Re: Web Content and Change in Teacher Practice
Kam Matray (kmatray@nps.navy.mil)
Sat, 29 Mar 1997 07:31:50 -0800
>Can web "content" or the context within which web "content" is presented
>assist in changing teacher practice?
>
>Ben Franklin built a wonderful musical instrument called an armonica. See i=
t
>at http://www.fi.edu/franklin/musician/images/armonica.jpg
>
>We created an interactive which allows an online visitor to "play" sounds
>from the armonica. http://www.fi.edu/franklin/musician/virtualarmonica.html
>
>We also created a quicktime movie with Ben (he's a hard guy to nail down
>these days) playing a replica of the armonica.
>http://www.fi.edu/franklin/musician/video.armonica.mov
>
>What will teachers do with this "content?" In many instances they will have
>their students visit the pages and play the movie and interactive. They wil=
l
>then ask their students when it was made or how does it work.
>
>How do we get teachers to use this content in creative and pedagogically
>exciting ways? We want students to be inspired by this content and then be
>encouraged to go off and create their own musical instruments. We want
>students to investigate sound and the variation in sound caused by use of
>similar materials (glass, wood, plastic, etc.) in different configurations.
>We want students to present what they have learned in ways that use new
>media and demonstrate their authentic learning.
>
>This I believe is the challenge of presenting content over the network. Wha=
t
>elements must comprise "content" so that it encourages teachers to teach in
>a different way?
>
>Steve
Boy, I wrestled w/ this one alot and wrote a volume and then deleted it
all, because I couldn't wave my arms. I guess I must be too much a student
of the constructivist ilk. If the content is relevant to my project, my
query, my inspiration, my creative juices, then it certainly does not need
to have elements (wasn't quite sure what you meant) to encourage it use.
All I would need is knowing it was there and where "there" is. Great
content is not what it's going to take to encourage teachers to teach in a
different way. It's just like great technology is not going to make a poor
teacher a good one. Actually the content, I would think, is icing on the
cake - after the mentoring, modeling, valuing, buy-in, training, follow-up
support, on-going support, administrative support, and all the other things
we've talked about for ages that might "encourage teachers to teach in a
different way."
( =8Aalso suggest that Suzzane or Jim post this on the prof devel --so much
cross over that it's fun to move around all the discussion groups=8A)
r/Kam
Kam Matray - PI, Virtual Canyon Project
Research & Development Group
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
Box 1031 * 700 Pacific Street
Monterey, California 93942-1031
voice 408.899.9414 fax 408.899.3224
kmatray@nps.navy.mil
kmatray@monterey.k12.ca.us