Intro Theme

Response to Professional Development Webinar

In early August 2009 I participated in a Professional Development Webinar using Elluminate. This software allows you to utilize audio, video, whiteboard, etc to have an interactive session (in this case with teachers in Australia even though there was a 14hr time difference). The software was easy to configure as it was already within my Macintosh. The Elluminate software has to be downloaded for Windows, I believe. I completed a survey (Surveymonkey.com) after the Webinar. This is my response to their request for an audiovisual response to further promote distance learning, professional development and collaboration.

World Civ II - Virtual Tours, Google Earth

Here are some useful potential sites:

1. For WCII - IBM Developed the Virtual Forbidden City. Visit their page to get an over view or go directly to my link which follows.
http://www.beyondspaceandtime.org -- This site allows you to enter the Forbidden City and tour it. It is a Virtual World that is interactive. This program runs on Windows, Macs and LInux. Sign in as a guest to try it out. It does take some time for the program to load it at school. Try it at home first. Sign up or enter as a guest. Create your avatar. You can create a scrapbook of your visit if you actually register for the program.

2. For WCII - Virtual Taj Mahal - You can use this in class to take a trip into the Taj Mahal and learn about its history

3. World History Tours on Google Earth (for WCII and ASI & II) - Here are some ideas to springboard from. The site tries to emulate Google Lit but I think it needs embellishing. You could probably copy and add or create your own site like this. The trips/tours that are there need more video & audio included to make it interesting. Perhaps students could be the ones that help build the tour. That's what was done with this Wiki site originally.

4. Here's a possible game for WWII - "Battle Across the Atlantic". It's from the BBC.

Digital Pioneers and Links of Interest

Kathy asks: Immigrant or pioneer? - NeverEndingSearch - Blog on School Library Journal

Kathy asks: Immigrant or pioneer?

I read this on Joyce Valenza's blog. It appeared several postings ago. However, she and Kathy Shcrock responded to something which everyone has read in the 1st CFF course we had. It's the"Digital Native vs the Digital Immigrant". I agree with Kathy Schrock's point of view on this concerning those who have been cognizant of the continual digital changing landscape for education. Joyce Valenza's original post rebutted some of Marc Prensky's "Digital Native vs the Digital Immigrant" and his idea that we must "engage me or enrage me(the student)" point of view about how they learn through gaming and all things digital. Kathy Schrock refers to some of us as being "Digital pioneers." I think I fall into that category. I haven't quite gone to the full avatar in SecondLife as you see in Kathy's video. I do have a SecondLife avatar but I've never taken the time to use the avatar in the way she has done here. Afterall, you do need a real reason/purpose for doing that. Using all of our digital tools at hand requires judicious thought about when and where to do this. This certainly is one of our tasks for Social Studies teachers. The mini video might give some of us the idea to try it or pass it on to our students so they know that this is out there for them to show their understanding and learning to us in a creative fashion. To create is the top of the 'new Blooms taxonomy' Rob Holmes gave us in the binders. Check out the video and maybe even Joyce Valenza's original response to Prensky (Prensky's Immigrant vs. native) She echoes my thoughts and sentiments which I've expressed to a number of you.

Links of Interest

Create, Express, Learn with Primary Source Material

K12 Online Conference 2008 - Prove It - "Student Creation of Digital Documentaries in History Classrooms: Research Findings"

Voicethread - If you haven't seen how this works and how you could use it with your students, check it out. Accounts on Voicethread are free. I've had one since 2007.

Educause - An interesting link that looks at trends in Education and the technology that is impacting it. They do a report every year and choose 7 items you should be aware of. They give you a brief overview of why they are important (seemingly) technologies that we should be aware of. Click the tab with the year 2008.

Screen Toaster - This is a Web 2.0 technology (in the Clouds) that allows you to record anything that is on your computer's screen. Windows, Mac, Linux it doesn't matter.


DeWitte

Thought You Might Like to Know. . .

Informative Blogs
I decided that I wanted to share information with you, my colleagues in this department. I'll try not to be preachy. Just informative. Since I'm always coming across stuff (which may be helpful to you) this might be the best way for me to share since face-to-face time is limited within our workday. I hope the information is helpful.

One of the two blogs I check from time to time is "Kaffeeklatch", by Kathy Schrock, (she is a long time, recognized educator and contributor to education on the Internet for the last 10 years). The video above was on her blog. I found it interesting and thought that it might be something to consider for Psychology, Sociology and Inter Disciplinary Courses. The video deals with 'Connectivism" and students use of the "net" to learn in a less than the traditional structured approach. If you have the time and inclination, view and see how this might be used. Maybe it could be used in World CivII (because of the topic/thematic possibilities). ASI and II? Off the top of my head I'd say "Probably not". You might see some possibility.

The second blog is "The Never Ending Search", authored by Joyce Valenza, Ph. D (she has a long and respected track record on the Internet and education. She's the LMC Specialist at Springfield HS, Montgomery County, PA. / Link to Springfield HS LMC on the Web). Have you tried to use anything on You Tube and been frustrated on how to get it into Power Point or turn it into a video that you can show in Windows Media Player or Apple's Quicktime Movie format. There are some good tips here. My own is this: If you use FireFox as your browser, you can add a plug-in which which automatically download the video for you to your desktop. Then you only need to convert it. To convert it, see the information below about Media Convert.

Additional Bytes from the Internet
You might find (1) TipCam and (2) Media Convert useful. TipCam is for Windows. It is a free Screen Capture program that will let you record/capture a picture of anything on your computer screen and save it (as a picture) to be used in whatever way you like. Directions and further information can be found at the link to TipCam above. Media Convert is a great Web based service (as Rob Holmes said, Web 2.0, "in the cloud") on the Internet that will convert any audio or video file from one format to the format that you need. It does not matter whether you use Windows, Mac, Linux or whatever. It converts your files for free. Simply upload the file you want converted to, select the output format, and then wait for it to be processed and made available for you to download to your computer. Let me know what you think about the info above. Blog back (we ask the kids to do this), bring it up at the department meeting, or talk about it whenever we get the chance. BTW, we could Twitter, (CNN and others in the world of work use it to quickly share information and ideas).

DeWitte