Mastering Twitter

Approach Twitter in Stages
Week 1 - Getting Started with Twitter
1. Get Twitter Account
a. Shorter name is better
b. Send your Twitter name to edm310twitter@gmail.com Be sure to include your real name in the Gmail
c. AND SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT that I forgot to put here originally but added by @wmchamberlain in an extremely important comment which I have copied and pasted here:

Wm Chamberlain said...
Please fill out your bio on Twitter and add you are a pre-service teacher. There are a lot of people on Twitter that will not follow someone with no bio info. It would also be a good idea to "introduce" yourself to those you are following. The ed community is very helpful, especially to pre-service teachers.

d. Add to your bio that you are currently enrolled in EDM310. Many of my followers, and the followers of @wmchamberlain, know about EDM310.
2. Install TweetDeck
3. Get Delicious account and install link in browser
4. Follow all staff AND @wmchamberlain, @mcleod, @jshe, @pvbaggett, @classroom20, @TweetSmarter, @alwright1, @allonsdanser,@edm310_usa, @hadleyjf, @deananunn, @johntspencer, @ShellTerrell and any others you want
5. Create a column for #edm310 and if in Dr. Bagget's class #edu301
6. Spend 10 minutes in morning and 10 minutes later in day reviewing Twitter feeds and messages
7. Click on interesting links. If want to save link, add to Social Bookmarks using Delicious
8. Answer questions with @ responses if you have something to say (but don't worry if you don't)
9. RT interesting Tweets

Week 2 - Increase The Number of Those Whom You Follow
1. Follow the 57 people in @JohnMikulski Tweet (57 Must Follow Educators)
2. Follow my list of "Must Follows" which will appear in your Google Docs
3. Find 10 additional people to follow from those who are followed by any of the people who are listed in any of the lists (including those whom you started with)
4. Repeat steps 4-9 in the Week 1 instructions

Week 3 - Moved Toward Twitter Comfort
1. Provide at least one Tweet in which you have a link to an interesting site you have encountered. Be sure #edm310 is in that link. If about art, also add #edu301
2. 4. Repeat steps 4-9 in the Week 1 instructions EXCEPT spend at least 15 minutes per Twitter session instead of 10 minutes
3. Tweet people whom you encounter in readings, blog posts, etc.
4. Respond (even if it is just Thank You) to people who send Tweets to you @...

Weeks 4 and Beyond
Further instructions will follow

C4TAdded to Google Docs - 17 Students May Not Get C4T

Google reports that I have shared C4T1 Assignment with 126 students. I think I have shared it with 143. So 17 of you may not have gotten the document. Send me an email if you did not get it. Send email to edm310help@gmail.com

C4C will be posted no later than noon tomorrow.

Your Pictures Are Now Available

MW4
TT11
TT2
W6

1. Find your picture in the class section for which you are enrolled (not the one you are attending). The links to the class pictures are immediately above.
2. Click on your picture.
3. Download your picture by clicking on the down arrow at the bottom of your picture.
4. Add your picture to your blog by following the instructions on p. 12 of The Activities Manual

C4T #1 Due Date Changed

The first comment and post deadlines for C4T have been changed to September 4, 2011. We will discuss C4T more in class this week.


The teachers are eager to read your comments. Here is a Tweet I received from @jennyluca this morning (8/24/11):

Welcome Fall 2011 Class - Fall Materials Now Available

Welcome!




Want to find out more about EDM310? Want to get a head start on the class? (An excellent idea as you will find out soon!)

Links to the Syllabus and related materials are found in the column to the right.

Links to the Fall Student Blogs will be available August 22-25. Visit some of the Summer 2011 student blogs. The last post on all the blogs is a 5-10 minute Final Reflection which should interest you.

Read the post Eleven Key Attributes of EDM310 which is the second post below. Anthony Capps, Allie Howell (both Lab Associates in EDM310) and I used for the #rscon3 conference in late July 2011.

Read EDM310 Is Different. This is an assignment for the first week. Get ahead! You will be glad you did. In this document you will find references to The Chipper Series (17:51) and EDM310 for Dummies (3:54). These are movies done by former EDM310 students and also also part of the assignments for the first two week of class.

Watch these two movie to get a sense of what EDM310 is about and how it is different:

9 Differences in EDM310 (9:48)
Aspects of EDM310 (5:16)

Bring your computer to class. Be on time. We have a lot to do!

We look forward to meeting you!

EDM310 Students and Graduates: You Are Now More Valuable!

Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Alan Lee has announced that all students in the Bay Minette High School will have a MacBook starting this September. This is the start of an effort to do this countywide by the 2012-13 school year. "I would like to have 20,000 [MacBooks] in the hands of students by 2012-2013. That would be my goal" said Lee.

Baldwin Register, special insert Back to School... Back to the Future, Sunday, July 24, 2011, p.2.

Eleven Key Attributes of EDM310

1. Green - No paper in or out
2. Free - No Costs for Books or other materials
3. Blended 25% in class; 75% independent learning using internet materials
4. Lab Oriented - labs run by former EDM310 students - have created a true learning community EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
5. Project Based 16 projects in 15 weeks
6. Multimedia Projects and Writing - text, audio, podcasts, video, videocasts
7. Self-reflection instead of grades
8. Public - All student work is on their individual blogs Blog and all class materials and student work accessible through http://edm310.blogspot.com
9. Global Comments on Blogs to and from all over the world
10.Emphasize Creativity
11. Emphasize Impact on Community

William Chamberlain Awards Announced

The William Chamberlain Award of the University of South Alabama was established in 2010 to recognize students in EDM310 who demonstrate "an outstanding interest in and ability to use technology in learning."

The 2011 recipients of the William Chamberlain Award are

Stephen Akins (EDM310Summer 2010)
Allie Howell (EDM310 Fall 2010)
Josh King (EDM310 Fall 2011)

Congratulations Stephen, Allie and Josh!

Hadley Harrington Strange Awards Annonced

Two EDM310 students are the recipients of the 2011 Hadley Harrington Strange Award. This award is to be given annually in memory of my father, Hadley Harrington Strange, to someone who always asks questions and considers all alternatives.

The recipients of the 2011 Award are

Richard Howell EDM310 Spring 2011
and
Elizabeth Brooks EDM310 Summer 2011

Congratulations Richard and Elizabeth!

Ruth Hart Jessee Strange Awards Announced

Two former EDM310 students are the recipients of the 2011 Ruth Hart Jessee Strange Award. This award is to be given annually in memory of my mother, Ruth Hart Jessee Strange, to someone who has positively affected the lives of others.

The recipients of the 2011 Award are

Martha Yim
and
Amanda Bosarge

Congratulations Martha and Amanda!

Congratulations Elizabeth!

Chae Strathie, author of The Tickle Tree, found Elizabeth's Brooks book trailer on You Tube. He liked it. Here is his comment to Elizabeth:

Tickle Tree
To:efbrooks90

Hi Elizabeth

My name is Chae Strathie - the Tickle Tree guy!

I just came across your trailer and wanted you to know I really liked it. It was a lovely piece of imaginative production. My family and I were tickled pink!

I wish you all the best in your future career as a teacher (is that right?) and I hope you read your students some of my books!

With very best wishes

Chae

Congratulations Elizabeth!

Lab Hours July 25-29

The lab will be open 10-4 July 25-29.

Have a great break!

Final Questionnaire Has Been Gmailed

I have just sent the Final Questionnaire to all students at their Gmail addresses.

If you did not get the email or have questions, CALL ME or the EDM310 Help line.

Questionnaires must be completed by Midnight Sunday July 24, 2011. The questionnaire (and your video reflection) constitute your final examination in EDM310. You must complete both.

The E Fast Experiment

Soon I will write a longer post commenting on the E Fast Experiment and the results of its use in Summer 2011 EDM310. Right now I'll give you a quick summary.

Students had four options for Blog Assignment #14 which can be found on pp. 14-16 of EDM310 Blog Post Assignments Summer 2011:
1. A typical blog post on Pseudoteaching
2. A typical blogpost discussing a critique of the Khan Academy
3. Read one of some 15 books suggested and write a book report
4. Try to do an E-Fast (no electronics use) for 24 hours repeated up to three times if unsuccessful in maintaining the fast.

There are 30 students still enrolled in EDM310 this summer (2011) although only 28 are still active. We will use 28 as the base line for this report. Of the 28, four did not submit their Blog Post #14 on time. Three students read a book (Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, 1984 by George Orwell and Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire by Rafe Esquith). Thirteen did one of the typical blog post assignments. Eight tried the E Fast experiment.

Of those eight, five were successful in going 24 hours without using any electronic entertainment or communications device such as a cell phone, computer, tablet, radio, TV, DVD player, etc. All but one of those participating in the fast found it more difficult than expected. Those who succeeded in fasting tried various strategies:
going to a farm with horses and goats (Amy Wilborn); spending a day with a boyfriend (Alana Escobio); spending a weekend with their family at the beach (Cinda Prescott who found it easier to do than expected); fishing, tennis and golfing (Heath Morris); being prepared by unplugging TVs, hiding phones and informing friends and family of the fast (Bobbi Jo Nelson). The three that failed all succumbed to the phone/smart phone. (Ouida McDaniel) called her mother. One of the students who failed the fast (Deana Nunn) even had her daughter answer SMS messages and telephone calls for her, sending dictated replies by SMS. Yet she still gave in and used her iPhone. Heather Rigby on her 3rd try turned off her iPhone but watched a funny You Tube video with friends on a friend's iPhone.

This assignment turned out to be a delightful experiment that demonstrated how ingrained the use of technology is in our current students and how it will be even more vital to the daily activities of their students in two years when they begin teaching. the posts of the students participating in the E Fast are a lot of fun to read. I hope you will do just that!

Project 15 Now In Projects; Blog Post 14 Now in Blog Post Assignments

Project #15 is now in the Projects Manual. It has been there for some time but your Checklist cannot be changed by me so it still says To Be Determined. We are now at Version 7 of the Project Instructions Manual.

Blog Post #14 is now described in Version 7 of the Blog Post Assignments Manual.

Lab Will Not Be Staffed Saturday July 9

The EDM310 Lab Staff and I will be attending the EdCamp Louisiana in New Orleans tomorrow Saturday July 9. As shown in the original schedule for this class, the lab will not have a staff person present tomorrow.

Amnesty Declared

Special Assignment #2 Due 7/3 was due last night at midnight. Forty percent (12 out of 30) of you missed the deadline. Because it is a very special holiday today, I am declaring Amnesty for those of you who did not submit Special Assignment #2 Due 7/3 on time as long as it is posted no later than midnight Sunday July 10.

And what about those of you who did Special Assignment #2 Due 7/3 on time? Well, I will apply your Amnesty award to any other assignment that was late. And since most of you always do your work on time (so do some of the "twelve"), I say Thank You Very Much!" I will try to find some special way to reward you later in the course.

Mid Term Reflection

One of the questions I asked on the Mid term Reflection had to do with grades. Twenty-seven out of 30 active students replied to the questionnaire (90%). I agreed with the self-assigned grades in 78% (21) of the cases. In 3 cases I would have given an A in instances where the student gave themselves a B. In 3 cases I would have given a lower grade (1 B instead of an A; 1 C instead of a B; 1 D instead of a C). Poor writing explains every one of these cases. I have urged all three of these students to consider consulting the Writing Lab.

Of the three who did not complete the questionnaire and attend the two required classes on time, one has a medical excuse. The other two will have any grade I gave them (and will give them) reduced by one letter grade for not completing the questionnaire and attending the required class.

Here are the totals:
Student self-grades: A-17; B-6;C-4;D-0 Total 27
Dr. Strange: A-20; B-2; C-4; D-3; I (Medical)-1 Total 30

It would be better if we just determined when you had the skills, abilities and interest to move forward. Unfortunately, we have to give grades. And you will also (most likely).

Corrected Link For Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12

The link to Carly's page that is in the Blog Post Assignments Version 5 now works. Here is the Corrected Link For Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12 in case you are using Version 4 or earlier. Be sure you use the latest version of all materials! The latest versions are listed in the Essential Materials for Students and Visitors section in the sidebar to the right.

If you do not get Version 5 of the .pdf, clear the cache of your browser (in one to the menus).

Reminders from Class 6/23

1. The class on 6/23 was mandatory. If you did not attend you must provide me with a written medical excuse. The penalty for not attending entire class: one letter grade loss.
2. SMARTboard presentations were deferred until 7/7 (Thursday at midnight).
a. Must be a collaborative effort in which all use the SMARTboard at some time.
b. If you formed a new group, let me know the membership.
c. If you were absent or late you must join a group IMMEDIATELY and inform me of that.
3. I have postponed further work on Forms. I will notify you if we resume work on Forms.

Special Assignment #2 Due 7/3

You Should...
The very first thing many of you should do is to add the SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT #2 TO YOUR CHECKLIST. As of Monday 6/20 (5 days after it was due) eight out of 30 of you (27%) have not yet done Special Assignment #1.

Special Assignment #2 Due 7/3
This assignment should take approximately three hours to complete.

Some teachers find lectures a good way to summarize material, introduce new perspectives, raise alternative interpretations and convey information.

Some teachers (especially in math and the sciences) do not wish to repeat the same instructions to every student whom them encounter.

Students who miss class sometimes find lectures and other recorded instructions sets very helpful.

Here are 3 enormous sets of materials that very few teachers or preservice teachers know about:
Kahn Academy
iTunesU
TED

For each of these three collections,which are similar but also quite distinct,:
1. Find out as much as you can about them and in Part A of your post summarize what you have found for each of them in turn. Readers of your post should get a good understanding of what these collections are from this part of your post
2. Explore the collection to see what types of materials are there and how extensive they are. In Part 2 of your post a) summarize the extent and nature of each of the collections and indicate what teachers (and how teachers) might take advantage of materials in these collections. Each collection should be addressed separately
3. Watch at least one lecture/presentation/lesson from each of the three collections. In Part 3 of your Post identify the lectures, materials, or lessons you watched. Each identification label should be a link (button) that takes you to the material you used. Summarize what was covered in each of the three and evaluate each.
4. In Part 4 of your post indicate what the collections could do for you and your students when you begin teaching. Treat each collection separately in completing this portion of your assignment
5. Indicate in Part 5 of your post whether or not this assignment has surprised you and why or why not. Be specific.

Forms

A number of you sent out the Form before getting it approved. So I guess I will reverse my intended procedure and critique the forms after they have been sent out. That may be a better way to do it since I can show you common mistakes. We will send a second round to a different FORM Group later in the semester.

In the meanwhile....
a) If you have already sent your form, wait for the replies
b) If you get a form to fill out, please do so
c) If you have not sent out your form do the following

1) Review the new and improved Form Instructions I have added to the Projects Manual
2) Read my instructions and those of Google
3) Avoid these mistakes that have been made:

• Too many text response items - they are difficult to analyze.
• Bad grammar and misspelling. PROOFREAD.
• Unfilled questions. Remove them. There is a trash can just to the right of the pencil that selects a question to edit.
• Questions are not required to be answered. Only on VERY RARE occasions should a question be not required. Unfortunately Google has this item set to an incorrect default (in my opinion).
• Sets are incomplete. There are answers that do not fit the choices.
• The questionnaire does not practice using all of the types of responses. Try at lease 5 kinds!

4) Now send your form TO YOUR GROUP ONLY (London, Paris or Venice).

If you need help come to the lab. Or call the Help Line.

Twenty-Five Percent!

That's Right. 1/4 of EDM310 has been completed!

More on Podcasts and Forms

Podcasts
A Google Doc has been put in your Docs that provides additional information about your podcast assignments. All podcasts will focus on Rafe Esquith's book Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire.

I have a limited number of books which will be available in the Lab on Monday 6/13. Check your local libraries. Share. Buy a copy. Amazon has it for $8.64.

Forms
Additional Forms Instructions and a Forms signup sheet have also been added to your Google Docs. You will fnd the name of the Form Group of which you are a member in the How to Contact Students ... Doc. There are 3 groups, each named for a great city.

Some Help From Allie on Using Twitter

Getting Used to Twitter

Update on Podcasts, Forms and Groups

Podcast Groups
Because 4 students have dropped EDM310 I have altered the Podcast Group for some of you. You can find the revised Podcast Group in your Google Docs (Students - How to Contact ...). You will find more information about Podcasts in a post on the Class Blog tomorrow (Friday). I will indicate the chapter(s) of Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire for which each Podcast Group will be responsible. I will also provide some additional Podcast instructions, changes in the Podcast due date and how to get a copy of the book for your group if needed.

Forms Groups
You also need to be in a larger group to do the Forms Project. The Forms Group to which you have been assigned can also be found in the Doc Students - How to Contact... . You will find more about the Forms Project in the Instruction Manual and in a post to the Class Blog either late tomorrow (Friday) or early Saturday and an accompanying Doc.

Special Assignment #1 Due On or Before 6/15: If You Have A Question Try and Answer It!

In her blog post about Did You Know? Kelsey Hatward wrote: " I am curious to find out how much China has actually grown in three years."

I suggested she look it up.

I want you to do it also. You will learn about some very powerful search tools that you are not familiar with. Try this. Go to WolframAlpha. Search for Population China. You can answer your question. Better yet, search for Population China India United States.

After you have done that try something different. Go to Google Squared. Search for Countries. On the far right add Population. This is a search engine still being developed in Google labs so their are some anomalies. Add United Sates at the bottom of Column 1.

Your Special Assignment #1 - Due On or before 6/15

Do the two searches above. Comment in a separate blog post titled Special Assignment #1 as follows:
1. Did you know about WolframAlpha?
2. Did you know about Google Squared?
3. What percentage of China's population is the population of the United States?
4. What percentage of India's population is the population of the United States?
5. Now what do you think of the facts reported in Do You Know?
6. Do you think WolframAlpha and Google Squared will be useful for you? for your students? Why or why not?

The Next Stage in Using Twitter

You should now add additional to those you are following. I have added a document to your Google Docs listing 80 people whom I suggest you follow. Find them. Follow them.

You should also be following me (@drjohnhadley) and all the staff (see the syllabus).

You should also watch/follow #edm310.

If you spot a Tweet you want everyone in EDM310 to see, retweet it and add #edm310 on the end.

Next week we will expand your use of Twitter even more.

Several Important Updates

Lab to be Staffed Saturdays 1-6 pm Starting June 11
Starting next week the Lab will be staffed every Saturday from 1-6 pm EXCEPT Saturday July 9, 2011

Blogger is Insisting That Some Posts Are Spam
Blogger and Google have declared a war on spam which, in my opinion, is much too aggressive. Several EDM310 students have reported that comments they have left on other students' blogs are not appearing. EVERYONE must check for spam. The instructions are in the Instruction Manual but I will summarize what you must do - NOW - and at least every other week.
1. Go to your Dashboard in Blogger
2. Click in the bottom row on Comments

3. You will go to a page that looks like this. Click on the Spam tab

4. If you see any posts in this SPAM area that are not spam and which need to be posted, click on the small box on the left of all that are Not Spam. Then click (at the top or bottom) Not Spam. The posts will then appear on your blog.

If you are leaving a comment that is NOT appearing on a student's blog: contact them, by telephone or Gmail, and ask them to follow the instructions in this post. I am certain they will find that your posts have been mislabeled as Spam by Blogger.

Twitter
A number of you have begun to Tweet! Great! Be sure to follow @drjohnhadley (me), all of the lab assistants (see the syllabus for their Twitter names), and the people on the list linked to through the Instruction Manual. Following the right people is the most important part of Twitter.

In addition, follow #edm310. The # sign is essential. It is like a folder in which I place all tweets I want all EDM310 students to see, read, and act on. Follow other members of the class as well, especially the students in your group. You now have a Doc that lists all students, their phone numbers, Gmail addresses, group number, and Twitter names. If I do not have your Twitter name, send it to me by Gmail. The ones I have I got from tweets of those following me.

Correction

In your Checklist you will find that Wordle is listed as Project #2 and Blog Post #2. The correct listing should have been
Blog Post #2 (4 items as shown on Blog Assignments)
Project #2 - Wordle (which must be posted to your blog).

Please make this correction to your checklist.

Thanks!

Summer Syllabus and Instruction Manual Now Available

Just click on the desired document on the right under Essential Materials for Students and Visitors.

Welcome Summer 2011 Class

A week from today we will start our EDM310 adventure together. We are excited to have you as part of our effort to change the way we teach by incorporating technology into the teaching and learning process and by emphasizing project based learning instead of burp-back, sage on the stage teaching.

The Syllabus and Instruction Manual links will be available for the Summer 2011 course on May 30 or before. The links on the right under Essential Materials for Students and Visitors are for the Syllabus and the Instruction Manual for the Spring term. They will give you an idea about what happens in EDM310. In the summer we go twice as fast since we must cram 16 weeks into 8! It keeps us all very busy. You should count on spending 16 hours a week working on EDM310 activities.

I will take your picture during the first class meeting.

Bring your portable computer or iPad with you if you have one.

If you have not created a Google account, do so. See the instructions I mailed to your University email account. Send me your Gmail address. This should be done BEFORE classes start!

I am looking forward to meeting all of you.

Congratulations Miles and MaryAshley

Congratulations Miles Bubbett and MaryAshley York!

Your First Gift Video has been selected as the winning entry. You will each receive an iPad 2.


Thanks to all of the entrants, to Cris Smith and the Development Office, to the panel of judges that Cris assembled, and to Best Buy for supporting this effort.

We will have another contest this fall. Watch the Alumni Blog for details!

Here is Cris Smith's email with a link to the winning video. You can find all of the entries there as well.

Dr. Strange,

I have the judging complete for the contest. I put them all on a youtube playlist for the judges -

The winning entry is First Gift USA

2nd - Entry D

3rd - Entry B

Everyone enjoyed seeing the videos. I am meeting with someone on Friday that may be a good fit to be our "guest" technical director for the fall.

Cris

Final Questionnaire Sent to Your Gmail

I have just sent the Final Questionnaire to all students at their Gmail addresses.

If you did not get the email or have questions, CALL ME or the EDM310 Help line.

Questionnaires must be completed by Midnight Sunday May 8, 2011. The questionnaire (and your video reflection) constitute your final examination in EDM310. You must complete both.

Foliotek Instructions Spring 2011

You need:
1. The URL for your EDM310 blog
2. The URL for the the EDM310 Class Blog. You should know that by now. And you are probably reading this while on the Class Blog so I do not have to repeat the URL here.
3. You will have to know the six standards for EDM310. They are in the Syllabus on p. 2. I have also listed them here with the categories under which they fall:

Literacy: Oral and Written Communications (iii)
(3)(c) 1.(iii) Knowledge of media communication technologies that enrich learning opportunities.
Literacy: Technology (i, ii and iv)
(3)(c) 4.(i) Knowledge of available and emerging technologies that support the learning of all students.
(3)(c) 4.(ii) Knowledge of the wide range of technologies that support and enhance instruction, including
classroom and school resources as well as distant learning and online learning opportunities
(3)(c) 4.(iv) Ability to facilitate students’ individual and collaborative use of technology, including
classroom resources as well as distance and online learning opportunities when available and appropriate.
(3)(c) 4.(vi)
Professionalism: Ethics (ii and iv)
(5)(c) 5.(ii) Knowledge of safe, responsible, legal and ethical uses of technologies including fair-use and
copyright guidelines and internet-user protection policies.
(5)(c) 5.(iv) Ability to practice safe, responsible, legal, and ethical use of technology and comply with school and district acceptable-use policies including fair-use and copyright guidelines and Internet-user
protection policies.

4. You will have to know how to access and how Foliotek works. Watch the Video
You can also watch the movie Foliotek Instructions Fall 2010 on YouTube.
If YouTube gives you problems, you can watch, or download to your computer the Foliotek Instructions from My Gallery.
5. REMEMBER that for your first standard you Add a File and then click Add External File or URL and then CORRECTLY paste the URL (be sure there is only ONE http://). You do this for BOTH URLs
6. REMEMBER that after your first standard is complete you ALWAYS Add File - Add Existing File and check both URLs.
7. REMEMBER you must check to see that you have added both the Class Blog (Friendly Name EDM310 Class Blog) and Your EDM310 Class Blog (Friendly name My EDM310 Class Blog or Your Name’s EDM310 Class Blog). Go to Files in the tabs in the middle at the top of Foliotek. Look for the Friendly Names EDM310Class Blog and My EDM310 Class Blog or Your Name’s EDM310 Class Blog. There should BE ONLY ONE OF EACH. If there is more than one you did not follow the instructions (see #6 above). You will have to remove the offending files. You will need help from one of the lab assistants.
8. You must check to make sure that the link works and goes to the correct place.
9. You must make sure that all 6 of the standards are assigned to each of the “files” (really URLs)
10. You must then ask for one of the teaching staff to check your Foliotek. This must be done IN PERSON and IN THE LAB before 5pm Thursday May 5, 2011.




Thank You!

Thank You!

Remarks by John H. Strange upon receiving the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning, College of Education, University of South Alabama
April 29, 2011

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dean Hayes for the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning. My daughter Katharine said to me “Oh Dad, you are the only one there old enough to get a Lifelong Learning Award.” Of course she is also the daughter who asked me about a painting I had bought “Dad, how drunk were you when you bought that?” Now I find the award especially meaningful since I am a firm believer in the proposition that Learning Never Ends and I am constantly saying “I don’t know. Let’s find out.” And I might note that “Let’s” is plural! Learning is a joint venture.

As I thought back on all that I have learned since I began reshaping EDM310, it is clear that my continued learning has been a joint venture, that it has benefitted from many people. Jamie Lynn Miller and Poppy Bednorz taught me how important is is to say thank you as they did with their great movie EDM310 for Dummies. Now I get a chance to publicly thank them! So I again thank you Dean Hayes, Jamie Lynn and Poppy. Tonight I would like to give thanks to everyone who has helped me learn what EDM310 could and should be. The list is too long and the time is too short to do that, however. I will have to do the best I can. In so doing I will identify some of the central ideas I have tried to incorporate into EDM310. My thanks to each individual will be cryptic and lacking in details. I promise will write an extended blog expanding on what I have learned from each. Those of you here tonight who teach undergraduates will recognize many of the names.

I start with

William Chamberlain who teaches 5th grade in Noel. Missouri. He taught me how important commenting on blogs is, and he insisted, along with Angela Rand, that I use Twitter.
Room 10 at Pt. England School in Auckland New Zealand taught me how important Skype could be in learning.
Kaia, a three year old in Dubai, along with her father Jabiz, taught me the power of blogs in connecting diverse groups around the world.
Dillon Rogers, a USA student, thanked me for the freedom I gave her in class and now I thank her for demonstrating how important freedom can be in furthering creativity.
James Fawcett convinced me of the importance of movie making as an educational tool.
Paula Casallo would enter EDM310 for almost the entire semester saying “I hate technology.” Yet she taught me that people can change their minds about technology. Paula is creatively using much of what she learned in EDM310 at her school where is now a librarian
Jackie Gorski demonstrated that the alumni of EDM310 really do want to continue to be involved.
Stephen Akins helped me understand the power of being quiet, or even silent. I bet you are questioning whether ever happens with me.
Allie Howell encouraged me to understand the power of enthusiasm.
Joe McClung and Jarrod Lamshed demonstrated that sharing with others is an important learning objective, whether you are in Arkansas, Australia or Alabama.
G Tashbin insisted that we could create a true learning community, and with the help of the EDM310 Lab Assistants, we have!
Dorothy Burt revealed to me what an entire school can do when it fully embraces technology as is the case in New Zealand at Pt. England School.
Paige Baggett continues in her efforts to teach me that change can and does happen without messy revolutions.
And Anthony Capps has taught me how important it is to leave an academic trail worth Googling, how powerful reflection is, and what great teaching can be like in the 21st century.

There are many more people I should thank, but my EDM310 students as a whole have taught me the importance of being brief. I quote them: “One hour, six minutes and 42 seconds in a video we are supposed to watch? And then write a blog post about it? Get real Dr. Strange. Seven minutes at the most.” OK, they all took back those words after listening to Randy Pauch’s last lecture. But this is not my last lecture. So my 7 minutes is almost up.

My thanks to everyone, whether I mentioned you or not.

And now my talk.

OK. Don’t worry. It is included it in the 7 minute limit.

I want to thank 3 people for helping me with my talk: Bailey Hammond, Steve Jobs and Stuart Brand, originator and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog:

Bailey Hammond answered the question I posed last week to my students in EDM310: What assignment did I leave out of EDM310 this semester that I should have included? Then complete that assignment. with an assignment and a question:

Her assignment - Watch Steve Jobs’ 2005 graduation talk at Stanford which he ended with an admonition he read in the final issue of Stuart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog: "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."

Bailey’s question: “What does ‘Stay hungry. Stay foolish.’ mean to you and how can you apply that to your future as an educator?”

The short version of Bailey’s answer to her own question was to keep learning, don’t be satisfied with the status quo, take risks, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, be open to inspiration coming from the oddest of places (no, she didn’t say the Strangest of places), leave your inhibitions in the dust, don’t take any day for granted.

She ends her post with the lines from the song I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack,

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder./
You get your fill to eat/
but always keep that hunger...
I hope you dance.

And so I ask you “Stay hungry. Stay foolish” What does that mean to you as an educator?


Thank you Bailey (and Steve and Stuart) for my talk tonight.

Thank you again, Dean Hayes for your support!
Thanks to all my current and former EDM310 students.
And thanks to you, my audience - for not timing me!

C4C #13 Cancelled

The C4C assignments are now complete. We hope you will keep on commenting, however.

Mandatory Attendance Week of May 2

Remember - you are required to attend your assigned classes next week May 2 - 5.

Kelly Evans' Book Trailer Gets Noticed - By The Author

Ned Young, author of the book Zoomer, spotted Kelly's trailer that she made for EDM310 on her blog. He asked Kelly whether he could use the trailer on his blog and Kelly, not surprisingly, agreed. Take a look at Ned Young Studio: Zoomer book trailer.

Congratulations Kelly!

And how did Mr. Young know about the trailer so quickly? Probably because of Google Alerts. Google provides a service (free) which continually searches for text which you specify. I use it to search for "Dr. John Strange", "John Strange", "Dr. John Hadley Strange", "John Hadley Strange", "EDM310" and "EDM 310". I do not have Google search for "Dr. Strange" (too many comic books) or just "Strange". (You can imagine why.) Try it and see if anyone is writing about you!

Our Visiting Lecturer Jacob Demonstrates Garage Band on the iPad

Jacob, a kindergarten student at Cottage Hill Christian School, joinedEDM310 as a Guest Lecturer and demonstrated what he had learned about Garage Band in three hours or so on the iPad.

Watch Allie Howell's video of Jacob's demonstration How To Use Garage Band on iPad.

Can You Help?

Mrs. Yollis just sent me another name and URL: Ryan

Can you leave a comment for Ryan as well as the student you are assigned this week? If so, many thanks!

Impact of Spring Break

Mrs. Yollis' class is on Spring Break this week. Parents moderate your comments so expect a delay!

Mrs. Yollis and Her Class Thank You - C4K Available After 5pm Today

Mrs. Yollis' 3rd grade picture







I have received these emails from Mrs. Yollis' students. The students included links to their personal blogs. The links are now in the C4K #10 Doc. They can also be found in the comments for the post How To Make A Book Trailer.

Each of you has been assigned to one of the five students who left comments for EDM310. I have used two different posts for each student. Be sure you PROOFREAD your comment. As Jaden said, we "want quality comments." Note that the italics are his!

Read all of the comments below BEFORE you leave your C4K #10 comment!

From Hannah, Grace, and Adia

Dear EDM310 class,

We are Hannah, Grace, and Adia from Mrs. Yollis' third grade class.

Thank you for leaving us so many quality comments on our class blog. Mrs. Yollis viewed all of your comments, and since you have 100+ students in your class, our teacher admitted that she could not possibly get back to every single one. Some of us stayed inside during lunch for charting since it's Family Blogging Month, and most of the comments that we saw were from you!

The reason we have a class blog is...

•It's a great way to "meet" people around the world. An advantage is that we make new friends, and we also get to learn about their country, state, province, or territory.

•We get to also learn about different subjects such as quality commenting. Here is an example: If Mrs. Yollis posted about different quality comments, we would learn about how to write them.

•What we also learn from blogging is that it improves our reading and writing skills. For example, writing a comment on fads helps us with writing skills, and reading comments that other people write helps our reading skills.

All three of us have earned student blogs. Here is how we earned them...

•Good behavior in class.

•Responsibility.

•Respect.

•Good attitude in class.

•Sometimes, if you are one of the top three winners in Family Blogging Month, you earn a blog by your accomplishment, but this only happened with Hannah, Miriam, and Adia.

•Last but not least, amazing quality comments. (Not one, but a lot.)

We do encourage you to get a class blog if you become a teacher. It is super fun! Here are the reasons why...

•You can get a cute and adorable Voki. Grace's is Isabella, a dog, Hannah's is a girl, and Adia's is a girl also.

•You get a bunch of visitors.

•You get many comments.

•There can be fun and exciting activities on your blog. Here is an example: Adia has an activity called Babble of The Month.

Warmly,

Hannah, Grace, and Adia ♔

From Miriam (Victoria)
Dear EDM310 class,

My name is Miriam and I am a third grade student in Mrs. Yollis' class. Mrs. Yollis shared with us your comments and told us about your class blog.

We use a class blog to share with parents and friends about what we learn in school. Some kids who are good commenters were able to have their own blog.

I am lucky to have my own blog called Miriams Magical Moments.

I hope you visit.

Enjoy blogging,
Miriam

From Jaden

Dear EDM310,

My name is Jaden, and I am in Mrs. Yollis' third grade class in California. I'm happy that I am able to comment with college-level students! When I look through your posts, I think I am going to learn a few new words.

As Miriam said, some students earned their own blogs. I earned my blog by writing quality comments on blogs and having good behavior in class. My blog is called Jaden's Awesome Blog.

I hope some of your students write quality comments on my blog. :-)

I have some advice for all of you. You should always check your comments before you press publish. Sometimes it might not say what you think it says. Your thoughts should be clear.

Sincerely,
Jaden

A Thank You from Tyler Rice

John,

You really have put together something phenomenal with your EDM310 class. Your students are building a PLN and learning to use such a wide range of technology! More importantly, you are asking them to be reflective and introspective and I think that is the greatest gift a teacher can give!

I've loved reading your students' comments on my blog Wisdom Begins with Wonder. I'm not sure how I made your list of teacher blogs to read but I am honored.

Thank you,
Tyler Rice (@MrTRice_Science)

Thank you, Mr. Rice!

Class:
I will answer Mr. Rice's question as to how he made my list. Last summer Mr. Chamberlain (@wmchamberlain) called to my attention this blog post: Grading Moratorium: Tyler Rice on Joe Bower's blog for the love of learning. Mr. Rice's first sentences were:

I’ve wanted to abolish grading in my classes for a few years now. Grading has always been my least favorite part of teaching. I love teaching but I hate grading.

Now you know! A compatriot on grading!

You are not surprised are you? Well, maybe you thought there was only one teacher as strange as I in not liking grades! And I hope you will teach your students to be good at self reflection/evaluation when you become a teacher.

How to Make A Book Trailer

Anthony Capps has just completed two videos on How to Make A Book Trailer:

Part 1

Part 2

Everyone is Thinking About Metaphors

It seems everyone is thinking about metaphors these days. My book writing friend Caroline Seebohm was visiting last week when the metaphor discussion began and made many contributions to my "metaphor posts." Today she sent an article by David Brooks Poetry for Everyday Life. I urge you to read the entire article. It will take from 3 to 5 minutes. But if you don't read the entire article, you should at least read a few of his reasons for believing that metaphors are important:

... being aware of metaphors reminds you of the central role that poetic skills play in our thought. If much of our thinking is shaped and driven by metaphor, then the skilled thinker will be able to recognize patterns, blend patterns, apprehend the relationships and pursue unexpected likenesses.

Even the hardest of the sciences depend on a foundation of metaphors. To be aware of metaphors is to be humbled by the complexity of the world, to realize that deep in the undercurrents of thought there are thousands of lenses popping up between us and the world, and that we’re surrounded at all times by what Steven Pinker of Harvard once called “pedestrian poetry.” 

From David Brooks,Poetry for Everyday Life, an op-ed appearing on April 12, 2011, page A25 of the New York Times (New York edition).

Metaphor Discussion Update

Pencil Me In: A Journey in the Fight for Graphite was published today in a
softcover edition ($10 from Amazon)and in a Kindle edition ($4). This book is based on Mr. Spencer's blog Tom Johnson's Adventures in Pencil Integration.

Here is an excerpt from Special Thanks in Mr. Spencer's book Pencil Me In: A Journey in the Fight for Graphite:

I would like to thank Alan Stange for all the formative feedback he offered from the first day I began this blog. I also want to thank Russ Goerend for encouraging me to continue with the blog when it had no real story arc...

Thank you, also, to Dr. Strange and the EDM 310 class who left regular comments, wrote reflections in blog posts and sent e-mails to me sparking in-depth conversations. Your feedback was immensely helpful through this process.

Blogs, comments on blogs and your EDM310 activities do make a difference. I thank you also!

The conversations continue!

Metaphors: What They Are and Why We Use Them

A Learning Opportunity

Most of you apparently did not understand that Tom Johnson’s post Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home was a metaphor (as is the title of his blog Pencil Integration). But that gives all of us an opportunity to learn. In addition, several of you just skipped the comment on the Johnson part of the assignment. I (or one of the staff using my words) have left a comment on your blog if you skipped the Johnson assignment . An eagle eyed lawyer type in the class, however, has brought to my attention that I did not explicitly say, as I usually do, "post your analysis on your blog". Your grade has not been affected by this miscommunication; we have learned to be more explicit in our directions; and you have an opportunity to learn. So take advantage of this learning opportunity.

First - the Metaphor

The post you read is not written by someone named Tom Johnson. That is a pseudonym for John Spencer who also writes a blog which is assigned in C4T under his real name. The blog post in question is in a blog named Pencil Integration. This alerts you that when he speaks about pencils, he is actually talking about computers or technology in general. If you return to the post, copy it and replace pencil or pencils with computer or computers. Your reactions will be very different.

So Why Did So Many of You Miss the Metaphor?

I don’t know.

Let's start with a few examples. I think almost all of you (if not all of you) understood the very first metaphor you encountered in EDM310: Mr. Winkle Wakes. No one, I don’t think, thought that Mr. Needleman’s video about a real person. When you watched Randy Pauch’s video you understood the metaphor of the brick wall and of Tigger and of Eeyore. If I had written “You hit the nail on the head” or just “You nailed it” in response to the six students who clearly understood and identified the metaphor, I am certain that they would have understood my metaphor. And probably all of you would have done so as well.

As part of my attempt to determine why you missed the metaphor, I discussed the question with a visiting friend (who happens to be an author of 14 books), my staff, and other members of the faculty. Here are some possible explanations:

Well, perhaps it was because you take this class and your assignments too seriously. Maybe I have scared you so much that you have lost your sense of humor. I hope not. Just this morning I closed a conversation with a student and before either of us had hung up I heard her say to a companion “He [meaning me] is so funny." Her sense of humor is intact.

Maybe because the metaphor was the basis for a longer post which had a number of messages contained in it. You deciphered those messages (anti-testing; anti-administrative interference in the process of teaching; focus on solutions not problems). But you did not (apparently) understand the larger metaphor despite the many clues that surrounded you. If I described a person as having a glass which is always half-empty you would probably understand I am talking about the person who focuses on problems. That that person is an Eeyore. If, instead, I had described someone as always regarding his glass as half-full you would have understood that the person was a Tigger type; a solution oriented person.

These are guesses We really cannot answer the question of "why not?". Why do you think you missed the metaphor? Even though we do not know why you missed the metaphor (if you did), we can try and develop a set of activities that will increase the likelihood that you will spot a metaphor the next time you encounter one.

Learning How to Spot Metaphors

Dr. Baggett pointed out to me that Daniel Pink addressed this issue in his book A Whole New Mind (pp. 138-140). Pink suggests that you keep a log of the metaphors you encounter for a week (p. 152). They may in things you read, comments made to you, movies you watch, or podcasts you listen to. Jot them down in a notebook, or on your iPhone or iPad. Note the context in which they were used. Here are some examples you may encounter: angel hair pasta; my cup runneth over; will the Easter Bunny leave you anything?; I took a trip with Alice to Wonderland; Puff the Magic Dragon; I could see the thunderstorm building within him; her smile melted my heart; she’s so sweet; I abhor burp back education; I’d kill for two free tickets to see Lady Gaga; I encountered my brick wall when I missed the metaphor but I will get over it; my car is a dream; she is the light of my life; the storks were busy this weekend and the University Hospital reports that Mobile’s population grew by leaps and bounds; he is a chicken. My guess is that all of you understand all of these metaphors and that you do so instantly. So we return to an earlier question of mine: why did you not get the point of the post of Tom Johnson? (Notice the intended pun in “point”?) Think about that.

Why Use Metaphors?

In the Fall semester Jennifer Inscore wrote "What is with the metaphor? Why not say exactly what you are trying to discuss? Why not put it into words that we all understand instead of a metaphor. If we are to be educators we should be able to speak to our students in a way that they all understand." I responded with this post: Jennifer Asked: Why Use Metaphors? Here Is My Answer . My post last semester is my first attempt to answer the question Why Do We Use Metaphors? Daniel Pink says that when you discover metaphors your world will become “richer and more vivid” and that you will be inspired “to create your own metaphors in writing, thought, or other parts of your life.” (p. 152) What do you think?

You might even do a bit of research to see what others say. But more importantly, I want your answers, not mine. I want you to think about why we use metaphors.

Special Assignment

In this post I have asked you to think about several questions:

1. Why did you miss the metaphor in Tom Johnson's post, or, if you "hit the nail on the head", why do you think you understood the metaphor and why do you think that others in the class missed the metaphor?
2. What metaphors have you encountered since I asked you to create a log of them?
3. What other things can we do as educators to help our students to understand and to use metaphors?
4. Why do we use metaphors?

Instead of Blog Post #14, answer these four questions as best you can. I hope to Skype Mr. Spencer and discuss metaphors with him. If that happens I will post a link to the conversation on the Class Blog. You will need to watch it to address the questions listed above.

Blog Post #14, which is replaced by this Special Assignment, is due Sunday May 1.

Comments on This Post

In the comment that you received on your blog post about Tom Johnson’s post I may have asked you to leave a comment here. That would be great, especially if you have anything to offer on why you missed the metaphor. But it is not a requirement. The Special Assignment specified in this post will suffice.