Learning is Change

Learning 2.0: The Colorado Conversation (The Reminder)


My anticipation is rising. The time is drawing near when Learning 2.0 will be here. I will not attempt to recreate Karl’s amazingly concise post (if you have read my blog for any length of time, you will know that brevity is not always my first priority).

The purpose of this post is just to keep the awareness at an all time high that things are happening in Colorado. We aren’t trying to be the EdTech mecca, just to have a unified (whatever that means) voice for change. Let’s see what happens.

“Just a reminder for those of you attending – either physically or virtually – that Learning 2.0: A Colorado Conversation is coming up this Saturday, February 23rd, from 9:00 am – 2:30 pm MST. If you registered, you should’ve received this email a few days ago with some updated information. And here’s the schedule for the day’s activities.

For those of you interested in attending virtually, we will be attempting to Ustream the seven sessions – channel info here.
Please keep in mind that our first priority is pulling off the physical
conference, so if the Ustream happens it will be a bonus, but we’re
going to give it a shot.

We have about 170 folks registered,
although I imagine a few will change their minds at the last minute.
The weather looks like it’s going to cooperate, everything is planned
out and we think (emphasis on think) we’ve thought of everything. It’s going to be interesting . . .”

02.21.08

Cores 1+4:

  1. Discuss-on:
  2. How is your Utopian Art Analysis going?
    • Which Utopian truths do you see most often being exemplified?
    • Which pieces of art where particularly thought provoking?
  3. Continue work on Utopian Art handouts.
  4. Extension: Can the internet be thought of as a utopia? Why or why not?

Core 2:

  1. Write-on:
  2. Rev-it-up
  3. Discuss progress on Survival Simulations.
  4. Continue working through Goals.
  5. Extension:
    • What is one thing that could destroy your society if it occurred (it doesn’t have to be catastrophic.)

Core 3:

  1. Write-on:
  2. Debrief Students 2.0
    • What did you see what the general belief that students had on this site?
    • Did you think that their opinions were biased toward a particular way of thinking?
    • What would you call  this -ism and why?
  3. How can killing be a part of romanticism?
    • How is the death in Poe’s story about romanticism?
  4. Extension: Is there any belief that is worth persecuting someone about? Why or why not?

Unconventional Podcasting

Podcasting is not one thing. It is not an audio file format. It is not an iTunes feed. Podcasting is bigger than that. It includes the ideas of digital storytelling, new literacy, audio and video sharing, the writing process, and the Read/Write web. But none of those words matter.

What matters is the learning, the change we are making in the classroom. So, what is the best way to do this? The quickest way? The way that makes technology invisible instead of opaque?

The Presentation PDF – Starter Tools, Creator Tools, Designer Tools

Creating Enhanced Podcasts on the PC 

Tutorials:

Gcast:

[flash http://34.136.86.195.nip.io/wp-content/uploads/Gcast.swf h=679 w=805]

VoiceThread:

[flash http://34.136.86.195.nip.io/wp-content/uploads/VoiceThread-2.swf h=679 w=805]

Audacity:

[flash http://34.136.86.195.nip.io/wp-content/uploads/Audacity.swf h=700 w=804]

02.14.08

Cores 1+4:

  1. Pair Discuss-on:
  2. Analyze Utopian Poetry.
  3. Create a unique perspective in your own utopian poem.
    • What images are you going to invoke?
    • What metaphors would help to explain your vision of utopia?
  4. Extensions:
    • Finish your Utopian poem for next Wednesday
    • Talk about what next week looks like.

Core 2:

  1. Write-on:
    • What will you have to face?
  2. Rev-it-up
  3. Talk about survival simulations. (Print off a new copy of the PDF if you need one.)
    • What is required?
    • Who is in your group?
    • What are the first steps?

  4. Extensions:
    • Start to brainstorm (and write down) who your character is in the survival simulation.

Core 3:

  1. Brainstorm on:
  2. Read Edgar Allen Poe’s Dark Romanticism story.
    • How does this story live up to the Romanticist’s beliefs?
    • Why would someone want to delve into morbid and macabre themes?
  3. Talk about the next Image Grammar Activity
  4. Extension:
    • Turn in your Academy Authentic via Academy e-mail.
    • Think about: How does revealing the darker side of life, help you to articulate your beliefs?

02.13.08

Cores 1+4:

  1. Extended Write-on:
  2. Continue reflection on Survival Simulation through discussion.
    • Any final words before we bid the project, adieu?
    • Anything we should do differently next time?
  3. Highlight some really great works of writing done on Monday.
  4. Return to Utopian poetry.
    • How does the Tipslastt format help you to understand and appreciate the poems you read?
  5. Extension:
    • Read your AR book.

Core 2:

  1. Rev-it-On
    • How does what we know now about Steve Irwin change the way we read the story?
  2. Is utopia about more than just survival?
    • What happens if you have to build up from the survival level of life?
    • What is the progression of building a society?
  3. Extensions:
    1. Continue your writing from Monday and put it onto Google Docs and share with friends for Academy Authentic.

Core 3:

  1. Write-on:
    • What kind of answers do we expect to get?
  2. Does how we look at math, school, and life affect the answers we seek?
  3. Describe your quest for answers.
  4. How does Romanticism and Transcendentalism differ?
  5. Extension:
    • What does it mean to be a dark romantic?

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02.12.08

Cores 1+4:

  1. Listen and Present-on:
    • Listen to the survival simulation presentations and start to ask what-if questions that are more based upon the feasibility of the society rather than terrifying events that may befall the inhabitants of the islands.
  2. Group 1 Voicethread for questions.
  3. Group 2 Voicethread for questions.
  4. Group 3 Voicethread for questions.
  5. Core 4 Group 1
  6. Core 4 Group 2
  7. Core 4 Group 3
  8. Extensions:
    • Make sure that you have your poetry analysis done for tomorrow.

Core 2:

  1. Write-on:
  2. Rev-it-Up:
    • Survey
  3. Read about the Shakers’ Utopian society:
    • How have they peeled back life to the survival level?
    • What is better: Simplicity and survival, or complexity and chaos?
  4. Extensions:
    • Write a paragraph about a day in your life as a Shaker. How would you feel? What would it be like?

Core 3:

  1. Write-on:
  2. Prepare for debate on transcendental revival.
    • What reasons do you think would support your side?
    • How are you going to argue your points without bullying your idea across?
  3. Debate/Discussion
  4. How does Romanticism compare to Transcendentalism.
  5. Extensions:
    • Ask someone if they could be a transcendentalist. If they don’t know what you are talking about, explain it to them and then ask them again.

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02.08.08

Cores 1+4:

  1. Discuss-on:
  2. Survival Simulation Presentations:
    • Write down two questions for the groups as they present and be ready to ask them at the end of their presentations.
  3. Extension:
    • Continue to work on your personal curriculum.

Core 2:

  1. Write-on:
  2. Rev-it-up!
  3. Continue our discussion of Separatist Utopias in early America.
  4. Extensions:
    • Would you separate yourself from society if you knew it meant a happier and more fulfilled life?

Core 3:

  1. Categorize/Act-On:
    • Use the words on the bottom of the Smart Board to categorize them into Transcendentalist ideas or not.
  2. Read the definitions and quotations from Transcendentalists.
    • How do the transcendentalists use language to continue their cause?
  3. Extension:
    • Do you believe that the transcendentalists wanted to change the world or merely themselves? Why or why not?

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02.05.08

Cores 1+4:

  1. Paper-only Write-on:
  2. Take a look at your Language Arts folder.
    • Keep what you would like to show your parents during conferences and take the rest home.
  3. Finalize your Survival Simulations including Cast, Goals, and What-if’s.
    • Create a voicethread as the presentation for your society (you can work collaboratively on this or you can have one person do it while others work on the documents).
  4. Extensions:
    • Finish your Voicethread and documents for your Survival Simulation.
    • Mentally prepare yourself for conferences and two days without me.

Core 2:

    • Create a voicethread presenting to your parents about what you have learned in Language Arts this year?
    • Embed the voicethread into your blog.
  1. Decide what to keep in your LA folder and what to take home.
  2. Continue our discussion of Separatist Utopias in early America.
  3. Extensions:
    • Would you separate yourself from society if you knew it meant a happier and more fulfilled life?
    • Mentally prepare yourself for two days without me.

Core 3:

    • Create a voicethread presenting to your parents about what you have learned in Language Arts this year?
    • Embed the voicethread into your blog.
  1. Decide what to keep in your LA folder and what to take home.
  2. Continue our discussion of Transcendental politics.
  3. Extension:
    • Mentally prepare yourself for Conferences and two days without me.

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02.04.08

Cores 1+4:

  1. Pair Write-on:
  2. Utopian Poetry (Happiness, Before I Could Call Myself Angel Gonzalez, The Future, analysis:
    • How can poetry describe utopia better than prose?
    • How does the imagery of the poems influence your concept of utopia.
  3. Extension:
    • Continue to work on your Survival Simulation and finish TipsLastt poem analysis.

Core 2:

  1. Rev-it-on
  2. Read about real-life utopian societies.
  3. Extensions:
    • Read your AR book.

Core 3:

  1. Write-on:
  2. Read “Civil Disobedience”
    • What does Thoreau believe about government?
    • Are Thoreau’s ideas unpatriotic?
    • What is more important, the individual or the collective (the society)?
  3. Extension:
    • Compare/Contrast the Transcendentalist ideas of politics with your modern beliefs of politics.