Matinga Ragatz's Posts - The Hybrid Classroom2024-03-28T13:04:29ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatzhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3146174186?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=26x3gc3g6i139&xn_auth=noNew Moodle Upgrades in the Horizontag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-12-15:5316855:BlogPost:6872010-12-15T11:26:58.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<div id="postmetadata"><h2>Your Route to Moodle 2.0</h2>
<div id="metaleft"><span style="font-size: medium;">Posted by <strong>Joel Kerr</strong> on 18 Nov</span></div>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.synergy-learning.com/blog/moodle/moodle-2-0-for-course-creators/" target="_blank">Moodle 2.0</a> is here – it is time to give your upgrade strategy some serious thought!…</span></p>
<p></p>
<div id="postmetadata"><h2>Your Route to Moodle 2.0</h2>
<div id="metaleft"><span style="font-size: medium;">Posted by <strong>Joel Kerr</strong> on 18 Nov</span></div>
</div>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.synergy-learning.com/blog/moodle/moodle-2-0-for-course-creators/" target="_blank">Moodle 2.0</a> is here – it is time to give your upgrade strategy some serious thought!</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.synergy-learning.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Route-2.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1206" title="Route 2" src="http://www.synergy-learning.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Route-2-233x300.jpg" alt="" width="233" height="300"/></a><span style="font-size: medium;">At <a href="http://www.synergy-learning.com/" target="_blank">Synergy Learning</a> we have been thinking about upgrades a lot for quite some time now and have come up with a number of packages that will make our clients <strong>Route to Moodle 2.0</strong> a smooth one.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is no ordinary upgrade. With Moodle 2.0 comes the biggest Moodle software overhaul since its inception and includes a number of new features that will offer major improvements to how you run your online learning.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">This will require a period of adjustment for all involved. Read on to see how our <strong>Moodle 2.0 Pitstops</strong> can help you out with your transition period:</span></p>
<p><br/> <br/> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Pitstop 1: Courses</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">This package is designed for Moodle users who want to try out Moodle 2.0 Courses before upgrading their existing site.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">This will give you the opportunity to play around with your own Course on our Synergy Learning Moodle 2.0 site, getting used to the new features before a full migration.</span></p>
<p><br/> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Pitstop 2: Test Site</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">This package is designed for Moodle users who want to get acquainted with a Moodle 2.0 site before upgrading their existing sites.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">We will set you up with your very own Moodle 2.0 Test Site to run alongside your existing site so you can get used to the new features before you upgrade.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, your Moodle 2.0 Test Site will be for sandpit use only so you can be sure nothing will be published while you experiment.</span></p>
<p><br/> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Pitstop 3: Duplicate Site</strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">With this option we will create a duplicate of your current Moodle site and upgrade it to Moodle 2.0. This means you can run your current site without interruption AND get to grips with the Moodle 2.0 site ensuring a smooth transition when the time comes for a fully integrated Moodle 2.0 site.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Moodle 2.0 duplicate site will also be for sandpit use only so you can be sure nothing will be published until you are ready.</span></p>
<p><br/> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Alternatively if you are looking to upgrade ASAP get in contact to discuss our <strong>Direct Route to Moodle 2.0</strong> option or our <strong>New Route to Moodle 2.0</strong> for those who are looking to start a Moodle 2.0 site from scratch.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is an exciting time for Moodle users and for online learning as a whole. At Synergy Learning our priority will be to make sure our clients <strong>Route to Moodle 2.0</strong> is a smooth one, so before long you will be enjoying all the benefits that come with this Moodle upgrade.</span></p>
<p><br/> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>For more information on any of our upgrade options contact me at</strong> <a href="mailto:joel.kerr@synergy-learning.com"><strong>joel.kerr@synergy-learning.com</strong></a><strong>.</strong></span></p>EDUCATION PARADIGMStag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-11-04:5316855:BlogPost:6382010-11-04T01:46:59.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<font size="4"><object height="385" width="640">Food for thought.<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zDZFcDGpL4U?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zDZFcDGpL4U?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="false" height="385" width="640"></embed> </object>
</font>The First All Digital Science Textbook...Wow!!tag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-10-26:5316855:BlogPost:6322010-10-26T10:30:00.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
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<p><font size="3">Science textbooks are born as clunky, out-of-date tomes the moment they roll<br></br> off the printing press. Research simply moves too fast for the<br></br> publishing industry to keep up. Digital texts could end this…</font></p>
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<p><font size="3">Science textbooks are born as clunky, out-of-date tomes the moment they roll<br/> off the printing press. Research simply moves too fast for the<br/> publishing industry to keep up. Digital texts could end this cycle.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Textbooks designed to be all-digital and interactive from the start (as opposed to simply converting print books) could bring not only<br/> salvation to schools because they’re easily updated, but also a<br/> revolution in how students learn science. Yet publishers are<br/>
comfortable with a $5 billion-per-year college textbook industry that<br/>
has recently seen price increases outpace inflation by more than 250<br/>
percent, and 99 percent of the market is tied to paper.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">One not-for-profit organization is done waiting for the digital textbook revolution.</font></p>
<div class="pullquote"><font size="3">‘We’re trying to exploit the human brain, like videogames do.’</font></div>
<p><font size="3">Within two and a half years, the <a href="http://eowilson.org/" target="_blank">E. O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation</a>, named after the <a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/10/eo-wilson-harrison-ford-biodiversity/" target="_self">naturalist and founder</a>, hopes to complete a 59-chapter digital textbook about biology called <em>Life on Earth</em>. As each chapter is finished, the foundation plans to put it into the hands of anyone who wants it. For free.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">We have video of the first chapter, “Cell Division,” with interactive animations that will be integral to the text (see above).<br/> It will be available for download within a few weeks.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">“I had taught elementary biology for 42 years, and I didn’t need a lot of explanation to see immediately what a big difference this could<br/> make,” Wilson said of the book in a promotional video (see below).<br/> “This is, in my opinion, an authentically revolutionary advance in<br/>
science and technology education.”</font></p>
<p><font size="3"><span id="more-39524"></span></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><a rel="attachment wp-att-39532" href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/10/wilson-free-biology-textbook/life-on-earth-textbook-eo-wilson-foundation/"><img class="alignright size-large wp-image-39532" title="life-on-earth-textbook-eo-wilson-foundation" src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2010/10/life-on-earth-textbook-eo-wilson-foundation-660x560.jpg" alt="Life on Earth digital textbook" width="440"/></a>Neil Patterson, director of <em>Life on Earth</em> with 50 years of science textbook publishing experience to his name,<br/> said the format could revolutionize science education for students.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">“Motion and film are powerful ways of teaching,” Patterson said. “We’re trying to exploit the human brain, like videogames do, and it’s<br/> not a small matter to use technology now available to us.”</font></p>
<p><font size="3">By no “small matter,” Patterson means money. Completing the book’s chapters, laced with high-end interactive animations and video<br/> interviews with Nobel laureates, could cost as much as $10 million.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">“No publisher is doing what we’re doing, which is developing, from scratch, a serious digital textbook,” Patterson said. He added that<br/> only $1 million of that funding — half of it from Life Technologies<br/> Foundation — is in place, and the remaining $9 million remains to be<br/>
seen from private and public donors. “It’s expensive, but once you’re<br/>
done you can keep it up to date across time, globally, essentially free<br/>
of charge.”</font></p>
<p><font size="3">The foundation plans to sell university-level editions for about 10 percent of the cost of the average print textbook, in part to fund that<br/> continuous updating. Kindergarten through 12th grade editions will be<br/> free.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Patterson said the idea is to provide any student in the world unprecedented learning tools, but acknowledged imminent backlash from<br/> profit-seeking publishers.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">“If we give away our stuff and they’re trying to sell it, that’s a serious threat,” Patterson said. “That will be disconcerting to them,<br/> but eventually these publishers will be trying to produce what we’re<br/> producing.”</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Looming threats to the print industry aside, the effort isn’t without its digital critics.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Matt MacInnis, founder and CEO of <a href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/08/digital-textbooks/all/1" target="_self">digital publishing startup Inkling</a>, said textbooks “have not yet evolved to meet the needs of today’s student.” But he suspects <em>Life on Earth</em> — which may come packaged with a homework server, community forums, a<br/> student data hub and other systems — will have to compete with school<br/> districts’ existing multimillion-dollar investments in similar products.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">“I think it’s wonderful to see innovation like this, and it’s noble to make great content available to schools free of charge, but I hope<br/> they’re thinking beyond the book,” MacInnis said. “By that I mean why<br/> would I, as a school, want to mess around with so many systems just for<br/>
one text?”</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Morgan Ryan, <em>Life on Earth</em> project director and a textbook developer of 20 years, didn’t discount such problems, but thinks content is king.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">“If you can create something vital for classrooms, something that they need, it will find its way into those classrooms,” Ryan said,<br/> noting that schools will be free to use whatever portions of the book<br/> they see fit. “We’re aiming for the highest quality of content and the<br/>
lowest threshold of access possible here.”</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Regardless of the digital content teachers choose, affordable reading devices remain the biggest hurdle to student access.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">“We’ve gone from the $999 laptop to $499 iPad in no time at all,” MacInnis said. “I’m optimistic that in three to five years, device<br/> costs will no longer be a barrier.”</font></p>
<span><br/><br/>Read More <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 153);" href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/10/wilson-free-biology-textbook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wired/index+%28Wired:+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29#ixzz13OyGk7Dx">http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/10/wilson-free-biology-textbook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wired/index+(Wired:+Index+3+(Top+Stories+2))#ixzz13OyGk7Dx</a></span></div>
</div>The Little Formula that Couldtag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-09-03:5316855:BlogPost:5582010-09-03T03:42:14.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" height="240" id="vp14A21k" width="432"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1283485072&f=4A21ksQ1bUn2DNwuXk1LOg&d=126&m=b&r=w&i=m&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="never" height="240" id="vp14A21k" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1283485072&f=4A21ksQ1bUn2DNwuXk1LOg&d=126&m=b&r=w&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="432" wmode="opaque"></embed> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param></object>
<p>Create your own <a href="http://animoto.com">video slideshow</a> at animoto.com.</p>
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<p><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5170676745164173" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This August I had the privilege of working with approximately 25 other educators for 2 weeks in Traverse City creating Understanding by…</span></p>
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<p>Create your own <a href="http://animoto.com">video slideshow</a> at animoto.com.</p>
<p><br/></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" id="internal-source-marker_0.5170676745164173">This August I had the privilege of working with approximately 25 other
educators for 2 weeks in Traverse City creating Understanding by Design<br />
Instructional Units, which are part of a State Dept. vision. This was<br />
indeed a winning formula for maximum production by classroom teachers!</span> <br/> <br/><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not
everyone can sing in the choir. So, reasonably, not everyone can or may<br />
want to participate in a collaborative project to bring administrative<br />
vision to life. I believe that many great administrative visions and<br />
innovative ideas have fallen by the way side because the task of<br />
molding their vision is given to the general population of teachers who<br />
may or may not be inspired by this vision.</span> <br/><br/><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I believe the MDE event organizers scored 3 major points:</span><br/></p>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Identified teachers who are interested and motivated to work on the state department vision.</span> <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This alone lent a level of productivity, creativity and competitiveness that
I have never seen in any professional development. By working with<br />
teachers eager to be there and willing to undertake this project, each<br />
teacher’s repertoire was expanded to include the best inclusive<br />
practices of the team. In turn, these early adopters will be a big<br />
asset in the dissemination of the benefits of this new teaching<br />
philosophy.</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Introduced a new learning philosophy in a way that teachers not only gain
knowledge but also get had ample time to practice what they learn</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. In addition, the teachers also had a required final product to which to apply what they learned.</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The new learning philosophy was taught by teachers who are successful practitioners of said philosophy</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. It was inspiring to learn from teachers who taught a learning philosophy that they themselves use in their dally practice.</span></li>
</ol>
<br/><br/><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With this formula for teaching teachers, I learned many things about
collaborative instruction that I did not know before. Here is what I<br />
learned:</span><br/><ul>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In order to improve student learning, teachers have to strive to improve the collective dialog about instruction.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Very little professional development time is spent talking about the
improvement of student learning by examining one’s own teaching<br />
process.</span></li>
</ul>
<br/><br/><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Throughout the two week project, we were provided with diverse activities that opened conversations about each other’s
learning plans and ability to convey directions. By asking us<br />
to provide lessons that are transferable to students’ current<br />
realities, as well as to their realities in the next 40 years to<br />
come, we were faced with powerful insight into not only the<br />
validity of each lesson, but the method of instruction that accompanied<br />
those lessons.</span><br/><ul>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Teachers need to reconsider the relevancy of their assessment tools.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this experience, I learned to analyze the validity of the
traditional assignment rubrics that most teachers, including myself,<br />
use. Are most rubric values created to assess the lesson’s objectives?<br />
If the lesson objective is to prove content understanding, is it<br />
logical to expect a student to provide proof of understanding by the<br />
quantity of work they turn in? (e.g. number of pages, number of<br />
examples, etc.). The introduction of reflection pieces into the<br />
assessment tool kit not only ensures content understanding but also<br />
retention and long term transference.</span></li>
</ul>
<br/><ul>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Experience does not equal expertise.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Part of the reluctance to embrace a new approach is the notion that
time spent in the classroom merits a general understanding all things<br />
academic. Being placed in an environment that was truly tailored to<br />
teach teachers in an effective and respectful way, I was profoundly<br />
moved by my lack of proficiency and ineffective practices in my own<br />
teaching career.</span></li>
</ul>
<br/><p style="margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Often times teachers are given common planning time for team or department
meetings, but seldom have an established process or structure to<br />
allow these meetings to be productive. We spend a great amount of<br />
time discussing issues that are peripheral, rather than central, to<br />
our daily learning plans. In this experience, there was a clear plan and even more clear outcomes that served as a strong skeleton on<br />
which to teach veteran teacher like me new tricks.</span></p>
<br/><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I believe this formula has the potential to provide very tangible
improvement to teaching practices and student achievement. Transforming<br />
the dialog among educators and the practices surrounding each dialog is<br />
the essential process that will begin to till the fertile ground that<br />
the state department needs to grow their vision for 21st century<br />
education in Michigan.</span>Should students be allowed to create content for their class?tag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-04-20:5316855:BlogPost:3332010-04-20T16:15:34.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151574654?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" style="width: 435px; height: 326px;"></img></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Josh and Matt have been creating video content for their World History B class</span><br></br></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">As a teacher, I feel I know <span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">exactly</span> what my students should be learning and how…</font></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 435px; height: 326px;" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151574654?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Josh and Matt have been creating video content for their World History B class</span><br/></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">As a teacher, I feel I know <span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">exactly</span> what my students should be learning and how <span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">exactly</span> they should be learning it. Is this so? Is the content in an outdated textbook, website or magazine article still the best way for your students to learn?<br/></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3"><br/></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">What happens when you allow students to create and/or improve the digital content on your class website? <br/></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">What type of content should they be able to create? Could that help students retain the content?<br/></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">Please share your questions and experiences.</font><br/></p>CREATING INTERACTIVE POSTERS with GLOGSTER.COMtag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-04-20:5316855:BlogPost:3302010-04-20T15:50:51.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151575500?profile=original" style="width: 388px; height: 417px;"></img></p>
<br></br><p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">What a phenomenal way to share your work with your class!!! <br></br></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">This week, my students have been working on traditional class project. This time, however, there was a major twist. Students used <a href="http://edu.glogster.com">Glogster.com</a> to create interactive posters. Glogster offers a platform where students can create Posters in a…</font></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 388px; height: 417px;" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151575500?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/><p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">What a phenomenal way to share your work with your class!!! <br/></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">This week, my students have been working on traditional class project. This time, however, there was a major twist. Students used <a href="http://edu.glogster.com">Glogster.com</a> to create interactive posters. Glogster offers a platform where students can create Posters in a Social Network.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">Here are some really cool ways to put a spin in the old class poster project:</font></p>
<ol>
<li><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: bold;">N<span style="text-decoration: underline;">o more need for Poster supplies</span>.</span> Many parents do not or cannot provide poster making supplies at home. So many students simply give up on the poster project knowing that they must compete with peers that not only have the coolest project stuff but have parents who help them create phenomenal posters. A digital poster eliminates this disparity because all students have access to the same materials</font></li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Posters do not end up lining the trash cans at the end of the term</span>. <span style="font-weight: normal;">Instead, these digital posters can be embedded in your class website, email, wiki, blog and be used over and over year after year.</span></font></li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">No more nerve racking presentations in front of your class</span>. <span style="font-weight: normal;">Students can add video, slide shows, music and tons of other interactives so they can actually record and embed their presentations on their poster!!</span><br/></font></li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Working and Social Networking at the same time.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">In Glogster, students can see each others posters, comment and rate them. They can also collaborate on their class poster, without having to drive to each others home. Knowing that peers will be viewing</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">their poster in HD detail really increases the quality of student's work</span>.</font></li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">No more staying after hours to grade posters.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">In Glogster EDU you can see all the students posters, leave contructive comments as they are working on them, evaluate progress, message students and tons more....from the comfort of your livingroom.</span></font></li>
</ol>
<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151575625?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Megan Malusek did a poster on the Bubonic Plague</span>. <br/><br/></div>
<font size="3">There are simply too many other advantages in Glogster to write about in one blog entry!!<br/><br/></font><p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">Glogster offers an educational version called Glogster EDU. I recommend this option if you want to use Glogster with your class because you can then see and interact all of your student's work in a well laid out dashboard.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3"><br/></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">Please check out</font> <a href="http://edu.glogster.com"><font size="3">edu.glogster.</font>com</a> to see tons of examples.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Have you used Glogster? if so how? can you share examples, tips and tricks? <br/></p>Hybrid Classroom Invites Korean Teachers to Join and Share!!!tag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-03-31:5316855:BlogPost:1802010-03-31T18:00:00.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151574597?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">I am so psyched to have the Hybrid Classroom mentioned on the Microsoft Partners in Learning Korea website. This is an short intro and invite for Microsoft Innovative Korean Teachers to come check us out. I really…</font></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151574597?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">I am so psyched to have the Hybrid Classroom mentioned on the Microsoft Partners in Learning Korea website. This is an short intro and invite for Microsoft Innovative Korean Teachers to come check us out. I really hope take part in some really interesting cross cultural conversations and collaborations with East Asian teachers. How are they integrating technology and real life assessments in their curriculum? What issues are Korean teachers having with technology? What are some innovative things they are doing to inspire their students?</font></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>Learning to be a Hybrid Studenttag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-03-25:5316855:BlogPost:1332010-03-25T08:56:01.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151571844?profile=original"></img></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">One of the biggest mistakes I made while learning to teach with online resources is to assume that my students knew how to navigate the internet, thus most websites and basically understood what was required of them in this platform....WRONG!!</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3"><br></br></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">The truth is that while most "natives" can…</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151571844?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">One of the biggest mistakes I made while learning to teach with online resources is to assume that my students knew how to navigate the internet, thus most websites and basically understood what was required of them in this platform....WRONG!!</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3"><br/></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">The truth is that while most "natives" can navigate social and gaming sites, the concept of online learning is totally alien to them. This is a very common mistake made even in the paper/pencil environment. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Students have tons of learning experience, but they do not necessarily know how to learn in your individual classroom and with your teaching style.</span></font></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">So after an embarrassing number of embarrassing tech related classroom incidents and after a ridiculous number of disappointing outcomes to what I thought were earth shaking tech aided lessons, I devised a simple technology integration plan that I now use for every incoming class.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font size="3"><br/></font></p>
<ol>
<li><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I first teach my students how to study and learn in my version of the hybrid class.</span> I take them thru the paces as if they were in an employee training program.</font></li>
<li><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I show them all the course tools up front</span> and try my very best to explain to them <span style="font-weight: bold;">why these tools are relevant to them</span>. This has helped me minimize the list of super dazzlingly cool but really pointless Web 2.0 tools in my lessons. Today's teens can see right through "busy work" so if I respect their intelligence, they tend respect the tool in question. <br/></font></li>
<li><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I post an eNewsletter every week</span> to inform parents, students, relevant colleagues and the admin. of weekly expectations and happenings in my class. The eNewsletter opens the door for parents to feel very comfortable about asking email questions about this learning approach they are not familiar with.<br/></font></li>
<li><font size="3">Instead of classroom rules, I have a sort of <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Employee Character and Conduct"</span> series that I share with students throughout the term. Because my face to face classroom has the feel of a work place or an academic workshop rather than a traditional classroom (at least that is what I am trying to go for), It has been very useful to me to teach students skills needed to succeed in the grown up work place (non academic skills). My fearless leader and respected Department Chair <a href="http://mr.ellsworthlink.net/">John Mark Ellsworth</a></font> <font size="3">s</font><font size="3"><font size="3">h</font>ared these two very important resources to discuss character and decision making skills with teens, that are neither condescending nor childish:<br/></font></li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://charactercounts.org/"><font size="3">Charactercounts.org</font></a></li>
<li><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=jEazeIS0tgYC&dq=seven+habits+of+highly+effective+teens&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=aGaqS7PSNZL8NdSVtbsB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=seven%20habits%20of%20highly%20effective%20teens&f=false"><font size="3">7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens <br/></font></a></li>
</ul>
<font size="3">In a later blog post, I will explain alternative ways to seamlessly use these 2 tools to replace the ubiquitous lists of "do's and don't" that exists in all of our syllabus.</font> <br/><br/><font size="3">Adding these 4 simple ingredients to my courses, has created a completely surprising atmosphere in my classroom. Once students understand how to learn in my classroom and see the relevance of their positive productive behavior, they are simply more engaged.<br/><br/>It has also greatly minimized the number of students complaints about doing work online and I believe my admin. is breathing a lot easier these days because they do not have to fend off the predictable "what the heck is going on in that classroom...???" phone calls and emails anymore.<br/><br/>I am not even going to lie. this has been a very difficult process (understatement)!! Students use come into my class with tons of skepticism and tons more energy to shut down yet another passing trend. However, the word is slowly spreading and I believe that they are quickly beginning to understand and even accept the benefits of a hybrid classroom.</font><br/><font size="3"><br/>Please, feel free to share the ingredients you toss into your hybrid mix so that we can all steal your ideas and learn to give more legitimacy to this teaching concept ....hahaha!</font><br/>Creating an Interactive eNotebook for your Home Bound Studenttag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-03-23:5316855:BlogPost:652010-03-23T00:43:35.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151571858?profile=original"></img></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wikinotez.wikispaces.com/Amanda%27s+World+History+Notebook"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SHORT CUT TO THE eNOTEBOOK SAMPLE AND TO THIS VIDEO</span></a><br></br></div>
<font size="3">I have always felt that Home Bound students always get really diluted version of the courses they are taking in school. It is always very difficult for me to pay enough attention to these students. In my school, a Home Bound…</font>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3151571858?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wikinotez.wikispaces.com/Amanda%27s+World+History+Notebook"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SHORT CUT TO THE eNOTEBOOK SAMPLE AND TO THIS VIDEO</span></a><br/></div>
<font size="3">I have always felt that Home Bound students always get really diluted version of the courses they are taking in school. It is always very difficult for me to pay enough attention to these students. In my school, a Home Bound student is a students who is unable to attend regular face2face classes due to chronic illness, pregnancy, expulsion, truancy and/or other social/emotional issues. The school district pays for a tutor to go to the student's home a couple of times a week carrying the student's assignments and books and helping them stay on track with their class work. <br/><br/>This is difficult to achieve because often, the home bound teacher simply picks up the homework from her school mailbox and maintains little to no communication with the classroom teacher. Please undersand, this is not an indictment of the Home Bound teachers, who often have a full teaching schedule themselves and does not really get time to speak to individual teachers.<br/><br/>So this term, I devised a way for my Home Bound students to be just a little bit more connected with me and my course and avoid mountains of paper work sent home every week. I thought it would be interesting to create an eNotebook using a wiki. Wikis are interactive so students can edit the page us sent them to their hearts content. <br/><br/>Here is what I did:<br/>I created a page for each Home Bound student using <a href="http://wikispaces.com">wikispaces.com</a> . I call this, the eNotebook. Then I included the following information at the top of the :<br/></font><ol>
<li><font size="3">a short "Getting Started" checklist<br/></font></li>
<li><font size="3">Course Information</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Contact Information</font></li>
<li><font size="3">a short Intro Video made with <a href="http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/">iMovie</a> and posted on <a href="http://youtube.com">Youtube</a> then embedded into the page using the wikispaces video widget. I know, that sounds totally nerdy but wikispaces is so self explanatory and easy to use...it really is! If it helps, we can arrange a tutorial on how to use wikispaces.com <br/></font></li>
<li><font size="3">an interractive Course Calendar created with <a href="http://www.google.com/calendar">google calendar</a> and embedded using wikispaces calendar widget</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Student assignments for the week including due dates and a Youtube link to a video the face2face students watched in class</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Instructions on where to begin writing the assignments</font></li>
<li><font size="3">And a space for the student to leave questions.</font></li>
</ol>
<font size="3">Once I made list of what I wanted to include, the whole page took me about 30 minutes to put together. Considering that most of my students see me for 71 minutes every day, 30 minutes per week to spend on a lone Home Bound student is hardly a drop in the bucket. <br/><br/>My goal is not only to deliver assignments to the Home Bound student but to really engage them and help them believe that indeed, someone is putting some costumized lessons and individualized time into helping them learn and stay connected.<br/><br/><font size="4"><a href="http://wikinotez.wikispaces.com/Amanda%27s+World+History+Notebook">HERE</a> IS <font size="3">an eNotebook page I created for Amanda, one of my Home Bound students this year.<br/><br/>This eNotebook coupled with a short <a href="http://skype.com">Skype.com</a> meeting with the student once a week, could really improve the Home Bound student's chances of really learning in your class.<br/></font></font></font>The Internet Tech Tools Rubric I Usetag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-03-19:5316855:BlogPost:342010-03-19T00:30:00.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<font size="3">It is very difficult to choose what Internet tools to include in they Hybrid Classroom. I struggled for years and tried all sorts of stuff. Many of the tools were very cool but did not really help my students. Most were simply too complicated and/or irrelevant to my students.<br></br>So I reduced the number of internet tech tools and created this short rubric to help me keep my head when looking for new layers for my Hybrid Classroom:<br></br></font><ul>
<li><font size="3">Technology…</font></li>
</ul>
<font size="3">It is very difficult to choose what Internet tools to include in they Hybrid Classroom. I struggled for years and tried all sorts of stuff. Many of the tools were very cool but did not really help my students. Most were simply too complicated and/or irrelevant to my students.<br/>So I reduced the number of internet tech tools and created this short rubric to help me keep my head when looking for new layers for my Hybrid Classroom:<br/></font><ul>
<li><font size="3">Technology that is not disruptive and fits effortlessly into everyday lessons</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Technology that improves the lesson and promotes learning</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Technology that increases students performance, learning, employability skills, motivation and self management.</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Technology that is relevant to students</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Technology that promotes technology</font></li>
</ul>
<font size="3">This simplistic list has become a bit of a security blanket and helps me focus on creating really good lessons that are well supported by internet technology.</font><br/>You gotta start somewhere....tag:hybridclassroom.ning.com,2010-03-18:5316855:BlogPost:242010-03-18T01:46:15.000ZMatinga Ragatzhttp://hybridclassroom.ning.com/profile/MatingaRagatz
<font size="4">I started this network this week in the hopes of getting some help and guidance on the best practices of running a Hybrid Classroom. I am very excited to have a hybrid classroom and I find new things to add into into it every day.<br></br>I recently attended MACUL (MIchigan Association of Computer Users in Learning) and learned many cool ways to jazz up my online portion of my courses.<br></br>I hope that you will stay and share your ideas, trials, videos, questions, comments and…</font>
<font size="4">I started this network this week in the hopes of getting some help and guidance on the best practices of running a Hybrid Classroom. I am very excited to have a hybrid classroom and I find new things to add into into it every day.<br/>I recently attended MACUL (MIchigan Association of Computer Users in Learning) and learned many cool ways to jazz up my online portion of my courses.<br/>I hope that you will stay and share your ideas, trials, videos, questions, comments and complaints here in the The Hybrid Classroom network.<br/>Welcome Everyone.<br/></font>