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If you remember we have a district-wide podcast that highlights, well, whatever comes to mind when Melissa and I record. (And you can visit http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/ditunplugged to hear more.)

Well now Schoolwires has made it much easier to take those podcasts on the road. They have added a "Subscribe in iTunes" button at the very bottom of our podcasting page. It looks like this:

When you click you are taken right to iTunes and automatically subscribed so you will never miss another episode and you can take Melissa and I an our antics on the road!

Don't have iTunes? No worries my friend. It's free and easy to use.

But remember, we still post all the links and more info on the Podcast page so be sure to visit the link above when you hear a new episode so you can get all the insider information!

What did you learn this year?

This has been my first whole school year working as a District Instructional Technologist for the Winston-Salem, Forsyth County school district. I enjoy learning about and sharing instructional resources with teachers on a regular basis. There are times when my excitement about learning something new can be a bit overwhelming for those around me. I write blog posts for several blogs sharing what I learn and when I figure out how to do different things with the tools/sites I learned about previously. I like to share tidbits of information in tweets on Twitter (I like to retweet great ideas and opportunities for learning as well). Talking to teachers in groups and even one-on-one conversations (using Skype or face-to-face) are also ways that I enjoy sharing the things I have learned.

Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom on twitter) and I have been recording a weekly podcast (WSFCS DIT Unplugged) this school year sharing things we have learned about instructional technology, sites we like, things we have found on twitter, and having special guests speak about their individual projects. Since the schools in our school system get out for the summer this week, we are going to move to a summer schedule for our podcasts (maybe every other week instead of each week).

In Episode 20 of our Instructional Technology Podcast, all the members of the WSFCS Instructional Technology Department shared the best thing we learned this year.(We post the podcasts on a podcast page from our SchoolWires Website that all WSFCS teachers could do too) Now several of us had a difficult time picking just one. I challenge you to listen to what we have learned and think about what you have learned. If you hear something you would like to know more about, we would be glad to help you learn more about it. You could even go check it out yourself.

Please leave a comment about what you think is the best thing you have learned about this year ... I will even let you choose more than one thing!

Just remember, you don't have to stop learning just because it is summer. If you have heard about something that you would like to know more about, use some time this summer to go out and learn more about it!

image created using Wordle.net with words from this blog post

Can Podcasting Be Used More In The Classroom?

Podcasting is one of those things I feel is underutilized in the classroom. It is a fun and effective way for students and teachers to produce creative projects or broadcast information. There are so many reasons teachers can use it with their students or as part of their instruction. I created a “Podcasting Using Audacity” course in Moodle that teachers take. Teachers from many different grade levels and subjects have taken the class and continue to do so. I enjoy reading their posts in the forums. Here are some of their comments about using Audacity in their class. I hope to see it used even more in the classroom.

Audacity is free and an awesome digital audio editing tool.

“There are so many great ways podcasts could be used. I worry about the availability of headsets, but I'm sure there is a way around that. Student projects could be greatly improved. Students could narrate their power point presentations. It would be particularly good for students who are shy in front of the class. I once had a student dissolve into tears as she attempted a recitation from Macbeth. I wish I had had access to this when she was here.”

“I also think students could use this to liven up presentations of their own writing or recitations from literature. It could lead to a really interesting discussion of tone. Using their musical selection to help set up the discussion.”

“Thanks for opening this door!”

“I could post a podcast on my website to explain assignments or give a broad overview of a unit or even the course.”

“I think it could be useful for students to use for projects. Particularly when we do plays, students could create their own podcasts of scenes from plays.”

“It would also be useful when I am absent. I could create a podcast for the substitute to play which would give me more control when I am out of the classroom.”

“I could put podcasts explaining typical homework issues or short lessons. Students could then access my voice, using the teaching methods and vocabulary that they are used to, at home if they have questions about concepts.”

“I could also have students create podcasts that explain concepts. We could use this as a review before the EOC--divide them into groups and have them become experts on one particular standard/goal. That way, each review would be posted on the webpage and students could access information on each when working practice problems and studying for exams.”

“Because creating a podcast requires practice and several takes I think it's also a way to expose students to public speaking without the fear of a live audience. As they become comfortable with podcasts they can build the confidence needed to speak in front a group.”

“I think podcasting is an excellent way for students to demonstrate knowledge of a topic.”

“I can see using Audacity several ways. From an instructional standpoint I could create podcasts or with instructions for self-paced lessons or post podcasts on my website for students to use when working on assignments or projects at home.”

“From a learning standpoint, I could have my students use audacity to create their own podcasts to use for peer teaching or as an addition to class blogs. Currently I'm having my students create short videos and they could use Audacity to create a track for voice-overs as part of their projects.”

“In high school math, I can use audacity to have explanations on my website. I can also have students work in pairs to do mini-radio broadcasts explaining how to solve different kinds of problems. The idea of leaving directions for a substitute is a great one, too.”

“In parent communication, I like using audacity to create messages for parents and to have engaging audio (in comparison to the Alert Now messages) on various topics.”

“This training has taught me a lot and has given me different ways to communicate with my students.”

“I can't wait to use Audacity with my class.”

“I think that students will be more engaged and will work harder to produce quality work knowing that anyone can listen to their voice.”

“I think it would be great to have explanations of how to solve different problems. I also think that students could create explanations in a student tutorial space.”

“I also saw the Donors Choose idea of getting headsets for my class. Great Ideas!!!”

“I would use audacity to help me explain lessons that I teach repeatedly. It would save my voice. Students would also be more receptive to hearing my directions with music. This would be a great tool to create instructions that I could leave for substitute teachers. The directions would be easy to follow.”

"Books are not dead . . . "

Gail Lovely led a session at NCTIES 2010 called "Books Are Not Dead . . . Using Technology to Enliven Your Literacy Program" that I was unable to attend. However through the power of twitter, I learned about some of the ideas and resources she shared in her session. The snippets of information that "leaked out" made me want to go find out more, so I checked out both her website and her NCTIES Site. All kinds of great reading resources can be found at her site, which made this "Reading Teacher" smile! Her presentation from NCTIES also brought a smile to my face since it showed so many ways that technology and reading can be combined seamlessly. Key to reading comprehension for students is the interaction that takes with books before, during, and after reading. Really reading something involves more than just being able to just call the words correctly. Being able to use what you have gained to create something else is a better measure of learning. Gail Lovely shows how various technology tools can be used to make all of these things possible.

This presentation ends with a statement that I think summarizes it very well: "Reading is STILL a cornerstone. Books are NOT dead . . .don't make reading deadly!"

Books Are Not Dead By Gail Lovely

View more presentations from glovely.

Skills and Tools

Blogging * WebConferencing * Podcasting * Creating a Wiki

These skill posters and a blog titled "It's not about the tools. It's about the Skills" can be found on the Langwitches Blog: The Magic of Learning.

The message conveyed in these posters is something that I think many teachers hear but don't understand at first. In Reading Class, teachers don't try to make sure that students understand everything they can about the textbook that is assigned to them. Teachers do focus on using stories in that book to teach certain skills that students need to learn to be successful in the future. In a Math Class, the teacher doesn't teach specific problems to prepare students just how to solve that one problem. A teacher uses a math problem to help students discover how to use certain skills to be able to solve other problems in the future. The Reading book and Math book are just tools the teacher uses to accomplish the goals of instructing students on specific skills to help students learn. The technology tools that a teachers chooses to use to assist in his or her instruction serve the same purpose: to help students learn. We don't know all that the future will hold for these students, but we do know the skills we are teaching will be needed for whatever students encounter.

images by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

You might want to grab the images with higher resolution from their Flickr Page:

• Podcasting Skills
• Blogging Skills
• Video Conferencing Skills
• Wiki Skills

Advanced Thinking in Digital Storytelling

The Creative Educator Spring 2009
http://thecreativeeducator.com

The foundation of any digital story begins with a good story, one with a point of view, a dramatic question, and emotional content. Bringing the story to life for the reader through the words of the story should be more important that all the transitions, visual and audio effects, background music and text styles that the students can add to the digital story. As an example of visual effect, instead of writing “He was walking down the street,” the student may choose verbs and adjectives to describe how a character was walking down the street, “With his head slightly cocked to the side and held high, teeth clenched, and shoulders back he strutted down the street like he owned the town” draws the reader into the story allowing the reader to be a more active participant.

Once a story is mapped out on a storyboard the students will be able to decide which technology tool will best add the effects, transitions and sounds to bring their stories to life. If the students are using still images to illustrate their stories, panning and zooming can add a certain impact and dynamic feel to the story. But transitions can be a problem. Help students understand there should be a reason for using transitions to tell the story, not distract from the story. A great story could be lost to the viewer because the students crammed all the effects they could into the finished product. Just because the students knew how to add all those effects doesn’t mean that those effects added anything to the story. Students need to learn that "less is more."

So what about the background music? Does the story need music to give a dramatic impact to the story? The background music should set the tone, add to the pacing of the story and augment the emotional content of the story, not distract from the story. Let the students’ own voice personalize the story. Teachers can help students decide what sounds, soundtracks, or sound effects can best enhance their stories.

The main focus in digital storytelling should be the writing experience with the technology as the tool to enhance and bring the story to life. There are many tools that students can use:

• Audacity for podcasting the story
• PhotoStory 3 to enhance the story with images and music
• Movie Maker to add images, video and music to the story
• Voice Thread to allow other students to add their comments to the story and the images
• PowerPoint presentations
  

To read the entire article please goes to http://thecreativeeducator.com Spring 2009 edition of the magazine.

itunesu Is A Resource You Will Want To Explore!

I would like to revisit the educational content of itunesu again. There is a wealth of information in itunes for you to give to your students. iTunesu is a new world library and a leading source of free educational content. It contains more than 100,000 podcasts, videos, lectures, presentations and readings from all over the world. It’s a great way to put information into the hands of the students. Students can go to itunesu to find the videos and podcasts they want and download them to their computers. Then they can sync them to an iPod and take it with them. From the itunesu page teachers and students can select links to subjects such as Business, Engineering, Fine Arts, Health & Medicine, History, Humanities, Language, Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Society, Teaching and Education.
There are also links to Universities & Colleges, Beyond Campus and K-12. For example, go to itunesu → Universities & Colleges → University of South Florida → College of Education → Lit2Go: Audio files for k-12. This is a resource that has the K-12 books available as podcasts. There are about 3000 podcasts on this site. There are tabs for each grade level K-12. When you click on the 6th grade tab for example, you will find 318 podcasts that you or your students can download for free. One of the choices is “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” chapters 1 – 13 by L. Frank Baum. You will find 511 podcasts on the 9th grade tab including “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe. There are 318 podcasts on the 10th grade tab, 261 podcasts on the 11th grade tab and 143 podcasts on the 12th grade tab.
“Beyond Campus” gives you access to museums, libraries and other great resources. Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, Carnegie Institution for Science, Smithsonian Global Sound, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum are a few of the resources you will find here.
There are also downloads available from the History Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Travel Channel, the Weather Channel and others.

Free Audio and Podcast Directory

As America waits for the inauguration of our 44th president how about reviewing some other great speeches in history or audio files that might peek your students' interest or supplement your class instruction? The site learnoutloud.com offers a wide array of podcasts and audio files for free download. The podcast directory offers everything from Great Speeches in History to Learning Japanese to Aerobics. The site also links to other providers of media where you could find both the video or audio of Barack Obama's speech from the 2004 Democratic National Convention (complete with the transcript) on americanrhetoric.com.

Learnoutloud.com boasts "the Internet's largest directory of free audio & video learning resources." And you might be surprised at the variety and selection, which is the one drawback of the site. I found it time consuming to locate some of my files of interest. I didn't find an easy way to find my files, but once I did it was very simple to stream. So take a few minutes check out some of the audio offerings on Learnoutloud.

photo from http://www.learnoutloud.com/

Podcasting Without a Microphone

It's time to create your podcast but you can't find or don't have a microphone. An easy solution is to use the website Gcast.com and your phone. After signing up for a free account and giving them the phone number you'll be calling from, you can call their toll free number and record your podcast. Gcast is an ad-supported service that allows users to create and publish podcasts free.

Along with recording voice messages, you can upload MP3 files, mix your favorite music in with music they provide, and even add songs from GarageBand.com. All your audio is stored free and listeners will be able to go to your podcast channel when Gcast automatically generates the RSS feed.

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Learn Something New… from iTunes U

Music. Movies. TV shows. Audio books. These are what most folks expect when they download iTunes onto their computer. But now, iTunes is becoming a valid source for something else… educational resources.

Apple’s iTunes U is nothing new. This portion of the renowned media store has offered ample resources in the past, but they were mainly geared toward collegiate level students. At a recent conference held in July of this year, iTunes made an announcement publicizing their intent to offer technology-based content that would greatly benefit those in the K-12 educational sector.

What kind of content can teachers expect to find? The options are wide open and cover various topics with a major focus on core curriculum subject areas. Load up your iTunes library with educational content for your students, as well as for yourself. Best practices, digital literacy, leadership, professional development, etc. – you name it and there is probably a podcast there to fit your criteria!

What is the best part about aligning a podcast with your lesson plan? The students can continue their learning whenever and wherever they are. Mp3 players can easily be converted into an educational “tool” that you and your students use to facilitate learning. Do you have students in your class that don’t own an mp3 player? Not a problem. Podcasts can be viewed on most computers if there is a media player installed.

The next time you are working on your lesson plans, take some time to browse through the iTunes store. Did I mention that all of the educational content is free?

ODEO

ODEO is a free podcast + hosting site that is really easy to use. Even if you have never done a podcast before, they have an easy walk-through to help you.

It is very easy to create an account. A couple of clicks and your podcast is created. All you need is a microphone to do the recording. ODEO will also host the podcast for you.

Now there are a few things of interest:

• you have your own page where you can import in your PEEPS and manage them
• you can drop podcasts into your iTunes and create an RSS feed
• there are many different podcasts previously created that you can browse and listen to

The down-side of things:

• there are ads on the page
• some of the topics to browse are questionable (but if you keep everyone on task you should have a great time with this online tool)

YAKiToMe!

YAKiToMe! is a free, text-to-speech application that allows you to podcast any electronic text to yourself. All types of files, from Office products to RSS feeds, can be used and downloaded to your MP3 player and listened to while you commute, relax, exercise, or just for fun. Both male and female voices are used in numerous languages. What a great way to empower auditory learners.