Researcher Ashley Deal has determined that podcasts have no inherent value (see Campus Technology for brief summary). I am not certain if she cites my research (I read the summary associated with the link), but I have arrived at the same conclusion. My interest was in using podcasts as a way to enhance lecture attendance and my data indicate that students prefer a written summary. This does not mean that are not useful educational applications.
BTW, the article in Campus Technology links to a very useful white paper (pdf) describing podcasting.
I have been aware of the Slingbox for some time. It is a small box that converts a television feed and sends it over the Internet. Cindy’s boss purchased one and was able to access local television from his house in Grand Forks will traveling in Norway.
Buy.Com had one on sale for $159 so I made the purchase. It was easy to set up for use within my home. Split the cable leading to a television and run one connection into the device. Connect the device to the home lan. Plug it in. Download the software and run through the setup and it works.
Getting the system to work outside of the home (over the Internet) was a little more of a challenge. I had to figure out to reconfigure my router for port forwarding. I keep telling myself that struggling with issues like this is the way I learn things. I now know a little about port forwarding.
The image below was captured from the laptop operating in wireless mode. Yes, it is CNN and the flying fish video. The quality is much better than I expected.
What is this good for? I know why I wanted this. Strange as it may seem, I want to be able to watch Twins baseball from my home or office office. CNN is also a habit. I can work on certain things (e.g., programming) with this video feed running in my periphery. Come to think of it, this type of multitasking is what is supposed to set we old folks apart from the students who are now in our classes. I am guessing most of my students won’t be running CNN in a window on their laptops while doing their work, but whatever is running in that unused attentional space is really not the issue.
I follow PEW reports closely because the organization has the means to actually collect data. The newest report provides a description of home broadband access. Andy Carvin, long an advocate for issues associated with the digital divide, provides a nice analysis of this report.
Broadband access continues to become more prevalent, but education and income continue as significant predictors of who has access. Approx. half of all adults now report broadband access in their homes. Access speed is also related to patterns of use (this was reported in previous reports on this topic) and continues to be evident in the present data. Those with faster access connect more frequently and engage in most tasks more frequently (with the strange exception of looking up info on Wikipedia). These relationships could be interpreted in multiple ways. Perhaps access is a determinant of use. Perhaps folks with less interest simply do not invest in more costly access.
I wish the analysis would have included data on the impact of children being present in households. I could not find comment on this issue.
Why should educators care? We should care because this issue should influence our assumptions about our students. If we make an assignment, do we assume students will be able to work on that assignment at home. Even if we expect students to complete the assignment in school, do we assume students are equally prepared to use the Internet to respond to the tasks we give them?
The situation is clearly improving. However, as more have access, the limitation of doing without or of having a slow connection can become a more significant problem.
I came across this distinction in reading posts on the Read/Write blog site. This comparison is a clever way of describing a distinction that appeals to me. My personal priority in promoting ways in which students might benefit from technology is to use technology to explore the world around them rather than to attempt to create a digital world within which to explore. Each approach offers unique opportunities, but my opinion is that virtual experiences have yet to mature to the point that the efficiency and authenticity can match opportunities available within the physical environment available to all of us.
Some 32% of teenagers questioned had experienced one of more of the following: having a private e-mail, IM or text messaging forwarded or posted where others could see it, the victim of an aggressive email, IM or text message, having a rumour spread about them online or having an embarrassing photograph posted online without permission. (comment from BBC News)
The most common strategy appears to be forwarding an assumed private email or IM message. Participation in a social networking site appears to increase the probability of being bullied.
Before jumping to conclusions specific to online activities, it is important to note that teens state offline bullying is more common.
One of the consequences of the attempt to improve student performance by way of NCLB is that students learn less of content not promoted through legislation. Social studies has been one area that receives less attention because it is not tested. So, on this day when we remember the history of our nation, here is a plea from the National Council for History Education.
Your urgent help is needed by the National Council for History Education
As the future of No Child Left Behind comes to Congress those who care about the teaching of history need to be heard.
This is a moment when every voice can make a difference.
We all need to pitch in to ensure that History is Not Left Behind
Through History Matters! and our website, we have urged all who care about the teaching of history in our schools to write the members of the Educational committees in the U.S. Senate and House, and also their own representative.
As Congress considers reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act it is imperative that our voices be raised so that Senators and Representatives, and especially members of the two Education committees, hear from teachers and others about the importance of making History a meaningful part of the curriculum in our nation’s schools.
At http://www.nche.net/nclb you will find information about Congressional members and guidance for the letter-writing. This is an extremely important undertaking, which may well affect everyone who teaches history throughout the United States.
Strange, isn’t it?
Parade of Boats – a July 4 tradition on the lake we visit in the summer.
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