Academic Aesthetic

Because someone might want to look at this and before long going back through Twitter will make it too hard to see these posts, here’s a (not so) brief summary of my observations. I’ve placed gaps to show where I went from one session to another.

1. 

   Up early for a full day of #CGMD12 … As soon as the caffiene kicks in.

2. @MatthewWinner Not today, no. I look forward to seeing you in my session tomorrow! (That means I’ll have at least one person there.)
3. It begins! My presentation has remained largely unchanged for weeks, and I just thought of something new to add.
4. Not 10 minutes after getting here I was recognized twice and high-fived once. I <3 #cgmd12.
5. A little worried – apparently my #CGMD12 session is at the same time as tomorrow’s keynotes. Might have a room to myself.

   -=-=-=-=-

6. In room 321, ready to see Doug Johnson present on using personal devices for education. I’m in the seat next to the outlet. :)
7. All of Doug Johnson‘s session notes are online at http://bit.ly/dsPPGg
8. Note to self, look for book called Disrupting Class.
9. @KatrinaStevens1 Your session was already on my short list. Hall is awesome but I’ve seen him before.
10. Talking about distractions in class – all of which are low tech.
11. “I don’t think they’re looking for entertainment as much as they are looking for engagement.”
12. “You can’t disregard the entertainment factor. … Engagement can’t JUST be entertainment.”
13. “I don’t have all the answers but I hope to leave you confused at a higher level.”I am so glad I picked this session.
14. “If I could give my grandkids a gift, it would be to give them a life full of interesting problems.”
15. Update: Disrupting Class is available on Google Play http://bit.ly/HVbfUr.(Post-Conference note: The Kindle version is cheaper.)
16. Don’t forget to have your edtech conference bingo cards at the ready. http://bit.ly/HVc5k9
17. YES! Speaker is using all the arguments against personal devices to explain why pencils shouldn’t be used in class.
18. Doug Johnson is in Rm 321 all day today. From everything I’ve seen so far everyone should see at least one of his sessions.
19. RE: Devices in school “It’s easier to steer the camel in the direction it’s already going.”
20. When allowing personal devices, set clear rules and expectations – AUP
21. “You can use [it], but first explain [how it will help you learn more].”
22. MP3 player used to 1) Record instructor, 2) listen to language lessons 3) Tune out distractions when doing solo work. FOCUS
23. Essentially: it’s not the tool, it’s how the tool is used.
24. “[Personal devices] can be used to facilitate TRUE differentiated instruction.”
25. Out of time! I’ll have to catch up on #BYOD in another session.
26. Teaching to the test creates governed citizens, not governing citizens.

    -=-=-=-=-

27. 

    At @msreneescience & @carmelitadd‘s session on mashups http://bit.ly/JiyC51

28. When making mashups, make sure you’re allowed. (Creative Commons, etc.)
29. @msreneescience & @carmelitadd Don’t forget http://openclipart.org and http://incompetech.com for mashup resources!
30. http://soundbible.com and http://archive.org are more awesome resources for mashups.
31. Audience is giving tons of resources. Awesome. (Also: http://Soundcloud.com)
32. http://www.dragontape.com for creating “mixtapes in minutes.”
33. @willrich45 As tech changes required skills change too, so I’d say learning dispositions are more important.
34. Showing how to embed (YouTube) videos into other sites.
35. When embedding/linking YouTube vids, you can have them start at specific points by selecting minutes and seconds.
36. Request for next year: Print the schedule on cheaper paper. My pen won’t write well on this stuff.
37. Wouldn’t be a session on mashups without mentioning Glogster.

    -=-=-=-=-

38. @HallDavidson‘s Keynote Handouts: http://linkyy.com/HallDavidsonHandouts http://linkyy.com/MDLA

    -=-=-=-=-

39. In the session about @lessoncast
40. 50% of graduates of Teacher Prep programs leave the teaching field within 5 years. :(
41. Oh wow they have the Unhelpful High School Teacher Meme pic (unedited) http://bit.ly/rludHV in their presentation.
42. I have achieved buzzword bingo in this session.(The point was that buzzwords are overemphasized.)
43. Still discussing the problems in this session. I think we’re ready to listen to solutions, now.
44. Aaand as soon as I sent that last one, they switched to talking abut a solution.
45. So @Lessoncast seems to have a nice interface for creating short videos, including space for your script.
46. “Just because you’re not a good designer does not mean you’re a bad teacher.” … but it helps.

    -=-=-=-=-

47. In @harryhanna‘s session on Twitter “Going to the Dogs!” Also, I’m using one of the only outlets in the room.
48. This session is apparently about @GUESStheDog. Should prove interesting.
49. I am very amused that the majority of people who say hi to me at #CGMD12 call me “The Art Guy” instead of “Aaron,” including @runkles1.
50. Starting with “Twitter in Plain English” video. http://bit.ly/nQxDoG
51. Now moving into the “A lot of people use Twitter” phase of the presentation. East Coast Earthquake, Beyonce, SuperBowl
52. Gary’s Social Media Counter: http://bit.ly/4tMhu0
53. Relevant to this Twitter discussion: http://bit.ly/J989KE
54. Elementary teachers follow @GUESStheDog, who in turn follows the teachers. Guess answers questions.
55. “Can the kids use their cell phones?” Their policy is “Yes.*” (So is ours.) (The * is important.)
56. “Txt tlk is ok” … but only when using Twitter, not persuasive writing afterward.
57. Don’t make a lot of teacher accounts from the same IP address at once, they’ll think you’re making spam accounts.
58. Parents encouraged to make Twitter accounts to follow teacher accounts. Teacher accounts are protected.
59. Preview EVERYTHING. (And use the Block button liberally.)
60. @harryhanna @mrh21727 http://TweetDeck.com has a web interface in addition to their app. Good way to bypass seeing trending topics.
61. Just saw @gwynethjones‘ tweets as they flipped between Twitter pages. She’s a super star.
62. Going over Twitter vocabulary. Not sure I need to bother summarizing those here.
63. “Why did you use Explorer?” Oh I like @mrh21727.
64. Looked up how long I’ve been using Twitter. here’s the video I made when I started in 2007: http://bit.ly/HW0KAl
65. More Twitter resources: http://bit.ly/HW11Dm

    -=-=-=-=-

66. Ready to see what MacGyver would do in regards to edtech. Rm 327
67. MacGyver preso is run by @scottkotarides, resources are on http://bit.ly/HWp57k
68. A lot of tool implementation is “Ready, Fire, Aim!”Yeah, I’ve seen that.
69. “Teachers do not get creative with technology.” How many teachers make students make PowerPoint reports?
70. “You have to use what you have. … Creativity can take you a long way.”
71. I’m enjoying this presentation, but oh the horrid color choices for this slide. Needs more contrast!
72. “What if you could buy a few iPads (or insert device here) per year?” Might not be a class set, but it could work.

    -=-=-=-=-

73. Upstairs at the #CGMD12 Tweetup, wondering if everyone else is downstairs.
74. Home from #CGMD12 and the Tweetup. Lots of awesome people there, but parties (and bars, even nice ones) aren’t my thing.

So I bought a tablet.  A 16 GB Toshiba Thrive, to be precise.

Some would find this purchase to be somewhat odd.  Indeed it is, somewhat.  Those who know me have heard my rants about needing a “real” keyboard.  My typing skills are not the best by any means but I seem to be able to do it faster and with fewer mistakes if I can get a tactile response that’s more than the whole device vibrating.

It’s why my last computer purchase was a tablet PC – and mind you, I don’t regret that purchase.  That computer does almost everything I intended for it to do.  I enjoyed the challenge it gave me to install and configure Linux on a computer with a touch screen, and for times that I need to use Windows (they do occur) I have to say Win 7 is the nicest version of that OS that I’ve ever seen.

But here I am, now owning a tablet.  I use it for the following things:

Netflix

It has a 10.1″ screen, which is large enough for anything I don’t intend to use at more than an arm’s length away.  To that end I’ll often go through a Dirty Jobs (or other show) marathon while grading student work on my main computer.

Audible

I love Audible for many of the same reasons I love podcasts.  I spend a decent amount of time commuting, and good audio content keeps my mind active.  My mind also tends to wander when trying to read nonfiction, so it’s a good way for me to digest that information if I have someone reading it to me.  The only downside is that since I refuse to pay for a 3G tablet I have to download the books before I head to the car, but that’s not hard to do.

Schoolwork

The first school day after I purchased my tablet I decided to see if I could leave my main computer at home.  As it turns out SchoolMax (our content management system for grades, attendance, and other student records) works just fine with any Android browser, as does Edmodo.  Edmodo even has an app for that, which I recommend.  For an intense “grade everything and grade it all now” session I still prefer a more powerful computer, but for what I normally do it works quite well.

Reading

Google Books, the Kindle App, and more are available for most tablets.  My tablet weighs about the same as some books I’ve read and much less than others.  One of the biggest selling points I can see for schools switching to a 1:1 ratio is the replacement of dead tree textbooks with digital equivalents.  Are there more reasons? Of course!  But the biggest complaint I hear about moving to a 1:1 ratio is the cost.  Tablets are cheaper than most computers, and the more $50+ textbooks they replace, the better.

Beyond that, there are several apps that make browsing online content very convenient.  I particularly like Feedly, though there are others with the same functionality.  It has the ability to sink up with my Google Reader feeds and display them in an almost magazine style format that allows me to skim through content without the usual feeling of being overwhelmed.

Games

I fully admit it, I’m a gamer.  Puzzle games, adventure games, MMORPGs, I like most categories.  There are a wide variety of games available for whatever tablet OS you care to use.  My favorite, currently, is Robo Defense.  It’s one of the few apps I have that wasn’t free, and it was totally worth it.

Next up, I’ll make a post about the things I don’t like about tablets.