This week.

This week was interesting. I planned a collaborative video project based of food and organic macromolecules. This should be an interesting project if I can fit it in this unit.

I also worked with Jim too produce a collaborative video using both screen cast and explain everything. It was great working with Jim, because he and I have a similar style. We both want to learn new things but only if it makes us more efficient. The collaboration and explain everything could be really useful for the production of a new type of lab report. This could involve higher level critical thinking skills and a dynamic interaction which is quite useful in science.



The readings were poignant, especially with regard to digital citizenship. He helped realize the implications of critical thinking and effective ways to teach kids about how to use technology.

All in all, a good week,
Cheers.

Week 3.
I found the classroom session interesting. The SOM site is really useful. I will try a flip or maybe a partial flip classroom. I wish I could see myself while filming. My facial expressions seem kind of flat in the video I made for class.

One of the problems with the flip model is that it has a similar problem with constructivist methodology. That is it assumes a motivated students. My kids this year would be very successful at using a flip model because they would pretty much do anything I say. However, kids who do not do homework would also not watch a boring video of me at home. Then whenI try to solve problems with them in class they would have nothing. It would be nice to have a system to insure they actually watched the video (like I have read the conditions of this agreement tab when you update itunes).

Still I am willing to try it. It might be cool to build in brakes or forced jumping jacks every so often. Blood flow helps. Could they watch this while walking around the track or treadmill? I bet I could find some grant money for that. It could be huge for hyperactive kids.

The SOM site was my takeaway for the week. Awesome for planned absences.

Thanks.
H.

Week two

        This week was fun.  The adventure started early one morning in my room when I played with Imovie and made my commercial. I had not played with it much, I had used keynote before. I found Imovie fun and easy to work with. The transitions were simple and the the templates made producing a commercial length video easy. This was fun. I made some of my students watch it too.

       The atom commercial assignment did not take long to set up. I think I may try it at he end of the week. I have been doing video assignment for years, but its always good to try something new.

     I liked the discussion this week. I had not thought about Gardner for a while. I had a lot of great professors as well. Ted Sizer http://www.essentialschools.org/items/27  and Chris Dede http://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/christopher-dede were also great. Going back to school for a year was sooo much easier than teaching. I have pondered doing a phd is educational technology, but think I might be getting too old.

  I'm looking forward to week 3.

My weekly reflection:

21st century skills seems to be renaming tactic that we already know. Blooms taxonomy, which is much older states that we should be teaching higher level thinking  skills. Critical thinking and analysis have been and will always continue to be important. Technology provides new ways to obtain and present information, but it does not change the need to sort and analyze its significance. Alot of the education guru’s seem to make a lot of money by repackaging existing ideas.Clearly good teachers are important, but parental support make a huge difference in what we do.

The first class went well, but did not have my undivided attention. I did not have my computer and was working from my phone. I guess I was just lazy.

The first assignments were fine. My grad school projects were based on discussion boards, so I felt comfortable working on canvas. I think Discussions go better if people post one thought per post. When people post shotgun responses the threads become too convoluted.

I found Vialogues interesting, but have not yet come with an idea about how to use it in my classes. I am pondering that as we speak.

Setting up the youtube channel was good for me. This could be something that i continue to build from year to year.

All in all. Week one was fine.

Hal.