Educational Technologist

4 SIMPLE STRATEGIES TO AID TEACHERS IMPLEMENT TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTED INSTRUCTION FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS (AND SUSY TOO).

2010-12-18T09:07:00.001-08:00

Diverse learners in the classroom come in different shapes. All over the country, teachers have a group of students whit academic skills ranging from several years below grade level to several years above grade level. In addition to that, learners come to class with a wide variety of cultural educational and linguistic backgrounds. A good example of this is the student population of Houston Independent School District (HISD). According to the website www.texasexplorer.com HISD is "home Home to 302 campuses, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest in Texas and the 7th largest in the U.S. (and) hosts a diverse population of students including 29% African American, 3% Asian, 59% Hispanic, 1% Native American and 8.9% Caucasian." The district's website (http://es.houstonisd.org) cites that "there are 95 different languages spoken amongst HISD student population." Technology utilization in such an environment is not an option: is an imperative.

The strategies I would use to assist teachers and staff to implement technology-supported instruction for diverse learners are:

1. Implementing a Professional Development of Technology Program amongst campuses as well as coming from the central office. This program would focus on the technology already available in the classrooms. Teachers and staff would prepare mini-lessons that they already use in their environments and share them with the rest of the faculty in the district. Districts meanwhile would focus on the efforts made by organizations such as the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and report updates to the advances these institutions are doing to create a standardized format that will allow alternate versions of text designed to meet the needs of students with visual, physical, hearing, learning and cognitive disabilities.

2. Provide examples of lesson plans utilizing Web Resources. An expanding world of content is on the internet. The problem lays in the fear educators have of inappropriate content. Companies such as Gaggle are striving to make the Internet a safer environment for education. It provides students with access to technology and communication tools used naturally by students such as text messaging and social media sites. Also, the Internet stores a vast array of educational resources such as historical documents, literature, articles, reference works, maps, charts, graphs, timelines, and textbooks. Almost any topic can be researched on the Internet and materials can be found about it. These resources include many materials with high student interest, such as interviews, videos, magazine articles, sports facts; even gossip about popular media figures can be utilized to educate our youth. There is an inverse curve in the use of the Internet (and technology in general for that matter) and the age of the educator: While the age is older in the teachers who are just beginning to use technology, one can observe the inverse situation: the younger the teacher, the more Internet utilization goes on in the classroom. We only need to expose to all educators to the wealth of tools, activities, and resources that just need to be located on the Internet

3. Introduce teachers and staff to high-quality vendors of educational technology materials and get them involved in their procurement process. This is especially important if staff and educators are in direct educational contact with students. Coordinators in central offices have been historically the gatekeepers of what trickles down to the classroom in terms of materials, adoptions, and resources in general. Often times teachers come in contact with far too few choices for their classroom when it comes to technology resources. There have been compelling and legitimate efforts to include the teacher in the process of resource adoption for the classes. One effective way to get teachers involved in what vendors are offering to classes is to choose a technology liaison that would report of what is being offered to the district, and at the same time to ask vendors to set up "touch and feel" sessions for teachers to view and test drive their offerings. In spite of good intentions from both teachers and administrators, it seems that every summer there is a lot of purchasing going on in some districts, and teachers find brand new items boxed in the corner of their classrooms in the beginning of every school year. Those items will stay in their boxes or they will be nicely displayed for the principal's walk-though, but never truly optimized, unless the teacher takes ownership in the acquisition process, specially of technology tools.

4. Expose the Brick-and-Mortar teacher to online education. There are several online (also called e-learning) programs throughout the state and elsewhere that allows students to have a personally customized learning plan. This is extremely important in today's classrooms that sustain "a model of instruction that revolves around the belief that students learn in many different ways" (Verde, 2004). In a blended instruction environment, students have regular instruction time given by the teacher and specially allotted time for them to login to online classrooms with other instructors that would make the classroom richer and more dynamic. The lessons can be in elective classes , as well as in core curriculum including Math, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Language Arts, Social Studies, History, Geography and Science. Online report cards identify the student's acquired knowledge levels and provide opportunity for appropriate modifications in the brick-and-mortar setting. Every day there is a growing number of online schools that offer access to a safe online environment that includes classrooms, student libraries and post areas.

Here are two opportunities to get in touch with Texas online schools and their teachers:

TEXAS VIRTUAL ACADEMY AT SOUTHWEST

www.k12.com/txva

104 Industrial Boulevard, B-2

Sugar Land, TX 77478

Toll-Free Phone: 866.360.0161

E-mail: info@txva.org

THE DAVID ROBINSON VIRTUAL ACADEMY

www.k12.com/drva

217 Robinson Place

San Antonio, TX, 78202

Phone (toll-free): 210.222.0299

E-mail: DRVA@thecarveracademy.org

FURTHER READING:

Tomlinson, C. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Alliance for Technology Access. (2004) Computer Resources for People with Disabilities: A Guide to Assistive Technologies, Tools and Resources for People of All Ages. Alameda, CA. Hunter House Publishers.

Kameenui, E. J.; Carnine, D. W. (1998) Effective Teaching Strategies That Accommodate Diverse Learners. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall.

Male M. (2003) Technology for Inclusion: Meeting the Special Needs of All Students.(4th Ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

The Art of Design Manifested in Ancient Books

2010-11-18T04:36:00.000-08:00

Historians cite the fall of the Roman Empire around the fifth century of our time, referring to the commonly called Anno Domini (A.D.). this historical event originated the obvious decline of the culture of ancient Rome. But why is this important if we are to talk about ancient manuscripts and how they used the basic principles of design? Well, it is because around that time the production of books, as well as what the books contained were influenced by the geo-political environment. Knowledge and culture –along with books as its carriages- concentrated around religious endeavors. Monasteries were famous for their libraries, and the biggest library of ancient times was the one compiled for the Pope.

Bookstore in Kazan City

Back to our discussion of design in books, several things need to be in consideration. Papyrus became difficult to obtain after the fall of the Roman Empire since Romans were the main contact with Egypt as the biggest producer of papyrus. Parchment, which had been used for centuries, became the main writing material. In those times a book took over a year to be made, and at least half a dozen main craftsmen worked by hand on it. Sorry ladies, you were not allowed in the production of books back then, since monasteries carried on the writing of books. Rulers granted exclusive permission for printing of books to certain cities only. As an example, the Rule of St. Benedict set aside certain times for reading and greatly influenced the monastic culture of the Middle Ages. This is one of the reasons why the clergy were the predominant makers and readers of books.

I would like to choose a very peculiar book to talk about its design. The book is called “The Tatar People of Kazan”. Tatar people book-printing has a long and remarkable history. The Russian Tsar Pabel (Paul for westerners) gave permission for the printing in Kazan city of secular books. Here is an example of the fantastic work made by Tatar during Pabel’s ruling.

Concepts of contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity were intuitively embedded in this and other texts by calligraphers, correctors, illuminators, rubricators and copyists.

The evident contrast of colors in backgrounds make both the text below and above the page in green background compared to the text against a white background different levels of importance.

Repetition of crests colorful crests frame the the text, giving it more emphasis. The Block of text in the upper and lower parts of the page with an elaborated framing gives us a second example of repetition in this book.

The most interesting trait in this page is its alignment. The texts seems to be aligned to the center of the page, but there are elements that give a different flair, such as the first line of the black text against the white background and also the green dots scattered in the same area. The red crest decidely did not make a full frame. My guess is that the artists decided to make an off-center alignment.

My Debrief

2010-09-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is one post intended for a particular audience only. The audience is composed of my fellow students, my professor and my instructional coach participating in my Master's class. I spare the reading for the rest of you guys. I guess it would make little sense (if any) if you are not in my class and you decide to read this post. OK, after the caveat, here goes...

The production of our Public Service Announcement (PSA) was truly a team effort on every member of our team in that video production class. As a team, we parted from the original idea, and decided to brainstorm again, as we felt that the script had some challenging shots. An example is the shot of a young boy being videotaped while rambling on a busy night club on Friday night. From that point, we started a more intense collaboration process. The exchanging of e-mails was frantic. We then came up with a second concept that hit the mark and reached the required rigor and relevance. Jiminy -being the music lover he is, came up with a rap tune used as the back bone for our PSA. That also spared us from the rather daunting task of forging an intelligent dialogue. Jiminy later admitted he felt very distant from the tumultuous rap genre. Nevertheless, the tune was catchy and systemic. We then focused on an animation option using Second Life Avatars. It was there where Mike showed his technical skills, and Monica her creativity. I made a proposal to develop a back-up version of the entire project that turned out to be a decent PSA. We called it our back-up mock-up. Using some photos I earlier had uploaded to our wiki, I got my hand at trying Photo Story 3 for Windows. At first the photos were to be used as reference for the video shots. I had seen this technique on commercials, where directors send PAs to scout locations and take literally thousands of pictures. This process makes the director's job a little easier in trying to convey visual ideas to actors, gaffers, crew and extras. It came evident that our time constrains strapped the project on different fronts. To solve that, we decided to make just a quick rehash of Hayley's initial script, my photos and a simple animation process. My personal experience was closely depicted by Randy Nelson when he said to the class: "Making your team look good is key when it comes to video production". Thanks everyone! I had a great time making not one, but two Public Service Announcements! See you all at the Grammys!

The Medium is the Message

2010-09-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

The medium is the message.

This phrase was coined by Herbert Marshall McLuhan, one of the principal theorists of mass communication. It illustrates the idea of how the medium influences how the message is percieved. We always have to run a test on how to approach a medium to deliver a message efficiently. At least that is my opinion.

Radio will always exist simply because there are certain messages that are more effective on the radio. If you do not believe me, try to sell a record by posting its lyrics on The Miami Herald. At the end of the day, a song is also a message.

A good example about the concept of "the medium is the message" comes to mind when considering a radio newscast versus the newspaper. The ethereal nature of radio makes it very hard to manipulate the given information. This was more the case in the past, before the advent of digital audio formats. People bought the newspaper to read and ponder the news. Perhaps even re-read and interact with the information given in the form of a letter to the editor, or perhaps a read-aloud in front of friends and family. That is why the medium was so very influential. Nowadays, newspapers are struggling to survive, because their permanenhas been theatened by new media formats offering more versatility easy of use.

Internet safety

2010-09-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

3 VIDEO EDITING PROGRAMS FOR EDUCATORS COMPARED

2010-09-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

KINO

Video Editor

http://www.kinodv.org

PRAISE:

The program is open source for the Linux platform only.

This non-linear program is easy and reliable. Program touch and feel is intuitive and similar in functionality to other popular applications..

Very convenient digital video editing for the educator that has already tested the waters with popular MS Movie Maker that comes bundled in so many computers used in schools.

Video loads from (and works well) with a fire-wire IEEE-1394 connection, making the chore of video capturing many time faster that those programs accepting capturing via USB only.

It provides video tape recorder controls and it allows detailed editing and transition effects for both video and audio.

The move editing features include fast and frame-accurate navigation for precise trimming. Although this feature was not fully tested, I will comment that trimming is very useful in 30-second spots that need to check the stopwatch at exactly 30 seconds. This is often the case with commercially-oriented spots and segments.

Clips can be drag-and-dropped from the file manager.

Video effects and filters are also available.

Its interface is easy to understand. For example, if I want to capture video, I start by checking my preferences and then clicking the Capture tab on the right

CONSIDER:

The main drawback for me about KION is that its only intended for the Linux OS. I am a Window user and reluctant to change to Mac. Perhaps video editing will make the final push for me towards Mac, but Linux is yet too far an option personally.

Kino lacked a few functions in past versions.

It will only accept .dv files

Users need to check often the patches and new releases.

Patches sometimes come untested to the end user, and they do not work as intended.

The distribution package manager can be unreliable, especially if the initial download was from a very early version.

To get a new version, you need to either wait for an update in the repositories, or download and compile the source package. If the second option is chosen user needs to install a few dependencies in order to finalize the configuration process. Those dependencies may differ from system to system, depending on which packages you have or don't have installed in the machine or the network.

This alone can be very discouraging for the novice user (including yours truly). If you have initial hick-ups installing the program, you might not even try it.

AVIDEMUX

Video editor

www.avidemux.org

PRAISE:

Avidemux is a program designed for multi-purpose video editing and processing.

Its big advantage is the cross-platforms capability. If there is a need to work with a cross-functional team and some members operate in Linux, some in Mac and the rest in Windows, this is a good program to work with. Please beware if this is the case: The file extensions need to be consistent among users to avoid lost of data or corrupted files. This can translate in many hours of lost work.

As stated, the program can be used on almost all known operating systems and computer platforms.

Trimming has the capabilities of both the incremental and multisecond advance and rewind tools.

The program supports multiple video formats that include multiple codecs for FLV, MPEG, AVI, VCD, H.263/4. It also supports various audio formats such as MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WAV. This feature makes this program a favorite among Youtube users that are looking to trim audio and video in the same console with very little sweat as well as equity investment.

CONSIDER:

The program’s main website is too plain. Novice users (like yours truly) see this as warning: Do not enter, unless you’re a geek.

Apparent from a quick review, there is not a lot of video effects loaded initially or as add-ons.

A help file or manual is not included in the download, making it a little more work for the user. Une manual file should help thousands of first-timers, so the return on investment is evident.

The “save” and “save as” functions are not very well depicted and are not very intuitive.

While trying to save a file, the user needs to add the extension. This does not come with a drop-down menu as in almost all of the other programs (video and other apps)

The program requires high-resolution on the user’s screen, so I had to change my screen resolution back and forward when alternating with other programs.

VIRTUALDUB

Video Editor

www.virtualdub.org

PRAISE:

This editor is the only one I could find that works in either in 32 or 64-bit machines with win OS.

Looking for the fastest processing rate at a reasonable cost, I found (and bought) a quad-core Windows 7 machine without realizing that it had a 64-bit processor. Back in the good old days when 64-bit processing was the norm, CPUs did not even had to name the data units. Then bit-32 came and dominated. May this is mention serve as a general preamble to a god preaidse about VirtualDub.

The program has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files. This is a time-saver if you are making the same trimmings to a lot of files.

The saved files can be extended with third-party video filters.

VirtualDub is software that allows you to capture and process video files.

The program itself is very easy to use. User will find in the menus all the operations wanted to do on a video file and the program includes keyboard shortcuts for them.

The program has features for video and audio applications. User can also remove and replace audio without touching the video.

It can convert and compress video and audio, edit, capture, render, filter video files.

CONSIDER:

This program is mainly geared toward processing AVI files, although it can read (not write) MPEG-1 and also handle sets of BMP still images.

This program does not work in a non-linear fashion, although it cannot be called linear purely, since it does access captured, saved and stored video. The program does not allow equal access to any frame as well as to any other, and does not keep an edit decision list or EDL. This list is similar to the drop-down menu of the “undo” feature of the word processing program, such as MS Word.. This translates in user inoperability if editing is approached in a non-linear fashion. Most programs see the non-linear feature a s a plus. For the beginner user it can also translate in a more systematic way of working. This is the way professional editing works most of the time, especially in TV broadcast industry.

Depending on your previous experience and level of adaptation, the user interface may seem a bit awkward at the beginning, and it may need practice to understand it

REFLECTIONS:

There are many good tools in the Free Open Source Software world for capturing and editing video, but what it is important to me is the fact that the user needs to have a basic understanding of the steps to building a good story using a storyboard editor. There are some steps toward creating a movie by using the various and simple storyboard video editing programs reviewed such as KINO, AVIDEMUX and VIRTUALDUB.

Creating even a short movie can become very complex very quickly, so it’s important to keep in mind what you are doing and how it all fits into the bigger picture of making your movie. A video editor is primarily a simple trimmer and non-linear video editing program with some compositing capabilities, as opposed to tape-to-tape linear editing or more complex non-linear compositing software that we educators can move towards if our thirst for visual is vast. More choices and muscle will be waiting for when we are ready for them at Cinelerra, The Open Movie Editor, or KDEnlive.

I think that in order for us to understand what does a video editor do it is necessary to run a little history on their making. Before computers, movies were edited by actually cutting film tape. That process was called linear tape-to-tape editing. It required careful planning, because editing was destructive, since actual segments of tape were cut. It was “linear” because the inserted tape segments were literally attached to preceding and following segments to form a continuous whole. Live TV is edited in a console that airs what the editor decides in real-time (with a delay time of +-12 secs for compliance and buffering unwanted rants of the protagonists). This feature also puts us in the perspective of digital versus analog versus chemical media, cinema being the last. This consideration is important because in the digital world there are as many formats as they are people creating them, and there are many. In cinema the formats where all measured in square millimeters. So, computers allow us to do non-destructive, non-linear editing. We can easily incorporate all kinds of music, still pictures, and video into a single movie. We can also separate out the video from the audio, and substitute still images or other video segments while the audio from the first track continues to roll over those newly added elements. Those new elements are called “assets” and the process of adding new elements is called “compositing.”

But newbies like me can become frustrated with complex compositing software, such as Final Cut Pro or Cinelerra or the Open Movie Editor because the user interface throws lots of options at the user, thereby confusing him. The advantage of starting out with less complicated programs is that it has a simple user interface.

When choosing a video editing program, simplicity will allow the user to develop the basic skills of putting together a story, instead of getting caught up on the technical side. A user with abundant choices will either freeze or make the first editing attempts a series of over-used samples of effects.

Some of hese programs are not suitable for adding lots of assets of different formats, and they have limited transition effects available. But it works as with everything else: you have to ake baby steps in order to run later when you are hired as the assistant superintendent for multimedia learning at WeAreTheFuture ISD.

My Birthday

2010-08-30T23:15:00.000-07:00

Here is some of what goes in my head on my birthay...

On My Birthday

2010-08-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Well, today is my birthday.

I use the occasion to reflect on the past year.

We will get to that momentarily. But first, let me tell you:

Seems to me, there are three groups of people when it comes to their own birthday (typical educator, covering all bases, right)? First, the majority who are basically neutral about the event. They go along with a party, do some celebrating, but mostly it is just another day. And, there is nothing wrong with this.

Second, are those that dread the day. They are negative to it, don't want to talk about it, and don't want to deal with it. They are irritable if you try and throw a party for them. They complain and bicker about it. They wish it never happened.

To me, that is sad. Sure, you can have feelings about the day, but to really despise the day is sad. Many people would be glad to trade places with them. It comes back to gratitude for what you have.

The third group is filled with those that are thankful for the day. They give gratitude. They understand that the alternative is far worse. I fall into this last group, as you probably guessed. I use the day to reflect on the past year, and also to look a little into the future. I revise my personal mission statement. The one I say to myself I have in my heart and I am too chicken to write down. I ask myself a series of questions.

Am I a better person this year than last?

Who have I served over the past year?

What have I accomplished?

Did I make a difference in the world?

How would I like my ideal calendar to look in five years?

What can I do to value each minute of my life until my next birthday?

I jot the answers down and make the best out of them.

I find my birthday to be a good moment to pause my life and take stock of where I have been and where I am going.

Then, I run out to the street and get all the freebies I can.

I get free bagels at Einstein Brothers.

I get a free ice cream cone at Ben and Jerry's.

I get a suit cleaned for free at Comet Cleaners

I also get my car washed for free at Mr. Carwash.

The good thing about the frebies is; I do it in two hours, just in time for my birthday party.

My family is the best for making me a birthay party.

I love my family!

LinkedIn Discussion: What is the Furure of High School online courses?

2010-08-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Amit Shah from Zulama posted a good question on www.linkedin.com and the popular social media site for professionals did the rest. Discussion followed and comments abounded. Here's my stake:

HS, undergrad or graduate online ed is here to stay. I devoted my former life to www.stateu.com an educational sales company that represented state universities in Texas and other states, and the results of the offerings were very encouraging. From the student's point of view it offers scheduling flexibility: they can acomodate their learning when they are ready, not when the instructor, teacher or professor is. From the instutution's side, it's a scalable and budget-sensible model like no other. Even for public education, where no one talks abut P&L but they all spend like a new Russian in Burj Khalifa, online ed reaches far more learners with far less implementation (consider the gas savings on all those yellow busses from all those kids not being transaled to the sacrosaint brick-n-mortar. The math even for one class is staggering) The flip side: Education does not sit well with disruptive innovation. Just google the paper from Clayton M. Christensen, Sally Aaron, and William Clark: "Disruption in Education".

10 Hurdles to Overcome When Transitioning to Online Ed

2010-05-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Many of today’s challenges in education have a monetary core, or at least an economic aspect. Online courses are offered by a growing number of K-12 institutions to save money while attending student's needs. Also, higher education is expecting a growing number of courses to be offered online in the near future. College credit is also offered to students seeking an academic credentials while in high school, and in many instances those courses are online. Turning curriculum courses into viable, shorter, online continuing education courses meets the needs of both of these populations and benefits the college as well with a model favored by the workforce. This is a winning situation for everyone. For example, suppose K-12 institutions offer a curriculum in which the subject is taught online. The course is ready when students are, not the other way around. the bell rings and we have an appointment with learning. Under the new model study hall will turn into valuable online coursework where students can learn when the schedule has a gap. Some call this just-in-time learning.
However, to have an end result that is worthwhile K-12 institutions all over the nation (and beyond) must know and overcome the barriers they face. After a review of the literature, and through personal experience, there are approximately 10 barriers to making this transition:
• Initial cost and cost progressions
• Degree of computer skills from stakeholders
• Amount of technical assistance and training needed and offered
• LMS and other key software
• Platform and connectivity questions
• Academic integrity and coursework quality
• Implementing all learning styles
• Administrative load, workload allocation.
• Intellectual property and copyright concerns
• Time management
Once K-12 knows the obstacles, it can find ways to minimize or eliminate them.
It is my opinion that these barriers can be grouped. And making these groups may help organize a proactive plan to overcome them. There are four types of topics: (1) logistics, (2) technology, (3) administrative issues, and (4) expertise.
In the final analysis, teachers play a leading role in every step of the way. Please go to my blog to follow this discussion and read about the theme on
LOGISTICS
EXPERTISE
TECHNOLOGY
ADIMISTRATION

An Online Learningvalid concern: Is Jonny the one online?

2010-02-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

THIS WEEK'S QUOTE IS FROM

Technology Supports for Distributed and
Collaborative Learning over the Internet
QING LI
City University of Hong Kong
RYNSON W. H. LAU
University of Durham and City University of Hong Kong
TIMOTHY K. SHIH
Tamkang University
and
FREDERICK W. B. LI
University of Durham

Please read the following quote:

Another critical issue for hosting e-learning systems is security control.
Careful measures should be taken to ensure that only authorized users are
able to perform any e-learning activities, including content authoring, content
retrieval, and student collaboration, and only those who have these
rights may be able to modify or access a particular set of learning materials.
An emerging approach to protect e-learning content from unauthorized usage
is by digital rights management [Koenen et al. 2004]. General approaches
for consideration include simple password-based usage control, digital watermarking,
and certification of hardware and/or software.

The system did not allow me to finish my work on the previous post, and I would like to tie it to this week, as it brings relevance to our focused discourse.

Now, My Stake:

In my opinion, digital identity is the number one concern amongst uninformed educational leaders. On both sides of the issue, we have those who think online education cannot (yet) ensure the validity of the work performed. The argument sought is that there is little certainty Jonny did his online work, or Sue did it for him.

As educational technology leaders, we need to familiarize ourselves with a robust digital identity infrastructure and then trickle knowledge to those around. We must know the e-learning digital identity classification in our educational environment and the definition of the various roles of all the e-learning participants.

"El que no sabe, es como el que no ve"... He who does not know, acts like he who does not see..... Calm the valid worries of those educators afraid of imposture acts in e-learning.

The differences between Homeschoolers and School Students

2010-01-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that nowadays, students in their formative years either go to school or get an education at home... Pretty simple. Well, not exactly.

The segment that comprises homeschoolers and their parents is a segment of the student population with a sense of independence, even though efforts have been made to organize homeschooling groups. The state of California, as well as Washington have strong homeschooling groups and associations.

One of the main differences between the homschoolers and school students is that the parents are the ones making educational decisions for their homeschooled children; as educational administrators make decisions for the students they serve in the school segment. That important difference in these two segemnts also conveys differences on how the content is delivered to the final user, and also on how assignments are created. A student in the school part of this total is used to collaborate to complete exercises, assignment and tasks, while a homeschooled student may find it difficult to feel comfortable as part of a collaboration group.

The school is an "appointment" event. In other words, students run to the classroom when the bell rings and it usually rings at the same time every day. At school, the "client" has an appointment with education. It is very hard for the student to keep up with pace if he or she falls ill. Educational appointments are very hard to re-schedule in the red-brick schools. In contrast, the homeschooling group is an "anytime" crowd, increasingly run by a variety of online offerings and access points to educational content. Perhaps this is one of the most appealing feature the DTF market has to offer to its users. A student can read, complete an activity, or do an exercise at different times without much detriment to his or her education or disruption to a group.

Just a little food for an educational technolyst thought....

A must-read for today's educator: "Web 2.0: New Tools, New schools" Written by Gwen Solomon and Lynne Scrum and published by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

2009-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

This book gives an in-depth analysis of the technologies used today, mainly over the internet. The implementation of these technologies needs to be considered in the classroom , as well as in professional development. These techonologies include:

Blogging: as a natural tool for writing instruction. Blog is defined by Wikipedia a as a website maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions. All presented in a reverse chronological order.

Wikis: and their role in project completion where distance is no longer a barrier. Wiki, according to Wikipedia is a website that allows the easy creation and editing of webpages that are interlinked.

Podcasting: and its powerful way to present information and and ideas. Wikipedia defines Podcasts as series of digital media files that are released periodically and downloaded by listeners using an RSS feed or other ways of web syndication.

A simple, yet powerful reality is that people no longer just search for information on the web they now provide information, and these people include our students. The world has changed; students have changed, and traditional schools are not only up to the task of educating young people for the future, but also to educate teachers on how to use these web 2.0 tools and to help them incorporate these tools through good models of learning and wise technology use that point in the right direction.

Professional development in education is no longer synonymous with acquiring new teaching techniques, it is rather about starting new processes and new forms of learning. With easy access to online communication tools, learning inside a wider community is not a possibility, but rather a reality. This reality is sought after by a larger number of individuals interested in pursuing their learning path both in a personalised and networked way in many walks of life. The web provides the space for learning, but the learning environment is decidedly dependent on the interrelationships that are established amongst individuals. Corporations are not only saving valuable resources by implementing online training policies, they are also making the world even smaller.

The students of today is the workforce of tomorrow. Solomon and Schrum in their book observe that, although young people may be ahead of their teachers in using these tools, teachers can help students use the tools in an appropriate way, focus the educational value of their projects, and mediate content. Below is a good example of what can be done to enhance professional development amongst educators using Web 2.0 tools. Please click on this 5-minute video,

Solomon and Scrum provide examples of teachers who have guided their students to use Web 2.0 tools in creating a collaborative math solutions manual, an independent literature circle project, a collaborative guidebook about online security. The book is a must read for today's educator.

Project Learning Video From Edutopia

2009-12-07T16:11:00.001-08:00

Project-Based Learning: Micro-Society

2009-12-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

When I started as educator, I remember an elementary school in the Houston area that ran a MicroSociety. This concept is now evolved. According to their own web site there are around 250,000 students and graduates of MicroSociety day and afterschool programs spread across 40 states in America. The concept behind this movement is project based learning.

Explore what Micro-Society is all about:

Students run the show in a Micro-Society School

Try this! Is fun!

2009-12-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

This was an incredibly challenging project. I wish I could get a little help from an experienced teacher on how to write my UDL lesson. I spent about six hours trying to put a lesson together and I am very pleased with what I accomplished.

This was so much easier than differentiation. And it reaches all learners.

Here is a list of additional UDL Resources I was able to find:
What is UDL?
UDL Guidelines (presented using UDL principles)
UDL Lesson Builder
UDL YouTube Channel
UDL For All Ning
Free UDL Tech Toolkit

Brain Processes Information Differently

2009-12-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

Recent research in neuroscience shows that each brain processes information differently. The way we learn is as individual as DNA or fingerprints. In its research, CAST has identified three primary brain networks and the roles they play in learning.

How the brain works has a significant impact on what kinds of learning activities are most effective. Educators need to help students have appropriate experiences and capitalize on those experiences. Renate Nummela and Geoffrey Caine are experts in natural learning principles. Here are the three interactive elements essential to these principles as they are applied to public education:
Teachers must immerse learners in complex, interactive experiences that are both rich and real. One excellent example is immersing students in a foreign culture to teach them a second language. Educators must take advantage of the brain’s ability to parallel process.
Students must have a personally meaningful challenge. Such challenges stimulate a student’s mind to the desired state of alertness.
In order for a student to gain insight about a problem, there must be intensive analysis of the different ways to approach it, and about learning in general. This is what’s known as the “active processing of experience.”

A few other elements of brain-based learning include:

Feedback is best when it comes from reality, rather than from an authority figure.

People learn best when solving realistic problems.

The big picture can’t be separated from the details.

Because every brain is different, educators should allow learners to customize their own environments.

The best problem solvers are those that laugh!

Designers of educational tools must be artistic in their creation of brain-friendly environments. Instructors need to realize that the best way to learn is not through lecture, but by participation in realistic environments that let learners try new things safely.

Recognition networks
Gathering facts. How we identify and categorize what we see, hear, and read. Identifying letters, words, or an author's style are recognition tasks—the "what" of learning.
Strategic networks
Planning and performing tasks. How we organize and express our ideas. Writing an essay or solving a math problem are strategic tasks—the "how" of learning.
Affective networks
How students are engaged and motivated. How they are challenged, excited, or interested. These are affective dimensions—the "why" of learning.

Welcome to the Digital Generation

2009-12-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Great Video From Edutopia

Visit Edutopia often and become a member. Great site for teachers!!

teaching in Second Life - Part Two - A Post From Australia

2009-11-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

By CJ - Posted on August 7th, 2009

Please follow the link to see the original post

I think there is great potential in what second life has to offer in the realm of education. How amazing would it be to offer students a virtual tour of the Great Wall China, and as they take their virtual tour, they will be guided by real life tour guides. What an experience for students to collaboratively work with peers from China, South Africa, and Peru on a science project in an immersive digital environment. Students can take seminars from renowned experts from various fields. They can practice speaking a new langauge with native speakers. They can also go back in time to explore periods such as the Rennaissance. Through an environment like second life, students will have opportnities they would otherwise never have had. They will also have the valuable experience of working with people from various parts of the world.

Old teaching methods are fast becoming antiquated. Educators need to find a new way to reach this video-game oriented generation. I attended a conference where one of the speakers is member of the school design team of Quest to Learn in New York, a new school focusing on the uderlying form of games as a pedagogical model for 6th-12th students.

The school library can play a major role in this pedagogical shift, as a leader in implementing new technolgies. Just imagine library orientation and tutorials as games played in Second Life.

A Dream Machine for the Tech Educator

2009-11-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

The other day I was asked what would a good machine look like for the tech savvy teacher... Here are my thoughts:

HP Pavilion Elite e9280t - i7-920 processor (te open 34 lesson plans at once, all with video embeded), 750Gb 7200 RPM HD (enough space to have all the goodies a good teacher always has), Win 7 Professional (are we, or are we not?) 64Bit GeForce GT 220 graphics card (to teach in SL), 9Gb RAM, Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio (to hear the kids in the back channel), 15-in-1 memory card reader (to be able to get all the homework in all the formats with no blinks or overburns), LightScribe DVD/RW, 16X DVD ROM player (forget the paper labels or the permanent markers). Ethernet 10/100/100 card (is all about connections), Multimedia keyboard & HP optical mouse (to be wired does not mean to be tangled and trapped by your corded mouse).

Teaching in Second Life -Part One-

2009-11-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

Life After school: Let Us Talk About Talent Retention

2009-11-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

FROM CHIEF LEARNING OFFICER

As I Learn to Become a 21st Century Educational Leader

2009-11-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago, the conversation between a superintendent of schools and his IT system administrator could go like this:

Oh, no!” cried Mrs. Superintendent, “John, I don’t know where to start when it comes to computers and technology!”
“That makes two of us Mrs. Superintendent…”
Mrs. Superintendent shook her head after examining next year’s budget. “I can only allocate 5% of our funds for technology!” She threw the budget binder on the desk. “I want our teachers and students to have computers, read their e-mail, and maybe have a computer lab!.”
"Technology is here to stay Mrs. Superintendent. A day will come when you will have a whole educational technology department, with its director and staff.”
“Yes, you’re right. I am aware.”

Today, the word is not aware anymore. Educational communities across the globe have now an educational technology department. The head of that department works closely with the rest of the district’s leadership team, including heads of curriculum, student services, college preparedness and superintendents. Nevertheless, the responsibilities and challenges of a technology director in a parochial school system in South America would be different from those facing a technology director in a one-campus school district in Africa; and those challenges and responsibilities are all together special inside a rather complex, large urban school district in Illinois.

The role of today’s educational technology leaders is to build better educational communities of practice. In defining communities of practice, every educational technology leader must consider both his personal views, but most importantly, the views of the community he serves.

Yesterday’s visionaries of educational technology are today’s leaders in our educational communities of practice. They are paving the road of innovation, creativity, ethics and collaboration. Many them could be the rightful recipients of two or three honorary doctoral degrees and I am sure that every year, these leaders are carefully considered in many Honoris Causa committees, if they are yet to receive the call. Formal education is imperative for the rest of us, just entering with wondering eyes into the field.

I am thrilled to be a 21st century digital learner. As part of my formal education in technology leadership, I see a challenging opportunity. I am to work closely with the leadership team in my educational community to identify technological excellence and innovation in teaching that facilitates learning. The faculty in my team will seek my guidance when they develop effective methods for delivering instruction and I must have the knowledge of today’s technology tools to assist them.

As an educational technology leader, I need to use data from different evaluation tools provided at the local and govermental levels, to assess technologies’ instructional impact, learning space design and learning management systems. To complement existing evaluation tools, I am to develop unique measurement systems that will serve my learning community best.

It is important that I, as an educational technology leader, share information
regularly with faculty through the use of technology tools and e-presentations. This is perhaps would be the best way to “walk the talk”. And it could only be attained through research of safe educational technologies, knowledge of new educational technology initiatives; and ethical practice, guidance and assistance on using technology in support of teaching.

S Ta R Chart Presentation NS

2009-11-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

S Ta R Chart Presentation Ns

View more OpenOffice presentations from Martin Alcala.

Technology Revolution in Texas' Schools -Part I-

2009-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Back in December of 2006, Mr. Rick Perry, the honorable governor of Texas felt -and I quote- "(...) compelled and obligated -on behalf of the students of Texas- to present the Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 (...)" This important document was not only signed by him, it was also andorsed by each member representing the 15 encompassing districts of the Sate Board of education, along with the members of the 80th Texas Legislature, and also the executive members of the Teaxas Education Agency. This ongoing plan is the child of a much earlier Long Range Plan for Technology that started back in 1988.

To put things into perspective, 1988 is just a year before the business world started looking at the World Wide Web as a viable project for business. To view our Texas Long Range Plan for Technology in perspective, please visit one of many interesting time lines available online. You will find some time lines more technical than others, but I chose the time line about the internet. I believe that the internet offers a strong point of reference for our Texas Long Range Plan for Technology for two reasons: One is that the internet is centered-stage of all endeavors related to technology, and it gives a pretty good idea of how this idea born in the craddle of the Cold War branched out to become the single most visible technological project in the world. The second reason is that, perhaps as a result of how complex the internet has evolved; planing and implementation need constant revamping and collaborative work in educational technology.

The actual document of the Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 is worth reading. It is a comprehensive and strategic plan for technology in education divided into four domains: Teaching and Learning; Educator Prepration and development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infraestructure for Technology.

I will now focus on the first of the four domains: Teaching and Learning. In my next blog I will address the second domain, and so on. Please visit the blog or subscribe to its feed for updates.

Generally speaking, the Teaching and Learning domain is based on two premises: One is that all students in Texas can benefit from a teaching process that integrates technology, no matter their level of skill. This means that Johnny will greatly benefit from the use of technology in the history class, as well as Sue. Both students will benefit and make progress in spite of their different reading-proficiency levels.

The second pillar to this domain is the importance to incorporate technology in every-day teaching that;
• is rich and engaging educational content;
• contains constant communication among students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members;
• allows relevant collaboration from experts in the educational process as well as in specific group projects; that provides 24-7-365 access to online resources; and
• ensures effective access to online and distance learning opportunities.

There is a list of 13 recommendations speciffically addressed to Texas Education Agency inside the Teaching and Learning Domain. The eighth recommendation reads: "(To) encourage and support the continued development of innovative programs (...) designed to increase access to online learning (...)". This point deserves special attention, especially to those involved in technology in education.

Those of us monitoring the evolution of online options in education, we have seen a massive explosion of technology solutions and offers in all grade levels from both Open Source developers and commercial developers. We now have four-year institutions of higher education enrolling high school students in online dual credit courses in Missiouri; and in Texas (as soon as in september of 2009) among many offers in almost every state in the nation. It is also easy to find summer cybercamps for grade school children, cutting-edge e-labs for high school science, and many other options.

All these offerings should be carefully considered by students, teachers and parents. After all, we are only experiencing the begining of a new era: “The Unimaginable Annales of Technology Revolution in Texas Schools”.