La Vitrine Technologie-Éducation

11 – Using Social Networking and Social Media – Practical Ideas for Teaching and Learning

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:09:41 +0000

Ewan McIntosh, a teacher and speaker regarded as one of Europe’s foremost experts in digital media for public services, tells us how social networking can help teachers share knowledge and best practices in the use of technology in the classroom. He also explains how synergies created by online social interaction can contribute to student engagement and success.

Click on the arrow to listen to the podcast.

Excerpts from the interview:

“Some very compelling research shows that youngsters who have healthy online social lives also tend to have much healthier offline social lives than those who chose not to engage in social networking.”

“Given the right media literacy of the individual concerned, social media can provide youngsters a really interesting space to share writing, to share thoughts, to reflect on quite serious issues, and to reflect on aspects of life.“

If you liked the podcast, you can also check out these links:

Ewan McIntosh’s New Tech in Practice Bookmarks (You can create an account in Del.icio.us, a free social bookmarking web service, to store, share, and discover bookmarks from other people);
Follow Ewan on Twitter;
Edubuzz.org Learning Network for teachers, parents and students;
Ewan’s My Canada Teachers on Twitter;
Ewan’s Blog, Education Keynotes and Masterclasses.

You can reach Ewan McIntosh by email at ewan(at)ewanmcintosh.com.

To produce this podcast, Ewan McIntosh was called in Edimburgh, Scotland. Skype, a software application computer to computer (no long distance fees), was used and the call was recorded with CallGraph (free recorder). The podcast was edited in Audacity (free audio editor).

10 – Channeling the Students’ Enthusiasm into their Learning with Second Life

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:54:39 +0000

In the following podcast and video, Steve Collis, English and French teacher and Director of the Sydney Center for Innovation in Learning, in Australia, guides us through a wide range of practical uses of Second Life, a 3D virtual world that he and other teachers from his school have put in place with their students.

The uses fall into two categories:

1. Open-ended, student-directed projects, encouraging the development of high-order skills such as creativity, project-management and collaboration;

2. Structured, targeted activities directed by teachers with specific learning outcomes in mind.

Practical Examples of using a Virtual 3D Environment for Learning in High School.

Steve was called in Australia with the use of Skype, a software application computer to computer (no long distance fees). The call was recorded with CallGraph (free recorder), and the podcast was edited in Audacity (free audio editor).

Besides 3D worlds, Steve Collis is also supporting his students post their thoughts to the web at Real Audience Project, manage their own online radio station and even sell their books online.

Steve Collis blogs about things he is involved with at www.happysteve.com. You can reach him by email at: scollis@scil.nsw.edu.au.

Click on the arrow in the lighthouse image to listen to the podcast.

09 – ePortfolios in Education

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 20:31:54 +0000

Traditionally, portfolios have been used for revealing and portraying a person’s skills, education, learning and achievements. But traditional portfolios are slowly being replaced by web-based information management systems called digital portfolios or ePortfolios. These are made up of a collection of digital artefacts that can include inputted text, assignments or projects, graphics, images, photographs, websites or blog entries. If they are online, ePortfolios can be maintained dynamically over time: teachers can track their students’ progress over the years, encouraging them and providing positive feedback.

Research shows that ePortfolios facilitate students’ reflection on their own learning, leading to increased awareness of learning strategies and needs. Results of a comparative research between paper-based portfolios and electronic portfolios in the same setting suggest that use of an electronic portfolio leads to better learning outcomes.

A European project is even using e-portfolios in order to strengthen the self-esteem of young learners.

Specialists in the field believe that use of digital portfolios represents an opportunity to improve the quality of education, providing teachers and staff with valuable information to design individualized, challenging learning experiences. Some Open Source ePortfolio systems are available for those who would like to implement an ePortfolio project in their institution.

In the following podcast interview, Dr. Helen Barrett, an international specialist and speaker on the subject of ePortolios, gives her definition of ePortfolios. She also talks about how this new technology gives students opportunities for taking ownership of their learning process, and how e-portfolios are used in innovative ways in different parts of the world to truly engage learners.

08 – The 21st Century Classroom

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:34 +0000

In this podcast interview, you can hear how SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs) was first developed at North Carolina State University, how the combination of classroom design, technology, pedagogy and social interaction results in better learning, and how teaching unfolds in this innovative learning environment.

For a longer version of this article, click here.

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07 – Augmented Reality

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:00:18 +0000

In this video, we look at Augmented Reality, in which your computer screen becomes a magic mirror. The idea is to use a camera and a black and white marker to transmit real-time information about an objects angle and spatial position. This way, real elements (the desktop, hands and marker) are mixed in with virtual elements. Unlike a mirror, though, the image appearing on the screen inverts right and left, which makes orientation a little more complicated. This video looks at various illustrations of this technology which has a high potential in education.

You can find all the links to these applications in the document companion of this podcast (PDF).

06 – Connectivism

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:40:59 +0000

This podcast features an interview with George Siemens on Connectivism, a learning theory that goes beyond traditional learning theories like behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism, which come from a time when technology and networks did not impact our learning as much as today. I called George at Manitoba University where he teaches. We were both using Skype (no long distance fees), I recorded the call with CallGraph (free software), and edited the interview with Audacity 1.3.6 (free as well).

Click the arrow to listen the podcast interview

Articles and interviews with George Siemens
Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age (2004 article)
Connectivism: Learning as Network-Creation (2005 article)
Another Siemens interview on connectivism at Rick’s Café Canadien

05 – Teaching with the Web 2.0

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:00:26 +0000

This podcast features a ten minute interview with Peter Rawsthorne on teaching with the Web 2.0, progressive inquiry, constructivism and experiential learning. I called Peter in Vancouver and we were both using Skype (no long distance fees), recorded the call with CallGraph (free software), and edited the interview with Audacity 1.3.6 (free as well). As you start listening to the podcast, click on the orange hyperlink below to view Peter’s workshop document.

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Time	Topic mentionned in this podcast
00:05	Peter Rawsthorne’s Workshop document on Teaching with the Web 2.0

04 – Web 2.0, Social Networking & Learning

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:00:53 +0000

This podcast looks at how the Web 2.0 supports teachers and how social networking can be used for learning purposes, whether it be teachers setting up educational blogs, students sharing information online for their assignments or using collaborative wikis.

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Time	Topics mentionned in this podcast
00:46	Setting up an Educational Blog with edublogs.org
01:10	Free Open Source Wiki Software
01:35	Create Documents, Spreadsheets and Presentations Online with Google Docs
02:44	John Seely Brown on Education and Learning 2.0
03:02	English Grammar Courses with the BBC World Service
03:10	Videos on French Vocabulary with DailyFrenchPod
03:26	Video: RSS in Plain English

03 – WebQuests: one way to use the Internet in Education

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:00:27 +0000

In this podcast, we explain the concept of WebQuest, an inquiry-oriented online tool for learning, and show examples.

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Time	Topics mentionned in this podcast
01:16	The World of Shakespeare WebQuest
03:38	The WebQuest Page
03:46	WebQuest Templates
04:02	Webquest examples from the Internet & Education Guide

02 – Using Mind Maps for Teaching & Learning

Raymond Cantin, Project Manager — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:00:59 +0000

In this podcast, we talk about Mind Maps, which are graphical tools or diagrams used to organize and represent knowledge. They are used by educators to generate, visualize, structure ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem-solving, and writing.

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Time	Topics mentionned in this podcast
03:05	Free Mind, an Open Source mind mapping software Mind maps examples, in various languages
03:15	CmapTools, a concept mapping software