First let me say how rewarding this semester has been for me. Thank you so much for questioning me, challenging me, and risking absurdity with me. I have grown, and in turn, I hope you have grown. I wish you all well.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Phil-liped Classroom Again: OER
Disclaimer: I am locked out of my Edinboro account because I forgot the answers to my security questions to change my password which has expired and this is why we are using this platform to continue our learning.
As you know I can not be on campus on Tuesday because I am supporting my wife's dissertation defense at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. So as you are working on this on Tuesday, I should be traveling home with Dr. Tammie Smith.
I have been looking at our next endeavor as we wrap up our video projects. I want you show you how educational institutions from K - 12 to higher education are revolutionizing teaching and learning. The Open Educational Resource is a 10 year old expansive movement with its roots in "opening" the access of curriculum, textbooks, and teaching resources to everyone. From digital textbooks, shared syllabi, open courses, to shared lesson plans, school districts and universities are pioneering new ways that are collaborative, ubiquitious, and inexpensive. Why? So what?
Think about the amount of money you spend on textbooks and course packs. In a 2006 Washington Post article "Swelling Textbook Costs Have College Students Saying 'Pass'," Susan Kinzie reports that students in a four year state college are paying nearly 25% of their tuition costs on books - over $900. Shift that to a local school with a growing science curricula because of student interest in Enviromental Science. WIthout even making a new adoption but to keep the current book, the school would have to pay $178 a book, which isn't even the most current, at a whopping $4550 for a class set of books for 25 students. How precious would those books be? Would you let them take them home? The cost of textbooks is burdensome even prohibitive to actual real time learning.
So as state budgets thin, plummet, and pale in comparison to years before, educational institutions, teachers, professors are looking to the internet for answers - and so are you.
Here is your Task:
Before the close of class on Tuesday, I would like you to send me an email to balddaddieteach@gmail.com documenting all of the following in the body of the email (Please title the subject of the email - OER. In the body please use the Subtitles within your email):
As you know I can not be on campus on Tuesday because I am supporting my wife's dissertation defense at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. So as you are working on this on Tuesday, I should be traveling home with Dr. Tammie Smith.
I have been looking at our next endeavor as we wrap up our video projects. I want you show you how educational institutions from K - 12 to higher education are revolutionizing teaching and learning. The Open Educational Resource is a 10 year old expansive movement with its roots in "opening" the access of curriculum, textbooks, and teaching resources to everyone. From digital textbooks, shared syllabi, open courses, to shared lesson plans, school districts and universities are pioneering new ways that are collaborative, ubiquitious, and inexpensive. Why? So what?
Think about the amount of money you spend on textbooks and course packs. In a 2006 Washington Post article "Swelling Textbook Costs Have College Students Saying 'Pass'," Susan Kinzie reports that students in a four year state college are paying nearly 25% of their tuition costs on books - over $900. Shift that to a local school with a growing science curricula because of student interest in Enviromental Science. WIthout even making a new adoption but to keep the current book, the school would have to pay $178 a book, which isn't even the most current, at a whopping $4550 for a class set of books for 25 students. How precious would those books be? Would you let them take them home? The cost of textbooks is burdensome even prohibitive to actual real time learning.
So as state budgets thin, plummet, and pale in comparison to years before, educational institutions, teachers, professors are looking to the internet for answers - and so are you.
Here is your Task:
Before the close of class on Tuesday, I would like you to send me an email to balddaddieteach@gmail.com documenting all of the following in the body of the email (Please title the subject of the email - OER. In the body please use the Subtitles within your email):
- SUMMARY: Identify the 4 most important ideas for you in the article. If you were absent on Thursday, you can access the reading here.
- EXPLORATION: WHAT SURPRISED YOU? WHAT SCARES YOU? Explore what is currently out there in OER for you as a student, future teacher, and a life long learner using this site as a beginning: http://www.oercommons.org/ From here explore at least 3 of the links and answer the all caps questions in your email based on your discovery for each site. Be sure to site the link you explored
- MOVING BEYOND: Do your own search for Open Educational Resources and locate 3 other resources your interest as a learner, student, or teacher moves you. In the email, link to the sources and explain how you might use the site in one of the aforementioned roles.
- LINK TO MY POST - create a blog post on the idea of OER and it's implications to you as a learner, student, and future teacher. You post will specifically relate to all of these areas. You must have two pictures and three embedded links. The final post is to be posted before Thursday's class.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Working the Flipped Classroom and Inspired by NPR
Well here it is. It is quirky and weird to see myself. Anyway, I did become very familiar with iMovie and annotations in YouTube:) So it is about 8 minutes of me discussing the new project. After reading chapter 5 from Personal Learning Connections I felt the authors call to action, but I wasn't sure if everyone is quite on board yet. So, inspired by NPR's This I Believe series. I decided to take our video part of the course and turn it into a visual essay and incorporate it into our final exam. So watch the video. After watching, please visit the following links and listen to at least 3 essays. Then in the comment section of this blog please leave questions, comments, fears, ideas, constructive criticisms, and just plain encouragement for my risk taking.
SITE LINKS - Please listen to at least 3 essays from these links
Feel free to explore the rest of the site also.
http://thisibelieve.org/?s=education&post_type=essay&submit=Search This is the search on Education. That produced over 6,000 essays.
http://thisibelieve.org/?s=education+and+knowledge&post_type=essay&submit=Search This is the search on Education and Knowledge that produced over 1,000 essays.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
EXTRA CREDIT @Prezi U Ambassador Program | Prezi
Let me know if you do. It would be major extra credit!
The Perks
- School Credit (as allowed by your campus)
- Potential for onsite internship
- Top Performers will have the opportunity to win prizes including gift certificates, an iPad, a visit to the San Francisco office, and a trip to Budapest to interact with the Founders
- Start Up Experience
- Free EDU Pro License of Prezi
- Access to a network of Prezi Ambassadors across the country
- Prezi Swag
- Letter of Rec at the completion of your term
The Possibilities
There is no single characteristic that makes up an ideal Prezi U Ambassador. We look for enthusiasm, drive and, of course, plenty of creativity. We look for leaders—the people who are connected and make things happen on their campus; leaders who can inspire their peers, collaborate with administrators and campus organizations, and produce results.
This is more than just a college job. It’s a chance to develop and grow as an individual while lending an incredible line to your resume. Sound like you?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Academic Reception @ Edinboro University
Last evening Edinboro welcomed incoming committed freshmen and some shopping freshmen by introducing them specifically to the Middle Level and Secondary Education curricula, department, and facilities.We had an encouraging turn out of parents and graduating senior from around the area and as far as up state New York. Our newly assembled MSE Club (Mid Level and Secondary Education Club) was duly represented as eight of their members joined us for a Q & A session after the initial presentation.
I was asked to chair our department's committee for this event. I used Doodle to schedule the meetings and worked closely with our Department Chair Dr. Kathleen Benson and the other members: Dr. Bill Weber, Dr. Whitney Wesley, Dr. Heather Baron, and Dr. Joe Johnson. I updated the presentation from a PowerPoint slide show to our current presentation using Prezi in which I embedded a great video created by Dr. Johnson.
Check out the presentation! It took a lot of time to get this together. Mostly due to organizational issues on my part. I wasn't sure what to include and take away , but after some early bumps, I am really satisfied with the final product.
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