Discussion Prompt: Module 3: Emerging Technologies

[Lucie deLaBruere]

What emerging technologies have you learned about that seem to hold
possibilities for your content area or classroom? What are some
possible ways you could use these technologies to support 21st century
teaching and learning in your school or classroom? What technologies
are you curious about and why?

[HuckleberryFinn]

I checked out several new technologies from the incredibly vast list
on the Educause web site (impressive quantity of material there…
useful, concise format). The two that first caught my eye were Data
Visualization II and Next-Generation Presentation Tools. As I teach
math and science, I was interested in new ways to analyze and share
data. The scenario from the Data article was powerful in that the user
found that graphics were not just as a visual communication of a
thought or conclusion to others, but actually served as a way for her
to understand her own data. I think so often students are tempted to
make pretty presentations of data without fully analyzing the data or
understanding the full meaning. I checked out the IBM Many Eyes web
site and tested it out by making a visualization of an existing data
set… the England vs. US Player Performance (very fun!). I tried a
couple of different types of visualizations but found the bubble chart
the most intriguing… it was very easy to compare players based on a
variety of qualities, all at the touch of the mouse, AND I didn’t have
to learn any complex modeling techniques.

The Next-Gen Presentation tools are exciting too for the increased
ability to make connections, as the presentations are no longer
linear, controlled by the presenter and fixed on a set outcome or
conclusion. I’d like to experiment with using a Prezi myself as a
teaching tool. I like the ability to branch (digress) and come back to
topics or pursue topics that come up in a discussion. I’d like to see
the results of having my students follow along on their laptops too
(collaborate), a possibility for next year as our students will have
their own laptops. I’m a bit uncertain how to assess the effects,
though?

[tteacher]

Jane McGonigal.
I so want to change things. There are so many of my students in this
space. Those who
won't/are not sure/ can't risk it in reality but who rock the world on-
line.
EVOKE- that's where I am headed after I go to graduation tonight!
I want to help my students to create a game that will help save the
world.
I think just putting them to the task is the first step. Then I have a
lot of research to do.
If Free Rice can do it-so can we.
She spoke of this huge human resource and its value. I so agree.
Who wouldn't want to live in game reality? It is pretty cool...
My kids have plenty ideas on how to improve games (graphics, plots) I
think we need to develop a
way for them to start looking at life with the same critical eye.

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Maggie]

That sounds like a great idea! A game that is also humanitarian in
nature. The kids will love it. I would love to see how it goes.

> > are you curious about and why?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Maggie]

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:

After reading about emerging technologies from the 2010 Horizon
Report, I will get the most use out of mobile computers. Kids can
access wireless laptops in classrooms and in other settings. Although
the future possibilities are intriguing, I do not yet foresee the
practicality of open content, electronic books, augmenting reality or
gestural. I also may use blogs and blogging as a means for kids to
share experiences and learn from others.
Jane McGonical is my new idol!!! I agree with her that gaming
provides the gamer with urgent optimism, social fabric, blissful
productivity, and epic meaning. Kids who may not do well in math or
reading, or even socially, may excel at games. Once again, my use of
games is validated! I plan to use one of her game sites with a small
group of students next year. Jane talked of using blogs to document
results and use as assessment. I am looking forward to piloting this
project next year.

[jacqueline]

Animoto, Apeture and Ambient all spark inspiration about using other
media to explore and deepen responses to literature.

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:

[HuckleberryFinn]

tteacher,

OK, so I admit I was very skeptical, not being a gamer myself (despite
my son's frequent position in debates about the utility of his game
playing...:) ), thinking that games are pure escapism or
entertainment. But, I was so impressed with the two main points I took
away from McGonigal clip: games do foster deep thinking skills and,
most importantly, enable the gamer to visualize solutions. I REALLY
liked the example of the oil crisis game... maybe if we all played
that, we could all visualize solutions and then act on that (maybe BP
could have used her game...ugh!). The first step toward any action is
visualizing it.

Is the trick the connection from the game to real life action/social
skills? I find it interesting that some people feel safer in a virtual
world or communicating on-line. I find I am very dependent on in-
person cues to feel truly comfortable to dialogue and find digital
communication more stressful (including this discussion series... but
I am trying!).

On Jun 14, 5:36 pm, tteacher <terandt...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Neal]

Emerging technologies--i am curious about Next-Generation Presentation
Tools, and how i can help students grow by using these. Payoffs
include engagement, presentation skills, choice, multiple
intelligences, thematic & interdisciplinary learning, and teamwork.
"The machine is us/ing us" about did me in, but McGonigal was
inspiring. The engagement she raved up was legitimate, yet she didn't
shy away from the inherent escapism. I'm not convinced that gaming
touches souls as they can be touched in schooling, yet see a real
potential in the 4 attributes she spoke of (urgent optimism, social
fabric, blissful productivity, epic meaning). I also want to check out
her references to "world without oil" and "superstruct"--saving our
species. I look forward to a new generation of simulations.

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:

[tteacher]

I am really curious, what game did you use? How did it go?
I am hoping my 5th and 6th graders will be up for these games.
We have a team Blog that I ran this last year and this year I plan to
have
the students take over most of the posting and maintenance of the
Blog.
They really do love it. The hard part was getting parents to check the
Blog instead of
getting paper copies every week. That way they are up to date on what
is
going on.

[tteacher]

Yes!
We will play the games-maybe creative writing should be classroom
gaming?

So now the trick is, how do we take the theme of sustainability, the
power of gaming, the use of prezies(sp?), and all this energy we are
generating and pull it together into something that will rock the
world?
A fun fun sustainability game- ?

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Sue W.]

I loved McGonical's TED talk. It was eye-opening and inspiring in a
way that I never expected.
My husband, who works at Champlain College in the CORE ( Humanities)
is charged with working with the gaming division. So far he has been
skeptical about the value of games, and he would be horrified by
McGonical's statistics about WOW ( we have a son-in-law who has been
swallowed by it) but I have sent him the link and I hope we will be
able to talk about how much sense I think she makes. I have also sent
the link to one of the gaming professors, to get his opinion.

[kelly]

I checked out a number of the emerging technologies and was wondering
about
how schools afford these new technologies. We don't even have
computers that
work half the time in our classrooms, and our server is down quite
often. I also
feel that there needs to be more professional development available to
teachers.
My students probably know more about computers than I do. I would also
like to
learn more about the programs that read the text to the student. Often
times I
get students who are still not able to read. Paras and other students
usually read
assigned text to them, but it would be a handy tool to have available
in the classroom.

[Gary]

The two emergent technologies that I chose were Personal Learning
Environment and Mobile Apps for learning.

PLE - personal learning environments allow students to design and
construct their own learning. This may include blogs so students can
comment on their own learning or even use You Tube to show what they
have learned or give another avenue for feedback and reflection. Not
only does this include online resources, but all of the other
resources available to the student. Sites could be designed for
students to digitally store their reflections and have them available
to other members of the class and community.

Implications for the classroom/teacher - this changes the role of the
teacher -one who now instead of just giving infomration, helps the
student gather, disseminate and integrate information in a
collaborative manner

MOBILE APPS
Another emerging technolgy is the use of mobile apps for learning. Of
course this is dependent upon the moble technology that the students
have access to. Cell phones being the number one device that is used
for m-learning. Wi-fi enable devices are dependent on the network
availablity. I think this is an incredibly powerful tool for
fieldwork. If student have the ability to post readings, post
observations, do research and conduct on the spot analysis of what
they observed, learning would be instant and relevant. Because of the
limitations (cell service costs, etc.) public schools would have to
wait.

One of the technologies I find fascinating is Gesture Based
Computing. Being able to electronically manpulate graphics and
virtually construct or dissect something would be a very powerful
tool. Virtual dissections, gene manipulations, modeling would be very
cool and provide a literal and virtual "hands on" approach.

[Patrick Hayes]

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:
> What emerging technologies have you learned about that seem to hold
> possibilities for your content area or classroom?

I have been pondering and attempting to synthesize the information I
gleaned from the Horizon Report regarding Digital Media Literacy
(DML). One quote from the report that puzzles me (HA, only one?) is
that DML is "less about tools and more about thinking." My argument
with this statement is like the chicken and the egg question. I feel
that the tools are important as a way to get the desired results. As
educators we need to foster the concept of deeper, crital thinking in
order for students to find the answers to the question posed. And it's
the journey, not the destination we need to focus on. And the tools we
use will act as signposts to help direct the students to their
destinations. I want to learn more about the DLM tools in order to
help my students become the deeper thinkers we need in the future.

>What are some possible ways you could use these technologies to support 21st century teaching and learning in your school or classroom?

Just finished watching and webbing thoughts about the Jane McGonigal
Gaming Can Make a Better World video, which reminded me of a story...
I had a student last year, the brother of a student I had 2 years ago.
The older brother would rarely pass in assigned work, and the work he
did pass in was pathetic. When I read the student roster about a year
ago, I thought, "Oh no...not another one" regarding the younger
brother in the upcoming class.
I felt this because the older brother was a gamer. The most common
excuse he would give was that he forgot the particular assignment
because he stayed up all night gaming. So when I met my new student,
the younger brother, and asked about his interests on an assigned
paper, his reply was (turned in late) gaming. I felt he was going to
be a carbon copy (old school expression) of his brother.
As the year progressed I found that turning in assignments late, or
not at all, must be a genetic thing. Calls home offered very little
change in his behavior. I tried to keep him after school for some
additional support, but that failed. But one day our team played
Capture the Flag on a Friday afternoon. When he was in "prison" during
the game I went to him and started a conversation. This conversation
lead to more "meetings" during and after school discussing whatever he
wanted to talk about. This built a trust between us which lead to his
wanting to get better grades. Soon after this he turned in his first
major paper on the year. I couldn't believe it. I was floored by his
writing capabilities. And this from a gamer?
I soon found that this was indeed his writing, no plaigerism, help
from any other person...it was all his. So the reason I am writing
this is to confirm McGonigal's thought on gamers' traits of urgent
optimism, social fabric, blissful pruductivity and epic meaning. Now
if I can just get our IT guy at school to take down the "shield" whch
prevents students from going to gaming sites, maybe I can....

  >What technologies are you curious about and why?

There are quite a few technologies I am curious about. Given the
plethora of choices, I have only had time to research a few. One that
caught my eye was http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/edge.cfm
website. I have already decided to include Animoto website in my
poetry unit in the coming year. This would add to the creative aspect
of just writing and reciting student generated poems. I would also use
it for students to create a visual slide show for some student chosen
poems from a teacher generated list of published authors. I feel this
will help the students with their interpretations poems, especially
the ones who are reluctant readers and visual learners.

[hazy_vermonter]

My colleague Tess tipped me off to McGonigal's TED Talk. After
watching, I sent off an email to all of our colleagues encouraging
them to watch and suggesting that Evoke might be a nice tie-in for our
yearlong "Sustainability" project. I see real possibilities to develop
students' 21st century skills -- especially critical thinking, problem
solving and decision making, but also communication and collaboration,
creativity and innovation and digital citizenship. For example, gamers
have to solve problems using innovative methods. They work
collaboratively and creatively to do so. They follow a code of conduct
in their virtual world.

I am not a gamer. As part of Ruben Puentedura's class, I tried a
"Cinderella" game in which the programmer had the gamer be a parrot
who knew the answer to the prince's plight -- finding the true
Cinderella. But I -- the parrot -- could not talk, only squawk. The
game's challenge was to figure out how to communicate this very
important and life-changing information to the prince. I was horrible.
I played the game probably 10 times -- failing each time to let the
prince know that his Cinderella was not the stepsister whom he was
taking to the altar. I found it difficult to remove myself from the
game and refocus as the class conversation continued after our hands-
on gaming period concluded. UGH. During my downtime this summer, I
plan to return and see whether I can crack the code. I think I might
need a little help from my friends!

Not being a gamer, I am intrigued with McGonigal's energy and
excitement around gaming and its possibilities for education and the
world at large. Problem solving and collaboration are at the core of
these games. I loved her discussion of what gamers are "good at":

1. Urgent optimism -- Gamers' ability to tackle obstacles with a
reasonable hope of success.

2. Weaving tight social fabric -- She explained the trust involved to
play a game with someone: Trust that the other person holds the same
values as you and will be steadfast in his/her pursuit of these
values. The idea that we like people better after they play a game
with us. This made me think I should give up part of my recess and get
outside and play with the kids as some of my dedicated colleagues do
daily instead of my playing with them on computers or with books three
afternoons a week. :) I love the idea of play building bonds, trust
and cooperation -- which, of course, it does!

3. Blissful productivity -- My favorite -- "Work is not work if we are
having fun doing it!" or Seymour Papert's idea of "hard fun."

Here is a quote from Papert on Logo -- Scratch's predecessor:

"Once I was alerted to the concept of "hard fun" I began listening for
it and heard it over and over. It is expressed in many different ways,
all of which all boil down to the conclusion that everyone likes hard
challenging things to do. But they have to be the right things matched
to the individual and to the culture of the times. These rapidly
changing times challenge educators to find areas of work that are hard
in the right way: they must connect with the kids and also with the
areas of knowledge, skills and (don't let us forget) ethic adults will
need for the future world."

McGonigal says gamers spend 22 hours a week on gaming, and she likens
this is a part-time job. Like Papert, she contends that we as humans
are "happier working hard and are optimized as human beings to do hard
and meaningful work." Amen.

4. Epic meaning -- She discusses how gamers are drawn to awe-inspiring
missions and committed to saving the virtual world.

I cannot wait to read McGonigal's dissertation. I am intrigued by her
idea to make the real world like a game so that gamers can use their
virtual skills to solve real-world problems and change their belief
that they can find success and conquer virtual worlds, but cannot
conquer the challenges of their real world. Here's the link:
http://avantgame.com/dissertation.htm

-- warning: it's 573 pages ... but like any good blogger she has it
chunked into bites/bytes of 45 pages or so.

Besides saving the world with Evoke, here's what's on my radar to
explore because the possibilities for creation, collaboration, and
connections are powerful:

* Using Scratch to animate. One of my students is an expert Scratch
animator; I plan to have him teach more of his fellow students -- not
just the peers in Computer Club. I love the programming part of
Scratch -- programming the Scratch cat to achieve my students' weekly
challenges:
-- Creating the Olympic rings -- in the correct order and color
scheme.
-- Spelling my name.
-- Building a trapezoid or other geometric shape ... but I haven't
really tested its animation capabilities.

* Trying out World without Oil and SuperStruct (the games McGonigal
mentioned).

* Playing with Cool Iris, which I found when I explored the PowerPoint
verses Prezi debate. (I love Prezi and hope to use it with students to
allow them to build "the real, true me" poems -- an idea that came to
me at RUHS graduation on Friday night.)

* Finding a free text-to-movie platform -- the 7th graders and I
experimented with Xtranormal this spring ... but the free version
doesn't seem to allow one to create unlimited movies.

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Stacey Tully]

I skimmed and reviewed most resources on this module and the two
technologies that seem to hold the highest possibilities for me are
mobil computing and ebooks. In an earlier post I talked about how
lack of money for technology is a problem for schools, but if we
access what the kids already have we are ahead of the game. I know
schools "ban" cell phones, but how much longer can we do this when it
is their mini computer. With phones having the keyboard on them, it
won't be log until kids are typing their papers on google docs on
their cell phone and sending them to the printer in the school. I
don't think schools have to provide all the technology anymore, there
is a way to incorporate what the kids already have. ebooks are huge
on my radar now. I'm hoping in 4 years when my oldest goes to college
she won't have to purchase a hard textbook. They should all be
online. The ebooks that read out loud is so great for kids. No need
for them to "look" different.

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Stacey Tully]

I agree about the games Maggie. I know there were a few in my
classroom this year that would have benefitted from me hearing about
Jane. I think there are a few next year that may need that optimism!

On Jun 16, 4:58 pm, Maggie <maggie...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Stacey Tully]

Depending on your grade level, a lot of the older kids have the
technology at home. I think schools have to come up with ways to use
the current technology knowing they are never going to be able to
afford the new stuff. There are ways. The Kindle or nook are great
ereaders. Maybe your reading department could use their budget. I
have taken it upon myself to get the technology. I put it in my
budget, skimp on other stuff and take courses that give me equipment.
Last year I took the 21st Century Learning course and got a laptop and
I'm getting another one this year. I plan on taking the media course
next year to get more equipment. I know all of this is not possible,
but at our school, we have been making tech our priority.

[hazy_vermonter]

Kelly,

I feel your pain. We just got high speed Internet -- Comcast -- in
February and can finally use some of these Web 2.0 technologies with
success. I tried blogging and using wikis two years ago with students.
It was a disaster. Sometimes pages took an entire class period to
load. What was incredible was the energy students sustained for the
blogging/wiki project despite the technology shortcomings!

I agree: Technology hardware is expensive. For three consecutive years
our school has zero dollars for technology -- very discouraging. With
declining enrollments for many Vermont schools trying to preserve
jobs, the future is grim. I hope our school can win grants to support
the infrastructure. Our new principal, the director of the Chamber of
Commerce, a local businesswoman, our curriculum coordinator, other
administrators, teachers and we library media specialists collaborated
and won an eVermont grant, which will -- we hope -- provide Netbooks
to our fifth and sixth graders. Fingers and toes crossed!

You're absolutely right: With all the initiatives districts encourage,
there is never enough time for professional development -- especially
with all these new technologies. Who can keep up? Lucky for me, with a
soon-to-be-processed endorsement in technology integration, my
colleagues seem excited to spend some time with me this summer
exploring new Web 2.0 possibilities -- as long as I bring food and
beverages!!!

Also, lucky for schools a lot of the Web 2.0 platforms are free to
educators; you might want to check out http://www.freetech4teachers.com/p/free-downloads.html
-- this is a really neat site one of my friends shared with me. We've
used Piratepad, Wordle, Toondoo, pbwiki, Blogger, Myths & Legends,
Prezi, and Scratch -- which are all free.

On Jun 18, 5:53 am, kelly <kellyheinlei...@gmail.com> wrote:

[hazy_vermonter]

Patrick,

I loved this story! Thanks for sharing. Those connections with
students and teachers during play are so powerful. Wow!

And your comment about the shield had me wondering whether our school
filter blocks the games Jane McGonigal mentioned. That's at the top of
my things to check Monday after class.

> caught my eye washttp://www.teachersfirst.com/content/edge.cfm

[dana dezotell]

I agree with you. I love the mobile labs! I did one at a conference
and since then I am looking for grants to buy some programs for the
Forensics course.

What I like about the mobile apps, is the uniqueness of the way you
want to implement them: mobile devices, taking with you ourdoors, in
vacation, wherever you might think.

We watched the sky in my Earth Science classes and learned the clouds
from a chart outdoors. Instead of staying in the class and teach, or
just show them the pictures, we identified the clouds outside. That
day I couldn't see any plain leaving a contrail. But that evening, one
of my students posted a picture on the facebook : "Contrail, Mrs. D!"
She took the picture with her mobile phone going to her hockey game.

It was an amazing way to see that students could get engaged more by
ALLOWING the mobile devices. Some are personal, some are the
school's.

EDUCAUSE enumarates the seven reasons of having mobile technology, and
I find it important to know that more teachers are using those
devices. This year I saved a lot of paper and time by making copies,
but instead I used the smartboard in the computer lab, and google docs
as the format for the labs.

[dana dezotell]

One of the solutions, Gary, is to have more laptops available. There
are grants for those, we just need to look and find those.

[Kirsten]

I love the idea that my students can connect with other students all
over the country and world and learn both from and with them. It is
this type of technology that perhaps interests me the most...so much
better than the "penpal" letter writing teachers have had their
students do for so long. Mobile technology is key for accessing
information and providing students with ease of communication with
others. I believe that it is "what we have our students do with these
new and emerging technologies" that is most critical. having access
to this technology doesn't mean that it is being used effectively.
Creative problem solving within a meaningful real world context is
important and is something I feel many teachers have always had their
student do. But now the idea of collaboration during learning beyond
your classroom is intriguing to me, and it certainly is important for
kids to be able to do this well. The idea of Netbooks has really
taken off in my school. I cannot imagine not having them available on
a moments notice, and often feel frustrated with having to share
them. I would like to be able to take my entire budget and put it
towards buying a set of Netbooks for my class. I wouldn't need books
or paper or pencils, etc.

[dana dezotell]

Reading the Transformation Technology scenarios, I found so many ways
to incorporate technology in my classes. Although I am an avid user of
technology, I was impressed by the correlation between pedagogy and
transformed classroom. I just could picture in my mind all those
scenarious very well detailed. My interest is 9-12, since I am
teaching high school, but as a parent with young kids I read several
scenarios for elementary and middle school's units.

Here are the ways I would see my teaching next year:

- incorporate more projects as a unit assessement, especially for the
elective classes
- for students on IEPs, I will use Kidspiration to create graphic
organizers; they could enter the text by typing or having someone to
do it for them--based on their accomodations, or print the page and
have them write on it.
- I will like to use Survey Monkey as a way to get their feedback
about the unit or project: what did they like about it, what they did
not, progress, etc. Also, it could be used as a class assessment, very
quick and accurate.
- I will introduce Google Paint, especially for the artistic students
and for the special ed students who could express themselves by
pictorials.
- I will have the students use the recording, for explaining concepts
to the class, and check their understanding. This is also a good way
to check their misconceptions and correct them.
- I will use Spreadsheets instead of giving them the format printed
out, to collect and introduce data during experiments.

I hope that I could schedule the media lab more often this year, or
the mobile lab. I need to plan far ahead these projects, so I could
sign up for those facilities earlier in the course.

A final thought: I had the same question, "WHY NOT US?" on the
www.challengervt.org

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:

[ace]

I'm with you...long time skeptic. But when I actually thought about
kids I know who are sef-described "gamers", it occurred to me that
these were kids who often thought outside the box, and often the non-
traditional learners in the classroom. Perhaps this might be the way
in to connect with them?

My own kids are NOT gamers. Ha! Maybe I should be re-thinking this.
I can just hear myself " Don't make your bed! Play a game!"

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Katie]

As a writing teacher, I wanted to share some technology that I was
able to pilot in my classroom this year. (Then I'll add more about
what I read from Lucie's list) I worked with the Young Writers
Program with Geoff Gevault, in Winooski, VT.

To give a little background, I worked with students who had never been
taught formal writing. Using YWP has been a great way for me to
connect more personally with my students. It allows me to interact
with them live, rather than handing back a paper a week later. I love
that I can sit in a classroom with my students and we can give each
other feedback on the writing pieces. The digital classroom provides
me with more time and space to read and comment on many students'
pieces, rather than spending time with only one student who I am
conferencing with at a table. Having the option for other students to
give feedback has also helped me see other points of view and changed
the way I would have given feedback.

The digital classroom has had a tremendous impact on my students.
I started the year with kids writing in their journals for free-
writes, and having volunteers share their work when they wanted to.
Many kids started the year with complaints about writing, that it was
boring and it made their hands hurt. With the introduction of YWP, I
have been able to bring out some of my strongest writers. Some of
these kids were extremely timid to read their work from their journal
and share their ideas with their peers, but when given space to write
in the digital classroom, with the understanding that other students
can see their work, they have openly shared their work and truly
enjoyed the experience.

Many of the children in my classes do not have access to a computer
at home, so using YWP has given them the opportunity to feel more
connected to the digital world. They are grateful for the site and
look forward to posting their work on it. It has been such a helpful
tool for many of my students with special needs. Many of those
students have trouble with handwriting, so using the computer has
dramatically changed their voice in the classroom. Some of those
students could only write a sentence or two, either because the
physical aspect of writing is so difficult, or they can't read what
they have written. With the aid of keyboarding and spellcheck, they
have become much more confident writers.

From the TeachersFirst Edge site, I was excited to check out Big
Universe. This looks like another tool to use in the writing
classroom, with the additions of illustrations and actually publishing
a completed book. This would be a great tool for my students who
struggle with writing, but can tell a fantastic story through
illustrations. Bookr also looks like it has the same ideas. I'll have
to check them out.

On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Tim]

As a music teacher, I need to incorporate or at least check out are
the following sites and programs:

I would like to build a website to provide class information and serve
as a starting place for course instructions. SnapPages seems to serve
this purpose. I’ve never build a webpage before, so I’d be interested
in sites that would help. Aputure is another site that would help me
incorporate media into my website.

Wiki’s may be a good idea for my students to share and edit group
assignments in music history. Wikispaces and
TeachersFirstWikiWalkThrough are sites that may help me get this
started. XTimeline and TimeRime may be sites that would provide help
in building time lines for music history.

Music conversion sites are always useful in digital media. Zamzar
appears to be a site to meet this end. I have used Audacity in the
past, but I need a better command of the program. Bella suggested I
check out Skype to be able to share performances.

I hate to admit that I have never followed a Blog. I need to find out
if starting a blog would be of help in my classroom. Basic Blogs For
The Classroom seems to be a site I should investigate.

I refer to my classroom as a three ring circus. My students must
complete all three rings of the circus, but have the freedom to direct
their learning. Those rings are composition, performance and music
history.

Composition is the first ring. My students have been composing.
However, I think my instruction lacks the design that allows for the
development of 21st century skills. I need to challenge my students
in ways I’ve already discussed.

The second ring is guitar performance. A good number of our music
standards revolve around performing music on instruments and singing.
Performance makes learning the elements of music relevant. I feel I
have this base covered well.

The third ring, music history, is the part of the circus that needs
the most work. Our history program has gone from basic recall of
facts and piece to analyzing how the elements of music are combined
for arrive at a style. By the end of the class, my students are very
successful in listening to a piece of music and placing it in the
appropriate musical era. However, how I’m teaching the learning the
facts, dates and people of importance is just a deadly as it sounds.
I’m open to any suggestions.

[Bella]

the Horizon Report 2010
this is a great report that kinda tells you what to look for in terms
of new technology and how it could and will probably be used in the
classroom. It gives ideas on how to start using it for certain
subject areas and even has suggestions for further reading and some
delicious resources tagged for you to look over and use. The one that
interests me the most is the open content one. How many of us have
bought really expensive books only to use them a few times and then be
never opened again? Here we can have access to online material,
cutting the cost of books, easily manageable and even good for the
environment by not having to print any of them. This would be so
easily accessible to students from anywhere. While reading this, I
thought just about my class and how I give them all of these handouts
and folders throughout the year. I think that next year I will try to
do some of this where I will make my class materials available online,
see if our textbook is online as well and give the students a link to
it too. The research that the students do in class can then be shared
with the world and reuse by the next class and build upon and/or come
up with a new reserach or project to work on and share with the next
class as well. That way, students collaboratively create materials
that teachers can use in class. Everyone gets something out of this.
Lots of ways to use open content and I know I will be reading more
about it to help me go deeper into this topic and find relevant uses
for my classroom..

[Bella]

There are too many tools out there available to all that it's hard to
list all of them, but it's something that I know I will spend some
nights on exploring all those fun things we and students can use
together. In the hardware section, I thinks the mobile devices are
what I will be trying to explore with my students more this year and
my flip camera.
For my content area which is foreign languages, I really like what
these online sites have to offer me and my students:

Audio Pal and Chirbit - I could have student practice conversations
or answer questions orally and have them email me the sound file so I
can evaluate their speaking skills. Often times, I don't have time in
class to listen to all of them because of time constraints. This
would make it easy for me to listen to and that way for some of the
shy ones, they would not have to do it in front of the class.
Big universe - this looks like a great site to create a class story
and make a book collaboratively online with pictues and more.
Voice Thread - where students have pictures and they tell a story or
talk about the topic in French, record it and people can comment about
it. I will definetly use this one!
Captioner - might be a fun way for students to use French and put
captions on photos we take of ourselves or of things we are learning
to put on our class site, etc.
Live Question Tool - might be fun to use when a student is presenting
something and we do not want to interrupt the speech. The class might
submit questions and as the presenter is ready, he could answer
those. In French that would be fun to do to see how many questions we
can come up with about a certain topic, person or story. Then we
answer them together.

I am curious about the AR (augmenting reality) because when I read it
and reread it on the Horizon 2010 site, I could not figure out what it
is or how to use it. Therefore, this will be something I will be
inquiring about and researching online about to get more insight.

[Bella]

I also really like the 7 reasons of...teachers need to use mobile
devices as much as possible in their own lives too in order to become
more comfortable with them and then bring them into the classroom. I
too will try to use google docs more in class and make things
available online for my students to use instead of making so many
copies. It saves us time and lots of trees!

[Bella]

Kirsten,
I did just that this year with my 7th and 8th gr. classes. We
connected with a class from France online through epal and a wiki I
made at last summer's tech class. The kids learned a lot from each
other and throught the whole process and using this technology. We
learned a lot together! I will try to share my project with you this
week.

[Sue W.]

Working in the library media center, there are very few emerging
technologies that would not be appropriate to that particular context.
Because we deal with the entire school there is always something
different that can be suggested for use.
That being said, there are several that are personal favorites of
mine, that lend themselves to teaching humanities, which would be my
main focus. I am very fond of Audacity and Photostory : they can be
combined very successfully to bring poetry to life, or to do responses
to literature. I think that the idea of the Creative Commons is
brilliant, and I like the fact that Flickr is a social network.
I am curious about nearly everything, because the Library should be a
fount of new technolgies for the school, so that we, as library media
specialists, can share appropriate technologies.

[cla...@sacsvt.org]

I can really see a mobile handheld device having some possibilities
for my classroom. I can see having each kid with some form of mobile
computing systems (netbook, i-touch, ipad). With these students could
be on a classroom chat room taking notes about what I am saying. I
recently took a class that had all the teachers on etherpad, which is
a digital note taking area. This connected all the people at the
table conversing and taking notes. This also allows those with ADD
(me) to multitask and stay on task more. I can also see these tools
being used to take annonymous surveys to see where kids understanding
of a topic is. It could be a pre, in the middle and post assessment.
Each child having a personal secret identity would give quiet and shy
kids the opportunity to share their thinking.

I am curious to see if the I pad would truly make my teaching that
much better. Could I use it to better my teaching and how would I do
it. The thinking is there, I would need the teaching or practice to
actually use it right.

[cla...@sacsvt.org]

I really do enjoy hearing the words game and learning together. Or at
least the concept of it. There is a school in New York that is about
games. The students create the games and then use them to learn. If
we could take a popular game like "Halo", a game that many kids play
and change it into a learning game, I could see learning move into the
next level. Teachers always say learning should be fun, well, lets
make it and do it through a game.

On Jun 14, 5:36 pm, tteacher <terandt...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Jane McGonigal.
> I so want to change things. There are so many of my students in this
> space. Those who
> won't/are not sure/ can't risk it in reality but who rock the world on-
> line.
> EVOKE- that's where I am headed after I go to graduation tonight!
> I want to help my students to create a game that will help save the
> world.
> I think just putting them to the task is the first step. Then I have a
> lot of research to do.
> If Free Rice can do it-so can we.
> She spoke of this huge human resource and its value. I so agree.
> Who wouldn't want to live in game reality? It is pretty cool...
> My kids have plenty ideas on how to improve games (graphics, plots) I
> think we need to develop a
> way for them to start looking at life with the same critical eye.
>

> On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > What emerging technologies have you learned about that seem to hold
> > possibilities for your content area or classroom? What are some
> > possible ways you could use these technologies to support 21st century
> > teaching and learning in your school or classroom?   What technologies

[cla...@sacsvt.org]

There is always some fears about students having mobile computers at
their fingertips. However, if students are taught properly and use
them to their abilities, I think, no I know that the students would
surprise us. We as teachers just need to get over the fear that comes
behind letting kids have technology. Therefore, it is nice to hear
that you are thinking about the idea of mobile technology.

On Jun 16, 4:58 pm, Maggie <maggie...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > What emerging technologies have you learned about that seem to hold
> > possibilities for your content area or classroom? What are some
> > possible ways you could use these technologies to support 21st century
> > teaching and learning in your school or classroom?   What technologies

[Katie]

Brian,

We used a clicker at UVM, and during a lecture the professor would ask
a question, and we would respond with a click. It was an easy way for
the professor to see who was participating, as well as to see who was
in class. I think there are a lot of possibilities with tools like
the ipad or an itouch.

[Katie]

Sue,

I loved using Audacity, too! Even some of my more shy kids came
alive. They really enjoyed putting voice behind their work. Have you
tried Animoto yet? It is a great tool for presentations. You can
create a slideshow with pictures, text, movies, and music. It is
extremely user-friendly, and the kids picked it up extremely
quickly.

[Val]

What most caught my attention for the emerging technologies are the
mobile learning tools. These seem to me to have the most flexibility
and give the most allowance for differentiation. What really got me
thinking was on the Educause site where it mentioned educators will
need to become facilitators of learning and not just transmitters. As
a science teacher the mobile learning would offer a lot of potential
for doing labs, research, and collecting data outside of the
classroom. Also the data analysis potential would be enormous. I
wonder how far off we are from having textbooks become obsolete.
I keep seeing the need for collaboration and authentic projects
mentioned. I think that the mobile tools will make collaboration much
easier and authentic.
According to NETS, there needs to be a very rigorous science and
social studies curriculum for our students. I think that whatever
tools or applications are used should help teachers keep the
curriculum rigorous, but also authentic and student driven.
I also wonder what would be the best way to use these tools to prepare
our students who will not be going to college, especially with the
transfer of factory and other jobs to foreign countries.
One site that I will definitely be coming back to is the Teachers
First Edge description of the Web 2.0 tools. I liked the way that it
started by rating each tool by how comfortable each user was with
technology. Some that I am interested in are the Gliffy which is for
graphic organizers. We have been using these to help kids with
answering essential questions. I will also be checking out Common
Craft to learn more about these technologies. For projects, thing like
Auto Motivator nad Fun Photo Box looked good.

[Val]

I would like to check out YWP. As a 21st century teacher, I need to
incorporate more writing into our science and social studies programs.
We are looking at ways to have kids be able to move forward in the
curriculum at their own pace. I am wondering if this would lend itself
to that type of differentiation.

[Shelly]

Emerging tecnologies that I am starting to encorportate include the
use of netbooks for every student, that I just recently received
though a grant that I wrote this year. I was fed up with not being
able to access our school's media center when I wanted kids to use
technology in the classroom and decided to get my own computers. I am
hoping that students will be excited...and so far have found that to
be the case... to explore various ways to use this technology to
support learning. I hope to utilitze electronic presentation tools,
thus getting kids to work individually as well as collaboratively in
constructing, problem solving and to increase their social networking
in meaningful, yet safe ways. Just having computer and a projector in
my classroom at all times will help to transform my teaching as my
students and I work together to determine curriculum goals. I expect
them to teach me about what they know as much as I hope to be able to
introduce new tools to them. Socal interaction and participation will
be also important as I hope to help provide kids with avenues for
blogging and being part of a virtual community when discussing current
events and health topics that we cover. Who knows, maybe I'll even
learn how to create a health education link for students and staff to
add to our school's web page? I see this as a beginning of a very
exciting journey.

[Val]

I like the idea of using surveys and would like to learn more about
how to use them. I think it would be a great tool when trying to
differentiate. It seems like it may be a simple way to know which
kids are ready to move on and to also find out about misconceptions.

On Jun 21, 10:03 am, "cla...@sacsvt.org" <cla...@sacsvt.org> wrote:

[Gary]

You are so lucky - do the netbooks do everything that you want? Gary

[gayle]

I'm interested in learning more about GPS and using them with google
maps. We had a retiree who is really into geocaching and first got
interested in it when he was teaching his 3-4 class. he placed some
treasures around the school and the students used the GPS to locate
them. The students were so interested and had fun so I'd like to do
more.

[Shelly]

Maggie,
I agree that mobile computers are the way to go especially just
starting out....dont forget I have twenty of them and guidance has
access to them anytime it works for both of us.

On Jun 16, 4:58 pm, Maggie <maggie...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On May 22, 7:35 pm, Lucie deLaBruere <ldelabru...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > What emerging technologies have you learned about that seem to hold
> > possibilities for your content area or classroom? What are some
> > possible ways you could use these technologies to support 21st century
> > teaching and learning in your school or classroom?   What technologies
> > are you curious about and why?
>

[Shelly]

I was inspired by the variety of tools featured in TeachersFirst Edge,
Safe Web 2.0 In the Classroom. The list of available and free tools
is expansive. I especially liked Apture, which makes me want to
create a class blog site that is interesting so kids will really want
to use it. I could also see my students utilizing digital or flip
cameras for conducting interviews or making public service
announcements and incorporating Animoto, ArtRage and Automotivator
when working on day to day assignments. But... what really caught my
eye were tools that not only could I use in the classroom, but as a
part of what I do as a member of our school's EST or Educational
Support Team. Often, building effective study skills are some of the
strategies kids are constantly looking for help for. As a team, we
typically offer suggestions and provide kids with a very boring packet
on "How to Study."....Yuk! Looking back, no wonder kids turned their
noses up at it. But with programs like Brain Flip and Cobocards, kids
can create and customize flash cards, study guides and quizzes that
can be easy, interesting, fun and interactive....in addition to
helping students taking ownership and personal responsibility for
their own learning. I hope my team is up to looking at these
different resources for future EST use in the fall!

[Meghan]

The idea of allowing kids to use their cell phones is a bit hard for
me to grasp, perhaps because I was in that group when cell phones
became banned in schools and were not allowed. I agree with what Kelly
brought up about being able to afford these new technologies. Will
some schools lag behind because they cannot afford to stay as updated
as possible? Will these students be held behind the rest of society
because of differing economic status? Also, how are we as teachers
supposed to stay up to date with the lastest techonology when it is
constantly evolving. I am somewhat comfortable with computers and
technology, in the sense that I don't mind exploring and trying to
figure things out. It seems overwhelming to think that once I get
something, it has already been updated or something new and improved
is out to learn. How are we ever going to keep up with the times?

[ace]

Meghan,this is so true!. The economic piece is an intervening factor
that appears again and again. I feel it will separate what kids can
do on
their own, and what they can do at school, for a while. But I also
think,
that not too far down the line, the technology pieces are going to
more
streamlined, more and accessible, and "less moving parts". We'll
be abe to synchronize without even thinking about it. As far the
constantly
evolving technology, the disruption,...we just have to keep preparing
ourselves and our students to be flexible with the changes. Easy to
say, I
know. It will be our next great challenge. Remember the Red Queen??
"..It
takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place--If you
want to
get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that."

I've got my sneakers on!