tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37984742577657556192024-03-05T18:26:42.312+08:00Heather DowdHeather DowdHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-27396458897389831902014-04-28T12:22:00.002+08:002014-04-28T12:31:59.976+08:00Individualized Educational Technology Tools for Literature<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A blog post titled "<a href="http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/my-students-top-ten-essential-digital-reading-tools-list-by-sara-kajder/" target="_blank">My Students' Top Ten Essential Digital Reading Tools List</a>" by Sara Kajder was recently shared among our Reading and Language Arts teachers. It includes some great ideas for using technology to learn about literature. As I read through the list, I realized that we often get caught up in new tools without thinking about how we can accomplish the same learning goal using the tools that teachers and students are already using. Because I like to simplify things, I created an <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YNjUZyNbtY64JQugmm3-gjUawE8DpWatt4A8T6Xlr6o/pub" target="_blank">alternative list individualized for our school</a>.<br />
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What about your school? What tools are you already using that you could use to accomplish the same thing?<br />
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<iframe width=100% height=600 src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YNjUZyNbtY64JQugmm3-gjUawE8DpWatt4A8T6Xlr6o/pub?embedded=true"></iframe>
</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-14094033929306962192013-05-14T08:52:00.001+08:002013-05-17T08:18:15.085+08:00Moving from Microsoft Office to Google Drive<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I help teachers learn Google Apps and use Drive with students, I have found that many people are confused about what happens when they put their Microsoft Office documents in Drive. To help them conceptually understand what's going on, I made the following infographic. Feel free to edit and share it with people you work with if you find it useful. I imagine that Google Drive will get better and better at dealing with Office docs and this graphic won't be necessary anymore! But until then...<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bx9dDSofbpmeVnhVcjZlVUhRVHM/edit?usp=sharing" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">PDF file</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bx9dDSofbpmeRHdqZHRmQU50UjA/edit?usp=sharing" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">original Pages file</a></div>
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<i>Updates</i><br />
<i>Thank you <a href="https://plusone.google.com/105450274603581324192">Susan Reeves</a> for your <a href="https://plusone.google.com/105450274603581324192/posts/F139hxMuVZY">suggestion</a>. Files have been updated.</i><br />
<i><a href="https://plus.google.com/107548645832418851933/posts">Robie Jayawardhana</a> <a href="http://robiesweb2.blogspot.sg/2013/05/desktop-google-drive-vs-google-drive-in.html">extended this infographic</a> to include Google Drive desktop version.</i><br />
<i><a href="https://plus.google.com/113658525407050959173/posts">Volodymyr Volodin</a> traslated this into Russian. <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxaFeja-eM6HY1hqZTFwQ0I4Q0E/edit">Pages file</a> - <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CXvgV8mrrv2Z1cyZiWbLYK6nRSiDxFsWBlC7nm-I26M/edit">GDoc file</a></i><br />
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-86836495992247931922013-04-04T09:16:00.000+08:002013-04-04T10:29:35.104+08:00SAS Middle School Laptop Program BootCamp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here's one reason why I haven't blogged lately. Over the past two days, we launched our Middle School Laptop Program in grade 7 with a <a href="http://msbootcamp.sas.edu.sg/" target="_blank">BootCamp</a>, thanks to <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/107812674061476822028" target="_blank">+Patrick Green</a> and many other people at SAS. Here's the story of the past two days...<br />
<script src="//storify.com/pgreensoup/sasedu-ms-laptop-bootcamp-day-1.js"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/pgreensoup/sasedu-ms-laptop-bootcamp-day-1" target="_blank">View the story "#SASedu MS Laptop BootCamp Day 1" on Storify</a>]</noscript>
<script src="//storify.com/pgreensoup/sasedu-ms-laptop-bootcamp-day-2.js"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/pgreensoup/sasedu-ms-laptop-bootcamp-day-2" target="_blank">View the story "#SASedu MS Laptop BootCamp Day 2" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-73705938233331907912012-12-03T14:31:00.002+08:002012-12-03T14:31:24.218+08:00Team Teaching - a learning symbiosis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Discussing what makes a good blog comment</td></tr>
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Mr. Riley (grade 6 RLA) and I recently team taught a lesson on what makes a good quality blog comment. It was an interactive lesson which ended with students coming up with a list of what makes a comment a good comment. The student list included everything on <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_uOrj7JPoBBKzi6z4VGp0bL6LYIrFtYs60rtF7CMQdY/edit" target="_blank">our list</a>. Students also made connections between the new idea of blog commenting and another process they had learned for providing feedback in RLA class. So, in effect, their list was even better than ours. If you are interested, see the mini-lesson below for details.<br />
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I had two big take-aways for the day. One - team teaching is a great thing. Mr. Riley sees the students every day. He knows them. He knows what they've learned and where they're going. I come in for one quick mini-lesson on blogging. I know where we want to go with blogging at our school. I can model the good blogging values we hope to foster in our new bloggers. But, Mr. Riley knows how to tie what I'm saying in with everything the students are doing. He knew to ask the right questions to call up prior knowledge from RLA class. Together we made accomplished the learning objective and we reinforced prior learning. It was a good partnership.<br />
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Two - Mr. Riley is not only a great teacher, he is a <a href="http://whythemiddlematters.blogspot.sg/" target="_blank">fantastic new blogger</a>. In his new role as literacy coach, he has started blogging for the teachers he supports. As I stood in his classroom talking with students about the importance of commenting in blogging, I realized once again that I need to live up to what I say. I need to blog more often so that when I talk to teachers about how valuable public reflection on teaching and learning can be, I've got something to prove it. Thank you Mr. Riley.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Continuum of comments</td></tr>
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<b>Blog commenting mini-lesson</b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6735582859255373" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before class</span></b><br />
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.6735582859255373" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students read teacher blog posts and pick one to comment on. Write comment on sticky note and bring it to class.</span></b></li>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6735582859255373" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In class</span></b><br />
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">learn about the qualities of a good comment</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Talk about importance of comments - That’s where the conversation happens!</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the unique things about blogs is that bloggers are looking for comments. They want to hear from their readers.</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hand out <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NzcqzYl179YamEz8kzkmiBTz40PSfRuWMr-rKCLrUgE/edit" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">real comments</a> from the middle school blog and other classroom blogs to each pair of students.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students put comments on continuum on the floor. (String across the floor with markers for exemplary, meeting, approaching, below.)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walk through continuum and read comments.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do a think pair share on what makes a good comment.</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">write results on butcher paper</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">compare to <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/sas.edu.sg/document/d/1_uOrj7JPoBBKzi6z4VGp0bL6LYIrFtYs60rtF7CMQdY/edit" target="_blank">commenting guidelines</a></span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students look at their sticky note comment and line up on the continuum where their comment should be.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Revise comment and then go type comment on teacher blog.</span></li>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-30864918000697224842012-11-12T11:51:00.002+08:002012-11-12T11:51:30.468+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In September, the <a href="http://sg.gafesummit.com/" target="">Google Apps for Education Singapore Summit</a> team hosted a <a href="http://sg.gafesummit.com/program/demo-slam">Demo Slam</a> where people took three minutes each to wow the audience with a new tool or idea. It was high energy fun and the perfect way to end a successful Google Summit.<br />
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This month, we decided to hold our own mini demo slam at the middle school faculty meeting to share some of our learning from the previous months. Nine teachers presented 60 second summaries of something they've found useful lately. Some are productivity tech tips and some are helpful teaching ideas. Feedback from other teachers is that it was interesting, helpful, fun, and they want more! Have a look through our slides to see the tools we presented. Don't miss 8th grade science teacher Bill Hoffman <a href="http://youtu.be/sJGLecHV-aI">singing the praises of Flubaroo</a>.<br />
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-62891382913226162142011-11-23T14:45:00.001+08:002011-11-23T16:26:44.284+08:00Using Google Sites as ePortfolios with Middle School StudentsIt's been awhile since I've blogged. I have excuses, but mainly, I just haven't made time for it. After starting a new job and a new country, I am beginning to settle, and there have been many motivations for me start again. <a href="http://www.google.com/reader/bundle/user%2F04040864194023264741%2Fbundle%2FSAS%20Teacher%20Bloggers" target="_blank">My colleagues are blogging</a> and asking for advice. I attended an <a href="https://webapps.uwcsea.edu.sg/teachit/" target="_blank">educational technology workshop</a> last Saturday and met many other teachers interested in tech integration. I've been connecting with <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/list/heza/singapore-educators" target="_blank">them and my new colleagues on Twitter</a> again.<br />
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And then <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/lfrehlich" target="_blank">@lfrehlich</a> asked me:<br />
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I realized it was time to get back to it!<br />
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First I'll start with the why. Why are we using ePortfolios with middle school students? The effort at our school has been teacher led. Teachers want to replace traditional portfolios used for student led conferences with digital portfolios. They want to help students collect their best work over the course of the year. They want to prepare students for a world in which they will send college admission committees a link to their work and who they are as a student. They want to teach good digital citizenship and how to have a positive digital footprint. Yes, I work with great teachers; I am fortunate!<br />
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So, what are we going to use for eportfolios? We recently adopted Google Apps for Education. We wanted to stick with Google as much as we could to simplify things. So, we decided to go with Google Sites. We've created a fairly <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/sas.edu.sg/sas12345/" target="_blank">simple template</a> as a starting point. We're thinking about long term and we'd like the portfolio to go with them to high school.<br />
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I created the following step by step guide to help our students and teachers go through the process of setting up their eportfolios. Still, it has been time consuming to get to every class and help set this up. It has been taking about 45 minutes of class time to get everyone going. Some of that time is lost to slow internet. When we're up and going, though, we should only have to set this up with our new 6th graders at the beginning of the year. Also, we are looking at a product called <a href="http://hapara.com/teacher-dashboard-for-google-apps" target="_blank">Google Teacher Dashboard</a> which we think has the ability to automate some of this. We are going to start a trial of it soon.<br />
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We are at the very beginning of this process. We started with a few classrooms wanting to do eportfolios. Through discussion among teachers, it has expanded to every language and science class in 8th grade. It will be a good test to support a whole grade, and students will see some connections between classes. Teachers seem genuinely excited to have students start posting major projects into their eportfolios. I think it's great that teachers will see what students are doing in other classes as they look at the portfolios. This is sharing at its best.<br />
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Future questions for discussion include: What do we have students put in the eportfolio? How can we use it as an authentic assessment of student learning? How should our school approach the privacy issues so we can open our student eportfolios and blogs to the world and gain a global audience?<br />
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How about you? Is your school doing eportfolios? What tools are you using? What have been your successes and challenges?Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com9Singapore1.352083 103.8198361.098096 103.503979 1.6060699999999999 104.13569299999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-66446170951269517852009-06-28T14:49:00.001+08:002009-06-28T14:58:13.354+08:00Travels in Africa<p class="mobile-photo">I have not been a good travel blogger. I had big plans to post <br />updates every few days, but that is much harder than I thought. <br />First, it's hard to find time to put pictures online and write an <br />update. And second, the internet connection is slow and unreliable as <br />I travel around. Connecting can be a pain. So, those are my excuses. <br />But, I will post better updates with photos after I get home. It will <br />be delayed news.</p><p>The short update is that we have been spending time exploring <br />Swaziland which is a beautiful country with rolling hills, mountains, <br />forests, river areas, etc. Stephanie took us to some great shops <br />where women create beautiful handmade things like baskets, jewelry <br />and weavings. The income helps them stay at home and care for their <br />household and make money at the same time.</p><p>We've also been taking trips into South Africa to Sodwana Bay <br />(Beach), Kruger National Park (game reserve), and the Drakensberg <br />Mountains (mountain hikes and more). I'll post more pictures later, <br />but here are a few snippets of my trip so far.</p><p>Tonight we are headed to the Confederation Cup Finals (soccer), USA <br />vs. Brazil, in Johannesburg, South Africa. I fly out tomorrow for <br />London.</p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwKqV2ODjmM0VcMRC_jjU4IjCxM881-0mBdYVaDi4LsiGxYEVh1VHai54DzNkcnBs_IIwZl6TCxLCFL42Sc1kvVCOCGxGmtuR5r8xihKbqWtiGC5uWYQIMdVVozgkAoOaYfUzXiRqclui/s1600-h/_MG_5581-707893.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwKqV2ODjmM0VcMRC_jjU4IjCxM881-0mBdYVaDi4LsiGxYEVh1VHai54DzNkcnBs_IIwZl6TCxLCFL42Sc1kvVCOCGxGmtuR5r8xihKbqWtiGC5uWYQIMdVVozgkAoOaYfUzXiRqclui/s320/_MG_5581-707893.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267588600974738" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">the beach at Sodwana Bay, South Africa<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_zd16f202tv1hMRm3KkwoTWYYz0Xt7h-ck0XktaNanNwXjCCIfm4SjAaXOadPCQRylb232UbxopF1UWGNJB5iPfX04TU-029-JOzLOR3nOE5ISAnJBfPa5mSaMzpDlX0kqy_2FDyfsbg/s1600-h/IMG_5645-708715.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_zd16f202tv1hMRm3KkwoTWYYz0Xt7h-ck0XktaNanNwXjCCIfm4SjAaXOadPCQRylb232UbxopF1UWGNJB5iPfX04TU-029-JOzLOR3nOE5ISAnJBfPa5mSaMzpDlX0kqy_2FDyfsbg/s320/IMG_5645-708715.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267590802108498" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">relaxing after a day of diving/snorkeling in Sodwana Bay with our South African friends<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXzc8KjKoCrAQbGVClabJxlgLTYlJfDUCwr1BNU8Q4NxOF6032a7j5LIGoY1pSEls7W26rq-O9iEzYpbZ2AiVVkeHDxpNE1ePTLhjDzNo6OGlWp0eOLP8PNpdp8TWhTDRVKtNILQMkZVQ/s1600-h/_MG_5715-709465.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXzc8KjKoCrAQbGVClabJxlgLTYlJfDUCwr1BNU8Q4NxOF6032a7j5LIGoY1pSEls7W26rq-O9iEzYpbZ2AiVVkeHDxpNE1ePTLhjDzNo6OGlWp0eOLP8PNpdp8TWhTDRVKtNILQMkZVQ/s320/_MG_5715-709465.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267597032967794" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">crafts at the market<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXznYWEMtlWrvtOwZQcSqw08kc65QEuAmdLafH8tfGLvzPuVxqgovWMnFlSJuB1xIiZhnjAOqxauifmRgtcNMoKQZumjeqJJn8FuJHpj9epUQiyydGHWxmZoDst2Z-7yEI3_i6kIEMmwn/s1600-h/_MG_5729-710308.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXznYWEMtlWrvtOwZQcSqw08kc65QEuAmdLafH8tfGLvzPuVxqgovWMnFlSJuB1xIiZhnjAOqxauifmRgtcNMoKQZumjeqJJn8FuJHpj9epUQiyydGHWxmZoDst2Z-7yEI3_i6kIEMmwn/s320/_MG_5729-710308.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267602137271026" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">handmade glass at the Ngwenya Glass Factory in Swaziland<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN90L1TsveHmIGk2Lw5W0toqo0RAxjqvzRIdmJZKE0DG3V3rxgf9XzouzYPZzybBSEsGetEd3igbQdJX8teLSypxfONkaymHFSOpA4QXaHW3vPXAK20c6jNBeDMS3ysu2fd2cGx404HNSz/s1600-h/_MG_5927-710810.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN90L1TsveHmIGk2Lw5W0toqo0RAxjqvzRIdmJZKE0DG3V3rxgf9XzouzYPZzybBSEsGetEd3igbQdJX8teLSypxfONkaymHFSOpA4QXaHW3vPXAK20c6jNBeDMS3ysu2fd2cGx404HNSz/s320/_MG_5927-710810.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267601437628546" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">the streets of Mbabane, Swaziland<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mOSzarUxYWmhkM_BCQlNyTcwxQBwqwLLq-sLpJ_ga5I5lYYki1POYR58Hz50D5YH5L5vYVG0_lj4HQOz9ztUy4K1zLQqkxHDRhad6evsLZO9InHF6y087_fjQ68eIv7HjdMY9fvBWe3a/s1600-h/_MG_5996-711345.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mOSzarUxYWmhkM_BCQlNyTcwxQBwqwLLq-sLpJ_ga5I5lYYki1POYR58Hz50D5YH5L5vYVG0_lj4HQOz9ztUy4K1zLQqkxHDRhad6evsLZO9InHF6y087_fjQ68eIv7HjdMY9fvBWe3a/s320/_MG_5996-711345.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267606561204482" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">Phophoyane Falls Lodge in Swaziland<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4FqVlCgIVmbDuuE77eyCi1uvhhdwNy4LNfecvYz3jawED7Wx_wIi5UBBLDZOCd184ioLOy6l3V3Zzyr9QUm0Yvw2gDa4QMYm2KsK6MzEEjn8gmsPZxZMakIcC8XEhr5-eV2qzFtAYacD/s1600-h/_MG_6048-712210.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4FqVlCgIVmbDuuE77eyCi1uvhhdwNy4LNfecvYz3jawED7Wx_wIi5UBBLDZOCd184ioLOy6l3V3Zzyr9QUm0Yvw2gDa4QMYm2KsK6MzEEjn8gmsPZxZMakIcC8XEhr5-eV2qzFtAYacD/s320/_MG_6048-712210.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267610655716418" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">Phophoyane Falls Lodge<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYogqeCexHqOpn3fNeqO4Q4t3KySlV0Ezx5mMtt4ndjfv5uZknJ2n1RrE3VT2sZtsvmASJ12w9rqUSBP767IZhkI8AzXeVeQ0EKY_Nwcyez2gluVGdxGigZB1nKK5PqmCxqkU21OBWw-7D/s1600-h/_MG_6096-712771.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYogqeCexHqOpn3fNeqO4Q4t3KySlV0Ezx5mMtt4ndjfv5uZknJ2n1RrE3VT2sZtsvmASJ12w9rqUSBP767IZhkI8AzXeVeQ0EKY_Nwcyez2gluVGdxGigZB1nKK5PqmCxqkU21OBWw-7D/s320/_MG_6096-712771.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267611458950578" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">Tintsaba, handmade baskets, jewerly and weavings that provide income for rural families<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpSjJhbeb7k2ytzuSlLPSQx0zSLjjaJjIOIi4DpqltJHLJdFIoBh6iHWIaUyFneO2j7HBfRtZy_DVWVC1nYuxi48P0LLr6ihELw_9iAOJAG7tBzX4BgZl-OqnPn_HmqpmS8ozO_mDCMoU/s1600-h/DSCF0517-713477.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpSjJhbeb7k2ytzuSlLPSQx0zSLjjaJjIOIi4DpqltJHLJdFIoBh6iHWIaUyFneO2j7HBfRtZy_DVWVC1nYuxi48P0LLr6ihELw_9iAOJAG7tBzX4BgZl-OqnPn_HmqpmS8ozO_mDCMoU/s320/DSCF0517-713477.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267611727582546" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">children learning outside a school in Swaziland<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPRNWw6Tym_W_iGmmuoRB_X7y6eoi9iRyawSZueKsV6mud6duKvmUuLo_BkyzkGUQXVxECmKjDdPaKE5Dq6T_UWxIrrzv2f4QCKiWga-sgh624tTwTA01wx-Jl-c_nP6KIZXJUC-xon6D/s1600-h/_MG_6516-714133.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPRNWw6Tym_W_iGmmuoRB_X7y6eoi9iRyawSZueKsV6mud6duKvmUuLo_BkyzkGUQXVxECmKjDdPaKE5Dq6T_UWxIrrzv2f4QCKiWga-sgh624tTwTA01wx-Jl-c_nP6KIZXJUC-xon6D/s320/_MG_6516-714133.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267617099869218" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">a zebra at Kruger National Park<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD7TMYf0juABq1Bj2zNmCRSs3duZriog62gjIYB87-rrjONF5oLpA90Kk8GsQ4In2EfkGAtbKXIx5PMHks6RPijAAqHZ5IG8cUftR1mZe5t34CJyeQd53ft2uXJlGZyT2mF0fEIdp-M5n/s1600-h/_MG_6432-714720.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD7TMYf0juABq1Bj2zNmCRSs3duZriog62gjIYB87-rrjONF5oLpA90Kk8GsQ4In2EfkGAtbKXIx5PMHks6RPijAAqHZ5IG8cUftR1mZe5t34CJyeQd53ft2uXJlGZyT2mF0fEIdp-M5n/s320/_MG_6432-714720.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267616840366578" border="0" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">a Kruger sunset<br /></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjwHCGHuc2fpdc-dcNqtKoVJ23WsZmxlYUpTeaZFEW4xaCmDcFu4peSoXCcJXPtkYKdb1ms40W4ddha0wtjr5oKDRaZIr0X9JjWqQD1vcgfre8muMTjr823QqGXBzyqPh9lJJxcv-5K1A/s1600-h/_MG_6670-715282.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjwHCGHuc2fpdc-dcNqtKoVJ23WsZmxlYUpTeaZFEW4xaCmDcFu4peSoXCcJXPtkYKdb1ms40W4ddha0wtjr5oKDRaZIr0X9JjWqQD1vcgfre8muMTjr823QqGXBzyqPh9lJJxcv-5K1A/s320/_MG_6670-715282.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352267624110831794" border="0" /></a></p>the Drakensberg mountains, South AfricaHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-26668746687602948142009-06-12T04:16:00.000+08:002009-06-12T04:17:28.886+08:00First full day in Mbabane<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0SJ_SQZGLJb_7hiCsv2kS8zACWjleaidpqaavTFGcltuRL31x9DKoFE6B56PTAQOkZ2n1yPPCTw78Fu2AX6Sh2kBII8lADzqeLiYd3ccKEjS69KIvQSk-mURvwVvzY5RjsXfUewDI4rO/s1600-h/_MG_5407-748888.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0SJ_SQZGLJb_7hiCsv2kS8zACWjleaidpqaavTFGcltuRL31x9DKoFE6B56PTAQOkZ2n1yPPCTw78Fu2AX6Sh2kBII8lADzqeLiYd3ccKEjS69KIvQSk-mURvwVvzY5RjsXfUewDI4rO/s320/_MG_5407-748888.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346166761389989650" /></a></p>Thursday, June 11, 2009<p>We arrived yesterday in Mbabane yesterday after a morning at the <br>Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. I learned a lot. To enter the <br>museum, you could only enter through the door marked with your <br>'category', white or black. In reality, Apartheid had four <br>categories, white, black (Bantu), colored and Asian. Everything was <br>segregated. One of the ultimate goals was to move all non-white <br>categories outside the cities and build high speed rails to transport <br>them in to work each day. There is so much more to it, but I will <br>save it for another time.<p>Today was our first full day in Mbabane. This photo is us having <br>lunch at Nando's, one of Stephanie's favorite lunch spots. In the <br>photo are Stephanie, me, and Amy. The three of us met in Japan when <br>we were all teaching English with the JET program. Stephanie is a <br>pediatrician who works here in Mbabane at an HIV clinic for children. <br>She gave us a tour of the clinic today. It has beautiful architecture <br>and is new and modern. It opened in 2006 with a grant from Bristol- <br>Myers. Stephanie also gave a presentation on malnutrition in children <br>to some of the student doctors who are visiting. She deals with many <br>patient problems that just don't exist or are very rare in the US. <br>Many of the resources here for children with HIV comes from foreign <br>aid. The HIV drugs typically come from the Global Fund or PEPFAR. The <br>Clinton Foundation donates PlumpyNut, a food source for children with <br>malnutrition. All HIV/AIDS care in Swaziland is free. Depending on <br>the statistics you use, between 25 and 40 percent of the population <br>has HIV. This trip is already an eye-opening experience. It makes me <br>very thankful for the resources and comforts I have at home. As Amy <br>said, "Thank you universe for my life."<p>The Swaziland landscape is beautiful. It's hilly and green with <br>concrete buildings all around that remind me of Mexico. I'm still <br>waiting for the sun to come out and really show the beauty. Amy and <br>Stephanie think it looks a lot like Scotland. The grocery store in <br>Mbabane has pretty much everything you could want. Stephanie's life <br>here reminds me of my life in Monterrey in some ways.<p>Tomorrow we are leaving for Sodwana Bay in South Africa. The others <br>are going to dive. I'll hang out by the beach. After that, Amy and I <br>are going to try and head towards Durban, South Africa. One of the <br>former students from my school in Mexico (ASFM) is in Durban with a <br>college group from Yale, so hopefully we'll be able to meet up. It's <br>such a small world. So, I will probably be without internet for <br>awhile, but I'll post again when I can. (Speaking of internet, I've <br>realized how much I take high speed for granted...how frustrating to <br>wait for each page to load....ugh!) I've posted more pictures on my <br>flickr account, so click the see more photos link on the side to see <br>more.<p>Until next time....Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-20486696714610761552009-06-10T03:40:00.000+08:002009-06-12T04:21:50.216+08:00Day OneTuesday, June 9th<div style="margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; min-height: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" >I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa this morning after a long journey that had me in 3 countries on 3 different continents in 24 hours. My route was Chicago - Raleigh/Durham - London - Johannesburg. I spent a few hours in London with a JET friend catching up, seeing the theater district, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, and eating Korean food. It was a nice way to spend a 12 hour layover. Thanks Jamil.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; min-height: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" >My flights weren't too bad. They still serve meals on international flights and the British Airways flight had a TV with many movie and music choices for each person individually. (Why is it that every non-American airline I've ever used is so much nicer than an American airline? Although nothing beats the video game controller that popped out the side of the seat on an Asian flight I took once.)</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; min-height: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" >We are in Johannesburg for only one night until we fly out tomorrow for Swaziland. The South Africans I've met so far have been friendly and helpful. The security guard down the street appreciated that I smiled and stopped for a few minutes to chat with him.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwdIl3HARkAvIeRNBPkNRSQfrsyg57OzuRgFSItWS7oZS5UXbOgM8PceejV5b4vnNABQLGPxch062VpVYVgJ181nEZFIHWI5y82k4cDq2W9yqIYKkDYvGHAFhAZcHtShdr8SCR2d5VMCI/s1600-h/_MG_5351.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwdIl3HARkAvIeRNBPkNRSQfrsyg57OzuRgFSItWS7oZS5UXbOgM8PceejV5b4vnNABQLGPxch062VpVYVgJ181nEZFIHWI5y82k4cDq2W9yqIYKkDYvGHAFhAZcHtShdr8SCR2d5VMCI/s400/_MG_5351.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346167525878641538" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" >The picture is my first meal here. I bought it at the supermarket down the street. It's not particularly African, but I have no idea what African food is yet. I will find out and share. Note that I had to pay for the plastic bag she packed my groceries in. Maybe we'd waste less if we had to pay for our bags at the grocery store. I don't know how much I paid though because I don't understand the money yet. I just held out my hand and let her take the right coins!</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; min-height: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" >Off to Mbabane to see Stephanie tomorrow!</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-86874952721914153042009-06-08T01:07:00.000+08:002009-06-08T01:09:06.801+08:00Blogging from cell phone<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnB45KpheATOeK46VF-G0pWNgwg2BHVWzvsVBEfRy2uhow_f-y_Dyw_5GftG1Bgnl0otMXnyCclVM2-rfLnCV_HzxpDMuZja-ES9788-JFS393cekHqsjWXv3PIXJvwjOKwb-dwVGCMjrA/s1600-h/0607091204a-746803.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnB45KpheATOeK46VF-G0pWNgwg2BHVWzvsVBEfRy2uhow_f-y_Dyw_5GftG1Bgnl0otMXnyCclVM2-rfLnCV_HzxpDMuZja-ES9788-JFS393cekHqsjWXv3PIXJvwjOKwb-dwVGCMjrA/s320/0607091204a-746803.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344633879020837778" /></a></p>Enjoying a coffee before heading to joburg via london. To swaziland wed. Refreshingly, no starbucks there i think?<p>This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!<p>To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit <a href="http://www.verizonwireless.com/picture">www.verizonwireless.com/picture</a>.<p>Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-14418765427673180072009-06-01T09:57:00.006+08:002009-06-07T00:08:06.278+08:00Packing for a Trip<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heza/3583220555/" title="What Should I Take? by ヘザー heza, on Flickr"><img style="width: 450px; height: 311px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3346/3583220555_c304fc621f.jpg" alt="What Should I Take?" /></a><br /></div><br />I am leaving next Sunday for Swaziland, South Africa, and London. I started gathering things I want to bring with me today. You would think I'd have the art of packing perfected, but it seems more difficult every trip I take. This time, I am determined to pack as light as possible forgoing fashion and extras luxuries. I hope I succeed. (My running shoes will make the cut...I can't lose everything I've worked for after 26.2! Besides the Bix and the Rock 'n' Roll Half Chicago are waiting for me.)<br /><br />I called the hotel I booked for the first night to arrange airport transportation this morning. When a woman answered, I realized that none of my extra languages will work in South Africa. I quickly remembered to slow down my English to communicate with her. In the end, she told me that she had my reservation and to call back tomorrow to give someone the details of my arrival. As native English speakers, we are lucky. Many people in other countries do have some English ability. We call these countries assuming someone can help us in our own language. But, can others assume that about our country and their language?<br /><br />Other preparations include buying extra health insurance and sharing my emergency contact information with the friends I am traveling with. My friend Amy brought these things to my attention. She looks at travel differently now that she has a career in a study abroad program for a university. We never thought about these things throughout all our Asian escapades.<br /><br />I am getting excited for our plans to visit a game park, go diving/snorkeling on the coast, and learn about African culture in general. I hope to post updates and photos here when I have internet access. Thanks for reading!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-23897715618150064842009-04-13T04:46:00.006+08:002009-04-22T01:50:06.014+08:00Going to Africa - I need your input.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fkV5i42P_BMNtpOO278rCNyesjeondOcoys45vQJSKRWvO_Z8B7h2alxipeQri5XCFXT_yoobcni7PuB4zKBWJR6v-ry0ylC1uqlyQYc63sGnibqsYMDqgyen3Drh3GpsDjRWOft22f4/s1600/IMG_0634_small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 323px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fkV5i42P_BMNtpOO278rCNyesjeondOcoys45vQJSKRWvO_Z8B7h2alxipeQri5XCFXT_yoobcni7PuB4zKBWJR6v-ry0ylC1uqlyQYc63sGnibqsYMDqgyen3Drh3GpsDjRWOft22f4/s1600/IMG_0634_small.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Mbabane, Swaziland<br />picture by Stephanie Marton</span><br /></div><br />I am going to Swaziland in Africa for three weeks in June. Yippee!! A good friend of mine is a <a href="http://martoninmbabane.blogspot.com/">pediatrician in Mbabane</a>, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to visit her. Her experiences have been amazing, and I am excited to see her life there first hand.<br /><br />When the idea of taking a trip to Africa became a reality (thanks to frequent flyer miles), I realized that I want to do more than just tour the country. I want to learn about education in Swaziland, connect with African teachers, share my skills and possibly turn this project into an independent study credit to complete a master's degree in instructional technology.<br /><br />At the <a href="http://www.iceberg.org/">Illinois Computing Educators</a> conference in February, I attended <a href="http://wearejustlearning.ca/">Sharon Peter</a>'s session "<a href="http://wearejustlearning.pbwiki.com/Professional-Development-Without-Borders">Professional Development Without Borders</a>". Her presentation started the process of thinking about what I can offer teachers in Africa (and what they can offer me). She gave me many great ideas like bringing flash drives full of teacher resources. The schools Sharon worked in had computers, but bandwidth was an issue. She recommended downloading what I can here and bringing it on flash drives. I take my broadband connection for granted knowing I can download what I need when I need it. But, schools in Africa are not so lucky. I hope I can make contact with teachers in Mbabane before I go, so I can learn about challenges they are facing and how I might be able to help.<br /><br />So, I need your help. Do you have any contacts who can help me? Do you have ideas or advice? I am still in the brainstorming phase and I also want to tailor what I do to match the needs of the area. With that in mind, this is my current to do list. It may change, but I wanted to share it so I can make it better with your input.<br /><ol><li>Connect with Swazi teachers by searching for blogs. (K-12 and/or university)<br /></li><li>Download free teacher resources to put on flash drives.</li><li>Download open source software that is useful for teachers and bring on CDs or flash drives. (<a href="http://www.theopendisc.com/education/">Open Education Disc</a>)</li><li>Start a PayPal account and take donations for flash drives, flip video cameras and inexpensive netbooks (XO or others).<br /></li><li>Put together materials for professional development workshops for teachers (focusing on technology integration and/or science/math.)</li></ol>Please help me solidify my plan. Thanks PLN!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-40010918961895602792009-02-07T11:56:00.003+08:002009-02-07T12:00:15.332+08:00As the Yukili Evolve...on planet NewtoniaThe semiotic domain of video games is new to me, but I started to get my feet wet this week playing Spore as a class assignment for the graduate class I am taking. I began playing the game in a frustrated state of mind as it took at least 30 minutes to install the game. After installation, Spore downloaded update after update before I could play. I spent the second 30 minutes alternately thinking "What? There has to be more than this. It's too easy," and "Why can't I get my creature to do this? I don't understand that." I did not read the manual at first. Manuals never make sense to me until I have already seen and touched the product. However, as I progressed through the first hour of play and began the second, I picked up the manual and read the sections that pertained to the stage of the game I was in. The game itself has a built in system for leading the player through each new thing. There are many pop ups that display at the appropriate time. The manual simply added a few things I hadn't noticed. And, I have a feeling I'll look at it again as I get to new stages. (Or maybe I should say IF I get to new stages.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">After hour 1<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3256594171_7b0eefc399_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 150px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3256594171_7b0eefc399_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />During the second hour of play, I was pulled into the game. It became more difficult. I graduated from the cell stage and became a creature and walked out of the sea.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/3256594365_2c7591ecd7.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 159px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/3256594365_2c7591ecd7.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>The progression through the creature stage is taking quite a bit longer than the it did through the cell stage. More thought about what features my creatures need to achieve different tasks is required. It's as if the game was designed to let the players mess around and learn in the cell stage, but makes them get serious in the creature stage. (And, it probably <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> designed that way.) Once creature stage ends, I will no longer be able to vary its physical features. The next stage is the tribal stage and there will be different concerns. So, it's important to make the right decisions now, because those decisions will affect how my creature survives during the rest of the game.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">After hour 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/3257424398_579ae17413_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 150px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/3257424398_579ae17413_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In his book titled "What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy," James Paul Gee talks about the Design Principle on page 41. I can see why this is so important as I begin to play this game. If I become too frustrated with not figuring things out, I may just give up on the game. And if it is too easy, I will be bored and also give up. It's a fine line to walk between the two. And, I think a successful game (and classroom lesson) finds that line.<br /><br />Playing Spore reminds me of another simulation I've mentioned on the blog before, Oregon Trail. I have a goal and I have to make decisions that affect my success in achieving the goal. One difference is the quality of the simulation. I loved Oregon Trail, but I never did quite figure out what the right combination of food, tools, etc. was in order to make it. It never connected for me. In Spore, I am already learning how to read the clues around me to make the right decisions.<br /><br />I also started playing World of Goo which is a delightful game. I will post more about it another time. Meanwhile, here are some screen shots and videos from my experience so far in Spore.<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fheza%2Fsets%2F72157613384093095%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fheza%2Fsets%2F72157613384093095%2F&set_id=72157613384093095&jump_to="> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=67348"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=67348" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fheza%2Fsets%2F72157613384093095%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fheza%2Fsets%2F72157613384093095%2F&set_id=72157613384093095&jump_to=" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3101825&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3101825&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3101825">Evolving in the Cell Stage</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/heza">Heather Dowd</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3101837&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3101837&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3101837">A Siren Call</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/heza">Heather Dowd</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3101845&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3101845&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3101845">Eating Meat</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/heza">Heather Dowd</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br /></div></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-35841171628208907652009-01-28T12:01:00.002+08:002009-01-28T12:05:04.501+08:00It's Official, I'm a Science GeekIt's not like I didn't already know that, but it's confirmed yet again. For my graduate class this semester, I needed to buy a video game to play and reflect on all semester. I looked at many of the games on <a href="http://www.gamestop.com/">Gamestop</a> and Amazon, and in the end, I ordered <a href="http://www.spore.com/">Spore</a> (a kind of evolution game) and <a href="http://2dboy.com/games.php">World of Goo</a> (physics based puzzle/construction game). I heard about Spore on <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94266106">NPR</a> last fall and it sounded really interesting to me, someone who usually isn't interested in video games. This class is the perfect excuse to buy it. The user reviews on Amazon were not great, but I get the feeling that is because the game was so hyped up to everyone and people were disappointed with the final product. I was not aware of the hype, so we'll see how I like it.<br /><br />I did look at some of the other popular video games that everyone talks about like Grand Theft Auto, Sims, World of Warcraft, and Halo...honestly. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try one of these. But the only thing I wanted to spend money on were the science games. Go figure.<br /><br />World of Goo was a side purchase just for fun. I noticed it on a list of the <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/games/bests/2008.shtml">best PC games in 2008</a> while looking for other reviews of Spore. The reviews for World of Goo were superb and I really like the graphics. I'll be playing Spore for class, but I may throw in a couple of posts on World of Goo as I get time to play it. (<a href="http://www.crazy-machines.com/">Crazy Machines</a> is another physics/problem solving game we played a little bit during my first grad class. Physics teachers might be interested in World of Goo and Crazy Machines.)Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-64635479496153790182009-01-25T06:42:00.003+08:002009-01-25T06:44:51.344+08:00Games and Simulations in Education<div style="float: left;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/telstar/2313408313/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2313408313_c313f0b005_m.jpg" alt="2600 Old Skool by Telstar Logistics, on Flickr" title="2600 Old Skool by Telstar Logistics, on Flickr" border="0" hspace="20" /></a><br /><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/2.0/80x15.png" alt="Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License" title="Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License" align="left" border="0" /></a> by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/telstar/" target="_blank"> Telstar Logistics</a><a href="http://www.imagecodr.org/" target="_blank"> </a></div>Today was the first face to face session of the hybrid graduate class I am taking called Games and Simulations in Education. We will be reading, reflecting on blogs, collaborating on a wiki, playing video games, and connecting it all to education. I'm looking forward to it!<br /><br />I am not a gamer. I don't really like video games. But wait. Stop. I think my view of what constitutes a video game is too narrow. I loved playing <a href="http://www.zelda.com/universe/">Legend of Zelda</a> on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo">Nintendo</a>. (My parents refused to buy us one, so we had to settle for only playing when visiting cousins.) I loved <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oregon_Trail_%28computer_game%29">Oregon Trail</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_in_the_World_Is_Carmen_Sandiego">Where in the World is Carmen San Diego</a> when I was younger. And, there was <a href="http://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-2600/strawberry-shortcake-musical-match-ups">Strawberry Shortcake</a> and <a href="http://www.atariage.com/manual_html_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=445">Sneak 'n Peek</a> for our <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari">Atari</a>. Maybe I do like video games? I was excited to find out that we are required to play a game for this class. I have really wanted to play <a href="http://www.spore.com/">Spore</a> since I heard about it on <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94266106">NPR</a>. And the more I hear about some of these other games, the more I think I may just pick up another addiction. Uh oh.<br /><br /><div style="float: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidfarrant/2491881324/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2074/2491881324_2e724ecf12_m.jpg" alt="Video Game Addiction: the long road to r by Now and Here, on Flickr" title="Video Game Addiction: the long road to r by Now and Here, on Flickr" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.0/80x15.png" alt="Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic License" title="Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic License" align="left" border="0" /></a> by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/davidfarrant/" target="_blank"> Now and Here</a><a href="http://www.imagecodr.org/" target="_blank"> </a></div>I want to gain some exposure to more games in this class. I want to break the preconceived ideas I have about certain games. I want to learn about new games. I want to know how the design of games can be applied to an educational situation. Like mentioned earlier in class, gaming companies are not always interested in teaching anything, but they are interested in holding the attention of the players. Shouldn't we be interested in doing the same thing in education?<br /><br />In Marc Prensky's "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Bother-Me-Mom-Im-Learning/dp/1557788588">Don't Bother Me Mom - I'm Learning</a>,", he says:<br /><blockquote>If you are game player today, all sorts of people are courting you, trying to get you to spend money for their game, and they know they have to work hard to do it.<br /><br />As a game designer, you're focused on one question: How can I keep a maximum number of players on the edge of their seats for hours and hours?<br /><br />If you publish games, you are always thinking about your audience. What do they like? What experiences can you give them that they haven't had or can't get elsewhere? What additional aspects of the players' lives can you relate to with a game? How fast can you incorporate the latest technologies? In short, what will sell your games to the player?</blockquote>Aren't all of these things ideas we should be considering as educators? Maybe we need to do a bit more marketing for the learning we want to happen in our classrooms. I think we can learn a lot from digital games that we can apply to education. Digital games won't replace a teacher or a classroom, but why not learn what we can and make our classrooms a better learning environment.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-65019371355662033332009-01-17T10:53:00.004+08:002009-01-17T11:25:30.633+08:00Turn Your Lens Around<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/3129202233_f93ed28fbf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 203px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/3129202233_f93ed28fbf.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Many people in my PLN have been participating in a <a href="http://365photos.pbwiki.com/FrontPage">365 photo challenge</a> by posting a picture a day in 2009. (View more 365 photos at the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/edtech365/">EdTech 365/2009</a> Flickr group.) In that spirit, I thought I would pass on a little trick I learned from a photography teacher. If you have an SLR camera (one that has removable lenses), turn your lens around and see what happens. What you get are close up (macro) pictures with a very shallow depth of field. (The aperture is zero in fact.) I snapped a few today of things I found around the house for my <a href="http://heza.tumblr.com/">photo a day</a> posting. I haven't tried it, but I think you may be able to take a lens, turn it around backwards in front of a regular point and shoot camera and <a href="http://www.bagelturf.com/canons3/s3macro/index.php">get t</a><a href="http://www.bagelturf.com/canons3/s3macro/index.php">he same effect</a>. If anyone tries it, let me know. This is a good way to take close up pictures of things related to curriculum and then have students guess what they are. It could be an intro or concluding activity for a unit. Can you guess what <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heza/tags/backwardslens/">my pictures</a> are?<br /><br />Maybe we need to do this in our classrooms as well. Turn things around to view them from a different perspective. Look closer and see what is there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3202155863_0fc50ba951.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 386px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3202155863_0fc50ba951.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3400/3202155239_bf3761ac03.jpg?v=0"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 195px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3400/3202155239_bf3761ac03.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3443/3203002744_e6a939d438.jpg?v=0"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 190px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3443/3203002744_e6a939d438.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-43896803082636510752009-01-11T13:10:00.006+08:002009-01-12T08:37:06.262+08:007 Things Meme<div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/109326740/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/54/109326740_60ed48fad7_m.jpg" alt="7 by Leo Reynolds, on Flickr" title="7 by Leo Reynolds, on Flickr" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/2.0/80x15.png" alt="Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License" title="Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License" align="left" border="0" /></a> by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/lwr/" target="_blank"> Leo Reynolds</a><a href="http://www.imagecodr.org/" target="_blank"> </a></div><br />I started this blog as a class assignment, and to be honest, I hadn't decided whether to continue now that the class is over. But then, two things happened. <a href="http://blogush.edublogs.org/2009/01/07/do-you-teach-in-the-city-or-country/">Paul Blogush</a> linked to me in a blog post, and <a href="http://teachmemoretech.blogspot.com/2009/01/7-things-you-may-not-want-to-know-about.html">Wendy Sigele</a> and <a href="http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/msvmaher/2009/01/10/7-things-meme/">Valaina Maher</a> tagged me in the <a href="http://7things.pbwiki.com/">7 things meme</a> that is spreading around the blogosphere. So, I figure I can keep blogging...for now!<br /><br />So, here it is. Seven things you may not/didn't/don't need to/don't care to know about me.<br /><br /><ol><li>I never wanted to be a teacher. After college, I went to Japan to teach English and fell in love with teaching and learning.</li><li>I am NOT a shopper. I really really don't like it unless I get to go to my favorite store, <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/">Anthropologie</a>, and not worry about price tags. (But that doesn't happen often, or ever.)</li><li>When I want to forget about life, I play <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtuMVBLEWJU">Rachmaninoff preludes</a> or anything in a minor key on the piano. I'd rather take out a loan for a Steinway piano than for a car (but haven't done either yet.)<br /></li><li>I've lived six months or more in Australia, Japan, and Mexico (and of course my home country!)<br /></li><li>I went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans once.</li><li>My sister is my best friend.<br /></li><li>I still have my "blankie" from childhood. Friends tease, but on the cold nights in Japan and Mexico in apartments without central heat, it made a great head warmer.</li></ol>I tag <a href="http://theresawhite.edublogs.org/">Theresa White</a>, <a href="http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/pnielson0706/">Pam Nielson</a>, <a href="http://cliotech.blogspot.com/">Jennifer Dorman</a>, and my friend <a href="http://teachermeetsworld.blogspot.com/">Monna</a>.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-24645781895661586542008-11-12T22:00:00.001+08:002009-01-08T10:26:56.256+08:00Web 2.0 and Diverse LearnersHow does web 2.0 address the needs of diverse learners? I asked my PLN on Plurk:<br /><br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr align="center"><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XLFsBTKBu7kCQ4dF3bmi9g?authkey=gpxrjntj_FY"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6y03F-L8g3YqXGeseRfDyFApLsAuC9Bc6RnRpYsIbW-NW96Z1_CJwSYn6BLSDmkbycy5iUvNi2fLX0Mkk90w-DGbHutrT9Hl0TR9XWtzW4MzPOg-CVSXo0_m0LfgXMhJIbo3fhg34-62/s400/plurkweb20.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/dowdheather/EdTechLearningReflections?authkey=gpxrjntj_FY">Ed Tech Learning Reflections</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Our class discussion started with the following voice thread. Feel free to add your own comments.<br /><br /><object height="360" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=231274"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=231274" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="360" width="480"></embed></object><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyMjYxNzY4ODYxMTkmcHQ9MTIyNjE3Njg4OTY2NSZwPTIwNjQyMSZkPWIyMzEyNzQmZz*yJnQ9Jm89NTMxZTgwODJhNzQwNDlkMGJkNmY4ZGVjZTMyZmNjM2Q=.gif" border="0" height="0" width="0" /><br /><br />For some of our classmates, it was the first time to participate in a collaborative environment outside of Blackboard. Others were more familiar with web 2.0, but learned about a new tool. But, I think we all agreed that the tools we discussed have value for learning. They are not without disadvantages. Not all students have access to using these tools. Some students are not willing to do what is necessary to gain access (come early or stay late at school, walk to the public library, etc.) But, as one teacher put it, "my students somehow find access to look at MySpace and Facebook." So, maybe if we engage our students in the same way, they will also find a way to access the Internet for homework!<br /><br />I truly believe that web 2.0 tools can help teachers differentiate learning in so many ways that we are not able to do without the tools. I challenge teachers of all levels to allow your students to use these tools to demonstrate their knowledge. A written solution to a math problem or an essay are not the only ways we can do this anymore.<br /><br />Readings and resources:<a href="http://www.didacticsworld.com/feature/index.php?pid=010804" target="_blank"><br /></a><ul><li><a href="http://www.didacticsworld.com/feature/index.php?pid=010804" target="_blank">Meeting Needs of Diverse Learners with Technology<br /></a>Joyce Pittman, Ph.D.</li><li><a href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Web_2.0_and_Emerging_Learning_Technologies/Learning_Styles" target="_blank">Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Learning Styles<br /></a>Wikibooks</li><li><a href="http://ett552.wetpaint.com/" target="_blank">ETT 552: Diversity and Web 2.0</a><br />Our project wiki for class (This wiki is a perfect example of a teacher differentiating learning. Our final project is supposed to be a paper, but we are allowed to create a wiki instead. This has increased my own motivation for completing this project! Web 2.0 and differentiation works at the graduate level also.)<br /></li></ul>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-18015490241615633522008-11-10T22:00:00.001+08:002009-01-08T10:26:56.329+08:00Internet CensorshipQuotes:<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4973114.stm" target="_blank">Net censorship spreads worldwide<br /></a>Mark Ward, BBC News<br /><blockquote>Mr Pain said the world's dictators have not remained powerless in the face of the explosion of online content. By contrast, many have been "efficient and inventive" in using the net to spy on citizens and censor debate.<br /></blockquote><blockquote>However, noted the report, governments have woken up to the fact that the people they regard as dissidents are active online. Many are now moving to censor blogs and the last year has seen many committed bloggers jailed for what they said in their online journal.</blockquote><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/08/21/internet.filtering/" target="_blank">Experts: Internet filtering and censorship rife<br /></a>Mike Steere, CNN<br /><blockquote>She said governments could use purpose-built filtering technology, censor Web sites, filter search results -- with the assistance of multinational corporations, and block applications and circumvention tools -- to stop online applications like Facebook, YouTube or Voice Over IPs that enable social networking.</blockquote><blockquote>Most democracies, and particularly those of the U.S. and India, had unrestricted Internet, though more than 40 countries were known to filter content, he said.<br /><br />And it's not just governments involved in filtering. Search engine Google has been heavily criticized for working with the Chinese government to block searches for material about Taiwan, Tibet, democracy and other sensitive issues on its Chinese portal.</blockquote><a href="http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ518383&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ518383" target="_blank">How the Mind of a Censor Works: The Psychology of Censorship<br /></a>Sara Fine<br /><blockquote>Whether on the Right of the Left, censors share a complex psychological profile.<br /><br />Behind each attempt to remove a book or video, or block an Internet connection is the magic wand beliefe: if the item is eliminated, the thought is gone.<br /></blockquote><br />After our class discussion on Internet censorship, I realized that I have been taking my Internet access for granted. I usually assume that I can find whatever I am looking for, good or bad. I have the freedom to read what I want to read. Not everyone has this same freedom. Many countries ban areas of the Internet. Some ban just pornography. Some ban sites critical of the government. Turkmenistan does not allow its citizens to have the Internet at home, restricting them to Internet cafes only. In Burma, screen shots are taken every five minutes in Internet cafes. Do countries have the right to do this? I don't think I'm the person to say yes or no, but I do know that I am happy to live in a country that allows me to find what I want to find on the Internet. Long live freedom.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-14413573601782098102008-11-08T23:35:00.001+08:002009-01-08T10:26:56.382+08:00Women, Minorities and STEMWhy are women and Hispanic minorities underrepresented in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields? This was the topic of our class a few weeks ago and it is a great question.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/highlite/women05/figure1.htm" target="_blank">In 2003, 18% of physics PhDs were awarded to women</a>. While those numbers are growing, the <a href="http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/highlite/women05/figure7.htm" target="_blank">number of women obtaining PhDs in engineering and physics lags behind other sciences</a>. I mention physics and engineering specifically, because I was a physics major as an undergraduate student. I did not continue on to the graduate level in math or science despite my ability and encouragement from professors. I never felt discriminated against because I was a women. I was given every opportunity that my fellow students were given. Why didn't I continue? I have my reasons I guess: I didn't want to work in a cubicle, I wanted to travel, I wanted to work more closely with people, I wanted to make a direct difference in people's lives. But, looking back, I could have done all of those things as a physics PhD. Was there something more unconscious that prevented me from going to graduate school in physics or math? I didn't give up on science and math completely. I became a physics teacher and taught physics and math until recently. I'm proud that I was a science-loving, female role model for both male and female high school students. But I still wonder why I didn't continue on in physics - a subject I love to learn.<br /><br />As we discussed in class, we all seemed to come back to one issue: lack of good role models. I think people do what they are comfortable doing. What they are comfortable doing sometimes depends on what they see people around them doing. Maybe Hispanic minorities and women don't pursue STEM careers because they don't see others like them there? Maybe I didn't try to obtain a PhD in physics because no one in my family is an academic? Maybe the math and science homework problems we solve in school typically appeal to certain students, so that women and Hispanic minorities are turned away? I'd like to share the following section from "<a href="http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ747938&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ747938" target="_blank">The Secrets to Increasing Females in Technology</a>":<br /><blockquote>The Value of Technology<br />The Extraordinary Women Engineers Project, a coalition<br />of engineering organizations, academic institutions,<br />corporations, and individuals, asked why high school girls<br />with the academic preparation to major in engineering<br />found tbe profession so unappealing. Among the several<br />interesting results uncovered by a study of this segment<br />by WGBH Research, was the preference for working in an<br />area that "makes a difference.." Any technology teacher can<br />discuss how everything from our planet's ability to sustain<br />its population to the ubiquity of mobile phones is thanks to<br />technology. However, the value of technology is not common<br />knowledge, nor is it frequently reflected in the exercises in the<br />classroom or in after-school programs. Have your students<br />solved the problem of a "bomb dropping from a plane" or<br />a "CARE package dropping from a plane"? Am I building<br />a robot that will fight with the other team's robot, or is my<br />team collaborating with another team to build a single robot<br />that will help the elderly continue to live in their own homes?<br />The technology and science is the same, but the girls will<br />find the benefits of the end product something compelling<br />to address the collaboration with other teams rather than<br />attempting to make competition more enjoyable. One ITEA<br />member described how he transformed a project to design<br />a BMX park into a project where the students could choose<br />to design a BMX park, a skateboarding park, a zoo, or a city<br />park. Although all students had comparable experiences in<br />design, innovation, and applying their knowledge, the boys<br />almost exclusively chose the BMX park and skateboarding<br />park while the girls almost exclusively selected the zoo<br />and city park. His experience not only showed the gender<br />differences, but also showed how a creative solution can be<br />effective without being more costly or involving significantly<br />more effort.</blockquote>When does this change. When will we have enough role models that value this kind of differentiation in the science and math classroom? Will we finally reach a point where we have enough role models to ensure more equal representation in STEM fields? What is your view?<br /><br />Readings:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.siam.org/news/news.php?id=1023" target="_blank">A System in Need of More Than Tweaking: Inequities Persist for Minorities in Math, Science, and Engineering<br /></a>Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics</li><li><a href="http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ747938&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ747938" target="_blank">The Secrets to Increasing Females in Technology<br /></a>Betty Shanahan</li><li><a href="http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/%7Eturners/research/women.pdf" target="_blank">Why women choose information technology careers: Educational, social and familial influences<br /></a>Sandra V. Turner, Phyllis W. Bernt, and Norma Pecora</li></ul>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-18897214353497095042008-10-15T21:00:00.001+08:002009-01-08T10:26:56.433+08:00The Nomadic LearnerWe attended class last week at the local Panera to simulate being nomadic learners. We ate, enjoyed wi-fi, and learned. Although, I will say that we didn't really have to simulate nomadic learning. Most of us do it all the time. We learn anywhere, anytime.<br /><br />With the proliferation of mobile devices, learning anywhere, anytime is becoming easier. But, Bryan Alexander (see article link below) says there is another reason that fuels anywhere, anytime learning.<br /><blockquote>But mobile machines become personally intimate; they are held close to the body—in a purse, on the lap, in a pocket, on the floor next to the user. Their screens are easily hidden from prying eyes. Emotional investments increase, even with shared devices. Michele Forman, the 2001 National Teacher of the Year in the United States, notes that her high school students became very attached to their wireless laptops. They significantly increased their personal writing and composition. Such machines become prosthetics for information, memory, and creativity.</blockquote>Perhaps the growth of mobile devices, public wi-fi spots, and technology use in schools is blurring the line between what people have traditionally thought of as learning and what learning really is. My response to that is - it's about time! If I see (or hear) one more movie clip, commercial, or song lyric that depicts learning as students in rows with teacher pointing finger, I think I will scream! While I know that still exists, I think learning gets a bad rap from modern media. As we discovered in our class last week, learning is so much more. Students have these devices, so let's teach them to learn with them. One of my goals as a teacher is to inspire life-long learning. I think that job is now easier with the help of mobile devices and widespread wi-fi access.<br /><br />Here are some of my recent examples of learning anywhere, anytime:<br /><ul><li>I learned a lot about the economy by listening to podcasts in my car this week.</li><li>I read blog posts and newspaper articles on my iPod touch while in a waiting room with wi-fi access.</li><li>I looked at resources posted by friends in Facebook while sitting in my grad class at a break.</li></ul>How have you taken advantage of learning anywhere, anytime this week?<br /><br />Recommended reading:<br /><a href="http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/GoingNomadicMobileLearnin/40494">Going Nomadic: Mobile Learning in Higher Education</a>, by Bryan Alexander<br /><a href="http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=64">Breaking the Barriers of Time and Space: More Effective Teaching Using e-Pedagogy</a>, by Peshe Kuriloff<br /><a href="http://chronicle.com/free/v52/i10/10a03901.htm">Lectures on the Go</a>, by Brock ReadHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-57486175874797707122008-10-13T04:00:00.001+08:002009-01-08T10:26:56.478+08:00Impact of Instructional Technology on Developing CountriesIn the first of six articles included in the International Review's "<a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/tr77w3x203125441">The Impact of Instructional Technology Culture on Developing Countries</a>," authors Moghaddam and Lebedeva share their preference for the term <span style="font-style: italic;">low-income societies</span> instead of <span style="font-style: italic;">developing countries</span>, since "all societies are developing in some form, " even the United States. The term low-income societies still acknowledges income differences in the world. The authors share that four billion of seven billion people live on less than two dollars a day.<br /><blockquote>The main educational challenge still faced by most of the world is to provide their young the rudimentary resources, such as a pencil and a paper pad, for elementary verbal and mathematical literacy.</blockquote>As someone working with technology, I feel I sometimes lose sight of the fact that many people cannot even fathom my concerns over trying to get faculty to use a tablet PC or the e-clickers. They are saving their money to buy a piece of paper and then ironing the ink out of that paper to get more use from it.<br /><br />Unfortunately, technology begins by serving the elite of any society regardless of income status. This is where the article gets interesting. Rather than focusing on the differences between high and low income societies, the authors focus on the differences between the elite and non-elite in all societies. The authors argue that there is a fundamental difference between how the elite and non-elite look at the world. Even in the poorest countries, there is a small number of people with Internet access and access to technology. These elite are more likely to be influenced by western thought by traveling, attending university in the west, and by exposure the western thoughts via the Internet. The non-elite are more likely to be uneducated, illiterate, and live in rural areas without access to technology.<br /><br />This makes me think about how technology is impacting other countries and it seems like it is impacting different people in different ways. Unfortunately, the article does not give any solutions for how to empower the non-elites to gain access to technology and use it for their purposes and not just to spread western thought.<br /><br />This brings me to another thought I had while reading these articles. Perhaps my view that everyone should have access to technology to learn and work is short-sighted. Authors Leh and Kennedy, in their article "Instructional and Information Technology in Papua New Guinea," made me realize that it is not just about access to the Internet. It is also about literacy and relevance. Let's face it, bringing Internet access to a small rural village won't help anyone if they don't know how to read and interpret the information. And even if they could, is it relevant to their lives? Instead of trying to spread what we think is useful technology, we need to ask others, "what do you need help doing?" Then, technology can be used to help with the problems that are relevant to them. So, maybe the solution is not Internet access, but instead, a piece of hardware that helps fishermen do their jobs more efficiently. This is something I'd like to keep in mind while helping faculty use technology in their classes. Instead of presenting technology as something they should use, I need to encourage them to see a problem they have that could be solved by using technology.<br /><br />But, I still wonder. What is the most appropriate way to share technological advance with non-elites? Is it appropriate to assume that what is useful for me is useful for others? Should we pressure non-elites to gain exposure to technology because we know the good it can do? Or should we accept when others are not interested. I have not fully formed my thoughts on this topic.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-43180801684120603412008-09-21T04:37:00.001+08:002009-01-08T10:26:56.556+08:00Ethics and Diverse CulturesIn my very short study of ethics and ethical codes in the field of instructional technology (or any field for that matter), there always seem to be more questions and fewer answers. In fact, the authors of "<a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/q225n078141h0561">Reflecting on Ethics, Ethical Codes, and Relevance in an International Instructional Technology Community</a>," Bradshaw, Keller and Chen write a whole paragraph of unanswered questions on page 13. Here is an excerpt:<br /><blockquote>Is it possible to identify, construct, or specify beyond vague generalities, a definition of ethics that would be universally credible and appropriate? Can a hypothetical universal ethical code be equally relevant in diverse contexts? Were one to be constructed, would the fact that it is interpreted by individuals socialized in different contexts of reality and truth, render it less relevant or even irrelevant in some contexts?<br /></blockquote>It is sometimes difficult for my logical, physics-math brain to accept that a discussion about ethics does not result in an answer that can be scientifically tested. Don't misunderstand me. I don't think science always leads to one right answer, contrary to how most students in K-12 learn science. But, science can be tested and contested and better answers can be found. Things are different when trying to agree on answers to questions about ethics.<br /><br />I'm not sure that it is possible to develop a code of ethics for any field of study that all parties can agree on. As the article states, the more diverse the group of people, the more difficult it becomes to agree on a code of ethics that is applicable to everyone. But, does this mean we should give up? NO. I believe the discussion is more important than the answers. As our workplaces and schools become <a href="http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/bookshelf/the-world-is-flat">flatter</a>, we are forced into a global society. Even though our discussion about ethics becomes difficult, we stand to gain a global awareness and sensitivity that we may not have had before by continuing the discussion with the diverse people we encounter.<br /><br /><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2137735924/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2404/2137735924_9b92311363_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:1;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2137735924/">3D Full Spectrum Unity<br />Holding Hands Concept</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/lumaxart/">lumaxart</a> </span></div>As we deal with diverse cultures and writing codes of ethics, the article gives two frameworks within which we could work. Ethical universalism is what I call the I'm-right-you're-wrong framework. I view myself as above you, so I attempt to teach you my right ways. The second framework is cultural relativism. With this framework, "they do not come to <span style="font-style: italic;">teach</span> or to <span style="font-style: italic;">transmit</span> or to <span style="font-style: italic;">give</span> anything, but rather to <span style="font-weight: bold;">learn</span>, with the people, about the people's world," (Freire, as cited in this article). I love this quote. If we all made a pact to learn from each other, we may not agree on a universal code of ethics, but I bet the discussion would be worthwhile.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-87608814547043463382008-09-09T21:00:00.001+08:002009-01-08T10:26:56.630+08:00Can E-Learning Strategies Help Us in Face to Face Classrooms? (part 3)<span style="font-weight: bold;">Communication and interaction are important</span><br />A teacher working for Virtual High School states that teaching online has helped her in her face to face classes. She is better at clarifying instructions and connecting with students and families, both of which require a more conscious effort when working online. In an online class, students do not have the benefit of tone of voice and teachers do not have the benefit of confused looks to know when to try a new approach. Online teachers must rely on clear and articulate instructions and building an environment of trust so students know they can contact their teacher when needed. Constant interaction between teacher and student is important.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Professional development is key</span><br /><div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diseasedwits/162691584/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/50/162691584_7a56a7d9bf_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:1;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diseasedwits/162691584/">Creating a Learning Object</a><br />Originally uploaded by<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/diseasedwits/">Diseased Wits</a> </span></div> Virtual High School has a major professional development component because they understand that online learning is a "new perspective on the notion of teaching and learning," (Dorste and Dorste, p. 57). In order for teachers to be successful, they need to understand the technology used and also the pedagogical strategies that work for online learning. The same is true in the face to face classroom. If we want teachers to adopt the strategies that work for learning, we must support them to do so.<br /><br />This concludes my reflection about how e-learning can help us in face to face classrooms. Can you think of other things that online learning is teaching us about how to increase learning in face to face classrooms?Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3798474257765755619.post-85250604332342688142008-09-08T21:00:00.001+08:002009-01-08T10:26:56.656+08:00Can E-Learning Strategies Help Us in Face to Face Classrooms? (part 2)<span style="font-weight: bold;">From lecturer to facilitator</span><br />Online learning changes the role of a teacher. If the online class is designed properly, the teacher becomes a guide on the side instead of a sage on the stage. We know already that this is how a face to face classroom should be too, but lecturing still seems all too prevalent. Again, in a face to face classroom, we can have the best of both worlds. There are times when the best way to convey a piece of content is with a short lecture, but it doesn't have to be the main teaching strategy. Ironically, by looking at the design of online courses, we can gain many ideas for how to make the face to face classroom more interactive.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do what you can't do without the technology</span><br /><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/2516648940/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2516648940_ab432e08e9_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/2516648940/">I am Here for the Learning Revolution</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/wfryer/">Wesley Fryer</a> </span></div>I listened to a <a href="http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/07/21/podcast266-open-minds-open-education-and-a-view-of-open-culture-by-david-thornburg-necc-2008/">NECC 2008 session by David Thornburg</a> posted as a podcast by Wesley Fryer at Moving at the Speed of Creativity this week. When teachers are first given technology to use, they tend to use it to do things they normally do without the technology like word processing. We need to do more as teachers. We need to use technology to do things that we could not do if we didn't have it. Droste and Droste say that each year at Virtual High School "6,000 students have gotten to know other students and teachers from around the globe, exchanging knowledge, ideas, and perspectives in ways that can't happen in a traditional classroom," (p. 57). A teacher in Ohio said that online learning should "not only supplement, but transcend their normal high school experience," (p. 62). Our challenge as face to face classroom teachers is to use technology to do things with students that we could not do otherwise. We need to transcend their normal classroom experience and give them much more. But, we also must remember that learning is about learning, not about technology. "The technology will face into the background as a catalyst to a learning revolution," (Maeroff, p. 70). Technology is "nothing more than the world's fastest school buses," (Droste and Droste, p. 59).Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567842980372685993noreply@blogger.com0