In preparation for developing a Multimedia Montage Project, I joined a few communities on Thinkfinity. Since the project is only in the initial phase, I'm not quite sure where it needs to go - so I figured joined a few different sites with different foci. "Online Tools for Educators" has a lot of different ideas for incorporating technology in the classroom, so I think it will be one of the biggest contributors to my project's success. I also joined "Mobile Learning", which has members submit ideas regarding how to best incorporate mobile devices into the classroom. I think mobile phones being used in the classroom is the next natural step, so I am sure to learn invaluable skills through this group, regardless of whether it is useful in my current academic endeavors. I have no doubt that all students within the next several years will have access to smart phones, or at least a hand-held device with similar capabilities. And in the meantime, there's no reason why students with these devices should be banned from making use of them simply because "not all students have them".
Rune Pettersson's "Visual Literacy and Message Design" explains key aspects of utilization of pictures and images, so I was hoping to find a great group that focuses on this topic ... so far I've found nothing noteworthy. --Any leads would be greatly appreciated!-- Blending auditory and visual stimulation (along with others, if possible) at the same time is key to teaching/learning since it increases greatly the amount of information sent to long term memory. Embedding images strategically around text will also encourage exploration of digital documents such as a website, so people will want to experience more of the information presented.
Lastly, I found an "All About Science" group that may not assist me at all during the course of this project, but you can never be exposed to too much science (I suppose the Hulk may be one exception). With my background in biology, the information posted to this site is already posing to be of interest to me, and I am sure I can make some valuable contributions of my own as well.
If anyone has any other great Communities to join, within or outside of Thinkfinity, please share!
My MMP is also in its baby stage so I was not quite sure what community to join. However, they are all so easy to join so in this case, for once, time is on our side. I too joined " Mobile Learning" which I also agree is the place to be for the future. I believe it was that site that had the post," ...it is time for us to limit the abuse of phones in school, not limit their use..." They are destined to be a big part of engaging students so it is time we find a good use for them instead of taking them away. Good Luck to you. peggy
ReplyDeleteHey Mark, I also joined Online Tools. It seems to be an active group. I really needed adult or higher education ... but none of those groups seemed active.
ReplyDeleteI think that soon there wont be separate for smart phones, tablets, PC/Mac. The development tools are getting smarter - so that we can develop only the top layer and then the tool itself will worry about rendering it correctly for the device. But until that truly happens you are right we must stay on top of the technology.
I'm glad you find a science location.
Sheri
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought to check out a group specifically geared towards mobile devices, but I'm really intrigued by it now and would definitely like to look more into this group. We have a strict "no cell phone" policy in our district, but I wish there was a way to get around that and use them for educational purposes. I'm interested in using them for polls/surveys at some point. Not all my students have a cell phone yet - since they're only 10 or 11 - but many of them do, and I think it would really motivate the students to be able to use these type of devices. Quite a few of them have an iPod touch if not a cell phone, so maybe those could be used too. Thanks for getting me thinking about new mobile technologies! I look forward to reading more on your blog!
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteI didn't comment in your intro but I also graduated from Cook in 2008 with a degree in Ecology! We probably have had class together at some point. It looks like we joined one of the same communities too (all about science). I only joined one community, but I can see why you joined several. There could be a lot of great resources in "online tools for educators" and "mobile learning." I learned from the class "Intro to digital tools" that one of the most challenging aspects of using technology in the classroom is finding particular tools that are school friendly and implementing them. I'm sure people in the "online tools for educators" communities will have a lot of great ideas and experience on how to find and implement these programs. I think I might join it too! Thanks for the idea!
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteIt is funny that Lisa mentioned the strict "No Cell Phone" policy in our district. Here is an anecdote about that. My co-teacher during an ICR science class attended an ETTC workshop about setting up a CSI in the classroom. She was very excited and did just that. She set up a murder mystery with a visit from the police chief about gathering evidence. We eplained to the students about crime scene photos and the importance of getting a lot of them. Because we only had one a few digital cameras we escorted the kids to their lockers to get their phones, had them take and email us the photos, and escorted them back to the lockers to return the phones. Well, to make a long story even longer, the teacher was reprimanded for allowing the students to use their phones.
I am going to join that Mobile Learning group as well and see if there is mention of this type of policy or negative response of administrators. Thanks for finding it! Also thanks for your positive comments on my blog.
Stacy
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteIt appears you stirred quite a commotion over the possibilities surrounding Mobile Learning among your peers in this class! I'm glad to see that so many of you are interested in the possibilities surrounding mobile app possibilities.
Does your district have a policy about the use of mobile phones in the classroom? I know a lot of districts "Just say no!" so I was curious if yours did the same. It's unfortunate that the fear of having students text message during a lesson as educational and engaging as the one that Stacy described above, is enough to keep administration from allowing mobile learning opportunities to occur in the classroom setting.
If you do decide to create an MMP that implements mobile learning, you'd be the first! I look forward to seeing what direction you ultimately go in when I read your proposal later this week.
Best,
Erica