False Alarm

That last post was not the final post of the semester.

I failed to post my favorite assignment that I did. I linked to this in the last post, and even disparaged it a bit, but I am fairly proud that I was able to figure out the whole podcast thing.

Should you feel so inclined, give them a listen.

Thanks.

It's the Final Countdown!

Duh nuh nuh nuh. Duh nuh dun dun. "They're illusions, Michael."

For this final post, I am supposed to pick the most useful technology I have learned this semester. I chose two. No, three.

I believe I have mentioned this before, but I feel that blogging is such as fantastic tool for the classroom. It allows students to access information about the class from the comforts of their own home. This provides opportunities for those who slough legitimately miss class to catch up on assignments, or see the lecture information they might have missed. Students also have the opportunity to leave comments or ask questions of the teacher after school hours.

For my media project, I made a couple of dubious podcasts designed to help introduce a couple of units. I believe podcasting is another great way to get information to students in a nontraditional manner. It also allows them to listen to the information at their leisure. Perhaps there is one student who just cannot fall asleep without listening to the honey-kissed voice of Mr. Vance drone on about colonial relations in sweet, dulcet tones. . .or it could just be a way to provide extra information without taking time out of your lecture. I would be interested in improving the format I attempted for my media project, utilizing podcasts to introduce units and prepare students for the day/week's discussion.

I also found Prezi to be a really fun presentation tool. Powerpoints have a tendency to be stale, and--let's admit it--most of us are pretty bad at designing slides. Mine typically end up looking like graphic designer farts. Prezi makes it fairly simple to design an engaging aid to your presentation or discussion. It's free for students and educators, so give it a look! Unless this site disappears into internet limbo (Myspace? Friendster? Anyone? Bueller?), I will probably choose this tool over Powerpoint to prepare my lectures. It is not, however, without its limits. But explore the site and see if it will work for you.

Technology just has a way of making things interesting. Would you rather read a textbook chapter or listen to a podcast? Geocaching and virtual tours seem infinitely more fun than those pull-down maps that always roll back up on unsuspecting substitutes. Students can become more active in learning by using these technologies. If I learn a great new technology, why not get students to use it? Why can't they make podcasts, too? Assign them a topic, and let them have at it. That would make it easier on me, as a teacher. I would much rather listen to a podcast than grade a paper.

Prezi-tation

I just watched Ridley Scott's Robin Hood--quite possibly the muddiest movie in the history of cinema. Thoroughly uninspiring, except for one thing: those creepy, deer-poaching Children of the Corn!

Poaching.

Yes, I poach blogs. Deer tend to be messy and smelly, but blogs are a clean kill. Looking around at some of my classmates' blogs, I found one post by David Root someone who shall remain nameless, which talks about using Prezi.

Prezi! I checked out their website, and I was instantly intrigued. It has the potential to create presentations that are infinitely more interesting than the majority of Powerpoints I have seen in my time.

These presentations seem so much more interactive and visually interesting than a series of slides. I could see them being used as end-of-unit projects or presentations, such as a visual timeline of major historical events of the unit.

I feel that presentations and projects can be effective means of assessing what a student has learned throughout the course of a unit. As such, I propose to explore how to have students utilize Prezi to create presentations that will demonstrate their knowledge.

The example on the Prezi site shows how an entire presentation can be zoomed out to reveal that it was all in the mind of a cartoon pig. Imagine that! What kinds of interesting reveals could be created in a project about, say. . . the Salem Witch Trials?

Podcasts!

For my multimedia project, I opted to record a couple of podcasts. To be completely honest, I had originally intended to record a podcast where historically significant figures were asked to sit down for a discussion. As I got working on the project, however, I decided to head the project in another direction. What I have recorded are two roughly sixty-second summaries of potential units. They are intended to give a very brief introduction and to get students thinking and relating to the subjects they are about to study. Each podcast ends with a few discussion questions which I would like the students to consider and be prepared to answer on the first day of the unit.

Here's the link to the new podcast blog:
http://shortyshorts.blogspot.com

The first podcast coincides with U.S. History I UEN standard 4, objective 2: Assess the reasons for settlement of the English colonies. This podcast would open the unit about English colonies. It briefly introduces a few of the groups that formed colonies, as well as their reasons for doing so. The end of the podcast lists the three main reasons for any sort of colonization: gold, god, and glory. The question is then asked, what would convince you to leave your home to colonize a new land? The intention is to cause students to evaluate and synthesize information about reasons for colonization, applying that thinking to their own lives. Hopefully, this will lead to a lively class discussion and increased participation by the students.

The second podcast correlates with standard 5, objective 1: Analyze what ideas and events led to the Revolutionary movement. This podcast has the same aims and goals as the first. Its focus is on the Enlightenment and its effect on the Revolutionary movement. John Locke is discussed--not the John Locke of LOST fame, but the John Locke who developed the revolutionary theory of government. When a government ceases to protect rights or loses the consent of the people, it then becomes the responsibility of that people overthrow that government. The question is then asked of students, is this right? Are there any problems with this theory?

I chose to change the format of my podcasts, because I believe this is something I could/probably will actually use in my classroom. I intend to improve on the formula, making them more funny, entertaining, and/or informative. Nevertheless, I hope that these two examples will give a general idea of what I intend.

For those of you who have actually read this far, I apologize for such dry, uninspired writing this time. My brain farted while recording those podcasts, and I'm still reeling from the smell.

World Domination

Does anybody else harbor secret, irrational fears that Google will take over the world? Do you have nightmares about waking up to find that our world leaders have surreptitiously been replaced by brightly-colored letters in Catull BQ font? At the next State of the Union, a giant, blue G will step up to the podium with his little g flunky strong-arming nosy reporters out of the way. We will all be required to spend the rest of our back-breaking days retrieving search engine queries and performing analytics on websites.

Well, if such a candy-colored dystopian vision of the future is to be true, I want to make sure I'm on the winning side. That being said, here is a great site that is full of tutorials on how to use Google tools in your classroom.

It teaches how to make self-grading quizzes. I think these could potentially be a great way to quickly quiz students. Of course, self-grading seems to imply that they will be nothing but multiple choice, so it wouldn't be the best choice in all situations. It would also require that every student have free access to a computer in order to complete the quiz.

Still, I believe Google has a number of helpful tools for the teacher. I recently watched one U.S. History teacher coach her class on how to collaborate on a paper, using Google Docs. Students were able to write, edit, and discuss the paper without having the hassle of coordinating rides and a meeting location.

Hail, Google! Those who are about to teach salute you.

SnagFilms? What the--?

Full disclosure: When I first saw information about SnagFilms, my initial thought was that they might be some sort of lesser, younger brother version of snuff films. If you don't know what snuff films are, for the love of everything wholesome, don't go Google any examples.

But truthfully, now that we've all probably Googled at least the definition, don't SnagFilms sound like some sort of tawdry, exploitative film about a killer hangnail?

Well, they're not.

As it happens, SnagFilms is a fantastic site where one can access and view documentaries in their entirety. I'm not exactly sure how this works--especially in light of last week's copyright assignment--but if you're interested, take a look at their terms of service. The videos are embeddable, so long as you embed them using their own widget.

There's even an educational version. Here, videos can be sorted according to grade level and topic. On the right-hand side of the screen, there are also links to similar teacher resources. There are links encouraging you to submit a lesson plan based on the film, so that other teachers can benefit, and there are also discussion questions for students to consider as they watch the film.

I know there has been a bit of discussion in class lately as to the efficacy and appropriateness of watching films in class. Whichever side of the divide you find yourself landing on, this website surely has a video you would find useful, should you decide you want one.

One video that particularly caught my attention was a documentary about a prom in Charleston, Mississippi. This prom was completely financed by actor Morgan Freeman. His one stipulation: the prom was to be the first fully integrated prom in the city's history. Since 1970, the school has been integrated, but has held segregated proms. In 1997, Morgan Freeman made his original offer for an integrated prom. It was summarily rejected. In 2008, he made the offer again, and the school board agreed.

Watch more free documentarieshttp://learning.snagfilms.com/film/prom-night-in-mississippi

During a unit about civil rights, this would be a great film to help students see how segregation and racism affects us even today. I feel that this film would be such an effective way for students to see that the civil rights movement extends beyond the old black-and-white newspaper photos (erm. . . not intended. Seriously.), and that it is something their contemporaries are facing and asking questions about right now.

But returning to the general topic of SnagFilms, can anybody explain to me how this site works? I mean, how does this fit in with current copyright laws? Do I just need to go back and review the copyright lesson?

Also, would anybody watch a snag film about a murderous hangnail rampage?

Copy "Right?" Pt. II

Dear Teacher,

I really don't mean to be "that guy," but your video was kind of boring. I hated it just a little bit. It was poor audio, and a bunch of grainy pictures. I'm not exactly sure where you got them, but they failed to impress. They were also not cited. As an educator, I'm sure you already knew that, and it was just a simple oversight.

I was also completely underwhelmed by your choice of music. I could barely even hear it, anyway. It sounded like it might have come from Freeplay music. I learned about that site today. It's kind of cool, how you can use that music without having to worry about copyright violations. Of course, posting it on the internet is another matter, I believe.

Anyway, I'm sure you already knew all this. I know I sound like a jerk, but it's late, and I am tired of writing these fictional letters. I hope you have a wonderful day. I also hope that I never meet you in real life, because you might just punch me in the throat.

Sincerely,
Jordan

Copy "Right?"

Dear Melissa & Nick,

I am writing this to inform you that I have stolen your video from Youtube and embedded it into my blog. Please don't be angry, because it would do no good--I can't see you.

But since we're all students, I figure we might as well be on the same team. Right? Well, it looks like you have been learning a lot about different artists and techniques that have developed through the ages. I think that is fantastic.

In my own class, we have been learning about copyrights and fair use. I propose a trade: I give you some advice on copyright requirements, and you can tell me why artists are always painting naked dudes. Fair deal?

Well, to begin with, I loved the music in your video--well, I loved the first song. I wasn't crazy about the second one, but it's your creative work, not mine. At any rate, I'm not sure if you were given permission to use those songs. If you were, that's fantastic! If not, I feel it my duty as an American citizen to inform you that we're only allowed to use 10% (or up to 30 seconds) of a song for which we don't have permission. That would have saved my ears on that second song. . . .

As for the pictures, they were incredible! Those works of art look amazing. Okay, a few of them were a little pixelated. In that case, copyright shouldn't matter, right? I mean, who would wanna bother copyrighting a trashy, pixelated picture? And I understand why you would leave the watermarks on some of the others--I mean, it's a lot of work to Photoshop those out! I sometimes have difficulties lifting a can of Coke to my lips. Phew!

I had a problem with knowing where they came from, though. In fact, that was a problem I had with all of the media you used. There was a brief shout out to Augustana in the credits, but that wasn't enough for me. Had you provided citations for the pictures, I would have been able to tell if they came from a copyrighted collection, or whether you were using more than 15 images (or again, 10%) of an artist's work.

But don't beat yourself up about it. I mean, I just barely learned a lot of this stuff, myself. All of that 10% stuff? Brand spanking new knowledge! I'm pretty sure I'll make some mistakes in the future, too. I'm just trying to help some friends out. I'd say that I look forward to viewing your next work, but to be honest, I don't know who the devil you are.

Sincerely,
Jordan

Website

Well, I made a class website for a couple of fictional classes that I teach. All I can say is, I feel bad for those fictional students, with all the fictional homework that I fictionally assigned them. At any rate, here is the link:

https://sites.google.com/site/mrvancesushistory/

I struggled a bit with the format of one of my pages. I was repeatedly frustrated in my attempts to get two gadgets to line up side-by-side. But eventually, I prevailed. Right there, on the homepage, you can see these two gadgets that gave me so much heartburn--on top of what I was already experiencing from a potent combination of Coke and goldfish crackers.

I embedded a Goodreads bookshelf, which I figured I could use to suggest books to students. There were times that a subject really sparked my interest, and I would have loved to have someone point me to additional literature. It's not going to be for everyone, and I suspect that my fictional students will mostly fictionally ignore it. But I suspect that there are at least one or two who will develop a fictional affinity for one of the subjects I will never actually teach to those nonexistants.

Another gadget I embedded was a newsfeed from Google. I figure that current events will eventually turn into not-so-current events. I was observing a history classroom today that had a newspaper, touting Obama's election, hanging on the wall. That didn't seem like it was that long ago, but it's already an important part of American history. I just hope I don't have a classroom of fictional Republicans.

To any of my classmates who feel the urge to check out my website, be warned: I may have stolen some of your ideas. I'm sorry, but the devil made me do it. Fictionally.

At the Movies

I love movies. Prior to deciding on a teaching career, I was a film student. Who doesn't love movies? Those were the best days in high school, you have to admit. If my memory serves me correctly, they went something like this:

10:01 - Teacher shushes everybody until we actually listen
10:04 - It is announced that today, we will be watching a movie. Pandemonium ensues.
10:06 - After regaining momentary control of the class, the teacher threatens to take the movie away and lecture the whole time if we all don't just shut up.
10:10 - After fiddling with the antiquated VCR (what?), the movie starts and begins auto-tracking.
10:11 - With the lights out, the class relatively silent, and an authoritative voice droning in the background, I gently put my head down on my desk and. . . pay very close attention.

The truth is, I honestly do believe that videos can be used to help facilitate learning. There is something about the combination of both visual and aural input that jump starts the learning elves lounging about in my brain (Yes, learning elves--don't judge me).

This is a website with relatively short videos on just about any US History subject, from just before the Civil War to the War on Terror.




To be completely upfront and honest, it's kind of a good thing that they're short clips, because they can be fairly dry. Nevertheless, they could provide a welcome break from lecturing, or could allow a couple of minutes for a teacher to compose himself. I could definitely see myself using this to punctuate a point I had previously made in a lecture. One of the things I like is how it shows some of the key points on the screen during some of the videos. This would make it relatively easy for me to quickly do an oral quiz or just to review the main ideas immediately following the video.

American History e-Book

While browsing through the US History Teachers Blog, I found a post about this site. Looking through it, I thought it was a fantastic resource. Like the post says, it is very easy to navigate the site, and it is full of great information.

It is not without its faults, however. It is still under construction, and a few of the features are not yet working. The quizzes and "Think About. . ." sections are not up yet. They're also small buttons, which would be easy to miss. I also was not able to locate any sort of bibliography, so using this site for an AP class might not be a great idea.

On the other hand, the site provides some very useful and relevant links to outside sites and sources, depending on what section you are reading. These are easily located down the left side of the screen.

My Personal Learning Network

Many people think of learning as some sort of monastic exercise--something done in complete silence and isolation, preferably in the bowels of some stone vault. Wait, maybe that's just my idea. At any rate, such is not the case. Some of the best learning occurs in environments where ideas are freely shared and acquired. With that in mind, here are some of the blogs and people I am following in order to reap the benefits of their minds (which admittedly makes me sound disturbingly similar to a brain-sucking serial stalker):


D-bomb.com - This is a great blog by one of my group members

In Teaching You Will Learn - Yet another fantastic blog by one of my dynamic group members

Life in the Day - The third in a terrific trifecta of group member blogs

World History Teachers Blog - This is a fantastic blog for anybody who plans to, or already is teaching World History. It is a place where ideas and technology that would be helpful in the classroom can be shared.

US History Teachers Blog - Yet another great blog for US History teachers. As this is what I hope to become, I have high hopes and expectations for the usefulness of this blog in my own development as an educator. It is one that I plan on perusing for ideas and technologies.

Free Technology for Teachers - This blog is a forum for any teacher to find technology that would be helpful in the classroom and education. Like the US History Teachers blog, I expect this one to be full of great resources that I can continue to use.

Best Content in Teaching With Technology - This is a Diigo group, in which members of my class are able to share resources we find in the internet to help each other in our quest to become better educators.

Clif's Notes - Yet another great education blog.

History and Our Story - This is a classroom blog of a class I have nothing to do with. I chose to subscribe to it, because I thought it would be a great example of how to use blogging technology in a high school classroom. It keeps both parents and students informed of happenings in the school and in the class.

Don'tworryteach - This is the twitter account of a 9th grade World History and AP US History teacher in Washington DC. It is interesting to see what she is doing with her classes.

Oralhistorybuff - This is the twitter account of yet another AP US History teacher. His account is great, because he provides a lot of fantastic links and articles in his feed.

Apparatus

Technology is fun, right?

At least, that's how most of my experiences with technology have been. Granted, the yardstick against which I measured the progress of technology through my earlier years was advancements in video game technology.

As I grew a little older, I became interested in technology as I interacted with it through film projects. I remember feeling like the big man on campus, because I edited a middle school highlight film on one of those candy-colored, blocky iMacs. In high school, we graduated from the lamp-like G4 iMacs to G5 Power Macs with Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects. Those iMacs always reminded me of that Pixar lamp. . . .





My hope is that I will be able to learn how to utilize technology to help provide students with a better educational experience. There are so many possibilities that I don't even know what they are.

The fact is, we are surrounded by technology. Smart phones and iPads have placed unprecedented access to information in the hands of anybody in just about any place. Let's be honest, you can't even hide in the bathroom without hearing the person in the next stall tapping away at his Blackberry.

P.S. In a somewhat unrelated note, one of the founding members of ELO was recently killed in a tragic accident. Two things: while this really is a tragedy, does this headline not make it seem funnier than it probably is? Also, ELO is a band with a suitably tech-sounding name, right?