The (Potential) Downside of Personalization

This TED Talk by Eli Pariser has recently been making the rounds on Facebook. The talk begins with a discussion of the news feed in Facebook and how Facebook tailors that feed to your preferences, then Pariser quickly moves on to similar examples of personalization of web content by providers like Google, Yahoo! News, Netflix, and Amazon.

At first glance, personalization seems great; and, indeed, there are some tremendous upsides. However, Pariser points out some important downsides. I think this is "must see" viewing for anyone who relies on online research. For older students, I think showing, or at least discussing, Pariser's concerns prior to a research project could lead to some good ol' complex thinking.

What do you think?
How might the information Pariser presents impact your own research? How might you share this information with students?

Google Teacher Academy Is Coming to Seattle this Summer!

If you go gaga for Google like I do, this is exciting news indeed! The Google Teacher Academy is held in a different city each year and, although they accept applicants from outside the area, priority goes to those within a 100-mile radius. This year, that could be you and I hope it will be! Google isn't just a search engine, Google tools (Docs, Sites, etc.) and other Google products, like Google Earth, offer a lot of opportunities for teachers and students, and you could be on the cutting edge of this as a Google Certified Teacher. (Does that sound cool, or what!?)

Interesting in applying? (Pretty please?) Great--head on over to the Google Teacher Academy site, read all about it and get started on your 1-minute video. Application and video are due June 16. Let me (Kimberly) know if you have any questions or need any help. And, of course, if you get accepted, let us know that, too!!

Not interested in applying, but wondering what all the fuss is about with Google tools in schools? Visit the Google for Educators page and check out what's available. Then, if you're interested in the clock hours, come back here and tell us what you found and why you think it's worth reporting.

Let's Play a Game!

Gaming in education is getting a lot of attention at ed tech conferences and in the instructional technology literature. Because I've never been a gamer, I haven't really paid much attention. However, last week, Matt Tucker, English teacher at the high school sent me a link to the video you'll see below. A student had shared it with him because they were reading Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind in class. It's definitely worth nine minutes of your time, and it offers up plenty for us to think about, regardless of how you feel about video games.

Update 11/7/2011: Video was removed from original hosting sight over the summer, but you can find it here: http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/gamifying-education

So this week, after watching the video, tell us what you think. What idea was most compelling or challenging for you? Why? Can you imagine incorporating gaming concepts and/or gaming in your classroom? Bonus points if you try the Wikipedia/linking exercise described at the end of the video with your students. (By the way, I "played" it myself with two random topics and I think the main learning goals of doing such an activity with students are really rooted in the Habits of Mind and/or Thinking Skills. It's not like kids are going to learn tons of stuff about your content area (although, they may learn some), rather, they get to see/think about how information is linked, practice skills like predicting and inferring, decision-making, metacognition, etc.)

Let's get Jing-y with it!

Have you checked out Jing yet?  Jing is the program I use to make the "screencast" demos for F1 Tuesdays and sometimes appear in this blog. For a while now teachers have been asking if they could have access to this program. Well, ask no more; it's yours for the asking! Jing now available on your laptop through advertised programs (look for TechSmith Corp.). (To find out how to locate and install advertised programs watch this video (made with Jing, by the way). By the way, you need to be at school to download advertised programs.)

I think Jing has a lot of classroom applications. Is there a set of instructions or other important information that you find yourself repeating over and over again to students and/or parents? Why not make a Jing? Is there information from today's class you'd like students to be able to review from home? For instance, you could make a PowerPoint that had images and/or information related to an upcoming test. You could record your slide show with your narration for students to review later.

Right now Jing is only available for teachers but in the future we'll look into the possibility of having it available for student use. However, in the meantime, there's nothing stopping a student (if older than 13) from installing and using it on their personal computer.

To learn more, check out the following
Jing Overview Video (click on Overview Video)
Jing Tutorial shows you how to get started using Jing
Jing's Education Page for more information about screencasting in education and some teacher ideas.
Creating Brief Instructional Videos with Jing is a blog post about using Jing in education
How to Adjust Your Microphone Settings You may need to do this before making a Jing.

If you think you might want to Jing (yes, I just used Jing as a verb), here are some helpful tips:

1. Introduce yourself (if appropriate) and your topic.

2. Establish relevance (why are you demonstrating this).

3. Demonstrate steps:

• Less is more: keep it simple.
• Focus on clear, ordered steps. Explain why you're doing what your you're doing when appropriate.
• Point out potential mistakes/mis-steps (e.g. "Here's where it's easy to goof, so be careful that you don't . . .")

4. Conclude with how to get help if they need it or where to get more information.

 

Other Considerations

• Speak slowly and clearly.
• Don't wiggle your mouse all over the place.
• Start with a screen shot that says what you're doing (e.g. a Word document that displays your topic).

So, what about you? Ready to give it a try? (Extra credit if you do and come back here and post the link to your Jing.) OR, if you're not ready to try it yet, just leave your two cents' worth . . . how can you imagine using Jing?