General Page 3RSS Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • visramn 1:40 pm on October 14, 2012
    0 votes
    |
    Tags:   

    Welcome to week Seven Our topic is Augmented Reality. Please click on the following link: https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec522augmentedreality/. It will direct you to this week’s activities. Please read through the directions on the homepage and follow the steps. When you have completed the readings, watched the videos and completed the activities, please answer the following questions on […]

    Continue reading Welcome to week Seven Our topic is Augme… Posted in: General, Week 07:
     

    • Doug Connery 7:45 pm on October 17, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great work AR Group on putting together this informative module.

      I wonder if weather broadcasts qualify as AR technology as the weather person is not really standing in front of a weather map but a blank wall or tarp. Somehow in the production that we see on screen, they are magically standing in front of a weather map, radar image, futurecast etc. If this is AR, then perhaps we have been informed and educated for years through AR technology and did not realize it.

      Doug.

    • visramn 9:38 pm on October 19, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Doug,

      It is great to hear that the lesson has been beneficial to you.
      I think you are right about weather broadcasting and in all honestly I did not even think about that till you mentioned it. What an excellent example of AR that is a part of our everyday life that we are not even aware of. Thank you so much for sharing your observation.
      Nureen

  • Peggy Lawson 10:13 pm on October 12, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Me again. David, is there a way to add a more descriptive title for each of the weekly presentations?  In the “Discussion” menu, each week is just identified by a week number.  I’ll admit I haven’t really played around & explored to see if this is something we could add ourselves, but it would be […]

    Continue reading Weekly Descriptions Posted in: General
     

  • rebeccaharrison 9:54 pm on October 8, 2012
    0 votes
    |
    Tags: cloud technology   

    From the research that I have been doing in this, and other, classes, combined with the information that has been presented by the BC government this year, I can actually see the potential for a massive shift in learning in the next 5 years. I imagine that cloud computing will be a big part of this […]

    Continue reading Week 6: Last Activity Posted in: General, Week 06:
     

    • jkotler 3:30 am on October 9, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Rebecca,

      I think you make a great point about how it is often hard to make long-term projections in the future of technology because of the rapid pace at which things now develop and change. With that said though, I too think the biggest change for cloud computing and learning would be in regards to its widespread use and that we would see it become commonly used in most school districts.

    • Colin 9:20 pm on October 9, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I agree I think we will see a big shift in the amount of cloud computing applications that are used in the classroom. As for the technology that they will be using it is hard to predict. One prediction is that we will be using Virtual Worlds that are integrated with a LMS system. It would allow for students to learn while they look and interact within the virtual world. It also will allow for collaboration and can be done online without a need for a building. As this would allow for cost savings I can definitely see this as a possibility. That said these are all guesses and depends on so many variables that we just can’t predict.

    • pcollins 2:03 pm on October 12, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      This idea is so fitting for the research I have just completed for my project. Even though many people (educators, administration, parents) see the need for an overhaul in the education system and everyone is floating around predictions about how this might manifest itself….. it is such a huge shift in paradigm that it may take something really, really big to provide the impetus for this change to occur. And yes, the cost savings is undeniable – once it’s up and running. However, the start up costs and the funds for development and research still have to come from somewhere first…. and where does it come from? Private sector? Dismantling classrooms? Teacher layoffs?

      PC

  • Peggy Lawson 3:25 pm on October 8, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    More great stuff on your Advantages page!  I’m curious about your decision to include so much about iPads.  No doubt as to their benefits, and the video highlighting autistic and other special needs children was very powerful. But many of the apps highlighted are actually resident on the iPad once downloaded & installed I suspect, rather […]

    Continue reading Week 6: Cloud Learning – Advantages Posted in: General
     

    • Colin 6:25 pm on October 8, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Peggy, I agree that many of the apps that we install these days can be run locally without an internet connection. Though I do believe that cloud computing in general will be a necessity for mobile learning. Many software developers want to move to a system where you log in to their server to use an application. Students can pick up an iPad at school or log on to their computer at home an their information will be downloaded. The video didn’t do a good job of relating this aspect of Mobile learning.

    • jenbarker 7:33 am on October 9, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Peggy,
      Thanks for your comments and getting the ball rolling this week. Next month my class is going to receive a set of iPads for two months. Although my students will be working on many apps that reside on the iPad itself, once their projects are complete we will be using the share button to access the cloud and transfer their digital media to blogs (which I am calling their EPortfolios). So in this respect, cloud computing becomes necessary with the iPads to save student work. I think this is going to become more common as schools tend to be sharing iPads among several students. Therein lays another privacy problem where students have access to each other’s work.

    • Ranvir 9:16 pm on October 9, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      This is an excellent discussion on use of iPads for project work and then transferring, sharing it on the cloud! Students would be able to progressively develop an ePortfolio as they move on to higher classes.
      Jen – Would you mind sharing how the “share” button might work?

      • jenbarker 7:50 pm on October 10, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Ranvir,
        The share button is located right on many apps. It allows you share the digital media that you have created to either your facebook account, twitter or email it to yourself. I plan to have my students email it to themselves and then they can move their projects onto their personal blogs.

    • adi 4:11 pm on October 10, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I haven’t yet looked at the ‘limitations’ section; however, though I know security is an issue, there are clearly lots of advantages for using cloud computing. In developing countries the cost benefit factor is key, including the savings on energy bills, and making fewer trips thank to online collaboration. I can see how these factors could be of great benefit for school districts or educational boards short on resources and money. This idea of ‘pay as you go’, is also better than spending thousands of dollars on software and applications that soon become obsolete. I think more money should be spent on finding solutions for the security issue; it’s well worth it given the many benefits of cloud computing. (Ben in this group’s blog makes some useful suggestions of how to avoid having problems with security.

      • tomwhyte1 7:58 pm on October 11, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I understand the value of the pay-as-you go model, but are educational institutions and classrooms ready for that? As individuals we see the benefit, but a district has significant issues that may impede or hamper this or any adoption.

        For example, I have been pushing Google Docs in our district for nearly 3 years, we are now just starting to explore what it might look like, and it is free. Secondly, sometimes tech budget dollars are tied to the purchasing of specific software only, which does not allow other, and maybe more beneficial software from being purchased.

        Thoughts?

  • joeltremblay 6:06 am on October 6, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    I made an app for the secondary school ussing AppMakr that I work at. I figured it would be a useful contribution for the parents and teachers who worked there to have direct access to the school and it’s announcements since most students and parents spend more time on their phones then computers. The RSS […]

    Continue reading WVSS app Posted in: General
     

  • jenbarker 7:04 pm on October 3, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    I hope you don’t mind but I’ve noticed that a few of us in the group have young children and so I thought I’d share a couple of apps that my kids love and that I find to be of high quality.   One is NFBPixstop  which is a FREE app created by the National […]

    Continue reading Excellent Creative Learning Apps Posted in: General
     

    • kstackhouse 6:50 am on October 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thank you for the ideas. I know my kids will love these! I am also trying to think of how I could use the first one in my class.

    • tomwhyte1 7:09 am on October 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      My own children use my iPad quite extensively, some for games – Angry Birds… But sometimes for various learning activities – I find the new “game” Bade Piggies an excellent game, but problem solving challenge as well. They also love the puzzle apps, and especially a book series called Deskplorers… As they need to understand the story plot, and solve problems to progress the plot.

    • Eva Ziemsen 8:00 am on October 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Love the animation app here. I would use this with film students, not just young kids. I used to take my students to the NFB to create claymation PSAs. Now I can have them do this in-class. Film students will take this app to a whole new level. Thanks for sharing.

    • melissaayers 8:44 am on October 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks for sharing those apps Jen, I love the toontastic one – its a really great example of how technology can change the way learners learn. Being able to easily bring their stories to life with animation instead of just using the more traditional text and images is a great benefit/advancement I believe and no doubt a lot more fun.

    • stammik 11:36 am on October 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great suggestion Jen. I’ve tried this one in my classes and the kids loved its simplicity and immediate results. Plus you can’t beat the free price 🙂

    • avninder 2:00 pm on October 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I haven’t let my 13 month old use my phone yet but I’m sure it’ll just be a matter of time. I’ve heard that PBS kids has some good educational apps. Jen – the video your daughter made is so cute.

  • adi 4:37 pm on September 28, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Global School Net [picture pending/ my Internet connection keeps on freezing]   Though the Global School Net web page mentions two founders, Yvonne Maria Andres and Al Rogers, it could be said that the original concept of connecting schools for online projects was Yvonne’s back in 1984. Like a good entrepreneur, Yvonne partnered up with Al […]

    Continue reading Embracing change over the years Posted in: General
     

  • cunnian 9:47 pm on September 27, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Co-Founders: Nicholas Borg and Jeff O’Hara Venture: Edmodo Photo source: Xconomy Edmodo is an educational microblogging site which affords students and teachers to collaborate in a private environment. It was co-founded in 2008 by Nic Borg (CEO) and Jeff O’Hara (Co-owner) as a means to incorporate a social media element to mainstream education, while nonetheless […]

    Continue reading Edmodo Posted in: General, Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • tomwhyte1 11:32 am on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I have personally used Edmodo for years in my class, and love the mobile app as well. I am aware that Edmodo provides more sophisticated services for a fee, but was unaware that they are a for-profit venture.

      With that in mind, I also wonder how the potential inclusion of a more sophisticated fee structure, or advertising might influence those 8 million plus users…

      Thoughts?

    • frank 12:33 pm on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Edmodo seems to be right on the button of taking Social Media into schools and using it as a driving vehicle to leverage technology to provide education for the 21st century classroom.
      In fact, I am curious as to whether our class, or for that matter any class could be taught through the use of Edmodo as the underlying technological platform facilitating online content delivery, social interaction, and tracking.

      Tom, do you think that for example, you could use Edmodo to deliver a financial literacy module for your class, using content that is already available online? Any shortcomings to using such an approach, and suggestions on how they could be overcome?

      My two risk concerns for this venture are 1) Whether social media moguls such as FB or Google Plus could create spinoffs to outcompete Edmodo, if Edmodo’s success grabs their attention and they decide to enter education technology. 2) I’m dubious about marketing/advertisement as revenue sources for educational products. Mainly because learning requires focus, and advertising disrupts it.

      As for the founders Jeff and Nicholas, they’re clearly doing somethings right as their venture is gaining in prestige and popularity. Whether they have the right stuff to go from entrepreneur to CEO remains to be seen.
      So far, so good..

      • teacherben 6:43 pm on September 29, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I also wonder if Google+ has the potential to steal Edmodo’s userbase. Apparently, Google Apps has 40 million active users and is used in 61 of the top 100 schools (I just plucked that off the Internet, it came from a report in US News & World Report) but they only rolled Google+ into it less than a year ago. With tons more schools preparing to move over to GApps (like mine) it seems silly not to use it. While Edmodo does include all sorts of assessment and tracking tools, for example, you can make your own quizzes and so on, you can do a lot of the same things without much more difficulty using google forms. I believe there is a lot of potential for social networks in the classroom for sure. I set up a social network for our grade 5 classes about 5 years ago using an open source product called Elgg. Even after the novelty wore off, the kids were still on there all the time and using it for things I had never imagined–creating discussion groups to share their passions for horses and LEGO and all sorts of stuff. But today, the kids ant my school are divided between a whole punch of overlapping software, Weebly, the school blogging platform, Managebac, the school unit planner, WCBS, the school gradebook, FirstClass, the school email system and then their own stuff on Facebook and all the rest. A move to a single platform like Google Apps will reduce the hassle of multiple sign-ons in a big way and make it way easier for them to keep track of their online world. I could never sell Edmodo in a situation like this and I bet that’s the same in a lot of places.

    • tomwhyte1 2:05 pm on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Interesting inquiry. Our school actually uses many of the embedded features within Edmodo to instruct our students in Information Technology, through the use of this social platform, we instruct students how to be proper within online environments, as well as managing an entire class with no physical paper. We have been quite successful with this approach.

    • Kent Jamieson 6:14 pm on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Currently, our school is looking at many options for an online learning environment. I have recently posted about Schoology as another one of these LMS’s that seems to have grown out of necessity to have ‘one stop shopping’. Teachers are looking for it all when it comes to online class management and collaboration tools, and the ability to not only view paperless student work but to comment on it, grade it and access it anywhere.
      The Facebook feel of both Edmodo and Schoology is what concerns me the most, as many parents have voiced concerns in our school over the use of Facebook and sharing student files in the cloud.
      It is all a learning opportunity, and as Tom put it, we can embed information into these platforms to help alleviate the concern and proactively promote positive online behaviours.

    • kstackhouse 7:22 pm on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi there,

      I personally loved using Edmodo. I had tried Twiducate before that and like most of it…but it was incredibly slow. I was cautioned though through discussion with the Department of Education in my province. They were concerned about the content being hosted outside of our own servers. They said that we could continue to use it as long as there was no identifiable information anywhere on the site. Not even the school’s or my name. They were also concerned about the intellectual content stored there. Reading through the information it seemed as though the authors would be protected. However, the concern was if the company was bought out or shut down…what would then happen with those resources. Good questions to consider.

      Ken

      • cunnian 10:26 pm on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        The privacy issue is indeed a sensitive one. It is interesting that working in the public system last year I would not have been able to use Edmodo, but now being in the private system it is permitted with some stipulations (close reading and disclosure of the terms of service is a big part of the solution). I wonder how many schools are currently looking for LMSs and running into this problem… does this favour the use of Moodle and others which can be stored locally? There’s a segment of the market that Edmodo can’t tap into.

  • teacherben 7:25 pm on September 26, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Just launched: Google for Entrepreneurs Here’s an article about it: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/google-supports-startups-launch-google-entrepreneurs-updates/

    Continue reading Google for Entrepreneurs Posted in: General
     

    • David Vogt 7:47 am on September 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks for sharing this, Ben –

      In every sector, not just digital, companies are finding it more and more difficult to innovate internally. The number of processes, events, incentives, etc, that companies are inventing to try to ramp up internally-generated innovative ideas is quite amazing. Google in particular has given its employees enormous creative freedoms to pursue new ideas on company time. However, it doesn’t seem to be enough to allow companies to be competitive. The demise of Google Labs is one indicator of this for me.

      What’s the problem? The way I see it is that with global competitiveness the proverbial “low hanging fruit” in every sector is long gone. That means companies need to reach higher (for example, do lots of advanced R&D in pre-competitive technologies) and reach wider (for example, bring on experts and projects intersecting many different fields) in order to stay ahead. Both of these activities are typically expensive and really difficult for companies to manage, especially on their spreadsheets.

      So most companies in the world don’t actually “do” much innovation anymore, they “buy” it. They allow the depth and breadth of the open marketplace (ie: gazillions of small start-up companies) to take on the expense and risk of pioneering. Then they try to buy those few companies that seem to be succeeding while they’re still young and affordable. Its a risky and inefficient process, but less so than doing it yourself.

      Another thing large companies are doing is getting involved in “open innovation”. This is where they will put money, with few strings attached, into research labs, incubators, etc, that aim to do work in sectors the company cares about.. Their hope is that this will allow them to spot emerging innovations more quickly than anyone else, and then scoop them up.

      The analogy I’ll use is that traditionally companies planted their seeds in walled gardens, but now they’re finding that this soil isn’t fertile enough anymore. So now they’re more often sewing seeds strategically in many public places, waiting to see what comes up.

      This is how I characterize “Google for Entrepreneurs”. It is a “strategic” public service, essentially like all of Google’s products, that give something away in order to reap value from the activity it generates. Very smart….

      The reason for this long comment is that this global innovation trend should be eye-opening for our current entrepreneur bootcamp. Companies can hire the best people in the world, but they can’t seem to successfully hire entrepreneurs, or cultivate them internally.

      Thoughts?

      David

  • joeltremblay 2:45 pm on September 26, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    I’ve already done my “founder parade” on a different company and although I might do my venture analysis on these guys, I found this really interesting so feel free to check them out and use them if you’re struggling to find an interesting venture. http://www.wimp.com/futurebulb/ http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/lifx-the-light-bulb-reinvented

    Continue reading I’ve already done my “founder parade”… Posted in: General
     

    • teacherben 7:25 am on September 27, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      This is a nice-looking product and I think it does have the potential to sell, since it is so easy to install. You could build something very similar in a weekend using an Arduino microcontroller, some LED’s and a little patience, but this is a no-brainer. Screw it in and it works.

      Here’s an example of a simple Arduino-powered light that almost anyone could do in a couple hours or less:
      http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-an-LED-Ambient-Mood-Light-A-Beginner-/

      This article shows you how to make a dimmer switch for your lights that is controlled by your phone:
      http://www.instructables.com/id/android-bluetooth-controlled-outlet/

      • joeltremblay 11:06 am on October 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I wonder how cost effective that is Ben? I’m guessing that’s why these guys are kickstarting their project because with mass production they can lower the costs signficantly. Thanks for the links!

    • adi 1:38 pm on October 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      What an awesome project! I have a doubt though. I thought the venture we had to choose needed to be an educational venture. Maybe I’m wrong. Also, having seen these guy’s excellent presentation, my other doubt is if we can use existing material our chosen venture has, or do we sell them ourselves from scratch. I’d welcome being enlightened, please. Cheers 🙂

    • joeltremblay 11:04 am on October 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Haven’t you been in a classroom where lighting was an issue? I think that this could be really useful in an educational environment not as a tool, but instead as an implement. In the same way that the whiteboard revolutionized the methodology of how we teach, this could do the same for that horribly buzzing light we all have in our classes.

  • Jenny Brown 9:39 am on September 25, 2012
    0 votes
    |
    Tags: females,   

    After reading the first few posts for this week’s task, I was thinking are there any females that are the founders of learning technology ventures? I have found one that I will report on later this week but I thought this article might be of interest to some: The Face of Success, Part 2: Where […]

    Continue reading After reading the first few posts for th… Posted in: General
     

    • jenbarker 4:14 pm on September 25, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jenny ~ Interesting that you bring this up. I explored Design2Learn and I too was surprised that their leadership team consists of all males except for one.

    • melissaayers 10:30 am on September 29, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks for sharing that Jenny – it was a really interesting article. I hope this is a trend that will change in the future as I am sure when we look at the education domain that statics would indicate there are more female educators than male I would imagine.

    • David Vogt 8:14 am on September 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jenny –

      Thanks for opening this question, and for presenting a great example of a female entrepreneur in the Founder’s Parade.

      As the article points out, there are some obvious historical reasons for why there are still fewer women championing tech start-ups. I won’t dwell there because I’ll just end up saying some unfortunate things about immature male-dominated cultures.

      What I will say, in context of this week’s discussion, is that an entrepreneur is typically someone who is brave enough to go where few have gone before, to see an opportunity in a wilderness. An entrepreneurial woman won’t be daunted in a wilderness of men – she’ll actually see this as an advantage because she has innate tools and perspectives that are lacking in the ecosystem.

      This is particularly true with learning technologies, which can be characterized as the awkwardly opportunistic marriage of an engineering culture with an education culture. It isn’t so much that the cultures are actively antagonistic as they are simply far apart. All the best opportunities are in that wilderness in between. Be brave – march in!

      David

    • Jenny Brown 8:53 am on October 12, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks David. This course is great opportunity to entertain the idea of marching right in! At the moment I seem to be tiptoeing back and forth. Prior to this course, my thoughts were only really related to coming up with and implementing small creative ideas at my workplace so this shift in mindset is taking some time.

    • teacherben 5:24 pm on October 12, 2012 | Log in to Reply

  • teacherben 12:31 am on September 25, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Here’s a fun site that tries to show how a whole pile of Tech companies try to monetize their products.  I don’t know what their sources of information are or how accurate it all is, but it’s fun to look at and a starting point for those who are interested. http://rcs.seerinteractive.com/money/

    Continue reading How do they make money? Posted in: General
     

    • Peggy Lawson 6:00 pm on September 25, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks for posting Teacherben!! I had just posted on Colin’s post, asking this very question. Your post is excellent. Personally, this would be a very useful direction for ETEC 522 – not just what makes for a good entrepreneur, but also how one could/would/does make money in the “free” web 2.0 world.

      Your post provides excellent food for thought – thank you!

      Peggy

    • Colin 11:03 pm on September 25, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks for the website I just replied to Peggy and then saw your post. I definitely will need to use that with my class.

  • jenbarker 10:01 pm on September 24, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    John Baker is the founder and CEO of Desire2Learn. Desire2Learn Incorporated, also known as Desire2Learn or D2L was founded in 1999 by John Baker who desired eLearning or a Learning Management System (LMS) that was not available when he was studying systems design engineering in his third year at the University of Waterloo.   Baker […]

    Continue reading Biography of John Baker Posted in: General, Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • Doug Connery 9:31 pm on September 25, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I was at the D2L Users conference this summer and saw John Baker speak several times. He speaks just as he looks with confidence and passion about his company. It is interesting as at the conference he was introducing some of the new members of the D2L management team. Many of them were from Research in Motion (RIM) which is located in the same area of Kitchener-Waterloo in southern Ontario. I can only imagine that these people felt the uneasiness of RIM and decided to move over to a different technology company that is currently more stable than RIM.

      Doug.

    • jenbarker 11:43 pm on September 25, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Doug – From what I have read about D2L, those people who moved from RIM will likely not be disappointed. Do you use D2L in your area of work?

      Just want to let anyone else who is taking ETEC 511 know that I just realized that we are reading about the D2L and Blackboard court case this week. I am actually geek’d about the serendipitous connection. I plan to read the article tomorrow and will repost if it sheds any new light on John Baker.

    • tomwhyte1 8:09 pm on September 26, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great synopsis of the D2L product, I got a good sense of what the founder/CEO is like and his overall approach in various aspects of the educational technology business world.

      On a side note though, I am wondering, did you notice if this company has any true educators, or people with classroom experience in their core group?

    • jenbarker 10:49 pm on September 26, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I did notice that indeed there are no executive team members with educational backgrounds. I think the way they get around this is the meet with educators from within the classroom and listen to their needs and concerns to develop a personalized LMS that fits their school’s requirements. It is an interesting point you bring up. Thanks Tom.

    • tomwhyte1 9:49 am on September 27, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I guess, if done properly, this would not be a big deal. However, too many times, both personally and professionally I have used Educational Software created by non-educators and have been easily frustrated, for these products have been designed, developed, and deployed from a non-educator perspective. Again this may seem not a large issue, but the intuitive feel is not educationally focused, creating frustration for many users, forcing them to avoid or potential drop the program entirely.

      Thoughts?

    • Peggy Lawson 6:50 pm on September 27, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I believe that Blackboard finally did buy out Desire2Learn, did they not? Or perhaps just a very close partnership. Blackboard also absorbed WebCT (a UBC initiative!!! And my 1st experience with an LMS when I became a provincial online teacher for Saskatchewan), among others.

      This is another topicthat is perhaps beyond the scope of ETEC 522, but clearly related. Is it good practice for an entreprenuer to think to the future – what company do I want to impress, that will absorb me down the road? In the Web 2.0 world, would this not be a critical consideration?

    • Doug Connery 8:52 pm on September 27, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Peggy:

      Blackboard has not bought out Desire to learn. Rather Desire to Learn keeps luring Blackboard customers over to them. The mantra of many new Desire to Learn customers at their recent Users conference was “Bye bye Blackboard”!

      Doug.

    • adi 6:16 pm on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I often wonder like Penny about what happens down the road. Do some of these entrepreneurs design these products for long term success, or in the hope of threatening to compete with a big company in order to be absorbed. I’ve looked at Desire2Learn and for me it’s just yet another LMS to add to the list that is already out there. As I student and teacher, it just makes life harder having to get used to yet another platform, so unless it’s drastically different, or free, I’m not sure I’d bother. I think that more than ‘bye bye Blackboard’, Blackboard will end up buying this one, too.

  • frank 5:31 am on September 20, 2012
    0 votes
    |
    Tags: economics, how to compensate teachers, neuro-science, what to teach   

    From thisamericanlife.org this week: 474: Back to School SEP 14, 2012 As kids and teachers head back to school, we wanted to turn away from questions about politics and unions and money and all the regular school stuff people argue about, and turn to something more optimistic — an emerging theory about what to teach […]

    Continue reading Emerging views on what to teach in school and how to reward teachers Posted in: General
     

    • Jonathan 12:25 pm on September 22, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks Frank for this. This American Life always does great work and I’ll be sure to queue this one up on the iPhone for my next drive.

    • Jonathan 1:55 pm on September 22, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I haven’t heard it yet, but it got me thinking about another This American Life about the Brooklyn Free School where there are no tests, courses, homework and the kids are the key decision makers. This one is pretty good too! 🙂

      Act 3: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/424/kid-politics?act=3#play

      • sophiabb 6:11 pm on September 23, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Jonathan, thanks for the link. Interesting concept – children and youth engagement and empowerment in the truest forms. I run a youth engagement program within a organization whose primary services are for adults. We have a lot of creative tensions. It is so hard for adults to let go of the reign of control. I wonder about the extent that learning technology is incorporated into this program?
        ~Sophia

        • Jonathan 9:48 pm on September 24, 2012 | Log in to Reply

          It’s been a while since I’ve heard this one about the Brooklyn Free School, but from what I remember it was a lot of student led meetings. Students would call meetings whenever they were upset about something and deal with it as a group.

          It worked initially, but towards the middle of the podcast you got a sense that students were being overwhelmed with meetings. Students began to get upset at one another. There was a sense that in some way this worked, but in others — leadership from the top (in the form of a teacher) was needed. There wasn’t quite enough maturity for it to work.

          With regards to learning technology, I do remember computers being available. But that there were no electronic days in the school as well to allow for some peace and actual “talking” to occur. 🙂

    • Patrick Pichette 7:24 pm on September 24, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I’m very skeptical of the approach proposed. I’ve read that for most tasks that require little to no active thinking, you can use rewards to improve performance but once active thinking comes into play, it’s quite difficult to achieve any level of improvement strictly through monetary rewards. Generally speaking, better results are obtained by granting employees certain freedom to innovate to allow them to get incredible ideas out of their heads and onto a sharing medium. By encouraging teachers to work harder to obtain certain results without providing them some ‘cool-down’ time, they are likely to find more of these ‘loss-aversion’ teachers in a burnout state rather quickly.

    • frank 1:39 pm on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks Jon, Sophia and Patrick.
      Jon, I’ll have to check that one out, I’ll try to plan it for a road trip as well 😉
      You are right Sophia, with creative freedom comes innovation, but also, greater room for conflict, perhaps over what should be done and how best to do it. We may have to learn how to help adults feel more comfortable about giving up control; maybe by helping them gain a greater sense of relatedness to their students and the people they work with, so that at core, there is mutual trust among participants that people’s intentions are good.

      Patrick, as a trained economist, I am first to confess that economists have an extremely narrow and thereby, limited view for understanding human behaviour. Working harder for better results in the short-term can definitely lead to burnout in the long-term as you have identified. I’m hopeful however that the financial crises is challenging this discipline to take a long, hard, and deep look inwards, and realize the errors of their ways. Also, budding work in neuroscience and behavioural psychology/economics, is not only exceptionally interesting, but also directly challenging many of the conventional wisdoms of economic thinking: “People are rational” etc..
      Here’s a sarcastic but somewhat insightful critical look within (5-minutes):
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVp8UGjECt4

      My current interest is gaining a greater understanding of meta-cognitive skills and how technology might be used as a vehicle for delivering this kind of education. I also believe that better financial capability might be one concrete example of such skills, as consistently good financial decision making is, I would argue, more habitual and behavior than necessarily cognitive.

      With your permission, I may continue to post content to this feed on this area as I come across it; though I am open to suggestions on how to better do this for the purposes of sharing and archiving.

      Observation on Financial Literacy Shortage:
      [–]Betsy514[S] 12 points 3 hours ago
      You know – I’ve read about a million studies on this issue and while some indicate that increased tution is a result of increased federal aid – others conclude the opposite. I’m not an economist so I can’t give you any theories or proof either way – but I think the increase in tuition is probably more the result of a combination of factors. I think the increase in student debt is in part the result of the lack of financial literacy/education resources available to families – especially when they are making the college decision in the first place.
      http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/10m8yn/i_work_as_an_advocate_for_people_with_student/

    • Jonathan 9:20 pm on September 28, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Frank –

      Just listened to the podcast and it was again another well put together piece by This American Life. It was neat to hear about the “different smarts”, got me thinking about multiple intelligences. Any different than what they are talking about being “social smarts”? Actually from what I recall, they were having trouble labelling all the different “smarts” without it sounding off.

      I also enjoyed the last story piece about intervention pieces that can go in. It’s nice to know that all of these can be helped. What is key is that the individual has to want to do it. It’s really about persevering and motivating through something. It’s effortful as the girl in the last piece spoke about, but she enjoyed it! Thanks for this again!

  • teacherben 11:31 pm on September 11, 2012
    0 votes
    |
    Tags:   

    This is the second annual blog post from ‘The eLearning Coach’ where the author, Connie Malamed, gives her predictions of which educational technologies will really take off in the upcoming year.  The article is perhaps meant as casual reading and provides some ‘food for thought’ but her predictions are fairly conservative and there is nothing particularly surprising […]

    Continue reading Learning Technology Trends to Watch Posted in: General, Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
     

    • tomwhyte1 12:39 pm on September 12, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I find it interesting the delay this article has in presenting “trends” when compared to other similar articles. Might this be her attempt to allow the general educator time enough to become familiar with the technology to use, and not those on the cutting edge?

      Thoughts?

    • teacherben 7:21 pm on September 12, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      My guess is that she composed her list based on her reading of other people’s top ten lists. Her blog rarely has anything original. She is more of a content curator than anything else.

      • tomwhyte1 8:39 am on September 13, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Interesting observation, which would force one to recommend this type of posting based upon the individual teacher. Those who need time, and more general information, experience should utilize this type of information. Where as our early adopters should steer clear?

        Thoughts?

    • Mike Rae 11:05 pm on September 12, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I think that lists like these that are casual, light readings are more important than ones that are overly technical. The majority of educators and administrators do not subscribe to “Wired” or follow Ed Tech professional’s twitter feeds. Lists like this might be purposefully underwhelming as to not scare off an on-the-fence educator who might be looking to become more tech-savvy. If the overall goal is to encourage more teachers to use and become interested in the available technology to increase learning efficiency, it is important to give opportunity for some to start in the shallow end of the swimming pool, so to speak.

      • tomwhyte1 8:41 am on September 13, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I agree with your statements, as to not scare them off.

        However, to help facilitate more general educators, would it not be beneficial to add ideas, suggestings, examples on how this technology might look like within a classroom. Allowing teachers to get their “feet wet” before jumping into the pool.

        Thoughts?

    • adi 2:18 pm on September 13, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I agree she just mentions the tools, but not how they could be integrated into classroom practice. She says that the advantage of clouds is that you don’t have the content of your course in your desktop; i though this was the case with an LMS, too. And if you look up the sites she mentions, they are all private companies that offer, easy online course creation tools and even hosting of the course. Isn’t this what Blackboard does? I was not impressed

      • tomwhyte1 8:05 pm on September 13, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I see what you are getting at, however I have a different opinion between Blackboard and a Cloud Based Application. Blackboard is a Learning Management System. I go, get information, maybe take a quiz, maybe have a working “chat room”, post comments, upload assignments, get grades. Basically, an electronic version of a traditional classroom. Where as cloud based applications, like Google Docs, simulate traditional software, such as MS Word, that would be entirely housed on your PC, but can be accessed from anywhere.

        Yes they have similarities, need the Internet, function regardless of computers operating system. But LMS’s facilitate learning, where as true cloud based applications facilitate the creation of learning artifacts.

        Thoughts?

  • kstackhouse 4:58 am on September 11, 2012
    0 votes
    |
    Tags: Collaboration, Open Education, Resources   

    I thought I would share a link to some videos I discovered today.  I was looking at the Creative Commons site for some material to use in another course.  On their home page they had an ad to watch the winning videos for their “Why Open Education Matters Video Competition”.  Here is the link to […]

    Continue reading Open Education Resources Posted in: General
     

    • jameschen 9:43 am on September 11, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Nice video, thanks for sharing!

    • jenbarker 7:57 pm on September 11, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I liked the video but I am still curious how schools that do not have the funds to purchase the materials such as laptops, mobile devices, etc. are able to provide access to the students to these open programs. Am I missing something? The students would still need Wifi wouldn’t they?

      • kstackhouse 8:26 pm on September 16, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I’m not entirely sure how this will work or look for schools that are lacking in tech resources. I think it will at least be a support to the educators that can use the ideas and resources in their own class after gathering them from the “OER” site(s). Great question though. Maybe someone else has more insight to this. It is new to me.

  • jhodi 3:34 pm on September 10, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    How, and how much, is it useful and valuable to the broader community of educators, as well as learning technologies specialists and venturers? The 2012 Horizon Report is useful to educators, learning technologies specialists, and venturers on a few levels.  First, it provides educators of all ages with an appropriate report applicable to specific age […]

    Continue reading What is on the Technology Horizon for 2012? Posted in: General
     

  • Mike Rae 11:38 pm on September 7, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    I am just starting the program and was wondering if you guys could recommend how many courses I should take this term.  I work as an academic advisor in China, and do a lot of that work after school hours and at lunch.  I forsee having a some time during the working day to do […]

    Continue reading looking for advice Posted in: General
     

    • jameschen 1:15 am on September 8, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I’d take 2, for quality over quantity.

    • Mike Rae 2:12 am on September 8, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      that’s where I was leaning…thanks James you probably just swung a life decision for me.

    • kstackhouse 7:17 am on September 8, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Two would probably be enough on top of your busy schedule. Good Luck.

    • Lisa Nevoral 11:40 am on September 8, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      With your busy schedule, I would take 2 courses. Good luck, Mike.

    • Shaun Pepper 4:59 am on September 9, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I would agree with all the above 2 seems like a good fit. Where in China are you working?

      • Mike Rae 4:37 pm on September 10, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hey Shaun, I am in Wuhan, China working for Maple Leaf Schools, BC accredited, BC salary, China cost of living. Its pretty good, but Im in my third year and I am getting a little China’d out. Not sure where the next move will be though.

    • joeltremblay 11:57 am on September 10, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi there Mike,
      With a full teaching load I find I’m only able to keep pace with having one course per semester but I’m not as motivated as the rest here I guess 🙂
      Good luck and enjoy yourself 🙂

    • Mike Rae 4:35 pm on September 10, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks all, there is a lot of after school/lunch work that comes with Academic Advising, so I forsee having a little extra time between the school hours most weeks. I gotta be at work in front of a computer anyway and facebook and youtube are banned in this country, so I think two will be manageable.

  • Pat A Son 5:47 am on September 6, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Hi everyone, This is my sixth ETEC course so I am passed the halfway mark and it has been great so far. I am of the opinion  that this will be a different experience to the others since it is geared towards ‘selling’  rather than the theories of learning and teaching. In a way I […]

    Continue reading Hello from Tobago Posted in: General
     

    • kstackhouse 8:15 am on September 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Good to see you Patason. I forget now which course we took together. I look forward to hearing more of your insight. Have a great term.

      Ken

    • sophiabb 8:26 pm on September 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Patason,

      Great to see another person from the Caribbean here. Looking forward to learning with you.

      Sophia

  • Jonathan 8:47 pm on September 5, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Hello all — I’m going to give a good sigh of relief (like Ken). Got the first full day of teaching out of the way, now I can settle down to a little quiet with MET. My name is Jonathan Tang and I’m currently teaching a Grade 2/3 classroom in Richmond, BC. This is my […]

    Continue reading Hello from Richmond! Posted in: General
     

    • grzesko 8:57 pm on September 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I agree with you Jonathan on how hectic it can be teaching and studying. I too use my class for tech experiments which haven’t always been successful. My latest is creating a virtual world for them to perform tasks in, I will have to see how that one turns out. What were some of your “experiments”?

      • Jonathan 9:07 pm on September 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Wikis have been my greatest experiments to date. The success has varied and I’m currently trying to use it as a language development tool in primary classes. I’ve had some success but I’ll give it another shot this year. I’m also dabbling with Mindcraft. I’ve sen a lot of stuff online and have spoken with quite a few people in MET that have used it, but I’m still wrapping my head around the game. I’m not sure I totally enjoy the game (which is a shame) but I do appreciate the creative aspect of the game.

        What about your tech experiments?

    • jenbarker 9:34 pm on September 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jonathan! I also teach in Richmond. Which school are you at? What other MET classes have you taken? I am breathing sigh of relief knowing that i have a real person I can connect with should I have difficulties in MET. Did you know that the District will begin loaning iPad2’s this year. My school is scheduled to get them next month. I only work on Fridays but am excited to use them with my primary class to document their mathematical understandings.

      • Jonathan 9:12 pm on September 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Jen! A friend in the district? That is great news! I’m over at Whiteside. Yourself?
        I’ve taken three to date (500, 511, 512). Let me know if you need course material from those classes (although I believe a lot of the reading material was online). I didn’t know that the district was loaning out iPad 2’s this year, I’ll have to get my school into it. Our school has recently acquired two of the iPads and I’ll be curious to use them with the students. I’ve had one (personal) in my classroom for a few years and have found opportunities to use them.

        You’ll have to keep me updated on what you think about it for student use!

    • kstackhouse 8:30 am on September 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Welcome to the course Jonathan. My students have also had to deal with my attempts at using technology to enhance OUR learning (theirs and mine). That was part of the reason why I selected the MET over other Master’s programs. It just seemed to fit my needs. 🙂 Best of luck this term.

      Ken

  • Peggy Lawson 7:30 pm on September 5, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Greetings everyone!  I always love this 1st week of a new course, meeting everyone for the first, or 2nd or 3rd time.  One of the greatest things of MET is getting the chance to work with people from all over the world. I’m Peggy Lawson, and this is my 9th class. Like Doug & others […]

    Continue reading Peggy, from Saskatchewan Posted in: General
     

    • Doug Connery 7:39 pm on September 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Peggy:

      Welcome aboard. Your name sounds familiar but I can’t recall if we have been in a course before. Maybe a sign we have been in the program long enough!

      Doug.

    • Jonathan 8:44 pm on September 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Peggy —

      Which part of Saskatchewan are you from? I was born and raised in Saskatoon until I moved out to the West Coast!

      Cheers,
      Jonathan

    • kstackhouse 8:35 am on September 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Welcome Peggy. Congrats on being near the completion of MET. I also love meeting so many people from around the world. I am always interested to see what technologies are being used and how they are being implemented in other places. It is also striking that the problems I face in NB are often similar to those that others are facing across the Globe. 🙂 Have a great term.

      Ken

    • jameschen 8:02 pm on September 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great seeing you again, Peggy! I see that you are taking on more responsibilities at work, but the experience must be very rewarding. Looking forward to learning from the contributions that you and everyone else will be making in this course!
      James

    • C. Ranson 12:07 pm on September 8, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Peggy, Great to meet up with you again. You were a wealth of knowledge for many of us in ETEC 565 when we were developing our Moodle Course. Look forward to learning together again.
      Catherine

  • Suhayl Patel 3:15 pm on September 5, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Hi, My name is Suhayl Patel and currently reside in Calgary Alberta.  This is my 6th course in the MET program and am looking forward to working and learning through out this term.  I have never taken a course that was located on a blog and am interested in this first-time experience. Currently I work […]

    Continue reading Hi, My name is Suhayl Patel and currentl… Posted in: General
     

    • kstackhouse 8:50 am on September 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Welcome Suhayl. Sounds like an interesting position that you have begun. It is nice to know that there are positions out there focusing on Learning and Innovation. I am sure that this course and the other MET courses will help you. Best of luck this term.

      Ken

  • tomwhyte1 11:41 am on September 4, 2012
    0 votes
    |      

    Good day, My name is Tom Whyte, from Medicine Hat, Alberta. This is one of the many courses I am taking this semester, which I hope I will be able to continue to take, professional changes might be happening, which may reduce time 🙁 However, if I remain this will either be my 6th, 7th, […]

    Continue reading Greeting From The Hat Posted in: Announcements, General
     

    • jameschen 12:49 am on September 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      3 MET courses in one term is quite a bit! Nice meeting you, Tom.

    • kstackhouse 5:50 am on September 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Tom,
      Like you I am taking 3 courses. I have been doing two per fall/winter while teaching. I am on leave right now, so hopefully it won’t be too crazy. Best of luck this term.

      Ken

    • avninder 10:22 am on September 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Tom,
      I took two MET courses at once, but found it to be more than I bargained for with work. Good luck.

    • tomwhyte1 7:34 pm on September 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      My professional obligations might be changing, forcing me to alter this plan… Will know in the next week. But thanks for the insights, greatly appreciated.

Newer posts →

c
compose new post
j
next post/next comment
k
previous post/previous comment
r
reply
o
show/hide comments
t
go to top
l
go to login
h
show/hide help
esc
cancel

Spam prevention powered by Akismet