Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

About Libraries and Technologies



Buffy J. Hamilton's keynote slidedeck at the New York Library Association-SLMS Spring Conference 2011 in Buffalo, New York.  

A very interesting tool for school teachers and school librarians.


G-Souto
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®
10.05.2011

Credits: video Buffy J. Hamilton


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Earth Day 2011: a story about the Forest









Forests provide the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.  Forests also provide us with the wood and paper products we use every day.

Listen Franke James, author and artist in a creative personal story for FSC Canada on the video below


Who cares about the Forest? from Franke James on Vimeo.


A lovely story about the forests isn'it? Franke is the author of Bothered By My Green Conscience which merges science, art and storytelling to inspire people to take action and “do the hardest thing first” for the planet.

So, let's continue to inspire our students for Earth Day 2011 

Education:

  • Display the video in the classroom (primary and elementary school)
  • Let your students use iPad or smartphone to read 'Who cares about the Forest' as a visual essay here 
  • Students are invited to a storytelling about Earth and some visual essays to complete their story.
  • Students can visit Franke James' website (edutators tutoring) and leave a comment to the author.


I will be back with another act of green in the school


G-Souto
19.04.2011
Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Credits: video and visual essay Franke James

References:


FSC Canada
http://www.fsccanada.org

Franke James, Who cares about the Forest
http://www.frankejames.com

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

El Elemento



Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges us all the time to educate our students cultivating creativity and and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. 

We have listen him on private schools and public schools theme here.

His last book The Element (you can look inside) has a new Spanish animation version. Just look the video below!








Education:

How interesting it would be showing the video to your students as a motivation for one of your lessons?

As educators, we do realize how our students are creative in many ways. We can develop the creativity of young people as a competency in the acquisition of knowledge moving beyond the system of some tradtional schools.


G-Souto
01.02.2011
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com® 

Credits: Video Matt Groening

Monday, January 24, 2011

Sir Ken Robinson: private schools & public schools





Sir Ken Robinson talks about private schools and public schools after his last book Element. 


In a year of big changes, the debate goes on!  It's interesting to hear his opinion about the theme.




"People who think differently make the world a more interesting place. We need to nurture and help develop creative people, instead of labeling them as damaged."

Temple Grandin, Author of 
Thinking in Pictures



G-Souto
25.01.2011
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com® 




Credits: video - PalomaTV (Santiago, Chile)


The Element book
http://www.elementbook.com/


Monday, December 20, 2010

Sensewall at Coimbra University campus


Sensewall University of Coimbra/ Portugal

This is the latest multi-touch installation by SenseBloom. It’s located in the campus bar, free access, at the Computer Science Department of Coimbra University, Portugal.


SenseWall is unique in Portugal. It is a Laser Light Plane (LLP) multi-touch wall with a display area of 2.8m x 1.05m. 


Created with the intent of letting students and the research community explore new concepts in HCI by designing and creating applications for course projects or just for fun.

SenseWall from Tiago Serra on Vimeo.



"We called it SenseWall because we wanted to create a platform that would have more senses than solely touch. So we added 2 cameras above the display for computer vision applications, a microphone for sound input, speakers for sound output and an RFID reader."

Tiago Serra (student)


Miguel Antunes, Tiago Serra e Tony Gonçalves (students)
Mário Zenha (coordinator)
http://imagens.publico.pt


The project has been developed for three years by three students coordinated by Prof. Mario Zenha. 
Some results: TOUCHBLOOM – a “multi touch” transportable, created for Microsoft Portugal that used it on Windows 7 demonstration, and PUDDLE OF LIFE, an interactive game that it is at the Science Museum of Universidade de Coimbra.


Puddle of Life - Darwin Exhibit from Tiago Serra on Vimeo.

"Puddle of Life" is an educational multi-touch installation that was designed for Coimbra's Science Museum (Darwin exhibit), demonstrating the theory of natural selection, as part of Darwin's 200th anniversary.

The installation is composed of a round multi-touch table whose surface represents a virtual environment where 4 species of creatures live in. Each of these little creatures have different physical characteristics visually expressed by it's quantity and/or size: Vision, Locomotion and Fur. Read more

"We believe highly motivated people can produce better work and be happier at the same time. By making workflows simpler and technology easier to use we hope to increase productivity and enable everyone to achieve their goals in a more pleasant and fruitful way. This is the foundation that supports every new product idea we have."


“Ver a nossa sombra ganhar vida, de repente, num processo de interacção em tempo real impressionante, voar pelo globo terrestre, mergulhando no Google Earth, manipular conteúdos multimedia ou mesmo criar música e murais são alguns dos exemplos disponíveis nesta enorme parede tecnológica”


(students)


20.12.10
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

References:
Senseblom : Tiago Serra
Google project hosted

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Christmas at digital age?





How social networks,  web and mobile tell  the story of the Nativity. Christmas via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia,  Google Maps, GMail, Foursquare, Amazon...


Time change, feelings remain the same! 


It's a Portuguese video! The creativity is gorgeous! 


G-Souto
18.12.10
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®


(it's Christmas time! Time for a break in a shiny but freezing saturday afternoon. Let's go out!)


Credits: http://www.excentric.pt/#/home/

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

MEDEA Awards 2010




MEDEA Awards 2010


Recognising, encouraging and rewarding 
excellence and creativity in media in education

The MEDEA Secretariat announced the 9 finalists for the annual MEDEA awards on 4th October.

The finalists are (in alphabetical order): BBC News School Report by BBC (UK), Bla Bla Bla edemocracy e minori by Civil Life Lab (Italy), Et si c'était toi by Lycée Technique du Centre (Luxembourg), Evolution of life by CNDP (France), Level 7 by Careersbox (UK), Monkey Labs by Die Keure/Larian Studios (Belgium), Pocket Anatomy by eMedia Interactive (Ireland), Theorem of Fire by Nafta Films (Estonia) and The Classroom by Cornerhouse (UK).


MEDEA 2010 finalists





Once again, I have been invited by Ms. Nikki Cortoos to being a judge at MEDEA Awards 2010, as I have been in 2009. I am honoured.

As Teacher Assessor specialized by the University of Evora  and Catholic University of Portugal - UCP/Biotechnology, I commited myself thorough a careful work of analysis in all the areas of the projects evaluation. 

Long hours, testing, verifying the several entries and checking all the items of the evaluation  process.

It is an expertise work that we give unambiguous, with consistency, independence and extreme relief. 







This year the competition attracted 140 entries from 31 countries, a very high number of entries. For the first time, those entering could chose between submitting their entry as a production made by a professional company or semi-professional production unit or as one made by teachers, students, learners, parents, professors, individual or organisational representatives in primary education, secondary education, higher education, adult education, vocational education and/or training.


The 9 finalists of "MEDEA Awards 2010" had been announced by MEDEA Secretariat, on 4th October 2010. You can see the list in show case here 




Entries this year included terrific examples of how students and their teachers are using media to enhance their own media literacy skills while creating learning resources that can have significant social impact. Animations and cartoons made by younger children demonstrated that children are never too young to begin creating their own media-based learning materials.


The finalists were chosen by a jury made up of 74 education and media experts from 26 countries who evaluated the MEDEA entries during August and September. 

The overall winner will be announced during the "MEDEA Awards Ceremony" which takes place on Thursday 25 November during the Media & Learning Conference in Brussels.

This year, I could accept the invitation to participate in the cerimony! It will be a joy to share these moments and at the same time to attend the Media & Learning Conference.

Entries this year included terrific examples of how students and their teachers are using media to enhance their own media literacy skills while creating learning resources that can have significant social impact. Animations and cartoons made by younger children demonstrated that children are never too young to begin creating their own media-based learning materials.


Congratulations to all the winners! Students, teachers and producers proove that creativity has no barriers!


G-Souto (member of the jury)



05.10.10
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®


Monday, July 19, 2010

The Social Network, the film



The new trailer for the movie The Social Network about the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is already known.

The film, by David Fincher (Fight Club, Panic Room, Se7en, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, among others) is based on Ben Mezrich' book "The Accidental Billionaires", and tells the story about the founding of Facebook in a dormitory at Harvard.

"Mezrich's prose has a cinematic flavor." 
-The Boston Globe





The movie shows the evolving relationship between Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg in the film) and friends as social networking is gaining shape, strength and fame.

The Social Network will be released in the United States in next October. The soundtrack will be conducted by Trent Reznor, ex-Nine Inch Nails. "Creep" the famous song by Radiohead  is the trailer's theme in a different cover. 



"You don't get 500 million friends without making some few enemies"

I wonder... can we ignore the incredible creativity of some of our students?  Sir Ken Robinson said that school kills creativity. 

Do you agree?! We know that's not true! It depends on each one of us!

Let's pay attention to the creativity of our students! Some are amazing!

G-Souto
19.07.2010
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®




Sunday, April 11, 2010

Alice a video game for young kids



Alice
Nintendo DS

Here we are again talking about Alice in Wonderland, the fantastic movie by Tim Burton! 

But now, I'm here to let you know my opinion about Nintendo DS game Alice for young kids (7 years old, primary school). 

Features: In the role of the White Rabbit, the Cherishe Cat or the Mad Hatter's, the player must save Alice, threatened at any time by the Red Queen.

Each character that you play uses his special power to change the game: the Rabbit can speed up forward or accelerate time, the caterpillars Absolum stretches to reach inaccessible places.



Alice

Nintendo Gameplay Images


Alice is a target that must not give an inch, or she will be taken by a Vortex or hit by a slap from a giant flower. Because, if we let Alice alone too long or standing still, she tends to be spotted or vanish.

The game: the path you take to browse wonderland is full of bad guys, obstacles and puzzles to solve. 

Do not expect a game of intense reflection. Every action you make is almost suggested by a subtitle. It's entertaining... for kids, don't forget! Not for adults.



Alice

Nintendo Gameplay Image

Some negative points: The dialogues are, sometimes, very long. The game is on flash-drive wich requires an adjustment period.

Visual side: While the design of the Wii version is highly developed, that of the DS is much more simplistic.


Very dark graphics throughout with touches of color, typically "Burton",  and validated by Tim Burton himself. The landscapes are gothic, sometimes psychedelic. A sure choice of the creators, but it works very well!






A fun game, designed especialy for children. A special mention to the originality of the graphism. 

Distributor: Disney Interactive Studios

The DS game is available since 2 March 2010

G-Souto
12.04.2010
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Ensino On-line e Aprendizagem Multimédia





Acaba de sair a publicação em livro " Ensino Online e Aprendizagem Multimédia". Trata-se de uma obra sobre os desafios que hoje se colocam ao mundo do ensino e da aprendizagem com as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação.

Pretende colmatar a inexistência em língua portuguesa de uma reflexão e análise de conceitos como e-elearning, tutoria online, e-cursos, sistemas de gestão de aprendizagem, recursos educativos digitais, avaliação online, design, ambientes de aprendizagem, interactividade, outros.

"Este livro foi pensado para dar resposta a uma necessidade que eu e outras pessoas que se interessam por estes domínios sentimos, a saber, a inexistência em língua portuguesa de um conjunto de reflexões sobre dois tópicos que, muitas vezes, são tratados de forma dispersa: o ensino on-line e a aprendizagem multimédia."

da Introdução

Reúne uma série de autores muito conceituados, que apresentam textos de qualidade, rigor, numa linguagem simples e directa. A organização esteve a cargo da Prof. Guilhermina Miranda da Faculdade de Ciências - Universidade de Lisboa.

"Rapidamente me apercebi que ensinar e aprender on-line e a distância é muito mais do que transpor para um novo meio os velhos recursos e actividades presenciais. A literatura que entretanto consultei referia as várias componentes do e.learning: institucional, tecnológica, pedagógica, ética, tutorial, avaliativa... (Khan, 2002). De facto, ensinar e aprender deste modo pode ser mais exigente do que em regime presencial."

da Introdução

Dos autores que integram a obra, conheço pessoalmente dois. O Prof. António Dias Figueiredo, interessante orador, na sessão de abertura da EDEN Porto 2009 Conference,  na qual participei, também, como oradora, em sessão em Português.
É membro, entre outros, de CISUC

O Prof. António Manuel Andrade, professor doutorado da UCP e Director da FEG (Faculdade de Economia e Gestão) da mesma instituição. Poderão consultar a sua página aqui.

Foi o Prof. Andrade que compreendeu desde cedo (2000) a minha inabalável convicção de praticar o blended learning no ensino Básico (3º ciclo) e no ensino Secundário, nas áreas curriculares de Língua Portuguesa e Francês LE,  às quais associei Cidadania e Tecnologias.

Tendo feito parte da 2ª geração EAD (Telescola, 1978-1988) como pedagoga e produtora, currículo de Francês LE, a linguagem da aprendizagem multimédia e de comunidades virtuais, passou a ser-me muito familiar.

"... algumas pessoas e instituições no ensino on-line, alguns autores previam já em 2002 um aumento drástico do número de cursos híbridos (blended learning), atingindo os 80 a 90% do total dos cursos ministrados na educação superior (Young, 2002, citado por Graham, 2006, p. 3). O b-learning é um regime misto em que parte dos cursos ou da formação é feita em presença e a outra a distância ou como referem Bonk & Graham (2006) “É uma combinação da instrução online e face-a-face” (p. 4)."

da Introdução

Ao Prof. Andrade devo o incondicional saber, nos cursos que frequentei  "Apresentação Electrónicas: da concepção à publicação na Internet" (2002) e "Gestão de Bases de Dados: da exploração offline à integração Web" ( 2002). Devo também o apoio e partilha na publicação (protótipo) de Kidzlearn Lugares & Aprendizagens (2002) distinguido no GJC, Roma 2004.

Lidando com as primeiras gerações de nativos digitais, desde 2000, seguiram-se outros ambientes virtuais, LMS "Lugares & Aprendizagens", desta vez com o apoio de Educom, blogues, telemóveis, como recursos educativos digitais.

Foram dez anos de um percurso solitário, sem o apoio da escola onde leccionei durante anos. Tão pouco tive o apoio do Ministério da Educação,  apesar de  ter tomado conhecimento da senda de uma professora que se atreveu a inovar numa escola pública!

"É necessário que uma instituição que deseje enveredar por este tipo de ensino, mesmo que só para alguns cursos, tenha consciência do que tal opção implica. Sem um comprometimento institucional e uma visão estratégica será inglório o esforço que alguns professores possam fazer."

da Introdução

Teria sido quase inglório, não fora o entusiasmo com que os alunos me seguiram!  O reconhecimento, esse, veio do estrangeiro, sempre! Em palavras de apreço, em divulgação em sites colaborativos, em convites para apresentar  o meu meu trabalho, considerado inovador!

Apesar da larga experiência pedagógica, associando os currículos às Tecnologias, com obra reconhecida, criação de conteúdos educativos digitais, continuo sem apoio a nível da comunidade pedagógica portuguesa ligada ao ensino online e aprendizagem multimédia.

Mas, voltando à publicação! Reconheço que este livro será imensamente útil e de grande valia, já que até ao momento, nenhuma obra sistematizada existia. Tudo o que li foi sempre em línguas estrangeiras. Tudo o que desenvolvi, baseei-me na intuição cognitiva e pedagógica.

O livro divide-se em duas partes - Ensino Online e Aprendizagem Multimédia, constituindo-se em doze capítulos.

Na primeira reúnem-se um conjunto de textos sobre os aspectos a ter em consideração quando se deseja desenvolver cursos em regime de e-learning, a que eu prefiro chamar Ensino On-line.
 (...)

A segunda parte integra um conjunto de textos sobre a aprendizagem multimédia. Os seus três primeiros capítulos, i.e., o sétimo, oitavo e nono, são traduções de capítulos que constam do primeiro manual publicado sobre este tema, The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. Seleccionei, entre os 36 capítulos que o compõem, os três que me pareceram mais importantes para integrar este livro.

da Introdução

Os dezasseis autores respondem portanto a uma profunda necessidade de compreensão, clarificação e informação sobre temas tantas vezes debatidos, mas de forma dispersa e avulsa.

O que nos interessa abordar é pois a aprendizagem e instrução multimédia em ambientes informatizados, isto é, o modo como as pessoas aprendem a a partir de palavras e imagens apresentadas em computador.

Contracapa

Here an important book publication "Ensino Online e Aprendizagem Multimédia.", Relógio d'Água editors, december 2009. This is a work about the challenges we now have  in the world of teaching and learning with Technologies.


Seeking to fill the absence in Portuguese language of a reflection and analysis  about concepts such as e-elearning, online mentoring and course-management systems, learning, digital educational resources, online assessment, design, learning environments, interactive, others.

It brings together a number of well-known experts, Professors and authors,  texts of high quality, accuracy , in a strict and direct language. The organization was in charge of Prof. Miranda, Guilhermina, Faculty of Science - University of Lisbon.

Two of the authors, personally I know. Prof. Figueiredo, António Dias, speaker at the Opening Plenary session of "EDEN Porto 2009 Conference", in which I have participated myself, as a speaker  at a Portuguese session and chairing at an English session.
He is a CISUC member, among others.

Prof. Andrade, professor at UCP (Portuguese Catholic University) and Director of the Faculty of Economics FEG in the same institution. You can visit his personnal page here.


It was Prof. Andrade, who early understood (2000) my  innovative educational conviction to practice blended learning in k-12 and secondary schools, linked curricula and Technologies.
 
Being part of the 2nd generation EAD (Television) as pedagogue and producer, the notion of learning multimedia and virtual communities always pursued in my way of teaching.

Prof. Andrade supported my innovative educational ideas unconditionally. With his precious help I could publish Kidzlearn Lugares & Aprendizagens (2002) distinguished at GJC, Rome 2004.
 
Teaching the first generations of digital natives, since 2000, I continued my pedagogical research with different online environments, such as LMS "Lugares & Aprendizagens", this one with the support of Educom, or blogs, cell phones, as digital educational resources.

Back to the book publication! I am sure that it will be very useful and valuable,  to all those (teachers, trainers) who wish to develop online learning environments. It is the first systematic publication in Portuguese language. 


The book have two parts!
In the first part a set of texts on aspects to consider when you want to develop  e-learning courses which the authors prefer to call on-line education.
  
(...)The second part includes a set of texts on the multimedia learning.  

The first three chapters, ie, the seventh, eighth and nineth, are translations of chapters contained in the first manual published on this subject, The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. I selected among the 36 chapters that make up the three that seemed most important to integrate this book.

The sixteen authors answer to a deep need for understanding, clarification and information on those issues so often discussed, but in a dispersed and spare way.


G-Souto
03.01.2010
Copyright © 2010G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®


Creative Commons License
Esta obra está licenciada sob uma Licença Creative Commons.

References

Ensino On-line e Aprendizagem Multimédia, Relógio d'Agua, Dezembro 2009
Introdução

[consultado em 03.01.2010]