Cloud Computing

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how we make our daily work as seamless and manageable as possible no matter our location. One of the major problems that I have noticed as an educator is having my information located all over the place.  Another issue I see school's having is dependence upon infrastructure.

These problems can be solved with a solution like cloud computing. Because the applications and storage would be located online, a school could minimize its dependence upon hardware and licenses, cutting costs and centralizing access to applications and information. Cloud computing has the potential to bring laptops to more students as all you would need is a web browser and an internet connection to access everything from email to word processors.

Applications like Google Apps have the potential to simplify our lives by bringing all we need into one location. If we are to make technology a ubiquitous part of our lives, we have to make it manageable. The ability to have all of our applications n one location that is accessible on any computer with an internet connection will do that. Not only will it simplify our lives but it will allow us to go beyond the classroom computer and access our information anywhere.

photo credit: Creativity+Timothy K Hamilton

Lively: An Option For Virtual Collaboration

If you like the potential of virtual worlds for educational purposes but are afraid of the openness/shadyness of Second Life there is now Lively, which was created by Google. It is a program that you can download on to your computer. You control who has access to the virtual community you create.

The ability to create a virtual conference room that you design yourself without the fear of access from strangers should calm the fears of many educators when examining the use of virtual worlds. Lively has a lot of potential to bridge the gap for distance learning and could be a great "flattening" tool. I can't wait to check it out when they come out with a Mac version. This has the potential to do a great deal of good for distance learning and helping classrooms connect with schools from around the world, spreading cultures and ideas.

At this point in time Lively is only available for Windows.

Check out the promotional video that was produced by Google:

Study Rails

In an age where online distractions like Facebook and AIM are everywhere, a way to stay focused while studying is becoming ever more necessary. For a school or family that is serious about keeping their student(s) on task while studying, Study Rails might be the answer.

Study Rails is an online study aid that will help students organize their activities and assignments, avoid procrastination, and avoid online distractions. When ADD is being diagnosed almost as commonly as a cold, methods to keep students focused are at a premium. While Study Rails may not be the holy grail, it seems as though it is a useful tool that will help a student focus on his/her work become more organized and avoid unnecessary distractions. I have not played around with this tool but as my school moves towards a 1 to 1 laptop program, applications like have a great deal of potential.

There is a 14 day trial period and pricing can be as little as $7 per student per year for institutions. If you are interested, check out the demonstration video about Study Rails.

Understanding By Design and School 2.0

If you have a chance watch this presentation given by Chris Lehmann, the Principal of the Science Leadership Academy (SLA) in Philadelphia, Pa. His presentation was on using Understanding by Design as the basis of a school's teaching. Understanding by Design was created by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. The idea of Understanding by Design is based upon project based learning. Chris covers how this concept is being used at SLA and how it can be implemented at your school. He also included a wiki with all the information from the presentation.

The ideas that he presents take a lot of what we already know about project learning and gives the template and basis for that general knowledge to be applied as the core of your school's pedagogy rather than a part of it.

Enjoy the presentation via UStream:

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Visual Prompts and Writing

Today was my first day of tutoring at 826 Valencia in San Francisco. It was a lot of fun working with my student Gloria, a rising 5th grader, and helping her get prepare to write an essay prompt. I forgot how enjoyable it was to work with the younger students. In the process of working with Gloria and listening to her complaints about how boring writing was for her, I started thinking about how I could make writing "more fun" for Gloria and the other students.

I then came up with the idea of using Tumblr. If you haven't checked it out, it is a blog. But it is different because you can quickly post an idea, image, or video. I saw Tumblr as a great way to bring visuals into the writing process.

I created a Tumblr page for 826 Valencia. The idea is this. I have been taking pictures of interesting things around San Francisco. I post the pictures and then have an essay prompt connected to images that they either recognize or that interests them. I also posted a You Tube video to add some video to the process.

The part that will really make the writing process "more fun" for the students though is when THEY start taking their own pictures and posting their own prompts. All of a sudden, they have a vested interest in the prompt. Either they took the picture or their friend did.

It is important to get our students involved in the learning process. Using the Tumblr blog not only gives them a different type of prompt but it also gets them involved in the entire process. They don't just have to respond to the prompt but we can teach them how to create their OWN prompt.

Try it out with your own students. Get them involved in the process. Use more visuals. They will respond.

Also along these lines. If you have a chance, read The Back of the Napkin, it is a wonderful book that discuses the idea of using pictures to solve problems. I highly recommend it for any teacher or non teacher for that matter.

Google Trends and Education

If you have never seen Google Trends, it tracks the searches made on Google's web search. Google Trends can help us understand our culture. The website tracks what is of interest. There are two facets to this site: Google Trends and Hot Trends.

Google Trends

Google Trends can be an excellent way to examine how events that happened in different parts of the world can be examined. For instance take a search of Aristotle and Confucius. Google Trends will present how often the chosen terms have been searched and where they were searched. When discussing perspective, Google Trends could prove useful. As you can see in the picture below, Aristotle many more searches than Confucius. Does this make Confucius any less of a philosopher? What about the location of the searches?

Does it mean anything that even in the Philippines we find Aristotle to be searched higher than Confucius. This type of tool can be used to start discussions on point of view and perspective. While the search volume on Confucius is not as high, the news reference is almost equal at some points. Why is this? These are questions that Google Trends can help raise. It can be an interesting way to get your students to examine more deeply the questions of why the Western education and influence still has a strong grip on the world despite the effects of globalization.

Hot Trends

Hot Trends is a way to quickly take a look at what people are interested in. The page provides you with the top 100 searches of that particular day. For instance, today many people were searching the results of the Neil Entwistle trial.

The Hot Trends section gives the view a intimate look into what people in the United States or around the globe are searching. This is an excellent way to examine pop culture and discuss our culture and what influences our interests.

Change Isn't Bad, Is It? Part 2

Last week I posted two articles, one by Nicholas Carr of the Atlantic and one by the Economist. Both took a stance on technology and it's impact upon our society. I wanted to discuss their arguments and present my own opinion.

The Atlantic

Nicholas Carr argues that the Internet has adversely affected how we think. We no longer deep read. He believes that because we are flooded with information through sources like Google we are losing the ability to synthesize information due to the over load of data. While he does state that technology like the Gutenburg Press was received with similar skepticism, his analysis focuses on the fact that the advancement in technology is changing the way we think and that is a bad thing.

The Economist

The Economist article takes a less aggressive stance toward the influence of the Internet and search upon our culture. The author agrees that we are changing but argues that is not necessarily a bad thing. The author continues to state that change is inevitable and if we continue to hold on to the status quo as though it is the only way to think and learn we will do ourselves and future generations a major disservice. The quote that resonated the most with me was the following:

So, no surprise that when we incarcerate teenagers of today in traditional classroom settings, they react with predictable disinterest and flunk their literacy tests. They are skilled in making sense not of a body of known content, but of contexts that are continually changing.

Teachers must recognise that our pedagogical tools are inconsistent with the skills needed to survive in a world where people are always connected to everyone and everything. In such a world, learning to think for oneself could well be more important than simply learning to read and write.

My Opinion

When examining technology's influence upon our culture, of course it has changed us. Is that a bad thing?  Absolutely not. It provides us with opportunities and challenges that would have never been present if the technology was not available. It has made my students more globally aware. When I was my student's age, I had did not know as much about events happening around the world. We were to simply memorize facts. Now my students are discussing global issues with schools around the world. Technology has also opened doors for people around the world to present their ideas and have a change to achieve the supposed "American Dream".

Technology has "flattened" our world. Some like, Carr may argue that the technology has negatively influenced us as we now manage information. But I believe that the advantages of technology: the ability to connect to information almost instantly, the communal environment it has created, and the equity it has allowed heavily outweigh Carr's argument.

Creative and innovative ideas are now more widely accessible and the ability to solve today's global problems will be easier as you have more and more perspectives on these problems. Technology's ability to connect people around the world builds upon the idea of the Wisdom of Crowds. Problems will be solved by not simply relying upon a few minds but opening them to the public. So while we may lose a few skills with the advancement of technology, it is technology that will help us save our planet.

photo credits: Mrs. Maze and Jimee, Jackie, Tom & Asha