Sunday, September 03, 2006
Examples of Technology Use
This web page is dedicated to asking:
How can classrooms and schools
re-orient themselves
to better take advantage of the learning opportunities
that the Internet affords?
re-orient themselves
to better take advantage of the learning opportunities
that the Internet affords?
Nothing takes the place of learning to read and write and think.
But who is to say that the ability to make a short video presentation
is not as important as learning to write a coherent essay?
(though I believe that the mental/intellectual work
of writing a script has to happen FIRST,
before a video of any quality can be produced)
Never before has it been possible for a student to ask a question in class and have an exploration of that student's question become an online "mini-lesson" both about the answer to the student's question, and about how to conduct effective and efficient research (a skill that 21st century people increasingly need to develop).
A teacher won't always want to explore a student's question in depth during a class period -- but never before COULD a teacher so inclined do so with such ease.
And why should teachers' questions always dominate a classroom discussion? We need to change the locus of control in the classroom. The Internet can help!
Sadly, the majority of classrooms seem to be stuck in the era of the Industrial Revolution. The desks are in rows, and when technology is used, it's generally in the form of a powerpoint.
Below, I have compiled several examples of how teachers are using technology to enhance student learning, or of how industry leaders (such as Bill Gates) are thinking about the future.
The idea behind these examples is to open your mind to the possibilities of teaching in a more authentic, and hence, a more effective, way.
Without further ado, here are some examples . . .
Look at this ABC news report about a Darfur video made by students at Danbury High School in Connecticut. As a result of this video, and follow-up efforts, Connecticut divested its pension fund from all businesses that do business with the Sudanese government. If the link provided does not work (if you're on a Mac, it might not work), check out the Danbury High School web site about the video, called The Promise.
Google Video and YouTube
In case you missed it, here's an inspiring high school basketball story about an autistic team manager who plays in his first varsity game ever, and scores 20 points on six three pointers. It's from Google Video.
I include this not as a diversion, but to show the incredible power of a video less than three minutes long. You could write an article about this manager, but you need to see the shots and the crowd's reaction to "get" this story.
Google Video and YouTube are both amazing resources -- whether your students are creating videos (and thus having the world as an audience) or searching for video clips. Try searching these web sites yourself.
One of my students last year did a paper on Che Guevara, and she found a video clip of Che delivering a speech in Spanish on Google Video. That helped make Che come alive for her and also made her more invested in the project. I just searched YouTube, and found this video of Che from 1965.
My student wrote in a research update that "it is extremely amazing to see this revolutionary leader speak and it is even more motivating to listen to his thoughts."
If you are having students make video clips, here's a tutorial showing how teachers can upload video to Google Video. The teacher who put this online is based in Dubai! It's a whole new world out there...
Speaking of Google... let's map the world!
Google Earth is a great resource to help students get a sense of the world and build geographic skills. If you have not yet downloaded this amazing (and free!) tool, do so now!
(No, I do NOT work for Google)
For a domestic version of a great mapping tool (one that is web-based, so no download is necessary) check out Virtual Earth from Microsoft. Type an address in the "where" box up in the right corner, and it will take you there.
To toggle between a street view and a satellite view, click on "aerial" in that box in the upper left corner. When you start, it defaults to "road" view, but I think "aerial" is more fun -- especially if you want to see houses and parks and such.
A fun starting address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20006
How to analyze video critically and actively
Media Smarts, a seven minute video from the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) introduces the idea of "reading" video and web pages actively and critically. We always encourage students to read print media actively and critically, so why not do the same for video and for web pages? The video also introduces the idea that video has a "grammar" just as written communication has a grammar. George Lucas is interviewed in the video.
Museum Exhibits Online
Many museums have wonderful exhibits online. The Met in New York has a great one about artist Romare Bearden's work "The Block".
The National Gallery, in Washington, DC, has a wonderful Cezanne in Provence exhibit with an interactive map.
Look up your favorite museum or your favorite artist, and see what online resources you come up with. Open the world to your students!
WWBGD? (What Will Bill Gates Do?)
Here is a 5-minute video of Bill Gates talking about the future. Definitely worth 5 minutes!
Educational Video Games? Not an oxymoron
Here's a 2-minute movie, describing a video game called "Peacemaker" that simulates the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process. It was designed by graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University.
Fun with (and ethical questions raised by) Flash Video
Here's a great flash video of Billy Joel's song We Didn't Start the Fire. If you click on the images as they go by, you get more information about such things as Harry Truman, Doris Day, Children of Thalidomide, etc...
What if, for a school project, students had to design a flash video about the Odyssey? Or about how to factor polynomials? Or a flash video lab for a science class?
Ethical/Legal question: What copyright issues are raised by this web site? Do you think Billy Joel authorized it? Who owns the copyright to the images? Do you think the person who made the site got a release to put these materials online? Could I be in trouble for linking to this site?
I'm pretty confident that the answer to that last question is "no" -- but what if I provided a link to a site that told people where to get pirated movies online?
Current events resources
Here is a link to a current events page I made for some students I worked with in the 2006-07 school year. My goal is for my students this year for Current Events is for them to work in teams to create powerful 3-5 minute videos that dramatize some current event in the world -- an example would be the Darfur genocide. Then I'd like my students to then post their videos online for others to see, the way this high school did.
Teaching students to evaluate web sites
All sources on the Internet are not created equal. Here's an example of a source to discuss with your students -- the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. One way to use this site is to direct students to the site and give them four minutes to find four facts about the Tree Octopus. At the end of the activity, explain to them why you looked at this site...
Educational Animations
Here's a great interactive piece about poverty in Goma, Congo from the LA Times.
** You have to register for the LA Times to be able to see this, but it's free to do so, and I have never received any spam from them **
Also from the LA Times, here's a feature called living on Pennies a Day (it takes a while to load)
The chart below is instructive all by itself.
Here's a basic budget tutorial by the Washington Post.More examples of educational web pages
The author of this page, Steve Goldberg, currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and teaches history at Cary Academy. He previously served as the Lead Technology Teacher and a History Teacher at The Potomac School in McLean, VA.
Want to learn more?
Atomic Learning offers tutorials that are quite useful, if you want to teach yourself about technology.
Inspiring Educational Podcasts
Marco Torres is one of the most innovative and powerful educators I've ever encountered. The California Teacher of the Year in 2005 and an internationally touted speaker, Torres is an advocate for students using multimedia as a way to liberate themselves.
Here's an inspiring speech he delivered in May 2006.
Here are some more links about Marco Torres
Alan November is on the cutting edge of an educational paradigm shift. Marco Torres was the keynote speaker at the first day of Alan's amazing conference, Building Learning Communities.
Listen to Alan's provocative speech to a British audience from 2005 and get invigorated.
His thesis (in this speech, anyway) is that schools are designed for the 1890s industrial ages, and that students today need three things:
1. The ability to manage huge amounts of information and to sift through it and locate the relevant information (and identify the bogus information that will inevitably get out there)
2. The ability to work with others, and those "others" will, in our global marketplace (or Flat World, to use Thomas Friedman's book title) be from all sorts of cultures all over the world
3. The ability to be self-directed learners
Our schools are not giving students what they need. Alan sees a "tipping point" in the near future, when schools will have a major paradigm shift away from the idea of filling students with information to regurgitate and towards structures that enable students to develop the three abilities he believes are crucial for people to have in the 21st century.
Here's a video of Alan's presentation (click on the "play video" box).
Finally, here's an interview with Marco Torres talking about empowering students through multimedia.
Here's an inspiring speech he delivered in May 2006.
Here are some more links about Marco Torres
Alan November is on the cutting edge of an educational paradigm shift. Marco Torres was the keynote speaker at the first day of Alan's amazing conference, Building Learning Communities.
Listen to Alan's provocative speech to a British audience from 2005 and get invigorated.
His thesis (in this speech, anyway) is that schools are designed for the 1890s industrial ages, and that students today need three things:
1. The ability to manage huge amounts of information and to sift through it and locate the relevant information (and identify the bogus information that will inevitably get out there)
2. The ability to work with others, and those "others" will, in our global marketplace (or Flat World, to use Thomas Friedman's book title) be from all sorts of cultures all over the world
3. The ability to be self-directed learners
Our schools are not giving students what they need. Alan sees a "tipping point" in the near future, when schools will have a major paradigm shift away from the idea of filling students with information to regurgitate and towards structures that enable students to develop the three abilities he believes are crucial for people to have in the 21st century.
Here's a video of Alan's presentation (click on the "play video" box).
Finally, here's an interview with Marco Torres talking about empowering students through multimedia.
Google Earth and Flickr
As the school year begins, classrooms throughout the world could beenfit from using Google Earth and Flickr.
I will explain my Tokyo adventure here (how do I import my screen shots in small enough resolution so they don't take forever to load, but large enough res so people can see them?)
Do people want to learn about Ethiopia?
I will explain my Tokyo adventure here (how do I import my screen shots in small enough resolution so they don't take forever to load, but large enough res so people can see them?)
Do people want to learn about Ethiopia?
