Clif’s Notes

Summer Wiki Challenge

I finally setup and began using my own wiki recently and have found it to be a useful technology. Use of the technology was quickly integrated into my productivity strategies and I’m left wondering how I ever managed without it. In a very short time I’ve already found the need to setup additional wikis and have begun collaborating with colleagues on several other wikis that aren’t mine. As with most Web 2.0 tools, wikis are very easy to use and offer a wide variety of possible uses.

I received an email from Wetpaint’s Education division stating that “wikis are a fantastic way to keep your students engaged in learning over summer vacation — and to help them prepare for the coming school year.” They suggest the following strategies to help you get started.

Create a summer reading wiki where students can choose summer reading titles and post their thoughts — all before the first day of school!

Share a preview of your syllabus with your students to give them a sense of what they can expect when school is back in session.

Collaborate with other teachers to share your ideas for a successfull fall semester.

Personal profiles let students get to know each other before the bell rings on the first day.

SOURCE: Wetpaint.com Education - Ideas for wiki-ing this summer

I had a few other ideas that might encourage teachers to begin using a wiki this summer come to mind.

• Use a wiki to collaborate with colleagues as you prepare instructional units, assignments, field trips, supply lists, and more for the coming year.
• Provide a weekly math challenge for students to encourage them to keep their math skills and knowledge sharp.
• Allow students to share their creative writing or poetry on your wiki. This would be an opportunity to encourage practice in writing, reading, critique, peer review and editing.
• Host an online art gallery, photo essays or video journals around a specific topic or theme.

Take a look at this list of ideas for using wikis this summer being compiled at Wetpaint’s Wikis in Education.

Discussion

1. What other strategies for using wikis do you suggest?
2. Will you accept the challenge to begin using a wiki this summer?

Let’s Help a Student

The following request is from a college student and came to me through a couple of friends. She is seeking assistance with her research paper. I’d like to include your input along with my response.

My paper is focused on the Internet being incorporated into the classroom as a resource and the need for high school teachers to be trained on how to use the Internet in their classrooms and how that will benefit students. If you have any information in this area or know anyone else who I could contact that might have information that would be great.

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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Professional Development Meme

I’m a big fan of goal setting. It can provide a road map for the short or long-term and can be an effective motivational strategy. I have set a few professional development goals for this summer and have challenged a few of my friends/colleagues to do the same thing. Yesterday I realized that I could set this up as a blog meme and hopefully encourage some of my online friends to achieve a few items from their To Do Lists. There are a myriad of ways to approach this, but I’ve opted to take the short-term, easy-to-assess approach, but I’ll leave some wiggle room for you to customize it to meet your needs. The official information is below.

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Directions

Summer can be a great time for professional development. It is an opportunity to learn more about a topic, read a particular work or the works of a particular author, beef up an existing unit of instruction, advance one’s technical skills, work on that advanced degree or certification, pick up a new hobby, and finish many of the other items on our ever-growing To Do Lists. Let’s make Summer 2008 a time when we actually get to accomplish a few of those things and enjoy the thrill of marking them off our lists.

The Rules

1. Pick 3 professional development goals and commit to achieving them this summer.
2. For the purposes of this activity the end of summer will be Labor Day (09/01/08).
3. Post the above directions along with your 3 goals on your blog.
4. Title your post Professional Development Meme and link back/trackback to http://clifmims.com/blog/archives/353.
5. Use the following tag/ keyword/ category on your post: pdmeme.
6. Tag 8 others to participate in the meme.
7. Achieve your goals and "develop professionally."
8. Commit to sharing your results on your blog during early or mid-September.

My Goals

1. Greatly improve video skills and integrate my own instructional videos into courses.
2. Finish redeveloping one of my courses.
3. Submit at least 2 of the articles/book chapters in progress for review.

I Tag…

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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.

Civil Rights

We will be taking groups to tour the National Civil Rights Museum during this weekend’s Professors of Instructional Design and Technology Conference. It’s an awesome museum and I believe everyone should visit it at least once. I’ve been about a half dozen times just in the past two years.

The following video is available at TeacherTube and would be a great way to introduce a unit on the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. I suggest consider combining the video with a journaling activity or reflective exercise (such as a pod/vidcast, presentation, or photo essay).

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Related Posts

Civil Rights Museum

Educational Resources: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Crisis in Darfur: A Mini-Lesson that Teaches So Much

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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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