Constructing Modern Math/Science: Using Modeling Technology in Education

After Brian Silverman spoke about Playful invention, and using programming to spark learning, Carolyn Staudt from the Concord Consortium spoke on Modeling technology.

Everything the consortium produces is Open Source, and everything they put out "changes educational methods, goals, content, materials development and distribution and professional development."

She demonstrated the Molecular Workbench software which allows you to simulate atomic structure.
Molecular Rover, which shows atomic motion in different states of matter. She demonstrated flying through helium gas to view atomic motion.
Inquiry questions are built in to the software, and students are asked to take snapshots of the models to prove their theories.
Now they are working on "Evolution Readiness" for 2nd and 3rd graders!
She said that Models could work with other social science topics as well.
Now she's working on grabing data with inexpensive equipment like cellphones, gps, cameras, etc...

Her presentation can be found here.

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Blogs vs. Wikis

Here is a humorous video that illustrates the different applications of blogs and wikis.

Syncronicity Regarding the Future of Learning: Are you a Sherpa or a Jazz Musician?

Yesterday, Sara Swenson , Edina High School Librarian (She prefers that term!) shared the following video with me via e-mail that she found on an NCTE Web s ite . I thought that the video crystallized for me the potential for educational technology integration, 21st Century learning and learning beyond the classroom walls. It is something we are working on with our Community of Practice . That isn't to say that there won't be road blocks to navigate, or crevasses to traverse! We know they exist now! I was intrigued to see the teacher's role defined in such creative ways!! When people ask you what you do for a living, do you respond as "teacher", "educator", "instructor", facilitator", or are you a "Connected Learning Incubator" or are you still "Keeper of All Knowledge Which Is Good?" Hmmm ... Then this morning, I checked my Twitter feed and Will Richardson had posted about a conference on the Future of Education ...

We Have Met the Enemy and He is PowerPoint! A Reflection

Today, the New York Times ran an interesting article regarding the use of PowerPoint in the military, We Have Met the Enemy and He is PowerPoint . It was a fairly damning critique of an organization that gets most of its information or lack of information through PowerPoint slides. Here are a few quotes from the article: “PowerPoint makes us stupid" - Gen. James N. Matti “It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control...Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.” -Gen. H.R. McMaster And the following comment that I think has a great impact for us as educators: " Commanders say that behind all the PowerPoint jokes are serious concerns that the program stifles discussion, critical thinking and thoughtful decision-making ." And this... "Commanders say that the slides impart less information than a five-page paper can hold, and that they relieve the briefer of the need to polish writing to convey an analytic, persu...

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