Cyber Bullying

Cyber-bullying continues to be an issue in our digital world. A recent article "Terror in the Classroom" states some of the following as steps parents can take to protect their children:

• Use technology as an opportunity to reinforce your family values. Attach rules and consequences if inappropriate behavior occurs.
• Move the computer out of your child's bedroom and into the family room.
• Teach your child not to share passwords.
• Install monitoring and filtering software.
• Monitor your child's screen name(s) and Web sites for inappropriate content.
• If cyberbullying occurs, save and print out any evidence and decide whom you should contact for assistance

Of all the points listed, parental supervision of technology use is still the number one way of protecting your child. Place your computer where you can see it and don't isolate it into a corner room in the basement unless that's a location you spend a lot of time in...

Yours in learning...

Some new information!

Infusing Technology:

On April 14, 2008, FSD will be hosting our Digital Denizens' Conference which will be held at MacEwan Hall at the University of Calgary. We are currently seeking presenters from within FSD. For more information about the conference and submitting a proposal, please check out our web site at www.digitaldenizens.net

Technology Tips - Digi Doug!

And just because... I saw Romeo and Juliette put together by a couple of kids using the RPG editor that comes with Halo - too much fun. Here's another take on the same topic - http://golego.de/Movies/GoLeGo_TT_english.rm (Real Audio Format)

School Contest - Be the Change! Share the Story!

A great school video contest has opened for registration and there are bonus points for the first number of schools that register. Check it out at www.quantumshift.tv/schools I also invite you to watch the Presentation Video which is specifically created for teachers and administrators and explains them everything about the contest. One of our commercials is also on the page (the next one--which uses humour--is going up tomorrow). And lastly I would like to invite you to play the demo game to get a real feel of the experience students will get.

Hugo Bonjean
CEO
Quantum Shift Media Inc.

Be the Change! Share the Story! www.quantumshift.tv Your Move...

A kid, a camera, and some editing software...

This is an inquiry project... self-directed...

Learning Theory - ummm, in layman's terms!

Trust me... Read this.

Just a thought - someone else's that aligns

On Technology Leadership and Planning

Gems - something to look for amongst the grains of sand...

Empower Climbers
Inspire Campers
Manage Quitters

Find the moment right after 99 degrees

Cast a vision
Develop a Plan
Improvise based on the cast
Move the herd vaguely North each day (it ain't the Calgary Stampede!)
Take promising practise and move it to NEXT practise

Set a baseline
Assess effectiveness
Plan and document the change process

Lessons from NECC

I spent the majority of my time working with collaborative groups at NECC focused on leadership. It's encouraging to know that the collective "we" that is Foothills is doing a lot right. Our focus on inquiry processes embedded in the work we do in professional development creates a fertile environment for infusing technology within curriculum. The added focus on research informed practise develops growth that is informed and strategic. Meeting with leaders from across the continent validates that we're doing some amazing things.

More on that soon...

There were some interesting Social Networking Sites discussed - there's a bunch that we're already informed about, but there are others that I am not familiar with. I'll leave a list to investigate - but my big question is how do we deal with the benefit / harm question that resides in the use of social networking sites?? Bigger still, there are MASSES of students using these systems at home every day... how is not using them in schools contributing to or negatively impacting student safety? Guided use vs. self-discovery?? As Director of Learning Technologies there is continuous debate with representation from both sides of the argument. Currently these sites are blocked from student use in schools. What to do??

Sites described at NECC

Random:

http://www.facebook.com
http://www.linkedin.com
http://www.secondlife.com
http://handouts.davidwarlick.com - David Warlick's presentations available here
http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/ - JOHO the Blog - David Weinberger's weblog - oh it'll getcha goin'!
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm - read, enjoy, act....
http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/ - Jenny! An American Librarian looking to make libraries more portable...

Blogs:

https://beta.blogger.com/start
http://classblogmeister.com - Blog for kids for education... worth looking at
http://drupal.org
http://www.gaggle.net

Wikis:
http://www.jotspot.com/learn
www.pbwiki.com
www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers

Bookmarking:
http://www.digg.com
http://del.icio.us

ONE GREAT APPLICATION...

http://www.innocentive.com/servlets/project/ProjectInfo.po - just read it, blew me away, kinda makes being an academic passe? :)

COSN at NECC Value of Investment

A discussion by Rich Kaestner

Rich spent a lot of time discussing total cost of ownership and use of a technology enabled environment. (http://www.cosn.org/ and http://www.edtechvoi.org/.

Main Points:

1. Costs drive efficiencies
2. http://www.classroomtco.org/ (assessment tool only available to US Schools) There are 8 case studies that can be reviewed.
3. Measuring the Value of Investment of VOI; Project cost estimator, Benefits worksheet and 3 case studies are available at http://www.edtechvoi.org/

The Process

• Estimate Project TCO costs
• Savings, Productivity, Cost Avoidance, Revenue
• Determine and Score Measurable Benefits Toward District Goals
• Risk Assessment

Budgeted Costs

• Annualize costs by taking upfront costs and amortize over life of project
• Include Initial and Implemenation Costs

Real Costs for VOI

• Includes indirect labor for Project TCO

Area of Value in K-12

• ROI - staff efficiencies
• Student Achievement
• Political Value
• 21st Century Skills
• Curriculum expansion
• Equity (Digital Divide)
• Improved Assessment
• others

Check the spreadsheet out on the COSN site

Final Version - Web 2.0

- makes you wonder!

Web Gems

Isn't cable television wonderful... what a time-waster! Okay, so entertainment is a part of our lives. At any rate, I used my PVR to knock down a program about technology quite a while back and here's some sites worth checking.

• http://www.writely.com
• http://www.conversate.com
• http://www.streamload.com
• http://basecamphq.com
• http://philb.com/iwantto.htm
• http://www.debugmode.com/wink/
• https://mozy.com/ - 2 GB of FREE online backup
• http://www.quicktopic.com/ - topic and document review online

Peace Out! :)

iPod in Education

I recently read an article by Shelley Pasnik - iPod in Education: The Potential for Teaching and Learning.

She had a number of significant messages that I am in agreement with. If the true role of technology in schools - whether it be for student use, teacher use or school administration - is to improve learning, iPods provide a means to bring a device into education that students "live" with.


Now, don't think me to be brand specific as I do not own an iPod. I have a Motorola Q and a SanDisk MP3 player. The SanDisk will only play MP3's. The Q can do the full suite - MP3's and Windows Media.



What I do know is that the iLife Suite of applications that run on a Mac platform rock. So to create content that can be played back on any of these devices, you need a starting point. I am an AVID PC user, but the value of the iLife suite leaves me begging on a PC. I'll always grab my PC to work in MS Office - I am just way more productive. But to create a DVD or a movie or a podcast - well, I am sheepish to admit that the iLife Suite kicks.

In applying the software to the classroom there has to be a benefit. Shelley relies on the research of Richard Mayer that suggests a few things that make educational sense regardless of platform: Students learn better

1. from words and pictures than words alone.
2. when words and corresponding pictures are close together.
3. when extraneous words, sounds and pictures are not present
4. from animation and narration than animation with text
5. from animation and narration than animation, narration and text (woah!)

Other implications include the impact of the technology on low-knowledge and high spatial learners than from high-knowledge and low-spatial learners.

When students have the ability to mix familiar objects (pictures and videos) with traditional artifacts, they increase their cognitive framework and have an opportunity to learn in a multi-modal way by using iPods (or any digital media player). The added feature of anywhere, anytime access to rich digital content provided by iPod like devices just increases opportunity for learning. The key is that the content is matched to curriculum outcomes otherwise the media is entertainment that does not enhance learning . (Shalom Fisch '05)

Shelley suggests that iPods add independence and individuality to work but can also be used collaboratively. Authoring software (iLife) allows students to exchange, share and merge their work as co-constructers of knowledge.

As a part of the Mac Pilot in Foothills School Division or the work taking place in any of our schools, iPods or other digital media devices may well be the technology that pushes the challenge of improved student learning to the next level.

James Aitchison

======

Of interest - http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/449489.html

An Idea to Consider

Dr. Tyson, principal of Mabry School south of the 49th offers an approach to technology integration that his students embrace. Check it here.

Internet Safety

It's amazing that so many students have public profiles on places like MSN, My Space and Flickr. These sites are a smorgasborg for predators. I have seen MSN profiles that describe hobbies, hang-outs and include pictures. I hope that educators have opportunities to discuss these sites with their students.

Here's a new internet safety site that might be interesting to some teens:

http://www.inobtr.org/home.aspx

VC in the classroom

I have a wonder about Videoconferencing and whether or not videostreaming is a better alternative. I'm not alone in this thinking. Have you looked at the Disney site lately? The streaming media on that site alone suggests that we'll be seeing much more of it. Since most videoconferences tend to focus on the need to see the main presenter, streaming may allow for the same results without the costly set up.

Sites to Visit related to Videoconferencing

Global Leap
Global Nomads Group
Polycom Educational Site
Canada Connects - John Spence
Videoconferencing in Edmonton Public Schools
Dennis Spark's PD Professional Blog

Bow Island Tech Conference

Google Earth

Sattellite Database Program of the Earth (Google Moon available too!)

Paths and tours can be saved to the network. Rotate to get 3-D views to see it better.

Great Sites

Topic: Social Studies Current Events
http://www.marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/newsmap.cfm

Topic: Search Tool
http://www.kartoo.com (Visual Mind Map Search Tool)
http://www.dogpile.com (metasearch tool)
http://www.ujiko.com/v2a/flash.php?langue=en (Customizable Search Tool)

Feb 22, 2006 Topic: General

Wikipedia's sister projects
Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects:

• Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus
• Wikinews Free-content news
• Wikiquote Collection of quotations
• Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals
• Wikispecies Directory of species
• Wikisource Free-content library
• Wikiversity Free learning materials and activities
• Commons Shared media repository
• Meta-Wiki Wikimedia project coordination

Links to a View

A great friend of mine sent me a couple of sites that enhance and enable... take a look:

• In Defense of Public Education
• Alexa - Internet Traffic Ratings
• World News

Enjoy! More later!
:-)