The Teaching Box

I was saddened to hear that Google is suspending work on the Google Notebook application.  As an educator and part time writer the Notebook application has been invaluable in my internet research.It is interesting to read the many blogs and read the comments by the users.  Some are outright distraught, others are not suprised, but everyone seems ready to move on.  “Google Giveth and Google Taketh Away” I guess trusting and becoming dependent on an online application is not  a really good idea.  Now I need to start the search for a replacement.  If you follow some of the blogs that chronicle the ending of Google Notebook there are many applications mentioned.  I am still in the investigation phase and haven’t decided on one yet.

Clipmarks - Share your clippings with otheres - social element
Evernote - Seems to be the most “professional” looking
Zoho Notebook - Looks like they are copying the Google interface
Microsoft Thumbtack - Well Microsoft is a big company. Does that help?
Google Docs - I think that this will be around for a long time
UberNote - Has many options to send notes - promising replacement.

The advantage of these choices is that they all seem to be free, although they do require some sort of registration.
Nobody seems to have a Firefox extension. That is the feature that made Google Notebook so easy to use. The other important feature is Longevity. The application needs to be around, so I am not going through this searching exercise again.

Let me know if you have any other applications that you have found in your quest.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com

Being an Education Professional these days is complicated.  The advent of the internet and computer technology has forever changed the way that I view education.

We are surrounded by information.  No longer is the library the only place to research for information.  So many sources, so many programs where do we start?

I believe that we must become USERS of technology, not necessarily EXPERTS.  There are too many applications out there for us to become experts.  The time it takes to become an expert on a single program could be better utilized learning three or four programs deep enough to get the job done.  The education professionals of the future cannot affort to be technologically challenged.  We must be able to discover new programs, delve in and use them effectively in a short period of time.

I have a number of applications that I use.  I would classify all of them as easy to learn.  If you are willing to set aside an afternoon you will become competent enough to begin using the program.  Then as you continue to use utilize the application it will get easier, and before you know it you may be an EXPERT and can teach others.  In the current economic climate you will find that the best part of these apps is that they are FREE.

Here are some Programs that I use in the context of Education:

Camstudio - http://camstudio.org/
I enjoy doing video tutorials, and camstudio is a good way to get started. It allows you to capture the action on your screen (along with sounds). Camstudio is a free and pretty intuitive program.

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/theteachingbox
If you make videos you need a place to put them. Go to YouTube and create your own Channel. This way you can easily share your creations with everyone.

Gadwin Print Screen - http://www.gadwin.com/
I sometimes need to capture areas of my screen, Gadwin Print Screen is a free app that lets you do it easily.

Try them out and let me know what you think.  Share your favorite applications.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com

Why would people NOT like online classes?
How is this possible?
Isn’t this the ultimate in flexibility?
All the schools offer Online Learning!
Online Education is the Best isn’t it?

Well maybe people don’t like online classes because the ones they see offered, or the one they took last semester was CRAP.

I am not an insider in Academia, so I don’t know how it responds to technology. BUT when I was taking classes for my Post secondary Teaching Certification I got a peek into the world of Academia and I made some interesting observations.

My background in manufacturing has taken me many places. I have worked in the semiconductor world, and it is the height of technology in all aspects of the business.

I think that Academia is 5 - 10 years behind in the technology world. Therefore many of the tools of technology that are used everyday in a “technology company” are only being used by the Academic “early adopters”. (I think that’s us on Today.com)

I see a “bandwagon” approach here. Online teaching is a buzzword that seems to have been grasped by Academia of late and they are running with it. All the colleges now seem to offer online classes. Because of the lag in Academic technology acceptance and use, the implementation of some of these so called Online courses can be pretty poor.

Nevertheless a poorly done course is a poorly done course whether online or f2f. (as Dr. Bob told us in our Online Teaching Class)

Until this technology gap is narrowed I think we will continue to see some poor examples presented as “online learning”. Thus the response of the students “I don’t like online classes.”

I will do my best in Online Teaching to make the course engaging and useful for the student. Online Learning is in it’s early stages, and I feel there is much for teachers as well as students to learn. I don’t think that many of the Institutions that offer online classes really know what they are, let alone how they should be taught. They are just on the Bandwagon with everyone else.

I don’t have any solutions to this dilemma, but as the next generation moves into the world of teaching we will see the gap close. Maybe some of the issues will work themselves out, and maybe they won’t. I guess we shall see.  As Educators that utilize technology it is up to us to lead.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://theteachingbox.com

The tools of Internet technology are all around us. They are in use all the time. I want to harness the power of the tools and the people who understand how to use them.

Lets look at an example:
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular online games ever devised.
Take a look at the Forums and Message boards.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/

The information found on these pages is absolutely amazing. The strategies, tips, and research rivals that of any encyclopedia. If you want to learn how to get your orc to level 50 in a specific dungeon, you will find exactly how to do it here.

The collaborative power of this online community knows no bounds, but remember.

THIS IS A GAME!

What if we could harness this behavior to solve real problems and perform research in the academic realm.

I see the use of these tools as becoming commonplace in the near future. Many are used right now. The key element that they lack in their use is structure and discipline.

A message board can quickly becomes a mass of information that is disorganized and useless. File upload areas become graveyards of obscurely named documents that no one can understand. Online chat becomes informal text strings of “omg, rotfl, and lol“.

I seek to create an online virtual environment where these tools are used in a structured way.

Message boards must be moderated and postings organized. File upload areas must have naming convention rules. Chat must be complete words and sentences.

The beauty of this environment is that it can be populated with students who already know the tools and how to use them. Even if they aren’t familiar with specifics, they can be taught.

1. Tools are defined and students demonstrate how to use them.
2. Rules and discipline are applied to the use of the tools
3. The virtual classroom is built, and problem solving and learning can begin

The tools of internet technology surround us. Now we must put them to use.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com

When I was in my Post Secondary program I had a short discussion with my friend Brent at a seminar class. He told me about the awesome multimedia video clip that he made for his class he was helping to teach. The class was a freshman communication class.  He proceeded to tell me how proud he was of his video, and the time that he put into the creation of this WORK OF ART.

He said that when he played it for the class, they watched it, and shrugged their shoulders. Not terribly exciting to them it seemed. Just like watching a cartoon on the Television. Brent said that he wasn’t drummed out of the classroom with a chorus of boos or throwing of vegetables, but they weren’t nearly as excited about it as he was.

As he told me this story I was mortified, because I was planning to do a similar project.

After thinking and discussing it a bit more. Brent said that he seems to get better interaction and response from the students when he teaches Face to Face in a classroom environment.  (i.e. he actually stands in front of the class and teaches).

This is an interesting observation. I belive that in as Online Course Brent’s video clip would probably have been better received by students, but in the f2f (face to face) classroom environment students seem to prefer real people.

I am saving this story for future use (If Brent allows me to tell it, and of course embellish a bit).  It can be filed under technology is an aid to teaching, and not THE Teaching. As an educational professional I need to know that MY PHYSICAL PRESENCE in the classroom is the best teaching tool. Don’t rely on the technology as a crutch in face to face classes.

I think that the students come there to see the professor, not video clips.
What do you think about how to best utilize multimedia in a f2f (traditional) classroom?
How about in an online (virtual) classroom?

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com