This is a great example of a teacher using technology to have some fun with his students in his pre-Halloween class. It was made for a Nature of Math class at Biola University by Matthew Weathers, October 28, 2009.
Great job, Matthew.
Tag Archives: teaching
Open Access Course: Social Media & Open Education (Fall 2009)
I will be facilitating an open access graduate course this Fall titled EC&I 831: Social Media & Open Education. I expect about 15-20 registered (for credit) students, but I am opening up the experience to all other interested not-for-credit participants. This will be the third time I have run the course, and it has been quite successful in the past. I have rethought a few pieces, and I am hoping that this offering will be the best yet.
The course wiki is available here: http://eci831.wikispaces.com. The “synchronous sessions” page is slowly being filled out as I work to schedule presenters and appropriate weekly topics. Additionally, I have set up a Google Form to gather information about those who would like to participate as not-for-credit students. Quite a few people have already signed up, and we’d love to have you participate as well!
Participation is quite flexible. This can mean simply joining in on the weekly synchronous sessions (these run every Tuesday from Sept 15/09 to December 08/09, 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time). You could also help inform our reading list by tagging relevant articles & media as ‘eci831readings‘. You could respond to the weekly lectures through your blog, or whatever media/site you choose, and tag these as ‘eci831responses‘. Or, you could comment on student blog posts (feed/links will be available after Sept 8) and expect other participants to engage you in your writing spaces. And, I am sure there are many other ways to participate, create, and collaborate that we have yet to discover.
If you have any questions about the course, feel free to contact me. And if you are interested, we would love you to join us in this upcoming, collaborative learning experience.
The Machine is (Changing) Us – Michael Wesch
Watch this. Trust me. This video is well worth your time.
Keynote: Harnessing the Power of Social Networks
I gave a keynote presentation yesterday titled “Harnessing the Power of Social Networks in Teaching and Learning” at the University of Delaware. Below, you can find the archived video and my slide deck.
Harnessing the Power of Social Networks in Teaching & Learning
View more Microsoft Word documents from Alec Couros.
I want to thank all of the good people at the University of Delaware who invited me, greeted me with wonderful hospitality, and let me be part of their excellent summer faculty institute. It was a terrific experience!
Micro Lectures
Here is a format of teaching & learning that I will consider for my next online course (likely Fall 2009). Take a look at the micro-lecture format that is being used at San Juan College in New Mexico. It has been recently covered by the Chronicle of Higher Education and Open Education.
The designer of the format, David Penrose, insists that in online education “tiny bursts can teach just as well as traditional lectures when paired with assignments and discussions.†The microlecture format begins with a podcast that introduces a few key terms or a critical concept, then immediately turns the learning environment over to the students.
To be continued.
Social Learning & Sharing
The learning continues in EC&I 831, and since I haven’t had much time to blog, I though I’d offer a 2-for-1 post with links to the most recent presentations for the course.
On January 27, I offered a session on the Age of Social Learning. The full Elluminate session is found here, and my slide deck is available below.
And, last night, we were very lucky to have had Dean Shareski join us as he presented “How to Be Lazy and Still Get Paid” aka “The Value of Sharing”. The recorded Elluminate session for Dean’s presentation is available here, and his slides are available below.
I really want to thank Dean for his excellent presentation last night. The participants (registered students & everyone else) have expressed gratitude for Dean’s time and wisdom on the topic.
The above presentations work well together, as do the concepts of social learning and sharing. These are ideas, when implemented, that have enormous potential for changing the shape of (online) learning. And, I’m happy to say that these are ideas that continue to shape the courses I teach and that support my ongoing belief in the power of open education.
“Choose Your Own Adventure” Comes to Youtube
I fondly remember the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series of books from my childhood. While I remember loving the concept, I would literally stick my fingers between the pages as to simultaneously navigate multiple paths made by previous decisions. Years later, I tried to figure out why I could not let go of any particular path. I realized that it was not that I was afraid of failing because of a poor decision, it was that I might miss something of value, something meaningful, along the way. This has been something I have thought about for a very long time as choice, and living with choices that have been made, is an essential part of the human experience. For a better understanding of this concept, I highly recommend Barry Schwartz’s TED Talk “Paradox of Choice” (or the book by the same name.
Anywho … these thoughts came to me when I discovered “Time Machine” today. This video is the first of a series by Chad, Matt, and Rob that brings the “Choose Your Own Adventures” concept to video format, and does so by making good use of Youtube’s annotation feature. This concept could inspire some very neat uses of digital storytelling with video. I know it will be only a matter of time before we see teachers and students bring this concept to life in the classroom.
So if you want to try it out, start here:
It is a very good thing I have multiple screens, I no longer have to use my fingers. :-)
Dalton Sherman, Must Watch for Teachers
This is inspirational. For everyone that needs a reminder (or a kick in some cases) why they became teachers, let Dalton Sherman inspire you.
Kevin Jarrett has more information on this video at his blog.
Bronx Student Discuss Obama, Politics, Race and Their Future
Regardless of your political views, I think that most caring, thoughtful humans should find something wonderful in the conversations by young, Bronx high school students.
This is a wonderful example of a teacher taking on the topic of race in his classroom. The students seem engaged and speak intelligently and thoughtfully on issues of race and politics.
Now, since this appears on the Obama08 Youtube channel, I am wondering about the behind-the-scenes editing, production, and whether or not this production was directly funded. In any case, the production is well done, and leaves the viewer with hope for the future.
Darren Kuropatwa – Day In The Life
My students, colleagues, and I are extremely lucky to have had Darren Kuropatwa as our guest this past Tuesday. Darren presented “A Day in the Life of a Teacher Teaching with Technology“. It was a wonderful presentation that seems to have really inspired the session participants.
Here’s a bit of what they are saying:
What a great experience in class tonight. Darren Kuropatwa is a math teacher who embraces technology in his classroom and shared with us his typical day (from start to finish!). He painted a wonderful picture and shared his class blogs, his insights, and his passion. Thank you Darren. (Cindy)
The presentation this week with Darren Kuropatwa was very inspiring. As the feeling of this new technology that we are learning is at times overwhelming, this presentation was a breath of fresh air. It was nice to see how this technology can be worked into the classroom. (Leah)
I have only one word to say . . . Thanks! I had the privilege of listening to a presentation from Darren Kuropatwa, who in my opinion, is an expert in the field of Educational Technology. . . this is very obvious!! He is someone that, in a perfect world, all educators would strive to be like. Darren (for those of you who don’t know) is a teacher who teaches a variety of grade 9-12 Mathematics classes integrating the use of technology to amplify student learning. In the eyes of a self-proclaimed ‘rookie blogger / techie’ , he is someone that I learned an awful lot from last night. (Travis)
We were very fortunate to have Darren Kuropatwa present to our EC&I 831 class last night: “A Day in the Life of a teacher teaching with technology“. I think I sat through most of the presentation with my jaw on my keyboard! He is absolutely AMAZING! (Connie)
Last night I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Darren Kuropatwa, an educator from Winnipeg. After witnessing how Darren incorporates technology into his classes I am giving him the label of ed tech guru. What he is doing within his classroom is exciting, cutting edge, engaging, etc, and that is through the eyes of an administrator. (Dean)
I agree. Darren is an amazing, innovative, and inspiring teacher. But don’t take my word for it.
See the session summary, view Darren’s slides, or view the Elluminate session recording.
Thanks again Darren!
Educon 2.0 – January 25-27/08, Philadelphia
Educon 2.0 looks like a must-attend event, I really like the axioms/guiding principles of the event.
The Axioms / Guiding Principles of EduCon 2.0:
1) Our schools must be inquiry-driven, thoughtful and empowering for all members.
2) Our schools must be about co-creating — together with our students — the 21st Century Citizen
3) Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
4) Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate and collaborate
5) Learning can — and must — be networked.
Learn more and register at: http://educon20.wikispaces.com
I Think I Made A Difference … At Least A Little Bit
My undergraduate students are starting to blog. In the first month, I suggested that they just blog about anything on their mind, their weekend, their family, anything … just to get into the flow of it, and learn the tool itself. Starting this month (October), we will focus on the edublogger community so many of you may see new fans out there. I’m sending them to your blogs.
Today I noticed a nice post from my student, Lacey. An excerpt:
Well it’s been a month of classes already. It is really hard to believe that the semester is going so fast. I am really enjoying the ECMP 355 class. It might have been last class but I completely agree with what Alec had said to the point that if we as teachers use computers everyday in our life that we will be more comfortable, and more likely to use technology in our classroom. I have found that in this month with all of the tools and programs that we have used I am starting to feel more at ease with them each day and even found myself exploring them on my own at home.
Now that I have grown slightly in my computer literacy I am starting to focus on my future classroom and am constantly building ideas that can help me become a better teacher. I now look at websites or programs in a way that I ask myself, “how could I use this in my classroom?†or “I wonder what i would like my students to work with?â€Â. I can’t wait to start using and building my technological classroom.
One of the big things I have been pushing in my class is clearly described in this post. I believe that once teachers become familiar with the tools in their everyday life that they can then start thinking about using these tools as educational tools. I think I’ve got a winner here, and I hope the transformation is lasting for this student as she goes through the program and eventually finds her own classroom.