Internet Safety has become such a big part of my career - and it never really dawned on me before how little John and Jean Q. Public knew about it. Once people realize the scope of the Internet - and how deep it reaches into the lives of kids - and themselves- they typically get mad and or frightened and then realive what I have come to belive. We must be vigilant.
Topics:
Cyberbullying
Virus
Adware
Predetors
Phishing
Spyware
Handsets / Cell Phones
Privacy
Sexting
Inapropriate Sites
Blocking/Filtering access
Tablets
Theft
Intellectual Property / Copyrights
Identity
Digital Citizenship
Digital Professionalism
Digital Parenting
and my favorite
Zombie Armies
I am going to stop - there are more and I discover more areas of concern the longer I look at it.
Here are some of the resources I have used to develop my understanding and my presentations on this subject.
Please use google youtube teachertube and wikipedia with the terms above to get your feet wet - I'll wait here for you
Now go check these sites out
General Sites:
https://onguardonline.gov/
http://www.childnet-int.org/
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/criminal/cybersafety.shtml
http://www.drhowie.com/Cyberbully-Digital_Footp.html
http://www.ag.ny.gov/bureaus/internet_bureau/internet_safety.html
Free Resources from Uncle Sam
http://bulkorder.ftc.gov/
Friday, March 4, 2011
Application Evolution
As a teacher I have found it valuable to get across to my students my passion for learning. One of the things I love to do is hear my own voice - to lecture - to sermon. This is rarely a learning activity for me - and I suppose I have to admit that that it is rarely a learning activity for anyone involved!
One way to get away from this - and I learned this from kindergarten teachers - is stations. If you break up the day into segments it feeds right into the norm we have created through Television-Web Surf(cerf)ing- video games and Web 2.0. By breaking up an activity you are chunking (google Chunking Models of Expertise: Implications for Education or goto Wiki for the short version http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunking_(psychology)) As an extension of that into the upper grades (and their shorter classes) I have developed what I call application evolution.
1> Activity that is instantaneous - speech, memorization, song, drama, reading, etc
2> Capture that onto paper - Notes, Multiplication table, Written music, written play, book report, Poster
3> translate that paper into another medium - record it, word process, spread sheet, presentation software,
4> translate that into web 2.0 or streaming media - teachertube, video production software, blog, glogster
No one could do this in 45 minutes - this is several class periods for each iteration - but this is home work kids will relish and grow with - try it - let me know
One way to get away from this - and I learned this from kindergarten teachers - is stations. If you break up the day into segments it feeds right into the norm we have created through Television-Web Surf(cerf)ing- video games and Web 2.0. By breaking up an activity you are chunking (google Chunking Models of Expertise: Implications for Education or goto Wiki for the short version http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunking_(psychology)) As an extension of that into the upper grades (and their shorter classes) I have developed what I call application evolution.
1> Activity that is instantaneous - speech, memorization, song, drama, reading, etc
2> Capture that onto paper - Notes, Multiplication table, Written music, written play, book report, Poster
3> translate that paper into another medium - record it, word process, spread sheet, presentation software,
4> translate that into web 2.0 or streaming media - teachertube, video production software, blog, glogster
No one could do this in 45 minutes - this is several class periods for each iteration - but this is home work kids will relish and grow with - try it - let me know
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
How to introduce powerpoint to those who should know it
http://www.actden.com/PP/index.htm
PowerPoint in the Classroom
Powerpoint in the Classroom (PPITC) is a great site to introduce MS Powerpoint to people who you know SHOULD know it, like classroom teachers. PPITC is cute - but not so cute that it gets in the way of its effective design.
This is a nice trick in a world full of kitsch and crud. A strong positive is the way the screenshots of the application are interspersed with the text and descriptions. The lowest point of the website is the fact that it is out of date. The last update was in 2006. For most teachers this is not a huge drawback - as we need to be versed in the many computers we will see in the classroom. I have had MS Windows ME, MS Windows NT, Mac OS 8 and Mac OS X all in the same classroom.
This does not make me unique, nor does it make education unique. It is a challenge and makes this sort of site – not necessarily driven by the latest glitzy things –even more appropriate for the modern educator.
Why power point? The classroom is one of the environments best suited for the use of powerpoint – to introduce material, to emphasize particular skills or information, perhaps to show a picture or diagram. Powerpoint is not meant to take the place of instruction – but just to be a quicker way to deliver the notes to the students.
Most teachers have at least a lesson or two that are perfect for Powerpoint, and once you start there will be no turning back, especially with Powerpoint in the classroom to keep you moving in the right direction.
PowerPoint in the Classroom
Powerpoint in the Classroom (PPITC) is a great site to introduce MS Powerpoint to people who you know SHOULD know it, like classroom teachers. PPITC is cute - but not so cute that it gets in the way of its effective design.
This is a nice trick in a world full of kitsch and crud. A strong positive is the way the screenshots of the application are interspersed with the text and descriptions. The lowest point of the website is the fact that it is out of date. The last update was in 2006. For most teachers this is not a huge drawback - as we need to be versed in the many computers we will see in the classroom. I have had MS Windows ME, MS Windows NT, Mac OS 8 and Mac OS X all in the same classroom.
This does not make me unique, nor does it make education unique. It is a challenge and makes this sort of site – not necessarily driven by the latest glitzy things –even more appropriate for the modern educator.
Why power point? The classroom is one of the environments best suited for the use of powerpoint – to introduce material, to emphasize particular skills or information, perhaps to show a picture or diagram. Powerpoint is not meant to take the place of instruction – but just to be a quicker way to deliver the notes to the students.
Most teachers have at least a lesson or two that are perfect for Powerpoint, and once you start there will be no turning back, especially with Powerpoint in the classroom to keep you moving in the right direction.
Friday, July 11, 2008
New Classroom
Wow - I am excited to see how huge my class/lab is - but there is very little technology evident.
I have a ton of work ahead of me to get this where I can feel comfortable! I have a TV and 3 computers - they look like several year old PC's.......
I have a ton of work ahead of me to get this where I can feel comfortable! I have a TV and 3 computers - they look like several year old PC's.......
RSS Feeds
I think I can use this RSS idea for homework and assignments this next year. I will look around for some examples to see if this makes sense - and if I can do it as more then an experiment.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Fermi Questions
I have recently discovered Enrico Fermi again. There are some seminal intellects in Physics; Einstein, Newton, and Galileo are universally known names. I have certainly read and learned much about these 3, but with my new role, Physics Teacher at BCHS, I need to start expanding my data set. Enter Enrico Fermi, and his famous questions.
I know of Fermi's work on the Atomic Pile under the football stadium at University of Chicago. As I was tuning up this summer - researching Physics - I discovered Fermi questions. Evidently the native of Rome( Italy not Texas)was a great teacher as well as a Nobel prize winning researcher.
Physics is often involved in the very large and the very small, and the ability to estimate magnitude is essential. Fermi problems or Fermi questions are exercises in estimation.
Example - How many personal motor vehicles (cars and trucks) are there in Matagorda County, Tx?
I would estimate there are between 16,000-20,000, let's say 18,000 vehicles. Here is how I estimated it. There are about 40,000 residents and a we are a relatively young county so a big chunk of the residents are too young to have cars. Further, we are a relatively poor county and we have many 1 car families.
Actual number of vehicles in Matagorda county according to
http://www.city-data.com/county/Matagorda_County-TX.html
was just under 23,000.
So my estimate was about 78% of the correct number, not too bad. The population I used was a little wrong too, the county had an estimated population of 38,000 in 2005 according to the above site.
Here are a couple of sites with examples and some history.
http://mathforum.org/workshops/sum96/interdisc/sheila1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem
I know of Fermi's work on the Atomic Pile under the football stadium at University of Chicago. As I was tuning up this summer - researching Physics - I discovered Fermi questions. Evidently the native of Rome( Italy not Texas)was a great teacher as well as a Nobel prize winning researcher.
Physics is often involved in the very large and the very small, and the ability to estimate magnitude is essential. Fermi problems or Fermi questions are exercises in estimation.
Example - How many personal motor vehicles (cars and trucks) are there in Matagorda County, Tx?
I would estimate there are between 16,000-20,000, let's say 18,000 vehicles. Here is how I estimated it. There are about 40,000 residents and a we are a relatively young county so a big chunk of the residents are too young to have cars. Further, we are a relatively poor county and we have many 1 car families.
Actual number of vehicles in Matagorda county according to
http://www.city-data.com/county/Matagorda_County-TX.html
was just under 23,000.
So my estimate was about 78% of the correct number, not too bad. The population I used was a little wrong too, the county had an estimated population of 38,000 in 2005 according to the above site.
Here are a couple of sites with examples and some history.
http://mathforum.org/workshops/sum96/interdisc/sheila1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem
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