Digitizing, Integrating, and Authenticating

After learning this past week about digital storytelling and technology integration in the classroom, I got to thinking about what sort of project I could assign future students that would include both of these concepts. Although I am not currently teaching, the disaster in Japan inspired a fifth grade social studies project that could be used for any natural disaster around the world. If I were currently teaching, I would use Japan to teach students about how geography impacts countries when struck by disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis and the staggering effects these phenomenon can have. Students would then be grouped and responsible for creating a digital story that reflects the devastation in Japan and what they can do to help the recovery efforts. Although the Next Generation State Standards for fifth grade focus on the United States, when something as catastrophic as the recent earthquake and tsunami occurs in our world I believe it is our responsibility as teachers not to ignore it because it does not exactly over a benchmark or standard. Many of the benchmarks, specifically from the geography strand, can be directly related to this project. You could also adapt it for a natural disaster in the US should one occur.

I think this project would illustrate perfectly technology integration, “the combination of all technology parts…together with each subject-related area of curriculum to enhance learning.” This project would help teach the standards as well as incorporating social studies with reading and writing, and of course, technology. (Shelly, 2010) Shelly also discusses authentic learning, and I certainly think this project could not be any more authentic unless we took a field trip to Japan or the site of a US disaster.

In this hypothetical project, students would use Powerpoint, Slideshare, or Prezi to create their digital story. A major focus of the project would be how the group could help recovery efforts whether it is a fundraiser, an awareness raising effort, or any other creative way they choose. They would be responsible for including graphics, text, and either audio or video in their presentation given to the whole class. Hopefully, if circumstances allowed, the class could select a recovery idea to actually do together. Maybe the entire school could even get involved. 

Students would definitely need some past experience or tutorials in using the programs necessary to complete the project. They would also need a variety of appropriate websites for research on Japan, the recent disaster, and perhaps even how-tos on starting a fundraiser or similar project. One excellent resource for finding current events related to the disaster is Scholastic News Online. The class might use this and similar sites to create timelines of the disaster and recovery in preparation for the assigned project. They also might use National Geographic Kids to research information about Japan. 

This is definitely the kind of project where students could benefit from a teacher-created rubric as there are many components they will be responsible for. Also, students will probably need to research and work on their projects partially from home. Having a curriculum page with all the appropriate resources or possibly a class wiki they could use as they compile their research might be very helpful.

So there you have it – an authentic digital storytelling learning extravaganza! Obviously there are many ways it can be improved upon or changed to fit a specific group of students or time. Could you use it with your class?

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., & Gunter, R. E. (2010). Teachers discovering computers:   

            Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed). Australia:

            Course Technology Cengage Learning.

Digital Storytelling: The What, Why, and How

I have to admit, this week when I began practicing the art of digital storytelling, I was a little intimidated. When I first read the term “digital storytelling” I understandably assumed it was a reference to creating illustrated stories on the computer. Well, as it turns out, that’s not really what it is. At least, not exclusively. This video really helped me to better grasp the concept. 

Now we both understand just what this digital storytelling is all about, let’s get back to discussing my first attempt at creating my own digital story. I’ve been hearing a lot of good stuff about a program called Prezi. This innovative and free online digital media authoring tool allows you to create presentations in a unique way. I created a very short and simple presentation on digital storytelling and how it is useful in the classroom. Without further ado, here it is!

Digital Storytelling: The What, Why, and How on Prezi

The process took about an hour. Since it was my first time using Prezi, it took a little while to figure out all the tools even after watching an interactive tutorial. I was a little frustrated that I couldn’t think of a clever way to include graphics, but I think overall it was a good initial effort. I didn’t want to make it too complicated for fear it would end up looking like a jumbled mess. I would really enjoy using this in the classroom. I think my future students will be very engaged and excited about viewing and using the program. It wasn’t until planning out my presentation that I realized all the fantastic benefits of using digital storytelling and programs such as Prezi and Powerpoint with students. 

What will you use Prezi and other digital media authoring tools for?

The Future of Educational Technology

photo © 2009 David Goehring | more info (via: Wylio)

As promised, for those of you who just like to read, I'm once again going outside the realm of assigned blog posts to talk in more detail about something that has caught my interest. For those of you looking to comment on my latest Reading Reaction, please see the previous blog entry.Of course, I'm always interested to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment on this as well. :)

I've talked at length already regarding using familiar technology like cell phones and mp3 players in the classroom, but I haven't much discussed a couple of relatively new devices that are gaining popularity. Interactive whiteboards have been on the education scene for a few years now, yet they are hardly commonplace. I have yet to even see one in person, let alone see all their nifty capabilities. I do know, however, that they've become quite trendy, and any tech savvy teacher I've spoken with wants one in their classroom. One of the major brands currently being used in schools in the SMART board. This video from SMARTClassrooms posted to YouTube gives a general idea of a few of the capabilities of this particular tool. An interesting article linked to my class by my professor compares the SMART board with the Promethean whiteboard. According to author Christopher Dawson, the two products are quite similar. He essentially says the preference of the user dictates the choice between the two. Costing several thousand dollars each, regardless of brand, it will definitely be a long wait until this incredible tool is as common as the original whiteboard. Hopefully that will give teachers enough time to become used to them and make the best use of them possible.

Another article Dr. K supplied us with this week involved new hardware that is giving teachers ideas. That reminds me to ask if interactive whiteboards actually are hardware... Back to the topic at hand - e-readers! Although initially hesitant and even against these devices, I'm starting to come around. Although I still love real books, I'm beginning to see the potential for the e-book. Recently I discovered that a book I needed for class was available through my local library. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was only available as an e-book. If the book has been available in print, I probably would have made the extra trip to check it out from the library, but I didn't have that option available to me. Instead I used the e-book, didn't have to leave home, and I got to save myself some money. A couple of weeks later I read this article from the New York Times which explains how children are becoming an increasingly larger demographic in e-book sales. I suppose I can understand the appeal of the e-reader to a child who has grown uo solely in the digital age. The potential in the classroom intrigues me as a teacher. Imagine the precious classroom space that could be saved by having just one of these compact tools per teacher. As author Julie Bosman mentions, books in the public domain can be downloaded for free. Major bonus! And let's not forget perhaps the most exciting benefit of all; kids are reading! Nothing has been so revolutionary in the way we read books as these devices, so why not take hold of the revolution that is inspiring a love of books in our students?

My point, and I have been getting to one, is that hardware has taken over. Hand-held devices and all things interactive are the future of education. I, for one, have been so inspired by the potential for technology in the classroom in only half a semester. I hope in reading this post, others like it, and the articles that I make reference to, you will also be inspired if you haven't been already.

Bytes & Gigahertz & RAM: Oh, My!

Although fairly familiar with basic computer hardware, memory, and input devices, the concepts of how a computer actually works were entirely new to me and sort of mind-blowing. I knew that computers had motherboards and used a language composed only of 0’s and 1’s, but I didn’t really know what that meant. I had no idea the complex process by which bits become bytes to form an actual language of commands. I found this process to be surprisingly fascinating! I also didn’t really know that RAM is your computer’s volatile memory, and this means that data is loaded to it each time the computer is turned on. ROM is a type of memory I had never heard of, except in reference to a CD-ROM, and this is the memory that is permanently saved even when the computer is turned off. (Shelly, 2010) 

This may all seem like extraneous information which only a computer science professional needs to know. However, because the ISTE standards state that K-12 students should be able to "demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations," it is the teacher’s responsibility to also understand this information. While the concepts of how computers work on a detailed level may seem advanced and even abstract for the elementary students that I will soon be teaching, these students are very impressionable. They take cues from their teachers’ words but mainly their actions in regard to in what they should take an interest. If I am passionate about technology and understanding its components and inner-workings, I can transfer that passion to my students. I also believe that as technology continues to become an integral part of our lives, the ISTE standards will gain more value, and we will begin working on them at an earlier stage in education. If these were not all reasons enough for educating oneself in computer hardware, it is becoming increasingly important for teachers to follow the ISTE standards for teachers, or the ISTE-T. If you don’t want to master this knowledge for your students’ benefit, you might have to in order to renew your teaching certificate.  

It was with this importance on applying knowledge of computer hardware in mind that my professor gave us a scenario in which a hypothetical principal tells me to select a software program I get to purchase for my classroom costing up to $1,000. Our class was to choose a program that we could conceivably use on our computer based on system requirements. One of the programs I might choose is called ClozePro. This program allows teachers to create customizable Cloze activities for a wide range of reading levels and keep track of student progress. Cloze is a great activity for increasing reading comprehension skills, particularly with ELL’s. The system requirements are quite basic. According to the software catalogue website, K12Software.com, they are as follows:

ClozePro for Windows:
Pentium II 200 or greater
32MB RAM
50MB hard disk space
Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista

ClozePro for Mac:
Mac OS X, v10.1.5 or above
128MB RAM
40MB hard disk space

My own laptop could certainly run the program without problem based on its following system specifications:

AMD Athion II P340 Dual-Core processor

4 GB RAM

391 available GB hard disk space

OS: Windows 7

Sometimes older programs do not run well on newer operating systems. However, since ClozePro’s minimum OS requirements include VISTA, a system which is only one step away from mine, the program should run well. Since the program only costs $179.95, I would be well within my scenario’s limits. 

While software is still an incredible tool and a requirement for using various types of hardware with your computer, I believe based on recent trends that hardware is going to be the major focus of educational technology in the coming years.  As this entry is running a bit long, I will continue this idea in its own posting in the next few days.

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., & Gunter, R. E. (2010). Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed). Australia: Course Technology Cengage Learning.

International Society for Technology in Education (2007). NETS for Students 2007. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx

International Society for Technology in Education (2008). NETS for Teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx