Week 2--Simple: More Complicated Than It Seems

Welcome to week 2. :)  Way to be a life-long learner! If you haven't checked out people's comments from last week, you should take a quick look at the variety of participants' backgrounds and interests. We've got a great group. Let's get started with this week's topic.

Last week I mentioned the folks at Common Craft and their Plain English videos. One of the things I find so intriguing about their product (simple explanations) is that the technology they use to make their videos has been around for decades. Twenty years ago, if you had some dry erase markers, a white board, paper, scissors, and a video camera (and a clever mind, of course), you too could have made similar videos.

However, it’s only in the last few years that you could have so easily created a market for your product. Social media like YouTube, Twitter, and blogs allow content like that offered by Common Craft to be shared both effortlessly and quickly. Indeed, the world our students will live and work in is rapidly changing. Someone with a good idea and an internet connection can start a business, find an audience, and/or collaborate with others from around the world.

This week I’d like you to do two things:

1. Visit the Common Craft site and do some self-directed learning. Want to know more about Twitter? Watch Twitter in Plain English. Want to really understand how the Electoral College works? Watch Electing a U.S. President in Plain English. Or, perhaps you’re new to social networking—check out Protecting Reputations Online in Plain English. Perhaps best of all, timing couldn't be better for Zombies in Plain English.

2. Consider how the simple explanations that Common Craft produce actually require some fairly high-level thinking. In order to produce a simple explanation for a general audience one needs to have a thorough understanding of the concept and the ability to tease out its essential components, an understanding of people’s background knowledge, possible misconceptions, etc. Sounds like complex thinking to me.

Now for your prompt: How might you capitalize on the thinking required to make such videos? What possibilities exist in your class for students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept by making a “plain English” video? Share a concept from your content area that you could ask students to demonstrate in this manner. Then, identify one criteria you would want to include in a rubric if you were actually going to assign and grade a project like this. (Essentially, I'm asking you to offer characteristics of what makes a good "plain English" explanation.)

Welcome to the Secondary 10Tech Learn and Earn Class!

Welcome, everyone!

Over the course of the next 10 weeks (excluding breaks, of course), I'll be sharing a variety of technology tools and resources with you. I'll be using this blogging format to post a new "lesson" each week (on Tuesdays). Along with reading and following the directions in each week's post, I'll prompt you to offer a comment related to that week's lesson.

Since we're using a blog for this class, this week's lesson is intended to help you become familiar with how blogs work. Begin by watching this short video from the geniuses (I think) at Common Craft:


If you liked the way the Common Craft folks explain things, check out their other Explainations in Plain English; you'll be glad you did. (I particularly like Zombies in Plain English, but I digress.)

As mentioned in the video, one of the perks of blogging is the community it creates. One way we'll be taking advatage of that feature is through commenting. Commenting on a blog is easy. Simply look for the comment link at the bottom of a post. Click on it to leave your comment. After you've typed in your comment, you will be asked to identify yourself. This video shows you how:

Posting a Comment to the Learn and Earn Blog from 10Tech on Vimeo.

So there you have it! This week's lesson is nearly complete. But before we're done, you need to post a comment. Since we're just getting started I'd like your comment to introduce yourself. Include why you're taking this class and what you're hoping to learn.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask them.

Just a reminder, comments are due by Tuesday morning, 8:00 a.m. NO LATE WORK. (However, I do know that sometimes life gets in the way of even the most interesting of blog posts, so during the week of Thanksgiving and again during the winter break, I'll post an optional prompt. These two posts will not be required required for clock hours UNLESS you have "make up" work to do because you missed responding to a post (or two).) Have a great week!