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Duped by the System March 1, 2009

Posted by Dave Boardman in : Uncategorized , 2 comments

I find this misguided ant-Linux teacher a riot, but then I realize that many in education probably share her views. Linux and the open source movement are already proving a solid approach to empowering the children of the 21st century with the tools of the 21st century.

ICT Approaches February 28, 2009

Posted by Dave Boardman in : Teaching with Technology , add a comment

OLPC’s laptop distribution program has been the hallmark of the movement to enable the developing world to access technology. True, One Laptop Per Child has undergone both competition and criticism, but the project has closed in on the 1 million laptop distirbution, no small feat considering that the competition comes from well-funded hitters like Intel, HP, and others. For a project relying on open source trying to convince policymakers that something without the Windows label has even more value than the traditional standard, that’s no small challenge.

I just heard a news story about Inveneo, the San Francisco based organization whose desktop machine can run off a 12 volt battery (solar chargeable) and can provide a non-laptop option. The organization works on a smaller scale, relying on partners to develop projects more limited in scope, but with potentially greater longevity than a laptop distribution program. PRI’s The World news report can be accessed here. It’s worth a listen. Inveneo’s approach, OLPC’s work, and other efforts by nonprofits around the globe show that widening access to ICT takes many different approaches especially considering the vast economic, cultural, and political perspectives around the globe.

The latest February 20, 2009

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Rethinking the Neglected R Why blog? Research and my own classroom experience says kids write best when they write for a real audience, and when someone who actually cares is reading and responding to their work. That’s the magic of weblogs in a writing classroom. I describe some of my students’ experiences with technology in a chapter I wrote for Teaching the Neglected R; Rethinking Writing Instruction in Secondary Classrooms, edited by Richard Kent and Thomas Newkirk. It’s the best deal around for $24.30.

Thoughts on Podcasting December 22, 2008

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Reflections on Podcasting

Recently I spent some time thinking about podcasting and what my students might do with it. Click the link to hear my ideas.

My best new favorite sites November 30, 2008

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Rather than recreate the wheel – I use my Portaportal (guest: boardman) mostly for student projects and web resources – I thought I’d add some of the newest sites I’ve come across as a new posting on my technology weblog, something I maintain for friends and participants at several institutes I lead:

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ David Warlick’s blog has some of the greatest resources for educators who think about how the web and technology is used, and could be used by students. He talks about changing the way we think about literacy, and in today’s world of heavy information uploading, that seems an important skill for students to become aware of.

http://librarygarden.blogspot.com/ There’s a growing conversation about libraries; are the rows of books on their way out? Why exactly is it that some teachers stiill want three book sources and one Internet source? Some of the links are intriguing. This is a conversation I wasn’t aware was going on.

http://www.edutopia.org/ I get the sense that Edutopia, a George Lucas (Star Wars) funded foundation, gets it, the idea that schools can’t be these passive learning spots where teachers hand out the information like bread to the masses. The free magazine and good site often has links to cool tech-heavy grants. Time to score that quintet of G5s I yearn for.

http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm I have just recently discovered Multimedia Educational Resource for Online Teaching and Learning, and while the angle is for higher education, an idea is an idea in my book, and many of these strategies can be suited to fit a different audience.

Digital Storytelling Resources September 5, 2008

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Participants in the Maine Writing Project’s Adolescent Literacy Institute may find some of these links helpful as we examine digital storytelling:

http://www.niles-hs.k12.il.us/joebre/movie/ Take iMovie to another level. Look real smart.

http://www.apple.com/education/imovie/ Apple’s helpful starting point. iMovie and Digital Storytelling.

http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/techplan/page5897.cfm Tech Soup Offers a digital storytelling tutorial.

http://del.icio.us/DaveBoardman
This is my public bookmarking location where I stash links I come across on digital storytelling, reading, writing, technology, and anything else that looks promising. Might be messy, but could be promising.

http://www.tech-head.com
Big resources from a multimedia firm willing to share. Makes us think about the social learning ideas and the responsibility to share.

http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/tools.htm
Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. A collection of resources, tools and links.

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/grants/us/programs/tech_teaching/index.html
Hewlett-Packard’s grant program.

http://www.toolfactory.com/olympus_contest/
Olympus grant program.

http://www.imageafter.com/index.php
Some of the best free, royalty-free online images.  Nice large sizes.

http://www.dreamstime.com/
You pay for these photos, but sometimes it's worth the price.

http://www.sxc.hu/home
Stock-Xchange - free, royalty free images.  Must sign-up, but seems worth it.

http://www.bigfoto.com/
Big free photos from around the world.

http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/course/SITE2005-article.htm
Theory, examples, resources from the University of Houston.

http://www.digitales.us/
Digitales. More resources.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tellinglives/what.shtml
Great samples from “regular folk.” Students love the accents.

http://its.ksbe.edu/dst/
Integrating digital storytelling in the classroom. Good resources for teachers.

http://www.storycenter.org/
The Center for Digital Storytelling. Director Joe Lambert has a book out. You can also read their Digital Storytelling Cookbook: http://www.storycenter.org/memvoice/pages/cookbook.html

http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/storytelling/index.html
Adobe has a good resource page for educators.

http://islandmovie.k12.hi.us/
Thinking about what to do with all those digital stories? An idea from the Big Island.

http://web.media.mit.edu/~arnans/documents.html
Roger Sipitakiat from MIT’s Future of Learning Group wite’s about technology as a tool for conviviality. While the media is diferent, the experience can be the same.

http://www.umaine.edu/edhd/mwp/
Maine Writing Project

Students and Literacy September 1, 2008

Posted by digitalrecess in : Conversations , 1 comment so far

My students’ have very identifiable ways in which they are literate, from the musicians who can easily read music, the tennis star who knows the langauge of the game, the gamer who reaches new levels in Runescape, or the typical sports fan who can read box scores and translate batting averages into vivid mind pictures. Students are literate in so many different ways, and I have deep respect for their literacy learners.

But I also want them to develop literacy skills in the academic world and in many cases the real world that requires effective communicators to share ideas and persuade others. One student from last semester comes to mind as we talk about honoring literacies; Adam was a serious gamer, nearly to the level of obsession. He was/is tremendously literate in how video games operate and how one successfully plays a video game, and even knows some rudimentary designing. But in the real world, Adam is nealry illiterate. A simple letter is nearly incomprehensible, and his reading is basic. So in the world of literacy, where is Adam?

Maybe it’s like this: I respect his gaming literacy, and when I can, I seek to engage him in the curriculum through his interests. But he needs to come to the table, meet us part way there. I don’t buy the idea of no class text. Sorry, but I see a lot of kids looking for the easy ride, and while I’m not saying we’ll all read the same book, I do want there to be a common basis for conversation, and a common idea that we are striving for a higher achievement.

Literacy and Technology August 23, 2008

Posted by digitalrecess in : Teaching with Technology , 1 comment so far

These are just a few of the sites that I have found valuable when thinking about literacy and technology:

http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/teacher_resources/inspiration_templates/ Teaching with Technology

http://eduscapes.com/tap/ The Teacher Tap; Professional Development Resources for Educators

http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/technology.htm Tasmania is a real place and this is what they think about technology and literacy.

http://www.hltmag.co.uk/ Thoughts on langauge teaching and technology.

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/ Ideas and possibilities.

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te1000.htm
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory’s paper, “Critical Issue: Providing Professional Development for Effective Technology Use” answers many of the questions I raised in my own recent inquiry about professional development and technology.

http://elgg.net/csessums/weblog/ A Florida pal referred me to Chris Sessum’s blog, Teaching, learning, and computing. The guy is smart.

http://www.4teachers.org/
Helpful for links to professional journals. Well worth exploring.

http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/prodev.htm#littech
University of Connecticut’s “The Literacy Web” has valuable connections to professional development strategies relating to literacy and technology. Some of the links, like New Jersey’s Digital Highway, look promising but aren’t completed, while other links, like Literacy in the Digital Age, are packed with resources that really extend the potential for collaborative ideas and possibilities for professional development.

http://knowledgeloom.org/index.jsp
The Knowledge Loom sets up viewers with a range of possible entry points, from technology to literacy, or professional development.

http://www.quia.com/ Quia helps make quizzes, but what comes next?

http://www.smartdraw.com/ Like Inspiration, but free.

http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/ Try checking out the main Internet Public Library for connections to sciences, elementary ideas as well.

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest.html Webquests…

http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech005.shtml Thoughts on techno-constructivism

http://www.realebooks.com/ The guy who came up with this is a literacy professor at U-Kentucky Louisville. Possibilities? The student work I’ve seen is staggering.

Why we blog… July 23, 2006

Posted by digitalrecess in : Teaching with Technology , add a comment

Cindy Dean passed on the Maine Sunday Telegram piece on weblogging:

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/insight/guttman/060723ednote.shtml

It’s well worth a read.