Posting Large Rich Media Files

After finishing up a project that involved a PowerPoint presentation equipped with still images, transitions and sound, I had a problem with transfering the information to a different group member for their editing.  Although I didn’t believe that the file was very large, it was too large to send over any of my three email accounts, or to post on our course shell.  I tried to zip the file and post it again, but it was still too large.  I lastly resorted to finding some free software to compress the file.  I found software called Pando which seemed to work well, however, whoever was opening the file also needed the software.  Phew – what a hassle!  I noted that other groups in my class approached the problem of file size different ways.  We eventually posted our file to our blogs, but I saw that I was dangerously close to the limit on the blog’s free storage space. 

 I just finished watching a fellow class group’s presentation on “rich media”.  The presentation was very good – in fact, it taught me what rich media is, but I realized that if the trend is to provide rich media resources in our classrooms, we will need faster computers with more storage space and faster internet connections.  I know this is a trend that improves each day, but I find it interesting that these are the very issues that present themselves as the limiting factors into providing more rich media resources.

Trends Analysis Project

Please see the attached Trends Analysis Project on multisensory learning:

multisensory-learning-pp1.ppt

Virtual Losses

I just read an article in the local paper called “Reality Bytes” that discusses the losses people have suffered through the death or disappearance of a avatar in a virtual reality environment.  The article talks about what happens when “virtual reality collides with physical reality”. 

People who spend a great deal of time in the realm of virtual reality and invest emotional ties have become physically tied to the reality (or non-reality) of their virtual reality existence.  When there is a death (whether real or not), the article discusses the need for those involved to go through the normal greiving process – only this process is unclear and uncharted in the virtual reality existence.   The article talks about how a group of friends of an avatar named Monique (who died) have set up a virtual memorial fund by auctioning off articles of clothing and accessories for the avatars so that they have virtual funding to provide to virtual members who have done nice things. 

The article talks about how “Relationships are evolving, expanding.  They’re different today.”   I think that is an understatement.  I’m curious where this will lead in the future. 

When “less is more”

This week I read through Richard E. Mayer’s Multi-media Learning chapter on the “Coherence Principle.”  In his principle, he says that “less is more”.  I’ve been struggling a bit recently in my trigonometry classes keeping the student’s attention when lecturing about graphing trigonometric functions such as Sine, Cosine, Tangent, etc.  I watch the students stay with me for a while, but then, I see most of them loose interest.  Some of them start nodding off, others start working on the homework assignments and then others are in la-la land.  Only a few stay with me in the lecture. 

 After reading Mayer’s Coherence Principle, I am starting to second guess some of my teaching methods.  I’ve been wondering if they are in overload (Mayer’s limited capacity principle)  or if I loose them because they are lost in the concepts. I think it may be a combination of the two reasons.  I really haven’t figured out how to present this graphing information differently, because there is a lot of material to cover, but I know I need to figure out a different way. 

 Although Mayer’s principles and concepts are designed for multimedia learning, I am finding that they can also apply to other forms of learning.

Virtual Reality

Wow.  The world of virtual reality is creeping up upon us.  I never really considered that it would be a new wave of the future in educational technology but after looking into it, I see how it could definately impact our world.  People can create atavars and visit other virtual environments.  I saw information on attending virtual conferences.  I wonder if this will lead to us never having to leave our homes to attend conferences or such.  I’ve heard of virtual schools and thought that it was a good idea but I feel that there needs to be face-to-face social interaction among students – this is a vital part of the growth and learning process.

I was watching TV a couple of days ago and I can’t remember if it was CSI or Law and Order, but a homicide investigation focused on a virtual reality game where the players created atavars and lived in a virtual world.  It seemed to me that the players created atavars with characteristics and behaviors that were much more exagerated and usually extroverted than their characteristics in real life.   The crime in the show was actually solved by seeing who was playing the game at the actual time of the real homicide.  I watched this show before I looked into virtual reality so after I looked into what the current trends in virtual reality are, I kept flashing back to this show.  I am interested to see how far this phenomenon goes! 

“Educators Got Game”

I recently read an article by Cindy Long called “Educators Got Game” in the October 2007 issue of NEA Today (p 42-43)    http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0710/trythis.html .  In the article, three or four teachers talk about using video games to reinforce concepts.   Examples that were given are using The Sims in a sociology class where the game player chooses the characters careers which then steer their social and future lives.  Another example is using a game called Civ in a Civilization class because it teaches students what is needed for a civilization to survice in terms of agriculture, commerce and government. 

 I think using games could provide a hands-on avenue for kids to make decisions and then see the consequences of their decisions.  I would love to see this whole avenue expanded so that teachers and students could use games for all sorts of situations and topics.  Being a math teacher, I would love to have a game where students had to make calculations to design and then build structures.  It would be great if these structures were then subjected to a whole series of conditions provided through nature and humankind.

 I’d love to know how other educators have used games to effectively teach various skills to students.

The NEA article makes reference to a resource to “test drive games” at WWW.NEA.ORG/REF?GAMING 

I’m not sure if this link will work – I had trouble finding it – maybe someone else will have more luck.  This link may be better:  http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0710/videogameresources.html  

Blogging Applications

I admit that I have had a hard time seeing the benefits to blogging, but now I see a very worthwhile application.  One of my classmates posted a blog with a link to a current event which has made the news recently.  In his blog, he posts links to the BBC and the following blog where the world is able to become aware of what is going on in Rangoon, Mandalay and Pakokku.  What a great dynamic forum for spreading information throughout the world.  Check out his blog: http://1stblogexprmnt.blogspot.com/ along with his link to these very graphic pictures and captions: http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/  .

Yay for the Plain English Tutorials!

What a great deal – these Plain English tutorials have helped me to understand a bit better, social networking on del.icio.us and RSS feed.  I believe that I have successfully subscribed to some of my classmates blogs and I now understand a bit better about using del.icio.us to help organize and save time when looking for websites of interest. 

I wish I would have visited this link earlier, but better late than never!

http://www.commoncraft.com/show

RSS, Del.icio.us, and Practicioner Reports

I have been and still am confused about what RSS feed is and adding a widget to my blog.  I tried multiple times to add the icon (or whatever it is called) to my blog for the RSS feed, but everytime I added it, all of my bloglines got deleted.  I am trying to research how to add this feed and what it really means, but I am not having much luck.   I’m hoping to get help with this in class this coming week.

I’m also trying to learn about del.icio.us  accounts and how to use del.icio.us, and what the benefits are.  More on that later.  

I haven’t quite decided who I am going to do my “Practicioner Report” on, but I have narrowed it down to a couple of people.  I know I need to decide soon so that I can proceed. 

This Week in Current Trends and Issues:

This week we (Team Mathematics) completed our Induction to the Field Report.  It is nice to be done with the report.  I was responsible for the History of the Field portion of the report.  I found the evolution of today’s Instructional Technology interesting through the visual, audio-visual, radio, instructional television, computer and internet usage.  Although I did not write the sections of the report on the definitions, organizations and journals and blogs, I did see some references to these during my research in the history portions.  I’m interested to see what is next in our trends and issues class.