Sylvia Martinez's Posts - Classroom 2.02024-03-29T09:43:22ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinezhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1949878422?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.classroom20.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=smartinez&xn_auth=noWhat Makes a Good Project?tag:www.classroom20.com,2008-11-13:649749:BlogPost:2147472008-11-13T23:55:31.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
<a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/11/12/what-makes-a-good-project/">What Makes a Good Project?</a> is a new article about how teachers can take project-based learning to the next level.
<a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/11/12/what-makes-a-good-project/">What Makes a Good Project?</a> is a new article about how teachers can take project-based learning to the next level.Believe in...tag:www.classroom20.com,2008-09-04:649749:BlogPost:1851092008-09-04T21:30:00.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
I've seen the video of Dalton Sherman, the 10 year old speaking to incoming teachers this year in Dallas. He's an amazing speaker, but I have more to say on the subject... as usual!<br />
<br />
Read my post <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/09/03/believe-in/">Believe in…</a><br />
<br />
Love your thoughts either here or there...<br />
<br />
Sylvia
I've seen the video of Dalton Sherman, the 10 year old speaking to incoming teachers this year in Dallas. He's an amazing speaker, but I have more to say on the subject... as usual!<br />
<br />
Read my post <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/09/03/believe-in/">Believe in…</a><br />
<br />
Love your thoughts either here or there...<br />
<br />
SylviaYou (yes, YOU) should present at a conferencetag:www.classroom20.com,2008-09-03:649749:BlogPost:1851072008-09-03T21:51:29.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Ever thought about presenting at an education technology conference? Here are some ideas - and how to include your students.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/09/02/you-yes-you-should-present-at-a-conference/">You (yes, YOU) should present at a conference</a><br />
<br />
Sylvia
Ever thought about presenting at an education technology conference? Here are some ideas - and how to include your students.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/09/02/you-yes-you-should-present-at-a-conference/">You (yes, YOU) should present at a conference</a><br />
<br />
SylviaWhy Does Daniel Pink Hate Me?tag:www.classroom20.com,2008-04-18:649749:BlogPost:1321392008-04-18T02:17:47.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi all,<br />
I just <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/04/16/why-does-daniel-pink-hate-me/">posted something new on my blog</a> about the book, <b><i>A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.</i></b>. I know it's been very popular in the education community, and I can see why. We certainly need more creativity and freedom in education.<br />
<br />
However, I found some things really bothered me about the book and I share them in my post.<br />
<br />
The idea that you have to divide people…
Hi all,<br />
I just <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/04/16/why-does-daniel-pink-hate-me/">posted something new on my blog</a> about the book, <b><i>A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.</i></b>. I know it's been very popular in the education community, and I can see why. We certainly need more creativity and freedom in education.<br />
<br />
However, I found some things really bothered me about the book and I share them in my post.<br />
<br />
The idea that you have to divide people into two camps, claim that one has been "ruling" over the other and that this must change is divisive. I don't know that I can support a call for creativity based on diminishing the accomplishments and gifts of some people and trumpeting others. Don't we as educators need to celebrate the gifts of all children, not talk about how one type of "mind" will "rule?"<br />
<br />
I also found his examples really weak and the creativity exercises uninspiring. Perhaps my expectations were set too high, or perhaps I just took the attack on left-brainers personally.<br />
<br />
Read and let me know what you think!Need help - anyone read Hebrew?tag:www.classroom20.com,2008-02-20:649749:BlogPost:1110782008-02-20T18:00:00.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi all,<br />
I'm looking for some translating help - no heavy lifting, I promise!<br />
<br />
I've had a Hebrew blog link to two of my recent blog posts and I'm just really curious about what they say! I don't need a word for word translation, but if anybody does read Hebrew, and can give me the gist of it (bad or good!), I'd be in your debt ;-)<br />
<br />
Here are the posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://interlearn.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_19.html">תהליך - ולא רק תוצר…</a>
Hi all,<br />
I'm looking for some translating help - no heavy lifting, I promise!<br />
<br />
I've had a Hebrew blog link to two of my recent blog posts and I'm just really curious about what they say! I don't need a word for word translation, but if anybody does read Hebrew, and can give me the gist of it (bad or good!), I'd be in your debt ;-)<br />
<br />
Here are the posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://interlearn.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_19.html">תהליך - ולא רק תוצר</a><br />
<a href="http://interlearn.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_18.html">הטכנולוגיה בוודאי אשמה</a><br />
<br />
Thanks in advance!<br />
<br />
SylviaWhat research says about project-based learningtag:www.classroom20.com,2008-02-15:649749:BlogPost:1096192008-02-15T06:31:23.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi all,<br />
I just posted a blog that might interest classroom 2.0'rs. <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/02/14/what-research-says-about-project-based-learning/">What research says about project-based learning.</a> Lots of teachers looking at technology in the classroom find that technology and projects go really well together. But it's not easy to implement project-based learning in the traditional classroom. There are lots of ideas here that might be helpful!<br />
<br />
Sylvia
Hi all,<br />
I just posted a blog that might interest classroom 2.0'rs. <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2008/02/14/what-research-says-about-project-based-learning/">What research says about project-based learning.</a> Lots of teachers looking at technology in the classroom find that technology and projects go really well together. But it's not easy to implement project-based learning in the traditional classroom. There are lots of ideas here that might be helpful!<br />
<br />
SylviaFostering Meaningful Teaching and Learning with Technology: Characteristics of Effective Professional Developmenttag:www.classroom20.com,2007-12-11:649749:BlogPost:873822007-12-11T03:35:36.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi Classroom 2.0-rs!<br></br>I just finished a 3-part blog post about a chapter in a great book called <strong class="sans"><em>Meaningful Learning Using Technology: What Educators Need to Know And Do</em></strong> edited by Elizabeth Alexander Ashburn, Robert E. Floden. This is on my GenYES blog:<br></br><ul>
<li><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/12/06/fostering-meaningful-teaching-and-learning-with-technology/" target="_blank" title="Link to this blog">Part 1</a> is about the book in…</li>
</ul>
Hi Classroom 2.0-rs!<br/>I just finished a 3-part blog post about a chapter in a great book called <strong class="sans"><em>Meaningful Learning Using Technology: What Educators Need to Know And Do</em></strong> edited by Elizabeth Alexander Ashburn, Robert E. Floden. This is on my GenYES blog:<br/><ul>
<li><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/12/06/fostering-meaningful-teaching-and-learning-with-technology/" title="Link to this blog" target="_blank">Part 1</a> is about the book in general and especially a chapter called, <strong>Fostering Meaningful Teaching and Learning with Technology: Characteristics of Effective Professional Development.</strong> In this chapter, the authors use research to define 4 key factors found in effective technology professional development, and explore 4 effective models that have these factors. (One of these is my own GenYES model)<br/></li>
<li><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/12/07/what-the-research-says-effective-technology-professional-development/" title="Link to this blog" target="_blank">Part 2</a> is a more detailed exploration of the 4 factors.</li>
<li><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/12/08/blending-models-of-technology-professional-development/">Part 3</a> is a detailed description of all four PD models, the similarities and differences between them, and how to blend them for maximum effectiveness.</li>
</ul>
Just a warning, these are 3 long posts, but it's an important subject. Lots of educators who find that technology rekindles their passion for teaching wonder why they can't explain it to others. Many times we hear that professional development is to blame, or we need "more" professional development, but don't question whether it actually works to change how teachers use technology. By looking at strengths and weakness of models, it can help to create a blend of different approaches that support different needs.<br/><br/>It's tough to slog through textbooks when you have left grad school behind, but I think we do need to read through research every once in a while and see if the assumptions we make are validated by others.<br/><br/>Hope you find it interesting!<br/><br/>New York Constructivist Celebrationtag:www.classroom20.com,2007-11-08:649749:BlogPost:727082007-11-08T04:33:17.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
<p><img src="The%20Constructivist%20Celebration%20II%20is%20coming%20to%20NYSCATE%20%28the%20New%20York%20state%20educational%20technology%20conference%29%20on%20Saturday,%20November%2017,%202007.%20This%20event%20will%20be%20a%20daylong%20hands-on%20workshop%20celebrating%20the%20fun%20of%20creative%20learning%20with%20technology.%20If%20you%20are%20going%20to%20be%20in%20Rochester,%20NY%20for%20NYSCATE,%20be%20sure%20to%20sign%20up%20for%20this%20pre-conference%20workshop." style="float: left;"></img> <img height="130" src="http://constructivistconsortium.org/images/celebration%20logo%20small+.png" style="float: left;" width="132"></img> The Constructivist Celebration II is coming to NYSCATE (the New York state educational technology conference) on Saturday, November 17, 2007. This event will be a daylong hands-on workshop celebrating the
fun of creative learning with technology. If you are going to be in<br />
Rochester, NY for NYSCATE, be sure to sign up for this pre-conference<br />
workshop.</p>
<p>( <a href="http://www.constructivistconsortium.org/events/index.html" target="_blank" title="Link offsite">More…</a></p>
<p><img style="float: left;" src="The%20Constructivist%20Celebration%20II%20is%20coming%20to%20NYSCATE%20%28the%20New%20York%20state%20educational%20technology%20conference%29%20on%20Saturday,%20November%2017,%202007.%20This%20event%20will%20be%20a%20daylong%20hands-on%20workshop%20celebrating%20the%20fun%20of%20creative%20learning%20with%20technology.%20If%20you%20are%20going%20to%20be%20in%20Rochester,%20NY%20for%20NYSCATE,%20be%20sure%20to%20sign%20up%20for%20this%20pre-conference%20workshop."/> <img style="float: left;" src="http://constructivistconsortium.org/images/celebration%20logo%20small+.png" height="130" width="132"/> The Constructivist Celebration II is coming to NYSCATE (the New York state educational technology conference) on Saturday, November 17,
2007. This event will be a daylong hands-on workshop celebrating the<br />
fun of creative learning with technology. If you are going to be in<br />
Rochester, NY for NYSCATE, be sure to sign up for this pre-conference<br />
workshop.</p>
<p>( <a href="http://www.constructivistconsortium.org/events/index.html" title="Link offsite" target="_blank">More details</a> | <a href="http://www.nyscate.org/conferences.cfm?subpage=253" title="Link offsite" target="_blank">Registration link</a> )</p>Halo 3 launch musings - games for school and a contest!tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-09-28:649749:BlogPost:533072007-09-28T15:44:47.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi Classroom 2.0'rs-<br></br>For your Friday persusal, I offer you my latest blog musing: <br></br><h2><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/09/27/halo-3-shines-harsh-light-on-games-in-education/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Halo 3 shines harsh light on games in education">Halo 3 shines harsh light on games in education</a></h2>
Did you know:<br></br><ul>
<li>In one week, more people will purchase a copy of Halo 3 than there are teachers in the United States.</li>
<li>Every public…</li>
</ul>
Hi Classroom 2.0'rs-<br/>For your Friday persusal, I offer you my latest blog musing: <br/><h2><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/09/27/halo-3-shines-harsh-light-on-games-in-education/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Halo 3 shines harsh light on games in education">Halo 3 shines harsh light on games in education</a></h2>
Did you know:<br/><ul>
<li>In one week, more people will purchase a copy of Halo 3 than there are teachers in the United States.</li>
<li>Every public school in the U.S. would have to purchase 100 copies of a game to match the sales of Halo 3</li>
<li>There will be one Halo 3 game purchased for every 5 students, or about 3 games per class (US kindergarten to high school.)</li>
</ul>
Whether you love the idea of games in schools, or think it's a crazy idea, there are some market realities that influence game designers that might surprise you.<br/><br/><b>Extra bonus:</b> at the end of the post, there is an announcment about a new MacArthur Foundation competition you might find worth your time!<br/><br/>Enjoy the weekend-<br/>Sylvia<br/><br/><br/>Sharing Student Voice: Students Presenting at Conferencestag:www.classroom20.com,2007-09-11:649749:BlogPost:482872007-09-11T04:21:07.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi all Classroom 2.0-ers!<br></br><br></br>I just finished a new whitepaper, <a href="http://genyes.com/media/freeresources/sharing_student_voice_at_conferences.pdf">Sharing Student Voice: Students Presenting at Conferences</a>. There is more about it <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/09/10/sharing-student-voice-students-presenting-at-conferences/">on the GenYES blog</a>, but in short, it's about how planning and presenting at a conference can be a part of enabling student…
Hi all Classroom 2.0-ers!<br/><br/>I just finished a new whitepaper, <a href="http://genyes.com/media/freeresources/sharing_student_voice_at_conferences.pdf">Sharing Student Voice: Students Presenting at Conferences</a>. There is more about it <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/09/10/sharing-student-voice-students-presenting-at-conferences/">on the GenYES blog</a>, but in short, it's about how planning and presenting at a conference can be a part of enabling student voice.<br/><p>The paper contains:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://genyes.com/media/freeresources/sharing_student_voice_at_conferences.pdf"><img style="float: right;" src="http://genyes.com/media/freeresources/cover_sharing_student_voice.jpg"/></a>Research on student voice and student empowerment, reflecting on 21st century skill development and inclusion of Web 2.0 technology</li>
<li>Planning, creating, and practicing the presentation while creating student ownership</li>
<li>Treating the presentation as part of the reflective process that builds student voice</li>
<li>Balancing the needs of the audience with the needs of students while retaining authentic student voice</li>
<li>Top Ten Tips for Student Presenters</li>
<li>Logistics tips for bigger conferences and exhibit halls</li>
<li>The role of the teacher in the presentation, providing context and being the audience surrogate</li>
</ul>
Please feel free to download, print, and share it! Bringing students to conferences is fun, and having them show what you are doing to use Web 2.0 technology in the classroom is really great for them, and shows the audience that this is real!<br/><br/>Sylvia<br/>Web 2.0 and historical perspectivestag:www.classroom20.com,2007-07-29:649749:BlogPost:375302007-07-29T16:01:19.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi all,<br></br>Hope everyone is having a great summer!<br></br><br></br>I just <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/07/28/web-20-and-historical-perspectives/">posted some thoughts about Web 2.0</a> in education and the impact on educational reform. So many educators are being inspired by new tools and technology! It's an exciting time, and it feels like "something" is going to happen to change education. That's the good news... the bad news is that this is very similar to what happened when…
Hi all,<br/>Hope everyone is having a great summer!<br/><br/>I just <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/07/28/web-20-and-historical-perspectives/">posted some thoughts about Web 2.0</a> in education and the impact on educational reform. So many educators are being inspired by new tools and technology! It's an exciting time, and it feels like "something" is going to happen to change education. That's the good news... the bad news is that this is very similar to what happened when computers were first introduced in schools. Read more on <a href="http://blog.genyes.com">my main blog</a> if you'd like!<br/>Sylvia<br/>NECC - last day!tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-27:649749:BlogPost:296902007-06-27T11:36:31.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
OK, just like always, despite my plans, NECC has completely slipped away!<br/><br/>I did post two blogs about it.<br/><br/>About the commercial interests - <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/23/neccbuyerbeware/">NECC, Buyer Beware</a><br/>About the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/25/constructivist-celebration/">Constructivist Celebration</a><br/><br/>Hope to get to see some people today!<br/><br/>Sylvia<br/>
OK, just like always, despite my plans, NECC has completely slipped away!<br/><br/>I did post two blogs about it.<br/><br/>About the commercial interests - <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/23/neccbuyerbeware/">NECC, Buyer Beware</a><br/>About the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/25/constructivist-celebration/">Constructivist Celebration</a><br/><br/>Hope to get to see some people today!<br/><br/>Sylvia<br/>That’s hot - Web 2.0 and the empty vesseltag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-22:649749:BlogPost:289572007-06-22T04:30:58.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Cross-posted at the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/21/thats-hot-web-20-and-the-empty-vessel/">Generation YES blog</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<p>“____ 2.0″ is turning into a catch phrase for educational technology bloggers and conference presenters, who know that anything with 2.0 in the title
gets attention. Taking a dip into the marketing world, it’s easy to see<br />
why. Although Web 2.0 has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0" target="_blank" title="Link offsite">definition</a><br />
that…</p>
Cross-posted at the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/21/thats-hot-web-20-and-the-empty-vessel/">Generation YES blog</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<p>“____ 2.0″ is turning into a catch phrase for educational technology bloggers
and conference presenters, who know that anything with 2.0 in the title<br />
gets attention. Taking a dip into the marketing world, it’s easy to see<br />
why. Although Web 2.0 has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0" title="Link offsite" target="_blank">definition</a><br />
that relates to the underlying technology, it has come to mean much<br />
more. It’s a social movement, a defining line between who “gets it” and<br />
who doesn’t, a feeling, a look, and a value system.</p>
<p>It’s what marketing mavens call an “<a href="http://www.igorinternational.com/press/all-about-branding-products-business.php" title="Link offsite" target="_blank">empty vessel</a>” - a phrase or name that has no real meaning, but sort of suggests
someting. In that vacuum, people can insert their own interpretation<br />
and actually feel like they understand the product or brand better as a<br />
result. By simply adding 2.0 to pretty much anything, it neatly implies<br />
the “second generation” of something with a techie twist.</p>
<p>So themes like Classroom 2.0 and School 2.0 become a shared idea with no real meaning. They signal that something is changing without
anyone having to say exactly what that is. We can all agree that<br />
“Classroom 2.0″ is a good thing, because each of us fills that empty<br />
vessel with our own idea of what a new version of a classroom looks<br />
like.</p>
<p>Hey, I’m the first to admit I do it - I did <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/21/educomm-including-students-in-web-20/">a conference presentation this morning</a> about including students in Web 2.0
implementations. My version of Classroom 2.0 has students involved in<br />
constructivist projects using open-ended technology tools in a<br />
collaborative learning community. It drew a nice crowd, even though<br />
everyone came in with a completely different idea about what Web 2.0<br />
meant to them.</p>
<p>But that’s OK - at least we agree that something is changing and <em>that’s hot</em>*</p>
<p>Sylvia</p>
<p>* For those of you who hate TV and never read trashy magazines, “That’s hot” is the catch phrase of Paris Hilton, who has turned being
famous for nothing into a major career.</p>Stepping Up to the Buffettag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-18:649749:BlogPost:278832007-06-18T05:33:29.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi Classroom 2.0'rs-<br/>I just posted something on my blog with my <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/17/stepping-up-to-the-buffet/">two cents about the gender imbalance in educational technology leadership</a>. Love your thoughts too!<br/><br/>Sylvia<br/>
Hi Classroom 2.0'rs-<br/>I just posted something on my blog with my <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/17/stepping-up-to-the-buffet/">two cents about the gender imbalance in educational technology leadership</a>. Love your thoughts too!<br/><br/>Sylvia<br/>Must-see lineup of ed technology heavyweight speakerstag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-01:649749:BlogPost:241092007-06-01T20:06:48.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
<a href="http://educomm.educatorsportal.com/" target="_blank" title="Link offsite">Educomm</a><br />
is coming up soon, in Anaheim, California (June 19-21). Educomm is the<br />
educational side of Infocomm, the world’s largest AV communications and<br />
presentation technologies trade show.<br />
<p><strong>Alan Kay</strong> (inventor of the personal computer), <strong>David Pogue</strong> (tech writer for the New York Times and author of the Missing Manual series of books) are keynoting. Featured speakers include…</p>
<a href="http://educomm.educatorsportal.com/" title="Link offsite" target="_blank">Educomm</a><br />
is coming up soon, in Anaheim, California (June 19-21). Educomm is the<br />
educational side of Infocomm, the world’s largest AV communications and<br />
presentation technologies trade show.<br />
<p><strong>Alan Kay</strong> (inventor of the personal computer), <strong>David Pogue</strong> (tech writer for the New York Times and author of the Missing Manual series of books) are keynoting. Featured speakers include <a href="http://discoveryeducation.typepad.com/media_matters/" title="Link offsite" target="_blank">Hall Davidson</a>, <a href="http://www.wesfryer.com/default.htm" title="Link offsite" target="_blank">Wesley Fryer</a>, <a href="http://www.aalf.org/" title="Laptops in Education" target="_blank">Bruce Dixon</a>, and <a href="http://stager.org/" title="Link offsite" target="_blank">Gary Stager</a>.</p>
<p>Alan Kay is probably the most profound thinker about technology and learning of our generation. The laptop, the Graphical User Interface
(GUI), P2P networking, and Squeak are but a few of his contributions.<br />
David Pogue is wildly entertaining and his keynotes include singing and<br />
piano playing.</p>
<p>Not only do you get this lineup of speakers, but you get access to Infocomm, which is a techie’s dream come true. Now in its fourth year,
EduComm is the only national technology management conference focused<br />
on the integration of audio-visual and information technology to<br />
enhance the classroom experience. This year’s focus is Web 2.0 - wikis,<br />
blogging, online collaboration tools and more - and how these<br />
applications are changing the face of education.</p>
<p><strong>Discounts</strong> - teams of three can get in for the price of two, and CUE members receive a $150 discount on registration when using ECUE code.<br/></p>
<p>I’ll be speaking too about including students in your Web 2.0 vision - come by and say hi!</p>
<p><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/06/01/educomm-a-must-see-lineup-of-speakers/">Cross-posted at the GenYES Blog</a><br/></p>Exploring Second Life with K-12 Students in Mindtag:www.classroom20.com,2007-05-16:649749:BlogPost:172262007-05-16T12:09:54.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
<img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1974044912?profile=original=" style="float: right;"></img> Hi 2.0'rs!<br></br>I've been spending some time in Second Life. Here's my first <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/05/15/second-life/">post about it</a>.<br></br><br></br> I "get" the collaboration possibilities, but fear overhype about the educational potential (like proposed math manipulatives, physics sims, etc.)<br></br><br></br>I'd love input, especially about the math/science/programming…
<img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1974044912?profile=original=" alt="" style="float: right;"/>Hi 2.0'rs!<br/>I've been spending some time in Second Life. Here's my first <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/05/15/second-life/">post about it</a>.<br/><br/> I "get" the collaboration possibilities, but fear overhype about the educational potential (like proposed math manipulatives, physics sims, etc.)<br/><br/>I'd love input, especially about the math/science/programming implications.<br/>
<br/>Sylvia<br/><br/>Hooked on instructiontag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-30:649749:BlogPost:96292007-04-30T15:54:37.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi Classroom 2.0'rs!<br></br>I just posted something on my blog over at GenYES about one reason why teachers stick with instructional techniques (1.0 teaching) instead of using more 2,0 teaching techniques - call it guide-on-the-side vs. sage-on-the-stage, or constructivist, or project-based, or progressive. There are many, many reasons, but here's one that may be new (plus I got a comment on that post! I'm so excited!)…<br></br><br></br>
Hi Classroom 2.0'rs!<br/>I just posted something on my blog over at GenYES about one reason why teachers stick with instructional techniques (1.0 teaching) instead of using more 2,0 teaching techniques - call it guide-on-the-side vs. sage-on-the-stage, or constructivist, or project-based, or progressive. There are many, many reasons, but here's one that may be new (plus I got a comment on that post! I'm so excited!)<br/><br/><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/29/hooked-on-instruction/">Hooked on instruction</a><br/><br/>Love your comments!<br/>Sylvia<br/>Responses to Gates and Broad $60M to push "educational reform"tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-26:649749:BlogPost:83202007-04-26T23:52:03.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
<a class="blines3" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/education/25schools.html" target="_blank" title="Link outside of this blog"></a>Eli Broad and Bill Gates plan to spend $60 Million<br />
to push "educational reform" to the top of the 2008 political agenda. Who thinks this constitutes reform?<br></br><br></br>Here's the agenda:<br></br><ul>
<li>National standardized curriculum</li>
<li>Longer school day</li>
<li>Merit pay</li>
</ul>
There are some great comments about this on the web:<br></br>Roger Shank at…
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/education/25schools.html" target="_blank" class="blines3" title="Link outside of this blog"></a>Eli Broad and Bill Gates plan to spend $60 Million<br />
to push "educational reform" to the top of the 2008 political agenda. Who thinks this constitutes reform?<br/><br/>Here's the agenda:<br/><ul>
<li>National standardized curriculum</li>
<li>Longer school day</li>
<li>Merit pay</li>
</ul>
There are some great comments about this on the web:<br/>Roger Shank at The Pulse: <a href="http://www.districtadministration.com/pulse/commentpost.aspx?news=no&postid=18983">One More Time; Rich Folks Misunderstand Education Reform</a><br/><i>"I am glad that some rich guys have decided it is important to fix American education. Their method – get the candidates to take education
reform seriously - sounds good on the surface but it will be another<br />
waste of money – the same money that could actually fix the nation’s<br />
schools."</i><br/><br/><br/>Next Things Blog - <a href="http://nexthings.blogspot.com/2007/04/self-defeating-standardization.html">Self-defeating Standardization</a><br/><i>"Lengthening the school day and the school year are entirely unnecessary
if teachers could make curriculum choices that fully engaged students<br />
in learning. Students pay scant attention to the dreary materials<br />
served up to them now. Why prolong the agony?"</i><br/><br/>And summing it all up: <a href="http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/aaaarrrrrgggghhhhh/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!">AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!</a> from Will Richardson<br/><br/>Game design - classroom 2.0 isn't just about the web...tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-26:649749:BlogPost:74762007-04-26T21:20:29.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Nate Stearns read my bio here about being a game designer in a previous life and asked me some questions about that. We had a nice email discussion, but it seemed like a good subject and I'm never one to waste good content!<br />
<br />
I've posted some resources for educators interested in game design at the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/23/game-design-as-an-educational-activity/">Genyes blog</a>. Game design is a terrific activity for students. It requires critical thinking, planning,…
Nate Stearns read my bio here about being a game designer in a previous life and asked me some questions about that. We had a nice email discussion, but it seemed like a good subject and I'm never one to waste good content!<br />
<br />
I've posted some resources for educators interested in game design at the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/23/game-design-as-an-educational-activity/">Genyes blog</a>. Game design is a terrific activity for students. It requires critical thinking, planning, expressing your thoughts for an audience, mastery of programming, text, visual and human interface literacy, collaborating….. Doesn't that sound like Classroom 2.0?<br />
<br />
There tends to be a huge gap in schools betweeen introductory courses in computer applications and AP computer science or IT certification courses. Game design is the perfect way to fill that gap with cross-curricular, constructivist projects that are of high interest to a wide variety of students.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/23/game-design-as-an-educational-activity/">More here...</a> <br/>Scenes from a Blogtag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-19:649749:BlogPost:61732007-04-19T00:17:00.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Thought you guys might like this graphic portrayal of the "verbal jousting in the life cycle of a blog post." Could this be us in the future? I think I've seen this happen in blogs out in the "real" world!<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://blog.pentagram.com/archives/2007/04/portrait_of_a_blog.php">Scenes from a Blog</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1974045125?profile=original=?width=300"></img></p>
<br></br>It apparently ran on the editorial page of the NY Times 4/7/07. I happened to find it on a search for something…
Thought you guys might like this graphic portrayal of the "verbal jousting in the life cycle of a blog post." Could this be us in the future? I think I've seen this happen in blogs out in the "real" world!<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://blog.pentagram.com/archives/2007/04/portrait_of_a_blog.php">Scenes from a Blog</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1974045125?profile=original=?width=300" alt=""/></p>
<br/>It apparently ran on the editorial page of the NY Times 4/7/07. I happened to find it on a search for something else. (isn't that typical?)<br/><br/><br/>Next week - live blogging from Longfellow Middle School on Nick News visittag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-17:649749:BlogPost:49712007-04-17T23:42:54.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Hi all,<br></br>We got some exciting news a few weeks ago - Nick News with Linda Ellerbee picked one of our longtime GenYES schools for a profile in a series about education. They were intrigued by the students mentoring teachers and all the local and global student projects.<br></br><br></br>The camera crews are due to show up on Monday, April 17 at Longfellow Middle School in Hill City, Kansas. I've added an eighth grader, Theresa, as a contributor to the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com">Generation YES…</a>
Hi all,<br/>We got some exciting news a few weeks ago - Nick News with Linda Ellerbee picked one of our longtime GenYES schools for a profile in a series about education. They were intrigued by the students mentoring teachers and all the local and global student projects.<br/><br/>The camera crews are due to show up on Monday, April 17 at Longfellow Middle School in Hill City, Kansas. I've added an eighth grader, Theresa, as a contributor to the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com">Generation YES blog</a>, and she and some other students are going to be taking photos and reporting on the event as it happens.<br/><br/>The student projects include websites, podcasts, global collaboration projects, HeadStart, and more. There is some introduction <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/13/nick-news-at-longfellow-middle-school/">here</a>.<br/><br/>Theresa's <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/13/2007-04-12-nick-news-is-coming/">first post is here</a>. Scott Parker, the GenYES teacher at Longfellow, calls her a "power blogger". She captures the excitement of the students and is reflective, imaginative, serious, and committed. We so underestimate these children -- I'm looking forward to her next posts.<br/><br/><i><b>Updated 4/16</b></i> - <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/16/nick-news-visits-longfellow-middle-school-day-one/">Nick News at Longfellow Middle School - Day One</a>. New student post about first
day of videotaping.<br/><br/><b><i>Updated 4/17</i></b> - <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/17/nick-news-visits-longfellow-middle-school-day-two/">Theresa continues to post - Day Two</a>. Today her post tells a story and reflects a bit on her own blogging experience and how it has changed her:<br/><br/>"I now see how difficult it is for a blogger to blog everyday. They
always have to have an idea of what to write about and how to put it <br />
into words that people of all ages can comprehend."<br/><br/>"I’ve always been told that I
can do what I want to do if I set my mind to it. Well, I didn’t believe <br />
in that until now. ... I struggle with a lot <br />
of things, but I have teachers who support me and they are here to help <br />
no matter who it is and what the situation is. I know I’m going to go <br />
to high school with this experience in my head all the time."<br/><br/>So why in the world would anyone want to restrict student 2.0 experiencs like blogging. It's about writing for an audience, being reflective, and finding out more about yourself and your own capabilities.<br/>One Laptop Per Child and Generation YEStag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-17:649749:BlogPost:58852007-04-17T18:41:36.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Cross posted from the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/17/one-laptop-per-child/">Generation YES blog</a>...<br></br><br></br>I was recently asked to do a guest blog on the <a href="http://www.olpcnews.com/" target="_blank" title="OLPC News">OLPC News website</a>
(not affiliated with the OLPC project.) OLPC News tries to be an<br />
“independent source for news, information, commentary, and discussion”<br />
of the OLPC project. Although it skews towards skepticism, they do try<br />
to be fair…
Cross posted from the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/17/one-laptop-per-child/">Generation YES blog</a>...<br/><br/>I was recently asked to do a guest blog on the <a href="http://www.olpcnews.com/" title="OLPC News" target="_blank">OLPC News website</a>
(not affiliated with the OLPC project.) OLPC News tries to be an <br />
“independent source for news, information, commentary, and discussion” <br />
of the OLPC project. Although it skews towards skepticism, they do try <br />
to be fair overall. They asked me to share some insight on how our <br />
Generation YES experience might shed some light on the OLPC project, since both of them are rooted in the same child-centered, constructivist philosophy. I <br />
did so in this <a href="http://www.olpcnews.com/use_cases/education/generation_yes_laptop.html" title="A Generation YES for One Laptop Per Child" target="_blank">guest blog post</a> on their site.<br/><br/>I realized it would be a somewhat hostile audience, but it’s worth it to get the message out.
<p>So far the comments have been mostly nasty, but pretty easy to refute, since some people apparently have too much time on their hands to find out-of-context things to post. It's the first time I've every had to deal with any negative (and openly hostile) comments on a blog, so this is a learning experience for me!<br/></p><br/><br/><br/>So sad...tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-17:649749:BlogPost:58212007-04-17T05:22:48.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
I'm just so sad for all the people who were killed and injured at Virginia Tech today. I ache for the families who got an unimaginable phone call today. I'm so, so sorry for everyone involved.<br/>
I'm just so sad for all the people who were killed and injured at Virginia Tech today. I ache for the families who got an unimaginable phone call today. I'm so, so sorry for everyone involved.<br/>Students writing too much.. this is a problem?tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-11:649749:BlogPost:41802007-04-11T20:55:23.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
<font size="2"><b>When blogging becomes a teacher-centered activity<br></br></b>I just posted on this topic on the Generation YES blog.</font> <font size="2">It's about a dilemma we've come across with teachers turning off the blogs we provide because "students write too
much" - and thinking about what we should do. I invite Classroom<br />
2.0-ers to comment as well! We need all the ideas we can get....</font><font size="2"><br></br><br></br><i>Here's the start of the post...…</i><br></br></font><p></p>
<font size="2"><b>When blogging becomes a teacher-centered activity<br/></b>I just posted on this topic on the Generation YES blog.</font> <font size="2">It's about a dilemma we've come across with teachers turning off the blogs we provide because "students write too
much" - and thinking about what we should do. I invite Classroom <br />
2.0-ers to comment as well! We need all the ideas we can get....</font><font size="2"><br/><br/><i>Here's the start of the post...</i><br/></font><p><font size="2">Recently,
teachers have come up to me at conferences and say they had turned off <br />
the GenYES or Generation TECH blog tools because “the kids write too <br />
much.” At first I was surprised that student writing would be a problem!</font></p>
<p><font size="2">But in thinking about it, it dawned on me that the the problem
wasn’t student writing, it was teacher reading. The teacher was a <br />
bottleneck, and the teacher-centric view of how the blog worked <br />
(students write, teacher reads) was clearly causing this problem. <br />
What’s worse, could our tool design be reinforcing this? <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/04/10/when-blogging-becomes-a-teacher-centered-activity/">(read the rest)</a><br/><br/>
For those of you who don't know about the GenYES program, it's a <br />
student-led technology mentoring model for teachers. We also have a <br />
student-led tech support curriculum called Generation TECH. Both of <br />
these programs have tools for the classroom that include student blogs.</font></p>What are friends for?tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-09:649749:BlogPost:36662007-04-09T06:27:45.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
I came to Classroom 2.0 without any idea about how things really worked. Even though I've been on Linked In for a while and I sort of knew about the whole friends thing on MySpace, I hadn't experienced it myself.<br></br><br></br>What I've seen people post so far is that it's a tool to gain visibility, a competition for attention and/or a way to deal with larger crowds. (sorry I don't have the energy to link to these ideas or properly credit them!)<br></br><br></br>However, none of those things really applies…
I came to Classroom 2.0 without any idea about how things really worked. Even though I've been on Linked In for a while and I sort of knew about the whole friends thing on MySpace, I hadn't experienced it myself.<br/><br/>What I've seen people post so far is that it's a tool to gain visibility, a competition for attention and/or a way to deal with larger crowds. (sorry I don't have the energy to link to these ideas or properly credit them!)<br/><br/>However, none of those things really applies to us. We aren't struggling bands or lonely singles or job hunters. We don't need a list of names to make us feel better about ourselves and we don't have too many people to strain the feeling of community (yet).<br/><br/>So maybe friends won't mean anything to this community. If that's true, it will simply cease to be of interest.<br/><br/>That's not to say that there may be friend features that can be added that create value for the people who are here. So I think the conversation about features is interesting, especially if we can figure out what this specific group of people needs, rather than what we've seen in other places or what can be done technology-wise.<br/><br/>Being a naturally lazy person, leveraging off other's people work is always good. One thing I've found out is that it's got a name, "Friending" and there are "established Friending norms" - who knew? Here's a cool article about this on <span style="font-style: italic;">First Monday</span>, <a href="http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue11_12/boyd/#author">Friends, friendsters, and top 8: Writing community into being on social network sites.</a><br/><br/>Thoughts?<br/>The products tested in the USDOE study of educational softwaretag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-07:649749:BlogPost:33402007-04-07T18:00:00.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
The <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005/index.asp">recent study</a> from the US DOE about the impact of certain educational sofware packages on test scores was discussed <a href="../../../../../../../profiles/blog/show?id=649749%3ABlogPost%3A3174">here</a> and <a href="../../../../../../../profiles/blog/show?id=649749%3ABlogPost%3A2870">here</a>.<br></br><br></br><b>First grade reading software products</b> (11 districts and 43 schools. 158 teachers and 2,619…
The <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005/index.asp">recent study</a> from the US DOE about the impact of certain educational sofware packages on test scores was discussed <a href="../../../../../../../profiles/blog/show?id=649749%3ABlogPost%3A3174">here</a> and <a href="../../../../../../../profiles/blog/show?id=649749%3ABlogPost%3A2870">here</a>.<br/><br/><b>First grade reading software products</b> (11 districts and 43 schools. 158 teachers and 2,619 students.)<br/><ul><li>Destination
Reading (published by Riverdeep)</li><li>Waterford Early Reading Program
(published by Pearson Digital Learning)</li><li>Headsprout (published by
Headsprout)</li><li>Plato Focus (published by Plato)</li><li>Academy of
Reading (published by Autoskill)</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fourth grade reading products</span> (nine districts and 43 schools. 118
teachers and 2,265 students.)<br/><ul><li>Leapfrog (published
by Leaptrack)</li><li>Read 180 (published by Scholastic),</li><li>Academy of Reading
(published by Autoskill)</li><li>KnowledgeBox (published by Pearson
Digital Learning)</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sixth grade math products</span> (10 districts and 28 schools. 81 teachers and 3,136
students.)<br/><ul><li>Larson Pre-Algebra (published by
Houghton-Mifflin)</li><li>Achieve Now (published by Plato),</li><li>iLearn Math
(published by iLearn)</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Algebra products</span> (10
districts and 23 schools. 69 classrooms and 1,404 <br />
students.)<br/><ul><li>Cognitive Tutor Algebra (published by
Carnegie Learning)</li><li>Plato Algebra (published by Plato)</li><li>Larson
Algebra (published by Houghton-Mifflin)</li></ul>What I don't get so far...tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-07:649749:BlogPost:33252007-04-07T16:26:04.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
This is my first foray into social networking, other than watching over my daughter's shoulder. By the way, just yesterday she told me she has taken down her MySpace page. It's been a constant with her for the last 3 years and she has thousands of "friends", most of whom she met in real life first and actually seems to know. She taught herself Flash and HTML programming because of it. I tried to engage her in a conversation about it and the most I could get out of her was, "it's just annoying…
This is my first foray into social networking, other than watching over my daughter's shoulder. By the way, just yesterday she told me she has taken down her MySpace page. It's been a constant with her for the last 3 years and she has thousands of "friends", most of whom she met in real life first and actually seems to know. She taught herself Flash and HTML programming because of it. I tried to engage her in a conversation about it and the most I could get out of her was, "it's just annoying now." Whether this is her growing up (19, first year of college) or MySpace being cluttered with ads and robot-friends or something else I'm not sure.<br/><br/>All that aside, this community has been a cool place so far for me, but I feel like I'm still missing parts of the puzzle.<br/><br/>Maybe some of you can clue me in on what I'm not seeing!<br/><br/>1. I don't quite understand what having "friends" means. I'm happy when someone asks me, but I don't know why. Should that matter? So I've accepted every invitation. But what does that get me? Is there something I should be doing with my friends that I'm not doing with other people? Am I supposed to be asking people to be friends too? What are friends for? (the musical portion of the question)<br/><br/>2. I wish there was some "here" here. I guess by that I mean a notice that someone is actually around live. Maybe that's just so last Thursday, but when I get an email saying that there is a new comment, and I go to the site and there are posts from minutes ago, I get the feeling like there are people "here" but I just can't see them or talk to them. It's like being a ghost in the room and seems sad somehow. I know this exists in some tools, and maybe this is a "coming soon" feature. So the question is, Is chatting important or not important to a community?<br/><br/>3. Why is the chatterwall different from posts? Is this the answer to #2?<br/><br/>Ning seems to have its little quirks and growing pains, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm asking for a guide to the social scene and a tour through people's heads.<br/>The "Ed Tech" Study and why this is important for Classroom 2.0tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-06:649749:BlogPost:31742007-04-06T20:57:45.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Yesterday I posted about the pre-release headlines on a USDOE study that concluded that certain educational software packages did not increase standardized test scores, and why this will hurt efforts to promote ALL technology use in classrooms.<br></br><br></br>Today the study is out and <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005/" target="_blank" title="Study of Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software">here’s the link</a>. It's called:…
Yesterday I posted about the pre-release headlines on a USDOE study that concluded that certain educational software packages did not increase standardized test scores, and why this will hurt efforts to promote ALL technology use in classrooms.<br/><br/>Today the study is out and <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005/" title="Study of Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software" target="_blank">here’s the link</a>. It's called: <strong><span class="BannerTitling" style="color: rgb(0, 25, 85);">Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Student Cohort.</span></strong> And guess what, the <em><strong>first sentence</strong></em> of the summary already says it’s about “education technology.” That’s just plain sloppy.<br/><br/>I've glanced through it, and I'll read it again thoroughly. It's pretty much what I guessed yesterday, big publishers with big products that claim to raise test scores in math and reading. The "student achievement" they tested was based on standardized tests.<br/><br/>Oh well, too bad, test prep software doesn't work and standardized tests are bad assessments. They deserve each other. I'm not crying for these companies who have been promoting their effectiveness in increasing test scores, or the districts who pay millions of dollars hoping for a swift solution to avoid the hard work of teaching and learning.<br/><br/>So on the one hand, I'm glad the USDOE had the guts to publish this study. On the other hand, they allowed the publishers to hide behind aggregated results.<br/><br/>Classroom 2.0 advocates have to be clear that what we are talking about are student (and teacher) empowerment and agency, not tools, or else it becomes muddled with everything else that plugs in in a classroom. We also have a duty to be critical of "solutions" offered by vendors that co-opt the language but don't deliver. We have to be willing to say that out loud online, in schools, and to people outside of our own circle of friends.<br/><br/>OK, Now I'm Mad..tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-05:649749:BlogPost:28702007-04-05T17:46:49.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
This morning's news brings the exciting headlines <a href="http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/6885372.html" id="s-2ZDAkxP-cKubKZbpHRsblA:r-5_1115096808" name="s-2ZDAkxP-cKubKZbpHRsblA:r-5_1115096808">Education Technology Isn't Helping</a>, and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/05/education.technology.ap/" id="s-CMIaWQzTt21e1lHbhQIoPQ:r-1_1115096808" name="s-CMIaWQzTt21e1lHbhQIoPQ:r-1_1115096808">Study: No benefit going high-tech for math and science</a>, because of a new study…
This morning's news brings the exciting headlines <a href="http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/6885372.html" id="s-2ZDAkxP-cKubKZbpHRsblA:r-5_1115096808" name="s-2ZDAkxP-cKubKZbpHRsblA:r-5_1115096808">Education Technology Isn't Helping</a>, and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/05/education.technology.ap/" id="s-CMIaWQzTt21e1lHbhQIoPQ:r-1_1115096808" name="s-CMIaWQzTt21e1lHbhQIoPQ:r-1_1115096808">Study: No benefit going high-tech for math and science</a>, because of a new study released today by the US Department of Education.<br/><br/>Duh - this is old news, there has been decades of research showing that drilling kids does nothing, even if you pretty up it up with fancy names and graphics.<br/><br/>But our language for this stuff is so limited. The headlines SHOULD read, "<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Bad Educational Practice Proved Ineffective, Again!</span>" But no, it gets called "educational software" or "educational technology", and immediately gets tied to EETT funding. It's an obvious conclusion, although the Washington Post gets it sort of right, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402715.html?nav=rss_education">Software's Benefits on Tests In Doubt: Study Says Tools Don't Raise Scores</a>.<br/><br/>OK, if I thought test scores mattered, I might care about that.<br/><br/>But here's what I care about.<br/><br/>Now, every time we talk about kids doing interesting stuff that involves a computer, we'll get hit with this. Podcasting, programming, blogging, collaboration, projects, kids making games, exploring virtual worlds, GIS, Google Earth? What are you thinking, haven't you heard? <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Educational Technology Doesn't Work.</span><br/><br/>Here's what's worse:<br/>1. These publishers are getting off scot-free. Why is the USDOE not publishing the actual evaluation of the individual software products. Isn't this public information? This allows the publishers to hide behind the report and continue to claim that their individual studies are valid.<br/><br/>2. The apologists will shortly come out. "It's just bad implementation." "Teacher's need more support." This makes it better? C'mon, people, let's speak the truth and make meaningful distinctions between educational software that pretends to replace teachers and technology that gives students agency and supports a learning community.<br/><br/>Argh. I have to work harder.<br/>Web 2.0 - share the adventure with studentstag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-04:649749:BlogPost:26472007-04-04T01:24:19.000ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
<p>Cross posted from the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/03/21/web-20-share-the-adventure-with-students/">Generation YES Blog</a><br></br>It’s a daunting task to figure out all the options with Web 2.0 tools and choose the “best” one to introduce to students. But this pain
can be turned into a gain - by including students in the adventure.</p>
<p>Students can:</p>
<ul>
<li>Research solutions and present options with pros and cons</li>
<li>Test hardware - even young students can…</li>
</ul>
<p>Cross posted from the <a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/03/21/web-20-share-the-adventure-with-students/">Generation YES Blog</a><br/>It’s a daunting task to figure out all the options with Web 2.0
tools and choose the “best” one to introduce to students. But this pain <br />
can be turned into a gain - by including students in the adventure.</p>
<p>Students can:</p>
<ul><li>Research solutions and present options with pros and cons</li><li>Test hardware - even young students can scrounge up old microphones, tape recorders and cables and test them</li><li>Try out applications and report on results</li><li>Maintain lists of add-ons, plug-ins and new options for old tools</li><li>Debate how these tools can be used within the boundaries of school or district policy and technology use plans</li><li>Figure out how to use available technology in new ways</li></ul><strong><br/>Why is this important?</strong><br/><p>Authentic problems inspire creative thinking and empower students to
exceed expectations and think outside the box. These are true 21st <br />
century skills.</p><p><a href="http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2007/03/21/web-20-share-the-adventure-with-students/">More on this...</a></p><br/>