Tech Wednesday: Fold.it

Fold.it is a game developed by a father for his kids and students to gain help in solving problems/puzzles involving protein folding. The game is a free download available at http://fold.it/portal. The developers of the game are university professors at the University of Washington and Carnegie Melon. The hope is that with all the gamers out there working on protein puzzles that maybe someday a cure for HIV, Alzheimer's, etc can be found. The game is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux and can be played either online or off-line but either way must be installed on the local machine to enable game play. The interface is relatively simple with using the mouse and screen to work on the proteins. You start up with some tutorial lessons to introduce you to the tools and skills you will need to complete the puzzles. There is a chat feature built into the game to enable you to work collaboratively if you so desire. Also on the site itself there are various communications tools with a blog, wiki, and forum. Where I see this site fitting in is possibly at a junior high or high school if not a college level. I see this as a great game for students looking for a challenge and also as a possible career path exploration.

More and more we are seeing games work their way into the education world and not just in the form of purchasing a pre existing game such as WOW, Age of Empires, and various others. Individuals are starting to create what a fellow colleague of mine termed artistic games for both PC's and game platforms. These games include fold.it , world of goo, and many others. These games may seem simple time wasters but in the hands of educators and students they have the power to captivate and engage students in learning that no text book or lecture can provide.

As always I welcome your comments and suggestions until next time.

Tech Wednesday: Wii Fit

This tech Wednesday is about an interesting new (ok relatively new) piece of hardware, the Nintendo Wii. I have read on other blogs and podcasts about the Nintendo Wii as any of you may have in the past and its possible applications in education. The possibilities are numerous from music education to physical education, and many others in-between. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first but now that I have played it for awhile and also worked with the Wii Fit I am starting to see many applications in the educational arena.

The two curricular areas that I see the Wii fitting into easily are music education/appreciation and physical fitness. Both would require up front purchases of additional hardware to use but I think would be sound investments in grabbing students' attention and keeping it. In the music arena you have the various Rock Band games that are a huge rage with most kids. Now I know that some of you music purists may say it is not the same as playing the real thing and I would agree, but what if… I am no music expert but if you had it at the younger ages or maybe the middle ages as a way to get kids to be interested in music or help to build an appreciation for music? Other thoughts I had were using it to have contests to see who is better at said instruments, a person who plays the actual instrument or one who plays just the Wii instrument? What about using it as your reward for practicing the real instruments? For each hour practiced at home the student gets x amount of time on the Wii at school. Or how about working with Nintendo or software companies to develop "games" that are more realistic and using them to help students gauge their interest in instruments?

On another side is the Wii fit and physical education. I have been personally using the Wii fit since getting one for my wife and I for Christmas. I have found that it is more motivating with the data tracking and little tidbits of advice that any fitness magazine or trainer has ever been for me. But then again that is the generation I belong to, the video game generation (or so I like to think). The Wii fit uses weight and height to figure out your BMI, not very accurate but accurate enough for fitness armature like myself. It then goes one to use that info and some basic balance tests to determine your Wii Fit age. This age can be older or younger depending on how coordinated and how much body control you have. Now I know that both of these are unscientific but hey it is a video game, and that is where I think the power of it comes in it is a game that can be motivating to kids.

Included in the Wii Fit package is the balance board and basic software. The software has all the data collection tools as well as some basic yoga and strength exercise in addition to balance and aerobic games. At first site these games may seem childish or easy but from the first time you play them you find that it requires some bit skill to master them. I have found that some tend to be a bit off of the actual activity, for example the downhill skiing. Being a downhill skier I know there is more to skiing than just using your hips to turn and leaning forward or back to control speed (which are the only controls you have in the game). What I am saying is that if you think you can be an expert downhill skier after mastering it on the Wii fit you are in for a big shock, but it will help you learn and tweak your balance. How I see this being used in schools is mainly as either a motivation tool to get kids up and active who are not normally active or interested in PE or as an introduction to fitness goal setting and tracking.

I welcome your comments on this issue and would love to hear of ways you may be using the Wii in your school and/or classroom.

Snow days: Double edge sword or educational opportunity?

As I sit here at home for a second day of no school I find myself pondering the age old conundrum of the snow day. A snow day to an educator and student is kind of like a double edge sword, on the one side you get a day off from school but on the other side you have to make up the time either in February (for those of us who have a mid-winter break) or in June (or whenever your end of the school year is). But what if there was a way to make up snow days without having to take away days from our breaks? Personally I would die for something like this as my first semester tech as my students lose those instructional days (and those in my 2^nd semester tech class have added days they don't necessarily need).

I have spoken before on the issue of blogging in the context of professional development but what if we used blogging combined with educational portals (Microsoft SharePoint, Blackboard, etc.) to deliver instruction on snow days? Now I know the critics will bring up the issue of the technology gap and those who don't have access to a computer and it is a valid issue but I don't think we should let that keep us from pondering the question. I say this because the number of people who have or are gaining access to the internet is growing every day. I use the term have access because one doesn't need to have a computer at home to access the internet, there are several places where one can access (friend's or neighbor's house, family member, school, public library, family members work, etc.) Also, we have student who are absent from our classes at some point in time and we hold them accountable for the work they have missed. For those that can't/won't do the makeup work then we hold them accountable when school is back in session according to the schools work make up policy. So I don't see a lack of internet access as an excuse to not use and grow educational technology to be used outside of school.

I am talking about expanding on the idea of the online classroom/school that is being utilized already in some capacity. What we should be doing is on the automated messages we send out to parents, as part of the radio/TV broadcast, posting to the web, etc. we should include a message telling students and parents to check the website and/or portal for the daily lesson. Lessons could range from journaling their adventures, writing papers, participating in discussions, reviewing for tests, doing math problems, etc. Also with webcam technology teachers can record videos of lectures (or podcasts of them) for students to take notes on. The possibilities are endless and should be explored as an alternative way of making up snow days at the end of the year.

I would like to hear your thoughts? Is there anyone out there currently doing this? If so what success have you had? Do you think this is a viable alternative to making up work at the end of the year?

Tech Wednesday: Santa Tracking as an Educational Tool

This will be my last Tech Wednesday post for the year; although never fret I will pick this back up in the New Year on January 7^th.

You may be wondering why I chose the NORAD tracks Santa site as an educational site to share. I know it is not non-denominational but it is a cute site with some interesting goodies packed in there. Although I do recommend that you check your district policies regarding Christmas.

I like this site as an educator because it has the ability to hook kids in to a topic in a roundabout sort of way and gives you a platform from which to launch into a discussion. This site has Holiday related activities and games for the littler kids and some historical information on Santa, NORAD, and how NORAD got into the Santa Tracking business. I also think of it as a great way to introduce students to world geography because as they follow Santa around the world NORAD Officers give little trivia tidbits on specific places Santa visits.

Currently there is a video up and a countdown clock showing how long till Santa starts his journey. The video is a little teaser of what you will see as Santa makes his travels "live". You can also attach a feature to your Google Earth that allows you to see Santa's adventures in 3D.

Wishing all of you a Happy Holiday and a Merry New Year.

Tech Wednesday: Xtimeline.com

For my second installment of Tech Wednesday I am demonstrating the website xtimline.com. I first heard about this site on another blog whose name escapes me at the moment. Their comments about how it was a great web2.0 tool that had excellent application in the classroom caught my interest and I ran with it from there. I am currently testing it out with my staff as I write this so more to come on what other teachers in my building think.

At first glance the site looks like a resource site with basic timelines, a search bar, tour video, etc. They have featured timelines listed in the center of the page as well as timeline dealing with current events and groups listed on the right hand side of the page. This is a great resource for teachers and students looking to do research on historical events and as a starting point for further research. It is also a fun tool to use outside of school if you want to do a family timeline or chronicle a local event.

To create, edit, and comment on timelines you must create an account. This is probably the one drawback I see in using the site with kids as you must have an email address to sign on. You can anonymously search for timelines but you are not allowed to edit or comment on them. If you want to use this site as a tool for your students to create timelines, you will need to make sure they have their own personal email account set up. That aside the interface is fairly straight forward for inputting in dates, background info, pictures, etc. and it automatically puts the events in order for you when you are completed. There are two views: one being a title and date; the other being a more detailed view.

Some ideas for using this in a class:

1. Have students create their personal timeline
   
2. Challenge students to find a need within your curricular area for a timeline
   
3. School/District history timeline
   
4. Check posted timelines for accuracy
   
5. Chronicle the years events and compare prior years
   

I am sure there are many more. Please feel free to offer you comments and suggestions.

Video:

New Feature: Tech Wednesday

I am going to be trying out a new feature to my blog in an attempt to get more traffic coming its way. The overall purpose of this blog is to serve as a forum for teachers and readers to share successes, advice, and general rants and raves about technology. In the past I have posted helpful websites and tips on minor tasks but now I would like to offer a bit of online training on programs and project I currently do and have done in the past. This is part of my bi-weekly professional development I do for my staff on Wednesday. My goal is to up-date this site every Wednesday with some bit of training I have done or am planning on doing. My hope is to share a little bit of what I know on using technology in education. Now I am by no means an expert when it comes to many of the things I am showing you so please feel free to offer your 2 cents on how it can be done better or more efficiently. Most of the training I will be sharing will be put together using a program called ScreenVirtuoso Pro

ScreenVirtuoso is a program that allows you to record your onscreen actions, add narration, and some simple onscreen graphics. As I am typing this out I am recording the video for this post as well as a future training for staff on blogging with MS Word 07. Bear with me as I switch between typing this blog post and narrate the video. This program is a Shareware program that does cost you after the trial period has expired but I find the price is well worth it if you are looking for a simple demo video program. There are several other programs out there you can choose from that enable you to do a lot more than this one does but these cost significantly more. I will be posting these videos in a WMV format as that is the format that works with the computers in my district. If you prefer an MPEG or AVI, FLV/SWF format feel free to email me and I can covert the video to the format and send it to you.

Let me know what you think of this new feature and also feel free to post different or easier ways of doing the things I share here on Tech Wednesday. My goal is to post once a week but forgive me if there are some gaps or if the posts are not always on a Wednesday. I am sharing time between my 3 passions in life: my work, my 3 kids, and my lovely wife.

Citizenship in the classroom

This past week we witnessed history in the making. Not only did we have record turnouts for an election but we also elected our first African American President. I will be honest and say this makes me proud to be a citizen of this county. I hope that you took part in the election by voting, volunteering for your candidate, and possibly hosting a mock election in your classroom or school (if you work in the education field). I held one in my tech classes and the school did one on Election Day. The comments by the kids were both interesting and insightful.

I like talking with students about election time about their thoughts and feelings. In the past many really didn't care about what was going on and wondered why I was even bothering to do a mock election (although they sometimes wonder why we do anything but play games and chat). During this lesson/time I encounter all sorts of comments and reasons for supporting candidates. These comments range from those students who choose their candidates based on what parents/guardians have said, to the more informed ones, to my favorite (and new this year) reason of "I am voting for him because he is hot!" There are the usual arguments/discussions about the popular candidates in which I need to step in to make sure feelings are not hurt and political neutrality is respected. There are all during all this I have to very artfully dodge the question of who I am voting for, although it does lend itself to a nice discussion about privacy and why voting is done in private. It is an interesting time during the election process but this year I surveyed my students after the election process on the thoughts, feelings, etc. and received some interesting comments.

I found the comments of students who voted (and those who didn't) to be very interesting and insightful. I asked my kids how they felt and their thoughts about the voting process (regardless of the outcome of the election). Here are some direct quotes:

• "I didn't vote because I knew it wouldn't have an effect"
  
• "I didn't get any of the candidates"
  
• "It was frustrating having to register" (I use a website that requires a simple registration process)
  
• "What are initiatives?"
  
• "Why were all the drop outs listed on the ballot?"
  
• "I wish I would have had more information" (Even after pointing out where they voters pamphlet was)
  
• "I gave up after X position because it took too long"
  
• "I was sick so I didn't get a chance to vote, Can I still cast my ballot?"
  
• "What is a Superintendent of Public Instruction?"
  

What I found interesting about these comments is that I could relate each one to a frustration or reason one of us would give for being frustrated with the voting process. It lead to some great discussion on voting and why it is important to vote. This eventually led to the topic of them being just students who couldn't vote so why should they care. In talking about this I encouraged them to find ways to get involved with the political process whether it be something simple like talking to their family members, to running for an ASB office, or something more advanced like starting up a club. It will be interesting to see what grows out of this simple lesson.

I am curious to hear from you how you worked this year's election into your teachings?