Youtube the leader in online video, allows students and teachers to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email which in turn can be used by educators to supplement the curriculum and by students to share their creative multimedia projects. In the ever changing classroom, Youtube is a link see other students work and ltap into additional recourses to support projects and share knowledge with a much larger audience of other students and teachers. Rather than have a student submit a paper and pencil project, Youtube allows the student to express him or herself more creatively using text, narration, sound, animation, video, and graphics. Today’s students are connected through social learning in the read write web, and learn differently than students from previous generations. Youtube is a tool which can effectively reach students in a way in which these digital natives can understand and enjoy.
Technology and Web 2.0 has made the world a much "smaller" place in terms of the ability of communicating and sharing knowledge. Youtube allows students to share their knowledge of a specifice topic to a worldwide audience. It also allows students to become journalists in a sense, since they can post content on issues that directly effect their lives. Youtube has changed the way the world receives and shares information. The first videos of the damage the Tsunami caused in the Phillipines did not come from a world news organization, it came from people on the scene who posted the content they obtained on the Web. Since the world outside of the classroom is changing the way people interact with one another and share information due to Youtube and other Web 2.0 tools, these tools should be embraced in education if teachers are truly preparing students with skills to compete in the "real-world." Some students are still being taught as if it is 1970, and without the proper understanding of technology, they will not be prepared for the world in the 21st century.
In the February Edition of "the Chronicle of Education" the author says:
"The modern university should work not by defining fields of study but by removing obstacles so that knowledge can circulate and be reconfigured in new ways. For media studies, that means taking down walls that separate the study of different media, that block off full collaboration between students, that make it difficult to combine theory and practice, and that isolate academic research from the larger public conversations about media change.
The way we educate our students should resemble this statement, from University level through Kindergarten. No longer can students be forced to accept that the teacher in the classroom is the only expert on a topic. By allowing students to create their own content and show their understanding of a topic through multimedia presentations, posting that content on the internet, and getting feedback from people all over the world - it would give students a much richer experience in the classroom and the ability to see other points of view on how other students translate information into knowledge.
In addition to allowing students to create and share content, teachers can access videos from all spectrums of the curriculum to use in class. If a teacher is doing a history lesson on the assassination of JFK, wouldn't it be helpful to see the video in the classroom. Here is a great example of a student project about JFK. What if students were learning about the speeches of Martin Luther King, wouldn't it be an effective tool to actually see and hear MLK standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial?
Youtube screens and edits innaporpriate content but for teachers who are still nervous about Youtube and do not trust the content on the site, there are other options: TeacherTube and Schooltube. Schooltube is a video sharing site just like Youtube, but it is run by the Student Television Network, a nationally recognized organization overseeing Student Broadcasting across the country. Teachertube is an online community for sharing instructional videos. Both of these Web 2.0 tools should allow for even most "digital immigrants" to implement some sort of video and multimedia technology in the classroom. The possibilities are endless and can be applied to all content areas and curriculums as a means to share ideas rather than just teach them.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Del.icio.us - a Tasty Web Tool
The Read/Write Web has so many tools to offer, it can almost be overwhelming. Each tool has its own postives and negatives - but all of them have the capability to truly change the way you use the Internet in your daily life. (Here are some examples of these tools - check them out if you haven't already: PBWiki, Bloglines, Furl, Flickr, Blogger just to name a few). But the one tool which people, especially teachers, could most easily and quickly implement in their daily routine is the social bookmarking site del.icio.us.
A major premise of Web 2.0 is the ability to create social networks and give people the opportunity to easily exchange information and knowledge. Del.icio.us is a perfect example of what Web 2.0 can be and already is and you can easily get on board with no worries or trepidation.
So how would you get started using Del.icio.us? This link will walk you through the process of setting up Del.Icio.us account and the many uses for the social bookmarking tool and this techtorial will add even more information to your knowledge base.
Social bookmarking sites will chance the way you look for and find information on the Web. This tool will not only allow you to share information you have already found with anyone on the internet, but will also allow you to search the bookmarks of other people and check out the information they have already found. It makes finding information extremely easy, and allows for deeper knowledge of a subject. You no longer have to rely on a search engine and hope it takes you to a good site, now, with a few clicks of a mouse... you can find people interested in the same websites as you - and begin to share and exchange information effortlessly.
You can check out my del.icio.us page here: http://del.icio.us/rjohnson021. Check it out, and click on a couple of links that may interest you. After doing that, click on the link to other people who have bookmarked this site. The possibilities are endless. The most amazing part of this tool is that you can search for articles and website - through the use of Tag words. Just type in technology, and you will see the sites which have been "tagged" as a technology website. Its just like using a search engine, but instead of being in an ocean full of knowledge, you're in the deep end of the pool and you'll never find the bottom!
A major premise of Web 2.0 is the ability to create social networks and give people the opportunity to easily exchange information and knowledge. Del.icio.us is a perfect example of what Web 2.0 can be and already is and you can easily get on board with no worries or trepidation.
So how would you get started using Del.icio.us? This link will walk you through the process of setting up Del.Icio.us account and the many uses for the social bookmarking tool and this techtorial will add even more information to your knowledge base.
Social bookmarking sites will chance the way you look for and find information on the Web. This tool will not only allow you to share information you have already found with anyone on the internet, but will also allow you to search the bookmarks of other people and check out the information they have already found. It makes finding information extremely easy, and allows for deeper knowledge of a subject. You no longer have to rely on a search engine and hope it takes you to a good site, now, with a few clicks of a mouse... you can find people interested in the same websites as you - and begin to share and exchange information effortlessly.
You can check out my del.icio.us page here: http://del.icio.us/rjohnson021. Check it out, and click on a couple of links that may interest you. After doing that, click on the link to other people who have bookmarked this site. The possibilities are endless. The most amazing part of this tool is that you can search for articles and website - through the use of Tag words. Just type in technology, and you will see the sites which have been "tagged" as a technology website. Its just like using a search engine, but instead of being in an ocean full of knowledge, you're in the deep end of the pool and you'll never find the bottom!
Friday, April 13, 2007
RSS Aggregator - Not Agravating!
In my instructional technology class last Thursday, we subscribed to “Bloglines” an RSS aggregator which allows users to pick and choose feeds of news and information and have that “feed” sent directly to your Bloglines account. The aggregator does all of your "research" for you. The user no longer has to check 15 websites a day to get the latest news in which they are interested, the aggregator collects the information in an email inbox format and allows the user to read the information at the appropriate time.
The aggregator is also good for information outside the academic world, such as world news, sports, weather etc. Any site I can find with a RSS feed on it can be set up to run through my Bloglines account.
I’ve also found another option, and for me, an easier option to use in terms of an RSS aggregator. With the new Microsoft Outlook 2007, there is a special folder for RSS feeds that works just like Bloglines. So now, rather than have to log onto Bloglines, I do not even have to go that far. I can check my daily school email account, then open my RSS feeds folder, and check out the new information that has been “sent” to me throughout the day.
Both tools have made my day much easier, and allowed me to consume much more information on a daily basis. It really has changed the way I gather information, and has even allowed me to stop buying the Philadelphia Daily News because I now subscribe to the Sports RSS feed and get all the days articles delivered to my laptop. That’s better than having home delivery. I don’t even have to open the door anymore!
So... if you see a little orange icon on a web page, click on it, sit back - relax and enjoy.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Web Page Evaluation Tool
As we strive to move Web 2.0 into the classroom, there are some obvious concerns to consider. Not all websites are a valid source of information, while others are down right improper for children to view. But how is a novice user of the Web and Web 2.0 going to be able to determine whether or not a site is a valid source of information? Funny you should ask...
All users of the Web, but specifically educators need to use Web Site Evalulation tools to determine the validity of a web site. My group of colleagues from my instructional technology class found an excellent evaluation tool created by Kathy Shrock. It can be found here: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalhigh.pdf
This tool assesses the visual design of the site, as well as the content and creators of the site. It's an excellent resource for educators.
All users of the Web, but specifically educators need to use Web Site Evalulation tools to determine the validity of a web site. My group of colleagues from my instructional technology class found an excellent evaluation tool created by Kathy Shrock. It can be found here: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalhigh.pdf
This tool assesses the visual design of the site, as well as the content and creators of the site. It's an excellent resource for educators.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The Digital Divide
At a recent meeting of our school's Academic Technology committe, I showed Carl Fisch's "Did You Know" to the members of the board (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHWTLA8WecI). They were awestruck at the presentation and almost looked "defeated" after consuming the information about the technology and digital divide between the U.S. and the rest of the world, not to mention the divide between the faculty members in attendance and the students they are teaching.
I briefly spoke about the presentation and the school's need to improve technology literacy among the faculty and more importantly, among the students. I handed out a hotlist of weblinks to technology resources to get their minds working and also asked the 10 people in attendance if they knew was Web 2.0 was. (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/list_of_web_20.php).
No one in the room had even heard about it, let alone used it in the classroom.
I would imagine my experience in trying to explain Web 2.0. to faculty members is the norm and not the exeception. Which does not bode well for our students.
I briefly spoke about the presentation and the school's need to improve technology literacy among the faculty and more importantly, among the students. I handed out a hotlist of weblinks to technology resources to get their minds working and also asked the 10 people in attendance if they knew was Web 2.0 was. (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/list_of_web_20.php).
No one in the room had even heard about it, let alone used it in the classroom.
I would imagine my experience in trying to explain Web 2.0. to faculty members is the norm and not the exeception. Which does not bode well for our students.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Great Clip About Education and Technology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHWTLA8WecI
Check out this You Tube Clip "Did You Know?" by Instructional Technologist Carl Fisch. The clip looks at Education and Technology and the United States' place in the world.
You can check out his blog at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-know.html
Check out this You Tube Clip "Did You Know?" by Instructional Technologist Carl Fisch. The clip looks at Education and Technology and the United States' place in the world.
You can check out his blog at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-know.html
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