Left or Right?

Left Brain. Right Brain. Visual Learner. How do you learn? Better question? How do your students learn? In trying to embrace 21^st Century Skills initiatives, be sure you have the answer!

Any of my former students who happen to be reading this blog will probably smile. If they can think back to a few years ago, they will remember that these questions were presented to them within the first week of school! As their teacher, I wanted to make them aware of how they receive information. I also wanted to know how I could best reach them with my curriculum! In the process of answering these questions, they learned a lot about themselves. I, on the other hand, was able to get a better handle on what type of approach I needed to use when teaching the content of my courses.

When you really think about it, learning styles are pretty interesting. As one common teacher quote puts it… "all students are gifts, some are just opened before others". What does that mean? My personal interpretation is that it takes trial and error, different teachers and different subjects to finally reach a student and help them turn on the personal light bulb that helps them “get it”. Get what, you ask? Get what we are trying to teach them. Some students seem to “get it” immediately. For others, we just need to be patient and figure out which path to take. My personal belief is that ALL students can learn… and learn abundantly. We just have to find out how they best receive the information and how we can make it relate to them. Students are consumers of sorts and as teachers, we have to put some effort into helping them “buy in” to what we are trying to sell… knowledge that they will need and can actually use.

How do you learn? Do some self-reflection. For starters, check out this site and take the quiz. http://www.wherecreativitygoestoschool.com/vancouver/left_right/rb_test.htm You will be amazed at your results! The quiz only takes about 10 minutes.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS:

• Logic
  
• Sequential
  
• Verbal
  
• Linear
  
• Analytical
  
• Rational
  

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• Recognize and remember names
  
• Respond to verbal instructions
  
• Dislike improvising
  
• Solve problems systematically
  
• Logical problem solvers
  
• Responsive to logical appeals
  
• Deal with one problem at a time
  
• Produce logical ideas
  
• Seldom use metaphors
  
• Give information verbally
  
• Depend on words for meanings
  

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS:

• Intuition
  
• Creative
  
• Non-verbal
  
• Spatial
  
• Holistic
  
• Artistic, Visual, humorous
  

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• Recognize and remember faces
  
• Respond to visual instructions
  
• Like to improvise
  
• Solve problems playfully
  
• Intuitive problem solvers
  
• Responsive to emotional appeals
  
• Deal with several problems
  
• Produce creative ideas
  
• Often use metaphors
  
• Give information with movement
  
• Interpret body language
  

(Lists courtesy of www.strategicaction.com.au)

What are some of the “recognized” types of learning styles? Visual, Aural, Verbal, Physical, Logical, Social and Solitary! http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/ Check out this overview for great explanations.

What more information? Check out this site… http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3629

This article gives a GREAT explanation of right and left-brain teaching and right and left-brain learning! Want to learn even more? Visit http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/rotc_right-left_brain.pdf

As the owner/writer of this blog… anyone care which type I am? Last time I checked … I was a pretty even split down the middle between left and right-brained. This has been the case for several years now. But, as I age, I see the scales tipping a bit towards left-brain dominance.

Believe it, or not… learning styles have a huge impact on how your students will receive your curriculum, even with the exciting and engaging incorporation of 21st Century Skills! Project-based learning might just be the best approach to caputure your students' true creativity and talent in expressing what they've learned in your class! Regardless, make sure that your content provides the technological tools necessary for them to succeed in this society... and make sure they understand, fully, what you are trying to teach. Need some ideas to get started? Not a problem! Technology in the classroom can address all kinds of subjects, goals and learning styles! As an Instructional Technologist - I can help you begin that journey.

Definition of a Disc

With the increased output of so much digital media – terminology and technical lingo has grown by leaps and bounds.

How do you figure out exactly which disc you need for what? How do you make sense of it all?

Let’s get back to the basics… check out these definitions to some of the common terms and acronyms seen today for the most common types of media storage.

CD

Compact Disc. Optical storage device, capable of storing around 600-700MB of data. Great for storing data files, music, and photos.

DVD

(Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc). An optical disc format which provides sufficient storage space and access speeds to playback entire movies. Great for storing LOTS of data files, music and photos also!

HD DVD

A high-definition DVD format supported by a group of manufacturers led by the popular company... Toshiba. (Mainly for movies)

HD (not a type of storage medium, but a common abbreviation these days!)

High Definition. Usually used to describe any device capable of generating or displaying a signal with a resolution of at least 720 vertical lines. Another accepted definition is any signal containing at least one million pixels of video data in a single frame (vertical resolution x horizontal resolution).

Blu-Ray

A high-definition DVD format supported by a group of manufacturers led by Sony. Typically holds 25-50 GB of information.

Flash Drive

A device used to store data that can withstand more abuse than a hard drive, ranging in capacities from 32MB to 16GB. Also commonly referred to as a Thumb Drive, Key Drive, or Jump Drive.

Memory Stick

Digital data storage technology with up to 10 times the storage capacity of an (old school!)  3.5 diskette. Sony claims rights to this term and is promoting the Memory Stick as the new way to share and transfer pictures, sound, and other data between different compact electronic devices like digital cameras and camcorders.

All definitions courtesy of the following online resources:

www.optimumrecovery.com

http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/glossary.aspx

http://en.wiktionary.org

http://it-legends.com/glossary

Tech Girls

Eileen Collins. Kathryn Clark. Charlotte Barnum. Ada Lovelace. Susan Kare.

Recognize any of these names? Lots of folks probably don’t! Who are they? Women who have made significant contributions to the fields of math, science and technology!

Increasingly, there has been some staggering statistics that show fewer and fewer girls wanting to pursue careers in technology. This statistic must change. And, in your classrooms – you have the power to make this change significant.

Check out a few eye-opening statistics –

· Many more boys than girls take Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science exams. According to the College Board in 2006, 2,594 girls and 12,068 boys took the AP Computer Science A exam, and 517 girls and 4,422 boys took the more advanced AP Computer Science AB exam.

· Although teenage girls are now using computers and the Internet at rates similar to their male peers, they are five times less likely to consider a technology-related career or plan on taking post-secondary technology classes” according to Kathleen Melymuka, author of an online article from ComputerWorld.

· Studies show that women view computers as a tool and with much more societal context than men do; they are much more concerned with effect of technology on other disciplines, and how it can be used to improve society. On the other hand, men have a much narrower focus of interest; and do not require a "larger goal" in connection to their interests

· According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women filled only 26.7 percent of computer and mathematical positions in 2006

· Women’s representation in computer and information sciences workforce hovers at about 30%.

(All statistics and supporting information courtesy of Wikipedia, ComputerWorld and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Without going into a lot of depth on the how’s and why’s the lack of interest in technology by girls has happened… we can just begin an initiative to close the gap, in general.

How do we close a specific gender gap? The solution, by default, will close ALL gaps, whether gender, race, economic or geographical. Provide equal access to technology in all schools.

How do we accomplish that? With an open mind, determination, creativity, grant-writing and a lot of hard work.

Do you feel there is, indeed, a gender gap between girls and boys using technology in our classrooms? It is truly something to think about. Check out this teachertube video that shows how girls feel about technology!

The next time you assign a classroom project involving technology – make sure that the boys and girls in your class equally find some part of the project that inspires them. The gap will begin to narrow immediately.

Need an idea? Check out www.alice.org for a glimpse at a programming application that hopes to encourage usage by under-represented populations. Contact our office to schedule a workshop.

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The women mentioned at the start of the blog post…

Eileen Collins - The first woman pilot of a Space Shuttle

Kathryn Clark - NASA’s Chief Scientist for the International Space Station Program

Charlotte Barnum - Became the first of three women to receive Ph.D.'s in mathematics from Yale before 1900

Ada Lovelace - Seen/recognized by many as the "first programmer"

Susan Kare - Created many of the interface elements for the Macintosh (Apple) in the 1980s

Needle in a Haystack!

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My Tweet. Your Voice.

Technology in the classroom. 21st Century Learning. Technological and educational collaboration. What do all of these things mean? Well… let’s find out what it means to you!

Be creative... tell me (USING ONLY ONE WORD) what students gain from using technology in their classrooms.

How do you respond? By using Twitter.com! What is Twitter? An online tool that allows you to collaborate/talk to others while only using a limited number of words to communicate. It provides the capability to instantly send and receive ideas and messages.

Follow these steps to get started…

· Visit http://www.twitter.com/
· Click the “Get Started-Join” button mid-way down the page
· Fill in the (quick) info to create your own account
· Once you have created an account and you are logged in, click “Find People” at the top
· In the search box, type in “aprilpatt” (That’s me!)
· Click on my name, and my question (tweet) will appear.
· Simply click on the small arrow (underneath the star) to add your response!
· Want to follow the responses for yourself? Simply click “follow” and it will allow you to follow the responses as they are added (you must be logged in to see the responses)

Are you more of a visual learner? Take 2 minutes, 25 seconds to watch this Twitter tutorial about what makes Twitter work. Keep in mind that ALL tweets are public!

http://www.commoncraft.com/Twitter or at
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=65c60642bc8f14432120

Check out this video of how some 2nd graders (yes, 8 year olds!!) are using Twitter in their classroom. http://www.channel3000.com/video/18912902/detail.html

There are so many technological tools and resources around us. Let’s figure out positive and educational ways to incorporate them into our daily curriculums. Remember, with all online tools, you absolutely MUST teach online safety at the same time you introduce the tools. Constant teacher observation and computer screen monitoring is also an absolute must!

I look forward to your tweets and will post them on this blog later. Not sure you want to create a Twitter account? Feel free to simply add a comment to this blog post.

What are the directions and the question again?

“Be creative... tell me (USING ONLY ONE WORD) what students gain from using technology in their classrooms.”

Communicate, Collaborate, Connect

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the 2009 NCTIES conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. NCTIES is the acronym for North Carolina Technology in Education Society. “The mission of NCTIES is to provide leadership in educational communications and technology by linking all who hold a common interest in the use of educational technology and its application to the learning process.”

The tagline used by NCTIES gives pause for reflection… Communicate, Collaborate, Connect. In this, the 21st Century, those words are powerful. Let’s look at each one individually and then collectively.

According to Webster, their definitions are as follows…

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Communicate: to convey knowledge of or information about; make known

Collaborate: to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor

Connect: to become joined; to place or establish in relationship
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Collectively, those three words can easily be used to shape and define the skills that are developed through the use of 21st Century classroom initiatives! What comes into play?

· Telecommunications (Skype, Twitter, etc.)
· Global Communities (Quest Atlantis, ePals, etc.)
· Wikis (PBwiki)
· Blogs (Blogger)
· Shared Documents (Google Docs)
· RSS Readers (Google Reader)
· Social Bookmarking (Delicious)
· Moodle
· Video-Conferencing
· The list goes on and on….

How will you communicate? How will you collaborate? How will you connect? The tools are already in place – just add creativity. Your students will appreciate it.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Telecommunications: “The science and technology of the communication of messages over a distance, especially using electric, electronic or electromagnetic impulses.” (Definition courtesy of http://en.wiktionary.org)

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): “VoIP is voice communications transmitted over the Internet.” (Definition courtesy of the network glossary found on http://www.logicalpackets.com)

What do the definitions above REALLY mean? Ask yourself these two questions… How do I communicate? What device do I use to communicate with? Enough said. If you believe successful communication can only be achieved with your home phone, mobile phone or email – it’s time to change your way of thinking!

Take a look at three of the 21st century ways to communicate with others. Best of all… they are FREE.

Skype – software that allows you to make calls via the internet.
· You must download the software in order to use the internet calling features
· As long as you are dialing from one computer to another, calls are free (VoIP)
· Charges apply if you dial to an actual phone number!
· Webcam is optional – only if you want to see the person while you speak
· Built-in Microphone or Headset – personal preference. But, you must have a mic in order for the other party to hear you.

DimDim – web conferencing/video conferencing online application
· Allows you to share your desktop with others as you collaborate on projects
· Can easily chat and/or talk to your meeting attendees
· Great for meetings or for people in different locations who need to meet
· No downloads required
· Need help getting started? There is a 3 minute tutorial on the homepage.
· Did I mention… free! (as long as you don’t invite more than 20 people to your meeting!)

uStream - instant live broadcasts online
· No downloads required
· Must create an account
· Webcam necessary to broadcast
· Free!

How can you incorporate 21st century telecommunications into your classroom? Easy! Get on board with creating a global community right inside your class. Global communities? That is a blog post for another day.

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TECH TIP: Texting is nothing new and is actually gaining greater popularity every day. But, are you slow with your thumbs? Don’t worry! Depending on your mobile phone carrier, you can also send text messages from online. Check out your mobile phone service provider’s website to see if they offer this feature. Most do!

Yes We Can!

Yes We Can. Three small words that have been branded by President Obama as words of hope, empowerment and change. Yes we can applies to so many things – even in education.

Yes we can engage our students as we strive to embrace 21st century learning techniques. Yes we can provide an environment creative enough to inspire new heights and excellence from each of our students. Yes we can empower our students to be open-minded and accept technology for all of its positive and beneficial uses inside the class. Yes we can, as administrators, empower all teachers to accept the changing times and trends of this new day and age. Yes we can provide the tools and resources so tightly intertwined with technology to make a true difference. One lesson at a time. One project at a time. One student at a time. We can.

What exactly does President Obama believe our schools/classrooms should encompass, highlight and focus upon? Here are the highlights within the K-12 educational sector…

· Reform No Child Left Behind
· Support High-Quality Schools and Close Low-Performing Charter Schools
· Make Math and Science Education a National Priority
· Address the Dropout Crisis
· Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities
· Support College Outreach Programs
· Support College Credit Initiatives
· Support English Language Learners
· Recruit Teachers
· Prepare Teachers
· Retain Teachers
· Reward Teachers

Want to know the full details of President Obama’s education agenda? Visit the official website for the White House/President Obama. Check out the education agenda in its entirety.

Be sure to also take a look at his agenda for technology!

"Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let's set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let's recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let's make college more affordable, and let's invest in scientific research, and let's lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America."

-- Barack Obama, Springfield, Illinois - February 10, 2007

Yes we can make a difference within our entire school system, on a local level within each school and within each and every classroom – each and every day. We can.

Is it your footprint, or just your shadow?

Retrace your steps. Follow in my footsteps. These boots are made for walking. Follow my lead.

These are all common sayings for where your footsteps can take you. But, what about online? Did you know that you create “digital footprints” every time you visit the world wide web? You also have something called a digital shadow that follows you!

What exactly are digital footprints? In a nutshell… your online trail.

According to a company called Pew/Internet, there are two main types of digital footprints.

Passive Footprints - These types of footprints are involuntarily left from your internet browser cookies and cache, etc.

Active Footprints - These footprints are when you voluntarily give out personal information, like your home address and telephone number when making an online purchase.

So, what have you done recently to leave a digital footprint?

-Posted to a blog?
-Made online purchases?
-Created a profile on a social networking site?
-Posted an online vita (resume)?
-Uploaded your photo?
-Created website accounts/registrations for various reasons?
-Sent an email?
-Used a search engine?
-Used VOIP to make a phone call?

So, we know what footprints are. But what are shadows? Quite similar to your footprints, shadows exist from things like electronic ticket purchases (concert, airline, sports events, theater performances, etc.), medical records, credit card purchases, surveillance camera footage, hotel stays, telephone records, attending professional conferences, etc. Shadows are just a part of everyday life. Whether electronically managed or not. But, more and more, our business transactions and daily interactions ARE electronically handled or stored.

How can you follow your own footprints and shadow?

-Google yourself often!
-Check out http://www.wink.com/ to see where your name/profile show up online
-Set up Google Alerts to receive an email every time your name appears in the news, etc.

This is an eye-opener and an absolute must for everyone… check out your potential digital footprints over the course of one ordinary day…. Very informative and only takes about 5 minutes. You will be amazed...

Want more information? Check out this site to look at the amazing statistics that our digital footprints in the 21st Century have created. Be sure you have some free time on your hand, it is 50 pages in length!

What is the best way to get a handle on your own footprint? Be smart. Post and contribute intelligently. Join professional sites. Create and/or join only positive networks online. Only upload appropriate photos. Step Carefully!

Also... it is extremely important that you educate and teach your students to watch where they walk!

What Can You Convert?

File Conversion. Today, most saved files need to be used, viewed and accessed by many different users. Guaranteed – those users are not all using the same software applications. So, what do you do? You convert your file into another format. What are some options? There are plenty.

ZAMZAR
http://www.zamzar.com/
· Free online service
· Convert images, songs, videos, and documents
· Files you convert can be on your hard drive, or even from other websites
· The converted file is then emailed to you
· Examples of conversion file formats: .mp3, .wmv, .ppt, .doc, .avi, .zip, .jpg, etc.

PRIMOPDF
http://www.primopdf.com/
· Free application you must download
· Convert files to pdf (portable document format)
· Once downloaded, primopdf installs itself into every program you have installed on your hard drive – which is great! You can then choose the “print” option (in ANY program) and rather than printing to your printer, print to a primo .pdf file

SWITCH
http://www.nch.com.au/switch/
· Free application you must download
· Convert audio/sound files
· Application is very easy to use once installed. Simply “add” a file into the Switch program window and choose the output (conversion format). Switch then converts the file and saves the new format to your hard drive.
· Example file formats: .wav, .mp3, .wmv, etc.

MOVAVI
http://online.movavi.com/
· Free online service
· Convert videos
· Upload video to convert
· Receive email notification when file has been converted and is ready for you to download
· Example file formats: .mp4, iPod video, PSP video, .3gp (cell phone video), .flv (flash video), .avi, .mp3, .wma, etc.

IMAGE CONVERTER
http://www.online-utility.org/image_converter.jsp
· Free online service
· Converts images
· Choose desired file conversion
· Upload image to be converted
· Download newly converted file format
· Example file formats: .eps, .jpg, .tif, .svg, .pict, .psd, .png, etc.

Want to get technical?

Curious about the sizes of your files before and after the format conversions? Check out http://www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate/ to figure out file sizes. Visit their site to get specific size conversions for files you use or need to email!

Remember – Copyright Matters! Be sure you own or have followed copyright guidelines for any files you convert!

What is on your virtual bookshelf?

Reading. The gateway to knowledge. Magazines. Newspapers. Journals. Books. All common sources for finding the information and wisdom you hope to gain. All of those options are now literally at your fingertips.

Check out these sites offering free (complete text) ebooks...

http://www.free-ebooks.net/

http://pdfbooks.co.za/

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

ebooks – Just for kids…

http://www.magickeys.com/books/

http://storynory.com/

Robert Munsch

Children’s Classics

Want to listen instead? Try these sites for free audio books!

http://www.audiobooksforfree.com/home

http://librivox.org/

Need books for your PDA or Mobile Phone? Take a look at these.

http://www.feedbooks.com/

http://manybooks.net/

Interested in ONLY computer books? Here are some sites to get you started.

http://freecomputerbooks.com/

http://www.freetechbooks.com/

Don’t have time to search site after site for a certain book topic? Try http://www.pdfgeni.com/. It is a search engine for pdf books and all types of publications! Simply type in the subject of the book you need and then choose from the long, long list that is returned. Now, be sure you check out the originating source and stay in compliance with ALL copyrights issued on your finds.

Remember... copyright matters, regardless of the ebook source!

Happy Reading. You now have a virtual bookshelf. Library card optional.

How Stuff Works

Inquisitive students in your class? Need a new direction to point them towards for answers? Check out howstuffworks.com! This website was first known as “the” place to go for how common gadgets worked. It quickly evolved, and now, this site has become a place that offers answers and great, simplistic explanations on all kinds of topics and processes.

There are now TONS of questions your students can find answers too. You can also easily build lesson plans around some of the questions/topics. Some questions are even answered in the form of a video!

Categories include History, Geography, Animals, Computers, Health, Science, Money, and many more. Need Examples? Take a look at these links… I am sure they will catch your creative eye!

Is the Dead Sea Really Dead?

Who Owns the Oceans?

How Viruses Work

How Stocks and the Stock Market Work

How Barack Obama Works

My personal favorite is a section called “Everyday Science”. Here, you can find the answers to questions like “How do Sunglasses Work?” or “What Causes an Ice Cream Headache?"

These are all questions that easily make you tilt your head and go hmmmmmm. Well, now you can find the answers!