Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Friday, April 12, 2013

E-textbooks workshop notes and my thoughts

Content of e-textbooks works best by designing a flipped classroom setting with reading etc done out side of classroom. Common core teachers should consider themselves and everyone a publisher and writer. Students can publish digitally using online book creators to let the tea her know what they have learned. Teachers can use open source material from reputable site to create an online chapter for class use and reading assignments. Most teens do everything on the tablet or smart phone if available. It has been found that most students in k-12 are set for environment as a digital learning. So the content needs to be changed from written books used in class to the flipped classroom and digital learning text books at home. Teacher use what use to be home work in class and add with digital media, e-textbook.

The questions: why why is this working? Are text books dead? A e-textbook should not just be a textbook that is a converted published text book to a PDF. A digital text book should be adaptive. It should be interactive! Teachers can take written text and add other content to it like videos, interactive online game links etc. then they could publish it onto a certain platform mostly iPad ibooks is the easiest to use for low tech and limited time. Now lets look at the teacher do they have time, skill, and the digital ability? Should it be expected?

Places to help shared book is a good place and is among the first to take licensed content, edited and buy only chapters you want from a variety of books, Hartcourt, Pearson etc. can mash all areas of textbook you only want.
CHALLENGES
Who is paying for it?
Data privacy
extra it burden
the teach digital divide.

OPEN SOURCE CONTENT
It can help with the cost however content must be checked. Community based content has been seen to be better especially in higher Ed where a high area of professors write much of their own content. Has been moving down to even middle schools. This has been opening the door to copyright issues where teachers copy paste due to time to create a textbook. So always make sure it is a open source labeled content you are using and always cite even for classroom use.

DEVICE strategy: BYOD, locked to one device ie student bring or issued or no strategy.
Things to think about digital divide do the teachers know how to use each device. Best scenario pick a platform ie apple, Lenovo tablet etc. give a 1/2 year to year for teachers to learn and play with. Then open it to students. One thing always brought up kids will text, look up stuff. Well they do that already pass notes etc. don't worry about it but if caught have an action in place one teacher if they catch them set it on your desk and hand them ie paper to write on or God forbid a written text book to read from. However DO have them stay busy looking up the topic, interactive textbook, videos, and apps that go with content. If you keep them busy while using the device they will use it. Teach them how to use the device not just play with it. Games are great but limited. If it ends then student ends learning it should be interactive and keep going going onto higher levels or go back to more basic content if student is done it should go into review or if student is not achieving high enough scores.

















Creating a multiplayer classroom

What does it mean EVERYONE has an F?" This is the reality in a gaming environment that relates to kids you start with 0 and move your score up. So have levels students need to master before moving onto anther topic. So you can set your classroom as a multiplayer classroom.

Check out apetroski.wikispaces.com click Creating The Multiplayer Classroom

Student centered, individualized, focus on exploration, connected topics, explore/activity/ discuss. Student s can delve into the topic student choice and teacher choice into what needs to be looked at more. Goes great with the common core to delve deeper into a topic from a variety of angles and methods.

Having students creating roles in the group, quests instead of assignments that build upon one another and really dig into depth into the content.

Example creating blogs, podcasts, e-book reading etc. each student must create at lease one. However they can add points be doing several at what they are comfortable at, yet still delivering the information they have learned while going deeper into a topic.

Assessment has changed levels, instead of grade. Passing levels by each level becoming more intense or delving deeper into a topic or the amount of activities and subject matter content increases. How many topics is levels how they compete the levels is up to the student to choose how they complete. So if a student really likes blogging they can do more of those to raise points.

My quest : How can the be adapted to the art room?















Disruptive technology

App phone era touch screen , speakers, wifi, cellular, Bluetooth. The phone is obsolete. Kids talk less on the phone now. They don't email or watch tv. Kids can even make the phone into a music instrument! Called the ocarina and students can listen to others all over earth playing the phone. The phone, tablet, iPod etc has passed into becoming a tool not just entertainment.

Cultural ramifications of the iPhone? Augmented reality. Overlaying what is around you artistically, educationally and amusement. Look at word lens app for language classes. Changes Spanish to English by using the camera or reverses it. No it is not a joke app and can be very useful.

Web 2.0 what is it?
Facebook 2nd most used Web 2.0 after Google. Craigslist is being said to put newspapers out of business. They are not getting money for adds, more adds are posted at Craigslist and now most people check it first. Wikipedia has been found to be very accurate due to group editing things that are inaccurate are corrected quickly. Purpose of Web 2.0 connect people together with likes or searches.

How does this affect the next generation? Everything is real time now they don't talk on the phone as much, they use APPS. TV isn't as big kids watch on their devices Hulu and Netflix, while doing other things. Privacy is not as a much of an issue with kids why? They are the ego generation they like to talk about themselves, post a video, and tell everyone everything. Looking at funny things are what this generation and up to the 30's want it.

What do we need to teach? Permanence of the Internet things will be their later in life. Employers will check into you. Credibility is important check your facts and cite information. Teach what is private and what can be posted. They really don't know. It is the educators job to educate and keep up to date with the generation you are teaching and have fun doing it.



















Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Using technology in the art room: ipad , ipod and android laptops

 

During this week  I decided to do art centers and have technology play a part.  I really wanted to give the students time to “play” with a variety of apps they see on the ipod/ipad or laptop and ask about. This way when I do a lesson and use that app or program later they are familiar with it. This technique can be used with other curriculum apps as well.

IMG_2243[1]

App Screenshots

Spirograph drawing one center had android laptop with the Spirograph app installed. Students would create a hand drawn Spirograph drawing and then try to recreate using the app.

 

IMG_2234[1] Photography student created a drawing using colored pencil on a 3 by 4 index card. Then they could choose from a variety of camera apps allowing them to change the picture digitally. Apps they used Cam Wow, WordFoto,Make Cubist, and Fracture.

ipad stop motion cameraStudents using the Stop Motion camera app with the ipad mini to create a clay stop motion video. We just had coils of clay slinky along.