Interdisciplinary unit with SMART boards

With easy access to a multitude of sources and the ability to save and share files the SMART board could be an accessible way to have an interdisciplinary unit between classes. I can see a couple week unit between a history and an English course. The classes could instant message or use a discussion forum. One class could research, the other could write creatively based on the research. This could all happen instantly, allowing two classes to individually focus on different aspects of one issue. It seems that the separation of classes has been predominant; this would be an easy to fuse them back together.

Facebook Debate Results

Last week I blogged about my students choosing to debate about how much regulation to put on social networking. The two different camps were the “we need more regulation in social networking” and the “we need more responsibility and less regulations” side. Each side was comprised of six students, with a three person jury and a non voting moderator. The debate took two days to complete, after a few days of group research and preparation. Each team member had a subtopic speech, an opposition speech, and an impromptu response to opposition speech. The first day was somewhat rough as they got used to the format of a formalized debate. By the second day they got a good flow going. Both sides were well-researched and came up with valid points. On a two to one decision the jury ruled that students should have more personal responsibility about what they post on the internet and that regulation was not the way to go. They even suggested that a teacher in the high school teaches a unit specifically on being smart with social networking.

Two Sides of Visual Literacy

The underlying theme of this semester has been the increased need for visual literacy. However, the definitions of visual literacy have varied from location to location. This has also been an opportune time because I am getting a SMARTboard within a few weeks. I did find one article that gave me a definition that I liked. In the article, “Visual Literacy in teaching and Learning: A Literature Perspective”, Suzanne Stokes contends that in order to teach students visual literacy we need to not only teach decoding of visual messages, but also the encoding of visuals as well. Just as we do with written language, we not only teach how to decode (read), but we also teach how to encode (write). When dealing with visual literacy the teacher must be able to convey that a message can be created by analyzing the visual, that images must be derived. Not only do the students need to be able to figure out how to analyze pictures, but also be able to use the tools of visual rhetoric. With the increased use of digital media there is a call for more teaching visual literacy. The best way to do so is by teaching them not only to consume, but to create.

High School Kids and Tech Fads

Periodically throughout this semester I will update my students as to what I am doing in college. They are genuinely interested, especially when it comes to technology. They want to know what I am finding out about that they might not be aware of. Making a website was unthinkable to them. Apparently they are comfortable using, but not creating; although this may be because the process has been simplified with programs for more novice users. When it comes to Twitter the students had no clue what it was. So we took five minutes to define it and explain the good and bad aspects.
When my 10th grade speech class had an opportunity to choose the topic for the formal debate they chose, “What is too much on social networking sites?” The sides were completely divided between kids can handle the responsibility, to neutral, to needing more controls over the youth that use social networking. It is interesting to see how divided they can be. I will post next week as to how the debate turned out. Also an update from a prior blog, I now have all of my worksheets online and it has been quite successful for parents and students alike.

Pecha Kucha (Peh Cha Chka)

One of the first things that inevitably comes up when considering Pecha Kucha is how it is said (Peh Cha Chka). In the few weeks that I have know about it I have heard no less than 10 different pronunciations. This new delivery method was devised recently by Asrtid Klien and Mark Dytham as a tool to get architect designers to get to the point. In a pecha kucha presentation there are 20 slides at 20 seconds a piece for a 6 minute 40 second presentation. There should be little to no text and the pictures are meant to reinforce the speech. The slide presentation is meant to supplement the speech and not the other way around. This presentation form has been catching on in all circles. There are pecha kucha clubs all over the world, (181 of them) including one in Minneapolis. If you see my teachnology presentation, it is in pecha kucha format. Look at some of the links below, it is quite interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecha_Kucha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGaCLWaZLI4&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NZOt6BkhUg&feature=channel_page
http://www.pecha-kucha.org/
http://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/minneapolis-stpaul

Vulnerability of the fiber-optic networks

Recently there was a fairly under reported story about a series of cuts of fiber-optic network cables. Now after eight years of being on the receiving end of the fear game I do not wish to fear monger; however it seems that the ability to debilitate 50,000 land lines, cell phones, and internet customers could be made a little harder to do. If we are going to (cliché warning) put all of our eggs into one basket we should make sure that it is protected or set to be supported by a back up system. There has been recent cutting of lines in San Jose, and smaller ones near South Carolina, and near DC. It took quite a bit to get to the cables in San Jose. The person had to remove a large cover, drop down about 10 feet, and then cut the appropriate wires. As of now authorities are not certain whether it was an international terrorist, an outraged former employee or a domestic anticorporate saboteur. How can we safe guard our lives which have become dependent on the internet? Shouldn’t we protect that which we depend upon? I am not suggesting that we take quick, drastic action, but some measured actions are necessary. In the fiber-optic cut in San Jose cell phones, land lines, ATMs, and elective surgeries all came to a halt. This seems to be a weak point in our country.

www.twit.tv

Work harder!

As professionals we have access to computers not only at home, but at the workplace as well. Inevitably some personal business is taken care of on the school computers. People need to be careful though because administrative oversight of internet activity can be omnipotent. What one person sees as relevant another could see as profane. Some administrative bodies restrict certain social sites from their computers. Certain popular websites, such as Youtube and Facebook, have been scapegoated in recent years. According to a new Reuters article a University of Melbourne study has found that workers are more productive when they are allowed to use Twitter, Youtube and Facebook. It was found that employees needed breaks. Many employees are choosing to take their breaks at their desks. Apparently the more rested the mind, the more the productivity. Good news for at work surfers.

Material for this blog provided by: http://TWIT.tv