Posts by kbaldwin:
- Audacity–excellent and easy to use sound recorder and editor
- Scribus–great desktop publishing application
- OpenOffice.org–features basic suite of applications for word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, graphics, and database
- GIMP–basic replacement for image editing programs (like Photoshop)
- InkScape–vector imaging program, great for making logos, uses mathematical equations to generate images
- FOG–a free computer cloning solution (requires a separate server or virtual machine to set up)
- Google Docs–collaborative, available anywhere
- Apache Web Server–runs more than half of the websites in the world
- MailArchiva–mail archiving system supports most email servers (including Exchange)
- Spiceworks–features for IT management like helpdesk, inventory, monitoring, etc. will create tickets from email uses a web interface
- Firefox–web browser
- Thunderbird–email client
- Evernote–remember everything
- Chrome–Google’s web browser
- GnuCash–accounting software
- Server problems–$$$! And too much time supporting persistent issues, need for offsite backup, etc.
- Centralized control and administration of content–can determine access levels by groups
- Security–uses TLS/SSL (works with newer mobiles), spam and virus protection, data storage redundancy
- Infrastructure–supports open industry standards, 99,9% uptime, great tech support 24/7
- Focus on innovation–constantly developing new tools accessible from any computer, including mobiles
- Enhanced productivity! Shared calendar for substitutes, computer labs, meetings, etc. Forms can provide a helpdesk ticketing system, and Talk will email a transcript of your chat convo to you.
- Increase morale!
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Educational Leadership:Multiple Measures:Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards
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Using interactive whiteboards was associated with a 16 percentile point gain in student achievement.
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statistically significant relationship with student achievement.
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The first is the learner-response device
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the second feature is the use of graphics and other visuals to represent information
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and the third feature is the interactive whiteboard reinforcer—applications that teachers can use to signal that an answer is correct or to present information in an unusual context
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Teachers should think through how they intend to organize information
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Digital flipcharts should contain visuals, but those visuals should clearly focus on the important information.
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Teachers should discuss the correct answer along with the incorrect answers, making sure to elicit opinions from as many students as possible.
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Interactive whiteboards have great potential as a tool to enhance pedagogical practices in the classroom and ultimately improve student achievement. However, simply assuming that using this or any other technological tool can automatically enhance student achievement would be a mistake. As is the case with all powerful tools, teachers must use interactive whiteboards thoughtfully, in accordance with what we know about good classroom practice.
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Students as Creators
July 31st, 2010
The End of Books? (For Me, At Least?)
April 28th, 2010
Okay, maybe not entirely. There’s just something about a physical book, and I hope I am always surrounded by them. But I am becoming an ebook convert for those reads that 1) are cursory and/or 2) I want for immediate reference wherever I am.
The impetus for my own aha moment comes on the heels of reading about Will Richardson’s own recent light bulb moment which he shared in this blog post The End of Books? (For Me, At Least?). His revelation came from the ability to highlight on your reader, and then have all of that highlighted text stored in one location for easy reference. Cool, huh? Richardson had two words for the catalyst in his thinking (Game. Changer.) I have but one word for mine. Access.
My epiphany was brought on by my lack of organization and need to travel. I was on the road again, as the song goes, and my travel plans changed mid-trip. Meaning, of course, that I didn’t have a book with me that I wanted to reference. Sure, I could look it up on Google books and see a few pages of preview. But if I’d had this book on my ereader, I would always have access to it. And the rest of my library, for that matter.
So while having stacks and shelves filled with books will always be part of my definition of home, I’m thinking it’s time to invest in an ereader for my home away from home. Not to mention the floor space and storage space I could recover in my actual home by reading digital versions of all those books that I had no intention of keeping. Rather than shuffling these books around from storage to friends to donation bins, I could just read them online. Or, you know, spend more time at the libary. But that’s another post.
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Cut spending, Try open source
March 11th, 2010Tyler Krehbiel – Technology Coordinator; SW/WC Service Cooperative team shared a number of great resources that are available online for free. Let the kids figure out the tech–you can focus on the teaching. But where to find opensource software? Beyond the usual search engines, or his excellent suggestions below, try osalt.com, sourceforge.net, or codeplex.com.
Network administrators and computer teachers might especially be interested in the following:
And a few other treats:
To Apps or Not To Apps…
March 11th, 2010Jen Hegna from Byron School District (MN) gave a great overview at the SW/WC Tech Conference today of what Google Apps can provide to students and schools–you can view her presentation here. Implementing in January 2010, they started with staff first and will roll out to students in May. Some reasons they moved to Apps were:
Other considerations: They did need to increase their bandwidth to support this. Apps open by domain–so will there be a separate domain for students and teachers? If you decide to Google App, do your homework–assemble your team–develop a timeline–get training and support.
Marzano shares data on Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards
February 24th, 2010Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Worksheets and Hoops
February 23rd, 2010
Our director gave a speech recently that reminded me of one critical quality today’s learners appear to be missing that the learners of not so long ago mostly shared–a willingness to jump through the hoops.
When I was in school, and even while I was teaching, most students had figured out that to succeed you would have to sit through some boring lectures, fill out some mundane worksheets, color in the countries on the blank geography map, etc. A few rebellious ones would refuse or check out or eventually drop out, but most of us just took it as the only way to graduate and get a decent job.
Today’s kids have access to a plethora of information and spend most of their time engaged–whether through video games or online activities or through after school sports or dance or music. All of this meaningful, connected activity translates into less willingness to put up with non-engaging classroom activities. And as a colleague pointed out, they’re not refusing out of spite, or to be disrepectful, or even to rebel…they just don’t see why they should, and they are more likely to ask the age old question, “Why do we have to do this?”
If we don’t have a solid reason that will result in deeper understanding for learners, maybe the new answer is “You shouldn’t. Let’s do something else.” This blog entry from Glenn Wiebe sums it up. As educators, let’s do everything we can to prevent the twinge he feels from happening to other parents…or from becoming a long term heartache.
Project-Based Learning: Reinvigorated!
November 5th, 2009You might think that you know all about project based learning, but technology has had a strong influence on how PBL can be accomplished, and reinvigorated a need for this student centered engaging approach to teaching. Charlotte Mohling from Wessington Springs shared some ideas for how to incorporate technology-rich project-based learning in your classroom.
When implementing a technology rich project, educators need to think about what content will be addressed, what resources migth be available and accessible, communicating with school leadership and parents, and to have a design structure set before starting the project.
Those who are utilizing PBL today should consider the project planning and design, implementation, monitor and adapt, assess, and celebrate and reflct. These five elements of the framework can help to ensure a successful experience with this engaging and motivating approach to learning. Project based learning support teaching for understanding by focusing on the big ideas (content standard and focus for student understanding).
Project based learning encourages students to use technology in a ubiquitous manner, thus tools like laptops and cell phones that provide anytime/anywhere access might used. These technologies can provide access to deep learning, where students use primary source and real time data to consider problems and solutions. Online tools can provide students with resources for making thinking visible and discussable, while giving them the opportunity to express themselves, share ideas, and build whatever they need to address the problem around which their learning is being centered.
Student collaboration can be encouraged with programs like GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, Google docs, wikispaces, and more! They can then manage their projects and reflect on their learning with other digital tools. In this way, technology becomes the invisible support for truly rich learning opportunities that provide students with 21st century successes!
Disrupting Class–Innovation in Education
November 5th, 2009Author Clayton Christensen takes a hard look at education in his book, and encourages educators to consider how technology can influence the ability of schools and teachers to address individual student learning needs. Innovations tend to spread when there is a need or interest for current “non-consumers” of a product or concept. For example, the transistor radio became popular despite have lower quailty sound becuase it was portable–something that the higher quality radios of the day were not.
Online learning is gaining ground quickly because it provides a resource for students to gain access to programs or content not currently available to them in face to face environments, and Christensen asserts that within the next ten years, ”student online learning will account for 50% of “seat miles” in U.S. secondary schools (80% in 2024).” He focuses on this becoming a flip from current monolithic style institutions to student-centric institutions.
Thre are four factors influencing this flip: technological improvements make learning more engaging, better software applies to many learning styles, the looming teacher shortage, and costs will decrease. For more details about these factors and other interesting disruptive ideas, read the book!
Teaching with Wit and Wisdom
November 5th, 2009
Babara Coloroso encouraged educators to focus on deep caring at her keynote presentation for the Systems Change conference this morning. Her message of teaching students how to think is a perfect fit for 21st century skills, and her placement of those skills in the context of establishing a society that can discern and act upon the right thing to do, even when the burden is heavy.
This connected for me with the information from Robyn Jackson regarding classroom currency. Jackson asserts that we need to help students build their currency, spend it on learning, and acquire new currencies.
Whether your perspective is abstract or concrete, the message is the same: we want our students to be critical thinkers and ethical actors. In order to accomplish this, we must teach them the processes and provide them with opportunities for practicing these skills, including taking responsibility for their actions.
Celebrate Labor Day; Success Requires Work
September 6th, 2009This year, America’s Promise Alliance through Volunteers of America-Dakotas is partnering with the Office of Indian Education to offer the 2009 Indian Education and Dropout Prevention Summit in Rapid City, SD. This event will focus on best practices and model program for keeping students in school, social issues surrounding dropout rates, asset building to prevent dropouts, and the economic implications of high dropout rates.
A point made by Malcolm Gladwell at the NECC conference this summer is really echoed throughout this event, and will also be made by President Obama as he addresses the nation’s schools this coming Tuesday. It all takes effort. Gladwell shares that despite the popular image of genius being discovered overnight, the truth is that anyone who is really good at something has had to put in hours, and hours, and hours of practice.
The PSA below seems at first a bit of an odd fit to promote the upcoming Presidential address, but as I think about it, if there is one kid who suddenly realizes that to achieve their dream, they need to stay in school, that even racecar drivers had to pass their math tests, or that to be an astronaut, firefighter, teacher, doctor, lawyer, or mechanic means being able to read, write, and communicate clearly, then I hope to see this ad everywhere.
