DiigoNotes - Blogs Wikis GDocs Comparison Chart

• Blogs Wikis Docs Chart

  •  Blogs, Wikis, Docs: Which is right for your lesson?

    A Comparison Table

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

DiigoNotes - 50 Ways to Use Wikis

Source: http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~sct/wiki_web_C.jpg

Be sure to read this great blog post on 50 ways to use wikis! here are 10 of my favorite selections from the list....

• 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom | Smart Teaching
  1. Virtual field trips
  2. Create presentations:
  3. Readers’ guides
  4. Solving wiki
  5. Student portfolios
  6. Share notes
  7. Multi-author story
  8. Literature circles
  9. Community FAQ
  10. Teacher collaboration

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Psycho Analyze Your Tweets

From the web page sharing about TweetPsych:

TweetPsych uses the LIWC and RID to build a psychological profile of a person based on the content of their Tweets. It compares the content of a user’s Tweets to a baseline reading I’ve built by analyzing an ever-expanding group of over 1.5 million random Tweets, then highlighting areas where the user stands out.

The service analyzes your last 1000 Tweets; as such, it works best on users who have posted more than 1000 updates. It is also better suited for running analyses on accounts that are operated by a single user and use Twitter in a conversational manner, rather than simply a content distribution platform. It takes a few moments to analyze an account the first time, but subsequent views of a profile will load faster.
Read More

Dan Zarrella (creator of TweetPsych) uses this to analyze your Cognitive Content and your Primordial, Conceptual, and Emotional Content. Does this analysis mean anything? Well, who knows.

By way of explanation, Dan shares:

[The second measure....] primordial (the unconscious way you think, like in dreams), conceptual (logical and rational though) and emotional...[the first measure...] measures the cognitive and emotional properties of a person based on the words they use.

Fun to try out and see what happens. I find it difficult to interpret and I'm not sure if this is "good" or "bad;" however, it's interesting to see what it involves.

Try out TweetPsych for yourself....

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Social Media Desktop Apps - Finding THE Solution?

Looking for a desktop app that will do it all on a Mac for microblogging, socialmedia, whatever, I re-discovered Twhirl, which enables you to connect to various items, such as:

Although Twhirl doesn't do Ping.fm, it does do Friendfeed...which in turn does every other network tool. This clinches it for me--Friendfeed and Twhirl together. One post to Friendfeed via Twhirl, and I share with all my networks at once. I just hope Facebook's acquisition of Friendfeed doesn't mess it up.

8->

Another one is AlertThingy....

Another one to consider, but that never quite covers ALL the tools you want is Posty.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Best Informed - Blackberry Social Media Apps

Source: http://www.astana-cyclingteam.com/special_features/images/blackberry_8800.jpg

By blocking social media apps in schools, are we creating a digital divide between those who can afford smartphones (administrators, superintendents, pr personnel) and those who can't (teachers, assistants, students, etc)? Why should this matter? Simply, blocking social media (twitter, ping.fm, plurk) mean that you're disempowering your own people. It's not about blocking students' access because of CIPA, but blocking adults who have a real need to share information and ideas, problem-solve with a global community of other educators and find that they can't do it.

This idea of an organization using social media to further its own goals online but dis-empowering its employees is worth reflecting on. It was driven home to me when I considered Seth Godin's words:

If you want to change what your boss believes, or the strategy your company is following, the first step is to figure out how to be the best informed person in the room.
Source: Seth Godin, Willfully ignorant or aggressively skeptical

Wow, what a powerful quote. Since social media is a VALID NEW approach to staying informed, should school districts (and organizations) have the ability to limit the flow of information?

But that's not the real question. That question I just asked above (in bold) doesn't really matter, right? It doesn't matter because organizations CANNOT stop social media. They may put up some speed bumps but most folks are carrying affordable alternatives to organizational ways of tapping into the network. I guess we're back to the old argument of, should organizations provide access to tools that you can get on your mobile device?

As Blackberries become more affordable (ahem) and iPhones take over, I've run across some Blackberry apps, so thought to make a list of them here...feel free to suggest your own (and if you're the person selling them, be sure to tell us that rather than just leave a comment saying how great your product is, ok? Transparency....)

• SocialScope - Access Twitter and Facebook on your Blackberry
  
• UberTwitter - Integrated ability to upload pictures to a site dedicated to serving ÜberTwitter users; Ability to optionally update your Google Talk status with your last tweet, making your tweets reach a wider audience then just people following you on Twitter; Automatically update your location based on the cell tower information provided by your phone, no GPS hardware required, click here for an example; Send videos embedded in your tweet; See everyone who is tweeting near you
• Facebook for Blackberry - obvious, huh?
  
• BlackPing - Ping.fm on your Blackberry.
• Pinglet - Ability to select default and custom triggers for posting; Input for title and a message body for post; View recent posts; Auto detect Direct TCP, MDS or WiFi connection

Any others worth recommending?

For iPhone junkies, read this.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Dave Fleet's 14 Key Attributes For New Public Relations Professionals

Nice article on the skills/attributes of new public relations professionals. I have to highlight this blog entry because it reminds me of what is often missing in school district communications. Dave Fleet divides up his blog entry into traditional vs new attributes.

As I review Dave Fleet's list, the one that jumps out at me is the difference between microblogging and social networking/media. I have a better understanding now between what FriendFeed and services like Ping.fm can do, which is essentially, to share your updates about whatever to a variety of services. This is important because you may be developing an audience in multiple spaces...for example, although I usually share ideas via Twitter, it's my Facebook audience that is more likely to respond. I could share updates via Plurk, and they would go to Twitter and Facebook. If I share via Ping.fm, they go to Twitter, Plurk, Facebook...and that includes blog entries, etc.

It's a lot of fun figuring out what goes where and finding the right tool that will disseminate information to all my networks. Right now, it's a contest between Friendfeed (just acquired by Facebook) and Ping.fm. I'm leaning towards Ping.fm but FriendFeed has TONS of services it interacts with...but no toolbar or anything to post to it. Ping.fm does.

Here is what my FriendFeed services window looks like:

• 14 Key Attributes For New Public Relations Professionals | davefleet.com

  • Try launching something using social media alone and you’ll appreciate the gap that traditional media can leave if it’s lacking
  • Writing
  • Communications skills
  • Attention to detail - nothing will drive your colleagues...mad like poorly-edited work. Proofread everything.
  • Media relations – you’ll probably be doing media relations throughout the majority of your career.
  • Proactiveness – if you don’t know an answer to a question, first try to research the answer. If you can’t find the answer, ask. Whatever you do, don’t just sit there until you approach the deadline for your work.
  • Work ethic – public relations isn’t a 9-to-5 job.
    
  • Alongside the regular attributes that I think new PR pros should have, I would add a whole new list of attributes related to the online work
  • Blogging
  • Microblogging
  • Social networking tools
  • SEO - some parts of search engine optimization
  • Coding - basic HTML, PHP, VBScript
  • RSS, RSS Readers – I consider an understanding of RSS to be central to people doing any work in social media.
  • Blogger relations
  • Social media ethics – everyone has their own lines when it comes to ethics. Know where yours lie and how you feel about topics like astroturfing, ghost blogging, sock puppets and other common ethical issues

So microblogging/socialnetworking/social media--which are catch-all terms that get used interchangeably--really involve, for me, finding ways to have them work together to minimize the time/effort to get the word out (and in). Right now, Friendfeed and Ping.fm seem the best ways to accomplish that and I'd be showing "PR Professionals" that those are tools to use.

I'd show educators, but we don't want to allow them access to social networking/media because they might say something during the work day--even though they are accountable for anything they say, on or off work--that the organization wouldn't like. We need a more enlightened perspective but that can only come after conversations with stakeholders.

My Ping.fm services:

Will Ping.FM work? (Updated 08/30/2009)

I didn't realize Twhirl had compatibility with all these tools...sheesh.

This afternoon, I found myself somewhere I couldn't access twitter or plurk. Ohmygosh, how can we practice "connectivism" as educators if the network is inaccessible?

I tried a variety of options to connect to Twitter/Plurk, but then remembered the ubiquitous Ping.FM, which allows you to post to various networks. It reminds me a bit of Friendfeed in the way it enables one to post to various networks. However, once I was using Ping.FM, I wondered what would happen if the web site was blocked? How would I get to it from where I was at?

Some quick research:

• PingFire - Ping Fire is a Firefox extension that is used to post messages to Ping.fm.Unfortunately, the current version as of this writing doesn't work with Firefox 3.5.x but there's hope.
• Ping.fm Widget - This widget is an Adobe Air app that you can run on your computer and it connects to Ping.fm, allowing you to post.
  
• Ping on Air - Adobe Air interface to Ping on Air. Not that great.
• Me Ping
  
• Ping.fm Toolbar - A nice toolbar for various browsers.
• AlertThingy - a desktop (adobe air) app that you can use to connect on your Mac to Twitter, Facebook, Ping.fm.
• Twhirl -
  

I suppose, I'm looking for something like Tweetdeck. I thought Nambu might do it but no. For now, I'll have to figure out some combination. However, I may replace Friendfeed with Ping.fm as a way to get information and ideas out there.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Learning from Each Other

Periodically, I'll take some time to look and see who is linking to Around the Corner. Occasionally, I'm surprised to see links coming from web sites that aren't other education bloggers sharing information. One surprise today was Bryan ISD, who has linked to this web site from their district Moodle, as shown in the image above.

Thanks for visiting, Bryan ISD Moodlers!

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Recover Lost Software Serial Numbers

Source: http://news.filefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/the_sims2_089_1680.jpg

My son and daughter have invested a fortune of hard-earned money into games. Unfortunately, I didn't wise up to helping them keep digital copies of their game serial numbers until...well...a few computer room clean-ups down the road.

Sigh.

Until now, I've been unable to find out what the serial numbers are for those installed programs. Thanks to a recent post at MakeUseOf.com, I found out about:

...a neat little piece of freeware called LicenseCrawler.

Once you download this little gem you can use it to scan your machine for serials. The program is 100% free – make sure you do not pay for it! Some of the download links ask for money – don’t use them! Use the free links! The author wants the application to be free, so lets keep him happy!

After downloading the application you simply run it and it will return all the keys from your computer...You have to manually write them down as there is no copy and paste functionality

Wow! Pretty nifty, huh?

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Trusted Computing Rears Its Ugly Head

Source: http://www.masternewmedia.org/images/trusted_computing_main.jpg

You think Sony would learn. First it was the root-kit, now it's the Sony Vaio laptop.

Sony's position on it is that Sony engineers were, "concerned that enabling VT would expose our systems to malicious code that could go very deep in the Operating System structure of the PC and completely disable the latter."

Some owners have demanded refunds while others are going further and calling for a class-action lawsuit, alleging the company was not clear on the fact that the VAIO machines were made incapable of using a core feature of the Intel Core 2 Duo chip inside.

It's amazing. Back in 2005, I wrote about trusted computing, citing the work of Richard Stallman....

He describes treacherous computing in this way:

The technical idea underlying treacherous computing is that the computer includes a digital encryption and signature device, and the keys are kept secret from you. Proprietary programs will use this device to control which other programs you can run, which documents or data you can access, and what programs you can pass them to. These programs will continually download new authorization rules through the Internet, and impose those rules automatically on your work. If you don't allow your computer to obtain the new rules periodically from the Internet, some capabilities will automatically cease to function.

Programs that use treacherous computing will continually download new authorization rules through the Internet, and impose those rules automatically on your work. If Microsoft, or the US government, does not like what you said in a document you wrote, they could post new instructions telling all computers to refuse to let anyone read that document. Each computer would obey when it downloads the new instructions. Your writing would be subject to 1984-style retroactive erasure. You might be unable to read it yourself.

Treacherous computing puts the existence of free operating systems and free applications at risk, because you may not be able to run them at all. Some versions of treacherous computing would require the operating system to be specifically authorized by a particular company. Free operating systems could not be installed. Some versions of treacherous computing would require every program to be specifically authorized by the operating system developer. You could not run free applications on such a system. If you did figure out how, and told someone, that could be a crime.

View this animated video short is easy to understand. Check it out...here's a bit from the Against Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA):

...every computer will have a TPM (Trusted Platform Module), also known as Fritz-Chip, built-in. At later development stages, these functions will be directly included into CPUs, graphiccards, harddisks, soundcards, bios and so on. This secures that the TCPA can prevent any unwanted software and hardware. The long term result will be that it will be impossible to use hardware and software that's not approved by the TCPA. Therefore open-source and freeware would be condemned to die, because without such a certification the software will simply not work. In the long term only the big companies would survive and could control the market as they would like.

Great job, Sony! You've made Stallman's prediction come true!

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iPod Touch Passcode Recovery

Source: http://www.reset-your-ipod.com/images/ipod-touch-1st-gen.jpg

This afternoon, as I was handling phone calls and working with team members, someone brought me an iPod Touch...apparently, it had been used previously and the previous user had set a passcode. Unfortunately, no one knew the passcode and this was preventing the new user from accessing it.

To get past the passcode prompt on the iPod, I followed these steps:

1. Open iTunes on your Mac and connect your iPod Touch via the cable to your Mac
   
2. Press the sleep and home button at the same time.
3. Hold both buttons long past the time the iPod Touch turns off.
4. The iPod should turn back on while the buttons are being held down.
5. Let go of the sleep button (the one on top) but keep pushing down on the home button.
6. Keep pushing down on the home button until the iPod Touch shows the iTunes logo with a USB cord...then let go.
7. At this point, you can use iTunes to restore the iPod Touch to factory defaults and/or load new updates to it.
   

The process works!

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Joomla 1.5 Components

A colleague recently asked the following:

Good Morning Miguel! Have you had much experience with Joomla v1.5?

I’m looking for some recommendations for ‘tried & true’ components that will add serious functionality to a Joomla-based website.

I’ve looked at several online, but you have to install them before you can ‘test drive’…

Although I didn't have an answer, I knew who to ask--one of my team. Here is her response:

Hi!

Welcome to the Joomla family J

We have plenty of module/components that we’ve installed on our standard Joomla installations to make things a little bit easier for our users and administrators.

Joomla component	Function	Comment
JCE Editor	Better editor than the standard TinyMCE. Gives the administrator the ability to add tables, change font type, color, and size.	Different versions for the different Joomla generations. If you want the spell check function, be prepared to purchase the full version of JCE
DOCMan	A document management system. Gives the administrator the ability to upload documents (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe .pdfs…) to a location on the server. Users can then click on a button and download documents. Keeps track the of the number of ‘hits’ per document.	Different versions for the different Joomla generations. Now a ‘dead’ product no longer supported by the company that created it. Be prepared to solve any problems you may encounter.
swMenuFree	A Pop-up menu component. Replaces your main or top menu.	Different versions for the different Joomla generations. Great product, never had any problems.
MyContent	Through the ‘front-end’ of the site, will list all content items that a user can change/modify.	Great tool to use with teachers who have ‘author’ level access to a site. Instead of search for each and every item individually, they can click on a list and all of their items will appear in table format.
Newsflash Scroller	Changes the static Newsflash to a scrolling newsflash	Different versions for the different Joomla generations. Problems with changing scrolling speed.
RokSlideShow	Displays images in a specific location. Images are ‘picked’ from a folder located in the media manager of the site.	Back-end module allows the administrator control over how/when the photos appear.

Nice to know the right people!!

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Upcoming Moodle Presentations

Over the next year, I have at least two (actually, it's more but I'm not yet at liberty to share where/when with you) Moodle presentations coming up! I hope to see you there!

The first one is Moodle Habitudes, a hands-on, albeit quick, workshop to be offered at TechForum Southwest 2008. I'm jazzed about finding the right blend of admin and teacher tips for new and old Moodlers!

REGISTER TODAY! ENTER DISCOUNT CODE TX9EB
Take advantage of our early-bird rate
and save $94 off the on-site registration price!

More information here.

The second is with the TCEA in May, 2010. You can find a description online at:

Making the Most of Your Moodle Server

Learn how to create rich learning collaborative communities in Moodle. This free web application allows you to create effective online learning sites, custom-built around your subject matter, as a way to deliver content to students and assess learning using assignments or quizzes. Attendees will learn to navigate, administer and set up their classes. Participants will learn to modify brand new courses and add resources and activities like quizzes, forums, and journaling. Participants will also build exportable modules and courses.

Date: 5/25/10 - 5/27/10

Location: TCEA-Computer Lab, 8134 Exchange Drive, Austin, TX 78754

Member Cost: $375

Non-Member Cost: $405

Course Hours: 18

Strand: Technology

Format: F

TCEA has a few more sessions to offer...see them all online.

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Capturing Hearts with Social Media

This evening, as I sit watching an August 21 school district convocation speaker that has me rolling on the floor laughing so hard (which, if you've attended a school district convocation, you know that just isn't done! (smile)), I ran into Dr. Scott McLeod's (Dangerously Irrelevant) blog post about a video on the Social Media Revolution.

The connection between the advice of the speaker in the convocation--Find your story, love your story, tell your story to everyone--and the power of social media to help amplify our voices as educators couldn't be missed.

I sincerely believe that every educator should be called upon, invited, encouraged, welcomed into a world of citizen journalists, becoming digital storytellers who captivate the hearts of our children, profoundly engaging them with the tools they use. Social media can profoundly engage, enliven the work we're about, and we need to move these powerful stories from the television screen online as vidcasts/podcasts.

How can we empower our educational community to share the compelling stories that are a part of every day work?

Watch the Social Media Revolution video:

originally posted on YouTube here, but downloaded and put on Edublogs.tv for my colleagues where YouTube is blocked:

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Essential Understandings

Source: http://www.greyschool.com/modules/Departments/dept_images/1.jpg

A few days ago, I asked a few of my colleagues, curriculum directors in core content areas a deceptively simple question. The question was worded in this way:

What are the essential understandings in your content area that you think I should be aware of a technology director?

Here are some of the responses:

• Reading/ELA - Delivered a copy of the new Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills to me.
• Mathematics - Sent this insightful message I agree with complete:
  
  The main essential understandings that transcend all grade levels would be relevancy of content and connections to real-world experiences.
  
  
• Social Studies - No response
• Bilingual/ESL - No response

Of course, if I had to pick, I'd definitely go with the Math Director's response. Kim Cofino's response in the form of a blog entry she wrote long before I asked the question of my colleagues includes:

The goal of 21st century literacy is to move beyond obsessing about the terminology and the technology, to accept that technology is a crucial and critical aspect of our lives, and that as such, it must be used as a tool to better understand our world, to search for solutions to the problems facing our global society, and to develop a better and brighter future. 21st century literate students and teachers are those who understand that their learning and creativity can, and should, directly and positively impact our world.

She goes on to share that students must be (quoted)...

1. Effective Learners - Students and teachers will understand that learning is a lifelong process and that the pace of technological change requires us to focus on learning how to learn, rather than learning specific tools. It is expected that neither students nor teachers will know how to use every available tool, rather that they will be comfortable learning how to use new tools independently.
2. Effective Collaborators - Students and teachers will develop the behaviors, attitudes and dispositions required for working in partnership with others, whether in person or over distances. Global collaboration requires effective communication, social and cultural awareness, and flexibility. Effective collaborators actively take responsibility for their role, and are able to delegate or share responsibility when necessary. Effective collaborators are equally comfortable as either leaders or participants. Effective collaborators appreciate and internalize the essential interdependence of all human endeavors.
3. Effective Creators - Students and teachers will understand that an essential component of lifelong learning is analyzing, synthesizing and applying what they’ve learned to make an original contribution to society. Effective creators are critical thinkers who are able to “think outside the box” and analyze systems to identify and solve problems. Effective creators are constantly innovating and routinely use metacognition skills to evaluate and improve their own work. Effective creators are goal oriented, using time management and multitasking skills in order to work at their highest level of productivity. Effective creators understand that, as members of an interdependent society, their work must adhere to standards of ethics and social responsibility.

It reminds me of an article I wrote some time ago...how relevant is this work today?

Make the Connection: TAKS, Technology and Problem-based Learning
by Miguel Guhlin

Several years ago, I embarked on a pilgrimage. Rather than voyage to a far away city or place, I sought out the best constructivist approach for integrating technology into the curriculum. My quest led me to try out telecomputing based activity structures, activity formats such as webquests and subject samplers, information problem-solving approaches, all with an awareness of how technology can transform teaching, learning and leadership. As an education specialist for an Education Service Center, I could be the architect of professional development that transformed the way teachers met new and innovative approaches. More importantly, it was my responsibility to find the “right approach” and bring it back to the 52 districts I served.

The more approaches I encountered and shared, the stronger my awareness grew that they were all connected. I sought out a way to harmonize these approaches, eventually developing a sophisticated concept map showing the relationship between these different approaches and strategies, and the role technology played in each. I called this approach “Writing Technology into the Curriculum." Over time, I came to recognize that the Holy Grail of constructivist approaches is problem-based learning.

WHAT IS PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING?
Problem-based learning (PBL) uses real-life problems modeled after a contemporary or historical case to engage students as they pursue specified learning outcomes that are in line with academic standards or course objectives (Stepien & Pyke, 1997). Students work through the problem as a stakeholder. The teacher acts as a guide or advisor as students explore the issues involved, formulate questions, conduct research, and consider possible solutions to the problems.

According to Stepien and Pyke (1997), a problem-based learning situation must meet several criteria. The situation must provide an effective way of engaging students with experiences that scaffold higher order thinking. The situation should also accomplish curriculum objectives and include age-appropriate topics. Further, the learning situation should take the form of an ill-structured problem to foster inquiry at a level that is cognitively engaging but not frustrating. Lastly, the situation should make efficient use of instructional time allotted to the unit.

WHY PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING?
Prior to learning about problem-based learning several years ago, I worked with the latest technologies and learned how to introduce them to the adult learners that attended. As time went by, however, I realized that the latest and greatest tools were insufficient. What was missing was a constructivist approach that made technology transparent and necessary, not secondary. In my search for the perfect approach, I had the opportunnity to study project-based learning. Typically, I began to research this approach. In my studies, I “discovered” problem-based learning. At first, I could not distinguish between the two and, worse, which I preferred.

I did not truly understand the difference between project-based learning and problem-based learning until I attended an ASCD conference held in San Antonio, Texas. There, I had the opportunity to listen to William Stepien who outlined problem-based learning, and modelled it. Eureka! By the mid-morning break, I could barely keep my seat. I had to walk outside, call my colleague at ESC-20 and let him know what he was missing. I had found the approach I’d been looking for--PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING.

PBL could be the vehicle for achieving “true” technology integration. But, as I’ve come to understand, many teachers do not know what “true” technology integration looks like. It’s definition is a well-kept secret. Even though it is in plain sight, we do not know what it looks like. I learned that on introducing principals to the LOTI as a framework for observing technology implementation in the classroom.

Principals thought that any use of technology was commendable, which made for interesting discussion when you consider that target technology use can be a lot less expensive than Level 1 (e.g. integrated learning systems like SuccessMaker, Plato products, curriculum management systems) and Level 2 (e.g. distance learning centers used at the knowledge and application levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy). At the STaR Chart’s target technology level, or LOTI Level 4, technology is used as a tool to identify and solve real life authentic problems.

WHAT IS TRUE TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION?
In various online forums, I have shared my realization that “technology integration” efforts have failed. I began to understand the futility of trying to catch the technology train years ago. Technology was changing too rapidly for anyone--including educators--to keep up. Those technology integration efforts were characterized by using the latest and greatest technologies (e.g. the latest push might be seen as the handheld craze). These technology innovations forced us all to learn the latest and greatest tools, then share them for use in the classroom before authentic uses were discovered. It does not mean that these technologies won’t find a place in the classroom, but that they were pushed out to the masses before their appropriate use was identified.

In “No Child Left Behind,” we see an emphasis on technology literacy. But, what does “technology literacy” mean? How do we define it? As the train slows down again because of funding issues, it is time to look back at all the technologies we tried and discarded (refer to sidebar 1), to begin to use them strategically and systemically.

To do so means to re-evaluate what true technology integration is, and perhaps, to choose to abandon a phrase that means so much it only describes our failure to keep up with the technology train. Technology integration has meant for so long, “technology acquisition and experimentation” at the 2nd Level of Technology Implementation (LOTI). The 2nd Level is characterized by: Greater emphasis on technology rather than critical content.

WHAT IS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR?
Technology integration, technology literacy, information literacy all boil down to the same common denominator--do students and teachers know how to use technology appropriately, at the point of need in anticipation, or in response, to a real life, authentic problem?
And, that is where the challenge lies--not in the appropriate use of the technology, but in the "real life, authenticity" of the problems that may be lacking in some of our schools today. Approaches such as project-based learning, the more rigorous problem-based learning upon which higher-order thinking activities may flow from demand a shift in teaching approach. Now that technology is ubiquitous, it's not “technology acquisition, experimentation” that needs to take place, but that we must "uncover" the appropriate uses of technology in a problem-based curriculum.

At the TCEA 2003 State Conference’s Professional Development Academy, 71 educators were introduced to Problem-based Learning (http://pda.tcea.org). At the end of the two days, I was surprised at how many educators remained. Perhaps, they believed us when we stated that problem-based learning prepares students for the TAKS. I found myself responding again to teachers in the Professional Development Academy, “You have to trust the process. Once engaged by a real life problem, students will ask the questions needed to solve the problem.”

IS PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING A VALID APPROACH IN TEXAS SCHOOLS?
Though the Professional Development Academy organizers and I constantly stated that problem-based learning approach would prepare students for the TAKS, I wanted to verify this with the “curriculum experts” at TEA. While I felt comfortable asserting PBL use in all other content areas, especially after reviewing the resources online at TEA for TAKS, I wanted confirmation from the math expert at the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

You have to understand that math is not my strong point. I was one of those students who always asked, “What’s the purpose of learning the quadratic formula? I’ll never use this again.” The explanations my teachers gave me over the years took too long. I felt like an old-fashioned superintendent must feel when trying to understand the benefits of a network bandwidth upgrade and its connection to voice over IP--”So what? Is this really important?”

“Teaching lessons that require students to relate to problems and contexts that they will encounter in ‘real-life’, says Paula Gustafson, “motivates them to learn more rigorous mathematics content.” What a powerful statement this is. TAKS focuses us, not on breath, but depth.
Ms. Gustafson goes on to say:
“The agency is encouraging districts to teach students throughout the year using complex lessons that require
students to think at high cognitive levels. The inclusion of these lessons, rather than using a "test-prep" resource will increase TAKS scores. The difficulty with TAKS-prep is the alignment of the sample items to the items developed for the real exam. Many teachers are beginning to embrace this type of lesson structure and have been pleased with previous TAAS results.”

WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY’S ROLE?
Tom Snyder wrote long ago about an experience he had as a vendor of his computer-based simulations. In presenting to a large group of teachers, he shared that a teacher in the audience raised her hand and asked, “Do you have to be a good teacher to do this in your classroom?” Despite the counseling of the company representative sponsoring his product, Tom Snyder listened to his conscience, and said, “Yes, it requires a very good teacher.”

In my quest for the right approach, I realized that instructional technology had to be about the constructivist approach employed, rather than the technology. Problem-based learning is the apex of constructivist approaches and is definitely appropriate in preparing students for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The role of the technologist is to accomplish what Ms. Gustafson writes next, “Technology use within these lessons should be seamless. Proficiency with the technology will make a vast difference in the TAKS results received at the district level, and remember we have the mandate for technology in our TEKS from grades K-12.”

THE TAKS-TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY
Too many workbooks, not enough real life applications left me with a bad taste in my mouth regarding math. Even as an adult, I sat through inferential statistics feeling like a dummy, since I did not know how to apply any of what I had learned to the case study approach our professor used. Let me phrase that differently: I didn’t learn how to do math in relation to problems and real life contexts. This caused me difficulty in college when I was called upon to solve higher-level math using a case study approach (an approach similar to problem-based learning).

As we move into TAKS, I’m delighted by the opportunity we now have as educators. TAKS may finally give us constructivists the opportunity to shine...and being a firm believer in the idea that professional development for teachers impacts student achievement, I invite you to use problem-based learning in your classroom.

SIDEBAR #1:
Excerpt from Merryfield, Merry M.; Becker, Henry J. (Winter,1998). Running to catch a moving train: Schools and information technologies, Theory into Practice , ISBN#0040-5841 Vol. 37No.1

1982: It’s the language that comes with your computer (using BASIC).
1986: Use networked systems that individualize instruction and focus on increasing test scores.
1988: Word processing-using computers as tools like adults do.
1990: Integrate the computers with the existing curriculum through the use of history databases, science simulations and probes
1992: Change the curriculum--students learn best by creating products for an audience
1994: Use email to allow students to be part of the real world.
1996: Use computers to publish student work to a world-wide audience via the WWW

References
Phone conversation and email author had with Paula Gustafson, TEA Math Director, on 02/13/2003

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3 Videos To Reflect On

Here are 3 YouTube videos worth watching...I like the first because it is a welcome reminder to the work we are about as educators; the second because it highlights the power of social media and that big media/companies/organizations are no longer in control of the message; and the third because we need to value a sense of urgency in how technology can help us change what we believe in.

What are your 3 choices? Post them on your blog and link back!

Do You Believe in Me? (thanks to Clif Mims for the hint)

United Breaks Guitars (thanks to David Warlick)

A Sense of Urgency

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10 Moodle Instructional Use Scenarios

Wondering how Moodle can be used to enhance instruction? Well, here's a list that came my way via Ken Task in Texas. It was too good to pass up and if I bookmark it, I'll forget it...but blogging it will keep it fresh.

The following is a list of some of what you can do with Moodle, the free, open source course management system. The list comes from Ken Task, who cites ISTE Moodle Ning and Susan Sedro. I liked the list so I'm re-printing it here with some minor modifications--spelling, grammar, readability corrections--but you can always read the original online.

I've also taken the liberty of adding my own scenarios at the end and welcome feedback via comments or on your own blog/wiki!

Scenario 1:
I want my students to use a blog to record their impressions/reactions/etc. to events/activities presented throughout a semester/year course. The students and the instructor are the only ones that can see the blog entries. In other words, students cannot see other students' blogs. This activity will be graded on a rubric and after the grading, students will be able to see other student blogs.

Scenario 2:
I have several forums setup in a course. To facilitate notifications concerning new information in each of them, I want my students to be able to subscribe to an RSS feed for each of the forums.

Scenario 3:
I teach English as a Second Language or Languages Other Than English (LOTE). My students have iPods as portable learning devices. I desire to use an online LMS to not only provide digital voice (either recording or playback) in such a fashion that students can integrate their personal learning device ... ie, the IPods. This involves a "podcast" - which could be audio and/or video. Using the podcast module in Moodle, both students and teacher can post podcasts that can be subscribed to in iTunes or via RSS readers (e.g. GoogleReader).

Scenario 4:
I teach English/Language Arts. I want students to write a short story and have peer review where students are placed into collaborative groups and each student reviews the short stories of the other members in their group. Each student is allowed to critique/offer suggestions to the other students (their critiques/suggestions are part of the assignment and will be graded). I then desire the students to be able to revise their work should they deem a peer review to be of benefit.

Scenario 5:
I have an online class that's blended in format. I keep after school "office hours" for an hour in the evening where students can, should they seek individual attention and extra help, communicate directly with me via Instant Messages or via Chat in a safe online environment where the "conversations" are recorded for later review.

Scenario 5.1:
Using the same situation above, parents often seek information about helping their child in something. I want to allow parents of my students to be able to access my online class, see their childs work ONLY, and interact with me online during after school office hours. I want to do this inside the online system.

Update to Scenario 5.1 by Dan McGuire (Skype mcguiredan):

This is one of the most practical features of Moodle. Last year I taught a 4^th grade class. One of our standard weekly assignments was to use each of the twenty words from our weekly spelling list in a separate sentence. Students had the option of creating a story with the sentences or not. I would vary the particular requirements depending on the skills we were working on that week – two subjects in each sentence, two verbs, more than one adjective, etc.

Using Moodle for this exercise is particularly helpful for students who want a little extra help from parents or siblings. It allows parents to know what the assignment without worrying about lost papers, etc. Students don't need to worry about hauling paper or notebooks back and forth from home to school. I showed the students how to use Google translate which was useful for a few ( There were several Somali speakers in my room and the translation capabilities for Somali aren't very good yet, though. It worked great for the Spanish speakers.)

I also took advantage of the relationship our school has with the U of Mn I was fortunate to be able to work with the great grad students in the Teaching Smart program. Several of the grad students took on tutor roles and made comments on student work. This was particularly useful in the science writing assignments we did, which were a variation of the above. In the science assignments students were to describe the activities of a science experiment that we did.

Scenario 6:
I teach Social Studies (American and Texas History). I want my students and students from a "sister community" (any where in the US or foreign country - like England or Austrialia) to be able to access a single History course via the internet where they can contribute a local multimedia history of their community and share that information. In the course, my class will concentrate on the local history of my community. The students of the sister community will concentrate their publishing efforts on their own community. Students in each are to work collaboratively in constructing the local history and the associated digital content. The local histories can (should) include a photo gallery, a podcast, as well as video clips of historical places/events within their respective communities. The students from either sister community will be able to ask each other questions and share information (as well as files) in a safe online environment.

Scenario 6.1:
In the context of an Introduction to the project, weekly planning/sharing, or a culminating activity, I desire to have an online conference with collaborative ISD classes through our learning management system. Since there is only one video conferencing system (lab) in my ISD (which is booked all day long for dual credit courses of older students), the conference has to be conducted without the VC system. We desire the collaborating teachers to able to "take control" of a portion of the online conference - ie, become the teacher of students in the other ISD.

Scenario 7:
I teach at the secondary level and use a web site for some curriculum content which includes quizzes and test. I also sponsor a student teacher every year. I want my student teacher to be able to participate in my online curriculum content, but in a limited role. I want them to be able to see student work, but NOT grade student work.

Scenario 8:
I am a campus administrator who is responsible for not only behavior of students but also evaluating teachers on my campus. All my teachers do a portion of their class online (blended) using a variety of "social tools". I want to be able to access each of their online classes with access rights to see all, but remain "stealthy" ... ie, hidden to students. I can check on student online behavior (bullies, etc.) but I can also acquire insight into a teachers ability to teach and interact with students for evaluating them.

Scenario 9: Interactive Writing Feedback
(A scenario adapted from Susan Sedro's posting)

Students can draft their writing in a word processor, then paste it into the Assignment module. As a teacher, I can score it and provide feedback--all done online.

Update to Scenario 9 by Dan McGuire:

As above in spelling example, and I also took advantage of the relationship our school has with the U of Mn I was fortunate to be able to work with the great grad students in the Teaching Smart program. Several of the grad students took on tutor roles and made comments on student work. This was particularly useful in the science writing assignments we did, which were a variation of the above. In the science assignments students were to describe the activities of a science experiment that we did.

Some ideas of my own or adapted from my work with Moodle in my work experience:

Scenario 10: Learning Diary with Teacher Feedback

Using the Learning Diary module, students can write about a particular assignment and I can respond and provide feedback without other students seeing that exchange. This replaces the old paper journal where students write questions, reflections and the teacher writes back.

Update to Scenario 10 by Dan McGuiere:

This worked well with in conjunction with particular reading assignments. I would usually post the questions that I wanted students for student response. It is especially useful to then ask for volunteers to let me show their work on the projector and make comments in writing on the screen. This is one of the best writing teaching tools since the invention of the pencil.. Most students at this age are eager to have their work critiqued in front of other students. I've found they actually enjoy doing editing, which is certainly not the case when you ask a nine year old to rewrite 200 words they've just struggled to get on paper with a pencil. The computer gives them a power with making words that they don't have with a pencil and paper.

Scenario 11: Online Literature Circles
When you think of literature circles, we think of kids sitting in a circle reading books and sharing their thoughts on it based on the role they are assigned. Discussing books helps children build connections, sets a purpose for reading beyond the intrinsic motivation we all prize, and motivates them. It also helps them, read, observe, question, discuss, answer questions, and write about what they are reading. It's a fantastic activity, rich with opportunities for reflective learning.

Students can post online book talks to persuade other group membes to choose their book for literature circles, vote on book selections, and they use the Moodle discussion forums to discuss their book, upload images, etc. More on this online here.

Update to Scenario 11 (Contributed by Dan McGuire):

I used both the forum module and the workshop module to do writing circles. The forum module is a little easier to manage. I found setting up the workshop module to be still a bit cumbersome. I hope to practice with it more this year because I think it has tremendous possibilities.

The trick to using the forum module was that students were required to write something new about each of the prompts that were the forum topics. This forced the students to read what others had written and then got them back into the text because I insisted on quotes from the text to support their opinions. Students were only permitted to disagree with another student if they proved their point with quotes from the text.

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MyNotes - Podcasts Better Than Lectures

In my district, we're getting ready to follow in the footsteps of others that have launched iPods for use with English Language Learners. We're targeting 2 high schools and 2 middle schools. It is an exciting time. What's neat is that the idea of using iPods with English Language Learners is pretty well-established now. Several school districts are already doing it in the San Antonio area, including Judson ISD. Others are planning to launch, and San Marcos Consolidated ISD--which isn't too far away--has led the way (as shared in this podcast).

Consider this paper on the subject:

Current technology offers new opportunities to increase the effectiveness of language teaching. The purpose of this paper is to outline how one such technological innovation, the iPod, used with the iTunes and iLife software, can serve as a powerful tool for teaching and acquiring languages. With its unique features of portability, ease of use, and file storage capacity combined with its ability to deliver audio as well as text, images, and video, the iPod holds the promise of revolutionizing the way languages are acquired both in and out of school.

This paper will:
• Outline a basic framework for understanding how iPod and iTunes can be used in
language education, consistent with current theories of second language acquisition and
bilingualism
• Review research findings that support this framework for using iPod in K-12 schools
• Discuss ways in which the iPod, iTunes, and iLife software can be best used to support
language teaching
• Give examples of the use of the iPod in language education
• Provide recommendations for further reading

And/Or, Learning English with iPods, Strategies for ELL: iPods for Fluency.

This diigo'd article below makes it possible for researchers to find out if downloading and listening to a podcast of K-12 education is going to be as effective as university students doing the same thing. So, any researchers out there up to doing this kind of research in K-12 schools, especially considering that there are plenty of folks using iPods with English Language Learners?

• 
  
  'iTunes university' better than the real thing - science-in-society - 18 February 2009 - New Scientist
  • 
    
    New psychological research suggests that university students who download a podcast lecture achieve substantially higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person.
  • 
    
    Podcasted lectures offer students the chance to replay difficult parts of a lecture and therefore take better notes, says Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York in Fredonia, who led the study.
  • 
    
    "It isn't so much that you have a podcast, it's what you do with it," she says.
  • 
    
    Launched less than two years ago, Apple's iTunes university offers college lectures on everything from Proust to particle physics to students and the public. Some universities make their lectures available to all, while others restrict access to enrolled students. Some professors even limit downloads to encourage class attendance, McKinney says.

    To find out how much students really can learn from podcast lectures alone - mimicking a missed class - McKinney's team presented 64 students with a single lecture on visual perception, from an introductory psychology course.
  • 
    
    Students who downloaded the podcast averaged a C (71 out of 100) on the test - substantially better than those who attended the lecture, who on average mustered only a D (62).

    But that difference vanished among students who watched the podcast but did not take notes.Students who listened to the podcast one or more times and took notes had an average score of 77, McKinney says.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

The Transparent Leader - "Digital Linker"

Of course, I disagree with Clay Shirky. In the end, *I* am going to link to what I write, and if I lead others, they may also.

Secrets have always driven me nuts. Unless you're dealing with strictly confidential information, military secrets, the identities of CIA operatives, there's really no reason why government and education should be keeping secrets about their decision making process.

Social media has made it possible for everyone to questions the motivations behind why someone does something...rather, it has heightened the need for increased transparency. Just because a school district or organization web site says, "This is the truth...trust me" does not mean that inquiry and questionning end there.

But isn't that where authority comes from traditionally? If I say it's over as the leader, then the conversation is over. This implies trust that comes from the leader knowing something the others don't. Rather than sharing how s/he arrived at his own or her own conclusions, the leader decides that others don't need to know and that's that.

Transparency in leadership is even more essential now. Whether we characterize that transparency as honesty, trust because leaders must do what is right above all. New technologies empower leaders to do what is right and more easily help others understand what they are doing and why through the links they make.

So, that’s one sense in which transparency is the new objectivity. What we used to believe because we thought the author was objective we now believe because we can see through the author’s writings to the sources and values that brought her to that position. Transparency gives the reader information by which she can undo some of the unintended effects of the ever-present biases. Transparency brings us to reliability the way objectivity used to.

This change is epochal.

Objectivity used be presented as a stopping point for belief: If the source is objective and well-informed, you have sufficient reason to believe. That was part of high-end newspapers’ claimed value: You can't believe what you read in a slanted tabloid, but our news is objective, so your inquiry can come to rest here. Credentialing systems had the same basic rhythm: You can stop your quest once you come to a credentialed authority who says, "I got this. You can believe it." End of story.

We thought that that was how knowledge works, but it turns out that it's really just how paper works. In a linked medium transparency prospers, for you can literally see the connections between the final draft’s claims and the ideas that informed it. Paper, on the other hand, sucks at links. You can look up the footnote, but that's an expensive, time-consuming activity more likely to result in failure than success. So, during the Age of Paper, we got used to the idea that authority comes in the form of a stop sign: You’ve reached a source whose reliability requires no further inquiry.
Source: http://www.hyperorg.com/backissues/joho-aug18-09.html#transparency via Will Richardson's tweet

Great stuff in this entry...read the rest online.

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Wordle - Safety and Storytelling

Reading this blog entry on how to make Wordle safe in education environments by blocking specific sites, I also saw a tweet about The Digital Narrative site and some of the warm-ups it advocates for in telling digital stories.

Jonathan Feinberg's safety tip for using Wordle.net in schools:

Simply have your networking administrator block the following base URLs¹:

• http://www.wordle.net/gallery
• http://www.wordle.net/next
• http://www.wordle.net/random

and your users will not see anything that's not safe for classrooms. You’ll still be able to save your work, bookmark your individual Wordle creations, print them out, and share the URLs of saved Wordles with each other and with families.

and using Wordle for more than just fancy images but rather, storytelling:

What: Wordle is a wonderful introduction to word clouds - visualising thematic ideas in a text. It highlights the more common words in a text and emphasises them in a word 'cloud'. Allows students to experiment with the emphasis their words have in a text. It also introduces color and writing direction, font and style as thematic influences.

Ease of use: Simple!

Writing application: There really are many, many ways to use Wordle. I've outlined a few below, but I'm certain that once you have a handle on this tool, you'll find your own unique approaches.

Wordle is quick way to warm up students to the idea of a flexible narrative. Have them prepare a word document with a story - (it can be something they've written previously). Simply paste it into the word cloud box, and click 'Go'.

Allow students to experiment with the font, layout, color until they recieve a desired effect. You can supplement a discussion with relevant points outlined in the discussion section of 'A classroom approach to DN' [.doc].

Wordle is also a wonderful tool for reflection, and an engaging way for students to focus on grammer, vocabulary and meaning in a body of text. Wordle makes these tasks accessible and motivating.

Suited: To a range of learning abilities - easy to learn, with enough depth to explore throughout a full 50 min lesson.

Teaching with an existing text: There's a huge body of evidence that supports the sorts of prereading exercises Wordle is ideal for in a classroom. When working with an existing class text it's a wonderful application for gaining a thematic impression of the writing. If you're working with a class novel it can be used to highlight common elements in the text, common words and phrases ... the list goes on. You'll find the list of things you can do with this little app are endless!

Gaining a copy of the text in a format that can be cut and pasted may be more difficult for some novels, but old favorites like hamlet should be readily available on line.

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Mobile Devices Within Instruction

In light of my blog entry earlier today, I have to share this:

Date: August 19, 2009 at 12:00 PM PDT (3:00 PM EDT) / Duration: One hour
/ Sponsored by: T.H.E Journal and Speak Up

Discover ideas for instruction that innovative districts have developed
to better leverage the increasing number of laptops, cell phones, MP3
players and smart phones that students carry. This webinar explores the
latest findings from Speak Up surveys given to K-12 students, teachers
and administrators regarding their views on mobile devices within
instruction.

Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, the nation's leading education
nonprofit organization that facilitates the annual Speak Up surveys,
will present the data findings and moderate a panel discussion with
students, teachers and administrators from various school districts.

Panel

• Jeff Billings, Director of Technology, Paradise Valley Unified School District;
  
• Thea Jones, Supervisor, Office of Instructional Technology, Baltimore County Public Schools;
  
• Suzette Kliwer, National Board Certified Teacher, Mathematics, Southwest High School, Onslow County School District;
  
• Geoff Fletcher, Editorial Director, 1105 Media
  

Links To Audio / PDF Presentation / Twitter Hash Available At

[ http://tinyurl.com/l59fk7 ]

Audio [http://tinyurl.com/mmrnc9] [01:00:47]

Presentation PDF [http://tinyurl.com/m4t3ho]

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