This is Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square, which reminds me of Times Square in NY. I spent a couple of hours here and was lucky to get a colorful sunset.
This is an HDR of 3 shots (-2, 0, +2), tonemapped in Photomatix. In PS:
– Imagenomic Noiseware twice, one stronger on the sky. For the next commands I masked the sky.
– Smart sharpen
– Freaky details masking
– Nik Tonal Contrast
– Vibrance increase on the whole image
– A bit os saturation boost on the sky
– Curves
– Burn the top of the sky and the edges
– A bit of Nik Glamour Glow.
The motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and…in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.
—Thomas Edison, 1922
Educational media and technology is not new. Educational media and technology have been around since motion pictures began to market films for education in the early 1900s (see The History of Education Media). Just like today, it was believed that motion pictures would transform the education system (see http://www.uni.edu/fabos/publications/wrongturnch.1-history.pdf).
Motion Pictures Followed by TVs
The idea of using moving pictures continued with instructional TV that began in the early 50s. The years progressed with the use of Victrolas, film projectors, radios, televisions, cassette recorders, video, computers, CD-ROMs, DVDs and the internet. Today, computers, video games, and cell phones, are part of our modern culture. Kids are exposed to electronic screens in and out of their homes.
Enthusiasm for Technology Continues
Computers, video games, and smart phones, TVs, public screens, and electronic billboards may be new, but did you know that attempting to add media and technology to education is not new? Enthusiasm about using technology for learning in and out of school began in the early 1930s with March. Just as today, educators and school stakeholders believe that technology will motivate students, make schools exiting places, and facilitate learning.
Screens are everywhere. Information appears on TV and computer screens. We read off the screen at airports, at the doctor’s office, hospitals, on the streets, offices, municipalities, and at schools. Media is part of our lives, but how do we leverage the screen for education?
Educational Media and Technology
Educational media and technology cater to learners of all ages. Schools have been trying to implement educational media and technology with or without the support of teachers, parents, and stakeholders. Not everyone believes that media should be an integral part of the school system. Research has been ongoing in an effort to learn whether media and technology facilitate learning or not.
Teachers share their best practices on the value of using educational media and technology in the classroom. However, more research is required to learn about schools and their role in facilitating the learning process. What purpose do educational institutions serve, if not to engage learners in learning to access and apply information? The following video is a good example of how media and technology can be used to engage learners in reading so they can become independent learners.
Educational Media World Conference
There is a need to share best practices and research in the value of educational media and technology. The EdMedia World Conference on Educational Media and Technology is an international conference, organized by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) serves that purpose. The conference provides a “multi-disciplinary forum for the discussion and exchange of information on the research, development, and applications on all topics related to multimedia, hypermedia and telecommunications/distance education” (see http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/).
EdMedia 2015 Conference in Montreal
The upcoming EdMedia 2015 world conference on educational media and technology will be held from June 22-24 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montréal is very European like. Most of its 1.621 million people speak French. The city was founded on May 1642 and is located on the Saint Lawrence River. If you’ve never been to Montreal, June is the perfect time to visit.
Presenting at EdMedia 2015
Ludmila Smirnova and I will be offering a workshop on Monday June 22 from 1.15 to 5 PM (Montreal time) on Partnering for Learning: Boost Student Engagement with Moodle 2.8. We will also be presenting on Engaging College Students in Global Interaction via Digital Media: Setting the Stage for the International Writing Exchange (IWE) Project based on the session for TESOL EVO15 and the IWE on IT4ALL for the past 5 years on Tuesday June 23. I will also be presenting on Teach to Teach With Technology on Wednesday June 24. You’re invited to join us so we can partner for learning.
EdMedia Conferences
My life took a turn when I presented at my first EdMedia conference in 2012 in Denver, Colorado. Montreal will be my 4th EdMedia conference. It seems like I have always been a part of EdMedia because everyone is very open to connecting for learning. I find that the face-to-face interactions at EdMedia resemble what happens on Facebook and Twitter. There is willingness to share resources and partner for learning.
I have been using media and technology in my high school and college courses for the past 35 years. I may have started with tape recorders and simple class films, but what’s important is the mindset. I encourage you to seize the moment and use whatever technology is out there to enhance instruction and learning.
EdMedia conferences are social gatherings of like minded educators who care about using media and technology for instruction and learning. Join me and let’s connect for learning. If you cannot make it to Montreal, I hope to see you in Vancouver at EdMedia 2016.