Episode 18: Connect with Your Students Using Tech!

Episode 18 is Now Online!

The official title is now, "Connect with Your Students Using Technology!" The word Connect is in there partly because Macromedia Breeze is now called Adobe Connect. And we do discuss the use of Connect in the episode, though the larger part of the discussion relates to how Roberto Garcia has integrated technology into his teaching over the years. I think "Teach with Tech" listeners will gain from his commonsense approach and attitude. He talks about the lifecycle of technology innovations. He provides guidance for both face-to-face instructors and distance educators.

I'm looking forward to his presentation this Friday, which will focus much more intensely on Breeze/Connect. If you're an IU School of Ed faculty member or associate instructor, please register for this free presentation.

Podcasting Presentation Download, Secure Email Service, KidCasting!

ICE Podcasting Presentation
As promised, here is my Powerpoint file for the "Integrating Podcasting into Your Teaching" presentation from the Indiana Computer Educators' conference. Feel free to download and view it. Again, if you'd like a similar presentation (or something completely different) at your school, just contact me at cessex(at symbol)indiana.edu.

Secure Email for Your Students
I've talked with my online students, K-12 teachers from all over the US, in my Education W505 course, about Internet communication options, and one problem that they consistently comment upon is the difficulty of designing email-based projects, primarily based on the security concerns. Obviously, establishing student email accounts could result in all sorts of problems. But they could also result in some wonderful learning opportunities. How about connecting your students with another class, say in the Middle East? How about sharing email with astronauts, or experts in other areas? Or doing peer review of assignments via email?

Well, at ICE, I talked with some representatives of Gaggle, a service which promises secure email, blogs, chat rooms and student lockers. They have a pornography scanner, which according to their brochure, can distinguish between a photograph of Paris Hilton in a bikini and two eight-year-old boys on the beach. So, the immediate question in your mind is, how much? Well, they offer a free, advertising-supported service for poor schools, and a $3-4 per student service for others.

A caveat--other than talking with the friendly people at the booth, I don't have any experience with this service. But I would think that it would be worth checking out for many teachers.

KidCast--Podcasting in the Classroom
The people at FTC Publishing provided me with a free copy of this book to give away at my ICE presentation, and the reaction was very enthusiastic. I've read through the book, and it is very informative.

The new episode is still being edited, but should be online Tuesday!

Chris

Welcome, Indiana Computer Educators!

This past Friday, I attended the Indiana Computer Educators' conference in downtown Indy. It was my first time at the conference and I was impressed. Things seemed very well organized. I hadn't been to the Convention Center since the Star Wars Celebrations II and III, and so it was strange walking down the halls and not seeing Jedi Knights and StormTroopers anywhere. I still kept expecting to turn a corner and bump into Darth Vader, but it never happened.

There was a nice, large exhibitor's area, with representatives from many companies and lots of goodies to pick up. I won't need a new pen for the rest of the year, for sure. My presentation on podcasting was during the first session of the day, and in one of the Wabash Rooms, which is the biggest, I believe. Had a good turnout, maybe 80% of the seats were full. A lively, interested audience of K-12 teachers. Most had listened to podcasts, maybe a third had created them, but only a couple had used them in their teaching. I provided guidance in all three of these areas. It was a shame we only had 45 minutes, because I would have been happy to keep going on and giving more examples of cool uses of podcasting in the K-12 arena.

As promised, the Powerpoint from the session will be posted here on the blog. But not tonight! I'm still in Indy and using a friend's computer now. But on Monday, when I get back to the office, I'll post it.

If you're in Indiana, and you think your school might want a similar presentation, let me know and maybe we can work something out.

During the presentation, I mentioned the International Student Media Festival. I encourage you to have your students submit work! This year will be the first for the new podcasting category. Check it out at http://www.ismf.net. There isn't any podcast-specific info there yet, though. Doesn't mean you can't start a project though.

Episode 18: On Its Way!

Episode 18: Connect with Students Using Breeze (and More!)

Can you believe it? It's time to start looking forward to another episode of "Teach with Tech." Episode 18 will feature an interview with Roberto Garcia, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor of International Business and Co-Director, Supply Chain & Global Management Academy, at Indiana University's prestigious and forward-thinking Kelley School of Business. They have one of the most popular and well-regarded online MBA programs in the nation.

He's presented on the following topics, among many others, at national conferences:

• “Using technology to enhance large section teaching: A web page and video clip approach.”
• “Integrating the web in an international business course.”
• "Incorporating the Web and distance learning to teach International Business."
• "Building great course web pages and using the web in a college curriculum."

He's been teaching with technology for quite awhile now, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing his insights. If you're lucky enough to be an IU professor or Associate Instructor, you are very much invited to hear him discuss his use of Macromedia Breeze (now Adobe Connect) in person at our workshop in the School of Education on Friday, February 2nd. Here's the registration link. Still a few seats left!

Chris

Episode 17 Notes! and Office 2008 and ICE Conference

Episode 17 is online!

During the episode, as promised, Mark Millard and myself discussed the recent MacWorld conference, focusing on iPhone and AppleTV, which were announced at the keynote.
How could these new technologies be used by classroom teachers and higher ed faculty?

(As a side note, these Steve Jobs keynotes are often emotional experiences for those watching. Check out "Why Apple Makes Me Cry" at:
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72473-0.html?tw=rss.index)

We also discussed various software packages that I picked up in the two exhibition halls:

• Toon Boom, Mac/Windows/Linux animation and storyboard software
• Toast 8 Titanium, Mac disc-burning software
• Slick Transitions & Effects, Mac special effect plugins for iMovie
• Civilization IV, a Mac/Windows history/politics simulation game
• Sims 2, a Mac/Windows people simulation game
• SubEthaEdit, a Mac text editor with synchronous collaboration features
• Profcast, a Mac program that allows you to convert your Powerpoint and Keynote presentations into screencasts/videocasts.

Sadly, we ran out of time to talk about a couple of products. First was Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. Big news about it seems to be that it is compatible with the new version recently released for Windows, which has a new document format. Like the iLife programs, the new version of Word focuses on the use of templates to create documents. There is a new interface item called the "Elements Gallery" which has templates available for various parts of the page, like headers and footers. It also has a new kind of view, called "Publishing Layout" which helps with desktop publishing projects (sounds kind of like Apple's Pages). Here are some links with news about Office 2008:
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2382
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/01/17/macworld-2007-show-floor-showoff-microsoft-office-2008-for-mac/
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/jan07/01-09Macworld.mspx

Indiana Computer Educators Conference

I'll be presenting on the topic of Integrating Podcasts into the K-12 Curriculum at the Indiana Computer Educators conference in Indy. I'd love to see some "Teach with Tech" listeners there. Find out more at: http://www.iceindiana.org/conference.aspx

Keep on listening!
Chris

Episode 17: MacWorld Report, and Internet-based Activities

Well, I'm back from the whirlwind adventure that is MacWorld Expo, the annual conference for Mac users! I'll be talking about it in the next episode of the podcast, episode 17, which I hope to record in the very very very near future. Again, our guest will be Mark Millard, from Indiana University's Teaching and Learning Technologies Centers. A lot to cover in the half-hour or so, including an educator's-eye view of the new iPhone and AppleTV. How could they be used in your teaching? I have some ideas. We'll also be discussing interesting new software I discovered at the conference.

Too often, students use the web only for the passive gathering of information. Research on the web is fine, but let's not forget the other capabilities of the Net--to facilitate communication and cooperation. The site below lists a wide range of "collaborative projects, virtual field trips, educational games, and other interactive activities," such as virtually following a sled dog team across Arctic Russia, watching peregrine falcons grow up in New York City, adopting a local pond and sharing info with other schools, etc.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/interactivity.shtml

Keep listening,
Chris

Greetings from MacWorld!

Hello from sunny San Francisco, California! Checked in at the MacWorld registration desk this morning and got the cool red MacWorld totebag, ready to fill up with goodies from the exhibition hall. Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning is the keynote, in which Steve Jobs will be announcing Apple's new products, hardware and software, for the year. Rumors are: an iPhone (though not with that name), more info on Leopard, new versions of iLife and iWork (including spreadsheets)...but there undoubtedly will more "insanely great" stuff announced that we don't even have any clue about. I'll be giving a wrap-up and commentary in the next "Teach with Tech" podcast episode. Which should be online next week!

Cheers,
Chris