innovation3

Essential Question: How would classrooms be different if students were asked by teachers to create and publish on the web videos similar to those done by Common Craft? If you know of a classroom any place in the world (regardless of the language) were this is happening, please share your story in the comments below this post.

Lee LeFever & Sachi LeFever have produced another Google How-To video. Today, August 26, 2008, they released Google Reader in Plain English (1:05 minutes).

I think this video is a nice complement to another production Lee & Sachi did for Google: Google Docs in Plain English (2:50 minutes).

After watching these two In Plain English videos (only 4:00 minutes of your time!), a student should be able to experiment with these free, useful, online tools. (I suspect a teacher could tap student curiosity and inventiveness by inviting students to produce similar explanatory videos.)

But that’s not all…

Lee and Sachi have created many other videos. Here’s one that many teachers and others interested in the presidential election process should watch and share with students, colleagues and friends: Electing a US President in Plain English (3:43 minutes). If you are trying to challenge and engage students in the elections, this video will help kick start the conversation in your classroom.

You can find other Common Craft videos here.

Administrators, teachers, parents, students, tap into the power of learning and doing on the internet.

I’ve been thinking about when it will happen. When will the tide turn? The time when shall we, should we, must we change will no longer be the questions. It is coming, folks. Here are some images I’ve collected on the tipping point. I invite your comments. If you want to see a larger version of this VoiceThread, you can click here.