LIVE! I’m sitting in front of the TV watching the live launch of U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis. Lift off was exactly 7 minutes and 9 seconds ago, and the shuttle has reached a speed of 23,000 feet per second (more than 14,000 mph). I watched the very first launch of Columbia on April 12, 1981, and I’ve seen many of the 121 launches to date. It’s no less impressive an event today than it was 26 years ago. Take a look for yourself.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wif-fHG-Ej0
The following free software programs are good alternatives for concept/ semantic mapping technologies like Inspiration and OpenMind. These are helpful in the development of concept/ semantic maps, flow charts, diagrams, timelines, and more.
I watched the program last night. (PBS has made the full version of the program available online, along with extended clips, discussion boards, and a chat room.) Given all the chatter before the airing I found the program to be more balanced than I was expecting, but it was not without bias. Here are some of my random thoughts related to the program.
FRONTLINE: growing up online | PBS via kwout
Here’s what others are saying:
Several have asked me to share the technologies that I’m frequently using these days. Here’s a short list of tools that I’m using on a regular basis. You can access my accounts for most of these tools using the Navigation menu.
Firefox – There are a variety of technical and security reasons to quit using Internet Explorer. Firefox is the browser of choice these days.
WordPress – It’s clearly the content management system/ blogging platform of choice these days.
Trillian – Use and access all your different IM accounts through one platform.
Del.icio.us – Social bookmarking made simple and efficient.
Twitter – Twitter is a service that “puts you in control and becomes a modern antidote to information overload.” I use the Twitbin extension so that I can use the Twitter service even more easily.
YouTube, TeacherTube, and BlipTV – Using free accounts I setup channels allowing me to organize and share video with students and those with common interests.
SlideShare – A great way to share slide presentations. Be sure to checkout how easy it is to turn your presentation into a slidecast, too.
Feedburner – The “leading provider of media distribution and audience engagement services for blogs and RSS feeds.”
Zoho and Google Apps – These are free online office/ productivity tools. I’ve recently become more a fan of Zoho than Google because Zoho offers many more tools. Zoho’s Creator makes it possible and super easy to create your own online forms and databases without having your own server.
The following resources are also useful in helping you get your message out there and get connected: Digg, Social Poster, and Twitter
Here are other tools that I’m still trying: Flock (Combine your social tools into this Firefox-based browser), Second Life (I’m out of my comfort zone with this one), flickr (Good for work uses, but doesn’t meet our family’s needs) and facebook (It works well enough, but I don’t see the need for it).
When I finally migrate from a wordpress.com blog to a wordpress.org blog I’m going to start using Share This and Jiglu.
Go 2 Web 2.0 – Claims to be the complete directory of all the Web 2.0 technologies out there.
You can also take a look at other related posts I’ve written by clicking on the Free Educational Software link in the Navigation menu.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968)
Memphis Commercial Appeal’s 2008 Special Section
Videos and Slide Shows available at YouTube, TeacherTube, and SlideShare
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XyipM9STyY
UPDATE: The program has aired and you can read my review.
I’ve run across several lists of free open source software (FOSS) in the last few days. I’ve added each to my del.icio.us bookmarks (see My Bookmarks in the main menu) but I wanted to a bit more proactive in sharing this information with teachers, thus the reason for this post.
Free/Open Source Software for Kids – This list was generated for those teaching 3-12 year old students. It suggests FOSS for music composition, painting, space exploration, math, and more.
KDE-Education Program – This group is “developing high-quality educational software for the K Desktop Environment. Our primary focus is on schoolchildren aged 3 to 18, and the specialized user interface needs of young users. However, we also have programs to aid teachers in planning lessons, and others that are of interest to university students and anyone else with a desire to learn!” You’ll find about 30 educational software games/ tools related to math, science, languages, art, keyboarding, and more.
23 Most Valuable Free Software – A list of the most outstanding free/open source software.
GIMP – “The GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages.”
Exploratree – Exploratree is a free web resource where you can download, use and make your own interactive thinking guides, concept/semantic maps, organizers, charts, tables, and more.
Firefox – A cross-platform browser, providing support for various versions of Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. However, the source code has been unofficially ported to other operating systems. This project has a large community of external contributors. If you haven’t already switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox (or at least something else) then I strongly suggest that you consider it.
Blender – “Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite.”
For even more, you can also review my previous notes on other FOSS and TeacherJay’s Free Software Guide.
It’s always exciting to run across cutting edge technology that has true educational implications. “Edusim is a free opensource 3D virtual world” designed to be used with interactive whiteboards. Did you hear that? It’s FREE and OPENSOURCE!!! “Edusim is an extremely powerful way to engage your students by bringing a 3D virtual environment that allows the direct manipulation of the 3D virtual learning objects directly from the interactive whiteboard surface.” You can also use the software to connect multiple interactive whiteboards allowing teachers and students to collaborate with others around the world.
Now, don’t misread my enthusiasm. The graphics, interface, etc. all have room for improvement, but that’s true with all new innovations. That will all get better with time, resources, and more innovation. And, yes, educators will need to look for effective ways to integrate this with teaching and learning and refrain from using another bell or whistle. I just find it intriguing to think about the door of possibilities that this opens. Aw, the fun we’d have with this in my math and science classes. We could potentially use this kind of technology when studying the parts of a cell, the layers of the Earth, fractions, ratios, proportions, measurement, metric vs. British measurement, conversion of measurement, and so much more. I’d love to be part of its future development!!! Wouldn’t that be a blast?How could/will you use this kind of technology in your instruction?
One of the highlights of the 2007 AECT International Convention was the fireside chat with Marc Prensky and 5 high school students. Prensky pretty much said the same thing he’s been saying for years (I’ve heard and seen that speech and presentation 3 different times now) but the students brought a fresh perspective to the technology integration conversation. It was great to hear students describe what they consider to be ideal instruction, assignments, assessment, and the desired classroom environment. I sat there thinking that we need to hear from students more often. You can read a transcript of this event here.
Steve Hargadon has recently posted an article (here and here) summarizing his interview with a 14 year old student “who has recently become actively involved in the online dialog about educational technology.” Steve’s summation and the audio of the interview are both intriguing.
I encourage you to spend some time listening to what the students have to say and then share your thought in the comments below.
The Restructuring for School Inclusive Environments (RISE) Project will be hosting the Beyond Access Inclusion Conference on November 27, 2007 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, TN. “The 11th Annual BEYOND ACCESS Inclusion Conference is designed to provide educators, administrators, parents, and related service providers current information on the best and most promising practices in inclusive education. More…
