Teach, Not Tech

I know I'm not the first person employed in ed-tech to say it's not about the technology. I have to remind myself of that a lot though. When I try to reel teachers in--those who really like their lessons they way they've taught them for a decade--I have to tell them that.

I tell the teachers in my district that it's about bringing some life into the classroom. It's about creativity, passion and potential. It's about reminding students that they can make something that didn't exist before and that when they do, they can find a sense of purpose.

Those things don't happen while trying to meet state objectives or pass standardized tests.

I have recently become a fan of Kevin Kelly's work and I love what he said in an interview in Christianity Today. This is the goal I strive for when the students are trying my patience and it seems so much is working against us. When I see a student intensely focused on his project or when one is excited to show me what she can make, I remember there's hope. We're doing something very important everyday.

"I want to increase all the things that help people discover and use their talents. Can you imagine a world where Mozart did not have access to a piano? I want to promote the invention of things that have not been invented yet, with a sense of urgency, because there are young people born today who are waiting upon us to invent their aids. There are Mozarts of this generation whose genius will be hidden until we invent their equivalent of a piano—maybe a holodeck or something. Just as you and I have benefited from the people who invented the alphabet, books, printing, and the Internet, we are obligated to materialize as many inventions as possible, to hurry, so that every person born and to-be-born will have a great chance of discovering and sharing their godly gifts."

Fun Game for U.S. History

I originally uploaded the Wits & Wagers U.S. History flipchart activity on Promethean Planet, but have since moved it to my Dropbox for easy download. It includes 10 questions with fun facts drawn from well known moments from Columbus to the Civil War. It will be easy to create your own slides with similar questions related to the day's lesson.

If you don't have ActivInspire or a classroom response system such as Expresssions, you can easily adapt the concept to the resources you do have.

If you haven't seen the other Wits & Wagers flipchart yet, it's here with 10 questions based on Life Science facts.

And the Oh, Really! Government Edition is also worth checking out if you're looking for a good activity for discussion in a Civics or Social Studies course.

The original party game Wits & Wagers (and the spin-offs...and other great games) is a highly entertaining party game from North Star Games, so be sure to check out their website.

My Favorite Video Editing Software for the Classroom

Update on 2/21/2012: I still love this software and I use it regularly, but I had a poor experience with ordering a copy directly from the company. I received email about a one-day sale for 70% off the regular price of about $100. I ordered a copy for home and I checked the price at every stage during the order process to be sure the sale price was accurate. When the email receipt came through I noticed my credit card had been billed for $50 instead. I could not reach the company after attempting to by phone and email. Eventually my credit card company paid me the difference in prices just to resolve the dispute.

A couple years ago a fellow student in a college course recommended Corel's VideoStudio software for editing videos. I downloaded the trial and fell in love with many of the features. Now that they've upgraded to x4 and I have used it with many of my own students I appreciate it even more.

With multiple movie tracks and effects, the advanced editing features can be less than intuitive. But I've seen high school students use it to quickly edit a simple video as easily as they did in MoveMaker. I'm working with a group of middle schoolers now. We're taking it slow, but I have no doubt they'll be able to edit without me in time.

I have created some videos on my own at home that used multiple video tracks, transitions and titles. I only had it freeze up once. Considering my experience with Pinnacle software over the years, only one lock-up seems almost miraculous.

On top of the excellent visual effects that can be achieved, I'm very pleased with the audio editing as well. Audio can be split from the video in a variety of formats and effects can be added.

If you edit video with students, I strongly suggest downloading the fully functional 30-day trial. I see right now they're selling the full version for $50 per license, so it could be an excellent time to buy.

Another option for programming games in the classroom -- Kodu

I don't know how I missed Kudo previously, but a student introduced me to it yesterday. It looks great and my kids at home are already in love with it. It's a very high level game programming application that even runs on the Xbox. The student who showed this to me is in 7th grade and he learned about it from his 8-year-old brother. It's simple, fun stuff.

If we get a chance to do game design this marking period I'm seriously thinking this will beat out Gamestar Mechanic as far as popularity, though I do appreciate Gamestar's attempt to teach good game design. I need to experiment with Kudo some more before I make a decision on that.

Excellent Technology Game/Activity for Science

I'm very excited to show this first flipchart based on the popular Wits & Wagers game. My friend Dominic Crapuchettes created the game and published it through his company North Star Games. I made the flipchart activity and tested it with students this week. It's a simple concept that was immediately engaging. It is also easily adapted for specific content.