I have always admired those who write the open source programs I use. The ideal of a group of individuals working together to build resources by contributing what they can is so cool.
For the most part I have always been a user rather than a contributor. The skill level of those who write WordPress, Mediawiki, Drupal, Scuttle and the other software I run is far beyond my own. It is enough to make you feel a little guilty.
Today someone wrote and asked me for the code I wrote to allow those who use my educational resource database to rate the value of the resources I include. I sent the code. I am not sure anyone will be able to interpret my code – I pretty much just hack around until what I want to do works. Still, I now feel like I made a contribution.
Researchers have released a report evaluating student achievement as a consequence of a 1:1 laptop initiative. The researchers claim quite significant improvements in writing proficiency. At this point I have only had an opportunity to read the executive summary so I may have more to say after I have read the methodology.Maine Laptop Research.
There is considerable literature one can access that bears on the question of how and if we might benefit from web 2.0 tools (excuse this phrase if it annoys you – this is not about 1.0 vs. 2.0).On one side, there is Cult of the Amateur arguing that shared free knowledge is likely to be flawed. On the other side, you have Wikinomics; Small Pieces, Loosely Joined; Smart Mobs; parts of The World is Flat; etc. arguing that online information sharing is better than sliced bread, fresh bagels, or chocolate. I bounce between being depressed and elated depending on which book I happen to be reading.While I do not really feel I am closer to the answers I am looking for, I keep buying these books.My most recent trip to Barnes and Noble led to the purchase of Infotopia. The author examines the question of how (and if, I guess) many minds produce knowledge. Many minds in this case do not necessarily have to express their wisdom via a computer and the Internet, but blogs, wikis, online prediction markets, etc. figure prominately in the author’s agenda. The book draws on what seems a literature from social psychology or management investigating “deliberating” groups and the question of whether a group will be able to surface and integrate collective knowledge.Many times it appears that deliberation – open sharing and discussion – does more harm than good. I did pick up a couple of useful phrases. At least, if I don’t have answers it may now appear like I understand the problems. Cocoon and echo chamber – we tend to read those who think like us and we tend to repeat similar messages in follow-up interactions. I used to call this the “CNN vs. Fox effect”, but now I have some new terms. As applied to blogs, the blogs we select to inform us may tell us what we want to hear rather than challenging us to consider different perspectices. The result is a radicalization of beliefs and values and possibly the perception that we have become educated. It is true, I have not read a pro NCLB blog lately.I have been following a different kind of approach that on the surface may offer a remedy. The Economist has been sponsoring debates for the benefit of readers for some time (at least as I understand the background). The publication is now attempting to adapt this tradition to the Internet with some twists (viewer voting). The readers were even allowed to vote on questions and the questions selected for “debate” involve technology and education. After reading Infotopia, this makes some sense. No matter what positions readers bring to process, they will encounter reasoned argument on both sides of an issue. This is worth following (note – registration is free).
The pioneers thing? – I am searching for a term to fill in the gaps allowed by categorizing folks as immigrants and natives.Anyway, I came across this post which attempts to create historical connections between hypercard and Safari 3.0. Not certain which principles of historical inquiry are violated, but I suppose the answer would be “several”. Still, it was cool just to see screen captures from hypercard. Remember cyberdog? What a stroll down memory lane!
Learning to operate open source software can sometimes be difficult because the software may not come with tutorials and you can’t always run to Barnes and Noble (Borders, Chapters, etc.) to buy a manual.
Here is a useful WordPress tutorial (the blog software I am using) you may find helpful. The first segment explains a unique method of installation that probably will not apply to your situation, but the other segments (see tabs across top of the page) are informative.
The tutorials are based on an educational context (provided by Henrico tech staff) so the application scenarios that form the basis for the tutorials are relevant.
The role technology can play in field-based learning (e.g., biology) has long been a topic I like to present because it runs contrary to many people’s way of thinking about technology. Digital cameras, probes, and digital microscope are easy to bring into the field and allow the collection of data (broadly defined) that can be processed at a later time.
For several years, middle school students from Grand Forks and surrounding communities have been participating in an EcoEd camp at a regional state park. Technology staff members from the Grand Forks schools have been in the field supporting this experience since the projects began.
One personal observation – it has been less difficult for technology folks to find ways to assist students in what they do in the field than it has been for some classroom teachers to built on the field experiences once students are back in the classroom. I would describe this as an issue of “processing”. Hands on experiences, like information received in any form, typically must be processed to increase understanding and retention. Some of the potential benefit of “field trip” experiences goes unrealized without followup. Of course, this is not always the case and here is an interesting example of “post trip” processing from the students at South Middle School. Students were grouped as teams to describe their experiences through podcasting (vodcasting if you make a distinction between pure audio and audio+images). These projects are available from the South Middle School web site and you might want to take a look.
You may be of the impression that technology in education is a recent phenomenon. You may also be surprised to learn that we have reached the 40th birthday of LOGO. If you don’t know what LOGO is, you must also be a digital native – one of those folks who assumes he/she is a natural user without really experiencing the changes that have brought us to the point where we are today. The origin of LOGO was a little before my time as an active computer user, but I did have experience with LOGO as an educational application.
So, for you Web 2.0 digital newbies, I dug a few LOGO images out of the vault. LOGO was a very capable language that was typically used at a very simple level to allow students to experience a “computational” perspective on geometry and learn some fundamental programming skills.
A program/script might look something like this (after defining square):
TO BLACKHOLE :SIDE
SQUARE :SIDE
RT 12
Make “SIDE :SIDE*.985
IF :SIDE.5 [STOP]
BLACKHOLE :SIDE
END
Time for this old man’s afternoon power nap. 😉
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