Blogging in the Classroom

As an intern in the class of 2.4 of Webcast Academy, I have entered a new world that I only dreamed about in 2001. Seven years ago I worked with educators, ICT experts and parents chairing a working group as part of the Ontario Knowledge Network for Learning - a Ontario Ministry of Education initiative. I was excited to join in the development of recommendations for strategic directions on ICT in education. My role was specific to recommendations to connecting parents and the community to the classroom using information and communication technology. Broadband has caught up to the recommendations and the dust is off the cover. Kudos to the Classroom teachers who have now embraced Web 2.0 technologies and taken the lead on creating learning environment for students of the 21st century.

Strong leadership from people like Jeff Lebow, Pam Shoemaker, Derrall Garrison at Webcast Academy have made me an avid student. They have given me the tools to I needed to revisit the use of information communication technology to connect parents to the classroom. Presentations for Parent as Partners such as “From a Principal’s perspective”, an interview with Dan Trainor, Canadian Principal of the year 2007, was created as result.

Podcasts are becoming common place but the instructions for recording two way Skype calls simplified the process and made the SkypeOut interview easy to create. It gets better. Teachers now have the tools needed to broadcast live and take their students and classrooms to the global stage.

Alex Couros from the University of Regina has prepared an excellent tutorial on how to use Skype, Ustream and Camtwist to Broadcast live.

Its hot of the press and there is lots to do.

Everyday more and more teachers have exciting tools at their finger tips ready to make learning global and easy. Alex Couros demonstrates to folks around the world what is in store for students and classrooms of the 21st century. As if kids had all the fun. Alex did a test drive of a skype conference and Ustream broadcast. Twitting volunteers to join in. This is a screen cast of Alex streaming live (using Snapzpro and my Mac Book Pro). There is no audio as the volume was turned down to stop echo in the skype conference. Alex Couros used Ustream to broadcast and Camtwist (Mac) for the visual effects and desktop demonstrations, Audio Jack and Soundflower to put the production together.

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