Mapping Media to the Curriculum

Mapping Media to the Curriculum

by Wes Fryer

First Thoughts

Students as well as teachers, need to be creating media. Irrespective of what you teach, students can have more options to show what they know through media. 

Won't spend as much time on the why, but maybe more on the what and how. (check out his book for more on the "why")

We need, as teachers, experiences as students. It's important to be the learner, as well as the instructor. 

"Narrated slideshow" - screencasts
"Video" - it's the killer app. Video is easy to put online.

Pioneer Spirit

We are venturing into unknown lands as it applies to digital learning. Do you have the pioneer spirit? Why or why not? 

Be a digital pioneer. Would you have left New York? Or St. Louis? It's important to have people to lead you, but be willing to go into the unknown. 

Instead of having students answer "What do you want to Learn today?" have them answer "What do you want to Create today? Digital portfolios for students. These are for students to be able to show what they have done. Have a digital footprint. What do people find when they google you? What would people find if they googled your students? 

Truth about EdTech

Zeitgeist 2012, the year in review youtube.com/watch?v=xY_MUB8adEQ A year in review video created by someone. What about using something like this in your class? What about having students research current events (related to Natural Disasters for JB) and create a video of that? Maybe have them create an annotated review of the current events related to our class? Consider this for the mid-term project. 30k neurons connect image processing to brain vs. <1k neurons connecting to hearing. 

Look into the widget effect. 

Find this resource at wfryer.me/map

Truth

You cannot tie simple increase in technology with the purchase of technology. It must be used effectively!!

Why Create with Media?

It should become the new normal in classrooms. Kids can be media creators! It's important to know how to use software, but that's no longer the minimum that students should be able to know. Seymour Papert - shout out. Encouraging us to view devices as pathways to learning, not JUST arcades or social isolators. 

Will this increase test scores? Did the ball point pen increase them? No. It was about what you did and how you used it. Creation is at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy. Shout out to Richard Marzano and Classroom Instruction that Works.

Using iPads and iPods to record to Audioboo. Connect to QR code. Students read, write a script. Record using iPad (audioboo), then students share the information (whether they like the book) and then QR codes will pull all of the recordings about a particular book. How could this be integrated into my classroom? QR codes posted on a resource page on moodle? 

Creativity isn't just about workforce skills. It's intrinsically valuable. (JB - how can we quantify this??)

Collaboration is positive and naturally a result of integrating media. Passive learning is easy to forget. Shout out to MIT Lifelong Kindergarten Effect and Mitch Resnick. Reconsider blogging as "writing interactively." Push your admin to change the ability to blog.  

(side note: Does Wes ever stop? It seems like he's always going and driven to innovate and push others to do so, as well.)

There is great value in having students share beyond the boundaries of their classroom. (I've been saying that for years.) Age appropriate might mean using a moderated blogging site (meaning no content goes up until the teacher approves it.) This could elicit public edification from PARENTS. That's significant. 

What's on the Menu? 

Storyboarding - start with synthesizing something down to about 5 images. (educreations - app, browser based)

Then move that into a narrated slide show. 

Then move that into a digital story. (JB - need some more exploration of this)

Powerpoint abuse! Consider the 5x5 rule. Aid your presentation, not crutch it with Powerpoint. 

(JB - consider starting a digital scrapbook for our families. We could do this.)

Explore resources more (http://maps.playingwithmedia.com)