iBooks=iLike

I am so excited about the possibility of iBooks in the classroom.  Honestly, as a teacher with multiple "classroom sets" of textbooks, the thought of freeing up that space is ethereal.   As far as iAuthor goes, the ability to create my "own" textbook is super exciting.  I hate textbooks.  In fact, I loathe them.  I feel like so many teachers use textbooks as a crutch.  Have I done it?  Yes.  Am I proud of that?  Heck no.  The ability to generate useful material will take time, but oh my goodness, I am ready. 

Pros:
1. Could they have made this program any easier? Drag and Drop Technology
2.  Widgets= Interactive
3. Up to date not out of date

Cons:
1. I am a little nervous about copyright infringement
2. How many students/schools can afford this type of technology?  You have to have a Mac to create your own iBook, and students must have a device for viewing.  PDF versions are an option, but they won't be as interactive in nature.

Are You Sure?

I think this guy has lost it.  Seriously.  An invisibility cloak and shape shifters...right?  I will believe it when I see it.  Don't we have bigger problems in this world that need fixing?  Oh no, let's let our top scientist figure out how to make people invisible.  Honestly, I don't even know what shape shifting or it's purpose is.  How about charitywater.org.  Let's spend our time figuring out how to get these people clean water or invisibility will be even sooner on the horizon.  In the mean time, I like what this YouTube viewer had to say...

Do We Really Want To Play God?

To be quite honest, this video scares me just a bit.  Michio Kaku presents the theory that in a time frame of ten years we will be able to put our entire genetic make up on a disc.  This disc would only cost $1,000, whereas currently the cost would be around $50,000.  This drastic price decrease is due to rapidly-changing technology.  That isn't the scary part.  He believes we will be able to determine based on genetic studies what causes aging.  With that knowledge we would be able to repair the aging genes and prolong life.  Scary right? 

I am so thankful to be at a school that allows students to have their cell phones and iTouches readily available to them.  At my previous school, I was constantly having to police cell phones.  Technology can be great, but it can also be a huge distraction for kids.  There are so many days when I walk through our hallways and see the students on sites like Pinterest, Addicting Games, etc.  Social media sites have been blocked, but the kids all do the same thing I do.  Their use the 3G and 4G elements to their phones and connect anyway.  I think having them blocked does limit usage, but kids that want to be on FB or Twitter will find a way.  HootSuite.com is not blocked at school so that is a way of getting around the filters too.  I want kids to learn to be responsible with their technology, but I am having a difficult figuring out how to teach that in my classroom.  The contributors of the panel suggested creating "engaging" lessons.  Are all lessons going to be engaging?  I try, but obviously I am missing the boat some days.  Am I for or against blocking social medial?  I don't know.

One concern brought up by the panel was kids creating groups against a specific teacher or school.  I think just our presence as educators on these sites will help cut down on this sort of behavior.  Just like a student wouldn't say certain things to our face, if we are online, and can see what they are doing, would that not cut down on the groups?

The panel discussed professional verses personal FB and Twitter accounts.  Don't we teach our kids nothing online is private?  Even if we set our profiles to private, we still run the risk of exposing too much.  The best thing to do is the right thing, as one panel member said.  If you are a professional, you will not post anything inappropriate.  If anything were to come up, use it as a teachable moment.  For example, maybe an old high school friend posts a picture of you that you aren't super proud of.  Use that as a time to teach the students.  The fact that you are human will automatically give you better rapport with them.

I like what the Spanish 2 teacher is doing.  I have had numerous occasions when the phone a friend option would come in handy.  To be quite honest, I haven't figured Twitter out yet.  I am trying so hard, but I really don't know how to implement it in the classroom.  I guess Monday my Spanish 2 class and I will do some brainstorming.

I think social media can be an excellent tool.  I would have no problem creating a group for my classes and using it as a method of communication.  I just want to use it in the right way.  I do have a few students that do not have FB or Twitter accounts.  I don't want them to feel left out in any way.  How would I involve those students?

More Second Life

I think I am back to not understanding SL.  My quest today was to go to Ed Tech Island.  After loading my SL viewer, I decided to fly to look for the sandbox.  Surely that would be near a beach right?  Well you got me.  I couldn't really find it.  Lucky for me, I was kicked off my browser, and had to restart.  When I did, I started back at the teleport site, and made my way to what I am pretty sure was the sandbox.  I built a pink box, then took a seat.  As you can see, their was a pretty cool Peter Pan looking boat floating in the sky.  I of course checked it out.  I couldn't really figure it out.  I put my feet back on "solid" ground and found an arcade.

I couldn't figure out how to play to save my life.  If there had been anyone around, I might have asked them.  I guess other people have lives and actually go out on a Friday night.  Due to lack of sleep the past two nights (my child is sick yet again), my patience level is non-existent.  I will try again another day.  Until then, I am going back to my original thoughts on SL.  It's not my favorite.

A Proud Moment...Where are my magnets?

When I was little, my mom would put all of artwork on the refrigerator.  As I got older, the artwork changed to report cards, and now she just hangs up pictures of my kid.  I guess he is my greatest accomplishment after all.  Well, I have half a mind to send the following picture to my mom. 

 

Moving and Viewing In Second Life

Do you like my outfit?

Sitting in the amphitheater.

Superwoman?  No its just my avatar flying around Eagle Island.

I finally figured out how to sit down.  Avatars believe it or not get tired.

Watching a slideshow to get ready for my tour.

Touring an egg processing plant

Who wouldn't want to enjoy resting in a hammock in a virtual world.

Relaxing in the gazebo

Taking a break and looking at lovely decor.

Enjoying a view of the mountains.

A perfect photo opportunity

This quest finally allowed me to see some educational qualities of Second Life.  I still am not quite sure how I would use this tool considering I cannot even gain access to SL while at school.  I am more comfortable with moving around in SL, and I can tell you, my preferred method of travel is flying.  I am pretty sure I flew everywhere during this quest.  Well, except on my tour of the egg processing factory.  I am still not sold, but like I said, I can see some educational qualities.

Second Life Take Two

Ok, so when I saw I had to do another SL quest I wanted to cry.  Not really, but I definitely didn't want to do it.  I put my game face on and gave it a go.  To my surprise, this quest was much better.  Had I have started with this quest, I might not have had such an adverse reaction to SL.  This quest was designed to teach you how to navigate in SL.  I started out with a kiss from a bird...

Then I learned how to fly...

I hope you didn't miss the butterfly in the picture because that was the coolest part of flying.  I was then asked if I wanted to play a game.  Do I want to play a game?  What else would I do with my time?  Absolutely!  (Some sarcasm intended.  There really should be a sarcasm font)  I stepped through the portal, and seriously (no sarcasm this time) I was hooked.  Are you kidding me?  I was looking for crystals in a mythical world, but somehow it kept my attention.  I was chased by a bolder looking thing?  Really I have no clue what it was, but it made me mad, and I was going to beat that sucker. And I fell into a pool of toxic water.  Of course that teleported me back to some random spot.  To say I got lost a few times is an understatement. 

I finally figured out there was a map and what the trails looked like.  I made my way to the caverns, then Whisper Hollow...

I wanted to go ahead and finish my blog post, but I plan on returning to my fictional world to help Tryah figure out what is going on with her kingdom.

Evernote Where Have You Been All Of My Life?

Seriously, I downloaded this app for my Blackberry about three years ago and never used it.  I guess I didn't understand it's full potential.  My husband, not two weeks ago, downloaded the EN app on my iPhone.  Still up until yesterday, I had not used it.  After reading the blog post about using EN to create a portfolio, I was curious.  I began playing around with it on my phone and on my computer.  To my surprise, I love it!  I created a notebook and began "clipping" useful websites.  I find websites all the time of ideas I want to implement in my classroom.  I just add them to my bookmarks, and they get lost in the crowd.  With EN, I can create a notebook that is accessible from my phone, computer, and iPad.  This notebook is organized by tags, and I can search text.  How cool is that?  I am a dork...I know. 

In my English classroom I think I could use EN in a number of ways.  Specifically for students to organize their online research.  They could begin researching a topic and "clip" the websites they use.  Within their notebooks, they can take notes over the topic and write directly on the webpage.  They can highlight important text and attach files.  These notebooks can be used for individuals or they can be shared and edited by a group.  This is just another alternative to using Google Docs.  When they have finished their paper/project, they can add it to the notebook as well.  This is then easily accessible from any mobile device or computer.

In my Spanish Classroom I am always looking for ways for students to showcase or portfolio their work.  Many times the students make videos to go along with their projects.  They do a vocabulary slideshow each chapter as well.  EN is an easy way to compile all of their digital sources into place.  My students have to turn their computers in each semester.  Having their notes on EN will allow them to study and have access to their materials over the summer and on into college. 

Professionally I will use EN as a method of keeping up with digital resources for my English and Spanish classes.  Should my hard drive crash, I would have a back up of all my important documents.  I can also share the information with my pair teachers.

On a personal level, this is just another way to back up and document things I would like to remember.  I take a million pictures using my iPhone, so this is a way to keep up with all of them.  I could keep a wish list of items for our new house, or keep up with the houses we are looking at.  Overall, this is a great way to organize all sources of digital media.

Can Games Really Save The World?

I have two questions after watching the video Gaming Can Make The World Better.

A) What are we saving the world from?  Are we saving the world from the oil crisis, pollution, global warming, etc., or is there something bigger.  Does the world need saving from hatred, oppression, war?  I would say those are the bigger issues, but how can gaming teach that?  Call me crazy, but I believe the key to all of those things is love; a love that can only be learned by human interaction.  As a Christian educator, one of my daily goals is showing my students the love of Christ, and how to love others.  Will I be able to teach that through gaming?  I would say probably not.

B) Are the games being created as “exciting” and “appealing” as WoWC? I have never actually played the game so I have no idea.  If the game can attract grannies, then I am guessing there is something pretty special about it.  Can that excitement be replicated in the classroom?

I can appreciate the fact that people are more engaged in games.  I get it.  I understand that people don’t have the fear of failure in games like they do in real life.  Could it be because they know the game is not real?  In real life there is a fear of failure because it can bring about death, pain, and suffering.  In a game, you can just hit restart if worse comes to worse. 

I think creating games that inspire people to save the world is a very noble cause.  I just don’t know how these games will stack up to WoWC.  If kids and adults know they are doing something noble, will that not defeat the purpose to some extent.  The kids in my classroom only want to do something because it is fun.  If they figure out they might learn something, it kind of looses it’s luster.  I guess everyone has an intrinsic desire to save the world, to do something purposeful with our lives.  If the game creators can appeal on that level then maybe some good can come. 

How does this apply educators of young adults though?  Today’s students cannot unplug.  When they are forced to in the classroom, they struggle to stay focused.  Our learners are changing, but we as educators are not. 

Gamification would cause the breeding of a whole new type of learner.  In the other class I am taking this semester we just learned about the difference between an adult leaner and younger leaners.  The adult leaners are more proactive and understand the need for what they are learning.  Will gaming cause students to be more proactive in their education?  Will the classroom change from teacher centered to learner centered?  As much as we would all like to think that that shift is already taking place the number of traditional classrooms (teacher centered) still outnumber those of student-centered classrooms.  I believe the overall issue is what we are trying to teach.  We have such a broad span of what “has to be covered” that we only reach the surface of the topics.  If we limited what was being taught, and really dug deep into the wealth of information available, I believe our learners would be happier in the classroom.  Would gaming help this change be possible?  I think so.  So many times we are asking our students questions that they can find the answer to on Google.  If we are doing that, we are failing them.  There are so many tools available online that would allow the students to do more than merely scratch the surface of a subject.  I am still wrapping my head around gaming.  I am still trying to figure out how this will change my classroom and those classrooms around me.  As for now, I am trying to keep an open mind.  If we can find solutions to the world problems through gaming, then that is awesome.  Through the gaming though, will we be loosing anything?  I would say yes.  We are loosing valuable face-to-face interaction time with our young people.  As humans, we need to have those relationships.  Will kids be too busy saving the world to have dinner with their family, or focus on problems within their own homes?  How will they learn to have healthy relationships if more and more of their communicating is done online? 

Second Life...Yeah Not So Much

Second Life, as it is so inappropriately named, is supposed to be just that.  A second life.  To me however, it was a colossal waste of time.  People are able to sign on and create an avatar.  This avatar can look like you, but in most cases, people are walking around as vampires or German Shepherds.  Seriously, I talked to a German Shepherd.  The people are able to interact with one another via chat.  They also teleport to various worlds.  In theory, this can be used in the educational world to expand the classroom.  I thought I would give this a try by going to "Mexico."  Wow pretty cool right?  Wrong.  The point of this place is to practice your Spanish.  Well, if there had been people on the island, that would be great.  I was there at the specified time and no one was around.  Well the German Shepherd was, but he didn't speak Spanish.  I thought I would use the time to try out the dance floor.  Well, it took me another five minutes after I was done dancing to figure out how to stop.  Obviously there is a learning curve, but I just don't have the time nor desire to figure it out.  Call me crazy, but I think there are better ways to expand the classroom (I just don't know what they are yet).  I thought I would give
Second Life another shot by checking out the ancient ruins at Machu Picchu.  Sorry, but again Second Life failed... miserably.  There is no a way a computer generated image can compete with that of the ancient ruins.  I think having my students use Google Earth would be a much better way to discover the location.

Maybe some will want to use this in their classrooms.  I obviously will not be using Second Life anytime in the near future.   After teleporting to numerous locations looking for something that might be educational.  I even checked out Eagle Island.  Apparently that is a pretty cool place because all of my classmates enjoyed lounging on a hammock.  I don't know, I saw their screen shots, so I checked it out.  Give me a real hammock any day but laying on a hammock in a digital world?  I just don't get it.  I am a live in the moment kind of gal.  I can enjoy a good video game because there is a point, but you will never catch me living a second life in a computer generated world.  Facebook is the closest I will come to that.

7 Ways To Reward The Brain Analysis

Super Mario Brothers

Super Mario Brothers was by far my favorite video game growing up as a kid in the 90s.  There was something about jumping over tubes, stomping on mushroom men (I never picked up the lingo obviously), and beating King Koopa, that made my life seemingly complete.  My sister and I would sit for hours as long as our parents would let us, playing the game.  We tried every trick in the book to earn extra lives, and tried our hardest to beat that game without skipping levels.  Skipping levels was cheating.  I think I beat it once that way.  I think...  Now present day, my husband and I have a Wii.  I have Just Dance 3, but let's face it, as a pregnant momma Just Dance is not my game of choice right now.  What game do we play most often?  You guessed it, the updated version of Super Mario Brothers.  The updated version give you continuation of life no matter what (seriously, we have tested this many times).  We will sit and play as long as we can keep our eyelids open, which at best is 9:30.  Hey, we are both old and teachers.  We are up every morning at the crack of dawn.  I digress...We laugh every time we die, because one of us did something stupid.  Usually we make the same mistake a few times, then learn from it.  Wait, did I say learn from it?  You mean LEARN from a video game?  Keith Stuart writes in his article The Seduction Secrets of Video Game Designers, that people can actually learn from video games.  If that is the case, why then did my mom limit the amount of time I could play my Nintendo.  I want a do over!  Stuart claims our brains learn best by learning from "systems and puzzles."  I believe almost all video games would fall into these categories.  We as humans like playing games because there is a natural progression.  You see your successes and failures, and are not judged for either of them.  In fact, in video games failure is ok and sometimes celebrated.  He gave an example of their being a reward for the best car crash in a racing game.  I can't tell you how many times I have been in competition over failures while playing a video game (I hope that made sense to you because it made total sense to me.  If not, check out the article).  I think we like learning from video games because the games are always progressing.  There are games in which you "beat" the game, then get to go back through it with even tougher challenges.  Take any NCAA Football game.  There are multiple levels.  You win on All-American, then work up to Heisman level.  A football game is a great segway to Stuart's next point, control.  My husband's favorite games are the games in which he gets to coach a football or baseball team.  In real life, the man has probably never played a whole game of football or baseball.  He will never coach a "real" team unless you would consider little league coaches as "real" coaches.  Obviously I do not think little league coaches compare to collegiate and pro-level coaches.  Again, I digress.  My husband sure can coach an award winning team though on his PS3.  Stuart believes we all need control in some way.  Video games are the perfect way to gain this control.  They allow us to live in a fantasy world for a time.  We are rewarded for our successes as we go.  Each game gives a sense of stress in the form of a problem that needs to be worked out.  We master the problem, and boom, we are rewarding in an amazing way!  Stuart states, "games always notice success."  How often do our good deeds go unnoticed?  The article supports the thought that video games fulfill our intrinsic needs of control, success, and experimentation.  I am not going to lie by saying I didn't get a little excited to earn an extra badge in our class game.  I also like having the control to complete tasks at my choosing, and I also like seeing my points tick up.  There is something about me that likes competition. 

A $35 Computer? In India of All Places?

Click here to read the article.

A tablet would be the better word, however the $35 price tag is legit.  "A contract between the Indian government and Canadian development partner DataWind, should put between 10 and 12 million devices in the hands of students across India by the end of 2012, according to Computer World."  How amazing and inspiring is this going to be to the students that will be receiving one of these new tablets?  If I had my guess, we should be should be expecting some pretty amazing things to start coming from India.  To me, this is a message from the Indian government to the students.  They are saying "We want to invest in you, and we want to invest in your future."   I feel like this message will be heard loud and clear.  Anytime a student is told that someone believes in them, they are more likely to succeed.  Although their are some obvious disadvantages such as slower speed, and toy like features, all of these things are relative.  To a student in the U.S., the act might not be so inspiring.  To these students (some of whom have never held or used a computer), this will be cutting edge technology.  This just goes to show when a government puts their minds to it, they can make huge strides in education.  If the United States does not do something soon, we will quickly fall further and further behind.

Top Ed-Tech Picks

Mind Connex- Shakespeare in Bits
MindConnex.com offers a new way of looking at Shakespeare.  Many students crave a visual representation of what they read.  As a bibliophile, this pains me somewhat.  I want kids to enjoy reading, and to be able to imagine a world beyond their own.  The reading of classics in early grades is however very difficult for students.  Shakespeare is especially difficult.  This program helps students have a visual of the scenes.  Students can also listen to the story, as well as have access to difficult words.  The site offers literary analysis as well as character analysis.  One screen shot showed a family tree of the Capulet and Montague families.  Considering how difficult it is to keep all of the characters straight in a Shakespearean play, I would image this to be a very helpful feature.  The program is offered as an app for $7.99 as well. 

BrainPop.com

BrainPop is an interesting website that features a number of free videos and games for students.  The link below goes to a video about Shakespeare that I plan on using with my students.  The site simply puts things into an easy to understand format.  Their are also numerous lesson plans available to educators that sign up for a free subscription.  Most of the educational fields are supported by BrainPop, so I would heavily encourage any educator to check it out.
http://www.brainpop.com/english/freemovies/williamshakespeare/