Final Digital project…contemplations. Comments needed please!
My community school has 200 plus students with a a few classes that have grade alike groupings. Our division utilizes Sun system thin clients with no sound. This limits a lot of projects that I am interested in as a educator who has taken a number of classes in video production and value such as an effective learning tool to engage students! I also teach a multigrade behavioural class which presents it’s own challenges; not behaviourally mind you ( I have a certain way with kids 
but in the fact they are often integrating into other classes at various and random times during the day…
So I have decided to look to a project directed more towards our staff. I enjoyed Alec’s presentation Wednesday night on a number of internet apps. So here is my plan.
1.) Select a small number of teachers, possibly grade alike, that have a common challenge or need that maybe addressed within a digital/ social learning context (yes, this is huge, but hey, I am rambling)
2.) Get my head around some tools (sound excluded tools) that teachers would be interested in using in relation to that challenge and develop objectives to meet the challenge or need.
3.) Play with the tool(s) and find time to collaborate to show these tools. (I think I can pull this off..or after school if I bribe the staff with donuts..)
4.) If we can find some digital tools to meet objectives, possibly develop screencasts to use the tools so I don’t have to repeat training.
5.) Yes, there is no sound! But, if they have computers at home to help them use audio for the screencasts…
6. Develop a blog/ wiki/ webpage to showcase the project.
To much, not enough?
O.K my fellow group of scholars (within or outside the class)….comments PLEASE!
Sounds like a great opportunity to introduce them to universal design and accessibility. What if you design a project for the hearing impaired?
Shaun, I think this will be very beneficial to your staff, who will in turn (hopefully) pass it on to the students. Sound is a part of some of these sites, but there are always wikis, blogs, Ning, and several other sites – even educating about social networking sites like MySpace that many of the students are using and cybersafety – are available free of sound. Good luck. I look forward to seeing how your project progresses.
Sounds great! I’m doing a presentation at the end of February and this is what I came up with. I have used a lot of info that I got the other night also. http://loonyhiker.wikispaces.com/ What do you think?
Shaun, my school is in a similar position (few grade alikes) and I think this is a great idea. I believe you have found a balance between too little information and the danger of making it meaningless and providing too much information and overwelming your audience. As Connie pointed out if you can convert the staff it will spill into the student body.
Good luck.
Dean
Shaun,
I like your idea of working with a group of staff. If you can find even a small group that are interested, learning will occur. Use them to introduce them to some of the Web 2.0 tools and develop a tutorial (with the screencasts) is a great idea. The staff will learn, tutorials for other staff to see after if interest develops, and they would also be available for the staff to use with the students. Introduction to the technology and an expanded learning is a great opportunity. I think part of the point of this class is to bring others into this technological world, isn’t it?