I already know you know

I already know you know that left unsupervised, the average high school student will goof off and do nothing for you in a classroom.

Want "proof"? Here ya go.

That being said, I try really hard not to let my students loose on a computer lab without any guidance. I'm not an optimist at heart when it comes to letting people "just work on stuff on their own" ... I know better. Direct supervision is so necessary it's almost scary. Some call me Big Brother when I get into the Computer Lab ... but it's either that or I have to listen to that Arnold sound board ... again.

Direction with a requirement to have something produced in a set period of time is what needs be done. Vague and overly happy sounding instructions are not what I see working in my classroom. Heck, there are days when I have to get my "Kindergarden teacher" voice going just to get them off of Facebook.

Finally, I'm trying to think of something positive to end with here. I think that there is something positive we have to do ... like hook up with this guy...

Finally here is another link about iTunes.

Are you Pre-Digital?

I read this blog post this morning after coffee and a run. I do wonder sometimes if I am merely replacing one older technology with another, or am I doing something truly different in my teaching.

Makes one wonder, makes one wonder...

Of course, you can always ask ... can Twitter be used to in a classroom?

And you could read what the Ontario College of Teachers has to think about the matter, too... and also here...

and then there is this link all about helping schools understand social media better.

Some really good apps

I did not get a chance to look at these apps yet, but perhaps I thought we could discuss them later:

here is the link.

here is a funny picture:

Consider the following

Like Bill Nye, I want you to consider the following ....

Right, keep on keeping on

So, I was thinking about some of the difficulties I'm having with my classes at the moment. Why are they ... oh, this is probably not the place for that. But I did think about solutions ... and one which I keep coming back to is to keep in touch with those that have gone before me in the online teaching / blended teaching idea.

And so, I sought out courses taught by traditional Universities and found Queen's University's Con Ed AQ link is here.

Cost is always a factor for me. Which is nice, because at least Queens puts the cost on their page. Lesley University, however, more or less made it impossible for me to find anything out about cost. Poking around that website was frustrating... How frustrating? I'm not even going to link it here, that's how frustrating it was.

and then, later still, I saw this app for making your own books .... which can then be read and sent around using iBooks...

Book Creator for the iPad from Red Jumper Studio on Vimeo.

Oh, now that opens up a can of worms for me - the guy who used to be called "Mr Photocopier"... I wonder if there are Creative Commons / copyright free stories that are any good for use in a regular high school ... hmmmm

Something for Textbooks

So, I'm wondering around LinkedIn early on Sunday morning - and I find a webinar on textbooks

Kinda cool, and I gotta think the idea of a "Two way pull" is the way of the future - heck, from what I saw in my class on Friday, it's already here.

Whyville is also mentioned


and while floating around on Twitter, I saw this article mentioned. Makes you wonder about what is stopping you from becoming Google Certified...

Hey

Do the google form on this link

and then check out the Ocarina app.