If you want to see the original infographic, click this link: http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/
Created by Knewton and Column Five Media
Pinterest - Social Bookmarking That is Both Graphic and Easy!
So, I'm not really sure where I learned about Pinterest, but thanks so much to whomever it was that pointed it out to me. I dig the concept of social bookmarking. It's a great idea conceptually. However, when it comes to actually digging into all that text -- well, the urge to back away quickly without taking time to actually read the content is often stronger than my desire to will myself through it all.
That's really why I like Pinterest. It's a graphic version of the links that I love from social bookmarking. Way more manageable and digestable than so many of those other biggies. It doesn't have everything I'd love in a social bookmarking site, but it is definitely worthy of a look from anyone who is just overwhelmed by all of the text and minutia of those the other social bookmarking biggies.
Here is the link to my first Pinterest Board: Ed Tech Books Worth Reading
Disclaimer: I KNOW they are not all "technology" books, but they are truly books about the elements needed to change any organization (specifically education), which means a move to more seamlessly integrated technology use by students to complete authentic tasks...so I think that should qualify!
Tech Into Ed: Switch from Wordpress to SquareSpace Platform
If you haven't already noticed, Getting Tech Into Ed has just undergone a major site redesign. I've decided to take the focus off of managing my site and really focus on the content.
I am now hosted with SquareSpace and really enjoying the ease of beautifying my site without worrying about codes, sizes, compatibility, etc.
As always, I love to hear your feedback. What are your thoughts on the redesign, the usefulness of the site, or the quality of our content?
The Flipped Classroom: An Infographic
Want to know what a “flipped classroom” is, where it came from, and why it matters? Check out this incredible infographic!
Professional Development: Preparing Attendees to Re-awaken the Inner Drive
Somehow they re-awaken in me to the possibilities and opportunities that present themselves in my professional life. They lend a rush of enthusiasm as I unplug from the day-to-day realities of my job and look more broadly at the scope of my profession and the challenges that I face in it.
I'm talking about the meaningful professional learning opportunities and conferences I am able to attend from time to time as a part of my professional responsibility and growth. Each time I am able to truly engage in a meaningful conference or pd event, I walk away with a flood of valuable and "innovative" ideas that offer options and solutions that were somehow beyond the realm of imagination or possibility for me/my organization before the event. To me, and to the people that I "represent" each time I attend those events, that matters. It provides new ideas and options, new perspectives and valuable considerations, and a re-invigorated colleague that can offer new energy to the organization.
What strikes me in this reflection, though, is the unfortunate reality that most of my colleagues don't have the same experience or perception of conferences. I struggle to suggest that this is entirely their fault. Good professional development sessions and conferences (or should I say good professional learning experiences) -- I mean the really valuable meaningful kind that you wish were longer so you could absorb just a little bit more -- are rare. Sometimes this is the fault of the organizers, and they should take the blame squarely on the chin for wasting an incredible opportunity to impact meaningful change in education. More often, though, this is the result of the inability of those attending the session/conference to prepare in a meaningful way for the experience. Whether it is a classroom teacher who is busily pulling together sub plans at the last minute and making phone calls to parents while on the way to the conference, or administrators who are able to focus only part of their attention on the presenters/sessions because their attention is being "beckoned" back to the district/building, the attendee isn't able to focus fully on what they hope to make of and take from the conference experience before, during, and after the event. This is even more true when we consider in-district professional development that happens before, during, or after a day with students.
We know that meaningful learning happens when learners are personally "available" and open to the concept of having a meaninful experience. That doesn't happen when our professional educators are struggling to even maintain focus on the experience they are having -- when they can't pull away from the details that draw us into the "rut" of our daily professional lives. That doesn't happen when they can't converse with their team, administrator, or PLC prior to attending. That doesn't happen when they cannot take a moment to reflect on the experience and share their take-aways from the experience.
It's a lesson those who structure, develop, and authorize the attendance of professional learning need to remember and consider when we put precious financial resources into developing and/or sending our staff to these events. As much as professional development and conference attendance can cost, considering the greater cost of not allowing these people to ready themselves to have a great, meaningful experience is just as, or even more, costly! Those responsible for allowing staff members to attend these events must find ways to allow and encourage them to be more available to make every professional learning opportunity a transformative and invigorating one. Those buiding and offering those opportunities for professional growth need to be cognizant of this essential element of the learning process.
Downloading and Using Video in the Classroom
There is little doubt that video engages kids. The evidence of that reality stares me in the face each time I watch my three-year-old daughter become slack-jaw while watching her favorite television show. As an educator, I know that we need to harness that kind of power in our efforts to engage students.
However, video is a difficult world to deal with when it comes to the Internet. The quality and size of video files causes it to suck up a lot of network resources (meaning that other people cannot access what they may need to teach or learn). If you have ever suffered through a “choppy” video that plays faster than it streams to the computer, you’ve dealt with this frustration. It becomes especially difficult to justify that constraint on resources when you walk into the neighboring room of people crowded around a computer, all laughing uncontrollably at the latest viral video.
Of course, there is also the issue of the appropriateness of content. You understand that if you have ever shown a YouTube video (that you’ve previewed and decided is appropriate) to a class and then had a host of “suggested” videos appear on the sidebar with less than appropriate subject matter. In my case it was a video on “mob mentality” that returned pictures of scantily clad people dancing and a video on a dog breeding program (you can imagine what the images for that one looked like). Needless to say, I lost my audience before the intended video even started.
With that said, there are ways to get the upper hand on Internet video to maximize its power and limit its distractions. Below are several ways that you can capture Internet videos in order to share them with your students.
*Disclaimer: The world of Internet video is peppered with lots of technical jargon and elements. Downloading Internet video is more of an “art” than a science at this point. Patience is critical! Also, having a few “methods” to fall back on is helpful.
Internet Overrides
YouTube and other sites are often filtered at school. However, there is little doubt that some educationally valuable content is available on these sites. For this reason, any staff member in my district can use an override code to access these filtered resources. This allows him/her to access any content that he/she may need while at school simply by using the override code whenever he/she encounters filtered material.
If you do not presently have access to these resources at school, perhaps its a conversation starter with your Director of Technology to get the ball rolling in the right direction.
Zamzar.com
Of course, without that option in place, it's nice to be able to "collect" or download Internet video content directly from the web BEFORE going to a filtered environment. If that option speaks to you, you can utilize Zamzar.com to download videos from several Internet video streaming sites.
- First you will need to locate the video you want to download.
- Then, copy the URL and open another browser window to http://www.zamzar.com .
- On the green box in the center of the page, click the second tab, which reads “Download Videos”
- Under “Step 1” paste the URL of the video into the text box
- Under “Step 2” choose one of the following formats:
- FLV – if you want to place the video directly into a SMART Notebook file
- WMV – if you want to play the video with Windows Media Player
- Under “Step 3” enter your school email address and then click “Convert”
- Zamzar will send a link to your email inbox. This is not an immediate process, but if you have not received the link within 24 hours, check your “Junk Email” folder.
- Click the link emailed to you, click “Download Now” on the web page, and save the file to your computer.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| -Reliable download of videos | -Slow process; may take hours to receive email from Zamzar |
| -Lots of file formats available | -Small video files only; 100 mb limit |
ClipNabber.com
Another reliable source that is a bit more streamlined is http://www.clipnabber.com .
- First you will need to locate the video you want to download.
- Then, copy the URL and open another browser window to http://www.clipnabber.com
- In the “URL” box in the middle of the page, paste the address of the video you want to download
- Click “Nab” just to the right of the URL box
- Wait a few seconds, and several buttons will appear below the “URL” box that will indicate the preferred file format and quality of the video for the video you want to download (FLV medium, FLV high, WMV low, etc.). Click on the preferred format and quality.
- Wait a few more seconds and a “Save” dialogue box will appear. Click “Save” and identify where you want the video to go.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| -Faster download process | -Video files formats limited to what is available; not all formats available |
| -Reliable download of videos | -May have to use another service to convert video file formats |
*Not all video players are made equal. If you’ve got a file that won’t play with a standard media player (like Windows Media Player), you may want to download and install another media player – VLC Media Player. You can download VLC at this site: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Alternative Video Sites
There are lots of great video sites out there to pull resources from. Here are just a few worthy of mentioning.
School Tube and Teacher Tube
While no comparison to the expansive library of YouTube, School Tube and Teacher Tube are vetted content sources that have systems in place to monitor the content hosted on the site. There is a wide array of educational resources available on both sites.
Find them at: http://www.schooltube.com and http://www.teachertube.com
YouTube Edu
About a year ago YouTube launched YouTube Edu (http://www.youtube.com/edu). Partnering with academics and universities the world over, there is an expansive list of lectures and resources available for free on the site. Hosted on YouTube, you’ll have to access the site using the Internet override you were given, but it has lots of great content that may just fit your classroom needs.
The most important element to remember is that video engages students in a wide variety of ways. Although showing video from YouTube isn't an option that is presently available for every teacher, it is definitely worth the extra effort to pre-plan, download in advance of the class period, and show the video to students using some of the techniques and tools mentioned here.