Chrome Activity and Reflection


Chrome / FOSS Lesson


Activity

Assignment: Explore the Chrome App Store (be sure to use the Chrome browser if not using a Chromebook). Produce a lesson which was created with an App (not an extension) from the Chrome Store. This artifact may be a student-oriented project, a resource to be used with your students or a tool to be utilized among you and your colleagues. Be sure to thoroughly explore the Chrome Store, you just might find something new and engaging.

 Post your artifact via your Blog (be sure it has been shared properly).

I had a great time exploring various and interesting Chrome applications.

Connected Mind - is a super fun graphic organizer. Classroom assignments could included asking the students to diagram the families in Romeo and Juliet, to mind map the types of figurative language and their definitions, or to sketch the neighborhood in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Browsealoud reads the web out loud and simplifies websites so the reader can concentrate on the text being read. It is similar to Read&Write for Google Docs which can also provide a visual dictionary for individual words.
 
WeVideo for Google Drive is an alternative to the Video Editor on Youtube that I have been playing with.

Zaption -   adds captions or questions or images to any online video, turning it into a video quiz or work-video for students.

I decided to work with Connected Mind and I made an assignment for students to supply examples for various kinds of figurative language. I can't link directly to the assignment from my Chromebook but I do know it's saved to the cloud. So I took a picture of it. Now the trick is to figure out how to share with students!


Chrome / FOSS Lesson


Reflection

Blog Post: Reflect on how the concept of Open Source content is compatible with educational philosophies such as the concept of the democratization of knowledge and development of an educated population. 


Open Source content, such as the Distributed Learning Object Repository Network or DLORN that George Siemens proposes in his 2013 article, is highly compatible with the active pursuit of a population educated through democritized knowledge. 

As Siemens writes, "Open source content is not a competitor to proprietary content -- it is an alternative.... The very nature of public education requires open idea sharing, collaboration, and the ability to build on the work of others." 

Educational content that is shared freely can be greatly beneficial to educators and students in the public school system. Obviously, all students should have equal access to the highest quality of educational materials and resources. Sadly, this aim is still out of reach for many students and as we have seen this month in Chicago where school construction benefits white, middle-class students, institutional forces are still working against this sacred right.

However, an important and contentious issue that Siemens neglects to discuss is that of fair payment for the content creators of open source content. Under the heading "What happens with learning objects and content?" Siemens does mention "process for payment" under the possible "additional functionality" for his DLORN system, but he fails to mention who will be paying the content creators and from where those funds will come.

Bloggers frequently get requests from for-profit companies for writing work in exchange for nothing more than "exposure." Teachers and other content providers need to be protected from exploitation and fairly compensated for their work.






Comments

  1. sarwagAugust 4, 2016 at 12:51 PM

    Thanks so much for the app ideas! You found a lot more than I was able to find. I was searching for math stat apps. It's neat how you were able to write on the curves that connected the mindmap circles. That's a neat trick! You raise some interesting points in your reflection piece. I would want to be paid for my work, but rarely do I want to pay someone else for theirs. In this, I am not being consistent.

    ReplyDelete
  2. sarwagAugust 4, 2016 at 12:51 PM

    Thanks so much for the app ideas! You found a lot more than I was able to find. I was searching for math stat apps. It's neat how you were able to write on the curves that connected the mindmap circles. That's a neat trick! You raise some interesting points in your reflection piece. I would want to be paid for my work, but rarely do I want to pay someone else for theirs. In this, I am not being consistent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. cynfeyAugust 5, 2016 at 3:04 PM

      If you are not being consistent (and I'm guilty of the same thing), at least you're being honest about it! Teachers are always looking for freebies! With good reason!

      Delete

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