Weekly Tech Tip - iTeach Mobile & Cellphones in the Classroom

For the majority of this week I have been in Denver at the ISTE Conference, therefore my normal routine of crawling the web for resources has been slightly modified as is evident in the apparent imbalance in this week's "link stew" section of my weekly tech tip post. Next week I am off but will still probably manage to eek out a few reflective posts, but no tech tip. I went to ISTE to both network with other educators and to present at four sessions. I feel like the sessions I was part of and the other educators I presented with hit a grand slam with the work we did. I couldn't be more pleased with how our sessions went and how we were received. Thank you to all who attended both in person and online.

One of the sessions I presented at the conference, both as a poster session and as part of a panel discussion, was on a project I was involved with this year at Goodhue Public Schools called iTeach Mobile. Regular readers of my blog should already be familiar with this project and the social networking site we created for it but it occurred to me while I was driving home that I had not yet shared our work with cellphones, iPods, and other mobile devices with the teachers I currently am working with at EMID 6067. I decided that for this week's tech tip I would run through my #ISTE10 poster session both for EMID teachers and for those who missed it at the conference.

Weekly Tech Tip:

Related Links:

• iTeach Mobile - Social Educational Networking Site
• iTeach Mobile Web Jog
  

Link Stew:

• Shareaholoic - Firefox addon that allows you to share articles and websites on over 100 different social sites with just 1 click
  

Retweetable Tweets:

• Free Microsoft software for schools, from the Fun & Free Friday event - Teaching Ideas and Resources - http://bit.ly/ahZ85rless than a minute ago via diigoTami Brass
  brasst

• @garystager's handouts for creativity 2.0 session are at http://bit.ly/aqtC5m #iste10less than a minute ago via TweetDecksschwister
  sschwister

• Steve Dembo- by forbidding Social Networking, you just might be violating CIPA #iste10less than a minute ago via TweetDeckKristina Shields
  kshields18

• "Engagement is being confused with compliance." -@garystager #ISTE10less than a minute ago via NambuTim Gwynn
  tgwynn

• Stop motion projects are cool... you should check out and consider participating in the Longfellow10 http://bit.ly/Fn7ik #iste10less than a minute ago via TweetDecksmbeaverson
  smbeaverson

Blog Carnival:

• How to Use Flickr in Your Classroom by Elizabeth on I[Heart]EdTEch
• hacking iste by Scott Schwister on Higher Edison
• ISTE 2010: Session: #Tweet, #Learn, #Lead by Mike Walker on Edina Technology Integration
• The Language of School Design: A Review by Steve Taffee on Blogg-Ed Indetermination
• ISTE 10 Videos by Kelly Tenkely on iLearn Technology
• MCA-II Results are Out By John Fitzgerald on Minnesota 2020
• My ISTE by Dean Shareski on Ideas and Thoughts of an Edtech
• #ISTE Session on Classrom Creativity by Nick Provenzano on The Nerdy Teacher
• Growing the Movement by Chris Lehman on Practical Theory
• Policies, Safety, and Social Networking ~ Steve Dembo ISTE10 By Jeff Utecht on The Thinking Stick

Social Media Political Engagement

I have had these ideas running through my head for nearly a year now but it took Bud Hunt's encouragement to finally get them on the blog. Our politicians have been increasingly utilizing social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to further their political agenda and to gather support for themselves. Many of them also just use these tools for fun. Congress seems particularly engaged on Twitter. It occurred to me last fall when I came across a little iPod app called "MyGovernment" that we might be able to take advantage of this in the classroom.
MyGovernment is a simple directory of US Congress Representatives and US Senators that includes both their email addresses and their Twitter accounts. Watching C-Span we noticed that a lot of Congressmen fiddle with their mobile devices while in session. I decided to have our high school seniors taking US Government to watch C-Span and pay attention to when a congressman picks up their Blackberry or iPhone. They then looked them up on this iPod App and checked their Twitter acco0unt to see if they indeed were actively Tweeting. If they were this became a great opportunity to ask the Congressman questions and potentially actively influence the political debate.


We tried this a couple times and amazingly many of the congressmen tweeted back. What's more, being on television we could tell when we got responses from the politician and when it came from a staffer.

So, what is next? There is incredible potential here for some very authentic and powerful projects. What if we had students research these tweeting congressmen and find out who their influences are? Then, the kids could create Twitter accounts for historical figures the politicians identify as being highly influential (i.e. "I am a Regan republican"). The students could then use these faux accounts to respond to the congressman the way they think these historical figures would have responded. This would serve both as a conscious for the congressman but also will require students to learn deeply about both history and contemporary civics.

What other potential applications does this have for education? What other projects could be done with this?

Weekly Tech Tips - Live Streaming

On Friday last week, the day I intended on making my weekly tech tip, the internet was down at school. Therefore, this week I intend on doing two tech tips, one today and one Friday. I took advantage of the unfortunate situation to work on getting more acquainted with the capabilities of my Nokia Nuron and exploring what applications and implications mobile technologies have for education. This week's tech tip largely explores one such application.

Weekly Tech Tip:


Tools shown in this video:

• LiveStream
• Ustream.TV
• Bambuser
• Qik

Related Links:

• anderscj's Qik Channel - Right now I am only experimenting with Qik but I intend from time to time to use this tool for making on-the-fly videos. I also intend on using this tool at ISTE next week .
• Definition of Citizen Journalism
  
• Secrets To Starting A Citizen Journalism Organization
• Katie Couric's Top Citizen Journalism Moments on YouTube
• 
  
• Flixwagon
• Live Streaming an Out of Classroom Learning Experience
• Cell phone cameras in the K-12 classroom: Punishable offenses or student-citizen journalism?
  
  

Link Stew:

• Seymour Papert - Closing Session 1994 NSBA T+L Conference

• Seymour Papert - Closing Session 1994 NSBA T+L Conference from Gary Stager on Vimeo.

  
  
• Jaron Lanier - You Are Not A Gadget
• B.F. Skinner's Shaping Experiment ("Skinner's Box")
• Most Disturbing Presentation Ever: Our Tech Nightmare ("Skinner Box") DICE 2010
• Howard Rheingold Live Chat: Critical Thinking

• Howard Rheingold Live Chat: Critical Thinking from Shelly Terrell on Vimeo.

• RSA Animate - The Secret Powers of Time
• A Political Online Push
• YouTube Video Editor
• Blackbird Pie – Twitter Media
• Wells, H.G. 1898. The Time Machine
• THE MACHINE STOPS ... E.M. Forster
• Project Tomorrow: 2009 findings r.e. Student, Teacher, Principal, & Administrator feelings about emerging technologies
• onlinedegrees.com, has put together a list of the top 100 technology blogs for teachers
• ScanLife - The Place to Create & Manage 2D Barcodes
• 
  

• WOW! RT: @butwait: Y'all have seen Clayton Wright's MONSTER list of #edtech #profdev opportunities, right? http://bit.ly/edtechconf2010less than a minute ago via EchofonAdrienne Michetti
  amichetti

• 45 Twitter Tools the Gurus use: http://j.mp/9weSkX /via @Chirrpsless than a minute ago via HootSuiteTips, Tools, Status
  Twitter_Tips

• world map of social networks: http://bit.ly/15xHQi (scroll down, compare Facebook today with 2009 )less than a minute ago via TweetDeckGeorge Siemens
  gsiemens

• If Luke gets me that Tatooinian "sand art" crap again for Father's Day, his hand won't be the only thing I cut off.less than a minute ago via TwitterrificDarth Vader
  darthvader

• YouTube Play: YouTube + the Guggenheim want to showcase the best online videos from around the world. http://www.youtube.com/playless than a minute ago via webCraig Roland
  craigr

• "100 Incredibly Useful & Free iPad Apps" http://is.gd/cTL2Jless than a minute ago via TweetDeck Alec Couros
  courosa

• Education Week's Digital Directions: Social Networking Goes to School http://ow.ly/1ZAW3 Great article! :) #vanmeterless than a minute ago via HootSuiteshannonmmiller
  shannonmmiller

• .@alfiekohn "In education, bad ideas are timeless. It's the good ideas that are incredibly fragile."less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhoneGary Stager, Ph.D.
  garystager

• RT @jsmummert: If U're in2 mobile technology, augmented reality, & the Civil War, check out my proposal- http://bit.ly/afsN53 Awesome for SSless than a minute ago via TweetDeckMichael Walker
  micwalker

• WEBTOOLS applied to teaching http://bit.ly/aSdb2Z via www.diigo.com/~vittalearningless than a minute ago via diigoJo McLeay
  jomcleay

• Papert - No such thing as "Grade 3 Math" http://tinyurl.com/2ag5t6x <-maybe by 2030?less than a minute ago via TweetDeckTom Fullerton
  tomfullerton

• @jonbecker @jerridkruse and, found this http://www.edutopia.org/inquiry-project-learning-researchless than a minute ago via EchofonAdrienne Michetti
  amichetti

• Education Gap infographic http://bit.ly/drfpngless than a minute ago via SeesmicLarry Ferlazzo
  Larryferlazzo

• 22 Educational Social Media Diagrams http://bit.ly/byyxwU #hubspot really cool posters...less than a minute ago via webLisa Monthie
  lisamonthie

  
  

Blog Carnival:

• Returning School to Humanity by Ira Socol on SpeEdChange
• Cognitive Surplus: The Great Spare-Time Revolution by Bill Ferriter on the Tempered Radical
• Grades: Education's Snake-Oil Currency by Joe Bower on for the love of learning
• Teaching Students “How” To Think: The Tip of the Iceberg by Aaron Eyle on Synthesizing Education
• Feeling Infowhelmed? – Informational Education Video by Lauren Grossberg on Learning Today
• Recognizing the Valedictorian in All by Principal Eric Sheninger on A Principal's Reflections
• QR Codes in Libraries by Miguel Guhlin on Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
• Imagining new interfaces: the value of necessity by Ira Socol on SpeEdChange

Geo Game & Text Messaging Idea #iteach

OK, it is 3:00 on December 23rd, with 20 minutes before Christmas break. Why do all my most creative ideas happen when I know I won't be able devote energy to them for at least 2-5 days? Grrr!

So, here is my big Eureka!:

Two tools I have know about for a while now but have not given too much thought to are uMapper and JotYou. uMapper allows you to create your own Google Map-like embeddable maps with pushpin markers and other information. JotYou is a free text messaging service that allows you to send text messages that are location based. Basically, JotYou lets you send messages to anyone on your contact list who is within so many feet/meters/yards of a specific GPS coordinate. It also lets you set times on those messages so they are delayed or persistent. These two tools used in conjunction could be used to create highly engaging geo games.




Here are just a few, off the top of my head, applications:

1. Create an adventure based on a piece of literature (ex. Turn your school grounds into Mordor).
2. Historical tour.
3. Scavenger hunts.

It is now 3:15 and I need to go. If you can think of any other creative uses of these two tools please leave a comment.

JotYou™ - Location Based Mobile Messaging via kwout