Using Online Tools to Improve the K-12 Experience Janet Gubbins University of West Georgia

Challenges Faced?

Meeting the Challenges Time Constraints v Variety of Needs Grading – auto-graded time quizzes provide instant feedback (also practice for standardized tests) Secure online grade book, calculates grades Alternate delivery options of content or feedback appeals/ interactive media appeals to different learning styles

Meeting the Challenges Time Constraints v Variety of Needs Ability to ‘replay’ or review helps learners and their parents– esp. the learning disabled Organizational tools – calendar, to do lists, helps keep users on-track and illustrates time-on-task Introduces computer skills, more timely information, and wider scope of experiences

Meeting the Challenges Time Constraints v Variety of Needs Can improve relations w/ parents, your students and admin Can serve as your own portfolio for career advancement, research

Meeting the Challenges Time Constraints v Variety of Needs Emphasis on writing, critical thinking, collaboration, constructive approach to learning

Balancing Act How can online tools help? CMS Wikis Blogs Other Tools & Examples

Course Management Tools CMS or LMS Costly v Free WebCT/Blackboard Angel Desire2Learn Moodle Sakai Manhattan free

Free Alternate Options Google Apps for Ed Wikis Wikispaces Blogs Blogger.com

Google Apps for Ed

Wikis Ex. /teachers /teachers building activities in an online environment that encourages the free exchange of ideas and emphasizes high level, clear communication and critical thinking

Wikis 2 Ex. From Wikibooks, the open- content textbooks collection: Blended Learning in the K-12 Environment _Learning_in_K-12 (and search other related articles)

Blogs Blogs in Education – explanation of uses, examples, tools = Search term “blogs for education” Mine uses

Center for Learning & Emerging Technologies Jane’s eLearning Pick of the Day Center’s website w. directory of tools:

2006 Exemplar K-12 Course “Earth Science” Linked from Along w/ many other exemplary courses

Screencast Videos Wacom Graphire Pen, Whiteboard or Tablet PC Enables mark-up of any Microsoft document. Similar products on the market – more to come w. Office 2007 and Vista OS

Use of Electronic Pen

Use of Electronic Pen with Video & Audio Short arrows, question marks, circles

Video Feedback A screencast A digital recording of computer screen output, often containing audio narration. Camtasia supports compact file formats has editing features that allow mouse movement and audio. A screencast is essentially a movie of what a user sees on his monitor.

Screencasting Traditionally useful for software developers to show off their work. Now realizing full potential for other uses; to show others how a given task is accomplished, provide visual/oral feedback, or construct a digital story Screencasts are excellent tools for any discipline – math, science, writing, history…

Using Camtasia 1. Open and evaluate student project. 2. Use Graphire Pen to circle, draw arrows. 3. Film the project corrections and record audio. Example: Correcting a formula in Excel.

Resources Camtasia: Free Trial: Editing Tutorials: e/enu/cs_showme.html e/enu/cs_showme.html

Just-in-Time Support/Training SnagIT (still images – some text $29)

Other Methods – Other Uses History of MathCasts: tools, grants & lessons learned I was moved to tears while watching and listening to 3rd graders create whiteboard movies. I would never have guessed 8 years ago that the work that was then so difficult could later be done so easily by such young people and that they would be so engaged and love doing it so much. And I think that it was perhaps because I could almost see them learning well as they created their movies while they talked and wrote that I fully convinced that student- created whiteboard movies were an even more powerful learning tool than teacher-created movies.

Other Methods – Other Uses BYU: homework solution /interview/glawlor.asp /interview/glawlor.asp MathTV: many for the price of 1

Other Methods – Other Uses Villanova 2005 Roundtable demos: Chemistry – podcasts, screen casts, games for feedback & instruction English/Writing – Camtasia to provide feedback on written papers Psychology – blogs for journaling/ e- Portfolio

Other Methods – Other Uses Drexel resources: “Augmenting WebCT Courses Using Podcasts, Screencasting, Blogs, and Games” Villanova WebCT Conference 2005 More at podcast.blogspot.comhttp://drexel-coas-talks-mp3- podcast.blogspot.com Tutorials: elearning.wikispaces.com/tutorialshttp://drexel-coas- elearning.wikispaces.com/tutorials Thank you to Jean-Claude Bradley for permissions

Free Alternatives Screen View (like Camtasia/ AV Editor) Audacity (Audio Editor) MultiMedia Office (Audio, Video, Image, and HTML Editor)

Free Learning Objects On iTunes U sites… ex. Lit2Go MERLOT Collections of other LO sites

Issues Open/Closed Environment Student/Teacher Privacy Time requirement – learning curve ADA Accessibility Copyright Spam if shared Cost – haves v have-nots

Your Thoughts Questions? Comments? Ideas?