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Perspectives on New Technology and Learning

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Web 2.0: Social Media in Plain English

Another great video from CommonCraft - this one explaining Social Media. I've posted a number of CommonCraft videos in the past - they're simple. very effective explanations of often difficult Web 2.0 concepts. There are some developments at CommonCraft to share. The first is the CommonCraft Store, where users can purchase and download high quality versions (640 x 480 for most; 1280 x 720 for some) of their videos. Prices are $18.99 for an individual license and $349.99 for a site license. They are also offering the Social Media Six-Pack - 6 videos (RSS, Wikis, Social Networking, Social Bookmarking, Blogs and Twitter) for the price of 5 ($94.95 individual or $1,749.95 site). You can also view the custom videos they've done for their clients, including PRWeb, Google Docs, Wetpaint Wikis, MyGads, California School Finance, Vancouver's I-Move, Google's My Location for Mobile Maps, Redfin, Enerjy, H & R Block's Tango, and Google Apps with Salesforce.com. I've read that they charge $40,000 per custom video. With out further delay, here is Social Media in Plain English.

Permalink: http://www.brookdalecc.edu/fac/tlc/fac/tlc_blog.php#149

More On Cell Phone Bans

More on cell phone bans from David Warlick at the 2 Cents Worth blog. First he references some unenlightened thinking on technology:

Pagers, laser pointers, cell phones, or other electronic devices not part of the instructional program will not be allowed in school.

six schools in Brooklyn who have given cell phones to their students — a total of about 2,500. Each phone is preloaded with with 130 minutes of talk time. Students can be rewarded with additional minutes for good behavior, attendance, homework, and test scores.

Teachers are using the phones to send text messages about assignments and upcoming exams. All of this within a school district (New York City Department of Education) that has banned cell-phones and other personal ICTs from schools.

Permalink: http://www.brookdalecc.edu/fac/tlc/fac/tlc_blog.php#148

Rethinking Cell Phones in the Classroom

This slide is from a presentation I did recently on digital media. In the context of the presentation, the point of the slide is that many educators and school administrators fear digital media and its implications in the classroom. I continued -- rather than banning these new technologies that we as educators don't understand or haven't mastered, we should instead embrace these technologies and find ways to better engage our students using technologies that are second nature to them.
A recent posting on wired campus by Catherine Rampell points to a really good blog posting by Steve Dembo. Dembo's post was in response to a story from David Pogue -- New York Times technology writer. Pogue's column shares a letter from a high school teacher frustrated by the distractions caused by students with cell phones. Pogue asks his readers for suggestions on how to respond. Here's Dembo's response:

I’m so fed up with these arguments. Paper clips are a distraction. Spiral notebooks are a distraction. And as we’ve seen recently, students certainly do NOT need a cell phone to cheat on an exam.

So off the top of my head, I decided to rattle off a few things that cell phones could be good for.

Such as…
1) Check the spelling/definition of a word
2) Research a topic
3) Look up reference images
4) Pull up maps (even with satellite imagery)
5) Document a science lab with built in digital camera/video
6) Fact check on the fly
7) Mail questions to the teacher that they might be embarrassed to ask
Classroom response system
9) Take quizzes
10) Record and/or listen to podcasts

> Do you stop class to answer your Grandma’s call? Neither should students.
This is a no brainer. You should model appropriate cell phone usage for the students. No, social calls should not be taken during class. I don’t think you’d get an argument from anyone on that one.

> I see the list that you put up for uses, but I’m sorry, who’s gonna pay for it?
Who’s paying for it right now? What % of your students have cell phones? Who pays the bills? Who buys the calculator your students use? Who buys their pencils and markers? Dont’ make the issue more complicated than it needs to be. If they HAVE a phone and they HAVE a contract, then I’m just saying that you should make use of it! Would you tell a student that has a graphing calculator “You can use it to add and subtract, but you can’t use it to graph because Johnny over there doesn’t have one.” Or tell them, “You can only use these 16 colors from your box of 64 crayons because not all students have the other colors.” Keep it simple. If they have it, leverage it.

> What happens if there aren’t enough to share?
Then they don’t use it.
> What are other kids going to do?
Learn the things that you’re teaching. And when they need to look up a word, use a dictionary or encyclopedia.
>Who pays for it when Johnny drops Billy’s phone?
That’s between Johnny and Billy’s parents. Who pays for it when Johnny drops Billy’s calculator?
> Who pays for the minutes used during the day for web access or text messaging?
Who pays for them now? No change.
> If the school says you have to have it for a certain class, can you really make parents pay?
Whoever said anything about requiring students to have it for a certain class? I’m not saying that you should make it required. I’m saying that we should stop banning it and leverage it whenever possible.

>Is your school district going to by phones for students?
No

Permalink: http://www.brookdalecc.edu/fac/tlc/fac/tlc_blog.php#147

Insights on Student Blogging - From a Student

Jeffrey R. Young in Wired Campus - an online publication from the Chronicle of Higher Education has a great interview with Loyola Marymount University junior Kelly Sutton. Kelly, and friends co-founded a popular student technology blog Hack College. Here are some snippets from the interview - Kelly has some really interesting insights.

We personally believe that blogs are kind of replacing résumés as far as indicators of talent and past experiences. We’ve had a lot of job offers come directly from the blog itself. We definitely think more students should consider blogging.

It’s no longer weird to spend a lot of time on the Internet. Students will jokingly admit to spending hours on Facebook. The habits that they’re forming right now will eventually lead to different collaborations that weren’t possible in the past.

[Technology is] adding a lot of overhead to a student’s life — the time it takes to check all the social networks and online platforms.

Oftentimes professors trying to use technology or plug into the generation using technology fail miserably. It’s like, “Let’s make a podcast.” Well, what problem is that podcast solving?

I think a lot of the social networks will putter out and die. Facebook will be here to stay...

I learned how to operate a computer before I learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. ... it’s just kind of been a part of my life ever since I was born.

Permalink: http://www.brookdalecc.edu/fac/tlc/fac/tlc_blog.php#146

Abby Normal

Last night, one of my students was wearing a T-shirt from the Broadway show Young Frankenstein. I haven't seen the play, but like everyone - I love the old Mel Brooks movie. In honor of the recent Yahoo-Microsoft non-merger here's a video I saw on the Fake Steve Jobs blog. Steve Ballmer - in case you didn't know - is the CEO of Microsoft, known for his over-the-top, hyperactive behavior. There's even a story that in Japan at a 1991 meeting/ Microsoft "pep-rally" he screamed Windows! so loudly and so often that he damaged his vocal chords. So here's the video, courtesy of FakeSteveJobs:

Permalink: http://www.brookdalecc.edu/fac/tlc/fac/tlc_blog.php#145

Testing Geography - Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Dan Greenwood from our Teaching and Learning Center has been doing a 5-minute video podcast - Project EMIT: Engaging Methods in Teaching (TLC) - where he interviews some of our most innovative faculty describing new teaching and learning techniques they're exploring in their classrooms and with their students. Dan - in addition to recording and producing this podcast - is also responsible for much of the technical support provided to faculty by the TLC. In the 2-part video below, Dan interviews Professors Doug Coil and Art Marshall. This is not only a great example of cross-campus collaboration, but also demonstrates what faculty can do when they have the support and resource to bring their ideas to fruition.

Permalink: http://www.brookdalecc.edu/fac/tlc/fac/tlc_blog.php#144

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