Blurts

I have been rereading Cohn’s Skim, Dive, Surface. This book advocates for the preparation of learners to read and write in a digital format challenging the position of many that students are better off with paper texts. The author argues the reality of learners need to process digital media outside of school settings and suggests that educators should not rely on students heavy use of digital gadgets as providing the necessary preparation.

The author reports asking her students if they had experience using pdf tools to highlight and annotate assigned content. She reports that 30% responded positively. Her point was that educators (she teaches at a university) should not assume that computer experienced students have skills appropriate to benefitting from exposure to such assignments. It struck me that this question should be asked by more educators assigning digital content. I assign pdfs all of the time, but I have never thought to ask how students engage with this content.

Cohn, J. (2021). Skim, dive, surface: Teaching digital reading. West Virginia University Press.

I thought readers might be interested in this interview with Matt Mullenweg of Automattic. Matt is the codeveloper of WordPress which is the blog and content management platform I use. You can read or listen to this interview. The discussion covers their open source effort and personal control of content. Over 40% of web sites run WordPress.

ScreencastOmatic has a new product that has great promise when they can figure out how to improve the app to match its goal. The project is called ScreenPal and the idea is that a browser extension could allow the user to add a short screencast to any text box. The limitation I note and they recognize is that it does not work with all services with text entry windows (e.g., Google docs, sheets, and slides). It would work with WordPress (this blog) and I can see myself using it in the future. It does work with GMail and that is what I used to generate the following demo. It also works with Twitter which does offer some interesting possibilities.

So, you first need to install ScreenPal as a chrome extension. It works with Chrome, Brave, and MicroSoft Edge. Once installed and activated by creating an account, the following symbol should appear when you click in a text box. See red box in image that follows.

This icon activates the screencasting process.

You have three options – camera, screen, or a combination (your image and the screen option you select).

You could just add a video to the email or in the case I see as most useful you can select a different tab to offer comment on what appears in that tab. When you are ready start recording and then use this blue box to stop recording.

Finally, the link and a GIF to the video will appear in the text window.

The video is also stored online as is the case with the original ScreenOmatic videos. ScreenPal is presently free. I see using it personally as a way to add short video comments in blog posts. At present, I include longer videos that I first store in YouTube. ScreenPal kind of works in a similar way, but takes care of the details automatically.

Apple just announced a program for technology coaches/facilitators. The program is approximately 45 hours in length with two days of virtual workshops. The program is free, but requires an application process and requires district support and completion of other existing training experiences. Check the application requirements carefully.

The program is based on ISTE standards.

This NYTimes article describes how the past couple of years (COVID) are associated with a troubling decline in young children meeting early reading benchmarks. I have been considering this observation and trying to explain for myself why reading would suffer more than other areas. Reading would seem an area that parents could address with their children say in comparison to math. Perhaps educators are more aware of and capable of addressing underlying skills such as phonics. Young readers vary so much in how naturally they pick up reading skills. Still, being read to and being supported in independent reading are contributions all parents can make.

Google has announced “practice sets” as an opportunity to personalize student learning. The approach promises data from student behavior for educators to consider and recommends resources algorithmically identified to assist students. Without putting down the Google effort, I do think it relevant to recognize that the Kahn Academy has provided practice sets for several years.

The Google sets will offer an opportunity for educators wanting to track which students need additional help, but personalization of this type fails to recognize the great differences in existing levels of knowledge/skill at any given time. Personalization when ideally implemented focuses on moving students into new content when existing knowledge allows them some realistic chance to not be overwhelmed. The Kahn Academy’s efforts to individual the pace of exposure to new material (mastery learning) is the goal the interest in personalization eventually needs to target.

Chromebook Classroom episode with project member from Google.