Podcasting | Alex Ragone's Learning Blog Audio Editing 101 In Tech 6 we’re working on a project to create a Story Corp podcast. Students are working in groups of three and have set up interviews with community members, written questions, and interviewed their subjects. This week, we’ll be editing the audio they are listening to in the free program, Audacity. Here’s the process we’ll use. Open Audacity Import MP3 audio that we recorded using our Sony ICD PX820 recorder by selecting Project –> Import Audio Save the file – Name it with the date of the interview and the subject. Audio Editing 101 with Audacity 5. 6. 7. Feel free to post questions below. I’m looking forward to listening to the audio interviews that you create! * Image Source: arvindgrover Social Media – Part II – The Long Tail (Cross Posted at edSocialMedia) The Long Tail became relevant to me as I connected with education technologists around the world through my blog and Bloglines RSS blog reader. So why tell this story? Skype in Global Ed Program? My Response:
Cinderella This week my writing mission is to write Cinderalla story. The prompt says that the Cinderalla story which has an happy ending should be tried to end with a sad ending. The popular Cinderalla story I've heard through my mother, read as a lesson in my school and have seen a movie too. Now I continue the story: Cinderella got into the coach and hurried towards home. The prince was mad. "No we don't have any other girl in this house" - step mother tells the kings group when the glass slipper did not fit into the feet of the step sisters. Cinderella at that juncture comes out of the kitchen on some errand.The cunning step mother very smartly gets hold of the one glass slipper from the soldier and destroys it to pieces.The kings contingent could not find the right feet that would fit into the glass slipper. The blame for the destruction of one glass slipper was put on one soldier and he was punished .
Heutagogy and lifelong learning: A review of heutagogical practice and self-determined learning | Blaschke Lisa Marie Blaschke Oldenburg University and University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Abstract Heutagogy, a form of self-determined learning with practices and principles rooted in andragogy, has recently resurfaced as a learning approach after a decade of limited attention. In a heutagogical approach to teaching and learning, learners are highly autonomous and self-determined and emphasis is placed on development of learner capacity and capability with the goal of producing learners who are well-prepared for the complexities of today’s workplace. The approach has been proposed as a theory for applying to emerging technologies in distance education and for guiding distance education practice and the ways in which distance educators develop and deliver instruction using newer technologies such as social media. Keywords: Lifelong learning; heutagogy; self-determined learning; andragogy; self-directed learning; social media; capability; competency; double-loop learning; reflection
I used to think… I used to think that giving homework the first day of school set the “tone” for our classroom, that this was an academic class that had rigor and demanded their best. Now I realize that I was trying to intimidate my students so that they would work hard and know that I was the one in charge. I used to think that compliant, well-behaved students were the ideal; now I’m afraid for them. I used to think, as a high school teacher, that reading was someone else’s job to teach. I used to think that some kids weren’t cut out for school. I’ve learned about self-regulation Self regulation is defined as the process of taking control of and evaluating one’s own learning and behavior. Look at the research: • “Self-regulated learning (SRL), as the three words imply, emphasizes autonomy and control by the individual who monitors, directs, and regulates actions toward goals of information acquisition, expanding expertise, and self-improvement” (Paris and Paris 2001). No more “fill-er-up” Like this:
The 18 Best Free Web Tools Chosen By You It’s the start of a new year and that means there’s infinite possibilities that lay before you. But you can’t move forward without arming yourself with the best free web tools and apps. I was perusing some of my favorite education blogs, social networks, and other time-sucking online spots when I came back to the Edublog Awards . Below is the list of finalists for the best free web tools. Claco Find, build and share resources with teachers across the hall or across the world — aligned with Common Core ClassDojo Improve specific student behaviors and engagement by awarding and recording real-time feedback.
The Role of Truth, Trust and Context in Online Learning By Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach I have been thinking today about truth, trust, and learning. I am going to try and weave them together in a post that makes some logical sense but if I fail, I ask your forgiveness in advance. Maybe hear this post as sound bites rather than a narrative as I try to find my way. Context I was listening to Dr. Ravi Zacharias and heard him say, “Intent is prior to content” and my mind exploded. needs to be situated in truth (i.e. that which conforms to reality as it actually is) or context and that is why a thick schema (prior knowledge and experience) is so important.” Imagine just teaching content without the context setting. Learner FirstIf you have read my book you know I talk quite a bit about being a learner first and an educator second. Being a learner first helps us to share ideas (teach) whether we are parenting, car building or gardening. All of these are found within the context of healthy relationships. Did you know…. Let’s think about that.
Flipping Bloom’s Taxonomy Teacher Shelley Wright is on leave from her classroom, working with teachers in a half-dozen high schools to promote inquiry and connected learning. I think the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy is wrong. Hear me out. I know this statement sounds heretical in the realms of education, but I think this is something we should rethink, especially since it is so widely taught to pre-service teachers. I agree that the taxonomy accurately classifies various types of cognitive thinking skills. Old-school Blooms: Arduous climb for learners Conceived in 1956 by a group of educators chaired by Benjamin Bloom, the taxonomy classifies skills from least to most complex. Many teachers in many classrooms spend the majority of their time in the basement of the taxonomy, never really addressing or developing the higher order thinking skills that kids need to develop. Here’s what I propose. Blooms 21: Let’s put Creating at the forefront What if we started with creativity rather than principles?
Learning Styles - The Controversy What is the controversy over learning styles all about? Is the theory valid? Does it really work in the classroom, or is the claim that there is no scientific evidence for its validity the final word? We're collecting articles that call the learning styles theory a myth. We'll keep adding to it as we find interesting discussions. 1. Doug Rohrer, a psychologist at the University of South Florida, investigated the learning style theory for NPR (National Public Radio), and found no scientific evidence to support the idea. 2. From Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, comes this article about 2009 research showing no scientific evidence for learning styles. 3. Education.com takes a look at learning styles from both points of view - pro and con. 4. This is from the Cisco Learning Network, posted by David Mallory, a Cisco engineer. 5. 6. "How can you not believe people learn differently?"
#etmooc Lip Dub! Well #etmooc, we’ve reached the end of our first topic, Connected Learning. This has been an amazing experience for me, as a facilitator and learner, as I’ve read through so many excellent posts and ideas from our participants. It’s wonderful to see the extent of sharing and support that has resulted through the development of this community. And, I’m very excited to share our #etmooc crowdsourced #lipdub project! Of course, what we’ve learned about Connected Learning will continue to guide us through #etmooc – it is core to its structure (or nonstructure). Our next topic is Digital Storytelling, and an outline of the next two weeks will be shared tomorrow. Join in, invite a friend or colleague, and let’s spend the next two weeks discussing, sharing, and creating digital stories. Connect with you soon. Alec
Kick Start Activity 3 (Advanced) – Add Some Muscle to your Blog Thanks to everyone for the great posts so far. There is a wealth of knowledge, experience and sharing, so please take time to read others’ posts and continue to add comments. It is not too late to start the challenge – either start with this one or complete the two previous ones, commenting back on each challenge with your blog post link. The third challenge looks at pages. About Me in a Collage Let’s start spring cleaning and build those muscles! Spend some time looking at your “About Me Page”. Tasks for the #3 challenge:- Look for some “About Me” pages on blogs.Add your ideas to a shared google document Pages in Blogs (or scroll down to the bottom of this post for the document). Extension Activity Goto bubbl.us and register (or use other mind mapping tool). Any feedback and further ideas are welcomed! Below is the google document for sharing:-