Clif's Notes

Connecting the Classroom and Outside World (Feedback Requested)

Educators, what are some strategies for connecting the classroom with the outside world?

NOTE: I’d like to share responses in an upcoming workshop/presentation and on my blog and wiki. You can submit your ideas using the form below, share your text/audio/video reply in the Comments section of this post or respond via Twitter, Plurk or on your blog using the tag #thruwalls. You can also view the compiled database of suggested strategies on my wiki, Learning Telecollaboratively.

Share this post using http://tr.im/104.

Conversation tag: #thruwalls

• Connecting the Classroom and Outside World
• Students and PLNs (Feedback Requested)
• Educators and PLNs (Feedback Requested)
• Reply to Miguel Guhlin

Research and Collaborate with SimplyBox

SimplyBox is a free service that allows you to visually capture any part of a web page. As you collect items that you captured, you organize them in boxes. You can then share these items or boxes with friends, colleagues, … the world. The result is: efficient and visual collaboration around content. They call it “content networking.” (Source)

Overview

Research

• Collect only the parts from a web page that you want.
• Write your notes/comments on the content you found.
• Have a direct link back to the sites each of your items were collected from.

Student Collaboration

• Collect into a box useful content from the web and add your comments to it.
• Share the box with your students, even if they are not SimplyBox users.
• The students can add their comments and content.

Connecting Beyond the Classroom

• Create boxes with content related to the different topics you teach.
• Exchange the boxes with other teachers (even if in different schools!.
• Have them help you find more content and engage their classes in the discussion.

• Connecting the Classroom and Outside World
• Connecting the Classroom and Outside World (Feedback Requested)
• It’s Good to Be Back, Again!
• Multiple Representations of Understanding with Technology

Breaking through the Walls of the Classroom (iCiL Keynote)

These are the slides for my keynote address for the iConnect iLearn Conference. Unfortunately some of the animations and formatting were lost when uploaded to my SlideBoom. The presentation wiki contains the database of teacher-generated strategies for breaking through the walls of the classroom and all the presentation resources. I hope to create a Vidcast or SlideCast of this presentation once things settle down.

• Using Digital Technologies and PLNs to Enhance Learning
• Breaking through the Walls of the Classroom (KCS PD)
• Connecting the Classroom and Outside World
• Multiple Representations of Understanding with Technology

Mobile Devices in the Classroom (Thinking Out Loud #4)

THINKING OUT LOUD
Episode 004

• AudioBoo in the Classroom (Thinking Out Loud #3)
• Announcing “Thinking Out Loud”
• One of My Professional Pet Peeves
• What Do You Want in Professional Development?

Kids Get Creative with AudioBoo

In episode 3 of Thinking Out Loud I pondered ways that AudioBoo might be integrated with teaching and learning. I shared a few ideas that sprang to mind and invited you to share your ideas and examples. I want to share a couple of AudioBoos that our two youngest children put together.

It is important to note that these 2 kids are young. They selected their topics, identified the major points that they wanted to share, recorded their interviews without rehearsing, and selected the title and images for their boos. They did this with minimal assistance from me. They learned to use the AudioBoo iphone app, planned their interview, and recorded and published both boos in well under 30 minutes. It was a fun and educational activity for all three of us!

Educational Uses
I encourage you to join me in exploring the potential classroom uses of this technology. Please share your thoughts and examples as text, audio or video comments. Together we learn more!

• AudioBoo: Simple Podcasting from iPhone
• Creating an AudioBoo: A Quick Demonstration
• Bookmarks for 01/17/2010
• Publishing to AudioBoo from a Web Browser

AudioBoo in the Classroom (Thinking Out Loud #3)

THINKING OUT LOUD
Episode 003

• Announcing “Thinking Out Loud”
• What Do You Want in Professional Development?
• One of My Professional Pet Peeves
• Mobile Devices in the Classroom (Thinking Out Loud #4)

Creating an AudioBoo: A Quick Demonstration

As I’ve previously mentioned AudioBoo is a service that makes podcasting and audio blogging a snap. Here’s my quick demonstration.

Your “boo” (That’s what they call your audio file) will be uploaded to your AudioBoo profile. You can take a look at my profile page to get an idea of what this will be like.

Now you can listen to the “boo” that you just watched me make.

• Publishing to AudioBoo from a Web Browser
• AudioBoo: Simple Podcasting from iPhone
• Kids Get Creative with AudioBoo
• Bookmarks for 01/17/2010

AudioBoo: Simple Podcasting from iPhone

Our kids and I have recently been playing around with AudioBoo. It’s an iPhone app that makes podcasting and audio blogging a snap. Several people encouraged me to start using it back in the Spring when I was at Podstock. I dismissed the idea because 1) I didn’t have an iPhone and 2) I didn’t really think it would be THIS easy!!! Don’t make the same mistake I did. Take a look at AudioBoo, now. Here’s an overview.

• Publishing to AudioBoo from a Web Browser
• Creating an AudioBoo: A Quick Demonstration
• Kids Get Creative with AudioBoo
• Bookmarks for 01/17/2010

VoiceThread in the Classroom

Tom Barrett, developed the below presentation. It is full of strategies and tips for effectively integrating VoiceThread with teaching and learning.

• Wordle in the Classroom
• Twitter in the Classroom
• Google Docs in the Classroom
• Google Earth in the Classroom

Teachers’ Online Identities

Miguel Guhlin has once again pushed my thinking. This time its about the issue of personal content that K-12 teachers post online. I’ve spent a lot of time researching, thinking about and discussing this topic, but it struck me that this issue is actually a lot hairier than I’ve previously realized. There are a lot of different aspects that need to be considered.

Here are a few points from Miguel’s post. I encourage you to consider each question twice asking yourself Do.. the first time and Should… the second time.

• Do/Should school districts have any say about what a teacher does after hours?
• Do/Should school districts have any say about what a teacher posts online?
• Do/Should teachers represent the district after hours?

Rather than commenting on the discussion at this point, I hope to further it by asking a few more questions.

• Do/Should schools districts have any say about what staff members (Secretary, custodian, cafeteria staff, bus driver, mechanic, maintenance, etc.) do after hours? Post online?
• Do/Should parents and the community have any say in these matters?
• How does this translate to higher education?
• If the answers to these questions are “yes” then is the same true for individuals in other professions (Nurse, news reporter, radio DJ, police officer, elected official, unelected government employee, or store clerk)?

• 1 Thing New Teachers Should Know
• Review of Frontline’s “Growing up Online”
• Do You Believe in Me?
• 1 Thing Teachers Should Know about Teaching with Technology