Clif’s Notes

Developing Educational Technology Courses

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m teaching a special topics course this summer titled Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0. I’ve enjoyed engaging with many people from around the world on the topic and content of this course and encourage anyone with an interest to join the fun.

Kimberly McCollum left the following comment regarding one of my previous posts on this topic.

I also teach a course about technology in k12 education, so I [am] really interested in your curriculum. What is the balance between pedagogical theory and tool training in your course? Also, with so many tools out there, how did you decide what will be included or excluded from the course?

I think Kimberly has asked some very important questions – questions that many others will be facing in the very near future – and I’d like to start a dialogue here. Here is my slightly edited reply to Kimberly’s inquiry.

Wow, these are good questions that do not have simple answers.

This course will primarily focus on teaching and learning with the understanding that the technology is meant to enhance learning. You can look at the draft version of the Course Topics and see that we’ll begin by looking at various instructional models, rationale for networking, the principles of web 2.0, related current topics and issues, and more before we ever look at any specific tools.

We’ll survey a variety of Web 2.0 technologies and the learners will have some flexibility in which tools they choose to use (For example, for the social bookmarking unit the learners could choose to use Diigo, Del.icio.us, etc.). Again, the tools are not the primary focus as many will be vastly upgraded or obsolete 18 months from now. The idea will be for the learners to become familiar with each general group or genre of tools and begin developing strategies for integrating them with teaching and learning in their own classrooms during the coming school year.

I’ve tried to group the tools according to use in the classroom. For example, I’ve grouped everything related to audio together. This class does not seek to be on the bleeding edge of innovation so we’ll look at tools that have examples of being implemented in classrooms and have at least a small community of edu-users. I intend to allow for some flexibility to allow for emergent learning opportunities as learners discover topics and technologies of particular interest to them individually.

The number of groups of tools that can be studied will likely be more than we can study in the course, so I anticipate that we’ll all learn some of the most common tools together (blogs, wikis, microblogging, etc.) and then I’ll allow the learners to customize their learning by picking 4 or so of the remaining half dozen groups as they deem most appropriate for their needs, interests, personal/ professional development, etc.

As we survey all these tools, we’ll always bring the conversation back to the educational merits each brings to the design of instruction. I do not believe in using technology for the sake of using technology, nor do I wish for anyone to leave my class with that misconception.

I encourage you to join in the development of the content through the course wiki and welcome your input, suggested resources, ideas, engagement before, during, and after the course.

Those are my thoughts at this point. I still have just over a month until the course begins, so let’s discuss this more.

• How would you balance the "pedagogical theory and tool training" in a course like this one?
• How would you suggest organizing the content?
• With which technologies do you think it is most important for educators to be familiar?
• What suggestions for improvement can you offer?

Related Resources

• Course Resources
• Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0 (Introductory Post)
• Traditional Approaches and Digital Alternatives
• Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy
• Teach Web 2.0
• MSU Grad Students Technical Tools
• OpenPD
• TechnoThursdays

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Integrating 2.0 Tools Meaningfully

UPDATE:
Technical difficulties interfered with this interactive activity. I apologize for the frustration this caused many of you. Here’s an example of a successful live blogging session.

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This is cross-posted from the PIDT Blog.

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In keeping with the principles of Web 2.0 I encourage the participation of everyone with an interest or expertise in this topic. You may contribute to the discussion and fun by using the resources below.

All the best,
Clif

Resources

• Clif’s Notes
• Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0
• Presentation Notes via PIDT Wiki

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Newsletter on Educational Technology

Throughout the years many of the preservice and in-service teachers in my classes, workshops, and presentations have requested that I start an email newsletter. They indicate that in addition to this blog they would like to receive occasional emails sharing rich resources related to technology integration. I’m excited to announce that I have answered these requests.

Clif’s Newsletter on Educational Technology focuses on the effective integration of technology with teaching and learning. Subscribers of this free service will receive occasional emails providing valuable resources and information about lesson plans, activities, technologies, research, etc., related to educational technology.

OPEN TO PUBLIC
Subscription to this newsletter is open to everyone. You are encouraged to share this with everyone with an interest in education (teachers, administrators, homeschooling families, friends, classmates, co-workers, etc.). Everyone is invited to receive this free newsletter.

PRIVACY POLICY
Your email address will never be shared with others. You may unsubscribe at anytime.

MANAGING SUBSCRIPTIONS
You may subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter as you wish.

If You Give a Teacher a Mouse

This is a clever idea and highlights many of the current key points and issues related to technology integration. Kudos to Amy and the others hat worked on this project.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

I think this could be developed into a piece that would be widely viewed and discussed in education circles. It’s quite good as is, but I believe it could become even better. In true Web 2.0 collaborative form, let’s consider ideas for building on the existing video. So, here’s the question…

What suggestions would you make for improving this?

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Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0

I’m teaching a special topics seminar this summer for graduate students. The topic will be Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0 Technologies. I began preparing for this course in June 2007 and I’m very excited about it. While we’ll consider common trends and issues and survey many of the popular tools and services related to Web 2.0, the heart of the course will be learning to effectively integrate Web 2.0 technologies and principles with teaching and learning. The focus will be on K-12 education but accommodations can be made for individuals from other fields (health, corporate, military, higher education, etc.). This draft version of the Course Topics provides an overview of the likely curriculum.

While the dominate driving force in the development of the curriculum and resources has been the upcoming class, I always planned for this to be a relatively open learning community. In keeping with the principles of Web 2.0 I encourage the participation of everyone with an interest or expertise in this topic. You may contribute to the discussion and fun by using the following tag/keyword: idt7078

Related Resources

• Course Wiki
• Google Reader Shared Items
• Diigo Group
• News Notes on This Topic
• More Coming Soon

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More Favorite Children’s Books

I enjoyed our recent discussion of favorite children’s books so much that I wanted write a follow-up. A lot of teachers have mentioned that they have already bookmarked it for future reference. This blog exists for exactly that reason - to be a resource for teachers.

My favorite genre of children’s literature is wordless picture books. It’s fun to see kids get swept away in these books. The artwork is usually stellar and the author’s/ illustrator’s work typically invokes our creative interpretations. Wordless picture books can be a great way to encourage higher order thinking, creativity, and self-expression. They can often be used to practice the elements of a story (setting, plot, character, etc.) or to initiate activities in creative writing, art, drama, multi-media, etc. It’s often a good way to level the playing field with regard to student reading levels. Here are a few of my very favorite wordless picture books.

The Silver Pony - One of the very first books I “read” from my elementary school library. This book has many elements that I have always enjoyed: horses, Greek mythology, art, imagination and creativity. I wish I knew how many times I checked out this book. I need to go buy a copy for our family library.

Animalia - Another outstanding work by Graeme Base.

Tuesday - Mostly a wordless picture book about frogs.

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New STEM Resources and Games from PBS KIDS GO!

Our kids watch several of these programs and have enjoyed playing these games. All things considered these games are pretty good.

April 23, 2008 – Several new online science and math games are now available from PBS KIDS GO!

Fetch!: CSI: Squeak Sneak
Use problem-solving and logical reasoning strategies to deduce who stole Ruff’s squeaky toy. Search for clues at the crime scene, analyze and identify the clues in the crime lab and identify the thief by matching clues to suspects.

–From PBS Teachers

Favorite Children’s Books

Earlier this week I was a parent reader in the class of one of our children. Although I’m an elementary math and science teacher I do really like children’s literature. We read with our mother nearly everyday growing up. One of our grandmothers was an elementary school librarian and she kept us supplied with books, books on tape, magazine subscriptions, and more. I was also blessed with many teachers that loved books. I made a conscious effort to read books to my students because I wanted them to see books being appreciated by a man, a mathematician and a scientist. Now, our home’s bookshelves overflow with children’s books as we enjoy reading to our own children. All that to say, I always have a difficult time selecting the books to read in these types of situations. Here are some of the reasons.

1. There are so many great books with which I want all kids to be familiar.
2. There are some books that I really want to read to them, but am nearly certain that they’ve already encountered them (Where the Wild Things Are). I’m never completely sure, though.
3. I like to read a book that our son or daughter especially likes and point this out to his or her classmates.
4. Reading a book with a moral purpose is always desired.
5. I like to narrate the story (with character voices and sound effects) which limits the pool of potential books to some degree.
6. Books based on television programs, computer games, websites, toys, etc. pretty much are not going to make the cut.
7. I want all the children to fall in love with the book.

Do you see why I have a bit of trouble deciding what to read? It’s a great delima with which to be faced, though!

Here are some of the books that received strong consideration.

• Round Trip
• The Tale of the Three Trees
• Where the Wild Things Are
• Don’t Eat the Teacher
• Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
• Water Hole

I actually received input from many of this blog’s reader via Twitter. As a result, I thought it would be a useful idea and a lot of fun to mention and discuss your favorite children’s books here on the blog - thus, this post. So,…

What are your favorite children’s books?

UPDATE: Join this closely related discussion.

photo credit: ianus

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PBS Focuses on Digital Storytelling during May

I just ran across a couple of really good resources from PBS Teachers that I wanted to mention here. Here’s the first one.

May 1, 2008 - This month’s Media Infusion blogger, secondary school educator and filmmaker Joe Fatheree, looks at digital storytelling as a means to create independent learners, promote collaboration, improve research and writing skills, and educate the whole child. Fatheree takes readers through a step-by-step process of filmmaking that can be adapted for use in many contexts with students of varying ages.

PBS Teachers invites educators to visit Media Infusion in May and ask questions, comment on Fatheree’s suggestions or offer some of their own.

–From PBS Teachers

The Future of Educational Technology

Here at the end of the semester we’ve been reading about and discussing the future of the field in our introductory course.  We’ve considered the works of David Merrill, Brent Wilson, Karl Fisch, and current media (journals, news, blogs, etc.).  During our past class meeting I even tweeted the topic and we received great feedback from the Twitterverse. The students are enjoying the topic and appreciate considering a variety of perspectives. So, I ask you - my online friends, colleagues, students, blog readers, parents, and visitors - what do you think is the future of educational technology?

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We the People…

I’m old enough to remember the Schoolhouse Rock videos airing between cartoons on Saturday mornings. I really liked (most of) them as a kid. I rediscovered them years later as a classroom teacher and was even more impressed by them. Not only do these videos cover a lot of curriculum they are also artistically impressive. My wife and I are getting to enjoy all the Schoolhouse Rock fun again with our kids.

We’re looking at integrating higher order thinking skills and word processing in one of my classes right now. The following video is connected to the lesson. Reminisce and enjoy!

Let’s share ideas about how any/all the following could be integrated with teaching and learning.

• This or any Schoolhouse Rock video
• Word processing technologies (desktop or online alternatives)
• Higher order thinking skills

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1 Thing Teachers Should Know about Teaching with Technology

GUEST BLOGGER
Jethro Jones

Part of Clif’s ongoing 1 Thing series.

Being a humble teacher, I often have car troubles because I don’t drive a very nice car. In fact, I am pretty lucky that the car still runs. I needed to put in a new battery a couple weeks ago, and instead of grabbing a hammer and pounding on it until the cables came off, I dug around the toolbox until I found a socket wrench.

For educators, technology is a big toolbox with tools that range from a pencil and paper to a wiki to a Skype video call. Tools are still tools. If a tool doesn’t work for the job, you can’t force it. As teachers, we must use the tools that work for our situation. Don’t try to force technology on the students if it is not improving their learning! They need to learn. Our tools should help them learn.

Photo Credit: PPDIGITAL Creative Commons License

1 Thing Teachers Should Know about Teaching with Technology

GUEST BLOGGER
Emily Witt

Part of Clif’s ongoing 1 Thing series.

I’m a rule breaker. Okay, that’s a lie. I’m not a rule breaker, but today I’m breaking the rules. I sincerely believe that there are two things that all teachers should know about teaching with technology. Why two things? Maybe because I like to use the word juxtapose and I think that there are two very valid points here; two points that might seem like a bit of juxtaposition. So, on with it, I suppose.

Technology has come a long way, as have the teachers that use it and the students that learn from the use of it. We are living and teaching in another generation. A generation that sees more television, plays more computer games, and understands more about gadgets, devices, and web concepts than we would have ever expected in our lifetime. This is one of the key reasons that teaching with technology is such an important way to not only engage our students, but to relate to them as well.

So, what’s the one thing? Well, one thing of the two things. Technology can change your classroom dynamic. It can engage students and hold their attention and foster exploratory learning, creative learning, life changing learning. Take for example, webpage creation and its benefits. Students express and challenge themselves creatively using color schemes and graphics all the while employing language skills for the web text. Now, spice it up a little and add a problem solving component that allows students to solve math problems on their websites and the sites of their friends. With one project, students are exposed to as many as three subject areas, accessing prior material knowledge, and working cooperatively in the form of peer feedback.

That’s not the only way teaching with technology can change your classroom dynamic. Using technology outside of the classroom can change the way you do things inside the classroom. Teachers can use spreadsheets, data collection, and computer based graphing to determine what their students know, where they are struggling, and what they can do to improve student understanding. Technology outside of the classroom can also be used as a way to communicate with parents and to keep them up to date with what is going on with their children. Not to mention, that a classroom website can encourage parents and children to work together at home thus improving learning and relationships in both settings.

Now, what’s the second thing, the juxtaposition? Brace yourselves. Technology cannot replace good teaching and good teaching methods. It just can’t. We know that a good lesson consists of three things: good planning, what you want kids to know, and how you’re going to get them there. Just because you have a computer in the room doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t plan how you’re going to use it. How does it enhance your lesson? What are the outcomes? What’s the learning? Technology is a lot like a textbook. It’s a resource. They’re both good resources depending on how you use them.

Let’s think about the typical use of technology in the classroom. The class reads a novel and compares it to the movie. What’s the learning? Did we discuss it? Did I initiate and facilitate challenging conversation? There’s a great point and shoot multiplication game on mathisfun.com. The class plays it for twenty minutes. What’s the learning? Do they understand the concept of multiplication? Technology shouldn’t be used as a way to keep kids busy or to fill time. It should be used as a part of a lesson, a way to enhance a lesson. It should be used to suck students in, to capture them, and motivate them to do more, explore more and to want to know more.

So, there it is. My technological juxtaposition. Teaching with technology can change your classroom dynamic inside and outside of the school. It can get students and parents involved in their learning. It can change the way you teach, the way you plan, and the outcomes of your planning. Using technology is a sure fire way to reach the generation of students that we are teaching, but it can’t replace good teachers. A computer lab with 150 brand spanking new machines is awfully nifty, but it can’t compare to an effective teacher that plans, plans, plans student learning and the way they’re getting there.

About the Author
Emily Witt, a former student and preservice teacher of Clif’s, graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She spent two years teaching in the Mississippi public school system before moving a little further south. She is currently teaching third graders in the heart of the Colombian coffee region, learning Spanish as she goes, and wondering if it might really be possible to change the world.

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1 Thing

I’ve added a new feature to Clif’s Notes called 1 Thing. This special section is an area where guest bloggers can communicate “1 thing” they would like to share, suggest, say, demonstrate, etc. about a particular topic. This section will forever be a work in progress, so feel free to suggest guest bloggers and topics anytime. You can easily access this section by clicking on the 1 Thing link in the main menu.

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