Teaching with Technology

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Teaching with Technology

10 Simple Google Search Tricks

April 9th, 2010 · 1 Comment · John

All,

I got a great e-mail about a NY Times article that related ten simple google search tricks to get more out of your on-line searches.  I have pasted the article below.  Enjoy!  John W.

10 Simple Google Search Tricks

By SIMON MACKIE of GIGACOM. Published: April 2, 2010

Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/04/02/02gigaom-10-simple-google-search-tricks-58674.html?emc=eta1

I’m always amazed that more people don’t know the little tricks you can use to get more out of a simple Google search. Here are 10 of my favorites.

  1. Use the “site:” operator to limit searches to a particular site. I use this one all the time, and it’s particularly handy because many site’s built-in search tools don’t return the results you’re looking for (and some sites don’t even have a search feature). If I’m looking for WWD posts about GTD, for example, I could try this search: GTD site:webworkerdaily.com.
  2. Use Google as a spelling aid. As Rob Hacker — the WWD reader I profiled last week — pointed out, entering a word into Google is a quick way to see if you have the right spelling. If it’s incorrect, Google will suggest the correct spelling instead. Additionally, if you want to get a definition of a word, you can use the “define:” operator to return definitions from various dictionaries (for example, define: parasympathetic).
  3. Use Google as a calculator. Google has a built-in calculator — try entering a calculation like 110 * (654/8 + 3). Yes, your computer also has a calculator, but if you spend most of your day inside a browser, typing your calculation into the browser’s search box is quicker than firing up your calculator app.
  4. Find out what time it is anywhere in the world. This one’s really handy if you want to make sure that you’re not phoning someone in the middle of the night. Just search for “time” and then the name of the city. For example, try: time San Francisco
  5. Get quick currency conversions. Google can also do currency conversion, for example: 100 pounds in dollars. It only has the more mainstream currencies, though — if you’re trying to see how many Peruvian nuevos soles your dollars might buy, you’ll be out of luck.
  6. Use the OR operator. This can be useful if you’re looking at researching a topic but you’re not sure which keywords will return the information you need. It can be particularly handy in conjunction with the “site:” operator. For example, you could try this search: GTD or “getting things done” site:webworkerdaily.com
  7. Exclude specific terms with the – operator. You can narrow your searches using this operator. For example, if you’re looking for information about American Idol but don’t want anything about Simon Cowell, you could try: “american idol” -cowell
  8. Search for specific document types. Google can search the web for specific types of files using the “filetype:” operator. If you’re looking for PowerPoint files about GTD, for example, you could try: GTD filetype:ppt
  9. Search within numerical ranges using the .. operator. Say, for example, you want to look for information about Olympic events that took place in the 1950’s, you could use this search: Olympics 1950..1960
  10. Area code lookup. Need to know where a phone number is located? Google will let you know where it is, and show you a map of the area, too. For example: 415

Copyright 2010 GigaOm. All Rights Reserved.

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The Effective of Multimedia Annotation Modes on L2 Vocabulary Acquisition: A Comparative Study Language Learning & Technology Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 202-232

April 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Uncategorized

As far as Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is concerned, language input is considered to be crucial to L2 learning.  A number of researchers have investigated the various types of L2 input, such as comprehensible input, modified input, and enhanced input.  It is widely accepted that computer technology has a great potential for enhancing language input, and some researchers have conducted studies that analyze the pedagogical effectiveness of computer-mediated input.  “The Effect of Multimedia Annotation Modes on L2 Vocabulary Acquisition: A Comparative Study,” written by Khalid Al-Seghayer, is one of the studies that has examined how technology-enabled presentation of input can affect the learning of L2 vocabulary.

A key issue in L2 vocabulary acquisition is whether different ways of presenting language input (e.g., multiple modes vs. single mode; visual vs. auditory) can improve L2 learning.  The research question guiding this study was: “Which is more effective for facilitating vocabulary acquisition: video mode or static picture?”  The participants of the study were 30 ESL students who were enrolled in the English Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh.  They were selected on the basis of their proficiency level and years of schooling in the United States.  Each of them had demonstrated intermediate proficiency on the institution’s placement test and had studied for two semesters in the United States.  The computer program used in this study provided students who were reading a narrative English text with annotations for target words in the form of text, graphics, video, and sound.  All of the forms were intended to aid in the understanding and learning of unknown words.  Each participant read the narrative passage under three conditions: printed text definition alone, printed text definition coupled with still pictures, and printed text definition coupled with video clips.  After reading the passage, participants were asked to take two types of vocabulary tests: a recognition test that required participants to answer multiple-choice items with four alternatives, and a production test that required the participants to briefly define six selected words that were annotated in the story.  Briefly speaking, based on the results of the two tests, it was found that the participants learned and recalled more words when video clips were provided than when still pictures were made available.  Thus, the study concluded that “a video clip in combination with a text definition is more effective in teaching unknown vocabulary than a picture in combination with a text definition.”

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Teaching and Technology Lesson

April 7th, 2010 · No Comments · Hannan, Uncategorized

This teaching and technology lesson describes how Global Education helps provide a foundation for the propagation of International Commerce. Global Education can be more effective when it follows the educational model of significant learning and uses Distant Learning to tap into the different educational institutions around the globe.
I hope that this lecture will show that the symbiotic relationship between Significant Learning, Distant Learning and Global Education represent a good foundation that help develop “Global Citizens” that will engage in International Commerce and expand it.
This class is represented as a webcast, a common form of lectures used in Distant Learning environment. The learner has the ability to access it and play it at their convenience.

You may access the webcast by clicking at the following web address:
(This version includes Powerpoint animations along with the teaching voice)

http://www.4shared.com/file/258784894/fbb70a53/Final_Presentation.html

(This video version is a clearer replica of the video above using Movie Maker)

http://www.4shared.com/file/259012077/6127217e/Interaction Global Education-M.html

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EARS

April 6th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Jennifer

EARS

The Electro Acoustic Resource Site (EARS) is designed to provide guidance to anyone involved in the field of electroacoustic music studies, regardless of experience.   Electroacoustic music currently falls within the music and music technology curricula.  According to Landy, this is problematic for two reasons:

                 …the difficulty one encounters in finding sources related to a musical area within       electroacoustic music studies and the fact that the discipline has not yet been properly delineated nor been provided with a widely accepted framework (p. 70).          

EARS was created to compensate for these shortcomings, and fill a niche in music technology education that addresses the electroacoustic components that are often neglected in the broader field of music education. 

Six main subheadings were created to organize the material on the site and initiate a common language to which its users could refer: (1) Disciplines of Study (DoS); (2) Genres & Categories (G&C); (3) Musicology of Electroacoustic Music (MEM); (4) Performance Practice and Presentation (PPP); (5) Sound Production and Manipulation (SPM); and, (6) Structure, Musical (Str).  The first heading refers to the interdisciplinary nature of electroacoustic music studies, and serves as an introductory section to provide background and context to its users.  The second and third subheadings refer to the listening experience associated with electroacoustic music including sound properties and components of analysis.  The final three categories refer to the actualization of sound production and the electronic manipulation of sound with a focus on creative practice and application. 

The site, http://www.ears.dmu.ac.uk/, features a plethora of information on electroacoustic music, in an accessible manner that allows its users to navigate easily within the six subheadings.  To access these subheadings, simply click the “Instructions” tab and it will direct you to the various categories.  The main features on the site seem to be the “Glossary” and the “Links” tabs as they direct you to concrete information on the field of electroacoustic music.  The “Links” tab, for example, directs users to a page containing several resources about information on electroacoustic music that can be found in various handbooks, research guides, and dictionaries.  Perhaps an initial search in the “Glossary” will initiate a curiosity among users to refer to the “Links” page for a more thorough investigation of the terminology as well as more contextual support for understanding how the terms work within the field. 

For users who want to go a step further in understanding the role of electroacoustic music its practical phases, the “Online Publications” page seems most useful.  Several articles refer to electroacoustic projects that have been carried out and the challenges of having completed them are discussed in great detail.  One particular article, “Three Techniques for Measuring Audience Reactions” measured the audience’s reaction through electroacoustic instruments about electroacoustic music, thus providing insight into how the technology works and the impact it is having on the audience.  I found this to be interesting because of the discussion of the audience with regard to a field that is not as well known or regularly discussed in the general music education curriculum. 

A final project of interest is the EARS program reaching out to younger students in music education.  The “Future” tab refers to projects that will take place to educate the younger population on the components of electroacoustic music.  This particular projects hopes to build awareness of this field at the pre-college level and in doing so create more structure within the music education and music technology curriculum for studies related to electroacoustic music. 

Landy, L. (2007).  The Electro Acoustic Site (EARS).  The Journal of Music, Technology, and Education.  (1)1, pp. 69-81.  doi: 10.1386/jmte.1.1.69/1

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Delivering student feedback in higher education: the role of podcasting

April 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Ted

Delivering student feedback in higher education: the role of podcasting

Teddy’s CTCH603 Reading Log 04.05.2010

For class session 04.07.2010

Have you ever enrolled in a class and around mid-term realize that you never received a grade on any of your work. The teacher has not returned any assignments with markings. No verbal or written communications as to how you’re doing in the class. Well, I have and it’s a frustrating and bewildering experience to have to continue on in a class of that nature. It can really do a job on a student’s self-confidence and self-efficacy. I have often wondered what teachers thought about when they planned these classes, then it came to me, no planning was involved.

In this article the author argues what constitutes good feedback and how it is delivered. Using podcasting technology students are engaged to learn while listening. According to the author, many participants in this research stated that their retention of knowledge was higher as a result of acquiring a more detail delivery system like podcasting. Students were able to easily access feedback analysis from the instructor using email and play it back again and again. This method allowed the student and teacher a form of instant gratification. Assessment of current student work can be posted and received as a clear and deliberate message that indicates what is expected to correct less than acceptable attributes of assignments. Student response is allowed open access to reply and re-submit evaluated work.

Author, Steve Cooper (2008), quotes Nicole and Macfarlane (2006) that teachers and students are partners in the feedback process. It would be senseless to think that a teacher response without a student response could complete the feedback circle. Personally, my experience has been that deeper understanding of knowledge and higher retention of that knowledge comes over a period of time. In other words, this process improves our learning as it is repeated over time! I believe that the student response encourages questions and inquiry that otherwise might not have taken place in the classroom, but has done so through great reflection and timely response from the teacher, evoked an emergence of creative and critical thinking in the minds of the students.

Retrieved from Journal of Music, Technology and Education, http://web.ebscohost.com.mutex.gmu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=6&sid=18e13a5c-e61d-44d5-8aa9-ac2557799691%40sessionmgr14

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It just feels longer, that’s why.

April 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Jonathan

One method of distance learning delivery is asynchronous, in which students sit through lectures of varying lengths presented using various modalities. In this study from 2006, Pomales-García and Liu, several student responses to these variations were analyzed for their effect. Course modules were delivered using text, voice, and video and the modules had lengths ranging from five to twenty minutes. Students were evaluated on retention and persistence and were also polled on their perceptions of the length of each module, how attractive it was, and the difficulty.

The results, while showing some minor variations, were fairly consistent. Overall, shorter modules were seen as being less difficult and students and students felt more inclined to complete them. Modules using video were also perceived as less difficult than those presented using only audio or only text.  When students were asked how long the modules were, modules presented via text were perceived as being shorter than they actually had been. Modules presented with video or audio were perceived either correctly or as slightly longer.

Retention of key data elements was about the same regardless of length or presentation format. Students consistently reported more ambivalence about completing the modules as they got longer, regardless of their presentation method.

I found two interesting results in this article. The most important is that students were more likely to want to complete shorter modules than longer ones. I have worked with many faculty who think that, as students sit through a three hour lecture class, recorded lectures can also be that long. I may be able to use this study to convince some faculty of the potential issues with their continued use of longer recordings. Of equal interest was the discussion of the use of video recordings. I have read some reports that concluded that the use of “talking head” videos was not conducive to successful student learning outcomes and this article reached an opposite conclusion. This article did not provide details on the methods used for video presentation and I will have to try to determine how they were recorded and presented to make a fair comparison to the other article.

Pomales-García, C., & Liu, Y. (2006). Web-Based Distance Learning Technology: The Impacts of Web Module Length and Format. American Journal of Distance Education, 20(3), 163. doi:10.1207/s15389286ajde2003_4

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Adullah’s Blogging: A Generation 1.5 Student Enters the Blogosphere

April 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Valerie

Article #6

Who are Generation 1.5 students?

Generation 1.5 students immigrated to the United States during elementary school or high school or they are students born in this country but grew up speaking a language other than English at home.   They are called Generation 1.5 because their identity is combination of new and old culture and tradition. 

Chararacteristics of Generation 1.5 students are:

  • they typically speak 2 or more languages fluently
  • they are aural and oral learners; have learned English through listening and speaking and not through reading and writing
  • they often sound like native speakers
  • they have a limited knowledge of academic English; identified as having weaker literacy proficiency then native speakers.
  • they have never acquired or are losing literacy in their home language and some can not even communicate effectively with their family members
  • they have cross-cultural identification
  • they have done most or all of their schooling in the US; but, their education has been inconsistent.
  • they are often placed into low ability classes in US high schools so they have limited experience in academic reading and writing
  • they identify themselves as lacking skills and ability; view themselves as less capable than native speakers.

This article focuses on the blogging experience of a Generation 1.5 students.  “It examines a few items, such as  (1) how blogging was integrated into an L2 composition course, (2) how blogging can be used for helping students develop rhetorical strategies necessary for academic writing” (Bloch129).   This paper also examines the “controversies surrounding plagiarism” (Bloch 128) and the use and development of blogs in L2 writing courses.

Many language teacher believe blogging is a viable means for collaborative learning.  “Blogs have what is called an open architecture which means they can be viewed by anyone connected to the Internet” (Bloch 128).  The openness provided by blogging to L2 students is a great way to experience different prospectives on a variety of issues and a place to express their opinions regarding those issues.   According to Joel Bloch,  blogging bridges the gap between the vernacular forms of literacy the student possesses and the academic forms of literacy they seek to obtain in a classroom (Bloch 130).   The premiss for this study in blogging, is academic writing and teaching about plagiarism in  “hopes that the students’ blog-based discussion would lead to an academic paper” (Bloch 130).  

Using blogging as a means to communicate gives the L2 practice in communicative skills and is a place to “break through some of those barriers, particularly where students feel isolated” (Bloch 132).  Blogging opens the door to a new method of online collaboration and to critically think about the ramifications of plagiarism while boosting students’ academic writing skills.  “One of the goals of this study was to help students learn to ‘weave’ their own ideas with the source texts” (Bloch 133)  which is very important in academic writing.  

In conclusion, this study showed how the collaborative environment of blogging does provide a useful tool for students in L2 writing classes.  The study did help students with different writing aspects, but grammar and spelling was not the focus of attention in this study; therefore,  “the results are not generalizable to other rhetorical contexts with other types of students” (Bloch 137).  Nonetheless, blogging can be a useful for encouraging student autonomy and developing language proficieny in language learners.

http://llt.msu.edu/vol11num2/bloch/default.html

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You Don’t Need to be an IT Geek to Create a Scholarly Website! (Journal Article Six)

April 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Bob

http://mcel.pacificu.edu/jahc/2006/issue2/mcclurken.php

Jeffrey McClurken, a History professor,  and Jerry Slezak, an Instructional TechnologySpecialist teamed up to create an upper level History course at Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The course they developed has now been taught for a number of years. This article, entitled “Research-Based Web Sites: Students Creating Online Scholarship” in the October 2006 issue of the Journal of the Association for History and Computing,  describes their experience. As an aside, it seems to be harder and harder to find relevant technology articles in my two chosen journals – makes me start to think historians are not on the cutting edge of technology or, at least, don’t publicize it!

The History professor and the IT professional collaborated in creating a course in the History Department called The History of American Technology and Culture.  The reason for creating the course was to come up with a way to “integrate scholarly website design projects” into this upper level History course. As most of you know Mary Washington is an academically strong, relatively small, liberal arts oriented, public four year university. 

The development of the course was to have the two specialists (historian and IT expert) combine to create a course where students would produce a scholarly, well researched, fully cited website on a particular piece of American technology (think of things ranging from the X Ray to the polygraph as examples of pieces of technology). The objectives were to give students the skills to create a website in which to include their scholarly work on a particular item of American technology. Specifically the course was not all about technology. 

 One of the main course management goals was that the technical aspects of the website building should not take over class meetings and take away from the historical scholarship that would be documented in the website.  This website building project was very precisely defined. It would be evaluated based on “presentation and content.” Further, the “bells and whistles” should not overwhelm the technical content. The students were told specifically “presentation is not an acceptable substitute for content.”

The interesting thing about the course development and the major project of the course was the combination of teaching and learning a technological skill (building a website) with the scholarly process of historical research into the item of technology chosen by the student.  The course assumed the students had no particular technology skills and, in fact, the students web skills varied from sophisticated to non-existent. Only one fourth of the students had ever built a web page.  Thus, built into the course was teaching the way to build a web page.  As a result, the History professor was not just assuming that knowledge of his students, nor was he expected to actually provide the technical knowhow. That is where the IT professional came in. The History professor was free to focus on the History side of the project – accuracy of research, writing skill, appropriateness and authenticity of cited material etc.

The course included 4 web skills modules which were taught over a 4 week period by the IT professional, assisted by the historian. These modules basically taught the students on a step by stepbasis how to build a web page and included assignments which were directly tied to the final project of the class of creating the scholarly website. In other words they learned how to create and build a website, by practicing building them, with the assignments in these modules tied to what they would have to create by the end of the class.

The structure of the course was rigid. Students were all instructed on the same platform to use for their website, Netscape Composer. The web skills modules initially were based on a book called Web Page Design, but the instructors determined a more focused program was necessary, so they developed their own modules to be used on Blackboard. The design of the webpages had to include certain basic requirements. While this overall rigidity hampered some students creativity, it made it easier for most students to learn the basics and not feel overwhelmed by the technology piece.

As the course was given several times, McClurken and Slezak refined it in response to student input and their interpretation of whether the course was meeting its goals.  Both were proud of the quality of some of the websites created by the students.  Nevertheless there were some negatives.  Nearly all were related to the technology component, as opposed to the History component.

This article addresses one of my concerns about the use of technology as a teacher. Technically, my subject matter expertise is History, not Technology. I don’t feel comfortable incorporating technology that I don’t understand or can’t explain. In this instance, the IT professional, as part of the team, made that issue go away. Also, the web skills training modules seemed to be set up so that anyone could learn them. Over time, even an historian could pick up the basics and become more proficient.  The key was having an IT professional to collaborate with.

I liked the idea of incorporating the web skills training right into the course. Unfortunately, most teachers of subjects like History, don’t have the luxury of an IT professional as a co-collaborator – most of the time it is hard to find them to troubleshoot why the computer isn’t connecting to the internet for example, let alone spend up to 4 classes teaching how to build a webpage.  This also raises a question in my mind related to courses most teachers deal with – basic subject matter courses, like English, History, Sociology, etc. Adding a technology component is good to teach that skill. But often times adding components like writing and speaking skills are just as important. Unfortunately you as a teacher don’t have time to cover the material of your subject and teach other skills, like technology or writing, or speaking for example.

Nevertheless, as the authors point out, even though most students had little technical background, after taking the course, they had developed key technology skills and learned important historical scholarly material.  Thus, as my title of this note indicates, you don’t need to be an IT geek to create a scholarly website! It’s all in the way it is taught.

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Podcasting to Improve Delivery of a Project-based Internet Marketing Course

April 5th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized

Debra Zahay & Elisa Fredricks

 Marketing Education Review, Volume 19, No.1 (Spring 2009)

 Although this journal article refers to a Project Based Marketing class, there is no real mention of any specifics to this class outside of the introduction. The result being that this is a very versatile article regarding Podcasting, as it could have taken place in any course. The authors were interested in finding what technologies were best suited to help service the needs of students, keeping in mind how varied learning styles and multiple delivery systems can help teachers be more effective. They focused exclusively on the podcast however which they defined as” audio material in a format that can be listened to at a later date.”

Podcasting is popular in part due to the ease in which audio clips can be created, stored and distributed. Access is also a very big attraction as it is pretty much anytime anywhere, answering the “need” for 24/7 instruction. The demographics are ideal for using Podcasting with the college student population as seen below:

  • 19% of 18-28 year olds own an ipod or MP3 player (assume higher ownership for college students based on socioeconomics)
  • 60% of college students have downloaded music from the internet (avg. population 28%)
  • 44% of college students file share (avg. population 26%)

 The authors feel that due to the ease of creating a podcast they are rather flexible and can be “semi-customized” responses to students inquires and an “enhanced hypermedia” for student support. They unfortunately did not give examples of this semi-customization. They stressed that the use of a podcast “pushes the confines of learning beyond the classroom and overrides the traditional limitation of time & space.” (Atwong & Husgtad 1997, Malhotra 2002) This would appear to be true just by the anytime anywhere nature of a podcast. They allow professors to provide insight outside the standard classroom. The pedagogy being that learning should take place in environments other than the standard 3 hour seminar, and it can have more impact, be more effective, when it occurs on the students “schedule”.

 How Did They Use the Podcast? 

  • Audio only broadcasts of homework assignments early in the semester which provided students with an opportunity to interact with the medium
  • Guest Speaker Notes
  • Group Project meetings were recorded & posted alleviating confusion over what had to be done when and allowing non-attending members to fully participate
  • Chapter summaries from the text for review and reinforcement
  • Audio Files posted on Blackboard as MP3 files (non-ipod owners) and as a podcast (for ipod owners)

  Their evaluation was extraordinarily simple, students were asked the following open ended question on Blackboard:  Describe if you used the podcasts in the course and if so how? Other than the first few assignments, the use of podcasts were not required. The response was 87% positive with students reporting that the podcasts “helped them to understand and remember the material and provide a good project experience.”  By and large the students found the podcasts to be complimentary to the course material as opposed to a “substitute for the classroom experience.”  This is the outcome they had hoped for.

As they had hoped, students adapted the podcasts to their own needs using the audio to help with reviews or allowing them to take detailed notes on a subject. Some found the professor’s insights much more evident in the podcasts, the information they wished to stress being more apparent. They also allowed non residential students to make efficient use of their time by listening to podcasts while commuting.

 Some of the Lessons Learned were:

  • Limit length of podcasts (about 5 min) some were just to long(no indication of what length that was)
  • Indicate Length of podcast when posting so student can plan listening time accordingly
  • Provide advance notification of posting (ad hoc posting was not appreciated)

 The authors indicated, and rightly so, that this was a small study (40 students) and they consider it exploratory research. They hope to continue looking into correlations between individual adaptation and learning style. I found the article helpful. It provided some concrete, discrete, examples of successful podcast integration into a course curriculum, thus extending the learning environment. Although not a how to, it was clear in intent, procedure and outcome.

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Outsourced Education

April 5th, 2010 · 2 Comments · teaching & learning

From InsideHigherEd, an article about emerging models for distance education that involve students picking and mixing courses from different institutions and even from non-degree-granting institutions.  For example, the article highlights, “Statistics.com, a company that packages its specialized distance education by the course — and outsources the grading to India — looks to challenge degree-granting institutions….”

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