I don’t think anyone can argue with the value that technologies like YouTube and Google Video have brought to the table. Individuals now have a voice that they didn’t previously have. Schools, however, have been drowning out that voice by preventing these sites from being viewable to students and staff using the school’s network. Don’t get me wrong. As a Technology Coordinator, I completely understand that this is a necessary evil since schools are responsible for providing Internet access to students and, therefore, responsible for the content that they are viewing. No one thinks that students should have unrestricted Internet access rights but we all agree that they should not be able view certain things (such as pornography). Unfortunately the solution that many districts have implemented has harmed teachers as well. Many teachers find themselves unable to utlilize incredibly valuable resources they have found which would add a great deal to their classes.
One work around that I have suggested to some of my co-workers is the use of an online FLV (the standard file format used by YouTube) converter. Using an online converter allows users to simply enter in the YouTube URL of the video they want to download, and they will be provided with a link to download the actual video file. The converter I have been recommending is called Vixy.net. It actually allows users to select from multiple download formats such as AVI, MOV, and MP4. Teachers can then save their videos at home and bring them into school to show their classes. An even bigger advantage to using an online converter is that teachers can now have an archive of all of their important videos for future use. Counting on the videos to always be hosted online is a poor idea.
For those of you who are feeling a little more adventerous, Gil’s Method provides an excellent tutorial on how to jack up your Firefox browser to allow you to download videos easily as well.
The best place to start is always at the beginning so let’s start there. The name of this blog (at least for now) is Binary Misadventures. The name is appropriate for several reasons. First, and probably foremost, I am a Math & Technology teacher at Irvington High School in Irvington, NY where I also serve as the district’s Technology Coordinator. I find that, although I am the teacher, I probably get most of my technology knowledge from my students. Whether it is a website, utility, or game, my students are generally the ones giving me the heads up. This is not something I am ashamed of (Some of you must be thinking “What?!? Your students are teaching you?!?!”) and, in fact, I take a great deal of pride in how enthusiastic they are and how willing and open they are to sharing. As far as they are concerned, Binary Misadventures could be a way of summing up my constant attempts to keep up with them.
When I take time to reflect on my job and the general state of education, I am troubled by the fact that we discourage our students from fully utilizing their technology knowledge. Most schools have strict policies regarding things like cell phones, IPods, and electronic devices. Is this the right attitude that school districts should have? Karl Fisch’s “What if?” presentation really hits this point home. Just because we may not be digital natives (I’ll touch more on this in a future post), does that mean we close our students off to learning opportunities that could only be afforded to us through the use of these new, innovative technologies. For instance, teachers are beginning to leverage Web 2.0 technologies in their classrooms. We are creating paperless environments where all of your work is wherever you are!
Note: If I lost you at Web 2.0 and you don’t feel like reading about it, here is a video which sums up the major points.
Here, is the real meaning of Binary Misadventures. What are we doing in schools to make the most effective use of technology? Finding ways to educate both students and educators on innovations in educational technonology is the mission of this blog. Together (dear readers), I hope to explore topics related to this mission. I’ll end this first post with another Karl Fisch presentation entitled “Did You Know?” If this doesn’t get you concerned about the current state of education in our country, I don’t know what will.
