Andrew Thonstad
Richardson, Will (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Chapter 9: What It All Means
Now we have to put everything discussed in this book together, like a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece needs another in order to fit together. These pieces (or Big Shifts as Mr. Richardson calls them) include:
1. Open Content: The content that educators have used in the past (textbooks) are no longer needed. The process for printing textbooks results in information being used that is outdated the day it is written, let alone printed, bound and shipped. With open content, educators and students can create their own “textbooks.” And the information contained in them can be updated immediately.
2. Many, Many Teachers, and 24/7 Learning: The teacher no longer has to be the only teacher for the class; teachers can utilize many other “teachers.” These “teachers” can be experts in their fields, experienced in their activities, and/or knowledgeable in their passions. No longer do students need to watch a movie about chimps when they can converse with Jane Goodall herself.
3. The Social, Collaborative Construction of Meaningful Knowledge: Unlike education, I cannot think of any other activity where we require someone to work independently. The world has moved to collaborative teams: at work, in athletics, in associations, everywhere. Only education requires that students work by themselves (and only up to high school as most college classes have team projects). In addition to that, the Read/Write Web offers the opportunity for the students’ collaborative work to be shared to large audiences.
4. Teaching Is Conversation, Not Lecture: The changes in the way people learn has affected business and education. No longer can the teacher/trainer/presenter stand up front and lecture (always seems to be in a monotone voice). Using the Web, educators can create conversations with their students. This becomes an active process, not a “shut-up and listen” ordeal.
5. Know “Where” Learning: No longer is specific information quite as important as it once was. I remember learning all of the states and capitals, the Presidents (in order), and many other facts. Today I can have all of the same information at my fingertips by knowing how to search for the answers.
6. Readers Are No Longer Just Readers: In the past, most of what we read was checked and double checked for accuracy before publication. With the Read/Write Web, we will come across information that has not been fact-checked. It may sound truthful (kind of like those wild stories from the web) but it could be a complete hoax. We, as processors (not just readers) of information, need to be able to discern the factual from the lie. We also can be writers to the web. A great example of this is Wikipedia, where anyone can add or edit information about a particular topic.
7. The Web as Notebook (or Portfolio): We can use the web to track and manage information we believe is important to save and/or share. Portfolios no longer need to be in books, all the information can be on a webpage. Notebooks no longer need to contain notes from reading textbooks, since the textbooks are online, the important information can be notated in the links. We can also include other media formats (audio, video, photography, etc.).
8. Writing Is No Longer Limited to Text: We now have opportunities to share information through many different mediums: writings, blogs, audio, video, music, digital photography, computer code, etc.
9. Mastery Is the Product, Not the Test: In the past, mastery meant passing a test with a score in a given range (sounds like the Praxis I am about to take). In this Read/Write Web age, mastery can be shown through projects and ongoing assignments, with all of being published for the world to review.
10. Contribution, Not Completion, as the Ultimate Goal: Through these technologies students can contribute their own work and ideas to the Web. This can be a 24/7 ordeal, as the time for contribution is only limited by the access to the technology itself. I can see many projects that no longer have a starting and ending; they have an origination and then keep growing and changing.
What does it all mean? I believe it means to buckle in and hang on – the ride is just starting. For those educators who want to be part of it, there will be opportunities and learning. Those educators who choose to sit on the sidelines and watch may never catch up and the world (and their students) will leave them behind.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Chapter 8 Summary
Andrew Thonstad
Richardson, Will (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Chapter 8: Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, Live Streaming: Multimedia Publishing for the Masses
With the changes in technology over the past decade, it is now easier and cheaper to publish to the World Wide Web. The prices of hard-drive disk space and RAM have declined, while the internet connection speeds have substantially increased. These combinations, combined with programs that make publishing easier, have contributed to in exponential increases of information to the “Read/Write Web.”
Podcasting
Podcasting started out as the creation and distribution of amateur radio. These early and still current podcasters are people from around the world. Today many mainstream companies and “noteworthy” people are podcasting. From NPR, ESPN, CNN to President Obama, and other politicians, podcasting is being used to spread information to the world. All you need to create a podcast is a digital audio recorder, server space to host the file, a blog, and something that you want to share with the world.
There are a number of ways that we can use this technology in schools. For my focus, I could see downloading podcasts from corporate meetings and college courses focusing in business. The class could also create podcasts of business plan presentations, stock market updates, and “How To” business seminars.
Getting started with podcasting is easier than you might think. As mentioned before, there are a few steps in creating a podcast.
Screencasting is the next step after podcasting. Screencasting involves combining a computer presentation (PowerPoint) or video presentation with the audio narration (podcasting). Beyond screencasting is live streaming. Live streaming allows teachers and students to create their own TV shows. Think of the possibilities: online broadcasts of school plays and concerts, sporting events, and any other school activity that you would want to share with the school, community, and the world.
I do see a number of positive uses for this technology. Getting the students involved in their learning will yield rewards as well. As we know, if the students are interested, they will learn. Utilizing technology in the classroom that they may be using every day will get them involved.
Richardson, Will (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Chapter 8: Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, Live Streaming: Multimedia Publishing for the Masses
With the changes in technology over the past decade, it is now easier and cheaper to publish to the World Wide Web. The prices of hard-drive disk space and RAM have declined, while the internet connection speeds have substantially increased. These combinations, combined with programs that make publishing easier, have contributed to in exponential increases of information to the “Read/Write Web.”
Podcasting
Podcasting started out as the creation and distribution of amateur radio. These early and still current podcasters are people from around the world. Today many mainstream companies and “noteworthy” people are podcasting. From NPR, ESPN, CNN to President Obama, and other politicians, podcasting is being used to spread information to the world. All you need to create a podcast is a digital audio recorder, server space to host the file, a blog, and something that you want to share with the world.
There are a number of ways that we can use this technology in schools. For my focus, I could see downloading podcasts from corporate meetings and college courses focusing in business. The class could also create podcasts of business plan presentations, stock market updates, and “How To” business seminars.
Getting started with podcasting is easier than you might think. As mentioned before, there are a few steps in creating a podcast.
Screencasting is the next step after podcasting. Screencasting involves combining a computer presentation (PowerPoint) or video presentation with the audio narration (podcasting). Beyond screencasting is live streaming. Live streaming allows teachers and students to create their own TV shows. Think of the possibilities: online broadcasts of school plays and concerts, sporting events, and any other school activity that you would want to share with the school, community, and the world.
I do see a number of positive uses for this technology. Getting the students involved in their learning will yield rewards as well. As we know, if the students are interested, they will learn. Utilizing technology in the classroom that they may be using every day will get them involved.
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