Clifford Stoll on Teaching

While I disagree with Clifford Stoll's opinion that computers should not be in our schools his thoughts on the matter have been influential to me in forming my own opinions and beliefs about education and technology. Particularly when it comes to assessing technology. Whenever a new tool comes out Clifford's voice always sounds in the back of my head reminding me to question its necessity and question its value. The conclusion I usually come to is somewhere between Clifford Stoll's extreme view that computers should not be integrated into the classroom and the other extreme. In this very entertaining TED talk he talks about teaching and children and very eloquently illustrates what a great constructivist classroom should look like. I remember back in the early '90s Clifford giving speeches and being very vocal on his view of technology in the classroom and have wondered what he has been doing since he has not been in the public eye much the past 10 years. Evidently he is teaching 8th grade physics, or rather teaching 8th graders college physics.






If the embed doesn't work click here for the TED site with this video.

Cell Phones as Learning Tools

SEMTEC - Techspo - Video Conferencing witin SEMNET

Today I am attending the first annual SEMTEC Techspo at Stewartville HS in Stewartville, MN. Today I will be posting 5-6 entries about this event. The following are my notes from the first session I attended on Video Conferencing within SEMNET by Jen Hegna (tech coordinator) from Byron, MN (my own comments in italics):

• This technology allows classrooms to connect with other classrooms via digital video.
• It allows you to share not only video from a camera but also computer or video screens.
• It appears you connect via phone calls much like Skype
• ASL so far has been the fastest growing and most popular video classes.
• Professional development - teachers can take classes from UofM or St. Cloud State in the evenings
• Socrates started in 1984 - Socrates is a network of video conferencing schools that began in northern MN.
• 4 schools can share an account
• They are looking at integrating streaming technology so it can be used on screen in a lab setting.
• SEMNET has not yet started offering classes
• Could be hooked up to LCD projector and viewed on the SMARTboard. Very mobile, unlike ITV.
• Contact OET to hook up.
• I don't see the advantage to this as opposed to using a free service like Skype other than the ability to share VHS or DVD.
• I think this technology is best left to other districts to develop before Goodhue jumps on board. I don't think it is cost effective for us right now.
• More info: http://www.mnet.state.mn.us/
• The advantage to this over Skype is quality of service. Skype can be slow if the network bandwidth is bogged down.
• The technology is the easy part - the hard part is making the connections and establishing the collaborations.