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

Google Earth Again

Over the last semester I have been touting the use of Google Earth as a tool to help visually layout the settings of literature. The use of Google Earth for current events can help the students understand the stories in ways that a verbal rundown could not cover. This has been a topic that I have been covering, but I have only seen it in action once. While browsing the internet recently I came across a news show which uses it. On the Rachel Maddow Show she used the program to track the latest pirate hostage situation off the coast of Somalia. It was great to see the detail of the shipping lane, boat locations, prior pirate attacks, and other graphics. Once again Google Earth displays itself as a practical visual tool which reinforces geographical knowledge.

Separation

Upon reading Wysocki’s article "The Sticky Embrace of Beauty: On Some Formal Problems in Teaching about the Visual Aspects of Texts” I found myself agreeing with Wysocki’s disagreement with the separation by Immanuel Kant of humans and nature. This separation may be indicative of one of the current issues facing academia. There has been tradition in separating subjects into their different departments and focusing on an isolated set of material. In the process of the separation, the study of overlap and interconnectedness becomes neglected. I know that in my class history, art, math, and science inevitably arise, they give the students a fuller understanding of the content. In order to understand some aspects it seems that you must understand how it interrelates, for instance how conventions of design and understandings of culture do in Wysocki’s article.

Call In the Expert- Wherever They May Be

The large and bulky ITV machines have become irrelevant and obsolete. Gone are the massive and expensive systems which require a whole room unto themselves. Now we have a world of experts one or two clicks away. With the advent of Skype and existing classroom technologies, what used to be complex and expensive, is now completely manageable and costs roughly $20. The ITV systems are on their way out; Skype is on its way in.
With the advent of digital technology everything is instantaneous and available on any regular computer. No longer do you need a video camera and a TV that accounts for viewing of both ways. No longer do you need an extra classroom with massive equipment. With a $20 webcam and the computer that is in every teacher’s classroom you can have instant access to any expert in the world. Tracking down and proposing offers to the experts is also as easy as a Google search. The experts do not need to hop in a car or even a plane to reach your classroom, so money is saved. Now the expert must have a webcam and knowledge of Skype, but with the money saved in transportation, the teacher could almost buy the guest a webcam and train them how to use the technology. Bringing an expert into a class shows students the benefits of education and backs up what the teacher addresses in class with a real-world expert.

The Remediation of the Pen Pal

It seems that learning occurs when students are taken out of their comfort zone. When students are exposed to material which is unique to them they are much more likely to gain information. With the advent of digital technology we should take advantage of the instantaneous, world-wide communication which is available. Perhaps a remediation and a resurrection of the pen pal is in order. This could be set up on several levels: college to elementary, high school to high school. An Instant Message set up might not be sufficient due to large time differences from one continent to the next. Email or a discussion board form may be a more sufficient fit for this exercise.
In the process of composing letters the students would have to choose words carefully and avoid slang so that others who are reading English as a 2nd language will understand the students emails. The students will also have an opportunity to share in a culture which is not their own. At a high school level students are still very unaware of different cultures, so I think that this would be a good exercise for opening their minds to diverse ideas. Plus, it is fun to get mail (email) which is more fun based rather than business based.

Tweet Comm

The internet has allowed everyone to be connected socially through virtual means. It can easily connect people of similar interests and backgrounds. People are not the only entities being connected however. One of the most popular recent programs is Twitter. One of the reasons this program is popular is because it is simplistic and commercial free. Slowly the commercial industry is finding its way into Twitter though. Using programs like Backtype companies have an automated scan set up on Twitter so that when a specific word or set of words is mentioned the scan will pick it up and send an automated message. For instance it has been said if you Twitter about being sick the Xycam company will send you an automated response saying they’re sorry that you are sick and give you a 10% off coupon.
It is good that teachers try to incorporate these tools into their classroom. These programs are the forefront of social networking and digital composition. How much commercialization is okay in class? Right now Twitter is fairly commercial free, but it seems as if a door has been opened. How will Twitter address the issue? Is it wrong for them to block commercial entities from the use of Twitter and if so where do you draw the line? Can media companies use Twitter? I really do not have answers to this, but it does seem to be an impending issue.

Home Invasion 2.0

There was an interesting story in the news of Web 2.0 in action. Recently David Praeger awoke to someone walking into his home. It became instantly clear that the guy was inebriated and Praeger didn’t feel as if he were in danger. So Praeger pulled out his Iphone and began Twittering the play by play. The passed out man was in the bathroom. As the scene progressed so did the humor of the tweets. Praeger began to Ustream the event live online as he had to yank the passed out guy out of his bathroom. He never called the police and had a short struggle as he got the guy out of his house. After the guy was kicked out he tried to come back in, but the locked door was enough to deter him. Praeger stated that he regrets using as many curse words that he did since it was being broadcast. Since this home invasion occurred for the world to see in real time there has been critics on both sides. Some people said he should have called an ambulance and some people said he should have beat the guy up. As Preager tweeted, he had several people commenting live. Web 2.0 what an amazing concept.


http://www.businessinsider.com/revision3-coo-twitters-through-home-break-in-2009-3

Information for this blog from TWIT podcast

Influencing Change

As technology has advanced in the field of composition, some language arts instructors have stubbornly resisted, sticking with the time honored pen and paper or its remediation, the word processed text document (only after being drafted on paper first). In the process of taking a hands-off approach to technology, some of the commonly accepted tools within digital technology are substandard and have been allowed to flourish unchecked by the authorities within the field. The more involved professionals in the field are, the better of an educational tool digital media can be.
One standard and mediocre tool of digital composition is Microsoft Word spell check and grammar check. With out the voice of the professionals in the field these programs have been allowed to become authoritative in the area of digital composition. Many students take the results of these programs as gospel. I recall tutoring college students who automatically switched red underlined words to whatever the top word in the spell check result was. Language Arts professionals need to weigh in on the choices their students make about creating, modifying, and publishing their digital documents. The direction of the field is inevitable; the outcome is still being determined though.

File Sharing compromises security

The interconnective nature of the internet has done amazing things for the media world and for the educational world, but it can go too far. We all know identity theft has been a problem for the average everyday American. This can be a real pain, but for the most part you can bounce back. It was revealed last week that the plans for the President Obama’s Marine One had been downloaded into a computer in Iran. The whole schematics of the new helicopter had been revealed.
Apparently a defense contractor was using Limewire on their computer and gave others all access to the files on his computer. I could just see a teenage kid doing this on their parent’s laptop and their parents catching the grief from it. Computers with access to critical American documents that deal with American security should not be hooked up to the regular internet, let alone file sharing programs. A big time oops.

Box Logic

It was not long after I engaged with Geoffrey Sirc’s article, “Box Logic” that the 35 pages began to be “a box” which held my various contextual items. At first I questioned the sanity of the participants, like we are trained to do so. Could compulsively collecting various odds and ends of “junk” to thematically collect in a shoe box be healthy? Answer: just as healthy as any other compulsion. Arguably Duchamp and Joseph Cornell created a new mode of communication. I myself am a self-confessed pack rat. It is my contention that this can be traced back to the Great Depression in my family. The attachment and meaning of each individual object and then the collective synergy of the items allow the message to go beyond the box.

Not only would a strict written explanation of box logic be good for a composition class, but so would making an actual thematic box. This unto itself is a composition of sorts and different genres of writing could be assigned, as the box evolved, so could the writing. As I read the article I began to add in and explain the context of my understanding: what pen I was using to take notes, what songs were playing on my ipod, where I was in my house, what blanket I was using, random drawings, and zany notes. I liked the idea that the more we interact with something the more likely that we are going to be able to remember it. By placing some of my personal “belongings” into the box of this essay I will be able to make a more full connection with my experience of reading the essay.

Pirate’s Bay- Copyright Law

Something big is bound to happen when concerning copyright law. Now that all digital media is available through download on one’s computer how can the media corporations control the material which is out there? Log on to Youtube once. How often do users have copywritten material on their page, whether they modified it or just redistributed them. Right now media corporations are pushing for US laws to include anybody guilty of piracy getting their services cut. The point has been brought up that not only does this cut people off from downloading, but it also severs their access to the modern world. The corporations don’t seem to be boding well as the fight against the tidal wave. How can they go with the flow of change in order to capitalize on this change?

One large legal battle is taking place at the moment. Pirate’s Bay, a bit torrent site, is being sued by Sweden for violation of copyright law. The owner’s of Pirate’s Bay are not taking the charges seriously, even throwing a party in Sweden as they are on trial. The vast majority of torrent files on Pirate’s Bay are legal. The nature of torrent files also means that there is no illegal materials on the website itself, torrent files point to files elsewhere. The site was established out of necessity and the administrators do not control the information, it is user generated. Not only that but copyright laws vary from country to country. It looks like there is going to be no way that they can be pinned down, but only time will tell.

Material from this blog was derived from the TWIT podcast: http://twit.tv/

Online Communication (my high school website)

One of the major things that set me out from the other candidates that applied for my job was relatively low fear of technology. Since I have started my job I have consistently updated my website each year. Every time I update the website I will add another dimension to its existing capabilities. We use the rschool system at my school, this serves as a good template where the teacher just has to essentially punch in the information and the program puts it into html language.
The first year I put up vocabulary flash cards and lesson plans for 9th grade since I teach three sections of 9th grade language arts. The next year I put up 9th and 10th grade, partially because I wanted to expand, but also because it was expected of me. This past year I put up lesson plans, links, and flashcards for all of my classes. Since the beginning of this course I have began experimenting with new features on my website. Some things that I have recently tried are surveys and discussion forums. The discussion forums have been wildly successful as a tool for collaboration and studying. In February I got 1400 hits on website, when you consider that I only have about 115 students, that’s pretty successful. Having good online communication has also helped reach out to parents and a lot less of my time is spent soothing parents, which is priceless at the high school level.

Link to my site: http://www.rschooltoday.com/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi

NY Times Kindle

In the past decade the medium of print has continually faced harder times. More and more consumers of the news turn to the internet and to podcasts. Not only has the newspaper industry suffered an assault by the internet, but like most other businesses it has been hit by the global recession as well. It is not just Americans newspapers which are suffering. One of America’s newspaper giants is on the verge of bankruptcy: The New York Times. The issues of the reproduction and the distribution of physical items has become daunting in the time of virtual reproduction and distribution. It has been stated that it would be cheaper to give long term subscribers (2 years or more) to the New York Times an Amazon Kindle, a virtual book/newspaper reading device, to view the virtual edition of the NY Times. In fact it would it would cost them 1/2 as much as distributing print. Everyday at 5 AM the digital NY Times is distributed to electronic devices world wide without Jimmy Brown the paperboy.
There are obviously good reasons for the NY Times to go digital. When $63 million dollars a quarter year is spent on raw materials, it is a lot of overhead. But will fans follow to digital press? Will fans have to? While the direction seems to be inevitable I think that an experience will be lost. There is an experience to a newspaper which involves the smell of ink, the portability, the cheap cost, and tangible feel of the page under your thumb.


Material from this blog was derived from the TWIT podcast: http://twit.tv/

When technology backfires

This past week I have hit a speed bump on the road of technology. Midweek I discovered two students cheating on the AR system. I personally am not that big of a fan of certain aspects of the AR system, but it has been entrenched in the institution. After talking with the culprits, as well as other random students, it has been revealed that the password to log on to the system had been out for the past year and plenty of students had been cheating. For instance they would exchange books; each of them reads one book and then they take their own test and one on the same book for a friend. Only five people in the building have the password, so it is kept fairly tight. Apparently a teacher wrote it down for a substitute (if this is indeed the truth, mistake to write it down) and a student saw it on the desk.
I addressed the situation only after consulting with other language arts teachers, the administrator of the AR system, and the school administration. I have no way that I could believe the integrity of the scores throughout the year; although I would have a hard time reversing old grades so I could not go back too far. The grades are compounded on a quarterly basis and we just finished a quarter three weeks ago. What I ended up doing was punishing the two that were caught with adding extra points to their goals and calling their parents. As far as the test scores, since I knew that the cheating had indeed went beyond these two students, I ended up voiding all scores for the quarter so far. The theory is that if they read the book, with a little review, they should not have a problem retaking a test. The people who did not read, will not get the points.
We (the five with the password) have made it our goal to change the password more often and keep it under lock and key. While addressing the issue I threw out the suggestion of everyone doing individual book reports on the same book, that was not received well. With the advent of the computer it seems that wide-scale cheating has become easier for kids to get away with because we assume that the securities that have been built into the programs will do our jobs for us. Not that there wasn’t cheating before computers.