth science doesn't affect my life- but it does! From the sun to the soil, Earth science is all around you. Please be observant and then post your thoughts, plus I will give you a bit of extra credit. Find any cool sites? Forward them along!

When you post please identify yourself by entering your first name and last initial only so that I will be able to identify you but no creepy outsiders will know who you are.

Rock on!

A Time for Reflection 3

As I reflect back on the School 2.0 strand (and this course in general) I realize that I need to push myself to learn more about technology and how it can be used to help my student learn and think about science. I like the fact that technology is so integrated into the lives of our students that their use of computers is just part of their normal life and not a "special trip" to the school computer(s) as it was when I was a kid (I am a first generation Oregon Trail gamer!). Now I need to push myself to start adopting technology in my teaching, I just want to make sure I am doing it for the students' sake and not technology's sake. I would like to start teaching my Regents Earth Science kids by using PowerPoint and my LCD projector (as I do in my EMT class) instead of using the overhead as I do now but don't know how they would take notes; I realize that viewing ppt presentations is very "Web 1.0" but I have to start somewhere, right? I would also like to try out a "class blog question of the week" and see how kids take to it. I wonder if they will read and post or just ignore it. Another thing I would like to do is to have my wiki page start to take form. This seems like an easy and effective way to differentiate, and possibly provide extra credit, for the faster kids.

What I will do differently as a result of this class is to start my journey into using technology in my classroom. I need to keep learning (how do you embed a youtube video in a ppt?, etc...); I love learning new "stuff", it just takes time.

I feel that Lori did an outstanding job putting together a great class that could be done at school or at home. Every topic opened my mind to new technologies and possibilities to saturate my kids with science without them realizing it. Thanks Lori!

Thoughts on School 2.0

I'm glad that the US Department of Education is promoting schools to use new technologies to teach and inform students and their families. Sometimes I feel that the DoE just hands out curriculum and hides in its bureaucracy. What strikes me the most about the vision of tomorrow's schools is that it seems that the kids are ready to accept the challenges of moving into a "totally technological" learning environment, but the old people (teachers) aren't as comfortable with the idea. In addition, the cost of making these changes seems very high.

From the map, I think the most promising idea is free wi-fi hotspot standing on the corner in the middle of the town. A few times this year I have been talking to parents of students and have asked them for email addresses and, surprisingly, a few do not have the resources for a computer with internet access. I know how expensive young kids are to raise and I know they are going to want more expensive things as the years go on. I think that some parents aren't buying computers because of the awful "monthly fees" that go along with it. Dell certainly makes computers affordable; I think almost any household could spring for a basic computer. What I think holds people back is the thought of paying $50 per month for internet access. Have the Village of Hilton (at least) as a wi-fi zone would be very cool and I think that many more people would be on the web.

As far as what I would change...nothing but the perception that we shouldn't or can't move into the web 2.0 world. It sounds like a lot of money, work, and learning but the longer we wait, the harder we are making it for our students to compete in the global market.

Impressions of Alan November's interview of Dr. Yong Zhao

I get a little scared when I read about predictions on the future of education and especially where our students will fit into the global workforce. Dr. Zhao made me feel that I really need to get a handle on technology and its advances and how to effectively make use of it in my classroom. He mentions "not being afraid" to use the new technology- I am most afraid of the time it would take away from the course; will it pay off?

I keep hearing and reading about Second Life. It is now available for MS Vista so I guess I might give it a go. I don't really know how it can fit into my class but I will have to explore it a bit. The global reaching nature seems cool but I worry about online predators interacting with my students. I am also interested to see the "game" that teaches kids how to speak Mandarin Chinese; if kids can find that fun, I'm sure there are science applications for my class in the future.

Dr. Zhao's three important needs were a bit of an awakening for me. I am trying to wrap my mind around recognizing the positive effects of the virtual environment for my students. I envision doing labs with "partners" from around the world and that makes me excited. His second idea about sharing ideas, curriculum, and teachers online is also intriguing; who is better to learn about a glacier from that from a person who lives near one? His last idea about changing how technology and teachers get along really sums it all up for me. I would like to make the jump into "total technology" from my students but worry about how to do this most effectively. Also, what about the kids who don't have internet access at home? I have a few kids this year who wouldn't be able to "login" to what ever project I might assign, what should I do with them?

Finally, the "more food for thought" youtube movie was provocative, I just need to make the leap. The comment about taking away kids' cellphones struck me today. I took a girl's cell phone away because she was texting during class; I feel that I keep a pretty close watch on things when I am lecturing but had another student in class text the girl's phone which was now in my pocket. I felt it buzz, looked at the screen, and saw the other student's name with a new message flashing. Maybe we should stop fighting and begin to use cell phones as a tool. What a can of worms that would be!

21st Century Skills Collaborative Project

I had a little trouble trying to come up with an idea for a collaborative project for my students but I think this will work. As an inquiry project I would like to assign groups of students the following different stream characteristics to model and study in the classroom: steepness, width, and amount of water. I will supply students with basic equipment they can use to test for their given characteristic (variable). Students will test their variable by keeping all other variables the same (control). Students will collaborate with their group members to design and problem-solve an acceptable setup to run their tests by manipulating only their variable. The groups can take pictures of their setups and then write a description which will share their findings on the class wiki page. This will take their work to a higher level because of the potential world-wide audience.

To take this project to "the next level" I think it would be cool for students to use Google Earth to search for streams in the United States with the characteristics of the stream the designed in class. Students could then use the USGS (United States Geological Survey) site data to (hopefully) support the conclusions they made in class. They could even collaborate with students in other part of the country to ask them questions about their local waterways. Just an idea...

Reflections 2: The Most Useful Tool...del.icio.us!

Late last school year, I was complaining about trying to keep my bookmarks organized (both at school and at home) when my officemate, Scott, suggested that I try del.icio.us. I remember saying that I would give it a go but never even visited the site, but now, thanks to this course, I am hooked! I like that I can keep all of my bookmarks from school and home, whether they are personal or professional, all in one, easy to access place.

I love to bookmark things and a few years ago I would have way too many bookmarks in my "favorites" folder to be of much use; when the end of the year came I would feel relieved to get rid of all of them and start the new year with a clean slate. During the last few years, I have stopped bookmarking things and trying to rely on google to find sites that would pop into my mind from months earlier, however, not even google can find everything. Now I can bookmark like crazy and then easily categorize, search, and share my finds plus I can access my bookmark lists from any computer.

The portability piece is very cool. I will continue to learn and become more comfortable with del.icio.us. I will eventually have a group for EMT stuff, hiking, cycling, and who knows what else. As far as how this will help my teaching, I will be able to find those obscure sites that I ran across in the distant past to show my students. I don't see any reason why students couldn't look at my bookmarks as I don't have anything inappropriate but I will have to seriously consider how I will approach this in the future. My wife has also starting using del.icio.us and loves it as much as I do!

Wikis open classrooms to collaborate

I have used wiki pages in the past and even took a wiki class from Lori during the last school year. I have always liked the ideas of easy group collaboration using technology (kids love technology). I realize the limitations of people putting "whatever they want" on a wiki but pbwiki does a nice job of limiting outsiders from adding to my wiki.

When I took the wiki class I immediately saw the power of students working together. I made my wiki page and then went back to my classes, told them how cool wikis are and then did nothing else with it! As usual, time constraints got the best of me and I never had kids do anything. Now after the differentiated learning activities I have participated in this year, I feel that a wiki site is the perfect place for differentiated student projects. Students who are struggling can develop the basic ideas part of the wiki by providing general information. Students who grasp high level concepts can apply their knowledge to designing detailed items for a curriculum topic wiki page. This is how I envision an entire class being able to work together in a differentiated way.

As I watched the videos on wikis, I felt more open to trying a class content wiki page due to the ideas presented, such as: using a wiki page to manage other wiki pages; collaborating on topic and project ideas; connecting to digital media beyond the textbook. I also like what teachers said about having to teach students "digital citizenship". Without these online morals, students could cross the line and publish something that could be offensive. Many students need to be taught to think before they act. Finally, I like the idea that the wiki can be password protected and therefore be secure, yet open to advancement from many, trusted student minds.

Video Sharing Sites

I think there is a high potential for student learning when they watch short video clips during class as well as at home. These videos can help students' minds "shift gears" during class as well as engaging them at home; when they click on a link they are saying "I am ready to learn"- this is powerful because it is on their own time. Here are my ideas about the websites I reviewed.

Next Vista for Learning This site has good potential for student learning. I love the fact that it is not for profit so there are no ads to distract learning as well as not risking the questionable sites and content. The problem that I have right now with Next Vista is that it is low in content as far as my classroom content need goes. I realize that it will grow in time but right now it doesn't have the amount of materials that I need.

Teachertube I like this site a lot. Again, no ads are great and it seems to have a higher quality feed than Next Vista. I like that anyone can upload a video and this will allow student projects or "at home" experiments to be displayed. Curious kids often do really cool stuff at home. I believe these kids should be allowed to share their experiments with other people around the world on a distinguished site like Teachertube.

YouTube The mother of all video sharing sites! Good things about YouTube are that there is tons of good content already on the site and every kids has been to YouTube at some point in their lives. Many kids go there to relax so that if students are already in front of their computers at home and are asked to click on a link and view a video for homework it will be in a format that they like and is easy to access. The negative aspect of YouTube is that there are many topics and advertisements that are not appropriate to display (even in the sidebar) in class or possibly subject kids to at home; you never know what banner ad will be up when the kids clicks on the link from home.

Clip Blast This is a site I have never heard of before today. That said, I will definitely be back in the future. The idea that it is an "all in one" site that searches the internet from video clips from any website is great. Of course, this opens the door for objectionable content and possibly being blocked for students while at school. I do like the neat, professional look to the site as well as the ad free view will watching videos. I didn't like that I couldn't pause the video that I watched from YouTube through Clip Blast. Overall, I feel that this is a very useful site that I have bookmarked to use later.

As far as educational content and relevance, ease of use, and possibilities for my classes goes I have to rank Clip Blast first followed closely by YouTube. They have the most content that applies directly to my contents and I will continue to use them in class. As I said above, students may view content that is not school appropriate and they may not be able to access these sites from a school computer.

Whether we like it or not, online videos are here and kids are watching them. I think that harnessing the student interest in these videos can help us out when they view school content in the comfort of their own homes. How cool would it be if an Earth science video went "viral"?

Blogging Reflections

I am very interested in getting classroom blog discussion up and running. I hope to introduce it in the second quarter of this year and am thinking of thought provoking posts (say that five times, fast) so that my students will be itching to weigh in with their two cents. I definitely feel that there is a place in my classroom for blogging as it will get students to think about science outside the classroom and then focus their thoughts in a coherent post. This will allow the more "vocal" students to share their opinions without any time constraints normally present in the classroom setting.

I see myself using blogs to discuss erosion around town during November and hope students will share their erosion observations (hopefully through the use of digital pictures). I will then steer the blog into an environmental discussion where students can delve into how important soil is and yet how easy it is to lose to natural events.

I am reading a good book

I have been reading a very interesting book called The World is Flat. It is a very interesting read on how the internet has allowed people from all over the world to become competitors and/or collaborators with people anywhere on Earth.

If you would like to know more about Thomas Friedman (the book's author) you can check out his wiki page.

Welcome to my blog

Hello and welcome to my new blog. I love the idea of blogging but haven't put enough time into blogging to get gratified by it. This is my first real attempt to get a blog running.