Tag: Education

Teaching through “Questioning” Rather Than “Telling” – #hgsepzfol

Event Tag: #pzc2013 #hgsepzfol

One of the principles that is of major emphasis at Project Zero is teaching for understanding. The following video is loosely connected with this idea. I intend to go into greater depth about teaching for understanding in upcoming posts in this series.

“You can forget facts,
but you can not forget understanding.”
— Eric Mazur, Harvard University

“How can you engage your students and be sure they are learning the conceptual foundations of a lecture course? In From Questions to Concepts, Harvard University Professor Eric Mazur introduces Peer Instruction and Just-in-Time teaching — two innovative techniques for lectures that use in-class discussion and immediate feedback to improve student learning. Using these techniques in his innovative undergraduate physics course, Mazur demonstrates how lectures and active learning can be successfully combined” (Source).

NOTE: This video is also available as part of another DVD, Interactive Teaching, which contains advice on using peer instruction and just-in-time teaching to promote better learning.

For more videos on teaching, visit the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University.

 

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Students Think They Are “Lucky” to Have Teacher of the Year [Video]

Hather Fisher“Dogwood Elementary 3rd grade teacher Dr. Heather Fisher was named the 2012-2013 Shelby County Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year. The classroom veteran is a life-long learner whose passion for education rubs off on her students and co-workers” (Source).

I became acquainted with Heather just over a year ago when she was selected as a 2012 Martin Institute Fellow to Project Zero. The impact that experience at Harvard has had on her teaching is evident in the video clip below. In addition to spending time together at the Project Zero Institute last July, Heather was also an active participant in our study group during this past school year. She has been committed to learning more about teaching for understanding and has a desire for her students to thrive. Heather has also taken advantage of opportunities to share her expertise with others through presentations and workshops. There’s no wonder why her students feel “lucky” to be in her class.

Event Tags: #pzc2013 #hgsepzfol

Art Teacher Honored for Fostering Thinking and Creativity

Amy Lange“Amy Lange was named the 2012-2013 Shelby County Schools High School Teacher of the Year. This Millington Central High art teacher inspires her students to be successful in art, as well as their core academic classes” (Source).

I’m enjoying working with Amy as her doctoral advisor and I’m impressed with her abilities to foster creativity. Amy is currently involved in a deep investigation of some of the work from Project Zero at Harvard University (Making Thinking Visible, Artful Thinking, Teaching for Understanding, and the Future of Learning). She and I are beginning to collaborate on the development of teaching materials, professional development workshops, and other resources centered around these ideas. Watch for more about this in the future.

For now, enjoy this video that highlights some of the outstanding work that Amy does to promote thinking, learning, and creativity.

Event Tags: #pzc2013 #hgsepzfol

Series: UM IDT Student Spotlight

Life Before the Internet: What We Used to Do

Enjoy this stroll down memory lane as we re-visit the ways that we communicated, accessed news, conducted research, and shared photos prior to the Internet and social media.

For educators, the implications are fascinating. Consider how much has changed in the past 20 years.

  • Have our classrooms, curricula, and instructional practices kept up with the changes?
  • Should education worry with keeping up with these changes?
  • What are the implications on teaching and learning if education does/does not strive to react to these changes?
  • What is the future of learning?

Event Tags: FOL2013, hgsepzfol

Before the Internet

Screenshot Source: We Did Amazing Things Before The Internet

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Technology and Design Are Facilitating a Revolution

Real Industrial Revolution (Small)

I’ve continued to reflect on Alastair Parvin’s TEDtalk for several weeks. It is eminder about the importance and prevalence of design in today’s world. This quote, in particular, has stayed with me, so I used it to create this poster. Alastair’s presentation is an example of just how important it is for creativity to be fostered. Outside-the-box thinking like his may very well resolve some of the difficult issues that we’ll be facing in the coming decades.

Event Tags: FOL2013, hgsepzfol

Student Film from Perkins School for the Blind

Through the Lens(See Part 1)

I recently blogged about one of the producers from the hit TV show, Friends, teaching filmmaking at Perkins School for the Blind. It’s a remarkable example of how technology continues to empower those that are “differently-abled.” The NBC news story that served as the primary source for my blog post included a reference to a student-film that resulted from this class. Enjoy this powerful message from three Perkins students.

Screenshot Source: PSB1829

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Email Problems Impacting Responses

I’m currently dealing with technical issues related to my email. Recently two of the office administrators indicated that they hadn’t received information that I’d emailed them. Soon after, I realized that three of my students were not receiving my email replies. I began to investigate with the help of tech support. We tried several troubleshooting measures which I hoped corrected the issues. Then I recently received hundreds of failed email delivery notifications. These failed outgoing messages date back to early May and only just now arrived in my Inbox. I’ve not received a plausible explanation for any of this, but it does seem that my email Outbox is working again. I offer my sincere apologies to those that probably think I’ve been ignoring them. I’ll happily correct this if you’ll bring it to my attention.

Email Failure

“Friends” Producer Helps Blind Filmmakers Find Vision

(See Part 2)

Blind Filmmakers Have Vision

“If you think that the ability to see is the first requirement for being able to make a movie, then you haven’t been to Kevin Bright‘s film-making class at the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston…Bright was the executive producer of the wildly successful show “Friends.” Now, he teaches students how to make films – even though many of them are completely blind. The videos they made show that while the students don’t have sight, they do have vision, and they provide a rare window into the world of the blind” (Source).

Technology continues to empower those that are “differently-abled.” While there are specially developed technologies that provide much needed assistance, beneficial uses of more commonly available tools continue to emerge. I frequently hear first and second-hand accounts about individuals’ lives being positively impacted by the opportunity to work, communicate, and move about in more efficient ways with the help of technology. The state of innovation marches forward and it is important that educators are aware of these kinds of technological contributions. They may lead to new opportunities for our students.

You can view one of the resulting student films, Seeing through the Lens, here.

Screenshot Source: NBC’s Rock Center

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Design Thinking: A Practical Application

Design Thinking

Here is an interesting contribution to education’s ongoing conversation about design thinking. “Architect Alastair Parvin presents a simple but provocative idea: what if, instead of architects creating buildings for those who can afford to commission them, regular citizens could design and build their own houses? The concept is at the heart of Wikihouse, an open source construction kit that means just about anyone can build a house, anywhere” (Source).

“We’re moving into this future where the factory is everywhere. And, increasingly,
that means the design team is everyone. That really is an industrial revolution.”
–Alastair Parvin

Hat Tip: Trever Acy

Image Source: rogerlmartin.com

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Educational Technology: Current Trends and Future Directions

I am excited to be today’s keynote speaker at the LearnIT Conference at Northern Illinois University. I’ve enjoyed spending the past several days visiting innovative schools in the greater Chicago area. The classroom visits and conversations with the students, faculty, and administrators have been enjoyable and valuable. I’ve also enjoyed learning about the programs and initiatives in NIU’s College of Education. I appreciate the many individuals that have hosted me along the way. This trip has provided me with new ideas and inspiration. I’m sure today’s conference will be the icing on the cake.

Below are my slides and a few notes related to my keynote presentation. I’ll be reflecting on some of the current trends in education and technology, and sharing my recommendations for the directions in which the field should move going forward. I invite your thoughts and feedback.

Educational Technology: Current Trends and Future Directions

View more presentations from Clif Mims

The following serves as an outline of some of the topics that will be highlighted and demonstrated.

  • Standards, 21st Century Learning, and Higher-Order Thinking Skills
  • Classroom Examples
  • Web 2.0 Tools and Services
  • Benefits and Barriers
  • “Telecollaboration”
  • Audio and Video
  • Mash-Ups
  • Mobile Learning
  • Interactivity
  • State of Innovation
  • A Personal Experience
  • Conclusions and Discussion
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