Want to Learn to Podcast?

It's not difficult to create a podcast but that depends upon the type of podcast and how professional (or splashy) you want it to be. Tech for Teachers - Podcasting Classes provides a nice introduction to examples of podcast use in education. You can watch an easy-to-understand video describing podcasting, check out classes at Cal Berkeley, and visit a school in New Mexico that's putting Microsoft's Zune to use in podcasting. One of the easiest ways to put a podcast together is to use Apple's Garage Band software. If you need them, you'll find tutorials on the Apple site.  About.com has a step-by-step tutorial for learning to create for all those MP3 players, and Power to Learn's Jim Lengel has some excellent guidelines to help you with podcasting. . Have you created any podcasts for your students and/or are your students creating podcasts for assigments? Think about creating a podcast as your summer technology project. If so, we'd love to hear about your successes, and even problems with, podcasting.

Your Professional vs. Virtual Life

When might your virtual life come in conflict with your teaching career and/or with your ability to get a teaching job? Maybe during college you posted something on a social networking site and forgot about it? Maybe you put a sexy photo online, had second thoughts about it, and then thought you'd removed all traces of it? Maybe you think what you do online won't be found by your students, their parents, or your supervisors? Today pre-service teachers and in-service teachers are finding that what they've put online can haunt or destroy their careers. Some teachers have been denied credentials, some have been suspended, and others have lost their jobs because of Web postings. The Washington Post article, When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web discusses the problems involved when sites on the Web show teachers looking and acting, well-not so professional.

Teens & Their Secret Digital Lives

Prevention Magazine (April '08) published The Secret Life of Teens and a number of other articles (Secret Life of Teens by Rich, Secret Life of Teens: Clubbing by Cuomo) and books (The Secret Life of Teens by Patnaik and Shinseki) have targeted this topic as well. Those writing about teens cover topics such as alcohol and drug abuse, teens' lives, hopes and dreams; teens' nightlife; and how to help teens survive these often exciting and dangerous years. It's evident that teens look to online communities and digital communication for interaction. Going to FaceBook, for example, helps them get away from the adults in their lives. In an online community they can share their secrets, which often aren't secrets for long. It's their world, and probably many of us ex-teens would have liked to have that world available at times when we were teens. But it's also a world that can become addictive. Aside from the possibility of online dangers, there's the danger that teens are so drawn to digital communities that they go there instead of interacting with those around them. It's not just online communities that are keeping our students from being part of the real world. Katie Baldo, the guidance counselor quoted in the Prevention piece warns that kids, because of being wired to their digital connections, aren't getting the practice they need with non-digital social interaction. She recommends that use of technologies such as cellphones, MP3 players, and video games be limited to one-hour on weekdays and two-hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Of course, teens and even pre-teens would say that this digital world is an important part of their real world.

Let Your Students Write Help Guides

Why not let your students help other students and your faculty by preparing tech guides? For students who know tech, this is a challenge they'll enjoy. Students in Maine created a Google Docs guide using what looks like the program Comic Life and the free online pdf  viewer called Issuu. Although they could print and distribute their work, by using Issuu, they've posted their guide online and the pages turn just like they do in online catalogs. It looks very professional. Kids are also making video help guides, which can be perfect help sources for all in a school community and beyond. Besides, when kids create for others, they are learning so much themselves not only about the subject being covered, but also about presentation. Once their work is distributed online and offline, it's a plus for their self-image and will look good on college applications as well.

Flip Over the Flip

Your students have probably already heard of Flip cameras. In fact, some of them may already have a Flip. These are digital video cameras that sell for a fraction of the cost (about $150) of mini-camcorders. They're small-about 4" by 2" and come in a variety of colors. Of course, they can't do everything a more expensive video camera can, but they are perfect for student presentations, Web video, recording classroom events, and much more. -And they'll load into your computer with their own USB plug that pops out from the body of the camera. The Flip Ultra could be a great addition to your classroom tools.

Teaching Teachers Tech—Any Ideas?

Everybody talks about the need for in-service tech education. You've probably heard school board members and district administrators say, "We've got to get all teachers using technology effectively in their classrooms." Schools schedule sessions that sound good, but often end up with only part of the teachers in the session learning from it and the rest of them complaining that they already knew the content, that it didn't have anything to do with what they teach, or that they didn't understand one word of what the session leader was talking about. Reactions usually range from "Great session" to "Total Waste of Time". Because teachers are at so many different levels of knowledge and because what they need to know depends upon grade level, student ability, and subject area, one-size-fits-all training doesn't work. Training needs to be individualized. Workshop sessions offered at conventions like NECC and online courses such as those scheduled by PBS TeacherLine are better suited to meeting the tech learning needs of teachers. In addition, there are online learning experiences offered by textbook publishers, computer and software companies, and educational sites (like Powertolearn.com) that may be perfect for individualizing teacher learning about tech.

Who's the Techie in the Classroom?

Although many parents think their kids know everything about tech, we know they don't. Nobody does. Students want us to believe that they are far ahead of us adults, and many of them actually believe it themselves. They are the Tech Generation, right? Well, so are we. Like everyone, what kids know really well is what they are interested in, and with kids it's most likely downloading music, text messaging, and posting videos online rather than effective Internet searches, well thought-out and organized digital presentations and reports, and use of their computers as an assistant in learning. Sure, there will be some students in every class who may be knowledgeable in tech topics, but even so, they may only understand the how-tos, not how their skills can and should be put to use in their education. For example, even though a student may be adept at editing digital video and popping it into a presentation, it's you who can help that student to understand whether the video is appropriate to the topic or simply glitz, whether the sources are worthwhile and if they have been cited, how to fit the video to the assignment. Consider yourself the tech guru in your classroom.

The Internet & the War in Iraq

The Associated Press piece, On blogs and Web sites, by e-mail and video, the Iraq war is fought on the Internet, published online in MIT's Technology Review, calls the Operation Iraqi Freedom iWar v1.0 "interactive".  Who's putting information online about the war? Just about everyone. There are soldier blogs, a U.S. military Website, an Islamic Army Website, Internet resources on Iraq selected by the Library of Congress, and even videos showing attacks on U.S. soldiers. The story of what's happening in Iraq is being told from the viewpoints of many different people, not just journalists or official government sources, for the war is being fought online as well as in Iraq. According to the article, the Pentagon, understanding the importance of digital communication, "is preparing for iWar v2.0." As you work with your students on lessons in history or contemporary issues, this is a topic that will help students better understand why critical reading and attention to sources of information are important. Media literacy is an essential ingredient in the education of our students today.

Your Classes on an iPod

What if your lessons were available online and everything you said when you were teaching about hydrogen or equations or Shakespeare or ... could be downloaded to an iPod?  A number of colleges and universities are already moving to systems like this. The New York Times piece, What Did the Professor Say? Check Your iPod, explains that the University of Central Florida, Purdue University, and other schools are signing contracts with companies that take care of making sure that class sessions are recorded for immediate online access. At this time, most of the class sessions are copied as audio files, but some include slides and other visuals. According to the article, not all professors are happy about the recordings. After all, it is difficult to be dynamic and interesting all the time, isn't it? Many K-12 schools, especially middle and high schools are using systems such as Moodle, PowerSchool and Blackbaud, already to put homework and lessons online for both student and parent use.  Is the next step availability on mobile devices, and if so, what will this mean to schools? (NOTE: You'll need to sign up with the New York Times to read the article. It's free.)

Using iPods or MP3 Players in Class?

Although some schools outlaw use of MP3 players in school, creative teachers are finding ways to make use of these devices in their classrooms. One problem, however, is that the players require headphones, and teachers can't always tell whether students are actually engaged in their assignment or simply listening to their favorite music or podcast. Enter the iMainGo. It's a mighty little stereo speaker that works with four AAA batteries. The product sells for less than $40 and has surprisingly good sound quality for  a portable device. Chances are, you've probably tried other portable speakers and have not been too pleased. This one will change your mind. -And think of the possibilities of using an iPod and speaker for group work assignments.