Fun Lyrics, Beautiful Images, Informative/Sarcastic Text - Morphogenesis Song!

Video tlt.gs/morphsongYuTb from tlt.gs/scisongweek Science Song of Week blog!

"Not many songs have been written about the classical problem of morphogenesis (shape change in growing organs). However Flanders and Swann wrote one brilliant and amusing song, called 'Misalliance,' about the growth of twining plants.... (Note that the handedness of the vine is known to be genetic and not related to geography or Coriolis forces.)"

- Excerpted from From:  Science Song of the Week | Sing About Science & Math Blog "Songs for Teaching, Learning, & Fun,"

Posted on March 24, 2011 by crowther "Thanks to Dr. Wendy Silk for providing this highly informative guest post!"

Learned about this from Lucy MacDonald - our interviewee for "Helping Students Learn to Study:  Why Meta is Betta"   Friday, March 25, 2011 2:00 pm (ET) 

Friday Live! Registration   More info...tlt.gs/MetaBetta3d

Photo of "honey bee on honeysuckle" by Aka Hige on Flickr.

Be there the first time beginners cross the threshold in online courses!

Guardian Angel/Training Wheels Approach: Experienced online teacher offers to "hold your hand" during beginners' first online experience. Important to reduce anxiety about first use of essential online tools and increase likelihood first experience is comfortable and worthwhile. successful - Join our interview with experienced online teacher Lucy MacDonald "Helping Students Learn to Study:  Why Meta is Betta"   Friday, March 25, 2011 2:00 pm (ET) 

Friday Live! Registration   More info...tlt.gs/MetaBetta3


ATTRIBUTION FOR IMAGES ABOVE
Photo of Guardian Angel "Scarface, the angel" http://www.flickr.com/photos/e3000/3044177550/ taken by e³°°° / Eddy Van 3000 with CC Attribution ShareAlike License


Photo of small child riding bike with training wheels "Terror on Training Wheels"
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/candiedwomanire/3397197237/ taken by Dawn Endico with CC Attribution ShareAlike License

Why Meta is Betta: Possible to help students learn math by reading textbook?

This Friday 3/25 - How to help students learn to study - even how to learn from reading math textbooks! Interview with experienced online teacher Lucy MacDonald - who worked with a math teacher to help students READ math. Observed that students did NOT read textbook at all. Helped teachers, students develop Textbook Reading Guides. Worked with students to WRITE instructions about how to read and study more effectively for students - intended for students who would take the same course next term. Subsequently other math teachers asked for copies of the handouts to use with other math textbooks - as model for helping students learn from math textbooks.

 How to Read a Math Textbook original handout.  

Join us for "Helping Students Learn to Study:  Why Meta is Betta" 

 Interview:  Lucy Tribble MacDonald "I'm an early adopter and i like to be pregnant"

Friday, March 25, 2011

2:00 pm (ET) 

Friday Live! Registration   More info...tlt.gs/MetaBetta3

The Nano Song - Using Music for Learning/Teaching

L. MacDonald will discuss, among other things, use of music.  Join us for "Helping Students Learn to Study:  Why Meta is Betta" 

 Interview:  Lucy Tribble MacDonald Friday, March 25, 2011 2:00 pm (ET) 

Friday Live! Registration   More info...tlt.gs/MetaBetta3

Calculus Xmas Carols - Really!

Derivatives, Derivatives  (sung to the tune of O Christmas Tree [O Tannenbaum])

Derivatives, derivatives
They help us find the rate of change.
Derivatives, derivatives
They're not that hard, they're in our range.

The product rule is so much fun
It's one prime two plus two prime one
Derivatives, derivatives
They help us find the rate of change.

And there's more!  

[Join FridayLive!  March 25, 2011 2pmET - "Helping Students Learn to Study" ]

"No one's saying that the air's a little thinner in Colorado, and maybe that's why Denise McCleary and her classes at Fairview High School enjoy singing math carols, but that's my suspicion. Can you spot her in the photo? I'll give you a hint: She holding something that rhymes with shmaccordian.


- excerpts from Calculus-Help.com: Survive calculus class! - Calculus Carols

ATTRIBUTION FOR IMAGES ABOVE
Picture of Christmas tree above from http://www.flickr.com/photos/therichardlife/4206351506/ taken by therichardlife / Stephanie Richard with CC Attribution ShareAlike License

Image of calculus derivative above "lutning4" from mattemagnus / Magnus Dahlström http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattemagnus/4267117100/ with CC Attribution ShareAlike License

Share It Forward - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

"You may share, adapt, or 'remix' this work [description of item being licensed]  if and only if you include attribution and this 'share it forward' licensing as shown next... " 
More complete, effective version:  

Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

Policies or Guidelines for Constructive Use of Classroom Recordings?

Does your institution have resources for video recording classes? Policies? 

Who has what kind of rights to recordings produced with equipment owned by the institution? By equipment owned by students? 

Anyone have guidelines for constructive use of classroom recordings? Guidelines for helping students learn better by making and using these recordings?  

Guidelines or tools for preventing clandestine recording?  Using Spy Pens, Smartpens, Looxcie headsets?

SPY PENS:   Just checked website for air travel "SkyMall" catalog under the "portable video" category and immediately found 5 recording pens including one labelled "Spy Pen" described as follows:  

"Carry eyewitness in your pocket

"Click this pen and it doesn't just write words it records video. With a tiny color camera and microphone, it makes AVI movies with sound and stores them in 4GB of internal memory. Nobody needs to know that you're recording. USB cable connection lets you transfer data to your computer. By the way, this pen writes, too." - excerpt from SkyMall.com - Electronics & Gadgets as of 20110321

SMARTPENS:  "Write less and listen more."  

"Send and Share Your Notes

"Share your notes and recordings privately or with the world. Export your notes as a PDF, an audio file or as interactive Flash™ movies called pencasts. Embed pencasts on a blog, website, Facebook or the Livescribe Community." - excerpts from  Website for Livescribe's commercial Smartpen products for automatically synchronizing handwritten notes with digitally recorded audio as of 20110321.

ATTRIBUTION FOR IMAGE ABOVE

Some Rights Reserved by NYM.  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en; URL for photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nym/5036841721/  This is a cropped version of photo "Me wearing the new Looxcie wearcam by nym" downloaded 2011-03-21 by Steven W. Gilbert, TLT Group from Flickr Web-based photo service www.flickr.com; Person who uploaded the picture to Flickr (username listed in Flickr profile on this date): "http://www.flickr.com/people/nym/“; 

Don't worry about how to "capture" lectures. Already happening with Spy Pens, Smartpens, headsets!!

"Nobody needs to know you're recording."

How many students already recording lectures and classes?  Using Spy Pens, Smartpens, and tiny camcorders now avail in bluetooth phone headsets? See photo and excerpts below.

Recording with/without permission?  With/without awareness of faculty?  

SPY PENS:   Just checked website for air travel "SkyMall" catalog under the "portable video" category and immediately found 5 recording pens including one labelled "Spy Pen" described as follows:  

"Carry eyewitness in your pocket

"Click this pen and it doesn't just write words it records video. With a tiny color camera and microphone, it makes AVI movies with sound and stores them in 4GB of internal memory. Nobody needs to know that you're recording. USB cable connection lets you transfer data to your computer. By the way, this pen writes, too." - excerpt from SkyMall.com - Electronics & Gadgets as of 20110321

SMARTPENS:  "Write less and listen more."  

"Send and Share Your Notes

"Share your notes and recordings privately or with the world. Export your notes as a PDF, an audio file or as interactive Flash™ movies called pencasts. Embed pencasts on a blog, website, Facebook or the Livescribe Community." - excerpts from  Website for Livescribe's commercial Smartpen products for automatically synchronizing handwritten notes with digitally recorded audio as of 20110321.

ATTRIBUTION FOR IMAGE ABOVE

Some Rights Reserved by NYM.  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en; URL for photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nym/5036841721/  This is a cropped version of photo "Me wearing the new Looxcie wearcam by nym" downloaded 2011-03-21 by Steven W. Gilbert, TLT Group from Flickr Web-based photo service www.flickr.com; Person who uploaded the picture to Flickr (username listed in Flickr profile on this date): "http://www.flickr.com/people/nym/“; 

How get my/your attention for important info - IMPORTANT TO ME/YOU!

Phone and online newspapers both fading? 


"full-fledged adults have... given up the telephone — land line, mobile, voice mail and all." - see below

"The New York Times will charge a subscription fee for frequent

readers of its Web site and mobile applications starting March 28. It’s a

gutsy experiment in resetting the financial equation of the newspaper

industry." - excerpt from "NYTimes.com to levy subscription fee"

"In the last five years, full-fledged adults have seemingly given up the telephone — land line, mobile, voice mail and all. According to Nielsen Media, even on cellphones, voice spending has been trending downward, with text spending expected to surpass it within three years."  - Excerpt from Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call You - NYTimes.com

CRISIS, LURCH, CRISIS, LURCH, CRISIS, LURCH - Slow Revolution - 12 Still Valid Recommendations from 1996

“most common institutional strategy for integrating information technology into teaching and learning is CRISIS, LURCH, CRISIS, LURCH, CRISIS, LURCH.

“Education can provide the excuse and the means for transforming society...for better or worse.

“Information technology can provide the excuse and the means for transforming education...for better or worse.”

I'm both disappointed and pleased that so much of what I wrote in “Making the Most of a Slow Revolution” in March/April 1996 Change Magazine, seems so appropriate today - 15 years later.

And I still believe “that the next decade-not the next 18 to 24 months-will be critical.”

Here are a few more UNREVISED excerpts, including a dozen recommendations for avoiding CRISIS, LURCH while improving teaching and learning with technology. The full article begins with a description of conditions that engender unrealistic expectations; identifies 11 significant obstacles; offers specifics for each of the 12 recommendations; and concludes with guidelines for local Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtables.

"Education is being transformed, but the inertia of the system is enormous, and the costs associated with widespread, 'deep' integration of information technology into teaching and learning are significant. In order for institutions to make difficult choices among strategies for change in the absence of conclusive data, each college and university must get the best advice it can from those within its own community who have relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and insights about teaching, learning, and technology. Implementing the best strategies requires institution-wide collaboration involving all key stakeholders. The cumulative impact will be 'revolutionary,' changing how people teach and learn, and what is taught and learned.
“So now I believe that the next decade-not the next 18 to 24 months-will be critical. There seems to be rapidly growing acceptance that the ways in which information technology is used for teaching and learning will be a significant part of this transformation. What can colleges and universities do to prepare for this slow revolution? Can We learn how to participate comfortably and effectively in it--and even to direct it?
“Unfortunately, the most common institutional strategy for integrating information technology into teaching and learning is CRISIS, LURCH, CRISIS, LURCH, CRISIS, LURCH.

“What follows are 12 recommendations for avoiding this pattern while improving teaching and learning through more effective use of information technology.

1. Fundamental QuestionsKeep asking fundamental questions.

2. Future VisionObserve trends; shape the future; build a vision.

3. Permanent ChangeAdjust to new pace and depth of change.

4. Judgment, Reductionism, TrustUse judgment; resist reductionism; trust faculty and students

5. Dichotomies; CombinationsReject dichotomies; find good combinations.

6. Intellectual Property, Fair UseUnderstand intellectual property help keep “fair use.”

7. Guidelines, PoliciesDevelop new guidelines quickly; develop new policies slowly.

8. Support-Service CrisisPrepare for your support-service crisis.

9. Student RolesExtend student roles as assistants, learning colleagues; form Faculty

Student Support Service Teams (FSSSTS) and learning communities. 10. Portfolio of Change StrategiesDevelop a portfolio of change strategies.

11. Realistic Expectations: More Time, MoneyInvest more time and money.

12. Institutionwide CollaborationDevelop institutionwide collaboration to improve teaching and learning.

Full article by Steven W. Gilbert, Change Magazine, March-April 1996 pp. 10-23

tlt.gs/slowrevolution

"The only safe way to destroy an enemy is to make him your friend."

- Abraham Lincoln;  or is following version correct? and what is citation? 
 "The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.

Is Meta Betta? "decline of American culture, the triumph of technology over privacy, and the end of shame as a motivating force"

2,829,091 = # Twitter followers of Charlie Sheen 20110315 3:51pm ET"... I am fascinated by the phenomenon of popular fascination with [Charlie] Sheen." - From "Sheen Madness" by Ruth Marcus, Wash. Post

"It’s not just the analysis of the troubled actor. It’s the analysis of the analysis.

"...we are now in Defcon Three of Celebrity Scandal: The 'Whither Society' portion of the meltdown. Defcon Five is the scandal itself. Defcon Four is the all-of-us-watching-with-mouths-agape phase. With Defcon Three comes the clothes-rending: Are we enablers? Should we be egging him on? Is this actually news? And most worrying of all: why do we care?"
 - From "Sheen-ology" [Print] or "Charlie Sheen, Deconstructed" [online] A version of this article appeared in print on March 6, 2011, on page WK5 of the New York edition.

Also from Ruth Marcus: "But human nature is what it is. Everyone slows down to see the car crash. And this time, the car’s driver is giving interviews" Ruth Marcus’ e-mail address is marcusr(at symbol)washpost.com.

Create Accessible/Usable (Disabilities) Online Educ Materials

Free 10-module tutorial from Ga. Tech. "Accesselearning Tutorial"

Georgia Tech Research on Accessible Distance Education (GRADE) is a research project at the Georgia Tech Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA).  http://www.catea.gatech.edu/grade/

Recommended in email from Rebecca Skipper "The following link contains ten modules which include tips on how to make MSWord, PDF, JAVA scripts, video, PowerPoint, Excel, and flash files Tips & Guidelines for making files  accessible."  

Part of prep and conversation for FridayLive session 3/11  - "Making Online Teaching Accessible:  Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities;  Bookgroup Discussion with Author Norm Coombs"

Fun Graffiti: Kaiser is my roll model

Found in Wash. DC  Feb 2011 by Steve Gilbert

[Testing automatic posting of TLT-SWG posts as TLT Group Tweets and Facebook Fan Page Notes.  March 13, 2011 8:42pm ET]

Useful URLs on Accessibility from Norm Coombs

Book chap1 tlt.gs/y63u; 3/11 2pmET tlt.gs/frlv free online discussion of 5 key questions and exchange of tips, recommendations, and resources.

FridayLive! Bookgroup session today 2pm ET 3/11.  Norman Coombs, author of Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities , Jossey-Bass, 2010.   Register for free Additional info, prep available:  tlt.gs/accessfrlv311

• Web site about Section 508 Federal standards for Information technology accessibility http://section508.gov
• Web accessibility guidelines produced by the Web Accessibility Initiative http://www.w3.org/WAI/
• Guidelines for publishers producing accessible books for public schools http://aim.cast.org/learn/policy/federal/what_is_nimas
• Web site of the Digital Accessibility Information System http://www.daisy.org/
• Web site of EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information http://easi.cc
• Standards for the Creation of Accessible Materials: National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). "NIMAS is a technical standard used by publishers to produce source files (in XML) that may be used to develop multiple specialized formats (such as Braille or audio books) for students with print disabilities."  http://aim.cast.org/learn/policy/federal/what_is_nimas

"suggest.. four year colleges adopt community colleges and have a symbiotic relationship with them"

From "How Higher Education is Breaking the Social Contract and What To Do About It" by  Daniel Yankelovich
Recommended "It's a must read!" by JM in comment to TLT-SWG blog posting "Higher Ed in Crisis Requiring Radical Change?" 

QTs5 How remember/meet needs of students with disabilities?

Book chap1 tlt.gs/y63u; 3/11 2pmET tlt.gs/frlv free online discussion of 5 key questions and exchange of tips, recommendations, and resources.

FridayLive! Bookgroup session today 2pm ET 3/11.  Norman Coombs, author of Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities , Jossey-Bass, 2010.   

Question 5: When you don't actually see your students, how might you help remind yourself to remember extra steps to help students with disabilities such as using proper document markup, adding text tags to images and providing captions and transcriptions for students with hearing impairments?

Tips??????????????????  

Join us today. Register for free 

Additional info, prep available:  tlt.gs/accessfrlv311 


Above, from Questions and Tips from Norm Coombs

QTs4 Images, Tables, Spreadsheets, Videos, Audio for students with disabilities?

Book chap1 tlt.gs/y63u; 3/11 2pmET tlt.gs/frlv free online discussion of 5 key questions and exchange of tips, recommendations, and resources.

FridayLive! Bookgroup session today 2pm ET 3/11.  Norman Coombs, author of Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities , Jossey-Bass, 2010.  

Register for free Additional info, prep available:  tlt.gs/accessfrlv311

Question 4: How do you imagine you may need to make special course modifications to support students with disabilities?

Tip A: Images and accessibility. Pictures are important for visual learners and for many students with learning disabilities. Be sure to use a text tag for pictures so adaptive technologies can identify the image for screen reader users.

Tip B: Tables and spreadsheets can be difficult for students who are blind or those with learning disabilities. Be sure that they are the best way to convey your particular content or use another format instead or in addition. When using tables or spreadsheets you can help by providing a summary as well as explaining the table's header layout.

Tip C: Multimedia used well is an excellent teaching tool. Avoid using multimedia merely for glitz. Provide captions for videos and transcriptions for audio so the content is accessible for students with hearing impairments.


Above, from Questions and Tips from Norm Coombs

QTs3 Can you easily make course elements clearer for students with disabilities? ALL students?

Book chap1 tlt.gs/y63u; 3/11 2pmET tlt.gs/frlv free online discussion of 5 key questions and exchange of tips, recommendations, and resources.

FridayLive! Bookgroup session today 2pm ET 3/11.  Norman Coombs, author of Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities , Jossey-Bass, 2010.  

Register for free Additional info, prep available:  tlt.gs/accessfrlv311

Question 3: Can you envision ways to modify your course content to communicate more clearly for all students, but especially for students with communication barriers including those exaggerated by a disability such as being blind or deaf?

Tip A: Modularize your content. Use simple English, avoid long paragraphs and complicated sentences with multisyllabic words. Usually use active rather than passive verbs

Tip B: Organize content and online page layout with clear logical structure using standard document markup codes. Similar appearing structure can be achieved by specific font features or by using header and other markup code features. When markup code is used, the meaning of the structure is embedded in the page and can be passed through to browsers and to adaptive technologies permitting students with disabilities to navigate efficiently.

Tip C: Use images when they support and strengthen the content. While images can add both interest and advance meaning to an online lesson, avoid using them for mere decoration since that may actually distract from the content. They actually will help students with learning disabilities.

Tip D: Use multimedia when it supports and strengthen the content. While it can add both interest and advance meaning to an online lesson, avoid using it for mere decoration as that may actually distract from the content. Multimedia can also help students with learning disabilities.

Above, from Questions and Tips from Norm Coombs

QTs2 How grade inferior work from student with disabilities? Today 2pm online free

Book chapter1 tlt.gs/y63u; 3/11 2pmET tlt.gs/frlv free online discussion of 5 key questions and exchange of tips, recommendations, and resources.

FridayLive! Bookgroup session today 2pm ET 3/11.  Norman Coombs, author of Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities , Jossey-Bass, 2010.  
Register for free Additional info, prep available:  tlt.gs/accessfrlv311

Question 2: If you had a student with a disability in your course, how much difficulty would you have in marking his/her work as inferior if it actually deserved receiving such a grade?

Tip A: Expect the same quality work from students with disabilities as from others. Giving students with disabilities extra help may be important, but passing them along based primarily on their disability and not their work is not a favor to them nor to the other students

Tip B: Build personal relations with staff from the office/center for students with disabilities. They can help you with accessibility and students' personal issues. When you have a student trying to manipulate you, these staff people could intercede to support you.

Above, from Questions and Tips from Norm Coombs

QTs1 Afraid of having a student with disabilities in your course? FridayLive! discussion 3/11

Our FridayLive! Bookgroup session today at 2:00pm ET today 3/11 will host Dr. Norman Coombs, author of Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities [published by Jossey-Bass Oct 10, 2010]. Register for free and make sure to read the first chapter.

We'll be posting some core questions and tips that are featured in Norm's book and which he'll be asking participants to discuss in the live session.

Question 1: Do you have any fears or reservations about having a student with a disability in one of your online courses? If so, are these merely rational and logical issues or do they mask other personal issues you may have and not thought about?

Tip : Be a good teacher! Students with disabilities are students and better teaching makes learning easier for everyone

Tip : Focus on teaching students and not on teaching with technology. It is easy to become preoccupied with the delivery technology and forget that it is about students and not technology

Tip : Provide a welcoming and supportive presence. Virtual interactions can be either depersonalized and remote or can create a sense of immediacy and availability. Students with disabilities, even more than many other students, may fear rejection rather than acceptance from someone in authority
More of Norm's questions coming on the blog and in the session this afternoon.