Description

Picture this: it’s the middle of the night and you are thinking about how to make tomorrow’s lesson more engaging.  You turn to the internet and search through endless lesson ideas an...

Description

Can you imagine a world without Google?  Our students just can’t even. For those of us who remember the days when you actually had to go to a library to do research, or remember how to use a card catalog or an ERIC search, we think kids these days have it so easy.  But is it? Is Google the savior it is purported to be? Or has it just made us lazy?

Lessons Learned

Dennis - Google “Wizard of Oz” Click the shoes then click the tornado

Chris - Google “Thanos,” click on the cartoon glove, and watch what happens.

Daniel - ctrl+two finger scroll - (Mac) You can zoom closer on your screen wherever you put the mouse.

Fun Fact

(From our Corrections & Retractions department)

Our fun fact from last week was not accurate.  The 7% we quoted from John Borg, is a misinterpretation  of the “7-38-55 rule” postulated by Albert Mehrabian

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/misinterpretation-7-38-55-rule-pedja-jovanovic/

It is more accurate to say the 60-70% is body language, and that “What we say is less important than how we say it.”

Notes & Links

Digital natives are not better at sniffing out fake news!

The information for how to spot misleading websites is often from a document created in 1998

Adults (56% in a trial study) could not tell fake news from real news

Esteemed Historians failed to sniff out a highly biased site from a mainstream site.

Learn & Teach, do not filter

WHOIS IP Lookup (for free!)

https://www.ultratools.com/tools/ipWhoisLookup

Positive Learning in the Age of Information

https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783658195663

Why Google Can’t Save Us

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-658-19567-0_13

Sam Wineburg

 

https://ed.stanford.edu/faculty/wineburg (https://ed.stanford.edu/faculty/wineburg)

Description

In our last episode we debated the advantages of Face to Face versus Online Professional Development.  Here to continue that discussion, we are bringing in an expert or should we say tech-spert?. One who sees the value in Face to Face learning, Matt Kelsey is an Educational Technology Director and Chair of the ACAMIS Technology Conference and he will be here to share his thoughts with us as well as inspire us with his tech wisdom.

Lessons Learned

Chris - Creativity happens more often with an unstructured environment that includes beverage, brains, and bratwurst than in a strictly structured environment with a pre-set agenda.

Daniel - MS Teams > CMD+G

Dennis - New SeeSaw features. Multipage and Chrome Reflection Extension

Fun Fact

An authority on body language, James Borg says that human communication consists of 93% body language and paralinguistic cues, while just 7% consists of words.

Notes & Links

SPECIAL GUEST: Matt Kelsey

(Information gleaned from trolling his Linked-In profile % Twitter feed)

A third culture kid from a family of International School teachers, he has worked at international schools in Kuwait, Mali and China since 2010.

Director Of Educational Technology - Nansha College Preparatory Academy in Guangzhou

Chair of the ACAMIS Technology Conference

Doctoral Candidate

Started “Breakfast Slam” where teachers share cool technology ideas over breakfast.

ACAMIS Tech Conference - In China for the unique needs of schools in China

Description

You step up to the counter to order your Professional Development.  “Will your learning be here or take-away? Would you like a hot apple pie with that?”  On Today’s Podcast we tackle the persistent question: What is better professional development - Online or Face to Face?  Do you have an opinion? I know some of us do. Join us as we argue the finer points of each and see which one comes out on top when the dust settles.

Lessons Learned

Chris - Empathy and compassion are not synonymous, at least not in the realm of psychology. Having empathy means having a kindred emotional reaction to another person’s emotional state. Compassion is a choice, not an emotion. Compassion is choosing to take positive action in order to assist another person. It comes very close to the concept of “agape” love.

Daniel - We default to what we know - Spreadsheets example

Dennis - iPhone Camera Setting - If you’ve updated your iOS recently, know that “High Efficiency” is not as efficient as “Most Compatible”.

Fun Fact

Ice cubes will be clearer if you fill the tray with warm rather than cold water.  Warm water prevents the formation and entrapment of tiny air bubbles during the freezing process which, aside from mineral impurities, is the usual cause of cloudy ice cubes.

(SOURCE: The Book of Strange Facts and Useless Information by Scot Morris)

Notes & Links

Face to Face (Connect People/If you want to know the “Why”)

Relational/Social

Serendipitous

Inspirational

Re-energizing

Focused

More energizing if it is something you CHOOSE rather than something mandatory

Online (Find Solution/If you want to know the “How”)

Isolating

Specific Purpose/Objective

Task Oriented

Deep Dive

Easily Distracted

Description

Does the institution we know as “modern education” encourage and celebrate the outliers? How do you think a young Albert Einstein, Mozart, or Nikola Tesla would do as students in your school? Would their curiosity be celebrated or scolded?  Would they be encouraged to pursue their passions, or forced to conform to the curriculum? And, provocatively, should education be trying to adapt itself to myriad, diverse learners? Join us today for a lively discussion about ways to tweak what we do for those potential geniuses who are just “wired differently”.

Lessons Learned

Chris - “...education is what others do to you and learning is what you do for yourself.” - Joi Ito, The Educational Tyranny of the NeruroTypical

Daniel - cmd-return -

Dennis - Locking Notes on your iPhone. http://sciencenotebooking.blogspot.com/2019/08/password-protect-iphone-notes.html

Fun Fact

Nicolaus Copernicus - Polish astronomer who first postulated that the Earth travels around the sun was also the father of buttered bread.  (SOURCE: The Book of Strange Facts and Useless Information by Scot Morris)

 

Notes & Links

Article in Wired Magazine - https://www.wired.com/story/tyranny-neurotypicals-unschooling-education

 

Book: NeuroTribes

 

Book: Life, Animated

 

Book: Lifelong Kindergarten

Description

When talking about teaching and technology, terrific teachers tell tales of transformative teamwork.  Today on the podcast we’ll talk with the talented Rushton Hurley who is back in Shanghai and joining us once again to share ways to bring excellence to our schools and classrooms.

Lessons Learned

Daniel - If you buy an iphone X(R or S) from China, Hong Kong or Macau you can get a Dual Sim Card phone.  Something I have been requesting from the Apple smartphone lineup for years.  Android users have a lot of options.

Dennis - Unsplash.com

Rushton - 7000 islands in The Philippines

Fun Fact

Our students do a lot of writing. How do they compare to the Daily word count of famous writers?

https://wordcounter.net/blog/2017/12/04/103207_the-daily-word-counts-of-19-famous-writers.html

 

Notes & Links

SPECIAL GUEST HOST:  Rushton Hurley

Just got back from two weeks working with teachers in the Philippines.

New book coming soon titled “Technology, Teamwork, and Excellence”

 

NBA player Kyle Korver can write well - Privileged (https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kyle-korver-utah-jazz-nba)

Description

So many topics. So Little time.  On today’s show we couldn’t decide on a single topic so we’ve decided to leave it up to … fate? Chance?  Dumb luck?  Rest assured no matter what topic comes up you  - our loyal listener - are going to be a winner.  Join us today as we spin the “Wheel of AWESOME TOPICS”

Lessons Learned

Chris - Our reactions to our problems and challenges can often make them worse. We have to practice self-control and thoughtfulness when confronted with a situation. Remain calm in crisis, seek healing in offense, always assume the best from your friends and colleagues.

Daniel - The new OneDrive app for Mac in Mojave OS allows for entire Sharepoint folders to be sync but stay in the cloud.  The folder looks like a OneDrive folder on your computer.

Dennis - iPhone Photos - use Pano to mimic a wide angle lens

Fun Fact

The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two

Miller’s Law by George A. Miller of Harvard University's Department of Psychology -  It is often interpreted to argue that the number of objects an average human can hold in short-term memory is 7 ± 2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two

 

Notes & Links

The Wheel of Awesome Topics

* Information you wish you had before

* Would you like to take it back?

* Technology you wish you could have back?

* Pet Peeve

* I can’t wait for this!

* Person I would like to interview on the podcast

Description

It’s late at night.  You’ve just settled down to sleep.  Then you hear a vibration from the smartphone on your nightstand.  Can you resist the urge to check it? Smartphones and now smart watches are - or at least seem to be - an essential part of our life. We look at them frequently to check facebook, instagram, news, sports, weather, or to see what our best friend is eating right now.  But do the benefits of these devices outweigh the distractions?  If we as adults have a trouble resisting the temptation to be on our devices, should we be concerned about our students as well? We’ll share what we think  along with the thoughts of some amazing educators here in Asia.

Lessons Learned

Chris - “Fine” is not an acceptable answer if you are asking how someone is doing. If you are going to ask how someone is feeling, then really mean it. Really meaning it, don’t let a casual “Fine” end it, especially if you suspect that not everything is fine. If you are really interested in how a person is fairing then ask them. If not, a simple “Hello” will do.

https://www.retrievalpractice.org/strategies/2019/4/24/how-are-you

Daniel - Reviewed DaVinci Resolve 16 - free NLE editor https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/ was released at NAB couple weeks ago with a new ‘Cut Page’ is starting to look familiar: FCPX

Dennis - Skype video sharing.  Share videos asynchronously. Must be under 1 minute.

Fun Fact

Apple Watch Statistics

https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/apple-watch-statistics/

Notes & Links

We asked this question on WeChat:

“With California and Ontario banning cell phones from schools...we wanted your thoughts on the topic.  Do the benefits of Smartphones/Smartwatches outweigh the distractions?  Your thoughts? Any interesting articles, blog pieces that we should consider?”

 

Here is a condensed version of the rich responses we received.

Description

Learning is all about relationships.  If this is the first time you’ve heard us say that then you are new around here. Welcome to our podcast! Today we take that mantra and apply it to Professional Development (PD) because, as educators, if we are not connecting with others we are missing out on an essential (THE essential?) component of professional growth.  Join us as we welcome - all the way from the land of Nebraska - Brent Dieckhoff who will share his journey to help teachers CONNECT, GROW, and SHARE what they learn.

Lessons Learned

Chris - Write it down!

I had a serendipitous conversation with one of our Middle School counselors yesterday in which she informed me of a wonderful gift she once gave to her daughter. She wrote down specific, significant moments in her daughter’s high school life that made her proud of her daughter. She gave her daughter the journal of proud moments as a graduation gift. Wow! What an idea! So, I started a journal for my own daughter, who is a sophomore. I know that she doesn’t listen to this show so I’m safe telling you, but don’t tell her!

Daniel - Using Panoramic mode to get the perfect vertical shot.

Dennis - The Queen owns all the swans in England.  https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-the-queen-owns-every-swan

Fun Fact

Do you “never forget a face”? Maybe you are among that special 1-2% of the population that are “super-recognizers”.  The average person can recognize about 20% of the faces they see.  A “super-recognizer” is that rare individual who can can remember 80% of the faces they see, even if they’ve only seen them once, years ago.  These people have been quite helpful, sometimes even more effective than facial recognition technology, in fighting crime.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/11/super-recognisers-police-the-people-who-never-forget-a-face

 

Notes & Links

Brent Dieckhoff is a product of International Schools. He is now a teacher, professor with a passion for helping teachers learn to use technology in a meaningful way, but more importantly to connect and learn from each other.  He has come all the way from Seward, Nebraska to the little town of Shanghai to share his story.

 

https://tec21connect.com/

Description

Virtual Reality.  Augmented Reality.  Global Online Collaboration.  Smart Phones. Smart TV’s.  Smart Watches.  Smart Cars. Artificial Intelligence.  Does trying to keep up with today’s technology make your head spin?  How did we get here?  What’s next?  Today we bring in an expert on the technology of education past, and the digital tech that’s going to take us into the future (no pressure there) Hall Davidson.

Lessons Learned

Chris - Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good (attributed to Voltaire, paraphrasing an early Italian dictionary).

Daniel - Google Doodle - Celebrating Bach - AI

Dennis - Where in Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego

Fun Fact

Original Oregon Trail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oregon_Trail_(series)

Notes & Links

Last week we celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the World Wide Web. This week we’ve brought in a special guest who’s been helping teachers use the power of the web since its inception and also is on the forefront of how internet connectivity can impact students today and into the future.  Please welcome our...

 

...SPECIAL GUEST: Hall Davidson

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/what-we-offer/professional-development/speakers-bureau/hall-davidson.cfm