Catching up

Technology has been a part of the educational process from the beginning. Stone tablets, written language, demonstrations using tools, etc. all implement some form of technology. Yet saying we've come a long way would be an understatement. What's out there and how do we use it for education? The first part of that question is what we'll tackle in the next several blog posts under the series title "What it is." The types of technology available in the Web 2.0 era are fascinating!

The second part of that question is the more difficult part to answer. In class with Dr. David Holder, Liberty University SOE assistant professor, it was repeatedly pointed out that the role of technology in education is to "make learning more efficient." Thus, how do we use technology in a pedagogically sound manner in the "classroom" of the 21st century?

I invite you to contribute your knowledge, resources, articles, videos, and expertise to help answer this question.

Reflections - 7/22/11

Friday was our final day in EDUC 730. This also means it is group presentation day. What fun! If you can get past the anxiety of having to speak in front of a group of teachers, there are some really cool technologies for education. Gaming, AR, mobiles, CSCL and CEVEs, open content, etc. are all part of the future of education. What an exciting time to be a teacher! What an exciting time to be a doctoral student as well! I am going to start looking heavily at researching learner variance, technology, and pedagogy to hopefully help fill the gaps in the literature.

I also think I will continue this blog for education technology, but I am going to change the name. Any suggestions?

Reflections - 7/21/11

The Audacity to have fun in class!

I have been through some training on how to use Mac's Garageband to create podcasts, vodcasts, and sounds for classrooms use. Audacity is an open source program that works quite similarly to Garageband in the realm of recording. I showed my 10 year old daughter the assignment we worked on in class, and she wanted to make a recording. So, I recorded a one-sided conversation, then she recorded her portion of the conversation. We cut and pasted the two audio files into one conversation and she giggled like a 10 year old girl should. It was fun.

This will be a great assignment to use for review. For example,

1. As a review exercise, have student download the one-sided conversation (OSC) that asks relevant questions about a particular topic.
2. Students create a script of the questions and their answers.
3. Students record the conversation. They could use sound effects to make it more exciting.
4. Students turn in via email or Dropbox a copy of the script and the audio file.

Cool stuff!

Reflections 7/20/11

Wow! What a cool thing! WebQuests have tremendous potential for blending various forms of media into a single lesson or project. Prior to learning about these, I have been thinking about how I could create "information scavenger hunts" using websites, but WebQuests (I particularly like www.zunal.com) allows to do so much more! You can attach video, audio, documents, links, etc. These will find themselves on my lesson plans frequently in the upcoming year.

On another note, I read an article on Edutopia that emphasized the humanities in the age of STEM. It was not knocking STEM, but rather calling educators to remember what it is we learn in the humanities, namely lessons for life. There are certain components to the human experience that are universal, e.g. joy, sorrow, communication, etc., and the humanities are where humans learn to navigate through these experiences. As a Bible and history teacher in a Christian school, this is very important. STEM and the humanities are equally crucial in education.

EDUC 730 Instructional Video

Instructional video on how to create a music video in iMovie.
Group members:
Igino Sabucco
Cory Valentine
Rebecca Streetman
Jaunine Fouche

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUNYGCm7vDE

Reflections - 7/19/11

Doh! Ignore the actual post date! Trust the title ;)

Endnote is a very helpful piece of software for research bibliography creation. Dr. Holder demonstrated that it not only stores and organizes bibliographic information, but also will attach the actual article if it is saved on the computer.

Also demonstrated was Widows Movie Maker, which is the PC side of personal video creation. Though I prefer the Mac version, iMovie, WMM has some great features for class projects. Screen capturing software is another great tool to demonstrate how to do any sort of function on a computer.

Reflections - 7/18/11

The purpose of technology in education is to make learning more efficient. This does not take place without the effective implementation of that technology in the educational setting. Doing so must include more than simple familiarity with the technology. Pedagogical implementation of technology must also include: instructional competence, content knowledge, and connection between the learner and the content using technology. One additional caveat for the Christian educator is the biblically responsible implementation of educational technology. Genesis 1:28 (ESV) states, "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" Theologians call this the Cultural Mandate, and consider one aspect of it to be God's command to develop and enrich culture. One early example of biblical, responsible implementation of technology is the transcription and interpretation of the Bible into various languages. Thus using twenty-first century technology to educate students, through the lens of a biblical worldview, is one way Christian educators can work to fulfill God's calling.