Podcasting... Very Exciting for Education!

Podcasting is an easy and convenient way to introduce technology into the classroom to share with your students.  Podcasting is an audio or video clip that any person can listen to or watch on a variety of topics.  A simple search of podcasts on the iTunes store can easily produce a podcast on almost any subject that you want to cover in the classroom.  After seeing how easily this information can be accessed… it created a very clear picture on how this can easily be transferred to the classroom.  First and foremost, let’s start by discussing the best part of podcasts… they are FREE!  Completely FREE!  There is no hidden charge and therefore they cannot be affected by budget cuts!  Your principal cannot come into a staff meeting and say that they are on the “chopping block” because podcasts are not part of the budget.  This simple fact alone should encourage teachers to frequently use this technology in the classroom.  Secondly, podcasts can and will meet the necessary TEKS for technology in the classroom.  This is another important detail that every teacher should consider.  We are creating life-long learners and not students that do not know how to use their resources once they graduate from high school.  After high school or college a person can create a podcast and link it to their eportfolio website, which they can attach to their resume when applying for a job.  Not only does a potential employer get a tangible resume but through the eportfolio they can see what this individual is capable of and then to go the next step with the podcast and be able to visually see this person talking about their career goals and accomplishments.  I suspect that this would also be a great place to video personal references as well.  The possibilities are endless.  Back to the classroom… A few months ago, we had a teacher at my school who heard about another school that had been vandalized and a fire had been set.  This teacher shared this story with her class and they write letters to the teachers and students at the other school.  They wrote letters back and forth exchanging tidbits of information.  Our students responded with enthusiasm because it gave them a personal feeling of involvement.  However, when reading about podcasts, this story immediately popped into my mind.  What if they had created a podcast to share with the other school?  They could have created a video of the students sharing their concerns with each other and had a visual image of their newfound friends.   They could have arranged a time to meet on skype and communicate via real time.  There is no doubt that the students will forever remember communicating with the students from the other school, but can we as educators enhance that memory by making the connection even more personal?  Students will engage easily engage in a project that is fun and creates a personal connection.  “Podcasting is a tool that supports meaningful curriculum integration, and the technical aspects of producing a podcast offer students a unique learning opportunity” (Jonassen, et al., 2008, p. 161).

Podcasting is among the many tools that educators have available to them.  There are voice threads, websites, and many other applications that they can utilize.  One of the main benefits of podcasting is the cost factor.   Free simply cannot be beat.  All that a teacher needs to do to utilize this technology is an iTunes account.  If a teacher has a mimeo that they can use in their classroom, then they can display it on their whiteboard.  Presto, the whole class is involved.  With a podcast, the technology is simple.  It is an easy way to teach your students at a very early age to utilize technology.  For instance, a kindergarten teach can create a blog with her class and attach a podcast with her students talking about various projects.  Let’s use the State of Texas as the class project.  The teacher can use the blog to discuss the various topics within the State of Texas and tell stories on how the class responded to the discussions.  Pictures can be placed on the blog that show the students actively working on their projects.  The teacher can then video individual students talking about the topics covered in the classroom.  The parents can easily see the learning taking place and the students can visually see themselves learning.  Student’s at this age love to look at themselves and their peers.   That is not to say that other forms of technology in the classroom cannot be useful as well but some seem much more intimidating than a podcast does.  Each teacher needs to be aware of all the technology that is available to them inside and outside the classroom.  “Teachers can use the technology to provide additional and revision material to students to download and review at a time that suits them. The flexibility that such time-shifting offers makes podcasting a valuable educational tool.” Western Australians Department of Education, 2011).  Students should be taught technology by the teacher and not the other way around. 

My husband and my children are very familiar with iPod’s and their capabilities… I, however am not (or was not)!  Each one of my children and my husband has an iPod and knows how to efficiently work all the features and components.   That is not to say that I do not know what the device is or does.  I have been perfectly happy with taking their hand-me-downs after each one of them have upgraded.  For instance, I have used a nano and an iPod classic (the original – very bulky) and have been completely satisfied to listen to music while I grocery shopped or studied.  But that is as far as my use had gone.  However, this past February, when Verizon finally offered an iPhone to its customers, my husband insisted that I get one.  I did not think it necessary… I was perfectly happy with my other phone but to appease him, I got one.  Although, I did not think that I needed one, I will happily admit that I was completely wrong.  I never knew of all of the things that I was missing.  For instance, the USGS has an app that can show you where the latest earthquakes are and there are several “This day in history” app’s that can easily be used in the classroom.  As for podcasts, the possibilities are endless.  I have used podcasts whenever we can’t make it to church to listen to the sermon and to even listen to specific topic’s on financial matters from Dave Ramsey.  Never did I relate using podcasts for personal use to using in the classroom.   To utilize any technology in the classroom will intrigue your students and then to take it to the next level where your students are creating podcasts, takes learning from the top of Blooms pyramid and moves it down to the bottom.   “Countless universities, colleges and K-12 classes worldwide are using the technology to deliver recorded lectures, news and information to students.” (Poducateme.com, 2007-2010).  Our students should be excited about learning and about creating an environment that is innovative.  Using tools such as an iPod or a video conference can easily engage learners to see that learning and life are not limited to the classroom but are unlimited to the world.

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D. (2007). Meaningful learning With Technology(3rd Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Poducateme.com.  (2007-2010).  Learn How to Bring Benefits of Podcasting to Your Classroom. Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://poducateme.com/.

Western Australians Department of Education. (2011). Podcasts in the Classroom; Educational Value of Podcasts. Retrieved on April 27, 2011 from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/podcasts/.

Topic 7 - Web 2.0

Sitting in a classroom, listening to a teacher lecture about the culture in another part of the world (or just about any topic) can be boring, to say the least.  Luckily, we live in an age when just listening to someone talk is no longer necessary.  Now we can not only teach our students in the classroom, but we can also create a direct link to the information being taught.  There is no reason not to take advantage of all the benefits that a Wiki or a blog can provide our students.  Both of these items can easily take a simple classroom lecture to the next level of learning by making our students active participants in the discovery of information. 

Doing a Google search for practically anything will no doubt render a variety of websites and one of those will no doubt be a Wiki.  A wiki is similar to a basic website in that both can offer a myriad of information on a specific topic.  However, that is where the similarities end.  A Wiki is a website whose information is provided by the users of the Wiki.  Just imagine the possibilities in the classroom.  For instance, let’s say that Mr. Huddleston (Mr. H) wanted his 10^th grade History class to research and discuss the Civil War and to post the information on a Wiki.  Mr. H put the students into groups.  Each group is responsible for a specific topic within the Civil War (Underground Railroad, specific battles, Abraham Lincoln, etc.).  Each group then could go on to research and post that information on the Wiki.  Mr. H will serve as the Wiki administrator and make sure that the information is verifiable and is cited correctly.  Now, Mr. H wants his students to really grasp how important the Civil War was in America’s history and how that affects them today.  So, Mr. H then decides to open the Wiki to other history classes from different schools and allow the information to be shared.  Mr. H’s students can then participate in other Wiki’s and see the difference in information that has been found.  The students are actively engaged in teaching themselves about history and how it affects them today.  Another similar website that could easily share the same information is a blog.  A blog is an online personal journal or can serve as a class journal.  A user can post information on a blog and other users can respond or add comments to the blog post but cannot edit or change the original post.  So, let’s go back to Mr. H’s 10^th grade History class.  Mr. H might choose a blog instead of a Wiki and his students could easily post their history research in their blog (or class blog) to share with other individuals.  A student might post information on the class blog about how the Civil War affected the southern states vs. the northern states.  Other students from the class can respond to the original post and add additional information.  Blogs are similar to Wiki’s in that each can be open to other users or just a specific group.  Blogs and Wiki create an atmosphere where the information is easily shared in the classroom, nationally, and globally.  Teaching and the tools that the internet offers need to compliment one another and not be opposing forces with the causalities being the students’ innovation.

Social bookmarking and Voice Thread is yet another way to share information in classrooms across the globe.  Most individuals are familiar with bookmarking a website.  However, Social Bookmarking is a little different.   “Unlike storing bookmarks in a folder on your computer, tagged pages are stored on the Web and can be accessed from any computer” (whatis.com, 2008).  Therefore, a student could bookmark their websites for a research assignment in a Social Bookmarking website and then could retrieve those same bookmarked sites while at home for an easy transition.  However, those bookmarked sites will be shared with other individuals possibly looking for the same information.  This could alleviate some of the monotonous “digging for information” by guiding the student directly where they need to find what they are looking for.  Part of being in school is learning to utilize your resources.  Social Bookmarking is such an example of a resource.  However, an additional part of being a student is learning how to find the information on your own without having a shortcut.  Social Bookmarking can be used as a shortcut in searching for information and if used properly, can be a great tool in the classroom.  Another valuable example of a resource that students can use is called a Voice Thread.  Students love to see and hear themselves speak and perform.  A Voice Thread can allow for both in the classroom.  In this impressive way to collaborate with information, students can hear and see other students from across the globe, while sharing information.   Although this information is not in real time, most students will still be captivated by listening, hearing, and seeing other students from across the globe.  All it takes is a microphone and a webcam to be able to create a Voice Thread.  There is no software that is needed to be able to share a presentation of information or to even be able to create a class project.  Let’s revisit Mr. H’s history class.  If Mr. H wanted his students to create a Voice Thread instead of a Wiki or blog, all he would have to do is give them the website to post to.  The students then could compile the information and verbally record the information found on the specific topics to share with other classrooms globally.  Having a verbal and visual connection can easily engage even the most disinterested of students to participate in sharing information and the ultimate goal of meaningful learning.  Another example is a second grader who can take home a website address to share with Mom and Dad, instead of the common (and still treasuredJ) refrigerator art.  Mom and Dad can look at the class project online and orally hear their child speaking about the class assignment.  Voice Threads offer an invaluable tool that most interaction with the computer do not have… a personal connection.  Teachers need to study and utilize the awesome potential of Voice Threads.

Classrooms today are not the only demographic to benefit from the specialized websites available on the internet.  There are many websites devoted to teaching and more specifically the teacher in general.  One such example is Tapped In.  Tapped In offers a variety of online resources including discussions with experts, private meetings, public conference rooms, software/technology education, a monthly newsletter and many other resources for teaching.   Teachers need every resource available to use in the classroom.  Tapped In appears to be a valuable tool that teachers can use to get the answers to some difficult questions while offering advice to fellow teachers as to what works in the classroom.  While not personally being familiar with Tapped In, it does seem to offer the support that every teacher will need at some point in their career. 

Each of the Web 2.0 applications that are available offers a realm of possibilities both in and out of the classroom.  Teachers need to know how to utilize them and how they can create a pattern of learning for our students that will take them into the next generation.  I believe our textbook, Meaningful Learning with Technology, said it best, “Knowledgeable teachers who are confident in their use of technology will plan more learning experiences involving technology for their students, and those experiences will encourage learning processes that require students to be active, constructive participants will engage in cooperative, authentic tasks with intentional goals and outcomes” (Jonassen, et al., 2008).

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D. (2008). Meaningful learning With Technology(3rd Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

www.voicethread.com.  (2007). Retrieved on March 3, 2011 from http://voicethread.com/about/features/

www.whatis.com.  (2008). Retrieved on March 3, 2011 from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1168840,00.html

Topic 6 - Testing Assessment

Learner performance is continuously being evaluated in the schools today.   It seems as if we evaluate everything from a simple spelling test to whether or not a student can overcome motor reflexes.  Does testing it always have to be the same boring, mundane procedure that we all know only too well?  The simple answer is no.  Testing can and has evolved as technology has evolved.  It seems as if the traditional classroom setting has been slow to change but change is definitely on the way.  There are several new programs that allow for group participation as well as individual participation that can easily test learner performance.   “Clickers are being used in elementary through college-level classes to support assessment and engage students” ( Jonassen, et al. 2008, p. 231).   A clicker is a small wireless device that has numbers/letters that the student can press to submit an answer.    Students want to utilize technology whenever possible.  They get excited about being able to doing something that allows them to feel as if they are doing something innovating.  Teachers would be foolish to not take advantage of the fact that students want and will improve their performance just be simply utilizing technology in the classroom. 

Another way that teachers can easily evaluate student performance is an eportfolio.  An e-portfolio is an online collection of the students work (writings, artwork, video clips, etc), reflecting growth over a period of time.    The eportfolio is an easy way for a teacher to look and see what the student has learned… not just tested on.   The knowledge that the student is presenting on their eportfolio is a direct reflection of what they have created, worked on and is a reflection of their ideas and thoughts.  “Electronic portfolios can be a very practical assessment tool depending on the knowledge level of the teacher and the amount of time they can or are willing to invest” (Abrenica).  Computer based tests are yet another way for teachers to assess student learning.  The computer can easily serve as a link between a test and students.  “…Well-structured forced-response item pared with well-crafted response choices can indeed assess complex learning outcomes, such as knowledge concepts, analysis, and application” (Jonasses, et al., 2008, p. 238).  However, one of the greatest dangers of computerized testing is if the tests are poorly constructed no meaningful learning will take place and student learning will remain complacent.   The validity and reliability of such testing depends on the teacher creating a atmosphere that is inter-woven with computerized testing that requires the student to think above using only their memorization skills. 

Teaching is an art.  As a painter has brushes, paints and canvases… teachers have computers, books, and students.  Each must utilize their tools to create a finished product.  Unfortunately, many students will enter into classrooms where they don’t know what the teacher expects from them and the teacher does not know how to convey exactly what they want.  Rubric’s are a way to achieve contentment from both the teacher and the student.  They create a checklist for the student and the teacher to make sure that all required expectations are present in the assignment.   Teachers have so many tools that they can utilize in the classroom today.  Unfortunately, far too many don’t take advantage of the new technology that can engage and entice students to want to learn.  Students will use their tools that are learned in the classroom and hopefully become life-long learners in what is sure to be a technologically driven society.

Abrenica, Yolanda.   Electronic Portfolios.  Retrieved February 26, 2011, from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596r/students/Abrenica/Abrenica.html.

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D. (2007). Meaningful learning With Technology(3rd Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Topic 5 - Copyright, Cyber Safety and Cyber Bulling

When most teenagers or internet users hear the word copyright, they immediately think of pirating music.  The media coverage of the illegal downloading of music on the internet has schooled most of the growing youth today as well as the older generation on the ramifications of illegally downloading such music.   However, the copyright issue does not stop there.  It extends far beyond music to any literary work that is created.  Classroom teachers have an obligation to cover the copyright rules, fair use rules and the ramifications of breaking those rules.  Each teacher has a unique opportunity to instill a respect for another’s work.  Student’s will no doubt, use the internet for the majority of the information that they will utilize throughout their schooling years as well as their collegiate years.  Students can easily engage in copyright violations in the classroom, if the teacher is not careful to guide the students in the correct use of another’s written, video, musical or illustrated information.  “Teaching copyright will require your students to think about their role in the online world and provide them with the legal framework they need to make informed choices about their online behavior” (Teaching Copyright).  We are teaching students to be life-long learners, innovators, and free-thinkers… not to take another’s work and make it their own.  Stealing is stealing and students should know the punishment that goes hand-in-hand with it.

The internet can be a very unfriendly place for many students especially as they grow into their teenage years.  Many students now come home to empty houses, where one or both of their parents are working, allotting them the time to explore the World Wide Web.  Unfortunately, far too many children give away too much information during their explorations.  Cyber predators are lurking everywhere on the internet and are just waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting and trusting minor.  Anyone can easily see the sting operations on NBC’s Dateline program, “To Catch a Predator” that these individuals come from every walk of life.  There is no single common link that we can warn our children to be aware of.  Simply, it can be anyone and in any website.  There are no guarantees when sharing information over the internet.  We teach our children stranger-danger.  Why don’t we emphasize more the dangers of cyber predators?  It is not an easy concept for young students to understand, simply because it is not tangible.  They cannot see or touch a predator online.  Children can only see words on the screen and many do not connect that to a physical person.  However, it is not only cyber predators that our students need to watch out for, cyber bulling has grown in its own right. “Savvy students are using Instant Messaging, e-mails, chat rooms and websites they create to humiliate a peer” (Cyber Bullying: Statistics and Tips, 1998-2009).  According to I-Safe.org, cyber bulling has become common place among our youth today with an estimated 42% of kids being bullied and one in four being bullied more than once.   Parents used to easily spot the victim of bulling by seeing evidence of a black eye or a bruise on their child, but cyber bulling is much more difficult to spot.  Warning signs of a child being cyber bullied are a reluctance to use the computer, looking nervous when receiving a text or email message, displaying anger or sadness after using the computer, not wanting to be involved with school or their families, as well as several others (Shoemaker-Galloway, 2007).  Cyber bulling cannot be taken lightly or simply shrugged off as if it were nothing serious.  To our students, it is their primary means of communication with their peers when they are not at school.  Clearly more needs to be done to protect our students in the World Wide Web.  As educators, protecting our students should be one of our primary focuses.  Technology will advance in the years to come and the government will be forced to implement new laws to protect our children.  Unfortunately, until then it will be the responsibility of the schools and parents to make sure that our students are watched, warned and responsible while they utilize the internet.

Copyright rules and regulations are very specific and vague at the same time.  At first when I read the articles for the assignment, I was, to say the least, overwhelmed.  Thank goodness that there is a “cheat sheet” that can and should be utilized.  I know that I will be using it often, especially after taking the copyright quiz.  It has definitely made me wonder if I have committed infractions in the past and it would be inaccurate to say that I have not.  As an educator, copyright is a prevalent issue and will need to be addressed in my future classroom.  I found great relief in doing a Google search for teaching copyright and found tons of websites devoted to teaching copyright to students (of any grade level) the correct way to access and utilize information.  There is simply no excuse for a teacher who does not teach their students the value of someone else’s work or the importance of their own work.  “Teachers have a moral obligation to practice integrity and trustworthiness” (Newsome, 1997).  I must admit that I have never paid much attention to the copyright laws and what exactly that entails but I know that being in a classroom, I will have to know exactly what I can use legally and what I cannot.  Being an ethical teaching professional is a requirement in the competencies of the State of Texas.  As a student in school, copyright and fair use rules will be invaluable to me as I continue along my collegiate journey.  I will need to keep my “cheat sheet” handy.    

Being the wife of a computer professional and a parent of two middle school and one elementary school students, you can imagine that cyber bulling and cyber predators have been discussed in our home.  My husband and I have struggled with wanting to allow our children to keep pace with their peers regarding the internet and video gaming while not allowing too much social media to come into our house.  We have taken measures to ensure that our kids understand the dangers of sharing information over the internet.  Do they grasp the full ramifications?  Without a doubt… absolutely not!  My children have tried to convince me that they get it but then they will prove my conclusions right when they say, “It’s only… so and so”.  We have setup time tables as our children have gotten older to allow them some internet freedom and allow us to still feel like we are protecting/parenting them and have discovered that this is definitely a delicate balance.  Basically, this boils down to mom and dad having all passwords to any social media websites and periodic checks of their laptops.  “As a parent, specifically, as a Internet parent, you need to do your best to make sure your child is safe online and knows how to handle sites and people that are inappropriate” (Internet Parenting, 2006). 

I-Safe.org. (1998-2009). Cyber Bulling: Statistics and Tips. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://www.isafe.org/channels/sub.php?ch=op&sub_id=media_cyber_bullying

Newsome, Cathy. (January 21, 2000). A Teachers Guide to Fair Use and Copyright; Modeling Honesty and Resourcefulness. Retrieved February 19, 2011 from http://home.earthlink.net/~cnew/research.htm

Theparentedge.com. (2006).  Internet Parenting: It Takes More Than Just Talking!. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://www.theparentsedge.com/internet_parenting.html.

Teaching Copyright. Teaching Copyright.org.  Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://www.teachingcopyright.org/.