Hip Hop in the Classroom

Last night on my way to Milwaukee, my husband and I were listening to Wisconsin Public Radio and heard a story about a Math teacher in San Diego, Alex Kajitani, who used rap to teach Math concepts to his students. While using rap in the classroom is not new, the story talked about the deeper issue of why such tactics are so successful in reaching students. Part of the reason they are so successful is they are engaging the student in a culturally relevant way.

The use of technology in the classroom accomplishes much the same thing. Students today are "digital natives", mobile technology and the internet are a way of life for them. Using chalkboards and overhead projectors while not necessarily wrong, it does show the students that their teacher is not fluent in their cultural currency.

What ways have you attempted to connect with your students using something similar to this? What was the result?

Photo via The Rappin' Mathematician

Global Opportunities in Learning

When you think about global opportunities in learning, the most traditional is a Study abroad or exchange program, but with advances in technology the opportunities have been greatly expanded. The traditional routes still exist, but now platforms such as Skype, video conferencing has become much easier to facilitate. Social networks have also enabled learners to expand their network globally and make connections with people from around the world.

Image by Melinda Kolk
via Pics4Learning

It is also easier than ever to get international tv programming and news through internet sources. When I was in high school we used to watch German television programming and read German newspapers online. This was useful and also helped us get a feel for their culture. I think a newspaper can tell you so much about a culture. It allows you to see what's important to a countries citizens, how their government operates.

Wired Campus - Sept. 15

Image from Pathfinder Linden (Flickr)

In today's The Wired Campus, a tech newsletter from The Chronicle of Higher Education, there were two articles that caught my eye. The first was the teaser in the subject line, U. Texas System Buys Land in Second Life. The article reports that the University of Texas purchased 49 pieces of virtual land for a total cost of $34,300 plus maintenance fees of $147.50/month. I'm surprised that the university made such an investment in the tough economic times of tightening state budgets and increasing competition in higher education, but I'm pleased that they see the potiential and were willing to make the investment.

The second article that was of interest, once I scanned the the rest of the newsletter, was one about how the University of British Columbia used clickers to quiz students in multiple locations. I had heard of clickers being used in classrooms but never in a situation where students were in different locations. Here in Iowa, we have the ICN and I think that the use of clickers could really add to the interactivity of a class taught over the ICN.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, what do you think about U of Texas's purchase, smart or silly? Have you used clickers in your classroom? How could they be used over a distributed network such as the ICN?

Social Networking

I'll be the first to admit I was not an early adopter of social networks, which is surprising since I'm typically an early adopter of most technology. I, like several of my classmates, didn't really see the need to keep up to date on what people I went to high school with, that I wasn't even friends with in high school, are up to these days. And I sure don't have time to take countless quizzes, etc.

But reluctantly I finally joined Facebook last fall, and this spring finally set up a Twitter account, and surprisingly I've found I enjoy using both. Facebook has helped me keep in touch with former co-workers, as well as friends flung across the US. I've also found that social networks can be very helpful when trying to locate new employment or help a friend locate new employment. With Twitter, the people I follow really are my personal learning network. I follow NPR, ABC News, as well as several colleagues on campus. I been able to stay up to date on the latest news and find some new and interesting people who blog about topics that are meaningful to me.

In the context of emerging instructional technologies, I found a link from a blog I follow (EdVentures in Technology), to someone on his blogroll (Jeff Utrecht, The Thinking Stick) with and interesting post recently about how facebook and twitter and social networks helped students connect with a wider world. The post is titled "A blog post, a tweet and a connection". For all of those who think social media has no place in education, I really encourage to read his post and let me know your thoughts.

The Role of Blogs in Education

While blogs are not new in education (they've been on the scene since 2004), their role like all instructional technologies is constantly evolving.

Two of the leaders (in my opinion, at least) in using blogs in education, Will Richardson and Anne Davis, have had lots to say over the years on how to effectively use blogs in education.

Anne has worked with a variety of ages and subject areas as well as presenting at national conferences. In her presentation at the 2004 NECC Conference, she lists dozens of possiblities that fall into 5 main categories, using blogs to enhance learning, using blogs to distribute classroom information, using blogs as a professional development tool to reflect on their teaching, having students create blogs to express themselves creatively and finally using a shared blog to work collaboratively.

Several years after her initial presentation in 2004, she shared a Lessons learned post that was a result from a NECC Panel Discussion as well as her own experiences. She emphasizees how blogs can help create a feeling of ownership and control over the curriculm for students. In addition to Anne's list of lessons, Will also posted his own list, and the biggest thing I took away from his post was that"blogging is thinking", that and "blogs take work".

Having at least one personal blog, that I try and post to occasionally I can relate to the blogs take work, but they are also such a great resource. I'm looking forward to regularly posting and seeing what conversations can develop. I'd love to hear your comments on how you view the role of blogs in education.