Creating Significant Learning Environments
I really enjoy running across these video productions that pull together all the thoughts and ideas about active and engaging learning that most constructivist tend to agree with. David Truss offers this wonderful example or argument for 21st Century learning.
The video was originally viewed at: http://blip.tv/?file_type=flv;sort=date;date=;id=1262079;s=file
60 Second Recap via kwout
The 60 Second Recap site offers a video based explanation of major literary works. Can one successfully summarize Orwell’s Animal Farm or Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men in just 60 seconds–perhaps not but these clips provide a starting point or context for the work. This site has only been running since late September and only has 17 books but many more are planned and users and request a recap. In addition users can also provide their video perspective on a book.
Lots of potential for Net Gen users who prefer video to the printed page.
As the audience for digital books grows, we can evolve from an environment of single devices connected to single sources into a distributed system where readers can find books from sources across the Web to read on whatever device they have. Publishers are creating digital versions of their popular books, and the library community is creating digital archives of their printed collections. BookServer is an open system to find, buy, or borrow these books, just like we use an open system to find Web sites.
Perhaps this system will now provide the necessary momentum to bring the price of books down to near zero or zero which may be the tipping point we need to truly free content on the Internet.
It was very refreshing and also disconcerting to read through Thomas Bartlett’s post The Puzzle of Boys in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Refreshing from the sense that there is a growing body of academic research that recognizes that boys have unique learning needs that must be addressed. The article was also disconcerting because it reveals that some view this research as a negative reaction to the Gender Equity in Education movement and that they view the “boys crisis as bunk”.
While I don’t want to weigh in on this debate, I want to point out that fact that when we strive to understand boys and girls as unique learning groups with unique needs–this is a good thing. Gender, race, social economic status and many other factors need to be taken into account when we look at our learners preparedness. Identifying and striving to understand that uniqueness will help us all to engage our learners. We should heed Niobe Way’s warning:
If you don’t understand the experience of boyhood, you’ll never understand the achievement gaps.
Barletts list of books cited is excellent but he missed what many would argue is one of the best works on understanding boys–Dr. James Dobson’s Secrets of Bringing Up Boys
Helen Barret offers an eportfolio solution based on a Google Apps mashup. While this option may not be for everyone it is a viable option.
