johnhendron.net: hendron’s digest - a weblog

I liked this post from 43 Folders.

A great post that includes details on using Macs, Elmos, design software, on math students, and some interesting comments from readers.

Being the catalyst to the thoughts of students is the most important role of a teacher, because, again, it is what changes the world.

An interesting read about the roles of a teacher, and what struggle I know many face in a time when many are calling for a transition in pedagogical models/techniques.

We got Forbes magazine at home this past week, and in it, their best 100 Companies to Work For. As I read through the columns on the chart, to see why these places were so great, I lamented the state of public education in America.

Things that made a difference for employees included gourmet meals, special employee incentives (such as extra vacations, or bonuses), and conveniences at work (gyms, laundry, car detailing). While a lot of these perks are financial, and can no doubt be ultimately attributed to the company’s success through capitalist practices, I’m saddened that a) teachers mean so little, b) get paid so little, and c) can’t compete in their system (our public schools) like folks in business.

As I gear up to attend several conferences this month and next, I’ll no doubt hear solutions to all sorts of educational problems presented by fellow educators. But I also know that what teachers do in the classroom in a given day is only a piece of the puzzle. And no one piece can solve the puzzle, or our educational concerns.

I have no doubt that our educational system is in need of serious reform. But so many of the things that could provide a catalyst for change are behind the red tapes of finances, politics, and parental involvement.

I know from experience that many of our teachers are overworked, are disrespected by students and their communities, and are asked to contribute more of their lives to their jobs than any teaching contract is ever honest enough to admit. While I have been following the online discussions about School 2.0, Classroom 2.0 and watching the blog Students 2.0, today I pessimistically feel that little of the wonderful ideas for change and improvement can take hold when there is so much else holding us back.

So cool!

I recently restored my interest in “mapping-out” ideas for the benefit of myself and others, to see both the more intimate and “big picture” of things through a type of “mind map.”

Second Life inspired this renewal of interest. On Tuesday evening, a group hosted a Virtual Information Technologies: a 3D Mind Map presentation. What we saw were two interfaces, the more incredible, giant, maybe 100-storey tall mindmaps you could fly around and read!

I recently found via SlideShare Christopher Pappas’s site for Moodle Tutorials. Looks like a great resource. He’s also created several good groups at Slideshare worth checking out!

I’ve begun playing with the Sugar OS, the operating system for OLPC (one laptop per child). I used VM Fusion to run the OS in emulation on my Mac. Interesting! I think it will be more interesting once I find some others to try it out with me… to explore the social networking functionality.

Today, I installed Edubuntu on my MacBook Pro laptop.

Displayed above, you can see me using a Web 2.0 tool, VoiceThread just fine under Firefox in the Ubuntu-linux operating system. What makes Edubuntu unique is the educational software that comes with it, and the support for thin-clients running off a server.

This past October, the tech sites were ablaze with high hopes for the latest version of Ubuntu, named “Gutsy Gibbon.” Having used Linux before, it is even more polished and stable than I’ve noted in past forays. I doubt I could use this day-in and day-out as effectively as I use the Mac (in part due to my familiarity with Mac over Ubuntu linux), but the amount (and quality) of what’s there says a lot for what schools could do with inexpensive machines and this free software.

Incidentally, I had some issues getting Ubuntu installed on my Mac with Parallels 3. I took the advice I found elsewhere, and:

• Installed the earlier v7 release of Ubuntu with their Alternative CD.
• I used the text-installer. It hung on me.
• I restarted, and it had actually fully installed.
• I used the built-in system update in Ubuntu to upgrade from Fiesty Fawn to Gutsy Gibbon.
• I used a command-line tool to install (upgrade, if you will) to Edubuntu.
• I used the built-in software installer to grab a lot more software, including the titles that come on the Edubuntu install disc.

The only thing I had to do on my own was install Flash. Latest versions of OpenOffice, TuxPaint, GIMP, etc., are all ready and waiting. Thanks to some folks on the Edubuntu IRC channel for some advice in getting Edubuntu installed over Ubuntu.

Presentation Zen did a review of Jobs’ Keynote this past week at Macworld.

I agree with all the points made, the thing I liked best is something I try to do in my own presentations: tell people where I’m going; give them a roadmap.

Too many presentations… you’re not sure where you are going. I liked the idea of “four things.” I can sit here now and name off the four things: MacBook Air, Leopard and Time Capsule, iTunes and movie rentals, and the iPhone update.

In recent meetings I’ve had with colleagues in different school divisions, they keep reminding me (us) that the Web we are talking about “The Read/Write” and “2.0″ varieties, are not the ones that they use at work. When I suggested at a meeting to start a podcasting initiative with English teachers in our middle schools, the backlash hurt.

“It’s blocked!” said one.

What is? - I asked.

“Blogs!” cried one. “Wikis!” cried another.

“Wikis??” I asked. “Yes,” they confirmed.

I know I am not alone with disappointment. Blocking the Internet is safe and leaves no questions asked about loopholes or accidents (in a perfect world–the kind where proxy servers and leaked passwords and other methods never come into play).

But seriously–how do you address 21st century skills without access to the tools that are partly inspiring the revolution?

It’s disappointing to me that even our technology leaders are at odds with these policies–or unsure of them–and yet nothing is done.

Technorati Tags: education, rant, read/write, technology

I just posted an interview with Dr. Ross Perkins about the educational possibilities within Second Life. He’s established a teen grid island called SOLVE that will be used to study how students in that environment interact and use a virtual, online space.

At yesterday’s Greater Richmond Area Educational Technology Council meeting, John Sylvester and I introduced members to the world of Second Life (link).

Pictured above, we were serving ourselves lattés and cappuccinos in the café at Sundance Channel Island. Pictured above were the avatars for myself, Debra Roethke (Henrico), Wayne Thomas (WCVE), and Patti Chappell (MWGS).

An interesting article from the New York Times suggests opening schools later for high school kids, and extending the school day.

Dan Benjamin has posted some notes on what he considers good setups for podcasting.

I have no disagreements with what he has listed. But many of my better podcasts are done “in the field,” and for that, I use a 5th generation iPod with a Belkin stereo microphone. While this set up does pick up the iPod’s hard disk writing sound, using an iPod nano would not. The microphone quality isn’t the same as one of the “prosumer” setups Benjamin describes, but it certainly very good.

I use Apple’s Soundtrack Pro (part of FinalCut Studio Pro) to edit. To each track, I typically add a very dry mix of reverb, and a compressor filter. This combined with the iPod microphone makes for a very good sound. Listen to TechTimes Live, my podcast.

I agree with this article–that the research and “preparation” is the most important learning experience in having students create podcasts.

Some tips for laptop screens at The Unofficial Mac Weblog.

I have been using Jott for some time now, mostly to remind myself of things, and to send messages to folks from the Bluetooth connectivity offered in my car.

This latest post from Lifehacker provides quite a few more ideas on how we both can use this useful, over-the-phone, tool. Many are worth checking out!

This blog post suggests your font choice may impact your grade.

What would be interesting is a larger study; too bad he didn’t consult with 5-10 fellow students and compare their results. Personally, I’d like the Georgia papers best.

In 1999, fresh out of graduate school, I took my first teaching job in Virginia, and that same year, my first article was published.

It was something I wrote not for an assignment, but out of a passion I had (and still do) for the somewhat elitist concept of authenticity. My angle, you see, was what type of music was best for study in school–historically authentic–or not?

It seems of late I cannot hold myself to writing things with such academic rigor, but I still admire those that do.

Today, NewsGator, creator of several RSS aggregators for Windows, NetNewsWire for Macintosh, and an online aggregation service, has released all of their desktop applications for free.

This came too late for my book, where I recommended these products, but noted their cost. I’d recommend everyone to consider these (now) free tools alongside other choices that they may be using.

I’d begun using Vienna for Macintosh, but now I think I’ll check out what’s up with NNW3–I stopped using it at version 2.

Introduction to NetNews Wire for Macintosh from John Hendron on Vimeo.