28Feb
Categories: law, software
Microsoft has a iPhoto-like product out called Photo Story 3. It is free to download, but Microsoft makes you jump through a few hoops first—you must go through their innocuous-sounding Genuine Advantage program first. This is so they can certify that you are not running a pirated version of Microsoft Windows. You may also have to “activate” Windows XP.
Wow, giving away good, free software is great. But it seems to be that Microsoft is more interested in catching pirates then spreading good software. A lesson from Apple would go a long way here. Make good, free software, give it to us, and create loyalty. Don’t try to bait thieves with your product; figure out another way to catch the thieves. As long as you keep them connected, the missions of the software-developers will always be cloudy. Are they trying to make the best product, or make the best bait?
28Feb
Seymour Papert gets project based learning. That is not hard to believe. He has been one of the foremost thinkers on educational technology for decades. He is constantly thinking about ways to to enhance learning with technology. Watch this Edutopia video where he describes a recent project with students in a juvenile detention center.
25Feb
Our friends in the Legislature created law that allows educators to use copywritten material in their classrooms—it’s called Fair Use. There are restrictions of course. With those restrictions comes an hyper-complicated set of rules that you need a team of lawyers to decipher.
There are some good groups out there trying to make these rules as easy to understand as possible. Try these if you need some help:
25Feb
Constructivist education calls for students to construct their own knowledge. When discussed, constructivism often comes off as an idealist bent on education. One problem that arises is assessment. How can a teacher assess a student who is guiding their own learning? A fantastic, empowering tool for students in a rubric. If a teacher constructs a rubric for students, then all expectations of the student are clear, totally spelled out.
RubiStar is one of the best resources on the web for creating rubrics. RubiStar lets you start with a subject area, and then choose how many categories to place on your rubric. Try choosing the “Making A Poster” link and you are presented with pre-made categories to use on your rubric, or just type in your own. When you are done, you can save the rubric on their server, print it out, or save it to your computer in Excel or HTML format. Here is my example rubric:
Take the next constructivist leap and let your students make their own rubrics, then assess them with that. Talk about really directing your own learning.
note: when making your own rubric, don’t forget Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences – students can display their understandings in many different ways.
