(Note: this is an assignment for a Master's course at K-State, EDCI 887: Professional Seminar I, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab)
Assignment Description
Write a book report over one of the following books (there was a list).
Assignment
I chose The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future by Mark Bauerlein.
1. Here is my book report (pdf).
2. And here is a rant I wrote after writing my book report:
Imagine you are a kid.
Now imagine being told you are dumb. Over and over. And having research studies shoved in your face which all say the same thing.
Imagine being told you're ruining the "American heritage" and that you and your friends are going to have a hard time not screwing everything up.
Because you're so dumb.
Now imagine someone told you to write a book report over this experience :)
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't like being called "dumb." And I don't like calling other people "dumb." Even if I knew a decent definition for what it means to be "dumb" or "stupid," I would never use those words. It would say nothing about the person to whom I'm referring as "dumb" or "stupid" or "thick-headed" or "retarded," but it would say a lot about me. I object to the author's usage of the word "dumbest" in the title of his book, I object to his negative attitude about where the world is headed simply because today's kids score lower on multiple-choice tests, and I object to the fact that he wrote this book just above my reading level so I had to realize how dumb I am WHILE READING ABOUT HOW DUMB I AM.
(Sigh) Ok, I feel better now.
Showing posts with label portfolio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label portfolio. Show all posts
12.02.2010
Why Distance Education?
(Note: this is an assignment for a Master's course at K-State, EDCI 887: Professional Seminar I, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab)
Assignment Description
Write a synopsis of a point of view on why or why not schools, universities, countries, etc., do or do not need distance education, based on your readings, personal experiences, your article, listed resources or resources of your own.
Assignment
Available here (pdf, ~800 words).
Assignment Description
Write a synopsis of a point of view on why or why not schools, universities, countries, etc., do or do not need distance education, based on your readings, personal experiences, your article, listed resources or resources of your own.
Assignment
Available here (pdf, ~800 words).
My Personal Learning Network
(Note: this assignment is for my Master’s course at K-State, EDCI 718: Learning Technologies, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab)
Assignment Description
Describe your Personal Learning Network (PLN).
Assignment
I've been an iGoogle user for a while. I feel it makes a great homepage for some good ol' fashioned web browsing, just like our grandfolks used to do.
My iGoogle page looks like this:
My Google Reader, which I've now set up as a widget on my iGoogle page, is here.
My Google Reader includes some blogs I enjoy visiting, such as Presentation Zen, Mammoth Media, Dan Meyer's education blog, photographer Terry Richardson's tumblr, and a few others (including mine, which is sort of like high-fiving myself I do realize).
OH and also I just incorporated a couple Distance Education blogs into my Google Reader. They are About.com Distance Learning (sounds duhhh boring but is actually pretty good) and Mike Simmons's aptly named e-Learning and Distance Education Blog. I'm new to both of them but will probably spend way too much time at both of them in the near future.
Assignment Description
Describe your Personal Learning Network (PLN).
Assignment
I've been an iGoogle user for a while. I feel it makes a great homepage for some good ol' fashioned web browsing, just like our grandfolks used to do.
My iGoogle page looks like this:
 |
| My iGoogle page. Click to enlarge. |
My Google Reader, which I've now set up as a widget on my iGoogle page, is here.
My Google Reader includes some blogs I enjoy visiting, such as Presentation Zen, Mammoth Media, Dan Meyer's education blog, photographer Terry Richardson's tumblr, and a few others (including mine, which is sort of like high-fiving myself I do realize).
OH and also I just incorporated a couple Distance Education blogs into my Google Reader. They are About.com Distance Learning (sounds duhhh boring but is actually pretty good) and Mike Simmons's aptly named e-Learning and Distance Education Blog. I'm new to both of them but will probably spend way too much time at both of them in the near future.
11.17.2010
Human-Computer Interaction
Note: this is an assignment for a Master's course at K-State, EDCI 887: Professional Seminar I, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab.
Assignment Description
Give a short presentation on a virtual world or emerging technology.
Assignment
I did some looking into the human-computer interaction world - pretty darned cool stuff - and made this slide show.
The full-screen option is in the "Menu."
Assignment Description
Give a short presentation on a virtual world or emerging technology.
Assignment
I did some looking into the human-computer interaction world - pretty darned cool stuff - and made this slide show.
The full-screen option is in the "Menu."
10.17.2010
Video: Screencast about Picnik photo-editor
Note: this is an assignment for a Master's course at K-State, EDCI 887: Professional Seminar I, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab.
Assignment Description
Develop a short screencast tutorial of about 5 minutes on a web tool of your choice. Choose a web tool that can be used by either Mac or PC users. Show all stages of use of the web tool, including registration, setup, playback, etc.
Assignment
Web tool: Picnik, a photo-editing web tool
Screencasting tool: Screenr
I'm not sure why the audio is so deep... gives the screencast some personality, I guess.
Here it is:
Here's the slide show I used in the screencast:
Here's the final pic of my sister I made using Picnik (click to enlarge):
Assignment Description
Develop a short screencast tutorial of about 5 minutes on a web tool of your choice. Choose a web tool that can be used by either Mac or PC users. Show all stages of use of the web tool, including registration, setup, playback, etc.
Assignment
Web tool: Picnik, a photo-editing web tool
Screencasting tool: Screenr
I'm not sure why the audio is so deep... gives the screencast some personality, I guess.
Here it is:
Here's the slide show I used in the screencast:
10.15.2010
Presentation: I interviewed my mommy
Note: this is an assignment for a Master's course at K-State, EDCI 803: Curriculum Development, taught by Dr. Jeong-Hee Kim. Spring 2009.
Assignment Description (paraphrased)
Interview an individual involved in the curricular process, such as a principal, district curriculum director, department head, etc. Connect to class dialogue and readings. Explore how this process impacted you and any recommendations you have for the individual's district based on your experience this semester. Then prepare a presentation to briefly explain your experience to the rest of the class.
Assignment
I interviewed my mom because she's a curriculum director at Marion-Florence USD 408. I wrote my research paper (PDF) and then made the presentation seen below. It might not make much sense without me explaining it a little bit, so I'll do that too (see bottom).
The full-screen option is in the "Menu."
Explanations
Stu Ervay - my mom studied under Dr. Ervay at Emporia State University when she was pursuing her Master's degree in the early 1990s.
Kid covered in hearts - my mom's math class did this to a boy on Valentine's Day one year; all in fun of course. It was not a planned activity but it worked great. I compare it to the unpredictability of the curriculum, how teachers must use creativity, and how that's okay, such as with the frog example.
Frog (Mr. Ribbets) - this was an example we discussed in class. A teacher brought a frog into his biology class - but then it died. So they dissected it. The experience required fast, creative thinking by the teacher and couldn't have been planned, but the activity ended up being a more quality experience than the teacher's original plans. Except for the frog, of course. It got much worse for him.
School of Rock/Dewey Finn - in class we watched School of Rock - a great movie, by the way - and then wrote a short paper about it.
Anything else - probably just me trying to be funny.
Assignment Description (paraphrased)
Interview an individual involved in the curricular process, such as a principal, district curriculum director, department head, etc. Connect to class dialogue and readings. Explore how this process impacted you and any recommendations you have for the individual's district based on your experience this semester. Then prepare a presentation to briefly explain your experience to the rest of the class.
Assignment
I interviewed my mom because she's a curriculum director at Marion-Florence USD 408. I wrote my research paper (PDF) and then made the presentation seen below. It might not make much sense without me explaining it a little bit, so I'll do that too (see bottom).
The full-screen option is in the "Menu."
Explanations
Stu Ervay - my mom studied under Dr. Ervay at Emporia State University when she was pursuing her Master's degree in the early 1990s.
Kid covered in hearts - my mom's math class did this to a boy on Valentine's Day one year; all in fun of course. It was not a planned activity but it worked great. I compare it to the unpredictability of the curriculum, how teachers must use creativity, and how that's okay, such as with the frog example.
Frog (Mr. Ribbets) - this was an example we discussed in class. A teacher brought a frog into his biology class - but then it died. So they dissected it. The experience required fast, creative thinking by the teacher and couldn't have been planned, but the activity ended up being a more quality experience than the teacher's original plans. Except for the frog, of course. It got much worse for him.
School of Rock/Dewey Finn - in class we watched School of Rock - a great movie, by the way - and then wrote a short paper about it.
Anything else - probably just me trying to be funny.
Presentation: Motivation within the Curriculum
Note: this is an assignment for a Master's course at K-State, EDCI 803: Curriculum Development, taught by Dr. Jeong-Hee Kim. Spring 2009.
Assignment Description (paraphrased)
Create a presentation about the readings for the week. What questions came to you during the readings?
Assignment
I made this presentation using Powerpoint. It might not make a ton of sense without any commentary.
The full-screen option is in the "Menu."
Assignment Description (paraphrased)
Create a presentation about the readings for the week. What questions came to you during the readings?
Assignment
I made this presentation using Powerpoint. It might not make a ton of sense without any commentary.
The full-screen option is in the "Menu."
10.05.2010
Bandura's Social Learning Theory
Note: this is an assignment for a Master's course at K-State, EDCI 887: Professional Seminar I, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab.
Assignment Description
Learn and explain one theory using MuseumBox, VoiceThread, Slideshare, or a similar program.
Assignment
I made this presentation using SlideShare. Click MENU to select the FULL SCREEN option, if that's your bag.
Assignment Description
Learn and explain one theory using MuseumBox, VoiceThread, Slideshare, or a similar program.
Assignment
I made this presentation using SlideShare. Click MENU to select the FULL SCREEN option, if that's your bag.
9.23.2010
My Math Videos for JCHS
I made several math videos for school-wide use at Junction City High School, a diverse 6A Kansas high school of roughly 1700 students. JCHS is well known in the area both for the district's investments in technologies and teachers' uses of technologies. I taught there for two years and was fortunate to come into a nice situation where equipment and software were available to me and there was a need for someone to make some videos. I got a lot of support from my principal and fellow teachers so I did it.
Of course I couldn't have done it without the groundwork already laid down by the School Improvement Team chairperson. Before I arrived she had put together numerous SmartBoard Notebook files complete with standards-based questions. I simply tweaked these to make my videos. Really, I got the fun part.
Teachers across the building showed these videos and then I'd try and throw them up on YouTube, mainly for my own pleasure. Here they are in chronological order:
Symmetric Property of Equality (2008)
Parallel and Perpendicular Lines (2008)
Measures of Central Tendency and Stem-and-Leaf Plots (2009)
Slope-Intercept Form (2009)
Scatter Plots (2009)
Zero Product Property (2009)
Probability and Odds with Shaq (2010)
Of course I couldn't have done it without the groundwork already laid down by the School Improvement Team chairperson. Before I arrived she had put together numerous SmartBoard Notebook files complete with standards-based questions. I simply tweaked these to make my videos. Really, I got the fun part.
Teachers across the building showed these videos and then I'd try and throw them up on YouTube, mainly for my own pleasure. Here they are in chronological order:
Symmetric Property of Equality (2008)
Parallel and Perpendicular Lines (2008)
Measures of Central Tendency and Stem-and-Leaf Plots (2009)
Slope-Intercept Form (2009)
Scatter Plots (2009)
Zero Product Property (2009)
Probability and Odds with Shaq (2010)
9.20.2010
6 Mobile Apps for Distance Education
Note: this is an assignment for a Master's course at K-State, EDCI 887: Professional Seminar I, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab.
Assignment Description
What, if any, mobile apps can be used for teaching at a distance?
Assignment
Cell phones and other mobile devices, such as iPod Touches, are much more than they appear; making calls is only one of the thousands of uses for an iPhone. I found some Apple apps that could prove useful for Distance Education (DE). This is a small list and I'm sure there are many more out there.
Assignment Description
What, if any, mobile apps can be used for teaching at a distance?
Assignment
Cell phones and other mobile devices, such as iPod Touches, are much more than they appear; making calls is only one of the thousands of uses for an iPhone. I found some Apple apps that could prove useful for Distance Education (DE). This is a small list and I'm sure there are many more out there.
6.30.2010
Instructional Design for Novices: ADDIE
 |
| Screenshot from my ID final project. |
Note: this is my final project for EDCI 763: Instructional Design, a Master's course at K-State taught by Dr. Gary Whitt.
Assignment Description
Create a tutorial for beginning instructional designers. Your task is to teach me how to develop instruction from start to finish. Make sure to warn me what to watch out for. Tell what each design step is for but also explain what areas are particularly easy to mess up and why. Format: whatever you want to use to create this thing. However, I have to be able to view it, hear it, or read it. Please be as creative as you wish as you know I love that stuff. -Dr. Whitt
Assignment
I chose the ADDIE approach to Instructional Design:
AnalysisI talk about how to use the ADDIE approach in this screencast:
Design
Development
Implementation
Evaluation
6.22.2010
Screencasting with the Interwrite SchoolPad
 |
| Basic setup for a screencast. |
Assignment Description
Think about something you could teach me and my colleagues here in the Education Department at Roanoke College. Design your own instruction to do just that.
Part1. In a document, include each of the following:
I. Statement of PurposePart2. Then implement your instruction in a format of your choosing.
II. Needs Analysis
III. Task Analysis
IV. Learner Analysis
V. Objectives
VI. Design
VII. Evaluation
Assignment
My instruction is over how a math teacher with an Interwrite© Wireless School Pad, a Bluetooth‐enabled computer with built‐in microphone, and moderate computer skills can create a video lesson by doing what is called screencasting.
Part1. Here's my document breaking down the design of my instruction (pdf)
Part2. Here's my screencast which is the instruction. It can be viewed in two ways. I think the second way is cooler.
1. YouTube
2. Shockwave File (.swf) - will open in browser
5.31.2010
Review of Webquest-Creating Sites
Note: this is an assignment for my Master's course at K-State, EDCI 718: Learning Technologies, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab.
Assignment Description
1. Review Webquest.org, Trackstar, Questgarden, Zunal, and Filamentality using the rubric and explain one or two advantages and disadvantages of each.
2. Answer this question: How can Bloom's Taxonomy, social presence, and constructivist learning principles be employed when teaching with a webquest, particularly with regard to classroom management issues when assigning groups or tasks?
Here's a link to my assignment (pdf).
Assignment Description
1. Review Webquest.org, Trackstar, Questgarden, Zunal, and Filamentality using the rubric and explain one or two advantages and disadvantages of each.
2. Answer this question: How can Bloom's Taxonomy, social presence, and constructivist learning principles be employed when teaching with a webquest, particularly with regard to classroom management issues when assigning groups or tasks?
Here's a link to my assignment (pdf).
5.17.2010
Interview with 21-year-old Techie Brian Petersen
Note: this is an assignment for my Master’s course at K-State, EDCI 718: Learning Technologies, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab. The interview took place 1/31/10.
Assignment Description
Interview a "technology-savvy" student at the K-12 or college level. Ask the questions [mine are bold] and then write them up in about a page.
Intro
The tech-savvy student I interviewed was my wife's brother, Brian Petersen. He's a junior in advertising here at K-State and is, in my opinion, extremely tech-savvy. Over holiday breaks he'll typically be working on someone's computer, be it his, my in-laws', or his grandparents. I know how to install software, but Brian builds computers and can fix all sorts of hardware issues as well.
Straight up, he's one of those people it's good to know.
Assignment Description
Interview a "technology-savvy" student at the K-12 or college level. Ask the questions [mine are bold] and then write them up in about a page.
 |
| Brian with my dog, Abby (bigger) |
The tech-savvy student I interviewed was my wife's brother, Brian Petersen. He's a junior in advertising here at K-State and is, in my opinion, extremely tech-savvy. Over holiday breaks he'll typically be working on someone's computer, be it his, my in-laws', or his grandparents. I know how to install software, but Brian builds computers and can fix all sorts of hardware issues as well.
Straight up, he's one of those people it's good to know.
4.29.2010
A Discussion of Social Media within Schools
Note: this assignment is for my Master’s course at K-State, EDCI 718: Learning Technologies, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab. It was co-authored by Chad Plummer and Joey Heersche, both secondary math teachers. Except the ridiculous stuff; that's all me.
Assignment Description
Read "Social Media and Young Adults", a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Discuss the pros and cons of social media for teaching and professional development. Give a couple of reasons for or against using them and explain why.
Assignment Description
Read "Social Media and Young Adults", a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Discuss the pros and cons of social media for teaching and professional development. Give a couple of reasons for or against using them and explain why.
4.25.2010
Web Tool Reviews: Twitter, Screenr, and Animoto
EDCI 718 Learning Technologies assignment: a quick review of 3 web tools including what they are and how/why to use it (or not).
Web Tool #1: Twitter
Subject area: any
Targeted grade/age: probably high school, perhaps middle level as well
URL: http://www.twitter.com
Subject area: any
Targeted grade/age: probably high school, perhaps middle level as well
URL: http://www.twitter.com
4.18.2010
Web Tools Only: Creating a Math Screencast
(Note: this Emerging Technology Mini Project assignment is for my Master’s course at K-State, EDCI 718: Learning Technologies, taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab)
Project Purpose
To develop a project for students in my content area - math - using web tool(s) I haven't yet used. I'll do this using Dabbleboard and Screencast-O-Matic.
Project Purpose
To develop a project for students in my content area - math - using web tool(s) I haven't yet used. I'll do this using Dabbleboard and Screencast-O-Matic.
4.05.2010
Review: BAIP
The following is a web tool review for my Spring 2010 EDCI 718: Learning Technologies course taught by Dr. Rosemary Talab. The included screenshots are used for review purposes only.
Web Tool
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