Re: Web Content and Change in Teacher Practice
Barry L. Chad (chadb@clpgh.org)
Sat, 29 Mar 1997 11:24:00 EST
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Subj: Re: Web Content and Change in Teacher Practice
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From: kmatray@nps.navy.mil (Kam Matray)
>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 it
>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 will
>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. What
>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.
***I have a friend who writes for and reads Neil Young Appreciation pages.
There is no glitz there. The people who go there represent a real community of
interest, so they are going there for the information.
But even the simplest "gimmick" of the Web, hypertext, is something that
invites exploration and elaboration.
I cede to those who grumble about reading a lot of text online.
Though I welcome projects like Project Gutenberg and the etext center at UVA,
I prefer my Dickens in paperback and my Shelley in leather. But, I think it is
the presentation of information (as well as its universal accessibility) that
marks a revolution by the Web. Hypertext, I believe, stimulates
curiosity--always taking the reader/viewer further. The presentation of
information--either by students or by teachers--is the frontier. (Although
there are those who say that the Web's envy of multimedia will be its undoing.)
bc
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."
( Šalso 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 groupsŠ)
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
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From: kmatray@nps.navy.mil (Kam Matray)
Subject: Re: Web Content and Change in Teacher Practice
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