Whether you teach a face-to-face class, a totally online class or a combination of both it is important to remember that all learning takes place within the student. The purpose of education is to make a change in the learner. This may be the acquisition of knowledge, skills and change in attitude. All courses must have clear measurable objectives. All courses must have a way to assess if objectives are met. No matter what type of course you develop or…
I have taken courses using Blackboard and am now getting into Moodle. There was no question that the courses I took at Bridgewater State College would lead to graduate credit. There are many online courses and professional development opportunities whose credit is accepted by institutions of higher learning and state licensing boards. But then there are high schools. Online Learning is a new way of doing things and will require some changes in how high schools look at courses and…
The new iLife arrived and my children (age 12 & 9) and I tested it out. We created a family website. Using garage band I had them each make a podcast, really a message to Grandma. In iPhoto they created a photocast, this caused some heated debate about what to include, one wants grandma to see the entire collection of 1579 photos the other wants just shots of herself. We compromised on just last months photos. We then tackled iWeb…
I work in a Windows world, but at home I am a very loyal Mac user. I was watching the MacWorld keynote address given by Steve Jobs. I was amazed at all the casting going on; podcasting, photocasting, videocasting. Using the software that comes on a Mac you are ready to create. You can use Garage Band to record a podcast and drag photos from iPhoto to accompany the podcast. You can work in iMovie to make a videocast and…
I met with an English teacher, earlier today, who is a bit of a hero of mine. We used to team teach, she knows so much about kids. I admire her for a host of reasons. She is passionate about what she does. She wants her kids to succeed and will work within the system or around the system if necessary to get it done. But most importantly to me is she sees the possibilities. She sees the possibilities in…
In my role as K-12 technology integration specialist I support technology integration in the classroom and the special education department with some of their assistive technology needs. I have often found myself trying to explain the difference between Differentiated Instruction (DI), Assistive Technology (AT) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). I do not see them so much as different but related. All three are about providing options for learners. It is all about choosing the right tools for the job….
I once had a principal who would begin his weekly meetings with individual teachers with “How are things going? What do you need, how can I help?” His focus, as well as, that of the school(Seoul Foreign School, Seoul, Korea) was helping teachers, teach. Education/learning is about what happens within a student. The person in a school system who has the greatest influence on a child’s learning is the classroom teacher. All of a school district’s attention should be focused…