Monthly Archives: August 2010
Cool Infographics – Cool Infographics
This is a very cool video animation, Asteroid Discovery From 1980 – 2010, of asteroid discoveries over the last 30 years. Not only does it show the orbits of the asteroids in relation to the inner planets, it highlights them over time as they were identified and colors them according to how close to Earth their orbits will come.
The only visual inaccuracy is the size of the asteroids. Since the asteroids have to be at least one pixel wide to appear in the animation, they are represented much larger compared to the planets than they really are.
View of the solar system showing the locations of all the asteroids starting in 1980, as asteroids are discovered they are added to the map and highlighted white so you can pick out the new ones.
The final colour of an asteroids indicates how closely it comes to the inner solar system.
Earth Crossers are Red
Earth Approachers (Perihelion less than 1.3AU) are Yellow
All Others are Green
How Close Is Too Close? | nashworld
One of my most respected virtual friends (who will become a “real” friend if Educon 2.3 doesn’t get snowed out) recently blogged about five reasons to avoid Facebook in the classroom. His post was a response to another by Jeff Utecht advocating the use of Facebook in classrooms. While it might seem a bit odd, allow me to take a position that is tenuously negative and positive at the same time. The way I see it, in reality, Doyle’s post was less about Facebook and more about teacher-student communication in 2010.
The Innovative Educator: Is Teaching a “Class” a Big Mistake?
GROUPING 20 – 32 STUDENTS TOGETHER FOR THEIR LEARNING IS WRONG, AND ASSIGNING THAT GROUP TO A TEACHER JUST AMPLIFIES THE PROBLEM.
Earlier this year I awarded a National Australian Award that allowed me to work with a school in Napier, New Zealand where this photograph was taken. For 5 weeks I walked on this path everyday, I never understood why this path had a curve in it, there seemed to be no reason for it. However everyone who walked or rode on the path went along as if it was just another bump in the road with few even giving a second thought to what they were doing.
Some things in life that we do that make no sense and could be delaying (or stopping) the achievement of our goals. This post addresses some one of the things we commonly do in schools that may seem like just another bump in the road, but may indeed be counter-productive and not be in the best interest of 21st century students.
via The Innovative Educator: Is Teaching a “Class” a Big Mistake?.
Burlington High principal plans to incorporate more technology in learning – The Boston Globe
Patrick Larkin envisions a day when all students bring to school is a laptop, iPad, or cellphone. To the dismay of schoolchildren everywhere, snow days would be a thing of the past since students could complete their class work even when snowbound.
The Burlington High School principal may be looking ahead when he talks about leaving behind “the idea that people can only be educated between 7 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.’’ But Larkin is already a pioneer in bringing technology into his school, using social media tools to connect with students and educators.
via Burlington High principal plans to incorporate more technology in learning – The Boston Globe.
Our Agenda for Technology Integration: It’s Time to Choose
I sometimes ask graduate students—as an informal measure of their baseline knowledge at the beginning of a semester—what “technology integration” means to them. Here’s a sample response written by a teacher enrolled in the first week of her first educational technology course:
A classroom that has successfully integrated technology into the curriculum would be one where you would not really notice it because it would be so second nature. The teacher would not have to think up ways to use whatever tools were available, but would seamlessly use them to enhance the learning of whatever content was being covered. Technology [would be] used to assist in acquiring content knowledge, and the acquisition of technology skills [would be] secondary.
pcwsn.com
A new & unique magazine enters the Kansas City market! In order to empower parents, we are launching Parenting Children with Special Needs magazine filled with communication, general knowledge, understanding, information, encouragement, support and guides to services.
A Day at the Ranch 8/28/2010
Invitation to Day at the Ranch! PDF
Need a little bit of air? Well, you can come get it at our magazine launch event that is open to all special needs families will be held at Faulkner’s Ranch in Kansas City, Aug 28 from 9am – noon. This FREE event will allow parents to meet other parents with common interests in raising children with special needs. At Faulkner’s we will have sponsored pony rides, a petting farm, hands-on crafts, music, a moonwalk, food, sensory activities and much more.
via pcwsn.com.
The Innovative Educator: 8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Schoening’s First Grade Class
Today I did something that was quite difficult for me. Despite spending a late night out engaging in stimulating post conversation with colleagues at #blc10, I got up early to attend a 7:30 a.m. session. I got up early because the topic was extremely intriguing to me especially in light of the fact that I was just mentioned in The New York Times – Friending Students on Facebook story.
This was a presentation from a first grade teacher named Erin Schoening who was using Facebook with her students, their families, and other targeted members in the school community.
In a world where there is such a fear of using Facebook in education even for high school, I wondered how she could succeed in using this as a tool with 1st graders????
via The Innovative Educator: 8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Schoening’s First Grade Class.
Connectivism « Connectivism
Technological networks have transformed prominent businesses sectors: music, television, financial, manufacturing. Social networks, driven by technological networks, have similarly transformed communication, news, and personal interactions. Education sits at the social/technological nexus of change – primed for dramatic transformative change. In recent posts, I’ve argued for needed systemic innovation. I’d like focus more specifically on how teaching is impacted by social and technological networks.
What is the role of a teacher?
A teacher/instructor/professor obviously plays numerous roles in a traditional classroom: role model, encourager, supporter, guide, synthesizer. Most importantly, the teacher offers a narrative of coherence of a particular discipline. Selecting a textbook, determining and sequencing lecture topics, and planning learning activities, are all undertaken to offer coherence of a subject area. Instructional (or learning) design is a structured method of coherence provision.
How to measure the effectiveness of professional development activities | Suifaijohnmak’s Weblog
This post on measurement on the effectiveness of professional development attracts my attention.
Stephen commented in his OLDaily:
And the good point he make is that the effectiveness (if you want to call it that) of a learning event isn’t measurable at the time of the event – you have to wait for the cycles to complete.
Can the effectiveness of professional development be measured? How and When?
I have composed a post on Teacher Training and classroom teaching here. I have also shared my views and perspectives on Cooperative Online Education here.
via How to measure the effectiveness of professional development activities | Suifaijohnmak’s Weblog.
INFOGRAPHICS – The Learning Network Blog – NYTimes.com
To close Infographics Week here on The Learning Network, I invited a classroom teacher (and self-described “fanatic” about the use of infographics in education) to detail a project I first heard her talk about on a National Writing Project-affiliated podcast called “Teachers Teaching Teachers.”
Diana Laufenberg has been a public school social studies teacher for the last thirteen years, eight at the middle school level and five in high school. She currently works at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, which is a partnership high school between the School District of Philadelphia and The Franklin Institute. The school describes itself as an “inquiry-driven, project-based high school utilizing a 1:1 laptop program to foster 21st century learning.”
