Atomic Learning Review: Tech Integration Projects
#edtech #edchat #elearning #elemchat
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Like many of you, I spend my summers revamping my lessons so that I am ready for the upcoming school year. This is especially true when it comes to teaching technology — what was fresh and cool one year becomes outdated and un-cool the next. So I woke up this morning wanting to update my Audacity training (Audacity if a voice recording program), but after an hour of racking my brain for ideas on how my make a cool Audacity project it dawned on me to check to see what Atomic Learning (AL) had.
You see, I knew that Atomic Learning would have tutorials on how to use Audacity, but what I really wanted was a project. So I logged into AL and I noticed that one of the search criterias was for “projects,” so I clicked search and sure enough there was a project for Audacity called “What does Sound Look Like.”
I looked it over and it was perfect, just what I was looking for. Here is what the project description says:
We’ll begin by importing audio into Audacity. We’ll explore the audio waveform and identify drum beats and instrument attacks in the amplitude, as well as take a quick look at the relationship between frequency and pitch. Then, we’ll cut silence out of the song, fade it out, and crossfade it with another song. Finally, we’ll find a 4-measure loop, remove it from the song, and save the new song as a WAV file.
So I checked that off my list and moved on to my next summer project — cleaning the garage! I wonder if they have a project for that?
- Brad Flickinger, Bethke Elementary School
My 5 Big Take-Aways from Podstock 2011
#edtech #elearning #podstock2011
“I never been in Kansas,” I thought to myself as I crossed the border from Colorado into Kansas. I was making the pilgrimage to Podstock, an edtech conference that I had never been to in hopes of inspiration and ideas to take back to my school in Colorado. The outside temperature gauge on my dash kept creeping up as I got closer to Wichita, 104… 105… 106… “How hot is it in Kansas?” was my thought as I pulled into my hotel.
Picking up an "order."
Walking into the small convention center in the “old town” part of Wichita was like coming home, the organizers welcomed me like a long lost friend. Which is why I prefer smaller edtech conventions to the big ones. The “theme” of this years Podstock was “50′s Diner.” I stepped up to the VW bus replica and they took my name as if I was in a diner and they slid my order to the back of the bus. Soon I heard a “bing” from a short-order cook’s bell and I was handed my order (registration info and swag) in a white paper bag.
From this first moment to the last — Podstock was amazing!
Here are my five big take-aways from this great conference:
1. Through Failure Comes Success – Often times we try to protect our students from failure, which can rob them of an incredible learning opportunity. We must find ways to allow our students to fail in controlled environments that can teach them to think creatively for solutions.
2. Learning Maps Vs. Lesson Plans – Lesson plans cannot keep up with some of the new methods of teaching and learning, instead we need to think of learning maps. Maps that allows students to go off in different directions but still know where the end destination is.
3. Edmodo is Awesome – My first session I attended was on Edmodo and 15 minutes into it I had decided that my whole trip out to Podstock was worth it. I had seen Edmodo before, but this presenter did such a good job in showing all the ways it can work in a school that I found myself mentally checking off in my head all the problems that Edmodo would solve for me this coming school year.
4. Project Based Learning Rules – I recommitted myself to teach more PBL style when I saw what other teachers were doing in their classrooms. I have alway believed in PBL, so I have spent the last few days working on and improving some of my projects to be better. Podstock was the kick in the rear I needed to keep me going in the right direction.
5. Building a Personal Learning Network is Critical to Teaching Success – The people who attended Podstock are one big family. I have expanded my PLN with these wonderful people that will help me be a better teacher by providing support, ideas and inspiration. A teacher without a PLN is really fighting a battle alone, together we are way better than by ourselves.
So there you have it, my big take-aways from Podstock 2011. Now excuse me while I go and work on my new lesson maps for the coming school year.
- Brad Flickinger, Bethke Elementary School
New Podcast Episode: What’s the deal with QR Codes?
#edtech #edchat #elemchat #podstock2011
I just uploaded a new episode of Elementary Tech Teacher’s Journal.
Episode Number 34 for the week of July 25, 2011
What’s the Deal with QR Codes?
Show Notes
In today’s episode I explain what QR or Quick Response Codes are and how they can be used in education. Here is one that leads back to this blog.
www.SchoolTechnology.org QR Code
http://www.bradflickinger.com/Brad_Flickinger/Podcast/Podcast.html
This week’s episode is sponsored by Atomic Learning.
New Podcast Episode: Day Two of Podstock 2011
#edtech #edchat #elemchat #podstock2011
I just uploaded a new episode of Elementary Tech Teacher’s Journal.
Episode Number 33 (special episode from Podstock 2011)
“Day Two of Podstock 2011″
Show Notes
Here is my summary of Day Two of Podstock 2011 in Wichita, Kansas.
- we did a flashmob and the farmer’s market
- I gave my presentation
- I learned a ton from the other sessions (lots of ideas to take back to my classroom)
- we went to Exploration Place and had a fun time
- we took in the Mosley Street Melodrama
http://www.bradflickinger.com/Brad_Flickinger/Podcast/Podcast.html
This week’s episode is sponsored by Atomic Learning.
My Podstock Presentation will be Webcasted
#edtech #podstock2011 #elemchat
My presentation “Unbelievable Elementary Tech Projects” will be Webcasted this morning at 9 AM (Central).
See you there!
- Brad Flickinger, Bethke Elementary School
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