Digital Badges

I recently attended a Webinar where the presenters had a series of badges displayed beside their names. I found that a great way to display to the workshop participants some of the accreditations of the various presenters.

I think it would be nice to give our students some of these badges to demostrate completion of assignments in modules and/or units of learning. I will discuss this with my learners this fall.

What are your thoughts about badges?

Here is the link to the article:

Education Week: 'Digital Badges' Would Represent Students' Skill Acquisition

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/06/13/03badges.h05.html

Digital Citizenship

I was first introduced to the concept of "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" (Marc Prensky, 2001) in EDU642, and I found the article of great interest to me as an educator.

I deal with "immigrants" from all over the world in my capacity of instructor of  English as an additional language (EAL). After reading Prensky's article, I felt I was the one who was the immigrant -- albeit in a digital world.

Yesterday, as I attended a series of workshops in a webinar marathon in the EdmodoCon 2012, I was introduced to a new term: "Digital Citizenship." I now feel that all of us, educators and parents alike, ought to read, understand and apply this information daily both personally and professionally.

Here is the link with information on "Digital Citizenship":

http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/

Digital Approval

As I read today's Winnipeg Free Press, I came across the following article originally posted in the Washington Post: "A Facebook court battle: Is ‘liking’ something protected free speech?" - The Washington Post

The article is about someone who lost his job because he "liked" the page of a candidate who was running in the same election as his boss.

The article mentions the First Amendment and the 21st Century debate about the "ubiquituous digital seal of approval," and it proposes the question: "Is "liking" on Facebook protected free speech?"

I would like to hear your thoughts on this issue when/if you read this post.

Here is the link to the original article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/a-facebook-court-battle-is-liking-something-protected-free-speech/2012/08/08/538314fe-e179-11e1-ae7f-d2a13e249eb2_story.html

Edmodo - Our Social Learning Platform | Edutopia

Edmodo - Our Social Learning Platform | Edutopia

Today, I attended a Webinar marathon (EdmodoCon 2012) that included the following topics:

• iPads in the classroom
• Engaging the Classroom with Edmodo Apps
• Using Edmodo to Enhance Collaboration
• Back to School: Best Practices for Getting Students on Edmodo
• Building Global Communities
• 1:1 Computing and the Limitless Classroom
• Making PD fun and relevant with Edmodo
• Teaching Digital Citizenship
• Edmodo for Young Learners
• Flipping the Classroom
• Game Based Learning

I was at the computer before 9:00 this morning, and did not leave till 7:30 this evening. Quite an experience!

I knew very little about Edomodo before today, so I have searched for an Edutopia article to include in this post, so you can learn a little more about this social learning platform.

I welcome your thoughts!

Google Nexus: Useful for Whom?

I recently read the article: "An iPad-Toting Mom Reviews the Google Nexus 7" (link below) and I wondered whether the Google Nexus would be useful for me. I sent out a quick email to a selected few individuals asking their thoughts about this device, and I will post below the reply that helped me with my final decision.

"Google Nexus - tablets are sleek and fun, but they're an expensive little piece of machinery (especially since many of them have monthly fees for internet access). They're most useful for people who need to keep track of documents and get online in random places, but who don't want to cart around a laptop. Before purchasing one, think about what you'd really be using it for." by JJZP

If you are reading this post, could you please let me know the advantages of having one? Thank you!

"An iPad-Toting Mom Reviews the Google Nexus 7"

http://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/2012/07/an-ipad-toting-mom-reviews-the-google-nexus-7.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Radio and Podcasting

Richard MacManus published an article on ReadWrite Web entitled "Radio Killed the Podcasting Star," in which he says: "Podcasters are to radio what bloggers are to newspapers: independent voices taking attention away from mainstream media."

He takes an interesting approach to podcasting -- then and now -- and gives us a bit of history on the topic. He refers to Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy, as the closest example of a podcaster "star," and he walks us through podcasts and podcasters that have made an impact on the radio industry.

After having had the opportunity to experience creating and listening to my own podcast, I can certainly see the reasons why the stars of the field are few and far between.

Here is a link to the complete article dated August 06, 2012: 

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/radio-killed-the-podcasting-star.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Radio Killed The Podcasting Star

Curiostiy: Learning Verb Tenses in the Real World

This recent article in ReadWrite Web "Watching Curiosity Every Which Way " by Fruzsina Eördögh is not only timely and very interesting, but as a language instructor, I can also say that it is a chapter of a two-year real-world evolving "live" resource on application of "verb tenses."

English language learners can use this resource to point out the verb tenses as the story unveils -- what was, what has been, what is currently taking place with Curitosity and what is yet to come.

English language instructors can also use this story to instill the love of question formation in the classroom and predict the "what ifs" and find the real-world answers to the questions as Curiosity continues its journey.

In addition, learners can view the many ways they can learn/read about Curiosity in Socialmedia, and use the means to the information as a topic for discussion in class.

Fascinating!

Here is the link to the complete article:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/nasa-stuns-with-mars-landing-and-social-media-campaign.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Sharing Rubric and Sharing Resources

Lesson Plans and Assessments from YES Prep | Edutopia

This Edutopia article by Grace Rubenstein mentions teacher-created resources which enable less privileged children in Grades 6-12 complete college and better the future of self and family.

These teacher-created resources mentioned in the article are no less rigorous or challenging, writes Rubenstein, than existing ones, and they also require great effort and responsibility on the part of the learners. Moreover, the sharing of the teacher-created rubrics (for the assessments based on these resources) with the learners make it clear for the students what they have to work toward achieving.

The topic of “sharing rubric” and “sharing resources” seems to come up frequently in this new age of digital learning and teaching. We have our work cut out for us this year if we are to implement at least a few of these great ideas learned from the various Edutopia articles we have "shared" in this platform!

Improving Academic Achievement: Improving Academic Content

Improving Academic Achievement for Disadvantaged Children | Edutopia

I am fortunate enough to be professionally involved in a field that has always paid close attention to “emotional intelligence” (now called social-emmotional), and has always considered its importance in teaching and learning.

In this Edutopia article by Maurice Elias, he mentions the importance of the social-emotional approach as he outlines four points in the message of James Comer, advocate for the rights of African-American and Latino children and others less privileged -- these points are quite meaningful to professionals in the field of English as a second language like me.

I was particular interested in point three as follows:

"Academic content must be linked to and driven by the lived lives of students in schools and communities."

We have all read about the importance of the use of meaningful, real-world content in our classrooms, and we all know the importance of using it properly. In this age of digital learning, there is absolutely no excuse why academic content cannot be “linked to and driven by the lived lives of students in schools and communities” as supported by James Comer.

I welcome your thoughts on this issue.

Communication: Shared Resources

Six Tips for Teachers: How to Maximize Shared Resources | Edutopia

As mentioned to one of our colleagues in a previous posting, in my workplace, we have four groups of approximately 6-8 instructors (four levels) all sharing the same resources -- be these textbooks for the four skill areas or equipment.

Point four on the list of tips mentioned in this article deals with communication with colleagues. At my workplace, we make this sharing of resources work well with the help of a paper-and-pencil sign-up sheet placed at a strategic location.

When someone needs a resource previously signed out by another colleague, there is always room for negotiation. One often lets a colleague use a particular resource when she/he "really needs it" that particular time. In turn, we get to do the same when something comes up and we have to seize it for that "aha moment!"

I would be interested in learning how you deal with shared resources in your workplace.

Object(ive) Writing and Rubric

Object(ive) Writing: A Creative Exercise for the Composition Classroom | Edutopia

This is a very interesting way to "rediscover writing" and linvolve learners in writing activities and become risk takers in doing so.

As mentioned in this article by Kerri FlinchBaugh, in order to encourage students to take risks and embrace writing activities (subjec(tive) writing), teachers can get their students involved in constructing the rubric if the finished writing piece is to be used for grading as part of a summative assessment.

When learners take ownership of their learning – and know what they will be graded on – the chances of involvement in the activity are much greater.

How do you feel about object(ive) writing and the rubric designed in collaboration with the writers?

Enhanced Teaching and Learning Experience

The Brave New Breakthrough of Online Learning | Edutopia

As articulated in this Edutopia article by David Markus: “guiding students through collaborative projects requires considerable focus on innovative solutions.” Unfortunately, in my industry, at least locally, technology is still not viewed as an essential component in the classroom. In addition, as David Markus describes “…meaningful collaboration between teachers is still an unmet goal for most online educators."

If you have a chance to read this article (this is my second time reading and my third blogging about it), you will have a chance to see Holly Mortimer in action  Idaho teacher Holly Mortimer(2),  and you will be able to decide for yourself if this enhanced learning teaching/experience is something you would consider for yourself.

There are a number of skillls required on the part of both educator and student for one to succeed at online teaching and learning (focus, motivation, determination, etc.). I would like to hear what your thoughts are both as a student in this class and as an educator in your classroom. 

Connected Educator Month

Making the Most of Connected Educator Month | Edutopia

What a billiant idea this  Connected Educator Month(1), an initiative of the  U.S. Department of Education which officially starts today.

What a useful way to spend the day, just before heading back to the classrooms -- this certainly will get everyone one step closer to not only just recognizing, but experiencing the "shift" as mentioned by Richardson in his book on WebTools.

This is something worth considering in our own workplaces...

Online Teaching and Paradigm Shift

How Holly Mortimer Took Her Teaching Career Online | Edutopia

This is a short video outlining the experience of a teacher who chose to teach high school (three different schools/classes) entirely online.

What caught my attention was her explanation of the paradigm shift as follows:

• FROM: what you are going to teach and how you are going to teach it
• TO: what the students are learning, how they are not learning and how they are not engaged

She add that the shift is from content to students, and promp -- immediate -- feedback is key to get the student population involved and motivated.

She explains the importance of seizing the moment when a student reaches out with a question and how crucial it is to offer immediate response.

She says that in online teaching the level of accountability is much higher, there is a lot more data to digest and many different marking matrix.

If the following applies to you, Holly says that online teaching is definitely for you:

• enjoy creating online curriculum
• feel enthusiastic about having displays in the classroom
• like designing lessons, tests and evaluations

In my opinion, the above applies to both face-to-face and online teaching, and I feel I am ready for my next journey -- whenever it presents itself.

How to Successfully Download Video

How to Use Online Video in Your Classroom | Edutopia

This is a reminder for me based on the same Edutopia article -- quote from the article below:

YouTube doesn't typically offer a way to download and save most videos directly. But if you have permission and would like to download from YouTube, there are a variety of ways the resourceful user can download videos:

• If you use Firefox, you can use the free DownloadHelper(18) extension, which makes most videos downloadable and convertible to several formats.
• Add the word save to the URL before youtube. The URL saveyoutube.com(19) will load with a SaveYouTube toolbar that lets you download the file.
• Many Web sites will allow you to download videos, including Zamzar(20), YouTube Robot(21), and KeepVid(22).
• Convert the video to your playback format of choice (mp4, FLV, HD, AVI, MPEG, 3GP, iPhone, PSP, mp3, GIF) and store it on your laptop or PDA, which lets you access it at any time, even if it's removed from the site.

How to Use Online Video in Your Classroom | Edutopia

How to Use Online Video in Your Classroom | Edutopia

This article is a reminder why one should include videos in their curriculum. Carefully chosen, videos can enhance the learning experience in ways one can never imagine -- until it is experienced in front of one's eyes.

As a language instructor, the visual, the sound, the feelings and emotions, and the discussions that follow a video -- be it a short clip or a 1-1/2-hour movie -- is an unforgettable experience for my learners and me.

I welcome on your thoughts and ideas on this topic if you have chance to read this post.

How Can We Make Assessments Meaningful? | Edutopia

How Can We Make Assessments Meaningful? | Edutopia

Assessment and the 4Cs

In this Edutopia article by Heather Wolpert-Gawron, she mentions the 4Cs as they relate to assessment.

As we have learned in a previous course on assessment, we fully understand that they must be reliable, valid, fair, authentic, level appropriate and always about what has been covered previously. I had not been introduced of the 4Cs in this context before.

In this article, I learned about the concept of the 4Cs as they relate to 21^st Century teaching and learning, and how they (creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication) are related to assessment and evaluation.

This is very much in line with the new Bloom’s Taxonomy – very interesting!

New Evernote Apps for the Membrain...

ReadWriteWeb article in GoogleReader: 6 Awesome Evernote Apps That We Guarantee You've Never Seen - By John Mitchell July 27, 2012

Quoting the first paragraph of this arcile: “Evernote has announced the finalists of its 2012 Devcup. The finalists will get to pitch at the Evernote Trunk Conference on August 24 for the chance to win some development dough. For the Evernote users out there, here are six cool new apps to enhance your outboard brain.“ will help me better explain the reason why I chose to include it in my blog.

One of the six Evernote Apps mentioned above is being demonstrated by two  “Digital Natives” (Prensky, 2001) from Brazil . They won the people's choice and earned a chance of pitch at 2012 Devcup later in August.

I have just finished reading a blog post by one of our colleagues, and the word "membrain" is defined in relation to memory. Here, we see the word "membrain being exemplified in Evernote -- storage of events. The equation used here is Spotwish + memories = Evernote.

This Android app lets one create an event -- like “having coffee with Adriana at a local Starbucks” as you will see if you wath the video -- and share it with anyone participating. As the article describes, "everyone in the event can share pictures and comments about the event, and it all gets synced back to their Evernote accounts as a “memory.”

Now, please tell me you App Users out there (remember that I do not even own a cell phone...) -- how important is this new "membrain" app?

N.B. I was not sure of how to create a "tinyurl" for the link below -- my apologies!

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/evernote-announces-6-awesome-apps-as-2012-devcup-finalists.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others | Edutopia

World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others | Edutopia

This article was originally published in 2008, but the information is still relevant now. I used this information for my class wiki on collaborative editing.

Will Richardson, author of our textbook, speaks passionately about what is available regarding tools of collaboration and also about how we, educators and school administrators, often “disconnect our students from technology, from their passion and from those who share them.”

In this article, he gives example of young minds connecting and sharing while creating and learning. He opens our minds regarding letting go of “old structures of teaching and learning.”

I have been brainstorming ways of how to accomplish the "letting go of old structures" in a classroom without Internet connection. If you read this post in my blog, please do offer suggestions. I welcome them all?

Discipline and School Spirit | Edutopia

Discipline and School Spirit | Edutopia

This blog post mentions the “rediscovering” of the importance of:

·                     project-based learning

·                     social-emotional competence

·                     school climate

·                     sense of purpose and accomplishment

The article shows a relation between classroom discipline problems and a classroom/school whose structure may not call forth values and behaviours, such as:

·                     leadership

·                     cooperation

·                     teamwork

·                     mutual respect, among others

In this digital age, the above principles and the principles of John Dewey, as mentioned in the article, can all be applied, so we can continue “moving in the right direction” as concluded in this post by Professor Maurice Elias.

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative | EDUCAUSE.edu

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative | EDUCAUSE.edu

I have bookmarked this for my own personal reading -- over, and over, and over again -- so I can finally start using Skype for personal and professional purposes.

I was asked recently (in May) to add Skype as part of my list of personal communication tools; however, I have yet to make any use of it. I have noticed, however, that websites of many educational institutions now have the Skype symbol beside their phone numbers with a direct link for the call.

I hereby invite all of you Skype users to add a line or two of encouragement and wisdom to help me make a transition from the ever-growing  "never-used to will-use" list of Skype clients.

What are the reasons why one should join? What are the steps one should follow? What are the advantages to one's teaching?

I welcome all of your ideas and suggestions!

Backwards Planning Takes Thinking Ahead | Edutopia

Backwards Planning Takes Thinking Ahead | Edutopia

Rebecca Alber, Edutopia Consultant, touches up on one of the  topics recently covered in instructional design -- start with the end in mind.

Understanding By Design (USB) has the final assessment as a focus,and instruction, tasks, etc. all work toward that end goal.

Rebecca compares a lesson planning to the planning of one's vacation in order to give her readers a better understanding of her message. Following is a list she cites on her blog page regarding our lesson planning:

1. Standard(s).
2. Skills, concepts, and knowledge required
3. Final assessment/project/demonstration of understanding of skills, concepts, knowledge.
4. Lessons that lead up to that end.
5. Reflection on the set of lessons to ensure skills/concepts/knowledge for assessment are being taught

This makes sense. This list is worth visiting over and over again even by veteran educators.

Social and Emotional Curriculum: Sharing Your Gift | Edutopia

Social and Emotional Curriculum: Sharing Your Gift | Edutopia

This article talks about "Project Happiness" and how to generate happiness for a more meaningful life. It is a very interesting idea on a topic we know all too well -- a happy student learns better.

There is a quote about educators which I will share here with you: 

“Educators have the power to transform lives, ignite passions and fuel dreams…”

Once again (as in a previous Edutopia article about teacher excellence), the word passion is used here in relation to teachers and their craft.

Passion alone is most definitely not enough in a learner’s educational journey; however, its absence does make it extremely difficult for learners’ dreams, creativity, energy, and desire to be ignited.

Summer School for Teachers | Edutopia

Summer School for Teachers | Edutopia

This is the third Edutopia article this week that offers suggestions of how to keep teachers busy learning during the summer months.

I have bookmarked this article because it mentions a couple of tools I have heard about and quite a few others I had not heard about before. I intend to take a look at some of these later; in the meantime, here is the list suggested by Nicholas Provenzano: ITT, Livebinders, Evernote, Edshelf (all new to me), Prezi and Glogster EDU.

I hope you will post a comment here or on your own blog about your experience with one or more of the tools mentioned above.

Teaching Excellence

Foundation Recognizes Teaching Excellence | Edutopia

This article lists nine of the key qualities/strategies that outstanding teachers share, and I quote:

·                     Have deep passion for teaching; love their subject matter and know it thoroughly.

·                     Hold high expectations that are fair, reasonable, consistent and clear.

·                     Are scholarly and love learning themselves.

·                     Hold all students equally accountable and responsible for learning and for their behaviour.

·                     Plan every minute of class time; there is never a wasted moment.

·                     Never leave students behind and allow students to help those with difficulty.

·                     Make the subject matter relevant to the lives of students and their immediate experience.

·                     Have respect for students, are insightful about them on a day-to-day basis, and are non-judgmental.

·                     Are authentic, real and appropriately autobiographical

Professionals in any field ought to be passionate and knowledgeable about their craft; however, it takes some effort to be consistent, organized, insightful, authentic, etc.

I am pleased to see that teachers in some places receive the recognition they deserve. Bravo!

Summer: Planning Period | Edutopia

July: The Ultimate Planning Period | Edutopia

I find this such a coincidence -- earlier today, I commented on a post by Lisa Dabbs on this subject: learning during the summer months.

Lisa mentions Webinars as one of her suggestions, and in this article, Terry Heick, mentions instructional design and curriculum planning some of the areas educators should consider thinking about during the summer months...

One idea I have come across a few times in my readings, which is also mentioned in this article, is checking with your personal learning network (PLN) with the purpose of discussing, sharing, collaborating and, ultimately,  being open to new ideas.

Interesting points!

Resources for Teaching Middle School | Edutopia

Resources for Teaching Middle School | Edutopia

My audience is comprised of adult learners; you must be wondering why I would choose to tag this post and even comment on it.

I found this posting of interest to me in many ways -- I particularly liked the list of resources listed. As I may be assisting in classes of student-teachers in the near future, I chose to take a closer look at these resources.

Those of you who teach youngsters in this age group may take more out of this posting. I welcome your thoughts!

Three Tips to Spark Your Learning | Edutopia

Hip-Hip Hooray for Summer! Three Tips to Spark Your Learning | Edutopia

In this Edutopia post, Lisa Dabbs, mentions a few ideas on  how one could be in touch/learning during the summer months; webinars is one of the suggestions.

As we are taking this class this summer, we are fully immersed in online learning -- blogging (reading, posting and commenting), bookmarking, tagging, stacking, linking, etc.

I suppose the above may be considered summer learning -- or not -- depending on how much we get out of the articles we read. I even send the link to articles I find interesting to me via email to remind me to read more on the topic later. However, there are quite a few articles in ReadWriteWeb that I simply skim through or even just glance at the title. I often wonder how my colleagues deal with all this avalanche of information on a daily basis. How do you discern a must-read amidst the bunch?

Google Hangout

Are you a novice like me who wonders what "g+1" and Google+" and Google+Hangout" mean?

I have been reading a few articles both in ReadWriteWeb and other locations, and the more I read, the more questions I have.

As I understand from the Google+site, Google+Hangout allows you to:

• video chat face-to-face with your family/friends
• broadcast the dialogue to a more global audience
• host virtual meetings

You may sign up to "hang out" or for an app.

The question I propose here is: have you registered and if so, can you give me your thoughts on this new tool?

Five-Minute Film Festival: Flipped Classrooms | Edutopia

Five-Minute Film Festival: Flipped Classrooms | Edutopia

For those of you who mentioned and commented on the "Flipped Classroom" concept earlier this week, you may wish to watch some of the videos in this Edutopia post.

Amy Erin Borovoy , Edutopia's digital media curator, also lists some resources for those of us who are currently "reflecting and thinking about moving our classrooms towards more student-driven learning."

Based on my reading, the concept is neither new nor is it accepted by everyone; however, we can always implement the idea and get feedback from our learners afterwards.

What are  your thougnts -- would you try "flipping"  next term?

Should students be allowed to use Wikipedia as a source? | Edutopia

Should students be allowed to use Wikipedia as a source? | Edutopia

Four questions, four choices for your answer: yes, no, maybe, none of the above. Great discussion!

The last comment is dated March 23, 2012 -- I welcome your own thoughts on this.

A Six-Point Checklist for Education Innovators | Edutopia

A Six-Point Checklist for Education Innovators | Edutopia

This article talks about a teacher , an innovator, who brings the real world into his classroom in the form of a reality game.

His students have the opportunity to participate in real-world projects, and also to make a difference while doing so. "These experiences have unfolded because he (the teacher) stays on the lookout for connections and expertise beyond the classroom. He looks for opportunities in which students can influence their community."

I keep going back to Will Richardson's blog posting on "Redefine Better," and I think this article can point us in the right direction.

I was inspired by the work of this educator. I welcome your thoughts as well!

Facilitating Social and Emotional Skills Through Tech | Edutopia

Facilitating Social and Emotional Skills Through Tech | Edutopia

Joan Young, who is a teacher with background in social work, mentions in this article an important point about how we behave in a virtual world, and "how technology, particularly in social media, is sometimes cited as a place where people demonstrate poor social skills."

It is a well known fact that the virtual behaviour of quite a few individuals differs from the one they have when face-to-face. Why do you think that is? What is it about computers/social media/cell phones that make certain individuals (of all ages)  feel compelled to open up to others (not only friends, but often to complete strangers) and behave in ways they would not be able to in person?

Another key point she mentions briefly, and I quote is the " benefits, both hidden and explicit, of using technology to facilitate social and emotional learning."

Dealing with a diverse audience, emotional  learning is something EAL educators must always take into account.  I found Joan Young's statement regarding social/emotional learning and technology quite intriguing; a topic I wish to learn more about.

DNSChanger: Internet Concerns

I imagine everyone must have heard and/or read about the issues concerning the (safe) Internet connection of several thousand computers on July 09 (tomorrow).

Have you logged in to the designated site to check the status of yours?

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative | EDUCAUSE.edu

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative | EDUCAUSE.edu

I have bookmarked this for my own personal reading -- over, and over, and over again -- so I can finally start using Skype for personal and professional purposes.

I was asked recently (in May) to add Skype as part of my list of personal communication tools; however, I have yet to make any use of it. I have noticed, however, that websites of many educational institutions now have the Skype symbol beside their phone numbers with a direct link for the call.

I hereby invite all of you Skype users to add a line or two of encouragement and wisdom to help me make a transition from the ever-growing  "never-used to will-use" list of Skype clients.

What are the reasons why one should join? What are the steps one should follow? What are the advantages to one's teaching?

I welcome all of your ideas and suggestions!

Publish Post

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative | EDUCAUSE.edu

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative | EDUCAUSE.edu

What a wealth of information on RSS -- how to keep tabs of students' work more easily than by checking emails or blog updates. The more I read, the more I still feel I need to learn.

For those of you who have used RSS for your teaching, I do welcome your thoughts and ideas!

Collaborative Mentoring for New Teachers | Edutopia

Collaborative Mentoring for New Teachers | Edutopia

Having participated in face-to-face mentorship programs for new professionals coming into the field of adult English language learners, I found the idea of a virtual mentorship (Lisa M. Dabbs / Edutopia's New Teacher Connection Groups) very refreshing and very much in line with the 21st Century teaching / learning philosophy.

As there seems to have very few "ed-tech applications" and conferences we could attend to help us meaningfully incorporate technology in our classrooms, the virtual collaborative mentoring is the way to go.

I welcome your thoughts on this.

Hardware: Open Source?

This article in GoogleReader by Brian Proffitt caught my attention although I am not or have ever been a computer tech.

As mentioned by Brian Proffitt, “open source hardware doesn’t get much attention outside of geek circles, but it is starting to have a real-world impact.”

By definition, Open Source Hardware allows everyone to examine, duplicate and modify” a component or device just like what we are already able to do with resources under the CreativeCommons license.

I can only imagine how much fun (and learning) youngsters will have now that they can “download the specs and build the device” on their own.

This is fascinating!

Homework and Study Skills

The topic of making homework count (re: Blogger Dominick Recckio / Edutopia) seems to provide for great dialogue; therefore, I will propose here another take on the same article.

The survey results on homework conducted by Dominick Recckio indicate that the “top 10%” of the students included homework as part of their routine; as a result, they always made sure it was done.

How much time do you spend on assignments and “homework” in your online courses? When the Final Course Survey comes from CMU, and one of the questions is: “how much time did you spend on this course…” Do you check: “more than 85 hours,” “more than 45 hours” or something else?

The term “homework” seems to be associated with grade school and high school; however, all our readings and videos in our online learning fall under the umbrella of “homework” – do we actually sit down to read and view all the assigned literature / resource?

How many of us actually enjoy “having to do homework” on a weekly basis?

The answers should be quite interesting…

Digital Storytelling and Student Literacies

In our Group Class Wiki, Roshel posted a link to Bernard Robin's article: " The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling" (Bernard R. Robin    University of Houston   brobin@uh.edu )

Robin's article has relevant information for a novice like me to learn more about what digital storytellling is, its many uses in education and the role it helps play in "student literacies" -- term used by Joe Lambert of the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS) in Berkeley, California.

Here are the seven elements to digital storytelling which were developed by CDS as listed in Bernard Robin's article " The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling":

The Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling

1. Point of View – what is the perspective of the author?

2. A Dramatic Question – a question that will be answered by the end of the story.

3. Emotional Content – serious issues that speak to us in a personal and powerful way.

4. The Gift of your Voice – a way to personalize the story to help the audience

understand the context.

5. The Power of the Soundtrack – music or other sounds that support the storyline.

6. Economy – simply put, using just enough content to tell the story without overloading

the viewer with too much information.

7. Pacing – related to Economy, but specifically deals with how slowly or quickly the

story progresses.

As we have to complete an assignment on the topic this week, I thought this would be appropriate for our discussion here on this forum. I welcome your comments!

Being reluctant: Technology in the classroom

In this Edutopia article by Heather Wolpert-Gawron, she provides three different  tiers of possibility as to why she thinks technology is vital to the education of our students.

She also provides a comprehensive five-point discussion on the "Rationale for the Reluctant," which I found quite interesting. The point that I was mostly interested in is the following, and I quote:

"Daily Use is Vital. It isn't enough to go to the computer lab on occasion, jockeying for time for the class to sit down and type. No. Using technology should be a daily tool, where there are no issues of log in and lost instructional time due to lack of exposure and comfort. If the tools are employed regularly to support the content then there are no issues of having to re-teach how to use the technology in the few times we have access to it. When we bring the students to the lab, technology becomes the lesson. When the lab is an integral part of the classroom, it becomes an organic tool supporting the content."

As our learners have lab classes only four times a week (4 50-minute periods), and many of them do not have access to a computer at home, it is not possible for me to make "lab an integral part of the classroom." I do intend, however, to start integrating technology (SlideShare, Fotobabble, interactive PowerPoint) in my teaching this fall.

I would like to hear more ideas from you!

Meaningful Homework

Dominick Recckio, a student in a high school in Central New York, presents in his Edutopia blog, a student perspective on homework-- its importance, and a "a few fresh ideas" from his classmates.

He mentions the use of social media, such as creating groups for classes in Twitter, Facebook, etc. as one of the ways to make time spent on homework more meaningful for his classmates. Since using computer/mobile does not "feel like" school, youngsters may be more inclined to complete the assigned tasks.

Making real-world connections is another way, he mentions, to get students to get hooked on the task and feel more interest toward getting it done. He emphasizes that if teachers put more weight on homework, perhaps students would take it more seriously.

I welcome your thoughts!

Improving Teacher Questions

RE: Edutopia

Ben Johnson (school administrator and former assistant superintendent of the Natalia Independent School District) on steps for major improvements in student learning/ improving teacher questions.

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Ben Johnson quotes Robert Marzano's book, Classroom Instruction that Works, when he writes about the importance of asking questions in classroom instruction. He writes about the direct relationship between asking effective questions and teaching effectively.

As my audience of learners is comprised of adult learners of English as an additional languages, question formation is a big part of language learning. In addition, learning to ask questions in various levels (fundamental, analytical, hypothetical and critical thinking) are of utmost importance.

Take a look at the articule in Edutopia where he lists the three steps -- a shift in thinking, question preparation (using PowerPoint), scaffolding -- very interesting!

I welcome your thoughts on this three-step list on improving questions as listed by Ben Johnson!

Gaming and learning experiences

I enjoyed Andy's discussion on "blog on Edutopia regarding the use of gaming as an educational tool."  I recall reading an artible by Marc Prensky "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants - part II: Do They Really Think Differently?"

Prensky states that today's learners "cry out for new approaches in education" and this is one of the reasons why "Digital Game-Based Learning is beginning to emerge and thrive."

As I am a "Digital Immigrant" myself, I welcome your dialogue and discussion on this topic!

Suggested readings (books) from our EDU653 course site

Here is the list posted:


Friedman, T. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Farr, Strauss and Giroux.

Kline, D. & Burstein, D. (2005). Blog! How the newest media revolution is changing politics, business, and culture. New York, NY: CDS Books.

Geoghegan, M. & Klass, D. (2005). Podcast solutions: The complete guide to podcasting. Berkeley, CA: Friends of Ed.

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts,and other powerful Web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.


I have purchased the required textbook, and have also borrowed Friedman's "The World is Flat" from the local library. I welcome your thoughts on both resources when you have a chance.

Instructions for posting and commenting...

Hi everyone,

This is a "reminder to self" about the procedures for posting and replying to a post on our blogs:

• we can subscribe to each other's blogs by clicking on "Posts" on our colleagues' blogs
• we can comment on each other's postings by clicking on "All comments" on our blogs

I am looking forward to the next few weeks in EDU653!

Welcome to Rita's Blog!

I hope to learn from all of you on this platform. Thank you!