Free Reading – K-3 free reading resources (state adopted by Florida)
Open Educational Resources (OER) are:
-digital
-free and open – open source is best (i.e. blogger vs wordpress)
-tools, content and implementation resources
-for teachers, students, and lifelong learners
NECC09 Presenation: The 10 Best Free 2.0 Tools for Educators
by Steve Dembo, Discovery Education Network
Links to his presentation, notes and contact information:
My notes from the presenation:
What is Web 2.0?
Entirely Web Based – you don't need to install software
Interactive – something to do when you go there
Plays Well With Others – allows you to move content (mix and mash)
1) Bloglines (http://bloglines.com/)
keep track of all your favourite blogs, news, searches and more
all the news comes to you and you don't have to waste time going to check out all of your blogs
Plays well with others – see what others are reading
2) Delicious (http://delicious.com/)
Put your bookmarks online
Keeps it simple and does this well – that is why it is possible
Look at other people's bookmarks and see what they have saved and subscribe to their bookmarks
Use tags to categorize topics or subjects
3) Share Tabs (http://sharetabs.com/)
share your links as tabs
type in a number of sites and then gives you a page with the tabs to click on
preview a number of websites with thumbnail photos of the website
4) drop.io (http://drop.io/)
Online drop box – phone it, fax it, email it, text it, upload it, share it
100 MB for free
use for podcasting by phoning in your audio
gives you the embed code and link
5) JayCut (Beta) (http://jaycut.com/)
Full video editor online
publish behind a firewall and keep private and you don't have copyright issues
you can download it to your computer or online
unlimited space is available
multiple users on one account
http://mediaconverter.com/ is a favourite converter
6) Edmodo (http://edmodo.com/)
twitter or microblogging for educators to be use for school
can be behind a password – can be public or private
can organize it by class
send messages through filters to any number of classes or users
can have a public or private calendar
version 3.0 will let you embed audio, video or online tools/plug-in
zemote on twitter
7) Poll Everywhere (http://polleverywhere.com/)
mobile phone supported classroom polling
use text messaging to respond
30 votes for free per poll
account polls – use 10 at a time to download as a powerpoint and have live slides
you can have a computer or laptop to respond to poll
twitter integration for more feedback
8) xtra normal (http://xtranormal.com/)
online animator in 3-D
text-to-movie
supports different languages by changing language settings – you type in the language and it pronounces it in that language
establishing shot enabled – choosing a camera angle
choosing animation of the movie
rendering (creating) takes some time before it is ready
publishing then allows embed code
9) livestream (http://www.livestream.com/)
allows for live online streaming video and computer sharing
10) prezi (http://prezi.com/)
easy to interact
no slides, just a list of windows linked through a tag cloud.
Malcolm Gladwell starts of NECC09 with a fantastic keynote!Gladwell's keynote to NECC delegates talked about the importance of creating meaningful learning environments in our classrooms.
So what does it take to create these Meaningful Learning Environments? Here are my notes from his keynote:
When we look at someone who masters something, we tend to “telescope” how long it took to learn or master that skill. Meaning we skip over how long it actually took for them to really master a skill. Gladwell said it is important to talk about how long it actually took to master a complex task or enjoy success. Throughout his speech, Gladwell used the example of Fleetwood Mac. This band was not discovered overnight, nor did it enjoy instant success. It wasn't it's first album that was its first #1 hit, it was its 16th album.
1st lesson: Effort, Attitude and Practice:
Gladwell talked about his book Outliners where he discusses the idea of the 10,000 hour rule. His theory is that it takes someone 10,000 hours or 4hrs/day for 10 years of practice before they can be masters of a particular skill or talent.
Examples given:
Implications of this rule:
Even with talent, you need to have a great attitude about effort. An approach that says that effort is crucial to me being successful.
Another example given by Gladwell was a story about a questionnaire consisting of 120 questions before doing a complex math assessment. Results of countries who are successful in teaching math are those who are successful in teaching or reinforcing the attitude of effort. To do well at math means you need to have a positive attitude and need to demonstrate an effort towards math.
Another statement, the only way to catch up when you are behind is to work hard and to put in the time to learn.
2nd lesson: Compensation Strategy vs. Capitalism strategy:
The band builds on their failures. Compensation strategy is where you compensate for your weaknesses. Capitalism strategy is where you build on your strengths.
Hunger and effort are better gauges for measuring success than height, strength, looks, etc.
Leadership skills are important. Compensating for skills that people are missing or struggling with develop problem solving skills. Gladwell gave the example of someone with dyslexia. When they delegate to others reading and writing they are developing their problem solving skills and they are learning how to talk and be persuasive with others. In other words, they are developing their oral communication skills. Dyslexic entrepreneurs are those who managed to compensate for their disability.
Class size – students learn to compensate for the lack of teacher attention in bigger classes therefore they develop compensation skills.
Question: How do we create learning environments that encourage the practice of compensation skils?
3rd Lesson: Learning strategy- It is best to zigzag not follow a linear path – the best learn through trial and error over a period of time before becoming great.
Gladwell gave the example of an experimental inventor who finds their way to genius through trial and error.
Cezanne is an example of an artist who practices this type of learner.
Incorporates the idea of feedback – timely and targeted feedback.
Trying something and then the feedback helps make this a success. How the learning takes place is more important than where the learning takes place.
If you would like to watch Gladwell's keynote yourself, you can do so by creating a free istevision account. The link to the video is: Gladwell on ISTE Vision
"After our community school was hit by a Tornado, the staff and students had to relocate for two years while a new school was being built. In March of 2008, this school, Lawfield, was constructed with a Universally Designed Vision. By
reallocating resources and using recycled furniture, principal William Demille made a commitment to transform this new school into a universally designed environment with Speaker systems in every classroom, Smartboards, document cameras and much more. The staff and students will always feel a sense of connection after experiencing such turmoil and change. The transformation has just begun."
I'm very excited to be attending NECC in Washington, DC for the first time at the end of June. In preparation for this conference, I have been reading Malcolm Gladwell's book Outlier. Gladwell will be a keynote speaker at NECC and I wanted to know more about him before I saw him at the conference. I find it exciting to know that a British born Canadian journalist is a keynote speaker at such a large American conference.
My school division is in the midst of studying "structural innovation". It struck a committee in the fall of 2009 made up of teachers and administrators who were interested in studying this more in depth. They were sent to other schools, mostly in the US, to observe and gather information about alternative school structures. I wish I had been able to join this committee, but couldn't find the time to fit it into my schedule this year.
I have read with interest over the past couple of days in the New York Times and on ransomtech's blog about a new school in New York city who recruited the best teachers to come and teach at its new school in the fall. The school didn't just go out and observe these teachers in their element (their classrooms) and then offered them a signing bonus or relocation budget. Instead, they clinched the deal by offering them contracts with a pay of $125,000 a year and a chance to earn up to $25,000 the following year for high performance of their students.
