Documenting The Inauguration

My co-woker, Peter Smith, and I will be taking 4 students to Washington, D.C. to document the events surrounding the Presidential Inauguration with a variety of technologies.  We will be using tools like blogs, Twitter, video, podcasts, and Flickr to examine the impact of the election of Barack Obama and understand the personal stories of those in attendance.

To learn more about the trip visit our informational site: http://sites.google.com/a/worcesteracademy.org/inauguration/Home

Using TV For Class Without the TV

I remember when I was a kid and one of my teachers would show a 8mm film from the 60's in class.  Those film strips were painful to watch.  Not only were they boring but they lacked any substance.  Later, with the advent of cable and the hundreds of TV channels, our options increased.  Now better shows could be recorded on VHS.

Now as many of you are sure aware, the Internet can provide those shows to us for free and on demand.  No longer do you have to have a pile of VHS tapes laying around.  With the creation of tools like Slingbox, which brings live TV to your computer, and Hulu.com, access to relevant shows has never been easier and simpler.

While Hulu.com may not have access to all the shows you want yet, the model itself is worth acknowledging.  As we move further into the 21st century, it will be Internet's ability to provide the resources we need for education to greater and greater numbers of people that will truly change the world.  The equity that an Internet connection has brought will not only enhance education but provide more and more people with the opportunities to learn.

While streaming video and it's potential cannot be overlooked as a fad, it's potential is only as good as how it is implemented.  As educators we must make sure that while we provide access to these tools, they do not stand alone as the only means of instruction.  The video is a tool that must be supported by the proper activities and methods of reinforcement for a true educational impact.

Presentation on Connectivism

I have been taking a class on Technology and School Change. My final paper is on the concept of Connectivism and how it can help improve student learning and teacher professional development. To learn more about my project, take a look at the presentation I had to create for the paper.

Paul Hudson Presents at Google

Paul Hudson, author of Prelude to Tomorrow, was kind enough to speak to me and my summer reading workshop about his book at the beginning of the year. Two weeks ago he did a similar talk at Google.

It is a great book, if you have the time, I highly recommend reading it. Watch the video and judge for yourself.

Ancient Rome and Google Earth

If you teach World History, you need to check out the new Google Earth 3D layer of Ancient Rome. It presents Rome as it would have looked in 320 AD.

The layer was created by Google and The Rome Reborn project at The University of Virginia.

In addition, Google for Educators have created a competition that is connected to the release of the new Ancient Rome layer. Create interesting lessons based upon the new Rome layer and win some great prizes.

New Media Literacies

As of late, new media and social media have been the focus in education. Applications Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube have become an integral part of our teaching practices. Project New Media Literacies, created by MIT, has been examining where New Media is going and how it can apply in education. Check out their new video.

The New Globalization

This is the post for my election day workshop that addresses how the environment, the economy, and technology will fuel the new direction in our global society.

We will examine the arguments in Tom Friedman's book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded.

What are the Problems?

His book focuses on the convergence of three major problems:

Global Warming

Global Flattening

Global Crowding

Developing Trends

How have these 5 trends led to those major problems?

Energy and Resources


Petro Dictatorship

Biodiversity Loss


Climate Change


Energy Poverty


Each problem has been driven past the tipping point.

What Can We Do?

Our governments must embrace the environmental challenges we face and turn it into economic success.

Green Is The Next Red, White And Blue

Green is Capitialist, Geo-Strategic, Future Oriented


What is the scale at which we need to produce energy and what is the economic impact?

How Can We Make Green More Capitalistic in a Flat World?

Environmental Technology jobs will improve the economy and our environment?

If green is the future, what do you envision the future to look like?

This is what Friedman envisions.

What Needs To Change?

Green Party vs. Green Revolution

If we must create a Green Revolution, it will take a rethinking of how we operate.

What do you think will start a real Green Revolution?

IT and ET

What would happen if Information Technology merged with Environmental Technology?

What we need are 100,000 Garages... trying 100,000 different solutions


Here is another perspective on the issue from Clay Shirky.

Letter to the Next President

The final part of the workshop is to create a video "letter" to the next president.

After listening to Friedman's arguments:

What would you propose the next president must do to ensure that we are able to tackle the environmental and economic problems that challenges our globe?

You may use your mobile phone camera and Qik or Photo Booth to record your video. You must post the video on our YouTube Group page.