Emerging Instructional Technologies Readings/Watchings/Listenings/Doings

Module #6 - Learning in a Virtual World

2011-11-13T11:11:00.001-08:00

Our dreamworld can be our Second Life . . .

Imagine a world where you can learn, socialize and work with people from all over the world. You can meet and greet people who have similar interests and goals but they live 3,000 miles away.

Second Life is a virtual world that isn't even a decade old. Launched in 2003, Second Life now has over 1 million users. These users include companies, schools, institutions as well as individuals who are looking for a different venue to explore their interests.

Educationally, SL is used primarily in the post secondary institutions. Due to the wide variety of inhabitants in Second Life, it is limited to those who are 16 years old and older. At one time there was a Teen Grid for younger users. It was highly guarded. Unfortunately, the Teen Grid was closed at the end of 2010.

There are many educational institutions and organization who flourish in Second Life. UNI has Iowa Island which houses Dr. Z's and a variety of merchants. Boise State University has a EduIsland which is a bustling world of learning, teaching and exploration. ISTE has an island where educators are constantly meeting for learning experiences both formally and informally. AECT has a meeting house, the CAVE and a number of experimental resources for exploring the possibilities that working in a virtual world can bring.

Playing to Learn by Learning to Play
Learning in a virtual world is exciting enough, but you will have the opportunity to learn about this virtual world by playing a game. As promised, we have used the Boise State University's game interface, 3D GameLab, to create an online, role-playing learning experience.

You will visit the UNI Second Life group on 3D GameLab. This group is filled with a variety of quests. A quest might be considered something like a module in education. You will complete at least 7 quests to learn about using Second Life. This is a pioneering opportunity in that Dr. Z has never done this before but it is being supported by a team of experienced gamers at Boise State University.

Your ultimate goal is to create a Topical Tour in Second Life. This is your Second Life assignment for class. Quests #1 - #4 teach you how to start Second Life, Move around, Take photos, Explore other islands, and change your appearance or create clothes. Quests #5 - #7 will introduce you to the actual assignment of creating a tour in Second Life and then submitting it.

Here is the process that you will follow:

You will be invited to join the UNI Second Life group by email.
Follow the included links and you will arrive at the group's website.
Sign into the game using the requested information. You should arrive at a page that looks something like this screen shot.
You will see there are 10 quests Available. Once you begin a quest, it will move to the In Progress section. When it is Completed, it will appear on the screen as such.
You will complete the first 7 quests. They are numbered in the order in which they are to be completed. If they appear out of order on the screen, complete them in order anyway.
Begin by clicking on the #1 Getting Started in Second Life quest. This is the quest where you will sign into Second Life and begin to explore. You probably already have an account and avatar. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CREATE A SECOND ACCOUNT. Just work your way through quest #1 and complete the submission instructions that you will find at the bottom of the quest. REMEMBER to complete the Submission on EACH QUEST.
When you have completed quest #1, move to #2 - Moving and Viewing Around Second Life.
Continue this until you have the 7 numbered quests completed. You will find that there are a few quests that are marked as Extra. These are not required but you might find them interesting to complete.

Badges, Achievements and Awards

As well as earning points for your class, you will be earning Badges, Achievements and Awards. They won't count towards your grades, but they will be fun to earn.

Badges - These are rewards that you earn as you complete your quests. This is also called Leveling Up.

Achievements - These rewards are earned by your actions. If you complete 3 quests in less than 3 days you will earn the 3 Ball Achievement.

Awards - Awards are given by the Game Master (teacher) based upon learner/player performance. Work hard and you should get recognized by your GM.

Happy playing and maybe there IS something in what we learned in the Gaming module that learning CAN be fun!!!

Module #5b: How Gaming Affects My World

2011-10-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

ultrapublications.com/JoshWV

Gaming is now officially part of your life.

In the first half of this module, you were challenged to play a video game for at least an hour. Chances are quite good that your gaming experience has lasted much long than that hour. In fact, you may have found your life has changed with a few hours per day dedicated to continuing to do your "homework."

Why is this? What does the gaming process provide that rewards you in such a way that you want to re-experience it?

You reflected on your playing and learning experience on your blog. You even read and reacted to your classmates' experiences. Did their experiences match yours? What were the similarities and differences?

Gaming is full of choices and the second half of this module will require you to make a choice. Below are two sets of resources that you must review. One of them deals with Gaming and Learning while the other addresses How Gaming Affects Our Daily Lives.

Gaming and Learning
What Teachers Need to Know about the Videogame Generation(.pdf)
7 Ways Games Reward the Brain
Gaming's Elements Make for Good Learning
How is Gaming Different for Boys and Girls?

How Gaming Affects Our Daily Lives
What Kids Learn That's Positive from Playing Video Games (.pdf)

How Gaming Makes a Difference in Your World
TED Talks About Gaming in Our Daily Lives
Is Gaming "As Real As Your Life?"

After you have read and watched the information in one of these sections, go to the discussion group linked from the Module 5 folder in BB9 and create a posting that addresses the writing prompts below. You will be expected to relate to the materials that you reviewed in these sections. Include other resources if you find them relevant.

Once you have completed your posting. You will be expected to engage your classmates in examining their points of view. This means that you will intelligently reply to AT LEAST 3 of your classmates in the area you selected. While you are welcome to discuss with classmates in the other area, those replies will not count.

Remember that the reason for this discussion is to cause you and your colleagues to process, examine and take apart the resources in these areas. Great ideas are built from well-examined resources.

Writing Prompts:
1. Review the overall theme of the collection of resources you examined?
2. Identify the concept that you found significant?
3. How can these concepts and ideas make a difference in the educational or living processes that you researched?
4. Explain an example of how this can/shall/could be different/improved if these concepts are used.
5. What needs to be done that will be of most value to improving learning/living using these precepts?

Remember to respond to your colleagues.

Module #5 - Gaming in Education

2011-10-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's NOT about the Games. It's about the Gaming.

Did you know that in 2008:

65% of US households played video games?
Almost 1/2 of the video gamers were adults < 49 years old?
The average gamer was 32?
2 out of 5 gamers were women.?

Gaming is not a fad. Video gaming is a way of life. Gaming is an activity that provides sufficient positive feedback to cause players to exclude all else. It is challenging enough to entice gamers to continually attempt to beat their last score.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if school was like gaming? Where students would be so motivated by their learning activities that they would get up early and stay up late to engage themselves in the learning process.

How Did Pac-Man Do It?
Pac-Man entered the market in 1980 and was followed by Ms. Pac-Man in 1981 (I remember my wife playing one of the original machines in Venice, CA.) It was spell binding. Players would funnel quarter after quarter to try to better their previous scores.

BUT WHY? What does Pac-Man have that was so appealing?

In 1982, R. F. Bowman released an article entitled A Pac-Man Theory of Motivation: Tactical Implications for Classroom Instruction which explained his theory. The article is not available online, but the Reading for Pleasure blogger, Dixie, included a useful summary. Read it.

Flow - The Psychology of the Optimal Experience
Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has studied states of "optimal experience" for over two decades. He is exploring the conditions and attitudes that engage people's concentration and attention to the point of total absorption. He calls this state of consciousness Flow. In this state of attention, learners are at their most receptive level.

Dr. Csikszentmihalyi discusses his theory of Flow in this 5-minute video.
It is the primary introduction to the Flow concept. He further explains its application to education in this short interview on Edutopia.org: Motivating People to Learn.

9 Characteristics of Flow have been identified. Learn these characteristics so that you can later relate them to the apparent aspects of gaming and learning.

Gaming's Elements Make for Good Learning
Gaming is a directional process where the player is guided towards a selected goal through positive and negative reinforcement. Isn't that similar to a good learning situation? How does that relate to the 9 characteristics of Flow?

Read this posting which discusses a list of 8 characteristics of Gaming. Relate these to those of Flow. What similarities do you see? What distinctions? You will also find a video of a leading gaming researcher, Dr. James Paul Gee. Watch this video and correlate it with the connections we have been discussing.

Consider your present concepts about gaming. Have they changed in the past 24 hours? If so, what have you realized? How does this affect your perspective as a trainer, teacher, educator?

Using Gaming Practices to Improve User Interface
If these gaming aspects lead to an optimal experience, then why not just use gaming for everything? Sebastian Deterding is a user interface/experience designer who suggests that we "Just Add Points" to make an experience better.

Enjoy Sebastian's presentation as takes you through his understanding of the interface world. You will notice that his slides are basic but beautiful. Along the bottom of each slide is the dialog in small text. (You will notice that this is posted on Slideshare.com. This is a wonderful site for storing your presentations. You can create your own channel as you would on YouTube and add your presos periodically. Check out Dr. Z's channel. You will find files from classes and conferences. Why don't you join and make your own channel?)

Time for Gaming
You have read and watched about gaming. Now it is time for you to play games of your own.

You need to find a game that is new to you. No, you can't go back to your old favorites of Halo, Call of Duty, or World of Warcraft. You must find another game that you haven't played so that you will begin with a clean slate. Maybe you need to kick your boyfriend or wife off of the console so that you can play for a while. (Be gentle. We don't want any domestic disputes from this assignment.)

Don't know what kind of game to play?
You need something that is complicated enough to provide you with some complex situations. Solitaire or Number Munchers or Cookie Monster's Alphabet Soup don't count.

Look for a simulation like Sims 3.0 or role-playing game like Diablo III.
Try out FarmVille or Mafia Wars on FaceBook.
Find a free one online. I found FloodSim for free online. It was educational.

GAMERS!!! Help your classmates. Find some good free games online and post them below in the comments.

You must play for at least an hour. Begin by reviewing all of the lists of characteristics that we have explored so far. Consider these as you learn the game and play it throughout the next 60 minutes. Reflect on your learning process (these just thought provokers.)

What helped? What hindered?
What were the good learning experiences?
Were you in The Flow? Why or why didn't you reach the Flow?
How has this affected you as a teacher or student or human?

Submission: Reflect about this on your blog. Spend some time analyzing this as a learning experience. What was the experience? How did it go? How will this affect you in the future?

Module 4: Global Education

2011-09-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Global Education is HERE!!

We have the tools to communicate with our neighbors who live down the street, across the state, across the nation and around the world. We live in the digital world where the world is "flattening."

Until the end of the semester, you will be involved in the Flat Classroom Project as advisors and judges. This is a program that is based on the work of Thomas Friedman. It is described in his "The World is Flat" book.

Watch Friedman's Lecture: To get the necessary background, you could read his 400-page book (and you really should do that over Winter Vacation), but you can get the idea by watching Thomas Friedman's 75-minute lecture at MIT on "The World is Flat." Pay attention to what he says about the Flatteners and how they have changed the world. These flatteners are the basis of the Flat Classroom Project.

The Flat Classroom Project was originated by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay. They are high school business teachers. Vicki teaches in Camilla, Georgia, USA and Julie Lindsay teaches at an international school in Bejing, China. The story is an interesting one. Please read their article call the Flat Classroom in Learning and Leading Through Technology. Yes, this is a 2007 article and things have changed a good deal since then, but it shows the premise for the program.

Our involvement with the Flat Classroom Project will be to work as Expert/Advisors and ultimately, Judges. This means that we will be reviewing the written work that students are doing and provide feedback through the discussion groups on their wiki pages.

We will be working in the Flat Classroom Project 2011-3 Please note this title because some of the videos may be from last year and they are talking about earlier projects.

Join the Flat Classroom Project Wiki.

Begin by going to the fcp11-3 Flat Classroom Project wiki. This is the wiki where we will be working.
Join the major Flat Classroom Project wikispace. Click on "Join" in the upper right corner of the page.

You will be probably be approved in the next 24 hours.

Join the FCP11-3 Flat Classroom Project

Once you have been approved to the major wiki, you will need to join THIS FCP11-3 wiki.
Put your attention on the orange column on the left of the screen. Click on Join this Wiki at the top of the column. This will enable you to specifically join the FCP11-3 wiki.
A Comment Screen should appear. Explain that you are in Dr. Z's class and you would like to join the project.

You will be probably be approved in the following 24 hours.

Join the FCP11-3 Flat Classroom Project Ning

First, you will have to go to the website and join the Ning. Here is a video that will tell you how to do that: NOTE: This is from last year, but the process is the same. Flat Classroom Intro and Joining the Ning
Create your profile on your My Page.
Once you have joined the Ning, I would like you to familiarize yourself with it and add information to your profile. You will also want to add a comment to the posting on my blog there. Here is a video that explains that as well: NOTE: This is from last year, but the process is the same. Familiarizing Yourself with the FCP Ning

Sign-up to Be an Expert-Advisor

Once you have joined all of the wikis and the ning, you will have to sign-up to be an Expert Advisor and select the area (flattener) where you wish to work.

Return to the Flat Classroom Project 2011-3 wiki.
Scroll down the orange column on the left until you find Expert Advisors. This is where you will sign-up for your position.
Click on Expert Advisors to go to that page.
CAREFULLY READ the page on what it takes to be an Expert Advisor.
Complete the Application Form and submit it.

Now scroll down further to the flatteners down below. You will see a list of 11 flatteners from the World is Flat book.

Read through them and select the one that you would like to assist. It's OK to have 2 advisors for a single flattener.
Click the Edit button in the upper right corner.
Put your name after the Expert Advisor: prompt where it says "Insert your name and a link to your Ning page."

Here is a video that describes the process. NOTE: This is from last year, but the process is the same. Signing Up for Expert Advisor video

Begin Your Expert Advising

Now that you have signed up for the wiki and the ning and identified where you would like to assist, you are ready to get explore.

Click the title of the flattener you just selected. You will move to that flattener's specific wiki page.
Click on Team A. That will take you to another page specific to our team.
Explore this page and become familiar with the topics the students will be asked to research.
Click on the three tabs at the top of the page. Explore these pages.
In the Notify Me tab, you can set settings that will notify you every time a student or teacher makes a change on this page. It is your decision as to whether or not you want to make this setting.

Greeting Your Advisees

Now that you are signed up, it is time to introduce yourself to your advisees. You may have noticed a discussion tab on the wiki. This is where you will exchange ideas with your students. Each of the students will be requested to contact you through the discussion tab. Here are the directions for making your initial introduction. There is a posting already there and you just need to reply to the posting. PLEASE carefully follow the directions!!! They are designed to make it easier for teachers to monitor their students' interactions with you.

KEEP A JOURNAL - As you go through the Flat Classroom experience, please keep a journal of what is happening. You can do this as part of your blog or a private journal. You will be expected to review your work in this journal as part of the final writeup for the Flat Classroom Project.

Flat Classroom Conferences

Every 2 years, the FCP group like to get together to talk and share their FCP experiences. This is an opportunity for teachers and students from around the world to meet and learn from each other.

The first conference was based upon the question of "What happens if we empower students with the ability to design an educational project that will address a global social issue and allow them access to any and all community online networking tools?"

Here is a video that covers the first Flat Classroom Conference:

Flat Classroom Conference in Qatar, 2009

There was a world-wide Flat Classroom Project conference in Bejing in Feb, 2011.
8 of our graduate students attended the conference and made presentations there. There is no video on it yet, but here is a link to Flickr photos from the conference.

Skyping in the Classroom
The Flat Classroom Project isn't the only way that you can connect with other classes.
Silvia Tolisano is an elementary school teacher who uses Skype to connect with other classes around the world. In fact, she has a project called Around the World in 80 Schools. Watch her video, Around the World with Skype. She demonstrates some of the applications that can be accomplished with Skype as well as some hints on how to do it better.

Building Collaboration Through VoiceThread

VoiceThread - Ever look for a way that you can have learners virtually gather around a video or document and then discuss it? VoiceThread will allow you to be able to do this.

Your assignment (should you decide to accept it) is to:

1) Go to VoiceThread and sign up for an account.

2) Go to the VoiceThread discussion site that is linked right here.

3) Click on my photo on the left so that you can hear the instructions.

4) Watch the video, Learning to Change-Changing to Learn.

Yes, you will see the responses of students from last semester. That is one of the beauties of this form of collaborative technology. You can build upon others' work.

5) Comment on the video using the prompts below. You can comment through audio, video, text. Whatever you want.

a) Your comment should include your ideas about what is said in the video about education.

b) Integrate what you have read so far in our class.

c) React to what at least one of your classmates has commented so far. If you are the first commentor, you can make a general statement that addresses the World's perspective on this topic.

Learn more about VoiceThread through watching this video and this blog posting on MPB Reflections

Judging Videos in the Flat Classroom

The last part of the Flat Classroom Project is to judge the videos that the various student groups created. This is your opportunity for you to see the final outcome of their work.

You need to follow these steps to become a judge:

Read the WHOLE Judges page.
Sign Up for Being a Judge: Find the "How do I sign up to judge?" section at the bottom of the Judges page.
Complete the Online Sign-Up Form. Place UNI at the end of your last name (i.e., Zeitz - UNI) You will be assigned a group to evaluate. This group is different than the group you Advised earlier in the semester.
Join the Judges Ning. You have already joined the Flat Classroom Ning so you just need to click on the Sign In link in the upper right corner of the ning. Use the same user name and password as you did for the Flat Classroom Ning.
Just for fun, Review many of the videos and information that are on the Ning. This is NOT where you will find the videos you will be judging, but it will give you background in what you will find.

Doing the Judging:

Watch the Judging Training video. It is a recording of a previous training session. his is an international session with educators from 3 continents. When you click on the link, it will download a file to your computer to allow you to play it. You may need to double-clock on this file to open a new program to watch/listen to the program. (It starts slowly, but it's worth it.)
When you review your students' videos you will use the A-B rubric posted on the FCP Rubrics page.
Timeline:

The judging will officially begin on November 28.
All of the videos will not be available until December 5. The Final Videos will be posted on the Master List.
You must complete your judging and submit your results by December 9 (the timeline says Dec 11, but this is the deadline for your class.)

After you have completed your judging, include your experience in the Flat Classroom Project final reflection paper that you are submitting. final writeup for the Flat Classroom Project.

Photo: Flat Classroom Project

Module 3 - Social Networking in Education

2011-09-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

Getting Into the Blog-o-sphere

You have already entered the blog-o-sphere by beginning to follow some bloggers. What did you learn? What comments did you leave on the bloggers' postings? Did you get any responses back from anyone?

Now that you have reviewed the postings of accomplished bloggers, what do you think? Was it useful? How could you make blogging useful to you?

It is time for you to create your own blog-o-sphere identity. You will begin by creating a blog and then begin to share your ideas, experiences and resources. In the past we have said that blogging involves Reading, Commenting, and Writing/Creating. You have already had the opportunity to read and comment. Let's hope that you continue with this enthusiasm as you embark on your blog writing/creating experience.

Remember to read Disrupting Class: pp. 43 - 120

Writing/Creating

Writing is the key to it all. This is where you can share your ideas with world. It is where you have to confront your thoughts. I once had a professor (Dr. David Moursund) who told me that he didn't know how he felt about a topic until he had written about it. Writing requires you to organize your ideas so that you can express them in a clear and cogent manner.

1. First thing you must do is create a blog. We use Google's Blogger as the standard because it is quick and easy, but you can use whichever blog you would like. Just remember that it needs to be accessible to the world.

Here is a 2-minute video on how you can create your first Blogger account.

2. Your blog will be enhanced if you add a few gadgets to it. I would suggest that you add: 1) Subscribe to (allows others to subscribe to your blog); 2) Labels (lists the labels you have added to your postings); and 3) Stats (shows how frequently people visit your website.) Here is a video that will show you how to add these three gadgets to your blog.

Your browser cannot play this video. Learn how to fix this.

3) Now that you have the easel, it is time for you to share your ideas. This is where you get to reflect upon the blogs you have been reading for the past couple of weeks. Here are some things that I want you to review:

Review the names of the blogs you have been reading.
Explain what each of them discuss?
Have you found them to be as interesting as you expected? Why?
Have you found a common theme between them? Is there a general reason why you selected them?
What have you found to be the attributes of these blogs that have been effective in making them interesting and useful?

REMEMBER!!! This is NOT in an enclosed eLearning discussion group that ONLY Dr. Z will read. It is in the public. All of your classmates will be reading it. People in the public may read it. DON'T write it like you are answering this writing prompts on a test. Write it in a manner that will interest your colleagues.

You MUST read all of your classmates' postings and thoughtfully respond to them by the end of the module.

What to write? Sometimes it's tough to find what to write. The MOST important part of blogging is to be PASSIONATE about what you write. Here is a list of ideas for writing prompts but get creative!!!

Once you have an idea, here are some hints for making effective postings. You may have found some other ideas about what makes a posting interesting.

Begin with an active title. (i.e., Making Your Blog Postings More Interesting; 5 Ways to Extend Your Summer Vacation; How Blogs Changed the Writing Process in my 10th Grade English Class; or ????)
Include an image or photo of some sort. You can find a wealth of photos you can use (as long as you cite them as I have done below) at Flickr/CreativeCommons (www.flickr.com/creativecommons)
Always include at least 2 links to something relevant on the web. This means that when you discuss the Dr. Z Reflects and Clif's Notes blogs, you must have links to those websites so that your reader can examine them. It is similar to the APA citations you have to do in your research papers, only it is MUCH easier to include. Include links to your classmates postings. Build community.
Your postings must have depth and that is more than can be captured on the single page. Writing a post can be a small research project that will provide readers a deeper understanding of the topic. This depth is provided by the additional links you provide your readers.
End your postings with questions to elicit responses from your readers.

Here are some blog postings on how/why to create good blog postings.

So how do you see yourself using blogs in your future teaching/training careers?

Twitter and TweetDeck
Twitter is an important form of communication. It seems to be used more in the professional world (Facebook fills that person niche for social networking.) Instead of making this page unduly long, I have created a Blogger Page and dedicated it to Twittering. This is a new capability of Blogger. The nice thing about this is that I don't have to deal with it as a dynamic blog post. It is also available for linking from anywhere on the Web in case you want to use it in another form. Only limitation is that you can only have 10 of these pages per blog.
Go to the Twitter Page and then come back here to see what needs to be done.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Create these columns in TweetDeck:

Create a column that will follow our list of class twitter-ers: eitF2011
Create a column that will follow the hashtag: #UNI_IT
CHALLENGE: Create a column that will follow tweets about a specific area of interest to you. I am not going to tell you how to do this. You need to search the web or twitter or YouTube to find out how to do this.

RSS and Your Personal Learning Network

Another problem with seemingly endless amount of information on the web is trying to get to it. Each time you want to read the blogs you have selected, you have to click on the bookmark you have created and then go to the blog to see if there are any new postings. Sometimes there aren't. WHAT A PAIN!!!!!

Wouldn't it be easier if we could just subscribe to these blogs so that they would come to us like a magazine in the mail? Well folks, we CAN!!!! We use the magic of RSS. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication (RSS).

Wondering about RSS?

Read What the Heck IS RSS? - (a 2-page description on CopyBlogger)

Watch RSS in Plain English - (a 3-minute video on YouTube)

RSS allows us to be connected to the world. Think how this could change the structure of education. Here is video explaining how a teacher and students used RSS to create a student-centric learning environment.

The Networked Student - a video that tells a true story about how a student used a Personal Learning Network (PLN) to develop a network of resources for his learning.

Beginning Your iGoogle/Personal Learning Network

Now that you have seen what's possible with a well-developed personal learning network, it's time for you to create your own. There are many programs used to collect resources through RSS. These are called aggregators because they aggregate RSS feeds.

Teachers create PLNs to organize resources for themselves and ultimately their students. Art Titzel, an 8th grade Amarican Cultures teacher, explains in his blog how he created and maintains his PLN. How I Built My Personal Learning Network (PLN)

For this class, we will use iGoogle. iGoogle is available to anyone who has a Google account. Below is an introduction to creating your own iGoogle-based PLN.

The iGoogle Online Tutorial Part 1 - a 9-minute introduction to setting up your iGoogle account. Watch this and then set up your iGoogle account. Use this video to begin creating your own iGoogle page.

Begin Creating Your Own PLN - a short video that describes how you can create a tab on your iGoogle page completely dedicated to your classmates' blogs.This process can be used to create an RSS link to other blogs and resources throughout the web.

Blogs You Need to Subscribe to:

Classmates' Blogs - Go to our Student Contact wiki and find the links to your classmates' blog. Use the subscribe buttons on their blogs to subscribe to them through iGoogle. These blogs need to be in the blog tab that you just created.
Professional Blogs - You have been following blogs. Link to them so that you can keep up on them.

Read the Blogs:

Read Your Classmates' Blogs - You are expected to read ALL of your classmates' and comment on them. Check your PLN every day. Keep up on this.

How to Comment Like a King (or Queen)

Read the Professional Blogs - Keep up on these blogs as well. You will expand your connections as you comment and reply to these bloggers.

TweetDeck and iGoogle are personal systems that only you can review. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't complete this assignment. You WILL be held accountable.

photo: flickr.com/roland

Module 2 - Exploring Distributed Learning Communities

2011-08-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

Distributed Learning Communities

You are entering a distributed learning community. Distributed learning environments are often separated by distance. More importantly, the dynamics of a successful distributed learning community will be on the students. It will emphasize building a community of learners where individuals work collaboratively with their group members rather than competitively. Students can be experts and are acknowledged as such. It is a community where individuals work for the betterment of the group.

A learning community is a group of learners who actively demonstrate 4 characteristics:

1. Diversity of expertise;

2. Shared objective of advancing the collective knowledge;

3. Learning how to learn; and

4. Mechanisms for sharing what is learned.

Dr. Christopher Dede of Harvard University wrote about how distributed learning communities can be supported/enhanced through emerging technologies. Read the following two articles and consider how this model relates to your past and present educational experiences:

Web 2.0 Tools
The interactive nature of Web 2.0 tools facilitates interaction between people. The Internet has flattened the playing field between people and nations of the world. No longer is geography a limiting factor for human and professional interaction. X-rays taken in Bangor, Maine, can be read by a doctor in San Diego, California. A customer support call from Las Crusas, New Mexico, is answered by a specialist in Manila, Philippines.

The educational opportunities have been expanded as well. Ninth grade Spanish students in Pleasant Plains, Illinois will practice the language as they Skype with high school English students in Aguas Dulces, Uruguay. A third grade student in Des Moines can work weekly with a tutor in Bangador, India. Our ethnocentric world will never be the same.

Solomon and Schrum discuss how the world is different and how this affects the learners in our schools. Read pages 1 - 44 in the Web 2.0 book. While you are reading, consider these following points. You will use this as the basis for the reflecting you will do in the Discussion section of this module:

Compare this with the Disrupting Class reading you did last week. How will they work together?
How are these scenarios different from your present/past educational experience.
Will these learning environments fit your learning needs? How about those of your present/future students?
Consider specific instances that would demonstrate your ideas.

Collaborative Class Wiki:

One of the most important premises of a distributed learning community is recognizing diversity of expertise. We won't know "who specializes in what" unless you tell us. I have created some wiki pages that correspond with the learning community experiences for this semester. Please go to the class wiki and enter your pertinent information in the Student Contact Information page. This information is something that you will need to continue to update as things change throughout the semester.

Here are some videos that I created (using a screencasting tool, Jing) to introduce you to our wiki and how to edit it. Review these to see if they will assist you in your quest.

Videos:

An Introduction to Using a Wiki
How to Edit a Wiki (use this to complete the assignment)

Blogging

Blogging is the tool that has done a great deal to democratize information and communication. No longer do we need to have our own printing press to share our ideas with others. It is as easy as 1-2-3 (see Blogger) to hang out your publishing shingle and get into the business of writing for the public.

Let's see what a blog is and what it can be:

Before you can blog, you need to know what composes a blog. You need to have background in reading blogs in your area of interest. You need to see how postings are usually more interesting if they have been well researched and provide a variety of links that will help the reader explore further into the topic. You need to become an active member of the Blogosphere. You will be reading blogs this module and begin to write your own blog in module 3.

Working with blogs during this course will involve Reading, Commenting, and Writing/Creating.

Reading

1. Read ALL of your classmates' blogs ALL of the time. It is important to keep up on what they are saying. It will also give them a reason to write. Blogging has little meaning if no one is reading it. Besides, it will mean that someone will be reading yours as well.

You will find links to your classmates' blogs in the right-hand column of this RWLD. See them over there?

2. Follow at least 4 of these professional blogs over the rest of the semester.

Dr. Z Reflects (Leigh Zeitz) ***** - Explores ideas, gadgets and opportunities for using technology to support learning.
Social Media in Learning (Jane Hart) - Deals with both business and K-12 learning.
Cool Cat Teacher Blog (Vicki Davis) - Ranked #1 education blog. Written by a high school business teacher with an amazing global perspective.
2 Cents Worth (David Warlick) - Leader in using Web 2.0 tools in education.
Dangerously Irrelevant (Scott McLeod) - Technology, Leadership and the Future of Education
ClifNotes (Clif Mims) - Wide variety of ideas and reflections. Explore his whole website to find a wonderful collection of ingenuity.
Langwitches Blog (Silvia Tolisano) - Elementary school teacher with a global vision. Avid user of Skpe.
Angela Maiers' Blog - K-12 ideas and experiences. Good blog for classroom teachers and those who want to know about integrating Web 2.0 into the classroom.

3. Read at least 2 blogs in a personal area of interest. Use the Google Blog Search (blogsearch.google.com) to find someone who writes about what you enjoy. This search will provide you with postings, but usually the blogs that hold the postings are in your area of interest.

Commenting

Commenting is important if you are going to be an involved part of the Blogosphere. Your comments give a blogger an indication that someone is reading her/his work. That gives a sense of mission. Interestingly enough, bloggers will often respond to your comments either directly or in an future posting.

Useful comments are much more than just a quick reaction to a posting. They can build the basis for an ongoing discussion. They can add additional content to the discussion. They can . . . tell you what, I don't want to make a huge list here. Why don't you jump over the Vicki Davis's CoolCatTeacher blog and read her posting, How to Comment like a King (or Queen). Comment on her blog using her guidelines. Say something about being in our EIT class. We will be working with her later on in the semester.

Emerging Instructional Technology Twittering:

Another thing that we will be doing this week is signing up for Twitter. This will be a way that we can follow each other as well as follow any comments that apply specifically to our Emerging Instructional Technologies (EIT - I will use the EIT to refer to our class.)

Twitter in Plain English video

User Name Advice:
Before you sign up for Twitter, consider this when selecting your screen name. Twitter is usually used for more professional activities. You should use a username that you will use for ALL of your places on the social media network. This should be a professional name that will easily identify you.

DON'T use one with long numbers or cute sayings: jbrown714456 or funnyguy3933
DO use something with your name if possible zeitz, leighzeitz, leigh.zeitz, vvrotny

Join Twitter. Go to the Twitter homepage and sign up (http://twitter.com).
Follow Dr. Z. Once you are signed in, go to http://twitter.com/zeitz Click on the Follow button so that you can follow my tweets. I will automatically follow you back, so you will know that you have at least one follower
Get a Twitter App. Download TweetDeck from http://tweetdeck.com This is a program that you can run from your computer to check your twitter account. I suggest this because it makes it easy to organize the tweets from your friends.
Tell us Your Username. Go to our NamePage where you will post your twitter name.

Go to the Twitter Page and then come back here to see what needs to be done.

Read about Guy Kawasaki's 10 Steps to Terrific Twittering by Lauren McKay. Consider how you could use this in your professional life. You don't need to just use it with your students. Twitter can be a powerful personal professional development tool that will open you to the world. (Optional Reading: the Edutopia posting, Twittering, Not Frittering: Professional Development in 140 Characters)

We will use a few different ways to follow each other:

Hashtags (#eitF2011)
Lists
TweetDeck columns

I will provide more information on how to use these in the next module.

Review (don't have to read) these 6 Sources for Using Twitter in Education

Twitter Spoofs for a little fun.

Have fun,

photo: flickr.com/cekrypton2

RWLD #1 - The Introduction

2011-08-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Begin by completing the ILS questionnaire below and then entering your personal information into the following surveys.

Surveys to Complete:

Index of Learning Styles (ILS) Questionnaire
Learn which learning styles are your strengths. PRINT your results.
Learning Styles Survey using the information you just learned from the ILS Questionnaire.
Technical Skills Survey I will use this information to begin to create groups.

Watch these videos. They will hopefully provide some interesting perspectives on emerging technology throughout the ages.

Introducing Le Book - depicts the process that a support person might have used when books were first introduced.
Iowa, Did You Know? - Interesting video that uses data about today's world to demonstrate how it is changing and providing us with ideas about the world where our students will be living.
Web 2.0 . . . The Machine is Us/ing Us - How has/is life changing in the digital age. Prof. Wesch explains this in this video. Learn what Prof. Wesch is learning about the digital age at Kansas State University.
The Sixth Sense - Dr. Pattie Maes shares her research into creating a wearable device that "enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data." This video is on the TED website. These are short presentations by some of the greatest minds in the world. You will enjoy exploring the TED Talks website. It will definitely replace the time you spend watching TV.

Remember to read pages 1 - 44 in the Disrupting Class book.

Consider how the world and innovations depicted in the previous video connect with the ideas portrayed in Christensen's book.

photo:flickr.com/GypsyFae