I did not see this 2.0 site anywhere in our activities but I thought it would be great to share.
Scoop it is a great site (click here to visit) that basically is a live bookmarking site that allows you to make comments on site and tag them. Check out the video below for more information. You can visit my scoop it for sociology by clicking here.
I can envision using this site in class as a way to enrich the material and to give real world examples. Particularly, I think for those students who are always completing the work quickly and mastering it, the site could serve as a source of enrichment material.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Activity #10
I have been using schoology now for about 2 years and I love it! The people who created and support schoology are probably the best people in the world. They created an amazing site, update it regularly with user requested changes, and are great about following up with personal responses to questions. The best part of schoology is how familiar it looks to facebook. Students really like it and actually want to go to the site unlike other sites *cough* moodle *cough*. I would post a link to my courses but, like moodle, only students and teachers of the course are allowed to be part of the course.
I use schoology to post videos for my flipped classrooms, as well as retake quizzes for students who do not do well on their initial quizzes. I also use the remind101 app to send out text messages to students. Schoology allows you to integrate your school calendar into the site, allows for unlimited uploading, allows for easy to use interface, allows for integration of state standards into activities, and the list goes on. I can't really say enough about schoology.
I plan on using the site more, and in regards to my flipped instruction, creating more flipped mastery courses.
Activity #9
Scenario 4: Age Restrictions
Ms. Applegate, a Spanish teacher, heard about an interactive poster tool called Glogster. She played around with it and made some really cool electronic posters about different Spanish-speaking countries to use as visuals with her students. Her students liked the posters so much that she decided to have students make some of their own outlining some key features of different Latino holidays. Ms. Applegate discovered in the computer lab while her 8th grade students were creating accounts that Glogster asked students to verify that they were at least 13 years of age or older. This didn’t pose a problem for her 8th graders but Ms. Applegate panicked because the following period she planned to do the same activity with her 6th graders.
Ms. Applegate, a Spanish teacher, heard about an interactive poster tool called Glogster. She played around with it and made some really cool electronic posters about different Spanish-speaking countries to use as visuals with her students. Her students liked the posters so much that she decided to have students make some of their own outlining some key features of different Latino holidays. Ms. Applegate discovered in the computer lab while her 8th grade students were creating accounts that Glogster asked students to verify that they were at least 13 years of age or older. This didn’t pose a problem for her 8th graders but Ms. Applegate panicked because the following period she planned to do the same activity with her 6th graders.
1. Discuss the possible ethical issues involved.
The primary ethical issue here is the material is age restricted by the website. If Ms. Applegate has her 6th grade students make accounts she is going to have to have them lie about their age. Asking students to lie is probably frowned upon, yet more importantly, if there is a restriction for the site it may not be suitable for students under a certain age.
2. Determine if the safety or well-being of anyone is in jeopardy.
2. Determine if the safety or well-being of anyone is in jeopardy.
Well, assuming that material on the site may not be appropriate for children under 13 (in the case of gloster the only issue I can see is students under 13 may not be developed enough to use some of the comment sections of the site.
3. What advice, strategy, or policy would you recommend to individuals or schools based on this scenario?
3. What advice, strategy, or policy would you recommend to individuals or schools based on this scenario?
This is a tough one. Obviously Ms. Applegate has reviewed the site and feels it is appropriate for her 6th grade students. Now, should she let, what may be an arbitrary limitation get in the way of authentic learning, or should she abide by the limits of the site? By making blanket school based decisions about this, and not allowing individual teachers decision making ability in this regard, you risk having arbitrary restrictions that build distrust among teachers. I would advise that the school create some kind of system that allows for approval of sites that are age restricted. Who would make up the review board for this is another question.
4. Share any real-life incidents or personal connections related to the scenario.
4. Share any real-life incidents or personal connections related to the scenario.
Mmm...so I have actually done this before on sites. For instance in my AP US Government course I have students participate in research done by Columbia University. About 1/3 of the students in the class are above 18, yet the research site does restrict participation to 18+. Like Ms. Applegate I reviewed the study and found it appropriate for younger students. I suspect that the age limit was created by the researchers to ensure they could pass an internal ethics review.
Scenario 6: Course Management Overload
Ms. Carlson is excited to use Edmodo, a course management system similar to Moodle with her students. Although Edmodo isn’t officially supported by the tech department like Moodle is, she is excited to use it because she finds it much more intuitive to use and she likes the interface better than Moodle. Ms. Carlson is vigilant about the privacy settings, has informed her principal and parents of her instructional goals and objectives. Her students jump on board and post to the discussion at record numbers. Ms. Carlson is pleased to see such motivated dialogue on a novel that had previously felt like pulling teeth. Two weeks into the unit, she receives a parent complaint. The complaint is as follows:
Dear Ms. Carlson, Mr. Miller, Mr. Hamilton and Ms. McIntyre,
Although my son is a motivated and active participant in all of your classes, I am concerned that the school does not seem to have a unified course management system. He is using Moodle in Math, Edmodo in English, Schoology in Science, and Kidblog in Social Studies. Furthermore, all of these sites require different logins and passwords. As a parent, I am having a difficult time keeping this all straight and am requesting that the school discuss this issue and figure out a more streamlined approach.
Thank you for your consideration,
A supportive but confused parent
1. Discuss the possible ethical issues involved.
There does not seem to be any major ethical issue with this scenario. The ethical issue here is the teacher is using a site not approved by the tech department...an ethical violation that honestly is on par with telling a telemarketer you don't speak English. It is unethical but the means to an end may be justified.
2. Determine if the safety or well-being of anyone is in jeopardy.
Assuming that the other sites have security concerns, students personal information and privacy my be up for grabs here.
3. What advice, strategy, or policy would you recommend to individuals or schools based on this scenario?
I would recommend that schools allow teachers to use the devices and sites they feel are best for their classes. I think some small review system should be created but teachers should be allowed freedom when it comes to incorporating technology into a course.
4. Share any real-life incidents or personal connections related to the scenario.
Again this scenario is all too familiar. I stopped using Moodle about 2 years ago because I could not stand to use something that was surpassed by America Online about 10 years ago. I currently use schoology and find it to be far better than moodle or any other social networking service. Students like it and I have yet to confront the issue above. I think this is because so many students enjoy the format that they don't complain about using it to their parents. Although...never say never when using technology and students.
Scenario 6: Course Management Overload
Ms. Carlson is excited to use Edmodo, a course management system similar to Moodle with her students. Although Edmodo isn’t officially supported by the tech department like Moodle is, she is excited to use it because she finds it much more intuitive to use and she likes the interface better than Moodle. Ms. Carlson is vigilant about the privacy settings, has informed her principal and parents of her instructional goals and objectives. Her students jump on board and post to the discussion at record numbers. Ms. Carlson is pleased to see such motivated dialogue on a novel that had previously felt like pulling teeth. Two weeks into the unit, she receives a parent complaint. The complaint is as follows:
Dear Ms. Carlson, Mr. Miller, Mr. Hamilton and Ms. McIntyre,
Although my son is a motivated and active participant in all of your classes, I am concerned that the school does not seem to have a unified course management system. He is using Moodle in Math, Edmodo in English, Schoology in Science, and Kidblog in Social Studies. Furthermore, all of these sites require different logins and passwords. As a parent, I am having a difficult time keeping this all straight and am requesting that the school discuss this issue and figure out a more streamlined approach.
Thank you for your consideration,
A supportive but confused parent
1. Discuss the possible ethical issues involved.
There does not seem to be any major ethical issue with this scenario. The ethical issue here is the teacher is using a site not approved by the tech department...an ethical violation that honestly is on par with telling a telemarketer you don't speak English. It is unethical but the means to an end may be justified.
2. Determine if the safety or well-being of anyone is in jeopardy.
Assuming that the other sites have security concerns, students personal information and privacy my be up for grabs here.
3. What advice, strategy, or policy would you recommend to individuals or schools based on this scenario?
I would recommend that schools allow teachers to use the devices and sites they feel are best for their classes. I think some small review system should be created but teachers should be allowed freedom when it comes to incorporating technology into a course.
4. Share any real-life incidents or personal connections related to the scenario.
Again this scenario is all too familiar. I stopped using Moodle about 2 years ago because I could not stand to use something that was surpassed by America Online about 10 years ago. I currently use schoology and find it to be far better than moodle or any other social networking service. Students like it and I have yet to confront the issue above. I think this is because so many students enjoy the format that they don't complain about using it to their parents. Although...never say never when using technology and students.
Activity #8
Google Form: Introduction to Deviance Quiz
I have used both poll everywhere and google forms extensively in my courses. Poll everywhere is great in both polling but also something I really enjoy "Live Tweeting or blogging" of videos in class. I bring in another projector to my class when watching videos and what I do is project students comments about the film next to the film. All you have to do for this to work is create an open ended question in polleverywhere like "Write your comments on the film Urbanized" and then make sure you moderate the poll--this way only the things you want students to see appears on the screen. Obviously the limitations of this is having devices for students to make comments. Luckily, polleverwhere is really "bring your own device" friendly. Students can simply use their cell phones to make comments--now keeping them from texting may be difficult. If you are lucky enough to have iPods or iPads this is a lot easier. I use google forms everyday for quick quizzes on the videos students are to watch for homework. They work great and after all students have taken the quiz in class I immediately pull up the results and analyze students answers. This allows for immediate follow-up to the questions and a class discussion of the questions and answers.
Activity #7
Google Form: Information Form
The particular example of cloud computing that I shared above illustrates what I think maybe one of the greatest benefits of cloud computing, taking something that was once done with paper and pen and in class and doing it digitally and possibly outside of class.
I use cloud computing extensively in my courses. Almost everyday students take quizzes using google forms. Additionally, I have students submit most of their class work on google forms. It makes organizing the material incredibly easy for me and it allows me to save a ton of paper.
Some of the pros of cloud computing is probably the most simple for me, I have terrible handwriting that even students cannot read. When I have students submit material digitally I can make comments that students understand and I can even provide links and videos for further instruction. Another pro, is I can easily provide the instructions for students who miss class, or wish to do material over again, by simply sharing a link with them.
Some of the cons are obvious, such as availability of the material--especially when the wifi is on the frits, while others are more complicated like training students in the use of such things as google docs. I devote at least one day to training students on google docs/presentations/forms/etc. and then try to incorporate it as much as possible. Otherwise students either forget how to use the service, or fein ignorance. The easiest way to avoid this is again to use the material as much as possible to not overload students with dozens of cloud options (like evernote) and just stick to one service.
The particular example of cloud computing that I shared above illustrates what I think maybe one of the greatest benefits of cloud computing, taking something that was once done with paper and pen and in class and doing it digitally and possibly outside of class.
I use cloud computing extensively in my courses. Almost everyday students take quizzes using google forms. Additionally, I have students submit most of their class work on google forms. It makes organizing the material incredibly easy for me and it allows me to save a ton of paper.
Some of the pros of cloud computing is probably the most simple for me, I have terrible handwriting that even students cannot read. When I have students submit material digitally I can make comments that students understand and I can even provide links and videos for further instruction. Another pro, is I can easily provide the instructions for students who miss class, or wish to do material over again, by simply sharing a link with them.
Some of the cons are obvious, such as availability of the material--especially when the wifi is on the frits, while others are more complicated like training students in the use of such things as google docs. I devote at least one day to training students on google docs/presentations/forms/etc. and then try to incorporate it as much as possible. Otherwise students either forget how to use the service, or fein ignorance. The easiest way to avoid this is again to use the material as much as possible to not overload students with dozens of cloud options (like evernote) and just stick to one service.
Activity #6
Sociology Unit 1 Quizlet Set
I have used something similar to tagxedo in my course before, but tagxedo had a lot more options than the word cloud site I used. I was nice to have the ability to make it so quickly and on the fly. I have run into situations where there is a lag in production (such as needing to have the cloud emailed or some other software to download.) One of the great things I have done in class is having the students send my their thoughts on an upcoming topic, like a KLW of sorts. It is great to see what students think about a topic before learning anything about it and then creating a word cloud to analyze. I ask students which assumptions do they make the most, which ones do they make the least. It is a great way to see how much students think alike.
I have been meaning to get around to making a quizlet set but never really took the plunge. It was nice to have a reason to make one. I was apprehensive about making one because I thought it would be time consuming, yet making a set on quizlet is super easy. You don't even have to type in the definition to words you chose. The site offers to fill it in for you! How awesome is that? Tons of students use quizlet at MVHS, especially those in AP courses. This coming fall I want to really integrate the site into the course by having students construct sets of flashcards that the class can use. Maybe I will have each student assigned to a particular unit and then, by the end of the course--right when students are getting ready to study for the AP Test, there will be a ready made set of terms for everyone.
Activity #5
Hey, going off of what I said in the last post, I have made a bunch of videos and posted them to my MV youtube page. I had to activate the youtube account last spring when I began the flipped classroom PLC. I found making it super easy and once I made it I really looked forward to posting videos. A warning to those just starting to upload videos: make sure you look at the privacy settings. I always set my videos so the only way they can be found is by people who I give the link to or embed the video. Additionally, I usually set it so no one can make comments. Why, you ask? Because, despite my comfortableness in making videos, I don't want some guy from Alabama finding the video and criticizing my video. One thing that is great about the videos is on your youtube account you can check to see how many times your video has been watched and when. This is great, because if you have 30 students in your class and you check your video count and the video has only been watched 2 times, you know barely any of your students did the homework. It does not keep count of views though if you you embed the video (just a warning.) The video I posted under Activity 4 was a video I made entirely myself. The video I posted above was something a little different, where I narrated a video someone else already made. I found this was a great way to have students watch a video made by someone else but also to make sure got the info I thought was important. Sites like TedEd allow (Click here for the site) allow you to add questions to your videos as well. In the interest of saving time, I will only mention one more thing. You can annotate any videos you upload, so I often have questions that go along with my videos and you can have students answer those and bring them to class (also I have put the questions on it for class viewings, which forces students to watch the video rather than looking at a piece of paper waiting for the next question.)
Activity #4
I am going to be up front here, this is a screencast that I recorded about a month ago. I am well versed in screencast. Since I use a mac at home and work, and I have made over 50 screencast, I purchased a program that is about $100 called screenflow. If interested you can click here. I have tried the vaiorious screencasting tools on the summer camp list, but they were all limited in some way (this is not to say screenflow does not have problems as well.) The main limitations of the online programs is time constraints. Although, it should not be a big deal, since most research says to keep your videos less than 10 minutes. If you own a mac and plan on doing a lot of screencast, I highly suggest you purchase (or better yet get the school to purchase) screenflow. Otherwise, if you are doing general recording any of the tools on the website would work great.
Activity #3
I looked at both ZooBurst and Storybird, and ZooBurst looked a lot easier to navigate and create a story with. Although, once I made the zooburst, I went back to storybird and found it to be just as easy to use. ZooBurst is much prettier than storybird, which is one of many differences. Storybird lets you do more but it does look cluttered and amateurish in some parts. Something that bothered me about zooburst is everything that would make the stories more personal were not available on the free account. Without the ability to record sound or to make personal drawings, zooburst suffered from being somewhat impersonal. Storybird is also impersonal but with it's better drawings it covers up for this. Overall both seem great. I could see myself using them in a lower level course like 9th grade easily. It may be more difficult to convince older students of the merit of the activity, but I could see a few of them really taking to the activity. Storybird and zooburst seem like great tools for giving students choices in demonstrating their understanding.
Activity #2
I decided to use Prezi. My first choice was Vuvox but it has a terrible interface. The image search for google does not work, the youtube video linking device did not work, etc. So, I decided to go with Prezi (the old standby.) Prezi is a great little interface. My only criticism of it are: one it does not allow for easy voice integration, two its framing mechanism is not as intuitive as it could be, and three its path making system is confining in what the path is allowed to look like. I had planned on adding narration to the prezi but it was more time consuming than I would have liked, which is why there is very little information accompanying the images.
Activity #1
I have used this video in my AP US Government courses before. It is a great way to introduce the concept of the power elite by C. Wright Mills. Mills argued that governments are set up to reinforce the power of the ruling classes. Particularly in America he pointed to how little say or control people have in their government. In the case of voting, most Americans believe the creators of the constitution wanted to have unlimited voting and the right to vote is guaranteed in the constitution. The video does a great job of showing that not only is the right to vote not in the constitution, but many states limit the right to vote in a number of ways. It helps students see the varying views of power in regards to the US Constitution and begins a great debate about who should vote and if there should be limits on voting.
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