Baby Thinks a Magazine is a Broken iPad

In case you have not seen this video that has gone viral, now you should. What does this video say to you about the students who will be in your future classrooms?

What I Learned

Students taking a course, ECMP 355, at the University of Regina, create at the end of the course a reflection piece on their learning. At the end of the semester, I check on a few. Some are posted here.


















Here is one done with GoAnimate--enjoy!! This one is really funny and clever!



Well, I could post some more, but the point is that technology has allowed us to cross borders. Each semester, I check in with Alec's students to see what they are learning, and I learn from them. I even follow some of them on Twitter and follow their blogs using Google Reader.

Well, Alec, just posted another one to Twitter, so I am adding it because it is a bit different than the others. You need to see it through to the end to really appreciate it! To learn more about why the student, Matt, used stop-motion movie techniques, check his blog post: Summary of Learning




Okay, so I tweeted out to Alec that I posted his students' videos, and he tweeted back to check out this one, so here is another one:




Most of all, through technology, I don't need to move to Alberta, Canada, where University of Regina is, to learn what the students there are doing with tech. I just need to go to Tweeter and follow through. Even more so, I can now share with you what I discover. If you're on Twitter follow Alec @courosa

Let me know what you think of the students' testimonials.

Meghan's Students' Literacy Project

Here is the video of Meghan's students reading their stories.

Another Example of a Creative Presentation via Prezis

John D. McCarty's Digital Resume on Prezi

This one illustrates how a teacher used Prezi to create a digital resume.

Outstanding Prezi

I found this Prezi on the Ning Integrating Technology.  The Prezi was created to capture the teaching philosophy of an award-winning University of Pittsburgh's Professor, Katie Phelp.  I'm posting the display because it is one of the best examples of a Prezi that I found. Most of the Prezi displays I have seen are bits of text and pictures zooming in and out with an occasional YouTube video embedded.

This example takes full advantage of the tool to communicate a vital message about how one professor approaches teaching. Although she did not create it--a student in the tech area did--the final presentation exemplifies that a powerful Prezi is a labor-intensive project.

Leave some comments after going through the display. What do you think of Professor Phelps' teaching approach? What was your response to the techniques used in the Prezi? View the display in full screen to see all the features!

Katie Phelps: Teaching Connections on Prezi

Empowering Students with Google Docs

The Ning Classroom 2.0 featured a video of an 8th grade language arts class using Web 2.0 tools to engage and empower students and promote literacy skills.

I have embedded the video because it offers firsthand experience of what the students are doing in the classroom and in particular how they use Google Docs to enhance their literacy skills.

What is your response to the video?

Find more videos like this on Classroom 2.0

Using Glogster with Middle School Students

In his blog, principal Eric Sheninger from New Milford High School, NJ, has a guest post from a middle school special education who describes how she has uses Glogster to engage students in reading, writing, and critical thinking.

When asked to create a Glog of their "bucket list," after reading a book, students came up with a variety of examples. Here are a few of their examples.

Amazing Facade of a Public Library

Just had to share this picture of a facade in front of the parking garage near a municipal library. It is the Kansas City Public Library.

Going Mobile

This powerful video reinforces the inevitability of mobile devices in the classroom and what both the present and future holds. Leave comments after watching it.

Are Standardized Tests Valid?

In an era where standardized test not only drive the curriculum, but also affect teacher performance appraisals and what students are promoted, we need to worry about the validity of these tests. Do multiple choices really serve to tell us who the best teachers are, or what students can accomplish?

A recent press release about an invalid question on the New York State exam has raised the issue of not only the absurdity of one test question, but other test questions as well. 

The controversy has surrounded a reading passage, "The Hare and the Pineapple" and the multiple choice question that followed. These screen shots are from The Washington Post story listed below.

Here are links to some of those stories.  I found this group on Larry Ferlazzo's Best Posts of the Day:

The Pineapple Story Tests Us: Have Test Publishers become Unquestionable Authorities? is from Anthony Cody at Education Week.

Daniel Pinkwater on Pineapple Exam: ‘Nonsense on Top of Nonsense’ is from The Wall Street Journal.

State Scraps “Pineapple” Test Question is from The New York Times.

When Pineapple Races Hare, Students Lose, Critics of Standardized Tests Say is the New York Times’ “take” on it.

Putting Daniel Pinkwater to the Test is from Wired.

‘Talking pineapple’ question on standardized test baffles students is from Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post.

Now that you have reviewed these articles, how do you weigh in on the issue?

Photo Story Tutorials

I have been practicing with what I hope is an easy-to-use tutorial site that allows you to create tutorials with text, images, and video in a step-by-step process. Below is a hyperlink to access a tutorial on the site that I just created about how to use PhotoStory.

Let me know if the tutorial process on Tildee works for you. Did you find it easy to access the tutorial at the site? Did the videos about PhotoStory help you learn about the software, or were you already comfortable with it?

If you have a chance to create one of your own tutorials with Tildee, let us know how you found the process.

Also, try blogging about the process of creating a tutorial with site, and then make a link to the tutorial in your blog post. If you click Share in Tildee after creating your tutorial, look for Blogger as an option and select it. Your blogger account should automatically open for you to write your blog post, with the link to the Tildee tutorial already posted inside the blog post window for you. What could be easier? Just try it out. If you don't want the tutorial in a blog post, you can share it in other ways through the options offered at Tildee.

Photo Story on Tildee

http://www.tildee.com/qKTGAd&m=1#.T3iGOUGvQqI.blogger