Gerry davis's Posts - Classroom 2.02024-03-28T19:54:03Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1949915450?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.classroom20.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=gerry5757&xn_auth=noNew Liberal Artstag:www.classroom20.com,2009-03-13:649749:BlogPost:3085652009-03-13T16:27:47.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
One of the conversations developing in cyberspace is the need to address "the new liberal arts", what it is to be socially, culturally, spiritually aware in the 21st century. As I have tried to follow this dialogue I have begun to sense the very strong need by young people for relevance. Young people spend vast portions of their lives in places that don't exist, but yet do. In these places they are not constrained by physics as we know them, nor by the need for mutual self interest. Part of…
One of the conversations developing in cyberspace is the need to address "the new liberal arts", what it is to be socially, culturally, spiritually aware in the 21st century. As I have tried to follow this dialogue I have begun to sense the very strong need by young people for relevance. Young people spend vast portions of their lives in places that don't exist, but yet do. In these places they are not constrained by physics as we know them, nor by the need for mutual self interest. Part of their cognitive schema, what they know and how they know it, has been acquired through the filter of their avatar when "in world". The real world can be a very dissonant place them when off line.<br />
My fear is, as institutions, as educators, if we resist this dialogue we will lose our opportunity to guide this process. The disruptive change of technology presents us with deep generational issues and as a result the relationship between the past and the present has become fraught with ambiguity. Presently, as educators / technologists .... citizens, one of our principal tasks is to facilitate the difficult task of managing change and making the world (virtual and real) a better place.Cloud Computingtag:www.classroom20.com,2008-08-27:649749:BlogPost:1824392008-08-27T15:07:53.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
I just downloaded the video "Who Killed the Electric Car" to my iPhone. Every time I visit iTunes I am amazed at how fast online content has grown and its quality improved. We have gone from static webpage’s running on huge desktops, to full blown movies and apps running on handhelds (such as, but not limited to my iPhone) ; attached to nothing but the air. The age of new computing is near upon us, we can clearly hear the thunder.<br />
Beyond the very cool fact that I can acquire and use content at…
I just downloaded the video "Who Killed the Electric Car" to my iPhone. Every time I visit iTunes I am amazed at how fast online content has grown and its quality improved. We have gone from static webpage’s running on huge desktops, to full blown movies and apps running on handhelds (such as, but not limited to my iPhone) ; attached to nothing but the air. The age of new computing is near upon us, we can clearly hear the thunder.<br />
Beyond the very cool fact that I can acquire and use content at will from the "cloud" (some free some not) I am moved by the not so cool fact that there are some seriously entrenched minds that don't want this to happen. The desktop like the internal combustion engine has stakeholders who don't want lose their jobs or change. We need to account for this structure as we move forward. When a paradigm shift of this magnitude occurs, jobs that were once important become ill relevant . For those who we can, we need to build a bridge.<br />
Educating people to accept this change is important. To help accomplish this we need a plan, a well articulated national plan, that honestly addresses the need for change, with a timeline, ...with some teeth. One not buried in a website, but rolled out across the nation at every major conference. We need to engage stakeholders at these conferences in sessions designed to expand the dialogue.<br />
With the plan we need to identify and aggregate resources aligned to content standards. This cloud based content then needs to be posted to a VERY well designed interface to give this thing some legs. The time and money spent on desktop support can be reallocated to professional and content development.How we have missed the boat,tag:www.classroom20.com,2008-03-05:649749:BlogPost:1159242008-03-05T17:53:36.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
I been working with in service teachers and doing workshops on Web 2.0 for the past year. I am amazed at how fast this technology has been adapted. Hard held computing in the form of phones, e-books, $100.00 laptops and thin clients all running 2.0 apps will become the new paradigm. The time to build another dinosaur lab, buy expensive laptops or spend any more money on <i>local</i> resources has long passed. Let the big players like Google support the applications, it's time for schools to…
I been working with in service teachers and doing workshops on Web 2.0 for the past year. I am amazed at how fast this technology has been adapted. Hard held computing in the form of phones, e-books, $100.00 laptops and thin clients all running 2.0 apps will become the new paradigm. The time to build another dinosaur lab, buy expensive laptops or spend any more money on <i>local</i> resources has long passed. Let the big players like Google support the applications, it's time for schools to focus financial resources on the curriculum with "PROFESSIONAL" development using new tools not over priced unreliable tools. Disagree? Let me know, I can find you a good deal on a sliderule.Thanks for watching the video conference.tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-12-07:649749:BlogPost:856472007-12-07T03:16:17.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
This was my first presentation via distance so I hope you will forgive any blunders that might have occured during the course of this event. Feel free to post comments / question or ask me to post any videos that I might have missed. Cheers Gerry
This was my first presentation via distance so I hope you will forgive any blunders that might have occured during the course of this event. Feel free to post comments / question or ask me to post any videos that I might have missed. Cheers GerryCIPAtag:www.classroom20.com,2007-10-25:649749:BlogPost:660982007-10-25T15:21:59.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="COLOR: black"><font face="Times New Roman">The Children’s Internet Protection Act. Last week I gave a presentation at OLEMA (Ohio Library Educational Media Association) and was shocked to hear of the number of books and articles that are or have been either challenged or banned in libraries. The ALA (American Library Association) site in “Second Life” has some great exhibits on this subject. The assault on free speech is relentless.…</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="COLOR: black"><font face="Times New Roman">The Children’s Internet Protection Act. Last week I gave a presentation at OLEMA (Ohio Library Educational Media Association) and was shocked to hear of the number of books and articles that are or have been either challenged or banned in libraries. The ALA (American Library Association) site in “Second Life” has some great exhibits on this subject. The assault on free speech is relentless. Librarians have been at the forefront of this battle from the very beginning; defending free speech risking their jobs and professional reputations, to do what they believe is right; often without any recognition or support.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="COLOR: black"><font face="Times New Roman">In education many of us have passively watched as CIPA has been wrongly used to prevent educators (us) the access to good content. While one might argue that we ought to limit what children see (another discussion) teachers ought to be able to make professional (pedagogical) decisions regarding the content they show their kids. As educators, we need to stand up for our professional rights and protest loudly and publicly when we are blocked from a site such as this (Classroom 2.0) because the “content is questionable”.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="COLOR: black"><font face="Times New Roman">Oliver August’s article “The Great Firewall: China’s Misguided – and Futile Attempt to Control What Happens Online”, in this months issue of “Wired Magazine” discusses firewalls, content filters and the notion of suppressing political ideas in China. It had a very familiar feel to it as I thought of all of the issues we are beginning to face in the U.S. If you are a teacher think about your own situation when reading this article. Besides CIPA, think about other issues such as Net Neutrality and the unintended consequences of the Patriot Act. Political and intellectual freedom should never be taken for granted, if you don’t believe me, ask a librarian.</font></span></p>Student Response Systemstag:www.classroom20.com,2007-10-08:649749:BlogPost:562742007-10-08T18:05:38.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
<p>I am not sure how many people are using these in a K-12 environment but at the university level thay are being used to good effect. They allow teachers to see (more or less) how they are doing, as they teach, by giving students the opportunity to answer questions throughout the lecture. The ability to quickly survey knowledge can help determine (on the fly) how the content needs to be adjusted.</p>
<p>My experience, having been on both ends of the SRS is that, as a student with a clicker…</p>
<p>I am not sure how many people are using these in a K-12 environment but at the university level thay are being used to good effect. They allow teachers to see (more or less) how they are doing, as they teach, by giving students the opportunity to answer questions throughout the lecture. The ability to quickly survey knowledge can help determine (on the fly) how the content needs to be adjusted.</p>
<p>My experience, having been on both ends of the SRS is that, as a student with a clicker well posed questions you feel and are more engaged. As a teacher they let you know how you are doing, which is very reassuring.</p>
<p>Clickers used with a interactive whiteboard, the web and streaming audio/video are a powerful (and fun) way to communicate knowledge.</p>This was taken from Rich White's page, it is worth sharing.tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-10-05:649749:BlogPost:551822007-10-05T13:49:05.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
<div class="description">This was taken from <a href="http://classroom20.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=649749%3ATopic%3A54645">Rich White's page</a>, it is worth sharing! We had this exact conversation during class on Weds night. I suspect this conversation, with the coming of Web 2.0 is going to become very common.</div>
<div class="description"><em>"Realized a while back - the only people school firewalls keep away from resources are the teachers - students know of every proxy server on the…</em></div>
<div class="description">This was taken from <a href="http://classroom20.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=649749%3ATopic%3A54645">Rich White's page</a>, it is worth sharing! We had this exact conversation during class on Weds night. I suspect this conversation, with the coming of Web 2.0 is going to become very common.</div>
<div class="description"><em>"Realized a while back - the only people school firewalls keep away from resources are the teachers - students know of every proxy server on the planet (or create their own at home if needed).<br/><br/>Should the focus shift WAY to the "Acceptable use" side and away from "blanket blocking" of every useful sites online? What happens when WIMAX and other large area wireless broadband technologies are main stream and there is no single "pipe" schools can block?<br/><br/>The tendency is to show the frustrated teacher who cannot access Youtube video resources the very tools (vtunnel ect.) that the students are using to update their Myspace accounts while at schools."<br/></em><br/></div>Web 2.0 and the hurdles we face.tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-10-04:649749:BlogPost:549412007-10-04T15:35:55.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
<p class="MsoNormal" style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="COLOR: black">My experience with Classroom 2.0 as tool for learning and professional development has been a good one. I have been using it with my classes in conjunction with Blackboard (a LMS) for several weeks. The beauty of Classroom 2.0 thus far, is that it has provided my masters students with a collaborative environment to discuss with peers the pedagogical…</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="COLOR: black">My experience with Classroom 2.0 as tool for learning and professional development has been a good one. I have been using it with my classes in conjunction with Blackboard (a LMS) for several weeks. The beauty of Classroom 2.0 thus far, is that it has provided my masters students with a collaborative environment to discuss with peers the pedagogical value of podcasts, MUVES, blogs and a myriad of other topics. It has and remains a good experience.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="COLOR: black">When arriving at class last night (in a lab in a K-12 setting) we found Classroom 2.0 blocked. No explanation. The problem here is this, in this particular district, the rumor is, if they notice a site is being used frequently, it is blocked without examination, automatically. The teacher is then left to then either plead with the network administrator for access or to move on. There are consequences if you disagree.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="COLOR: black">On this night it proved to be the perfect time for me to introduce LeAnne Robinson, Abbie Brown and Tim Green’s article in the October issue of Learning and Leading with Technology on "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Threat of Security- hindering technology integration in the classroom</i>". The experiences of the subjects of the article closely followed those of the teachers in my class. The reaction ranged from disgust to anger. The consensus was at best this mismanaged attempt to filter content hindered technology use, some suggested for many, it stopped use. Given the power and potential of Web 2.0 this is a tragedy. With You Tube now playing a role in the presidential debates; these classic opportunities for kids to engage in civic participation; Are Lost! This is, at best it is a pathetic situation.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="COLOR: black">As we watch the technically skilled and literate children of other nations sail away with the jobs once done in the US, perhaps the fools who devise these mislaid plans, will someday to come to their senses and allow those who actually do the work some input into these decisions.</span></p>Digital Natives?tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-10-03:649749:BlogPost:547312007-10-03T17:26:25.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="COLOR: black"><font face="Times New Roman">There is a very interesting conversation going on regarding <a href="http://classroom20.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=649749%3ATopic%3A48203">Marc Prenskys hypotheses on digital natives and digital immigrants</a> it</font> <font face="Times New Roman">is worth reading and thinking about. Also if you haven't already seen one of the many videos on change, I have included a link to an oldie but…</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="COLOR: black"><font face="Times New Roman">There is a very interesting conversation going on regarding <a href="http://classroom20.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=649749%3ATopic%3A48203">Marc Prenskys hypotheses on digital natives and digital immigrants</a> it</font> <font face="Times New Roman">is worth reading and thinking about. Also if you haven't already seen one of the many videos on change, I have included a link to an oldie but goodie in my videos. If you haven't seen it watch it, it is at very least a conversation starter / writing prompt.</font></span></p>Voicethreadtag:www.classroom20.com,2007-10-01:649749:BlogPost:533452007-10-01T15:53:33.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
Voicethread is a new web 2.0 application that gives the user the ability to combine audio with photos in a unique manner. You post your photo story with comments and others can add "voicethreads" to your story, to give one picture many view points. The software is very easy to use and seems effective at what it does. Give it a try, it is worth looking at. At very least it has restored my faith in ease of use for 2.0 applications. <a href="http://voicethread.com/view.php?b=8205">Here is a link…</a>
Voicethread is a new web 2.0 application that gives the user the ability to combine audio with photos in a unique manner. You post your photo story with comments and others can add "voicethreads" to your story, to give one picture many view points. The software is very easy to use and seems effective at what it does. Give it a try, it is worth looking at. At very least it has restored my faith in ease of use for 2.0 applications. <a href="http://voicethread.com/view.php?b=8205">Here is a link my Voicethread.</a>More on Voicethreadtag:www.classroom20.com,2007-10-01:649749:BlogPost:540742007-10-01T03:20:56.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="COLOR: black">This Friday when one of my colleagues was looking for a good 2.0 program to use with her digital photography class, she looked a Flickr, I guaranteed it world be blocked in the Ohio K- 12 environment, it was, and then suggested she look at Voicethread. Reluctantly she agreed and discovered this is a nice bit of software. It encourages storyboarding and reflective writing by its nature and…</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="COLOR: black">This Friday when one of my colleagues was looking for a good 2.0 program to use with her digital photography class, she looked a Flickr, I guaranteed it world be blocked in the Ohio K- 12 environment, it was, and then suggested she look at Voicethread. Reluctantly she agreed and discovered this is a nice bit of software. It encourages storyboarding and reflective writing by its nature and thus far is not filtered in</span> <span style="COLOR: black">Ohio</span><span style="COLOR: black">, where, trust me everything is. </span></font></p>Issues with audiotag:www.classroom20.com,2007-09-14:649749:BlogPost:492442007-09-14T15:55:25.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
I have posted a sound file created using a podcast program called "propaganda" it is running at 2x speed within classroom 2.0, which means I sound funny. If you play the linked file within my last post it sounds normal. I imagine that this is a Classroom 2.0 issue rather than a Propaganda issue but to verify I am going to see of the problem continues by creating a file using "audacity" and podcasting it. If the problem continues then I have a 2.0 issue in an environment with limited support.…
I have posted a sound file created using a podcast program called "propaganda" it is running at 2x speed within classroom 2.0, which means I sound funny. If you play the linked file within my last post it sounds normal. I imagine that this is a Classroom 2.0 issue rather than a Propaganda issue but to verify I am going to see of the problem continues by creating a file using "audacity" and podcasting it. If the problem continues then I have a 2.0 issue in an environment with limited support. This is a potential problem for schools and 2.0 apps in general. Something to think about....New Audio Casttag:www.classroom20.com,2007-09-11:649749:BlogPost:484732007-09-11T20:11:58.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
I have posted a new audio cast to this forum. My initial desire was to make it a podcast but is seems that classroom 2.0 dosen't know how to handle the xml file, so it is a link file from the website, To subscribe to it as a podcast <a href="http://personal.bgsu.edu/~gdavis/show/show.mp3">click here</a> . As I evolve from a desktop local apps user to a 2.0 (the internet is the computer) user I am finding that the transition is not as easy as one might be led to believe. The next week or so is…
I have posted a new audio cast to this forum. My initial desire was to make it a podcast but is seems that classroom 2.0 dosen't know how to handle the xml file, so it is a link file from the website, To subscribe to it as a podcast <a href="http://personal.bgsu.edu/~gdavis/show/show.mp3">click here</a> . As I evolve from a desktop local apps user to a 2.0 (the internet is the computer) user I am finding that the transition is not as easy as one might be led to believe. The next week or so is going to be telling. Just as a heads up I posted this for my EDTL 638 class so it might be a bit (more) boring for those of you who have the good fortune to <em>not</em> have to take this class.New spin on web 2.0tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-09-10:649749:BlogPost:481592007-09-10T17:39:40.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman">My spin on web 2.0 is that it is the future of computing in schools / k-12 education. The real question is when? 2.0 has great potential, the question is, how will districts manage access and who will host what apps. Will we be using Google apps in the form of a premium service such as business are starting to do now or will this be a local issue. There are some every important discussions that need to take place at…</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman">My spin on web 2.0 is that it is the future of computing in schools / k-12 education. The real question is when? 2.0 has great potential, the question is, how will districts manage access and who will host what apps. Will we be using Google apps in the form of a premium service such as business are starting to do now or will this be a local issue. There are some every important discussions that need to take place at both the state and the local levels in the very near term. The more “planful” the environment the more likely this new paradigm</font></p>Web 2.0 Applicationstag:www.classroom20.com,2007-09-06:649749:BlogPost:473802007-09-06T16:04:54.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
One of the biggest problems with web 2.0 apps is the user interface. There are no standards for navagation button placements or naming conventions. Each 2.0 application we use often has a different look and feel. Compare this to wordprocessing programs or spreadsheets, most have a very familiar look. In contrast to web 2.0 programs, it is easy to intuit you way through new word processors of spreadsheet programs. Compare Open Office to MS Word, very simular. Is there a solution?
One of the biggest problems with web 2.0 apps is the user interface. There are no standards for navagation button placements or naming conventions. Each 2.0 application we use often has a different look and feel. Compare this to wordprocessing programs or spreadsheets, most have a very familiar look. In contrast to web 2.0 programs, it is easy to intuit you way through new word processors of spreadsheet programs. Compare Open Office to MS Word, very simular. Is there a solution?2.0 in the classroomtag:www.classroom20.com,2007-09-04:649749:BlogPost:468162007-09-04T12:54:41.000Zgerry davishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/gerry5757
I am going to use this site as part of my EDTL 638 class, mostly because of the excellent information linked to it and the relevant forums shared by like minds. One of the key issues will be how well we are able to connect to these resources from schools. Content filtering and bandwidth shaping are huge issues in the conversation surrounding the use or ability to use 2.0 tools. I am leaving this post open to the world rather than just my class (friends) so it will be interesting to see if…
I am going to use this site as part of my EDTL 638 class, mostly because of the excellent information linked to it and the relevant forums shared by like minds. One of the key issues will be how well we are able to connect to these resources from schools. Content filtering and bandwidth shaping are huge issues in the conversation surrounding the use or ability to use 2.0 tools. I am leaving this post open to the world rather than just my class (friends) so it will be interesting to see if anyone esle chooses to participate in the dialogue.