Podcast?

This is my first Pod Cast attempt. I decided to talk a little about Ancient Egypt.
I hope that you can use it, and or that it works.
Click here to listen, or download.

Second Life Gives "Second Wind" to Educational Gaming

Ever think that your children are wasting time with those mind numbing video games? Many studies have been conducted showing that gaming is not as detrimental as we once thought.

Second Life is an online environment completely created by it's users. If the player wants a motorcycle, then they model it, program a script for movement and sound, and if it is good enough they can sell it for real money via slboutique.com

Anything you can imagine can be created... Think of the possibilities! Engaging chat rooms with 3d avatars, programming students can script in real time and get immediate feedback from instructors and peers. Students could understand the concepts of business and commerce through actually selling what they have created.

They have an education page check it out and let me know what you think. Watch the videos on the side menu. I was quite impressed. Could this be a possible future of education?

Second Life:Education

Here are some videos from YouTube:

Watch these architecture students design a house based upon actual blue prints while their instructor oversees the design process

Architecture on the Double

added by Keystone1111 on January 25, 2007

Architecture on the Double

A video game that can teach Neurology?

The Virtual Neurological Education Centre (VNEC) has been developed as an experiential learning environment for an Identified community and health care professionals.

An educator gives a walk-through of some of the benefits of Second Life.

VNEC Second Life

Added bylhetherington on May 10, 2007

VNEC Second Life

(Note: The green boxes on the table once clicked will bring up a window that shows symptoms, diagnostic strategy, etc. Notice also communication can be done via video on the flat screen tv, or from their lecture area.)

Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities

created by xxArete2xx on May 29, 2007

Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities

Getting your kids off of the couch.

As a kid I found myself sitting in front of the television, eating TV dinners. I wasn't really motivated to get up and do anything. I mean, since I had every source of entertainment in the living room, what was the big appeal of going outside? As a result, I became a little fatty. Also, as an adult I find that I have to motivate myself to stay in shape and exercise. What are some steps that we as parents can take to make sure that our kids enjoy fitness, eating right, and going out every now and then to catch a breath of fresh air?

I find that recently the video gaming industry has taken a wonderful turn in the fight against childhood obesity. All too many times parents, and teachers blame the video game for excessive violence, and facilitating sloth in our nations youth. However, the industry has released several titles that I think educators and parents alike can appreciate.

The recent release of the Nintendo Wii is a major step in the right direction. This gaming system actually wants kids, adults, and seniors to forget their lazy ways by simply having them break free of the bindings of the couch monster. I have purchased one of these machines over the holidays, and found myself enjoying bouncing around my living room, in order to return a serve while playing tennis on Wii Sports. I've actually felt my heart rate increase while playing Raymond Rabbid Rabbits. Could this be the way of the future?

This movement craze did not begin with the Wii. Before the Wii was released, there was a game that swept through malls everywhere, challenging the likes of unfit gamers. I was too embarrassed to play the game in public, but found myself mesmerized by the rate at which the arrows flew across the screen! However, I was more amazed at the players ability to keep up!
That game was Dance Dance Revolution (DDR)! It showed me that our kids have the energy, they just have no structured means of letting it out! We actually keep our kids indoors, because who knows what kind of crazy people are out there. Then we fill them full of hyperactivity medication, because they are driving everyone in the house crazy. Why not give them a way to burn off that energy, and a hundred calories a minute by playing a video game they enjoy? I purchased this game for the PS2, and in no time my wife and I were bouncing across the living room trying desperately to catch our breathe as we clumsily stomped the arrows on the dance pad. At first it takes a little getting used to, but after a while we began having competitions with our friends. Can you imagine having twenty kids in a classroom playing DDR on a projector? What fun would that be! The extra pads would not even have to be plugged in! Actually all that you would need is some masking tape arrows pointing up, down, left, and right; and the kids could try to keep up!

Though even before DDR, Nintendo released the "Power Pad" for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This pad encouraged people to run, jump in place, and even do aerobics, as the player watched their little pixilated character mimic their movements. It was really revolutionary for its time, just like the Nintendo Wii is trying something different for our nation's youth. It may or may not last, I can't say... I'm just glad they tried.

Other games that get kids moving: Guitar Hero, Eye Toy, and Karaoke Revolution

Other less expensive ways of getting your kids off the couch:

• Plan an outdoor activity as a family- (If your kids see that you enjoy getting out of the house then they may just follow your lead.)
• Enroll them in a sport, or extracurricular activity- (Dancing, karate, soccer, track, all of these build the mind along with the body.)
• Take them for a hometown tour- (I know that your kids have seen all of the local sites during school field trips, but they will actually get more out of a personal tour with their parents. Think about it. They will be able to ask you questions, go where they want to go, and discover things that the school trip may have passed over because of time restraints.)
• Have a monthly family picnic- (The kids will get some fresh air, eat a healthy meal, and while they are playing on the swing set; you and your spouse can have a relaxing afternoon.)
  
• Conduct a fitness challenge- (There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. Challenge your kids to do more jumping jacks than you, to jump rope longer, to make the "behind-the-back-one-legged-no-looking" jump shot. They will strive to make you proud. Side note: When they do beat you, be a gracious loser. This will leave it open for you to challenge them again next week....)
  

I hope this post gave you a few ideas about how to not only motivate your children and students to get off the couch, but also show how we as parents can positively effect our kid's lives.

Edutainment

Looking to get away, and let go of the stress caused by life? Then try the newly updated Edutainment page. Here you will find games that challenge the mind, teach typing skills, math skills, patterns, and some games designed to just blow off a little steam (or fill the slow part of your day).

Here are some of the games that you'll find.

Free Teacher Stuff

How many times have we fallen for this trap?
It usually includes a few shareware programs, horrible trial programs, or an endless clicking of links that lead to the first page that you came from.
Leave a comment listing all of your good ed-tech or teaching stuff.

Edubuntu

Hear what the creators of Edubuntu have to say:

"Edubuntu is a flavour of the Ubuntu operating system, which is optimised for classroom use. It has been developed in collaboration with teachers and technologists around the world. The aim of Edubuntu is that an educator with limited technical knowledge and skill should be able to set up a computer lab, or establish an on-line learning environment, in an hour or less, and then administer that environment without having to become a fully-fledged Linux geek. This is our first step towards that goal.

Principal design goals of Edubuntu are centralized management of configuration, users, and processes, together with facilities for working collaboratively in a classroom setting. Equally important is the gathering together of the best available free software and digital materials for education.

Edubuntu is built on top of the solid and stable Ubuntu base, and incorporates the LTSP thin client architecture, as well as Education-specific applications, aimed at the 6-18 age group. It also aims to allow resource poor environments to maximise their available (older) equipment.

Based on Ubuntu, the new Edubuntu features a fast and easy install, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent packages installed by default, any other package you can imagine available from the network, and a commitment to security updates for 18 months after each release. We will also be pursuing establishing a network of professional technical support from many companies around the world as this distro grows."

TO DOWNLOAD Click Here

Open Source Software

Open Source software can be the teacher's best source of free technology.
The OpenCd is one of the greatest compilation of tested open source software.
Here is a link that shows the different types of programs that are offered.
OpenCd

My Thoughts on Tech Integration

#1. What are steps teachers can take to ensure that technology integration is successful in the classroom?

The teacher has to make sure that the technology being used is appropriate for the lesson. For example; If the students are creating a presentation based upon what they learned this week, then the student should be using presentation software, not a spreadsheet program. The students also need to know the technology before they are "plopped" in front of a computer and told to work.
This aspect of the lesson should be modeled for the student, that way the student will not only know how to perform the task, but also what is expected of them.
One way to seamlessly incorporate technology into the lesson, is to focus on the objective and not the tool used to reach it. We don't go into great detail about using text books, yet the students gain knowledge from that particular medium. If we model
our lessons by using the same tools that we require of our students, then they will learn the general technology without needing miniscule details. Once the students become familar with this technological medium they will figure out how to incorporate the little details that imporve their work.

#2. A lesson is curriculum driven, not technology driven. Think of a lesson you can "reshape" using technology. Provide an example in your discussion.

We can use technology as a tool to reach our objectives. We do not begin with technology and then create an "activity" for the student to complete.
Some examples can be shown through the following objectives:
TLW create a timeline noting the rise and fall of Egypt as a world super-power.
TLW compare and contrast the Egyptian and Chinese religions.
TLW analyze and describe the social structure of Ancient Egypt.

There are several different ways to reach these objectives.
The first objective can be reached by the students researching the information in their text book, and then drawing a timeline. However, it can also be reached by the students working in pairs researching the information on the internet, and publishing their work through a timelining program.

The second objective can be met by the student creating a Venn Diagram, T-chart, or other graphic organizer which illustrates the information found in their research. Why not have the student create their organizer using a presentation software? By doing this the student can also write a brief description of their findings, and show it to the class.

The third objective can also be met through a variety of different means. The student could create a foldable based upon the social structure of Egypt. The student could use colors to draw a picture of Egypt's social pyramid with a brief description. Finally the student could use a teacher made Word template to create the social pyramid using clip art, pictures, and text to achieve the same objective, plus the student can print them out for a grade.

The integration of technology is "do able", we just need to push ourselves to do it.

The New Era of Tech

As my generation comes of age, the world is truely seeing things through techno-goggles. We carry cellphones in our pocket that should be referred to by their true names, personal media centers. Our phones can make calls, send text messages, play games, download software, play games, make blog posts, and surf the net. Computers are becoming more powerful, smaller and cheaper than ever. DVD players are now under forty dollars.

As an educator, my main course of thought is driven back to, "How can this help my kids learn the information better". Teachers are beginning to included technology in their lessons at a brisk pace. One needs to ask are teachers including technology in order to engage their students, to make the lesson better, to bring home a point, or is our motivation merely to satisfy mandates setup by our school boards. Many teachers have a passion for technology. They see the way their students' eyes light up when they discover something new on the computer. Other teachers dispise learning new things. I know it sounds pretty ironic. However, these people feel that if the students are understanding the information in the way that it is presented, then why should I have to waste valuable time to organizing a computer related activity.

The truth is that as students learn the material, we should seek every oppurtunity to retouch upon the newly learned lesson. This enrichment could possibly come from the classroom computer, classroom game, or it can be as simple as having the students draw a picture of what was learned. These types of activities keep the student motivated. That motivation to learn is what all teachers strive to achieve. If the students are excited about the material, then our jobs magically become easier.

The most important aspect of our job is the relay of information to our youth. Since many of our children know more about technology than we do;
why not choose to reach our children through the media in which they feel most comfortable?

Educational Blogging

I think that blogging could be very beneficial for both students and teachers. Teachers could post assignments, and students could respond using the comment function of blogging. This would allow the teacher to check all of the work online, and respond to the students comments.

One bad thing about this ideal medium; however, is the harsh reality that not every student has a computer. Those with a computer may not have internet access. Maybe the students can post at school. Unfortunately, ome school districts have blog sites blocked, for both studnts and teachers.