Greetings Educators,

You may recall that in the last edition of our newsletter I wrote about Facebook and the role of social networking in the classroom.  I have this small obsession with keeping my Facebook paged updated regularly (daily at least) but I’m now finding that it’s important to know a bit more about the Facebook phenomenon and what we might be inviting into our classrooms.

First, don’t get me wrong; I firmly believe that Facebook and other social networking tools have a role in the classroom and in education. How can we ignore Facebook when it has more than 175 million users and, due in large part to advertising revenue, is valued at over $15 billion after only 5 years?  How many of your students do you think have Facebook accounts? Try asking and see.

A poll of our readers in the last issue on whether or not social networking has a role in the classroom said that it clearly does (14 yes, 4 no) although statistically I’m not sure we can make that claim with only 22 responses.

However, over the past few weeks I’ve read a number of news reports about Facebook that’s given me pause (but it won’t stop my daily updates). The stories relate to how Facebook uses and stores information about its members. A bit worrisome for sure but let’s first go over some stats about Facebook taken from their web site (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics):

They report:

General Growth

More than 175 million active users

More than half of Facebook users are outside of college

The fastest growing demographic is those 30 years old and older

User Engagement

Average user has 120 friends on the site

More than 3 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)

More than 18 million users update their statuses at least once each day

Applications

More than 850 million photos uploaded to the site each month

More than 7 million videos uploaded each month

More than 28 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) shared each month

More than 25 million active user groups exist on the site

International Growth

More than 35 translations available on the site, with more than 60 in development

More than 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States

From an education standpoint, what do you know about Facebook and, more importantly, what do the kids in your classrooms know when they sign up? Have you ever read the “terms of service” (TOS) for Facebook or for any web service for that matter? Or, do you do as I do and just click “Agree” whenever an agreement pops up?

The big hoopla recently with Facebook happened when they changed their TOS and the result would have been that when you opt out of Facebook your “stuff” stays – forever. My assumption has always been that, when I decide to stop using a Web service such as Facebook, MySpace, or other services, my information is deleted. I am always aware that online services make their money from advertising and that I’m bombarded with advertising from almost every commercial website. I’m also aware that while I’m a subscriber to a service my information is being shared. I just have to check my spam box to know someone’s snagged my name and email address.

But Facebook clearly went too far when they changed their TOS to read that we, as subscribers, are agreeing to grant them “irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license” to use our material and “use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising.” And that’s FOREVER! With this update in their terms they deleted the terminology that said users could remove their content at any time, at which time the license would expire. Therefore with this change in the TOS Facebook would retain users’ content and licenses AFTER the user terminated their account.

So Facebook subscribers revolted and they changed their TOS back or at least temporarily suspended their efforts to make the change.

Now the lesson here is to be better informed about what you agree to and, with the case of Facebook and other similar services, be aware of what your students may be agreeing to particularly if you’re using this in your classroom in some way.   I encourage you to read the article “10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know” and maybe even share them with your students. I’m beginning to better understand why school districts have policies about accessing web sites from school computers and why lawyers make a lot of money dealing with issues like this.

For more information and to see a humorous take on this issue I would recommend viewing the YouTube video below. I searched for formal news videos on the subject but this one kept popping up. Of course, I subscribe to YouTube and have never read the Terms of Service. I’m now rethinking how I approach “free” online services and will attempt myself to be a better-informed user.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxF0z8nrNtY

Best Regards,

Joe Codde
Professor and Director
Educational Technology Certificate Program

Visit Us at Two Upcoming Conferences

The Educational Technology Programs will be represented at two upcoming conferences in Michigan in March.  The first conference is the 2009 Michigan Science Teachers Association Conference which is being held at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center from March 5-7.  Come visit us at booth H.

The MACUL Conference 2009 is being held at Cobo Hall from March 18-20. This is a great conference for educators to learn more about technology and how it can be applied in the classroom. They have hands on workshops as well as presentations conducted by other educators and educational vendors. Several of our instructors (Carolyn McCarthy-Research Based Classroom Formative Assessments; Michael Partridge-Joomia! Free Content Management for Schools) will be presenting in pre-conference workshops on Wednesday March 18^th, as well as doing information sessions on Thursday and Friday (Tammy Maginity -We’re Just Moodlin’ Along; Michael Partridge- Bringing Technology to Your Theater Arts Program; Eric Spicer- Explore, Engage, Empower: Using Interactive Tools in Your Classroom) Additionally, a number of teachers that graduated from our program will also be presenting in different sessions.

The Educational Technology Certificate Program, the Master’s in Educational Technology and the Confucius Institute will all be represented at booth #423 in the exhibitor hall. Come visit us and learn more about the certificate, endorsement and Master’s programs in Educational Technology. We’d be happy to provide a demonstration of our Certificate program classes.

Representatives from the Confucius Institute at MSU will also talk about their online materials developed with up-to-date technologies, such as podcasts; 3-D language learning environments (”Second Life”); and other multimedia learning materials that teach adult and K-12 students about Chinese language and culture.

We look forward to seeing you at either of these conferences!

-Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor

I am Dr. Punya Mishra, Director of the MAET program at Michigan State University. As we all know, technology is changing at an amazing pace. These changes offer great possibilities but also challenges to us as educators.

Our MAET program, housed in one of the highest ranked colleges of Education, offers teachers a conceptually grounded, hands-on experience with teaching and learning with technology. The emphasis is not just on learning “cool tools” (though that does happen) but rather on developing transformational and creative approaches to teaching subject matter in real contexts. All this is done in an intense but engaging series of experiences led by a select team of instructors who seek to model and scaffold similar approaches in the summer cohort.

I am particularly proud of the East Lansing summer program where you will take classes that will apply towards your master’s degree in Educational Technology.  After completing the Educational Technology Certificate Program, students apply to the Master’s program to join the East Lansing summer cohort.

This hybrid version of the program combines the power of working together in a summer cohort with the flexibility of completing courses during the academic year. Participants come together for two weeks of face-to-face on-campus in East Lansing from June 17 – July 1, 2009 and then meet online from July 2 – July 29. On July 30, 2009 students will reconvene on campus. This makes for a unique and intense experience to work, learn and collaborate with each other and the instructors in a face-to-face setting that is hard to duplicate. Our graduates speak highly of this experience.

We know you have many choices available to you today. Our goal, here at the MAET program, is to offer you a master’s program that help develop ways of thinking and doing that will stand you in good stead as a professional in the years to come.

You can find application materials at

http://edutech.msu.edu/apply_masters.html.

For more information, feel free to contact me or Leigh Graves Wolf at gravesle@msu.edu and check out our social networks where you can interact with current students and alumni:

MACUL Space –
http://maculspace.ning.com/group/msuedutech

Facebook –
http://msu.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7822384107

Applications are due soon and we would be very honored to have you as a member of the 2009 summer cohort.

Do let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely

~ punya mishra

In a past issue we highlighted how to use Microsoft’s Photostory for digital storytelling in the classroom.  It is a great and easy to use program that can bring digital photos to life.  I recently came across another such online program called Animoto.

Animoto is a web-based application that allows you to make videos from digital pictures set to music.  In three simple steps you can have a video that you can embed on a website, upload to YouTube, or email to those with whom you want to share.

First you upload all of the images that you would like to include in the video.  You can also include any text that you would like to add to the video.  You arrange the images and the text in the order that you want them to appear.

The second step allows you to either upload music for the video or choose from royalty free music that Animoto has available for your use.

In the last step you choose the speed that you want the images to move from one to the other and then have the program create the video.  Animoto’s website describes the process of making the video,

Animoto uses patent-pending technology to analyze your images and everything about the selected music — its structure, genre, energy, build, rhythm — before developing a blueprint for the motion design of your video.

If you don’t like how the images are being displayed you can just choose to remix the video and the program will create a brand new video.

There is a education version for this web-based application that can be found at http://education.animoto.com/. The education version provides you and your students with full access to the program. You can check out a video that I created for the Educational Technology program at Michigan State University.

To learn more about Animoto you can watch this video:

Need Professional Development Money? Two Resources for Grant Money

In today’s economic crisis grant money seems harder and harder to come by. With that in mind you will understand my shock when I was talking with an exhibitor at the Michigan Council for Social Studies Conference and learned that he had grant money to give away and had only a few applicants.  In fact they had to extend their original deadline because they had more money than applicants.  He provided me with the information and I knew immediately that I wanted to share it with you, our readers.  Read on to learn more about this great opportunity.  In addition you may want to learn more about professional development grants being offered by the MEA by visiting http://www.mea.org/pd/pdf/pdg-grants.pdf.

MCTPS seeks proposals from interested individuals, institutions of higher education, professional development initiatives, library systems, and school districts in the following states: Illinois**, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. MCTPS is looking for opportunities to integrate promising practices in teaching with primary sources into existing pre-service education curricula as well as K-12 professional development programs. Successful projects will be provided a tested professional development guide for all K-12 professional development activities. A copy of this guide can be downloaded for review by all applicants at http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/tps/MCTPS/pdguide/pdguide_intro.htm

** Illinois proposals will be directed to one of the existing TPS partners. Please contact our office (resatch@ilstu.edu) before submitting proposals from Illinois.

The Library of Congress, as well as, MCTPS will be evaluating activities throughout this pilot program. Principal Investigators (PIs), trainers, and participants may be asked to participate in evaluation activities such as online questionnaires or phone interviews.

Two types of MCTPS awards will be funded:

• Type I awards will require the modification of existing pre-service curricula to include the integration of primary sources from the Library of Congress or research related to the use of primary sources in teaching and/or learning.
• Type II awards will require the training of in-service teachers and library information specialists using an established professional development program that meets the goals of the TPS level one program.

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Subaward Contracts

Estimated Number of Awards: 20 in FY 2009, the number of Type I and Type II awards will be determined based on the results of separate review processes.

Anticipated Funding Amount: Type I awards $2,000-$5,000; Type II awards $2,000 – $15,000

Eligibility Information

Proposals may only be submitted by the following from the states of Illinois**, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

• Universities and colleges: U.S. universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges).
• Non-profit organizations: Independent museums, libraries, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations.
• Public, private, and parochial schools, State Boards of Education, Regional Educational Systems, and other educational organizations.

Proposals that have a measurable impact and identify stakeholders’ (e.g., in-service and pre-service educators, students, educational systems) benefits and ways that this initial effort may be systemically sustained are encouraged. Although it is not a requirement, proposals supported with matching or in-kind funds from local institutions/organizations are highly encouraged.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Please contact the Center Director, Richard Satchwell (resatch@ilstu.edu) to discuss your proposed project prior to submission.

When discussing your intent to submit a proposal, be prepared to discuss the following:

• Type I or Type II project.
• A summary of the activities being proposed.
• The PI(s), co-PI(s) and their organizational affiliations.
• Estimated total project budget.

Full Proposals (required):

Full proposals must be submitted to the Midwest Center for Teaching with Primary Sources at Illinois State University. We are currently accepting proposals. (We have extended the original deadline of January 15, 2009.) If interested in submitting a proposal, please contact the MCTPS office prior to submission.

Proposal Preparation Instructions
A. Project Summary (1-page limit): At the top of this page enter a short informative title for the proposed MCTPS project. Indicate a Type I or Type II project. Include contact information for PI(s), Co-PI(s), and organization/institution. Provide a summary of the MCTPS project, including its goals. In a separate statement, provide a summary of the impacts and sustainability of this proposed project beyond this funding.
B. Project Description (6-page limit): The project description contains the following items.

1. List of Participants (1-page limit): Include departmental and institution/organization affiliation of all principal investigators and other personnel expected to have an important role in the project. Include a brief biographical sketch for each person

2. Description (5-page limit): Describe the scope of the project including:

• Project goals and objectives.
• Project audience and numbers to be reached.
• Implementation methodology describing how Teaching with Primary Sources content will be incorporated into ongoing education and professional development programs (i.e., train-the-trainer, direct instruction, curriculum revisions, online/virtual instruction).
• Evaluation methods.
• Time line for implementation.
• Dissemination activities.
• Sustainability efforts beyond funding (i.e., integration into existing educational goals/organization, institutional support, alignment with existing curriculum)

C. Budget (2-page limit): The estimated total project budget and budget justification should be included. Indirect costs are not allowed.

D. Due Dates: The Center is funded through December 31, 2009. Proposed projects that can be completed by this date are encouraged to contact us to discuss the details of your project. Project completion; December 31, 2009

MCTPS Proposal Processing and Review Procedures:

All proposals received by the Midwest Center for Teaching with Primary Sources at Illinois State University will be carefully reviewed by Center staff. Successful proposals will enter into a subaward contract with Illinois State University. The reviewers will ascertain the extent to which proposals relate to the following questions:

• How well does the proposed project meet the goals and objectives of the level one MCTPS program?
• How well qualified is the PI(s) to conduct the project?
• How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?
• Are the activities reasonable for the given timeline?
• Is there evidence of sustainability beyond the initial funding?
• How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation in the TPS program?

Contact Information

All questions should be directed to:

Richard Satchwell
Director, MCTPS
resatch@ilstu.edu
Phone: 309-438-3441
Fax: 309-438-3585

Web Sites Worth Visiting

Website	Description and Educational Applications
www.starfall.com	Teachers around the world use Starfall.com and Starfall high-quality educational products as an inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and inspire a love of reading and writing. Parents use Starfall to prepare their children for school, and to support them once they are there. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children.Primarily designed for first grade, Starfall is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade. Starfall is perfect for home schooling. (Submitted by Lori Kindsvatter)
www.mariaclaudiacortes .com	Color in Motion is an interactive experience of color communication and color symbolism. (Submitted by Victoria Hussey)
learn.genetics.utah.edu	How does geneticsaffect our lives? The Learn Genetics website has online activities, labs, experiments, and workshops for students, teens, and all others curious about genetics. (Submitted by Lori Kindsvatter)
www.timeforkids.com/TFK	TIME for Kids is a weekly news magazine that motivates kids to read! Issues cover a wide range of real-world topics kids love to learn about – and it’s the best nonfiction text you’ll find!A powerful teaching tool, TIME For Kids builds reading and writing skills and is easily integrated across your curriculum, including social studies, science and math. (Submitted by Barb Benford)
issuu.com	Explore a world of publications by people and publishers alike. Using Issuu you can collect, share and publish in a format designed to make your documents look their very best. (Submitted by Leigh Graves Wolf, Ed Tech Master’s Program Coordinator)

Our courses are taught by an outstanding team of MSU adjunct faculty, many of whom are:

• K-12 classroom teachers themselves who have experience using educational technology in the classroom
• Graduates from our certificate program
• Exceptionally skilled in educational technology
• Winners of awards such as technology Teacher of the Year from the Michigan Association of Computer-Related Technology Users in Learning (MACUL) and the national award of the International Society for Technology in Education

This quarter’s instructor spotlight is . . .

Brandon Blinkenberg, Producer at MSU’s Virtual University Design and Technology, Instructor for the MSU Master’s in Educational Technology, as well as the Educational Technology Certificate Program.

Working with the Virtual University for the last eight years, Brandon has helped faculty in many different colleges and programs select and integrate technologies that transform their teaching.  The bulk of his work has been with faculty in the College of Education helping instructors put their courses online, but he has also worked with faculty and courses in Human Medicine, Business, Family & Child Ecology, Arts & Letters, and Packaging.  He also offers workshops on blended instruction, which combines the best aspects of online and face-to-face teaching opportunities.

Brandon began teaching in the MAET program in the summer of 2005 in East Lansing and has taught CEP800, CEP815, and CEP822 in Plymouth, England for the past two summers.  He will be returning this summer to teach CEP810, CEP811, and CEP812.  This semester he is teaching CEP811 online in the Certificate Program.

In his free time, Brandon enjoys photography, woodworking, and metalworking.  And if you ever find yourself at Woody’s Oasis for lunch you’re very likely to bump into him!

Question: Do you have any suggestions for resources on making websites and online courses more accessible for those with disabilities?

Answer: Michigan State University is currently undergoing a process to make all of their websites and online courses more accessible.  They have provided quite a bit of training for their employees to learn more about accessibility and provided us with a checklist of things that we should be considering when retrofitting our websites and online courses. A checklist that you may find helpful can be found at http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/full-checklist.html.

Another resource that they have provided us in our training is the Web Accessibility Toolbar for Internet Explorer.  You can add this toolbar to your Internet Explorer browser window by going to http://paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html and clicking on the download link at the bottom of the page.

Once this is installed on your Internet Explorer browser window you can use it to see if all of your images have alt tags, see what your website might look like for someone with color blindness, better understand the order that a screen reader will read your content, and many other accessibility items.

Firefox also has an accessibility extension that can be added to that browser.  It can be found at http://firefox.cita.uiuc.edu/.  Read the instructions for installing the toolbar into your browser.

If you would like to test out how your site sounds using a screen reader you can install a free copy of SATOGO (System Access to Go) by going to http://www.satogo.com.  Once installed you can have the program read through the content in your website and make sure that it is being read appropriately.

Hopefully these tools will help get you started.  I’m glad to hear you are interested in making your websites and online courses accessible for everyone.