Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

Atomic Learning: Movie Maker 2 Tutorial

Atomic Learning is currently offering a complimentary tutorial series on Windows Movie Maker 2. The series can be accessed free of charge by clicking here.

The Movie Maker 2 series is a fast favorite among many movie makers and is regularly noted by a variety of bloggers as an invaluable free resource for educators, students and home movie-makers.

Utilizing Atomic Learning short, show-and-tell tutorial training style, the series guides users through getting started with Movie Maker 2. Topics include Capturing and Importing, Applying Video Effects, Applying Transitions, Adding Titles, Working with Audio and many more.

Schools and districts find Atomic Learning’s tutorials, series, workshops and resources to be especially useful for professional development, and many are incorporating tutorials into the curriculum.

In addition to the Windows Movie Maker 2 series, Atomic Learning also offers a training library of over 37,000 tutorials on over 110 applications through the Technology Skills Collection, plus training on education software and accessibility features through tutorials found in the Assistive Technology Collection.

For more information on any of Atomic Learning’s tutorial series or Collections visit Atomic Learning.

Related Resources

• PBwiki Back to School Challenge
• Vicki Davis > Seven Steps to a "Flat Classroom"
• PBwiki 101 > Video Tutorial

Call for Papers: 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology

Persuasive Technology is all about using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to change what we think and do. We are just entering the era of persuasive technology, of interactive computing systems designed to change people’s attitudes and behaviors.

The Claremont conference will assemble people from all parts of the world interested in such technologies by sharing their insights into how video games, mobile phone applications, web sites and social networking sites can be designed to motivate and influence people.

Academics and practitioners with an interest in research, theory, technologies, design, and applications related to persuasion are invited to submit their work for presentation at Persuasive 2009 to be held at the Claremont Colleges campus, in Claremont, California.

If you're interested in the mobile boom (and you should be!), be sure to check out Mobile Persuasion by my friend, Dr. BJ Fogg. This is a must read for anyone involved with digital media and education technology. BJ also is the founder of the Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab.

Related Resources

• Mobile Persuasion 2009
• Persuasive 2009
• Book > Mobile Persuasion
• Book > Persuasive Technology
• Stanford Facebook Class
• International Journal of Computer Game Research

Pew Research on Teens, Video Games & Learning

A few days ago the Pew Internet & American Life Project released the results of a national survey of U.S. teens (survey sample: 1,102 youth ages 12-17) and video games.

The study, a project of the Pew Research Center and the MacArthur Foundation,  shatters many of the previously held beliefs that video game obsessed teens lead socially isolated lives devoid of interaction with other people.

In fact, the Pew study found that "virtually all American teens play computer, console, or cell phone games and that the gaming experience is rich and varied, with a significant amount of social interaction and potential for civic engagement."

Among the key findings:

Game playing is universal, with almost all teens playing games and at least half playing games on a given day.

• 97% of American teens ages 12-17 play some kind of video game.    
• 99% of boys say they are gamers and 94% of girls report that they play games.

Game playing experiences are diverse, with the most popular games falling into the racing, puzzle, sports, action and adventure categories.

• A typical teen plays at least five different categories of games and 40% of them play eight or more different game types.    
• While some teens play violent video games, those who play violent games generally also play non-violent games.

Game playing is social, with most teens playing games with others at least some of the time.

• 76% of gaming teens play games with others at least some of the time.    
• 82% play games alone at least occasionally, though 71% of this group also plays games with others.   
• 65% of gaming teens play with others in the same room.

Game playing can incorporate many aspects of civic and political life.

• 76% of youth report helping others while gaming.    
• 44% report playing games where they learn about a problem in society.

Game playing sometimes involves exposure to mature content, with almost a third of teens playing games that are listed as appropriate only for people older than they are.

• 32% of youth 12-16 in this sample play games that are listed as appropriate only for people older than they are.    
• 32% of gaming teens report that at least one of their favorite games is rated Mature or Adults Only.    
• 12-14 year old's are equally as likely to play Mature and Adults Only rated games as their 15-17 year old counterparts (source).

Related Resources

• Video Games Teaching Diplomacy & Social Justice
• Gen Y Update: Video Games 101
• CBS News > Gen Tech & Wired Teen America

Atomic Learning: Microsoft Office 2008 Tutorials

Through September 10, 2008 Atomic Learning will offer a free series on Microsoft Office 2008 will be offered free of charge The free series, Office Suite 2008 - What’s New includes more than 30 short, show-and-tell movies that guide users through the new features in Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2008.

Topics include using SmartArt™ graphics, using Automators workflows, using compatibility mode, understanding the new XML file format, opening files from earlier versions and more.

The series is an important resource for schools and organizations planning to transition to Office Suite 2008. Schools and districts find Atomic Learning to be especially useful for professional development purposes and incorporating technology into curriculum.

Be sure to also check out the new Office Live Workspace, a free service from Microsoft that allows you to easily and privately share files online with students, colleagues or parents. This is an easy way to create an online hub for your classroom. You can also use one of the many free templates to easily create school calendars, tests & quizzes or electronic grade book.

Related Resources

• Office Live Workspace
• Atomic Learning
• Microsoft Education Resources for Teachers
• Yahoo! Back-to-School Guide 2008

Free Cartoon Animation Software

via Open Source on LearnHub: "There are many cartoon animation programs available that offer free trial downloads. Here are three cartoon animation programs that are completely open-source, which means they are free for you to use.

Though they vary in complexity, ease of use and features you will likely find one that best suits your animation needs."

Related Resources

• LearnHub
• Pencil
• Synfig
• Creatoon
• Pixton: Learning with Comics

Update: Schwab Learning

Last summer I blogged about Schwab Learning, a philanthropic foundation set up by Charles and Helen Schwab dedicated to providing resources, information, and research on learning difficulties.

Late last year, The Schwab Foundation announced that it would shift its focus from their website and resources to providing grants. The good news is that they have found good homes for their parent/teacher communities and SparkTop site for kids.

SparkTop is now part of the Professor Garfield family of educational media. In addition to SparkTop, Professor Garfield has a wealth of resources for educators in their Teachers Lounge community.

The parent and teacher resources on learning difficulties are now a part of Great Schools, "a nonprofit dedicated to helping parents make informed choices, become actively involved in their kids’ education, and advocate for high-quality teaching and learning."

I'm thrilled that these phenomenal resources have found new homes on the web and will continue to help students, teachers and parents navigate their way through an educational ecosystem that doesn't always understand that "no two brains spark alike."

Schwab Learning: Helping Kids With Learning Difficulties

A few days ago I had the fantastic opportunity to attend the YPulse Mashup '07 in San Francisco. This conference was put together by the amazing and talented Anastastia Goodstein, author of the book Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online as well as the Teen Media blog YPulse.

I'll be posting more about the YPulse Mashup later (sidebar: I have SO much YPulse 411 to blog about--stuff like the brilliant Aseem Badsha of Scriptovia! More on him later...), but in the meantime I couldn't wait to share some excellent resources for parents, teachers and students with learning difficulties.

At the conference I had the pleasure to meet Pearl and Lisa from the Schwab Learning Foundation, a  philanthropic foundation set up by Charles and Helen Schwab dedicated to providing resources, information, and research on learning difficulties. They also have a Spanish language mirror site.

Schwab Learning is chock full of important resources to help parents connect, identify learning difficulties, along with strategies for working with the education system. Be sure to check out the vast collection of videos, books, and articles in their digital library.

In addition, Schwab Learning has developed an online community called Spark Top where children with various types of learning difficulties can connect and discover their "unique ways of learning, develop their strengths and self-esteem, and discover strategies to succeed in and out of school.

Spark Top provides a safe place for kids to interact, share their worries, concerns and successes, and get feedback from kids just like them."

I highly recommend both Schwab Learning and Spark Top to teachers, parents or anyone who works with children with learning challenges. Be sure to check out the SparkTop teachers resources too. There isn't a "one size fits all" learning style. We are complex creatures and we all learn in different ways.

Thanks to Lisa and Pearl for introducing me to the wonderful array of resources they provide to children, parents, and educators. If you have any questions--drop them a line! These are wonderful people who have dedicated their careers to helping children with learning difficulties.

And thanks to Anastasia and Modern Media for putting together such a great conference. I'm already looking forward to next years YPulse Mashup!

Related Resources

• The Schwabs' Story
• Preparing for Your Journey through the Special Education Maze
• Online Events
• Schwab Learning Newsletter
• Sean O'Sullivan's weblog
• Video: Totally Wired

mLearning Toolbox: Adam Burt Guide

A few weeks ago, Sean O'Sullivan sent me a really terrific mLearning resource put together by Adam Burt. I thought I'd pass his excellent guide to creating mobile on-demand live/non-live video and audio content along to debaird.net readers.

Thanks Sean!

Links

• Adam Burt mLearning Guide
• Sean O'Sullivan blog
• Sean O'Sullivan mLearning blog + Yahoo Podcasts

SpeEdChange: Assistive Technology & Learning

Ira Socol maintains an informative weblog, SpeEdChange, where he discusses how assistive technology can impact literacy throughout the school experience.

Links

• SpeEdChange
• Assistive Technology Grants

Focus on Technology & Special Needs Students

Education World recently published a series of articles exploring how teachers are using technology to help kids with special needs participate in classroom lessons and activities.

Another very good example of how teachers are integrating social media and mobile technologies into the special needs curriculum can be found in Sean O'Sullivan's weblog.

Sean is the Deputy Head teacher at the Frank Wise School (UK), where they are doing some fantastic work using podcasting, GeoBlogging, and mLearning technologies as a way to help disabled students share what they do in the classroom with their parents and the community.

You can find out Sean and his students are up to by listening to their podcast via Yahoo! Podcasts or iTunes.

Thanks to Sean for sharing this with the edublogger community!

Education World Resources & Links

• Tech Solutions for Special Kids
• Assistive Technology Benefits All Students
• Assistive Technology Grant Info
• Teaching Special Kids: On-Line Resources for Teachers