Teacherbytes Blog

Great Use of Art

2010-03-02T01:38:17Z

This past Friday I had the privledge of learning about Bluffton Elementary School's animation program. While animations being created by elementary is an achievement on it's own, the way the program is managed blew me away.

The program is not a regular "arts special" class. Teachers have to sign-up to take their class to the lab. As part of the deal, teachers must have an academic plan to accompany the class. For example, if a class is working on the American Revolution then students create animations that visualize various aspects of the war.

The subject matter is limited to a teacher's imagination and willingness to work the teacher in charge of the lab. Students love it. More than one incident of sudents crying when they could not get to the lab has been reported by both teachers and parents. This could prove to be a model for ways to not only integrate technology but also art into education.

A Student's Point of View

2010-02-01T23:35:16Z

One of the things I like to do whenever I visit a classroom is the try and sit as far in the back of the classroom as I can. From this vantage point I can see if a teacher has prepared their Flipcharts with all students. When I go over observations I make a point to tell teachers to always to to farthest point a student would sit and look at whatever was prepared. I sometimes think teachers don't always think about the function for the end user whenever they want students to use technology. The greatest content in the world is no good if a student can't see it or use the tools effectively.

This past week I got to be a student in a SIOP training course our district is presenting. The presenter/facilitator is doing a great job of keeping everyone engaged. He has the usual laptop/projector/PowerPoint combination and the slides are viewable to everyone. However, I was using one piece of technology that our facilitator did not think of: my Livescribe Pulse smartpen. Of course I am not going to bust him for not thinking of the smartpen because I can count the number of people I know who have one on one hand. The experience of using the pen in a class setting was very enlightening.

The method I tried to use during class was to jot down the main ideas and let the recording of the lecture do the rest. That way all I have to do is tap on the main point I want to review and listen to the lecture at that point. This is how the pen is supposed to function and it did it's job very well. The problem I had was quickly figuring out when he was at an important point, tap the record button, then write down the main point as the facilitator talked about it. What I found out was by the time I got the record button pushed and the idea written down the explanation is halfway done. I could record the entire class but that would waste valuable memory on audio I don't need. What would would have worked better for me and the technology is for the facilitator to have an outline or list of topics to cover on the screen. I could copy these down, leaving space for a few additional notes, then make a mark when the facilitator started on the topic. Even if I have to tap the record button this method would make it quicker.

This experience gave me some insight to help teachers think more about preparing their lessons to fit the technology they expect students to use. Students will be bringing and using more technology in the the classroom both officially and unofficially. Teachers will have to realize changes and accommodations will need to be made for students to get the full benefit from using technology.

The "New" Face of Education?

2010-01-27T18:43:33Z

Okay, I guess I have become an Apple Fan Boy, drinking the Kool-Aid Steve Jobs sold at yesterday's iPad announcement. My wife is almost ready to divorce me because I told her we are getting one of these and there will be no discussion about it. My teenage son will have something new to hate me for because his days of having the coolest and latest technology are numbered. Sometime in March I will be standing in line on what is sure to be a near freezing raining days waiting in line to get an iPad. After that I will be headed for the unemployment line because I missed too much work. Yet, I do feel compelled to get an iPad. This is the type of device that will eventually change face of education as we know it.

Funny but I do feel a bit of irony that we are actually headed backwards in time. Students used slates such as the one pictured for various class assignments in the 18th, 19th and early 20th Centuries. Colonial students carried a tablet called

a Hornbook. The name of these books comes from the animal horns used to make the learning device. These are the probably the first educational materials to have "apps". The apps might include the alphabet, numbers, vowel and consonant sounds, and the Lord's Prayer. Later tablets became truly interactive because students could write on them using chalk. Students used these devices to learn to read and write for many years until Big Chief notebooks and actual real books became the staple of all classrooms.

So what does the iPad have that could revolutionize education? First off the device is realitively inexpensive. With the $499 starting point it is in the reach of many families. As time goes on this price is sure to come down. Look at what has happened with iPods over the last few years. Other companies, such as Google will also manufacture similar devices which should lower the price. Next it has a book reader with titles you can purchase from the iTunes Store. During his demonstration, Steve Jobs said textbooks would be coming.

Apple says the device weighs 1.5 pounds. Expect lots of studies to come out for the first time again about how textbook laden backpacks are harming the backs of young people. The iPad can surf the web which means students can access more information than what is in the textbook. Expect an explosion of apps for education to go along with the over 140,000 apps already in the iTunes App Store. Video and audio can be shared to create a true multimedia experience.

While the iPad is not a perfect device, this is a huge step in the right direction. There are some things that should be on future models. For examples, a webcam would be nice for adding to presentations or distance learning. An ability to show the screen on another display such as an interactive whiteboard would be nice too. There are some other tools that could and probably will be thought of as time goes on.

Get ready teachers, students will want to bring them to class. Administrators, teachers will want class sets. Network Administrators, start figuring out how to tie this devices into your networks. Everyone, start thinking of ways for students to use them productively. The educational device of our ancstors is making a comeback.

Technology in Students' Pockets

2010-01-17T21:15:06Z

Not long ago I had a dialog with my Sister-in-Law regarding cellphone use in the classroom. She could not believe I was discussing the possiblility of students actually bringing the devices into the classroom. I tried to explain to her that just about every cell phone now is essentially a mini-computer. I gave up the dialog and decided to blog about it here. I will make sure she gets the link to this post. She must have missed her calling because the last thing she stated was "not every kid has a BlackBerry." I often hear the 'not every kid' line used by teachers who are reluctant to integrate technology in the classroom. This irritates me but that is the subject for another blog post. Think back to the last three months or so. How many phones were introduced to the marketplace that was not a smartphone of some kind or at least had a keyboard and applications? I can't think of any. T-Mobile already sells a BlackBerry Curve for it's prepaid market.

Earlier I posted about a device Research in Motion will soon sell that will allow PowerPoints on BlackBerries to be shown on projectors via Bluetooth. The BlackBerry Presenter sells for $199 which puts it out of reach of most students. However, there is a new application which allows presentations to be controlled from an iPhone, iPod Touch, Android device, or the web. MightyMeeting allows presentations to shown from the cloud via a 3G or WiFi connection. The video below shows how this application works. Another thing MightyMeeting can do is store various documents in the cloud which could help students with storage problems such as not being allowed to bring flash drives for fear of viruses or not enough network storage. Accounts are free along with the app which can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store or Android app stores. I tried this app out with my wife's iPod Touch and it works great.

Here is more proof legitimate cellphones are coming to the classroom quickly. Instead of bringing flashdrives with the potential of viruses to show presentations, students can start using their phones. What about those students who don't have a smart phone? Most phones sold in the last few years can usually do at least three things: talk, text, and take pictures. Some can even do crude videos. Students can use photosharing sites like flickr and Photobucket to upload photos from their phones. YouTube even allows video submission by e-mail. These sites give you e-mail addresses and other methods to send photos straight from your phone to the site. The sites can also connect to a blog and allows you to send photos directly to the blog. Internet hosted blogsites such as Blogger and microblogs like Twitter now have ways to use a phone to post content directly from a phone. Don't forget using cellphones as classroom response systems using webapps such as Poll Everywhere or TextTheMob. Even classroom response system companies are working on iPhone apps.

I have probably just scratched the surface with what cellphones will be able to do now and can only imagine what they will be able to do in the near future. What do you think? Take the Poll Everywhere poll.

Make your own poll voting question with Poll Everywhere

Teacherbytes blog posts featured in Livescribe's education blog

2010-01-17T06:18:13Z

Two posts in Teacherbytes were featured in Livescribe Smartpen Applications blog. The Livescribe blog is written by Tim Fahlberg, Wisconsin Educational Representative for Livescribe, to highlight educational uses of the Pulse smartpen by students, teachers, administrators, and parents. In "Grandson of the Echo Pen", I talked about how I started using the Livescribe Pulse smartpen to record technology integration observations in classrooms. In the post I questioned if the optional MyScript for Livescribe application which converts written text into editable text. Tim took up the challenge by sending me a video of him successfully converting my sample. This led to the Teacherbytes post "Your Challenge is Accepted!" which Tim also mentioned in his blog.

The Livescribe Pulse smartpen records hand written notes and any video and saves them to your computer. Also, you can tap on any section of the notes to playback audio at the point the note was written.

What can Avatar teach us about technology integration?

2010-01-11T16:49:24Z

Photo courtesy of Avatar photo stream on Flickr

Over the holiday break my wife and I saw the 3-D version of Avatar. If you have not seen this version of the movie, go watch it to see how the use of technology gives the audience a better experience. What movie makers can do to enhance films is amazing. At least that was what I thought after watching the movie. After reflection, I have thoughts about Avatar. However, remember I said to go see the movie for the technology, the movie as a story is something different.

The plot is an old story. A group of natives happen to be sitting on some valuable real estate and won't give it up because of some spiritual connection to the land. An organization, who stands to make lots of money off the land, decides the natives have to go and attempts to use it's technological superiority to evict them. Sounds like Dances with Wolves and other movies of that sort? How about history? North and South American conquest by Europeans. Africa and Asia too. Stories always have some hero who either by chance or design mixes with the native population, learns it's ways, then adopts the native culture. The hero learns of the impending onslaught and leads the natives in a defense of their land and way of life. Usually, the natives win the battle but history says the natives will be crushed in the end.

However, what grade would you give the story itself? While the story was entertaining I thought it was average. All I hear in the press is about the 3-D technology used in the movie. After my reflection I asked myself if the technology glitz mask a mediocre story? Would I purchase this movie when it comes out on DVD or Blue Ray (which I don't have yet)? Would I see this movie a second time in a theater without 3-D? The answer I came up with is probably not.

After this reflection that I thought of what I always tell teachers about integrating technology, don't get caught up in the glitz. No amount of technology will make up for a poorly written content. Yet, I have seen teachers give high marks to an otherwise average or poor project because it was a blog post, podcast, video, or some other technology because technology was used. Nothing beats good planning and writing, something teachers and now movie critics need to remember.

Enjoy Avatar. See you at the movies!

Life is Good, Sexting and Cyberbullying is Not!

2010-01-10T16:12:55Z

I saw this video on today's Buzz Report by CNET. LG, a leading worldwide manufacturer of cellphones, is taking a stand against sexting and cyberbullying. The Korean company produced a video which has gone viral and website which urges viewers to "give it a ponder" before sending a text message. I applaud LG for taking a stand against sexting and cyberbullying. It is great to see companies encourage custom ers to use products in an ethical way. I am still disappointed in Apple in allowing a sexting app and nudity scanner (yes, I know it's a fake) on the iTunes App Store. Both apps on the popular iPhone and iPod Touch send the wrong message to the young people whom these devices are marketed to and desired by. I hope LG will continue their leadership in taking an active role in promoting ethical use. Also, I hope other companies will follow LG's (mangement principals) lead by promoting safe use of their products by not only young people but all people. Thank you LG for helping make Life Good! Also, thanks to Molly Wood and CNET for mentioning the video and site on the Buzz Report show.

There is an app for that too!

2010-01-08T01:39:21Z

Intel to launch app store for netbooks

The creator of the Atom chip, which powers most netbooks, announced the beta of an app store for the small computers. Hopefully, there will be free or inexpensive apps that could be of use to students and teachers. I wonder if I should open an app store? What would I put them on? A Teacherbytes device? Right! Source: Engadget

Pixel Perfect

Apple is working on making each LCD pixel a touch sensor for future displays. This is further evidence that my prediction of multi-touch displays will be on the walls of classrooms of the future. It will make a certain math teacher I know very happy because she believes the Promethean Board is not exact enough. ARS Technica

Arc of the keyboard

Microsoft announced a new keyboard called the Arc. This form factor is to compliment Microsoft's thin Arc Mouse. The $59.95 peripheral will be exclusively sold at Best Buy stores starting February 21st. This could help free up some teacher desk space for more papers to grade. Source: Engadget

Now that is Socially Networked H2O

Vitamin Water has a new flavor called Connect complete with a Facebook logo and a label with all kinds of Facebook references. What is next? Google Water? Source: TechCrunch

Is Child Predator a character on WoW?

A 42-year old women was arrested at her home in Texas after meeting with a 16-year boy she met on the popular online game World of Warcraft. The boy left his Barrie, Ontario home to meet the woman with whom he had been communicating on the game. Ironically, no Canadian laws were broken but since the age of consent is 17 in Texas the woman is thrown in jail. This might not go anywhere since the boy said he was 20. Anyway, the mother of four will have a lot of explaining to do with her soon to be former husband. Source: CNET

Social Agents of Change

Mashable has a post with lists how Social Media has changed society. The first of two points that interested me is writing blogs and other Web2.0 apps has raised child literacy rates. The second point is how social media allows a greater exchange of knowledge.

Intel Reader

Intel is showing a device that scans text and reads it back. This could be a good adaptive technology device but the $1500 price tag could slow deployment to classrooms in these tough budget times. Below is a video demonstrating the reader. Source: Engadget

Concealable Death by PowerPoint

2010-01-06T17:17:51Z

BlackBerry Presentation Device

RIM announced a presenter which allows PowerPoint slides to be shown using a BlackBerry wirelessly. Video is beamed either by VGA or S-Video. A limited number of transitions and annimations are supported and notes can be viewed on the BlackBerry. The $199 device is not compatible with Pearl 8200 or Curve 8300 phones. Looks like I will be getting that Bold 9700 after all. Also, think of students coming into class ready to do their projects via their BlackBerrys. I have not seen an iPhone device that allows wireless presentation yet. For Roadwarrior types, will this mean confiscation by the TSA because of the danger of death by PowerPoint? Source: Engadget

Example of Augmented Reality

In earlier posts I mentioned the concept of Augmented Reality which is taking media such as a photograph and putting some form of data over it. Guess AR works for video too as seen in the video below.

This is the Parrot AR.Drone which can be controlled by an iPhone over a WiFi connection. Source: TechCrunch, Engadget, Mashable

Stop that or I will take your iPhone away!

It seems like the iPhone apps overlords at Apple have gone crazy and loosened their morals. First was a "safe" sexting app and now an app that shows people naked as a Jaybird. If you see a group of adolecent males pointing an iPhone at girls in the hallways this is what they may be seeing:

Actually, the app just superimposes a headshot on a body with underwear. iPhones cannot look through clothing yet but you get the message. Reminds me of the adds for X-Ray glasses you used to see in comic books. Should students be referred to the principal? I would. Source: CNET

Podcast January 6, 2009

2010-01-06T13:00:55Z

Teacherbytes January 6, 2010

Teacherbytes

Teacherbytes 1.6.2010
brought to you by Livescribe

Shownotes on the Teacherbytes Podcast website