Articles
March 17, 2010
Cloud-Based, Open-Source Future For Teachers?
A computing device for every teacher and student so they can access the Internet at school or at home? That, along with an embrace of cloud computing, Creative Commons, and open-source technologies is part of a new set of recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education.
Cloud-Based, Open-Source Future For Teachers?
Colleges of Education Are Urged to Focus More on Online Learning
"Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology," released this month by the Department of Education, is a draft of the National Educational Technology Plan 2010. It calls for an increased role for online learning in kindergarten through 12th grade and says colleges of education must include online learning in their curricula as well.
10 Things to Consider Before Your E-Learning Course Goes Live
It's amazing how fresh eyes can find things you might have overlooked during production. So, before launching your elearning course, it's a good idea to have others review it. You want to discover any hidden issues before the big launch.
10 Things to Consider Before Your E-Learning Course Goes Live » The Rapid eLearning Blog
March 16, 2010
iPad vs Kindle vs Netbooks vs Books: What's Best for Students?
With the introduction of Apple's iPad in January, questions abounded regarding its potential impact on digital education. Could the iPad revolutionize how students learn? With textbook publishers jumping on board to develop iPad-compatible versions of their books even before the product was available for sale, the Apple product seemed to take the lead in next-generation educational technology. But what about Amazon.com's popular book reader the Kindle, or the recent glut of affordable, stripped down laptop computers dubbed "netbooks"? Can any of them compete with good old-fashioned books? Here's a rundown of what each has to offer.
March 15, 2010
What Is E-Learning 2.0?
"There's an important point that is easy to miss in the frenzy of change. Web 2.0 is not about technology, and neither is e-Learning 2.0. The human element is what makes the new Web work. Without user-generated content, the new Web would be an empty shell of fancy technologies."
What Is E-Learning 2.0? by Brent Schlenker : Learning Solutions Magazine
Your Brain on Google: Interview with Dr. Teena Moody
This is the full transcript from my interview with Dr. Teena Moody from UCLA's Semel Institute about the Your Brain on Google Study. Today's Just Behave column on Search Engine Land has more commentary and analysis of the findings.
Your Brain on Google: Interview with Dr. Teena Moody
Top Ten Free Technology Tools for Young Learners
All of the tools in this list are freely available online and useful for working with primary age students.
Top Ten Free Technology Tools for Young Learners
Playing games in Google Earth
Since Google Earth was first released, a variety of people (including myself) have looked for ways to use it for gaming. While it will never be a true gaming platform, there are still some fun choices out there to play with. Here are a few of the best:
Playing games in Google Earth | Google Earth Blog
Empower Student to Be Lifelong Learners NOT Dependent Learners
We have to stop spoon feeding kids curriculum tests and homework. They need to be self directed. They need to be life long learners., which means they need to be empowered to manage more and more and more of their own learning.
Langwitches Blog » Empower Student to Be Lifelong Learners NOT Dependent Learners
March 14, 2010
Beyond virtual schools
A child sits at home in front of his computer screen, working through a virtual-school lesson by mindlessly clicking through the multiple choices, never talking to a teacher or a fellow student or even glimpsing the great outdoors and interacting with the real world.
This static, impersonal, anti-social school experience is the image that many parents, teachers and school administrators continue to have in mind when they picture the world of online learning, even as more and more brick-and-mortar school districts explore full- or part-time virtual education.
eSN Special Report: Beyond virtual schools | eSchoolNews.com
Why Web Won't Be Nirvana? 1995
After two decades online, I'm perplexed. It's not that I haven't had a gas of a good time on the Internet. I've met great people and even caught a hacker or two. But today, I'm uneasy about this most trendy and oversold community. Visionaries see a future of telecommuting workers, interactive libraries and multimedia classrooms. They speak of electronic town meetings and virtual communities. Commerce and business will shift from offices and malls to networks and modems. And the freedom of digital networks will make government more democratic.
Clifford Stoll: Why Web Won't Be Nirvana - Newsweek.com
March 12, 2010
How safe is cloud computing?
"There are many motivations for why an individual or a company would want to engage in cloud computing," said Thomas Parenty, managing director of Parenty Consulting, a Hong Kong-based information security consulting firm. "None of them have to do with enhanced security."
How safe is cloud computing? - CNN.com
Ebooks in Classrooms Aren't an Option: They're Inevitable
The use of ebooks in education is not more widespread because school systems are afraid of change.
Paradise Tossed - Blog - Ebooks in Classrooms Aren't an Option: They're Inevitable
Publishing: The Revolutionary Future
The transition within the book publishing industry from physical inventory stored in a warehouse and trucked to retailers to digital files stored in cyberspace and delivered almost anywhere on earth as quickly and cheaply as e-mail is now underway and irreversible. This historic shift will radically transform worldwide book publishing, the cultures it affects and on which it depends. Meanwhile, for quite different reasons, the genteel book business that I joined more than a half-century ago is already on edge, suffering from a gambler's unbreakable addiction to risky, seasonal best sellers, many of which don't recoup their costs, and the simultaneous deterioration of backlist, the vital annuity on which book publishers had in better days relied for year-to-year stability through bad times and good.
Publishing: The Revolutionary Future - The New York Review of Books
No Ink, No Paper: What's The Value Of An E-Book?
"There will be no inventory. There will simply be digital files and they'll be available world wide at the click of a mouse. This makes much of what publishers now do irrelevant: creating inventory, putting it in the warehouse, keeping track of it, selling it, shipping it. All that's going to go," Epstein says.
No Ink, No Paper: What's The Value Of An E-Book? : NPR
Strategies to recruit, train instructors to use technology
As community college leaders consider the costs of restructuring the academic curriculum and student services to incorporate technology in ways that meet the learning needs and desires of diverse students, they must also consider the recruitment and development of instructors.
Strategies to recruit, train instructors to use technology
March 11, 2010
Four Things Every Student Should Learn
Schools are missing out on important opportunities if they fail to teach these lessons, says ed-tech consultant Alan November.
An awareness of the views of those in other countries, an understanding of how Google ranks the results of a web search, a knowledge of the permanence of information posted online: These are some of the lessons that every student should be learning in today's schools, says education technology consultant Alan November--but not every middle or high school is teaching these lessons.
Four Things Every Student Should Learn ... But Not Every School Is Teaching | The Committed Sardine
Improving Education Through Better Teachers
But what they ignored was the elephant in the room -- if the teacher sucks, the students suck. Or, as the Times more eloquently puts it: 'William Sanders, a statistician studying Tennessee teachers with a colleague, found that a student with a weak teacher for three straight years would score, on average, 50 percentile points behind a similar student with a strong teacher for those years.
Slashdot News Story | Improving Education Through Better Teachers
A Technophobe's Guide to Managing Online Courses
True confession: I've never been a big fan of online courses. My favorite thing about teaching has always been the direct interaction with students and the energy that it generates--what some might call the "performance aspect" of teaching. I'm not sure how that translates over the Internet.
And no, before you ask, I've never taught online. I've never gone bungee jumping, either, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it.
Darren Googles On
Over the past two months I have posted a series of Google-related entries that Darren has posted at Teaching and Developing Online.
Darren Googles On « Virtual High School Meanderings
Series: Cyber School Videos VI
Another edition of the videos that Darren posts at Teaching and Developing Online concerning the Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School.
Series: Cyber School Videos VI « Virtual High School Meanderings
You can't be my teacher!
I am the father that you have been talking about, I am an administrator at an online high school. I did video my son to create a video to start a discussion about the use of technology by teachers. It was directed at my staff who work at the cyber school and it seems to have hit a nerve with a lot of others since it has had close to 10000 hits, some love it, some find it very threating, some think I have abused my son. He is fine, respectful student in a classroom without a computer and I hope that the 20 minutes of feeding him lines did not scar him for life. It is quite obvious that it has worked to start discussion. Thanks all for the comments.
You can't be my teacher! « TeflTecher : Tasks, Videos and Opinions for Tefl Teachers
Tanker: Stenge, stenge eller stenge?
An interesting perspective...it does include one of the TADO videos.
Tanker: Stenge, stenge eller stenge?
March 10, 2010
But Where Are The Kids?
One of the big absences at most educational conferences, as far as I'm concerned, is children and young people. Let's be honest: you would have no idea, walking into most conferences, whether you were attending an event about education or one about how to improve the market share of widgets.
But Where Are The Kids? - Articles - Educational Technology - ICT in Education
March 9, 2010
Shame on You, Newsweek
I was appalled, however, to unfold this week's cover as I pulled it out of my mailbox. The Key to Saving American Education with We must fire bad teachers written over and over on a blackboard like the intro to a Simpsons episode. (When was the last time a teacher actually used this method of punishment, I wonder?)
Philly Teacher: Shame on You, Newsweek
5 Emerging Social Media Sites to Watch in 2010
Just as marketers are getting a handle on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, a fresh group of social media networks are poised to make a splash in 2010.
These networks have not reached mass adoption yet, so it's not necessary to get active on all of them immediately. But remember, Facebook only took 6 years to reach 400 million registered users. You should keep an eye on these five upstarts to see if their innovative services attract large audiences in the near future.
5 Emerging Social Media Sites to Watch in 2010 | Social Media Examiner
10 Big Ways Bill Gates Wants to Change Education
Bill and Melinda Gates put a hefty portion of their billions into philanthropic efforts involving development, healthcare, and - of course - education. The foundation that bears their name sponsors a number of amazing opportunities for impoverished or otherwise marginalized individuals to thrive academically and vocationally, whether they be accessible inside the walls of a classroom or a library. Here are at least 10 of their current projects and strategies that they have in place to ensure that more students across the world obtain the education they need in order to thrive and help build and reinforce their communities.
March 8, 2010
As a teacher, I've realised Twitter has real potential
I signed up to bury Twitter. Not to praise it. The idea was to complete a trilogy of columns I had entitled the "wind up a spod" series, and deliberately elicit spluttering outrage about Twitter from educators who have been blogging about its noodle-boggling goodness.
As a teacher, I've realised Twitter has real potential |
Education |
The Guardian
The status quo no longer suffices
The Ames (IA) Community School District - my kids' district - is hiring both a new superintendent and a new high school principal for next year. Below is the letter I just sent the school board members. I thought some of you might be interested.
Why not fire all the teachers?
Finally, a school system has decided to fire all of the educators at an ailing school.
Why didn't we think about this sooner?
Firing some of them hasn't really proven effective in turning around schools, has it? So why not get rid of all of them and start over?
The Answer Sheet
- Why not fire all the teachers?
Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School Success Stories
The correspondence school was closing and Celeste Ulrich's options were becoming limited. As a student who prefers working on her own and at her own pace, Celeste was looking for options that allowed her to still enjoy the independent learning environment she preferred. SCCS was an option she came across and decided to register for a class. That was roughly two years ago and, now six classes later, she is still enjoying the on-line experience with Cyber School.
Welcome to the Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School
March 7, 2010
Education - A Simmering Pot Close to a Boil
Those teachers were the only means by which the administration could figure out how best to get their school back on its feet. Those teachers spent every day with their students in the classroom; they knew the ins and outs of the whole situation far better than an external suit could. Now the administration has lost the opportunity to learn from this situation, and alienated all other teachers who might have stepped in with innovative ideas. What teacher, when asking for adequate compensation for their services and given a flat out 'no' in the form of a pink slip, is going to want to try again? That school has closed all its doors, possibly literally. Those kids don't have any recourse now. It's unfair and downright ridiculous.
Education - A Simmering Pot Close to a Boil « Solinitae Theory
Can web 2.0 tools be legally used for education in Canada?
I have recently been researching some web-based resources for our faculty, who teach exclusively online, but who do not venture much outside the limited set of tools provided by our LMS. To this end I was pleased to read on Tony Bates' web site .... about Learning in Hand and the many resources you have collected therein.
One of the issues that has come to my attention as I read about cloud computing and web applications (an area I am specifically looking into) is privacy and copyright. I would like your take on what I have found to be a pervasive component of many agreements that I see between the user and the web application when they sign that EULA. Here is a section, for example from the agreement with PaperRater, which you (Tony Vincent) have at the top of the list of recommended web apps:
Can web 2.0 tools be legally used for education in Canada? « Tony Bates
March 6, 2010
Virtual Schooling In The News
Virtual Schooling In The News « Virtual High School Meanderings
Top 50 Education Technology Blogs
Bummer...TADO did not make the list.
Top 50 Education Technology Blogs
National Education Technology Plan (U.S.A.)
Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology
National Education Technology Plan (U.S.A.)
March 5, 2010
Teacher centered technologies do not transform education!
A January article in Teacher Magazine by Bill Ferriter entitled Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards is a good read for anyone making technology decisions for a district. The intent of this post isn't to knock interactive whiteboards, although I must confess that I'm not a big fan of them. Instead, my goal for this post is to help educators think about the purpose of their technology purchases. Currently, there are many types of technology that claim to benefit education by making things easier.
Teacher centered technologies do not transform education! - 1 to 1 Schools
Six Ingredients for a Good Online Comment
In my last post, I asked commenters to volunteer their theories about why some business ideas take off and others don't, and promised to reward the winner with a copy of my new book Analytics at Work. There were lots of comments, and I have read them carefully. (The process was painfully similar to grading student papers!) I'll reveal the winner below, but reading all the comments made me reflect on what makes for a good online comment. The ingredients are:
Six Ingredients for a Good Online Comment - Tom Davenport - Harvard Business Review
March 4, 2010
Boosting Teacher Morale
Much big news in the education world of late. While fifteen Race to the Top finalists were just announced, both higher ed and K-12 educators across California and other cities are protesting layoffs, fee hikes, cuts, and the re-segregation of schools in March 4 Strike and Day of Action To Defend Public Education. Meanwhile, many teachers continue to be cut, with more to come.
It's a rough time for teachers, to say the least.
Guest Blog: Boosting Teacher Morale | Edutopia
Larger Classes, Older Textbooks
Parents may not like what they see at their kids' schools in the next year or two -- larger classes and more tattered textbooks. It's a very real possibility, and it's not by accident.
March 3, 2010
School system not sustainable
His main argument was that schools in US have to be redesigned radically because they are not sustainable. More and more money is invested in it but it doesn't deliver better returns. If the schools were businesses, they were declared therefore bankrupted. Schools need to shift from a business model that is based on standard batch processsing to personalized mass customization.
Building a Better Teacher
But what makes a good teacher? There have been many quests for the one essential trait, and they have all come up empty-handed. Among the factors that do not predict whether a teacher will succeed: a graduate-school degree, a high score on the SAT, an extroverted personality, politeness, confidence, warmth, enthusiasm and having passed the teacher-certification exam on the first try. When Bill Gates announced recently that his foundation was investing millions in a project to improve teaching quality in the United States, he added a rueful caveat. "Unfortunately, it seems the field doesn't have a clear view of what characterizes good teaching," Gates said. "I'm personally very curious."
Magazine Preview - Building a Better Teacher - NYTimes.com
March 2, 2010
Facebook vs Twitter (A Comparison)
With over 40,000 tweets per minute and new-user registration growth rate of 1500%, you would expect Twitter to give a close fight to the social networking giant Facebook.
Facebook vs Twitter (A Comparison) «
Textbooks Are Finished
There was a time when textbooks added value to K12. In the old days, (1) content was truly scarce, and age-appropriate content was scarcer still; (2) teachers came to rely on the instructional resources such as the lesson plans and assignments that accompanied textbooks; and (3) students spent a significant portion of the school day, upwards of 50 percent, with their noses in textbooks, absorbing content.
But in the Internet era, the first and third of those three value propositions are no longer true. First, content is readily available on the Internet. "I do not use the textbook in my class, because everything I would use from the textbook I can find online," says Derek Burtch, a high school English teacher from North Union, Ohio. Second, in classrooms engaging in projectbased/ problem-based learning, students spend no more than 5 percent of their time absorbing content; rather, they are using their computing devices nonstop, creating and sharing content.
Who Is The Best Teacher You Ever Had? Why?
Katherine Schulten recently wrote an article for The Learning Network in the New York Times, "Who is The Best Teacher You Ever Had? Why?". I found the comments to this post tremendously interesting.
MikeArsenault.net Blog: Who Is The Best Teacher You Ever Had? Why?
Obama angers union officials with remarks in support of R.I. teacher firings
President Obama voiced support Monday for the mass firings of educators at a failing Rhode Island school, drawing an immediate rebuke from teachers union officials whose members have chafed at some of his education policies.
Obama angers union officials with remarks in support of R.I. teacher firings - washingtonpost.com
When learning is done well, the technology becomes transparent
think the greatest power of the iLearn model is in its modeling. Teachers are taught within big concepts and take that with them to their classroom. They understand the importance of reflection in learning because they have experienced it, and they in turn expect it of their students. They gained valuable insights by collaborating with their peers in other geographical regions through a wiki and are keen to have their students experience the same richness. They have discovered the value of social networking and are open to their students using these tools in their learning.
Atomic Learning: When learning is done well, the technology becomes transparent
100+ Signs That You Are Addicted to Twitter
Twitter, one of the most popular social networks in the world. Are you addicted? Maybe? No? Ask yourself this, "Are you really being honest with yourself?" I think the answer might come as a no. I don't blame you. Something is really fascinating about viewing 140 character messages rolling up on your screen every minute of the day. Besides there are thousands and thousands of articles sifting through tweets each and every day. Now coming back to the actual question, "Are you addicted?"
100+ Signs That You Are Addicted to Twitter | Creativeoverflow
March 1, 2010
Now that we have selected the curtain colour, let's build a new house
Society itself is essentially a series of interlocking systems. Because we have an education system that takes care of young students for eight hours a day, both parents can work. Because we have some level of centralization of government in most countries, education systems are subject to governmental curricular and structural mandates. The book made the library. Society's systems make the schools. More than any other element, this systemic inertia is responsible for limited innovation in education. All ideas are vetted by how they integrate with the system.
Now that we have selected the curtain colour, let's build a new house « Connectivism
How to Fix Our Education System
The problem is well-known: The U.S. lags far behind other developed countries at the K-12 level in terms of measured performance in math and science courses.
How to Fix Our Education System - WSJ.com
A Parents' Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program
Online learning is a solution for expanding educational opportunities for students. This guide is designed to help explain these new learning opportunities. It is written primarily for parents contemplating a full-time online school for their children, although many of the issues discussed are appropriate considerations for supplemental online courses as well. It describes key elements of online education programs and how they may vary from school to school, and provides checklists to compare online schools side-by-side as parents search for the best options.
A special report on social networking
Online social networks are changing the way people communicate, work and play, and mostly for the better, says Martin Giles
A special report on social networking: A world of connections | The Economist
What Baby Boomers Want From Technology
In 2011, approximately 30% of the U.S. population will be over the age of 50. Yet, in 2010, they are expected to outspend younger adults by $1 trillion. Boomers are not going away quietly into the sunset.
As Steve Lohn reported in The New York Times, Boomers show a great deal of interest in purchasing consumer electronics, more than any other age group. Focus groups, aged 50-60, and organized by the AARP and Microsoft, gathered together in San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago, and New York to discuss the issue of future trends in technology. Contrary to many public and media perceptions, Baby Boomers have a real interest in continuing adoption of technology.
What Baby Boomers Want From Technology | Psychology Today
Teaching profession 'under-rated'
Many final-year students and members of the public think teaching offers slow career progression and limited chances of promotion, a survey suggests.
An ICM survey of 1,075 members of the public in England and a High Fliers poll of 1,000 UK finalists found many also underestimated teachers' salaries.
BBC News - Teaching profession 'under-rated'
February 25, 2010
5 Ways To Work With Resistant Teachers
Contrary to what some believe out there, I don't 'like' everyone. There are people who make it very difficult at times to achieve the goals I have for inspiring and supporting teachers and learners in my school. However, as much as there are difficulties with them, those who are challenging to our best efforts often provide an opportunity for us to put forward better and more effective work. It may not always be apparent to us in the moment, but adversity inspires creativity and encourages alternative perspectives. With that in mind, here are some of the ideas I utilize in working with some of my peers who may not always be 'on the same track' as I am.
5 Ways To Work With Resistant Teachers {Professional Learning} « Adventures in Teaching and Learning
The Five eLearning Components
There are five eLearning Components that are essential for all successful online courses. Understanding these components will help you design and develop a course that meets computer-based training objectives. The diagram above illustrates how these components are connected. Each elearning component plays an important role in designing an online course. Among all of the components, none plays a larger role than the Audience.
Catholic schools to allow gadgets
Rather than creating a blanket ban, the new policy anticipates that students will want to use to their own personal computer devices -- such as iPhones, net-books, BlackBerrys, laptops and tablet computers -- and will want to access the school's Internet networks, she said.
Catholic schools to allow gadgets - Peterborough Examiner - Ontario, CA
Why Are Online Degrees So Freaking Respectable?
If you are thinking about online learning courses, you may be surprised to find the large variety of programs and courses that are now being offered. The available programs range from short certificate courses to full accredited masters and doctoral degree programs. But exactly what changes can acquiring an online education bring to your life and how does the availability of online education give you the chance to further your education?
Elearning - Why Are Online Degrees So Freaking Respectable?
Cuts force schools to drop science subjects
GOVERNMENT plans for the smart economy have been dealt a serious blow as secondary schools are dropping physics and chemistry.
One in five principals say they have already given up physics or are considering dropping the subject, while one in seven have said the same about chemistry.
Cuts force schools to drop science subjects -
Latest News, Education - Independent.ie
Google facts and figures (massive infographic)
Google has perhaps more than any other company become "The Internet Company." It's grown hand in hand with the internet and its entire business model has from the start been totally focused on the internet as a delivery platform.
And let's face it, Google is a pretty interesting company. In fact, we think it's so interesting that we put together this infographic with a ton of facts and figures about Google. We've been digging through Google's SEC filings, news articles and the trusty old Wikipedia to get plenty of interesting data to include. We hope you like it!
Google facts and figures (massive infographic) - Self Generated Content
FCC survey shows need to teach internet basics
FCC survey shows need to teach internet basics, 46 percent of Americans without broadband access think the web is too dangerous for children
FCC survey shows need to teach internet basics | eSchoolNews.com
February 24, 2010
Social Media
Optimisation and social media are all buzz words within the online marketing media. Social networking has been in the news markedly of late. Some have even been lead to remark do people socialise in reality any more or is it all done online? You Tube, Facebook, Del-icio.us, Twitter, My Space the list goes on. All of these give you a 'presence' in the virtual world. More and more people are using the social media route to optimize and advertise their presence through the internet.
Executive Virtual Consultancy Ltd - Social Media
A Vote to Fire All Teachers at a Failing High School
A plan to dismiss the entire faculty and staff of the only public high school in this small city just west of the Massachusetts border was approved Tuesday night at an emotional public meeting of the school board.
A Vote to Fire All Teachers at a Failing High School - NYTimes.com
Blogging About Virtual Schools
Blogging About Virtual Schools « Virtual High School Meanderings
February 23, 2010
21st Century Learning: You can't be my teacher.
I love the comments,
It amazes me that many teachers have skipped the message and talk about how rude it is for a student to think they have a right to evaluate them as teachers. Any teacher that does not think they are being evaluated by their students have never been in a large school where students have the ability to change their course schedule based on who is teaching what courses. The days of automatic respect from students for teachers is gone, teachers must earn the students respect. In the future students are going to be more and more mobile due to the way distance education has the ability to remove the barrier of distance and offer a wider number of options. Options which students will choose if their current educational environment does not provide them with what they need. Whether it being the use of technology, delivery technique or style student will choose the education of their choice. The video was scripted by myself and the actor used is actually very respectful of formal education and of his teachers. The video was designed to start a discussion, unfortunately many teachers rather than discussing the message or accepting the challenge talk about the way the message was delivered...interesting...I wish I knew why it was so hard for education to change????
From the number of sites that has linked this video I would say that it has served it's purpose of starting discussion.
21st Century Learning: You can't be my teacher.
You Can't Be My Teacher - Summit PD
You Can't Be My Teacher « technoLanguages
Educational Technology Blot Spot: Are you my teacher?
You can't be my teacher. « Malcolm Bellamy's Learning Blog
Nancy Adamson Cavanaugh -: Listen to the voice of a digital native
You can't be my teacher. - Missouri Educator Community
February 21, 2010
The safe use of new technologies
This report is based on evidence from a small-scale survey carried out between April
and July 2009 in 35 maintained schools in England. It evaluates the extent to which
the schools taught pupils to adopt safe and responsible practices in using new
technologies, and how they achieved this. It also assesses the extent and quality of
the training the schools provided for their staff. It responds to the report of the
Byron Review, Safer children in a digital world.
Teachers post with care on Facebook
And just in case they need reminding of the possible consequences of inappropriate postings on Facebook or Myspace, she says administrators and principals will bring up cases from other counties. "We use those as examples of what can happen," she says.
Teachers post with care on Facebook | Salisbury, NC - Salisbury Post
February 20, 2010
Virtual Schooling In The News
Virtual Schooling In The News « Virtual High School Meanderings
February 19, 2010
The Online Learning Imperative: A Solution...
ust published in February 2010 -- this excellent 9-page brief titled, "The Online Learning Imperative: A Solution to Three Looming Crises in Education" is written by Governor Bob Wise of the Alliance for Excellent Education and outlines the ways online learning is a solution to the major challenges in K-12 education today and looking ahead.
Webcams gone wrong: School sued for remote activation
Here's one from the "Seriously, you didn't think this was a bad idea?" files: the Lower Merion School District of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, has been accused of remotely activating the webcams in its students' laptops issued through their 1:1 program without the students' knowledge or consent. While the case has yet to see a courtroom, it looks to be ugly for the school district and potentially detrimental to other 1:1 programs nationwide.
Webcams gone wrong: School sued for remote activation | Education IT
| ZDNet.com
February 17, 2010
First School System In Idaho To Require Online Learning
First school in Idaho history to require online learning
Sugar-Salem puts priority in 21st century learning
Madison County, ID - In a historic move, the Sugar-Salem School District becomes the first in Idaho to mandate online learning as a requirement for high school graduation.
Beginning next school year, in partnership with Idaho Digital Learning (IDLA), all students graduating in 2013, or later, must complete one online credit to graduate.
The Fears of Abolishing Grading
Even if you can rationalize why we must abolish grading and how we replace grading with something far more supportive of student learning and school improvement, there are some fears you must face before moving forward.
For the Love of Learning: The Fears of Abolishing Grading
February 16, 2010
Facebook gripes protected by free speech
A former Florida high school student who was suspended by her principal after she set up a Facebook page to criticize her teacher is protected constitutionally under the First Amendment, a federal magistrate ruled.
U.S. Magistrate Barry Garber's ruling, in a case viewed as important by Internet watchers, denied the principal's motion to dismiss the case and allows a lawsuit by the student to move forward.
Facebook gripes protected by free speech, ruling says - CNN.com
Series: A Feel Good Survey
In the meantime, another series from Darren and the folks at the Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School that he posted at Teaching and Developing Online. Essentially, Darren asked the students at SCCS to finish a series of sentences and then posted the results:
Series: A Feel Good Survey « Virtual High School Meanderings
A Roadmap for Building an E-Learning Course » The Rapid eLearning Blog
When we're new and just getting started with elearning, we need templates and project plans to guide us. On the other hand, experienced developers rely less on those resources because they have more experience and a deeper understanding of what it takes to create an elearning course.
A Roadmap for Building an E-Learning Course » The Rapid eLearning Blog
February 15, 2010
Five "Honorees" of Bunkum Awards
State education agencies and local school districts are increasingly asked to make evidence-based decisions about school reform initiatives, often assuming that all evidentiary claims are the result of high-quality research. Unfortunately, much of the evidence offered in policy debates is based on research reports that have bypassed the quality control mechanisms of academic research.
In an effort to help education policy makers separate the wheat from the chaff, expert third party reviews are provided by the Think Tank Review Project, a collaboration of the Education and Public Interest Center (EPIC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Education Policy Research Unit (EPRU) at Arizona State University. Each year the reports identified by experts as the worst of the worst are awarded a "Bunkum." The Think Tank Review Project today announced five "honorees" for 2009.
do we have to teach naked?
Call them the gamer generation, millennials, or digital natives, but computer-savvy (or at the very least, connected and techno-curious) kids in higher educational classrooms today use, and expect their profs to use, digital technology to communicate and teach. And for the most part, they are underwhelmed with the low levels of edtech uptake and digital literacy of their profs. The feeling goes both ways of course, professors claiming that, beyond facebook and texting, students are not digital wizards with mad skillz, far from it in fact, despite many claims to the contrary.
Wi-Fi-Equipped School Bus
Putting a mobile Internet router on a yellow school bus has transformed a crowd of rowdy, bored teens into a quiet and well-behaved flock of studious students. That experiment at the Empire High School outside of Tucson, Arizona may soon replicate itself in school districts all across the nation, the New York Times reports.
Characteristics of a Master eLearning Leader
An eLearning leader must not be the typical 'corporate' type. His/her expertise is not founded on the principles others in management may have; rather, his/her expertise is founded in education. Click to see the others
Characteristics of a Master eLearning Leader « baldTrainer: New Beginnings
February 14, 2010
Tech-savvy 'iGeneration' kids multi-task, connect
Move over, Millennials. You're not the younger generation anymore.
For the past decade, you were the ones to watch. But now, as the eldest among you are fast approaching 30, there's a new group just begging for some attention. They're still kids, and although there's a lot the experts don't yet know about them, one thing they do agree on is that what kids use and expect from their world has changed rapidly.
And it's all because of technology.
Tech-savvy 'iGeneration' kids multi-task, connect - USATODAY.com
February 13, 2010
Trends and Changes in Education
The education industry is entering into a time of unprecedented change brought on in-part by the tight economy, demands of the consumer, and a growing awareness for the need to educate youth to be 21st century learners that compete in a global economy. Here is a short list of some changes that I believe are undeniably taking place:
Sevenstar News Brief « Virtual High School Meanderings
Virtual Schooling In The News « Virtual High School Meanderings
Virtual Schooling In The News « Virtual High School Meanderings
Predictors of Success for Adult Online Learners
As an adjunct professor for an online-only graduate school course, I have found myself contemplating the retention rate of adult e-learners.
What are the predictors of adult students' success in online learning environments? Is there a difference in undergraduate versus graduate online learners and their motivations? Does age play a factor? Do the course's characteristics have an impact on performance and learner satisfaction? What are the implications of these findings for online instructors, and how could that affect their practices and approaches to retaining students in the future?
Here, I examine what the literature says about these questions.
February 9, 2010
The New School of Google
Our parents could never have guessed what kind of world our generation would encounter; the fate of our children is even less certain. We don't know what answers they will need to seek out -- those facts might not even exist yet. We don't even know the questions they will have to ask. There is no worksheet or textbook that will prepare them for what lays ahead.
The Tyee -- The New School of Google
Are You An Internet Optimist or Pessimist?
The impact of technological change on culture, learning, and morality has long been the subject of intense debate, and every technological revolution brings out a fresh crop of both pessimists and pollyannas. Indeed, a familiar cycle has repeat itself throughout history whenever new modes of production (from mechanized agriculture to assembly-line production), means of transportation (water, rail, road, or air), energy production processes (steam, electric, nuclear), medical breakthroughs (vaccination, surgery, cloning), or communications techniques (telegraph, telephone, radio, television) have appeared on the scene.
Are You An Internet Optimist or Pessimist? The Great Debate over Technology's Impact on Society
February 7, 2010
What is the Future of Teaching?
According to the New York Times Bits blog, a recent study funded by the US Department of Education (PDF) found that on the whole, online learning environments actually led to higher tested performance than face-to-face learning environments. "On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction," concluded the report's authors in their key findings.
The report looked at just under one hundred studies that compared the performance of students in online learning environments (or courses with an online study component) to those who were given strictly face-to-face instruction for the same courses. What they found was that students who completed all or some of their coursework online tested on average in the 59th percentile, compared to the 50th percentile for those who received only classroom instruction, and that the results are statistically significant.
What is the Future of Teaching?
February 6, 2010
LMS = Losing My Smile
Every time I see a report that shows what an organization can expect to spend on an LMS (learning management system), I lose my smile. Worse, I want to hang my head and weep.
LMS = Losing My Smile « aLearning Blog
10 Ways To Learn In 2010
Wow. There are so many cool ways to learn online now. The whole world is a school. This list is meant for continuous learners and for procrastinators looking for distractions in the coming year.
10 Ways To Learn In 2010: The eLearning Coach
Virtual Schooling In The News
Virtual Schooling In The News « Virtual High School Meanderings
February 5, 2010
Attention, Gates: Here's What Makes a Great Teacher
So, Bill and Melinda, listen up. Here are 10 qualities of a great teacher: (1) has a sense of humor; (2) is intuitive; (3) knows the subject matter; (4) listens well; (5) is articulate; (6) has an obsessive/compulsive side; (7) can be subversive; (8) is arrogant enough to be fearless; (9) has a performer's instincts; (10) is a real taskmaster.
Education Week: Attention, Gates: Here's What Makes a Great Teacher
Kids' heavy use of technology undermines learning
BlackBerrys, iPods, texting, high-definition TV, Kindle book readers and MP3 players. All of these were virtually unheard of just a few short years ago and now they are commonplace. It shows just how quickly technology changes and the extent to which it can dominate, and interfere with, our lives.
Guest column: Kids' heavy use of technology undermines learning
February 4, 2010
State of the Internet Explained In One Giant Infographic [PIC]
The focus is on exactly who uses the Internet, and how often. It breaks things down by gender, age, income level, and nationality. It even serves up average broadband speeds for both landline and mobile users at the bottom. Some of this stuff surprised us a bit -- For example, desktop computers are still much more common than laptops. You wouldn't guess that in day-to-day life in the developed world -- at least not when it comes to personal use.
State of the Internet Explained In One Giant Infographic [PIC]
Public Art Lands Photog in Hot Water
In February 2008, Seattle-based photographer Mike Hipple received a letter from the lawyers of sculptor Jack Mackie that one of his stock photographs infringed upon Mackie's copyright. Shown above, the photograph includes a portion of Mackie's "Dance Steps on Broadway", a public art piece created in 1979 with public funds.
Public Art Lands Photog in Hot Water
Supporting Online Faculty - Revisiting the Seven Principles (A Few Years Later)
Since 2005, the landscape of online teaching and learning has changed as well as the landscape of the academy, and continues to transform before our eyes. These changes are not only a product of technological innovation, but also a result of new and reconceptualized values of higher education, and so we must reexamine what changes to faculty role, position and perspectives best support these new values. Drawing on the Seven Principles of Good Practice, this article visits the need for effective faculty support and development in online education. Online education has forever transformed higher education, and we are learning that quality requires flexibility and the ability to adapt to the changing demands of learners, the new promises of technology, and the new competitive landscape of higher education. If higher education is to remain competitive, we must refocus and redesign our paradigms, as well as design business processes that integrate with quality assurance models.
Supporting Online Faculty - Revisiting the Seven Principles (A Few Years Later)
Adults ruined blogs for kids, study shows
A study released this week by the the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project shows that teens have pulled back on their blog use in the past couple of years, while use by adults has remained steady. The numbers break down like this: In 2006, 28 percent of teens said they blogged regularly. In 2009, by comparison, that number dropped to 18 percent.
Adults ruined blogs for kids, study shows / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com
50 Brain Facts Every Educator Should Know
The brain is perhaps the most fascinating organ in the human body. It controls everything from breathing to emotions to learning. If you work with children, here are some facts that you might find helpful, from how the brain affects learning to facts about memory to interesting facts about the brain that you can share with your students.
50 Brain Facts Every Educator Should Know | Associate Degree - Facts and Information
Social Media and Young Adults
Two Pew Internet Project surveys of teens and adults reveal a decline in blogging among teens and young adults and a modest rise among adults 30 and older. Even as blogging declines among those under 30, wireless connectivity continues to rise in this age group, as does social network use. Teens ages 12-17 do not use Twitter in large numbers, though high school-aged girls show the greatest enthusiasm for the application.
Social Media and Young Adults | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project
February 3, 2010
Evaluating the Effectiveness of e-Learning
We generally assume that technology enhances education, and often have anecdotal evidence in support of this. But how much concrete evidence do we have? Given the costs associated with acquiring and using educational technologies, I think this is a question worth asking.
RSC Wales Teaching and Learning Blog
February 2, 2010
Colleges See 17 Percent Increase in Online Enrollment
Colleges saw a 17 percent increase in online enrollment, with more than one in four students taking at least one online course in the fall of 2008, according to the findings of an annual survey published on Tuesday by the Sloan Consortium.
Wired Campus - Colleges See 17 Percent Increase in Online Enrollment
Why E-Learning is So Effective
E-learning is hot. And for good reason. If done right, it can produce great results by decreasing costs and improving performance. Also, unlike a one time classroom session, the elearning course is available for others. This includes the static elearning course as well as any ongoing conversations in networked communities.
Recently, I had a conversation with someone new to elearning and it struck me that she didn't fully understand the value of elearning. I think this is common as more people are joining the world of elearning. Understanding elearning's value helps you make the best decisions about when and why to use it.
Why E-Learning is So Effective » The Rapid eLearning Blog
Virtual School Received $2 Million Donation
The thing that I like most about this donation is that it was given to an online program that focuses upon Canada's aboriginal population. For those of my readers not familiar with Canadian history, while we did not treat our native population quite as poorly as the United States treated their Native Americans, Canadian aboriginals were treated quite bad. Many of the problems that exist in the aboriginal community today are a directly result of government mistreatment and misguided policies.
February 1, 2010
2010 Horizon Report
In each edition of the Horizon Report, six emerging technologies or practices are described that are likely to enter mainstream use on campuses within three adoption horizons spread over the next one to five years. Each report also presents critical
trends and challenges that will affect teaching and learning over the same time frame. In the seven years that the Horizon Project has been underway,more than 400 leaders in the fields of business,industry, technology, and education have contributed to this long-running primary research effort.
January 30, 2010
10 Favorite Quotes on Unlearning
Unlearning 101: 10 Favorite Quotes on Unlearning
What is the Future of Teaching?
"On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction," concluded the report's authors in their key findings.
What is the Future of Teaching?
Cameco gives $2M to virtual school
Initially, the school started as a pilot program to strengthen the delivery of math and science high school courses to remote First Nations and community schools in the province that often had a difficult time attracting qualified teachers for the disciplines, said Hill. Now, Credenda has expanded its course offerings and has branched out to offer business college office administration courses.
Cameco gives $2M to virtual school
Virtual Schooling In The News
Virtual Schooling In The News « Virtual High School Meanderings
January 29, 2010
What's on your kids` cell?
Many adults tend to glamorize their childhood days. Selective memorization has a way of recalling only the best of times, often leaving out the emotional struggles, the hurt and heartaches, the lack of being accepted, and the peer-pressure and angst that accompanied our long lost adolescence. Growing up was tough back in the day. News flash: it's no easier for today's youth, especially considering the technology available at every teen's fingertips.
From cyber bullying to sexting (stats and videos): What's on your kids` cell?
The Changing Face of Education in Iowa
The paired statements, by themselves, can generate very quality conversation, but there are a couple of other takeaways from the process of this discussion that I find interesting. I'll touch on those in another post.
Girl not a bully, shouldn't have been suspended, says mom
A Winnipeg mother is outraged that her daughter has been labelled a cyberbully and suspended from school after creating a Facebook page about a fellow student.
"This has been blown all out of proportion," the mother said Thursday. "It was not a bullying web page. It had no comments made by the child (her daughter) who created it."
Girl not a bully, shouldn't have been suspended, says mom - Winnipeg Free Press
January 28, 2010
Educators Inclined More Toward Digital Content
PreK-12 teachers throughout the United States are making significant progress in the adoption and integration of digital media and Internet use in their curricula. "Digitally Inclined," a research report and survey compiled for PBS by Grunwald Associates, showed a number of encouraging trends in the use of digital content to make classroom instruction more engaging while making individualized instruction more effective.
Educators Inclined More Toward Digital Content -- THE Journal
Most College Students To Take Classes Online by 2014
Nearly 12 million post-secondary students in the United States take some or all of their classes online right now. But this number will skyrocket to more than 22 million in the next five years, according to data released recently by research firm Ambient Insight.
Most College Students To Take Classes Online by 2014 -- Campus Technology
E-learning: Where do we start? Where is it going?
Is your district considering moving courses to an online format? If you are considering online or blended courses, I would like to offer some tips and suggestions for best practices for transitioning a face to face course to an online course.
E-learning: Where do we start? Where is it going? « Kyle B. Pace
ELearning Isn't What You Think It Is - Not Yet
When you say you're doing elearning what are you doing? The big names talk about how web 2.0 is turning courses on their heads.
Cammy Bean's Learning Visions: Allison Rossett: ELearning Isn't What You Think It Is - Not Yet #tk10
4 Reasons iPad Will Kill the Kindle, 4 Reasons It Won't
"Uh-oh," is the reaction we can imagine Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had when watching today's unveiling of the eagerly awaited Apple iPad tablet. The new Apple device looks, at least upon first glance, like it will completely eat Amazon's lunch. In fact, Steve Jobs even eulogized the Kindle in his unveiling.
4 Reasons iPad Will Kill the Kindle, 4 Reasons It Won't
January 27, 2010
21 Things That Will Become Obsolete
Last night I read and posted the clip on '21 Things That Became Obsolete in the Last Decade'. Well, just for kicks, I put together my own list of '21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020'.
TeachPaperless: 21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020
Apple - iPad - The best way to experience the web, email, & photos
I want one...I want one.
Apple - iPad - The best way to experience the web, email, & photos
January 26, 2010
Educators Must Be Professional
What is a professional? A professional is someone with expertise in a specialized field. It is an individual who not only has pursued advanced knowledge to enter the field but who expects to remain current in their evolving knowledge base.
Educators Must Accept the Challenge
to Be Professional
U.S. school bans the dictionary
A Southern California school board has pulled the Merriam-Webster dictionary off its shelves after a parent complained about the entry "oral sex."
The collegiate-level dictionary was being used in grade four and five classrooms. The school now promises to begin a thorough scouring of the dictionary for other offensive entries.
U.S. school bans the dictionary - thestar.com
Tapscott: Digital natives need tech-rich education
The nation is at a turning point, Tapscott said, and many institutions that have served us well for decades or even centuries--including education--have come to the end of their life cycle and must be "rebooted" or reinvented for a new age.
Tapscott: Digital natives need tech-rich education | eSchoolNews.com
January 22, 2010
Blogging About Virtual Schooling
Beginning once again with the thematic entries. Virtual High School Meanderings includes in this article... News, Opinions commentaries, Teacher Preparation, Virtual School symposiums and then Regional news...check it out.
Blogging About Virtual Schooling
January 17, 2010
Test your brain
Below you have our selection of the Top 50 Brain Teasers and Games that people have enjoyed the most in our blog. It is always good to learn about our brains and to exercise them!.
January 15, 2010
15 Ways to Promote eLearning Programs
This is exactly what the title says.
All About Contents of Internet: 15 Ways to Promote eLearning Programs
January 13, 2010
10 Ways to Ensure Distance Learning Success
Distance learning students must take a far more active role in learning and accessing information than traditional students in face-to-face classrooms. Written messages or posts from the professor and classmates replace other means of direct communication, and course materials are posted online. Rather than simply sitting through a class and jotting notes, you must take the initiative to download and read lectures and course materials.
As a distance learning student, you will find that being pro-active and engaged in your personal learning experience will pay off in good grades and depth of learning.
eLearn: Best Practices
- 10 Ways to Ensure Distance Learning Success
Walnut school adds iPod touch to three Rs
With their headphones and iPod Touch machines on, Beatrice Azanza's 20 third grade students were geared up for an afternoon of reading and math.
Textbooks haven't gone away in her class, but high-tech gadgets like the iPod Touch are making Azanza's teaching life at Oswalt Academy a little easier.
Walnut school adds iPod touch to three Rs - SGVTribune.com
Today's kindergartners, tomorrow's workforce
Today's kindergartners will retire around 2075. They will likely look back at 2010 as a quaint time, the way many of us remember the time before VCRs, color television and the Internet. Now is an important time for us to think about their future: What kind of education will be meaningful to them and ensure they can adapt and succeed right up to their retirement?
Education Insights : Today's kindergartners, tomorrow's workforce
Microsoft And HP Invest $250 Million In Joint Cloud Computing Venture
Yesterday, Microsoft and HP announced a joint call to discuss a significant partnership. Now we know what it is. According to another announcement issued today, the two tech giants are jointly investing $250 million in a cloud computing venture.
Microsoft And HP Invest $250 Million In Joint Cloud Computing Venture
January 12, 2010
Can learning online be a more 'human' experience
Let me start by saying "I definitely think so"!
Well, I have started this blog to hopefully generate some interesting discussion about the issues surrounding the design, implementation and management of innovative, successful and appropriate online learning and teaching strategies for teachers today. This is my first post!
I have been teaching collaborative design related courses online for about 8 years now, and it has been a constant learning curve. However I have to say that my most rewarding teaching and learning experiences have been online, and if my students are telling the truth, the same can be said for many of them.
21st Century Learning
I like the comments, the goal behind any posting is to start discussion and this one was interesting... Thanks
The Internet « 21st Century Learning
January 11, 2010
The Children of Cyberspace: Old Fogies by Their 20s
But these are also technology tools that children even 10 years older did not grow up with, and I've begun to think that my daughter's generation will also be utterly unlike those that preceded it.
The Children of Cyberspace: Old Fogies by Their 20s - NYTimes.com
Computers are dumb - make smarter e-Learning
Computers are dumb, which can make your e-Learning dumb. What can you do about it?
Computers are dumb - make smarter e-Learning « The Usable Learning Blog
Technology Leadership: Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change, an Article Summary
The body of evidence shows that the existence of scalable and sustainable effects from educational changes, innovations, and reforms - technological or otherwise- although frequently assumed remain an unrealized goal within education. - Weston & Bain, 2010, p.9
In the article, "The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change," the authors present key themes that have emerged from criticism regarding 1:1 laptop initiatives over the last decade based on arguments presented by Larry Cuban (Weston & Bain, 2010). One of the "naked truth" arguments in the article refers to the results from 1:1 initiatives and how these results fall short of the expectations for increased student achievement and better teaching and learning. Another naked truth is that "innovative teaching is the best source for sustainable and scalable achievement gains" (p.7).
Whiteboards' Impact on Teaching Seen as Uneven
Here and across the country, the traditional chalkboards that have been teachers' primary tool for presenting content for more than two centuries are quickly being erased from classrooms. As educators look for ways to present subject matter in more engaging ways that also develop some of the technical skills students need to succeed in the high-tech workplace, more and more administrators and parent-teacher organizations are purchasing interactive whiteboards for their schools.
Education Week's Digital Directions: Whiteboards' Impact on Teaching Seen as Uneven
The 'seven deadly sins' of e-learning
Twitter, Moodle and Ning get you excited about learning, and blogs, wikis and RFIDs are common terms in your vocabulary. Visiting a virtual world is the norm, and you can't understand why your colleagues don't jump on board the e-learning super highway immediately.
Well, according to Dr Karen Becker, a lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology with a PhD in 'Unlearning in the Workplace', many people need to unlearn past behaviours before they can accept that e-learning is a powerful teaching and learning tool.
Unlearning involves breaking down what you think you know, opening up your mind to new concepts and then relearning over time. And it's something many people find difficult to do.
One of the biggest issues with introducing e-learning in education and training is the manner in which it is debated, applied and evaluated within the learning environment. Here, Dr Becker tells us how to avoid committing the 'seven deadly sins of e-learning'.
The 'seven deadly sins' of e-learning | Australian Flexible Learning Framework
3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology
The modern American school faces rough challenges. Budget cuts have caused ballooning class sizes, many teachers struggle with poorly motivated students, and in many schools a war is being waged on distracting technologies. In response, innovative educators are embracing social media to fight back against the onslaught of problems. Technologies such as Twitter and Skype offer ideal solutions as inexpensive tools of team-based education.
3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology
January 10, 2010
Practice what you teach
Walt Saito, who taught math at Burlingame High School for over thirty years, took the train to work every day so he could "do problems" as he said at his retirement some years ago. He did the problems "just for the fun of it." He apparently also spent the weekend creating--and solving--more problems. Nothing was more fun to him.
Jim Burke: The English Teacher's Companion: Practice what you teach
A Charter for Change in Education
This Charter has been written by educational researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. It is a response to the momentous and turbulent changes of our time--a time when we need more education, everyone agrees, but as we will argue here, not more of the same.
Introduction - New Learning: A Charter for Change in Education
January 9, 2010
Twitter in Action
I was reminded a couple of times this week of the power of collaboration that makes teachers part of such a special group. With the connections that Twitter provides, and the innate desires of teachers to be helpful, Twitter can really be a powerful tool.
Twitter in Action « doug - off the record
Teachers Should Be Seen and Not Heard
I am a fly on the wall sitting at a table. Seated at a round table are three state governors, one state senator, a Harvard professor and author, and a strange little man who assumes the role of group moderator. The strange little man asks the group to talk about their experiences at the education conference. The ex governor from the South begins to talk about how the traditional school model is not working and the problem of too many teachers who do not understand what they teach. Teachers, he complains, are not prepared to teach in 21st century classrooms because they possess, in his words, "only 20th century skills." He does not provide specific examples or elaborate upon his theory but the other guests at the table nod their heads in agreement.
Teachers Should Be Seen and Not Heard - Road Diaries: Teacher of the Year - Education Week Teacher
Virtual Schooling In The News
Virtual Schooling In The News « Virtual High School Meanderings
January 7, 2010
The End of Techno-Critique:
This analysis responds to a generation of criticism leveled at 1:1 laptop computer
initiatives. The article presents a review of the key themes of that criticism and offers
suggestions for reframing the conversation about 1:1 computing among advocates and
critics. Efforts at changing, innovating, and reforming education provide the context for
reframing the conversation. Within that context, we raise questions about what classrooms
and schools need to look and be like in order to realize the advantages of 1:1
computing. In doing so, we present a theoretical vision for self-organizing schools in
which laptop computers or other such devices are essential tools.
The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change
Top Fifteen Virtual Schooling Books
I got the inspiration for this feature from Dangerously Irrelevant - who about a month ago posted entries on Top 10 K12 Online 2008 podcasts for busy school administrators and Top 20 TED Talks podcasts for busy school administrators. Based upon this, and since it was kind of similar to the Top 5 Virtual Schooling Must Reads that I have done from time to time, I thought it might be nice to have a monthly "Top #" posting.
Top Fifteen Virtual Schooling Books « Virtual High School Meanderings
January 6, 2010
Answering the Socialization Question
Over the years I have discovered that some advantages of virtual learning are easier for people to grasp than others. Personalized learning, challenging and diverse curriculum, specialized teachers, and alternative scheduling--most people can understand these benefits. The socialization factor, however, draws many blank stares and more questions.
Virtual Learning Connections > Answering the Socialization Question
How different should 21st century learning be?
The heart of Mcleod's argument is that this kind of teacher-directed learning was born in an age where knowledge was concentrated in the hands of a few and where those few had to impart that knowledge through these traditional means to students. Now that information is ubiquitous, and literally everyone has access to means of communicating with potentially thousands, even millions of people, we need to change schools, curricula, and teaching to adapt to the changing technology and ease of access to information of all kinds.
Flypaper: Education reform ideas that stick, from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Teachers Becoming More "Digitally Inclined"
According to a new report, "Digitally Inclined," released by PBS, teachers are making significant progress in adopting digital media and Internet use. These findings clearly signal widespread changes in both early childhood and K-12 education, including more effective individualized instruction.
Teachers Becoming More "Digitally Inclined"
Schools addressing cyber, traditional bullying
Bullying has taken on a new face in schools across America in recent years. The availability of cellular phones, and laptop and desktop computers have opened up a generation of students to a whole new form of abuse -- cyber bullying.
Schools addressing cyber, traditional bullying
January 5, 2010
The Advantages of eLearning
In the 21st century, people have to learn more than ever before. Especially for global organizations, live classroom-based training is becoming too costly and cumbersome. Even if employees had the time to attend all the courses and seminars and to read all the books and reports they should to remain up-to-date in their area of work, the cost of such learning would be prohibitive. The need to transform how organizations learn points to a more modern, efficient, and flexible alternative: eLearning. The mission of corporate eLearning is to supply the workforce with an up-to-date and cost-effective program that yields motivated, skilled, and loyal knowledge workers.
The Advantages of eLearning | eLearning Brothers
What Makes a Great Teacher?
For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication. But for more than a decade, one organization has been tracking hundreds of thousands of kids, and looking at why some teachers can move them three grade levels ahead in a year and others can't. Now, as the Obama administration offers states more than $4 billion to identify and cultivate effective teachers, Teach for America is ready to release its data.
What Makes a Great Teacher? - The Atlantic
(January/February 2010)
Why Schools Should Learn To Use Online Services Like Facebook & YouTube Rather Than Banning Them
So it's nice to see a sensible opinion piece in Slate arguing that rather than ban or block social online services like Facebook and YouTube, schools should be embracing them and looking for ways to incorporate them into the learning process. There are a variety of strong arguments for why this makes sense, but two that stick out:
"you were born ugly and youl die ugly too"
Cyber-bullying increasingly is becoming a problem for students, educators and policy makers. In this paper, we consider cyber-bullying as a form of relational aggression; that is, behaviour designed to damage, harm or disrupt friendship or inter-personal relationships through covert means. We draw on the findings from a study of students in grades 6 through 9, conducted in five schools, in a large ethnically diverse metropolitan region of British Columbia, Canada, to demonstrate the inter-connection between cyber-bullying and relational aggression. Consistent with the relational aggression framework, girls were found more likely than boys to participate in these behaviours. We conclude that intervention strategies should consider gender differences and also aim at changing the trajectory of relational aggression to providing relational support and care.
"you were born ugly and youl die ugly too": Cyber-bullying as relational aggression | in education
January 4, 2010
Why Teachers are Reluctant to Use Technology
There's no doubt that education without technology is unthinkable in today's world, so when we come across teachers who are still reluctant to use technology in the classroom to augment and add to their teaching experience, we wonder why. But if you think a little harder and try to understand why their reluctance comes to the fore, you'll know that it is because:
Why Teachers are Reluctant to Use Technology
10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling
Just as it says...neat.
10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling - The Oatmeal
Five New Year's resolutions for Google
In general, most New Year's resolutions tend to last as long as the NFL playoffs. But those who enter the year working for the world's most ambitious technology company won't have that luxury.
Google enters its 12th year as an information and financial powerhouse, holding claim to perhaps the most enviable position on the Internet and worming its way into all sorts of businesses that Internet companies have traditionally avoided. The company shows little sign of slowing down its innovation engine, but as a result of that pace faces competitive threats like never before from other giants of the technology and media worlds.
What should Google leaders Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page focus on in 2010? Here are five suggestions:
Five New Year's resolutions for Google | Relevant Results - CNET News
What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Google
Almost every teacher is aware of Google; however, its power rests in its use as a search engine for text-matching techniques when searching the Internet. Of even more importance is all the tools available for use in educational settings to support teaching and learning. As with all online tools the key to success is when teachers are aware of a few tips and tricks to maximize a tool's potential.
My Top 20 Education Quotes from 2009
These quotes have been valuable to me and I hope they will be to other innovative educators as well. I don't recall where I heard most of them (or even if it was me who said some of them), so I cited none of them. Oprah, The Element, Geoff Canada, and Alan November's BLC conference in Boston were inspirations for several. Feel free to Google if you are trying to locate the source, or leave a comment with a source you know.
The Innovative Educator: My Top 20 Education Quotes from 2009
16 Apps That Make Sharing Large Files A Snap
So why would you use an file-sharing app anyway? Actually for many reasons: for larger files, for privacy, multiple files, file format support, and more.
In this post, I compare 16 file-sharing services. I took three main issues under consideration when creating the comprehensive app list below: Free, Fast, and Useful . .
16 Apps That Make Sharing Large Files A Snap
3 Ways, Other Than Skype, to Bring Experts Into Class
Bringing experts into your classroom via video conferencing can be an excellent enhancement to your students' learning experiences. Video conferencing can also be used to connect classrooms in a 21st century version of penpal exchanges. Skype is the most common tool for making these connections and for good reason Skype is the most popular video conferencing application. It's easy to use and free for most uses. The only drawback to Skype is that you and the person you want to talk with must have Skype installed on the computers you are using. The following are three other ways to video conference without using Skype.
Free Technology for Teachers: 3 Ways, Other Than Skype, to Bring Experts Into Class
10 Youtube URL Tricks You Should Know About
Youtube - You know that site with videos and all. Yeah! It turns out that its quite popular and you happen to visit and use it quite often. Instead of just searching and playing here are some top Youtube URL tricks that you should know about:
10 Youtube URL Tricks You Should Know About
5 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety in 2010
Looking back on 2009, we've written quite a bit on the topic of being overwhelmed and anxious. It's no surprise given the current economic climate and the exponential expansion of anywhere-anytime information feeds - Twitter, Facebook, etc - that make sure we have always have more, more, more to process and respond to.
So what to do? We've rounded up five of our favorite pieces on pushing back against anxiety-inducing approaches to workflow, over-analyzing your web analytics, over-committing yourself, and under-nourishing your body.
5 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety in 2010 : Managing :: American Express OPEN Forum
January 3, 2010
The Replacements
This has nothing to do with elearning, but having spent time in the classroom I found it interesting...
Over the next two years, I would learn -- as I subbed once a week for a variety of classes, including kindergarten, sixth grade, middle-school social studies, high-school chemistry, phys ed, art, Spanish, and English as a second language.
Op-Ed Contributor - The Replacements - NYTimes.com
December 29, 2009
10 reasons why e-readers make sense in the enterprise
In case you haven't heard, e-readers are making an impact. They've been around for some time, but only now (thanks, in part, to Amazon's Kindle) are they being taken seriously. The e-readers' biggest fan is the avid reader, but this doesn't have to (and most likely won't) be the case for long. Enterprises should start deploying e-readers to certain staff/users. Why? There are many reasons -- several of which directly affect the bottom line.
But why, exactly, should your company adopt e-readers? Here are 10 good reasons for the switch.
10 reasons why e-readers make sense in the enterprise | 10 Things | TechRepublic.com
December 18, 2009
50 Ways to Foster a Culture of Innovation
As your organization gears up for 2010, here are 50 ways to ensure that it's culture is conducive to innovation. Commit to a few of these today and begin to work your magic.
The Heart of Innovation: 50 Ways to Foster a Culture of Innovation
What You Watched and Searched for on YouTube in 2009
This year has been the biggest yet for online video, and for the first time we're sharing our official Most Watched lists and some of the fastest-rising search terms on YouTube. Some moments were big (President Obama's inauguration), some small (a Minnesota wedding party erupts into dance), some expected ("New Moon"), some surprising (Susan Boyle) -- but all of them inspired, entertained and connected millions of people around the world via YouTube.
YouTube Blog: What You Watched and Searched for on YouTube in 2009
December 17, 2009
Heads in the Cloud
Over the last couple of years, the term "Cloud Computing" has been buzzing around in the techie world. Inevitably, it buzzes into the education world at some point. And yes, it's starting to cause a bit of a stir. Today a principal from Co. Meath impressed me greatly when he suggested that another of his colleagues try it out. So what is cloud computing and why should Irish schools care?
Heads in the Cloud | anseo.net
Sir Ken Robinson and Thinkers Vs. Doers
Many times, I feel like I hear "great minds" talk about all of the problems with education. They point out the deficiencies in the system and where schools and bureaucracies are screwing up. Very seldom do I hear a practical solution.
Sir Ken Robinson and Thinkers Vs. Doers « Epic Epoch
December 16, 2009
A day in the Internet
Some of us never realize how huge the internet really is. Let's take a look at a few statistics for an average day on the internet and see how big these numbers really are...
social-media-count_full.jpg (1111×3608)
December 14, 2009
Google Teacher Academy DC Overview
Ten Things Google Has Found to Be True...
- Focus on the student and all else will follow.
- It's best to teach a few things really, really well.
- Fast is better than slow.
- Democracy in the classroom works.
- You don't need to be at school to need an answer.
- You can teach without doing evil.
- There's always more information out there.
- The need for information crosses all borders.
- You can be serious without a suit.
- Great just isn't good enough.
Mark Wagner, Ph.D., CUE told us this at the Google Teacher Academy Washington DC.
December 11, 2009
Brain Rules: worth a thousand words
When it comes to memory, researchers have known for more than 100 years that pictures and text follow very different rules. Put simply,the more visual the input becomes, the more likely it is to be recognized--and recalled. The phenomenon is so pervasive, it has been given its own name: the pictorial superiority effect, or PSE.
Brain Rules: worth a thousand words
December 7, 2009
Four Quadrants of Innovation
Building on that, I wanted a framework for delineating innovations based on their technology and business impacts. Because they're not necessarily the same. The four quadrants below describe the dynamics for innovations according to their technology and market impacts:
Blogging Innovation: Four Quadrants of Innovation - Latest innovation articles, videos, and insights
Grim Google
"Well, did you 'Google' your symptoms?" I asked with sincerity.
His female companion jumped in and answered for him. "Yeah, he did. Yesterday. And since then that's all I've heard about--'I'm dying,' 'I'm not gonna see my kid be born,' 'Why me?'."
Learning From Online
Most professors agree that more work goes into designing an online course than a face-to-face one. But if those professors are interested in improving their teaching skills, it might be worth the extra effort.
So say researchers at Purdue University at Calumet, who believe that learning how to do distance education properly can make professors better at designing and administering their classroom-based courses.
"Most of the professors who teach at the university level have had no experience with pedagogy or instruction in general," says Janet Buckenmeyer, chair of the instructional technology master's program at Calumet. "They're content experts, not teaching experts."
News: Learning From Online - Inside Higher Ed
December 4, 2009
Study: Children Who Blog Or Use Facebook Have Higher Literacy Levels
A research by The National Literacy Trust on 3,001 children from England and Scotland showed that schoolchildren who blog or own social networking profiles on Facebook have higher literacy levels and greater confidence in writing.
Study: Children Who Blog Or Use Facebook Have Higher Literacy Levels
December 3, 2009
Series: Time To Quit Assuming
Here is another series from Darren and the folks at the Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School that he posted at Teaching and Developing Online. I'm pretty sure that Darren started to post this series shortly after I provided some initial thoughts on Darren's initial dissertation idea
Series: Time To Quit Assuming « Virtual High School Meanderings
December 2, 2009
Free CyberSmart! Student Curriculum -- Scope and Sequence
Free CyberSmart! Student Curriculum -- Scope and Sequence
Free CyberSmart! Student Curriculum -- Scope and Sequence
December 1, 2009
Series: Cyber School Videos V
He does such a good job of summarizing our videos at the Cyber school
Series: Cyber School Videos V « Virtual High School Meanderings
November 26, 2009
Not enough school administrators are visionaries? - Dangerously Irrelevant
I wonder if this is the issue with P-12 school leadership. Are most of our school administrators just 'steady-as-she-goes functionaries?' Are they too bland, concerned more with not rocking the boat than they are with facilitating meaningful organizational change? Do we have too many managers and not enough visionaries? If so, is it possible to foster more visionary leaders within our current P-12 organizational and higher education preparation systems or is there no hope unless our systems change? Thoughts?
Not enough school administrators are visionaries? - Dangerously Irrelevant
Developing a Professional Online Presence
Before you make any decisions about your online presence, you should be very clear about your goals: why are you online? Who is your audience, and what do they need to know? Collect and/or list all materials you think are relevant to your online presence and the needs/expectations of your audience. After collecting or listing these materials, decide exactly what you want to illustrate about yourself and select materials that do this. In a
teaching portfolio, this process can be interwoven with writing a teaching statement in which you reflect on and make claims about your teaching and then provide evidence to support your claims. You can write other statements (e.g., research) similarly.
Developing a Professional Online Presence
November 23, 2009
100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom
Facebook isn't just a great way for you to find old friends or learn about what's happening this weekend, it is also an incredible learning tool. Teachers can utilize Facebook for class projects, for enhancing communication, and for engaging students in a manner that might not be entirely possible in traditional classroom settings. Read on to learn how you can be using Facebook in your classroom, no matter if you are a professor, student, working online, or showing up in person for class.
100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom | Online College Tips - Online Colleges
E-reader textbooks and students
As Sony's e-book devices vie with the Kindle to win over readers, the real showdown may come later, when a shift to electronic textbooks at schools threatens to eclipse the current market for the products.
Textbooks will be the next frontier for e-reader sellers | StarTribune.com
The benefits of digital textbooks are numerous: they're potentially cheaper, they're better for the environment (at least so long as you don't continually need to upgrade your electronic book reader), they weigh less, they can be updated more easily, and they're more easily searched. But for all that, a number of hurdles still exist.
Digital Textbooks: 3 Reasons Students Aren't Ready
Is there a difference in the way the brain takes in or absorbs information when it is presented electronically versus on paper? Does the reading experience change, from retention to comprehension, depending on the medium?
Does the Brain Like E-Books? - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com
November 22, 2009
Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning
Keeping Pace has several goals. First, it strives to add to the body of knowledge about online education policy and practice and make recommendations for advances. Second, it serves as a reference source for information about programs and policies across the country, both for policymakers and practitioners who are new to online education and for those who have extensive experience in the field. Third, because there has been so much online education activity in the past year, the report attempts to capture new activity.
Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning
November 20, 2009
Teachers discover new ways to ignite love of reading
Penn-Trafford students soon will be scrolling through the electronic pages of a novel rather than flipping through the pages of a printed book.
The district plans to order nearly 100 Kindles, Amazon's handheld electronic reading device (or e-reader) for use in its READ 180 classes, a course for struggling readers in grades three through 12, said Matt Harris, Penn-Trafford's head of student proficiency.
Teachers discover new ways to ignite love of reading - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Parents, teachers share education responsibility
How would your child react to the following statements?
My school offers a quality education.
My community is proud of our school.
I feel I have good communications with my teachers.
I feel like I belong here. I feel safe and liked.
My parents are involved with my teachers and communicate with them.
When children have these attitudes, they have better grades, better school attendance and fewer behavior problems.
Parents, teachers share education responsibility | INFORUM | Fargo, ND
November 13, 2009
A State-by-State Report Card on Ed Innovation
Two years ago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Center for American Progress, and Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute came together to grade the states on school performance. In that first Leaders and Laggards report, we found much to applaud but even more that requires urgent improvement. In this follow-up report, we turn our attention to the future, looking not at how states are performing today, but at what they are doing to prepare themselves for the challenges that lie ahead. Thus, some states with positive academic results receive poor grades on our measures of innovation, while others with lackluster scholarly achievement nevertheless earn high marks for policies that are creating an entrepreneurial culture in their schools. We chose this focus because, regardless of current academic accomplishment in each state, we believe innovative educational practices are vital to laying the groundwork for continuous and transformational change.
Unleash the students
Empowering students to become more responsible for their own learning can boost their confidence and raise the morale of the whole school community with the sharing of new skills and resources.
We are starting to see signs that indicate within five years, students will expect as much control over their online learning environment as teachers.
However, questions may be asked about whether students are being given too much control too soon. While schools should be implementing initial plans now, a step-by-step approach is imperative to ensuring a successful cultural shift in the long term.
It is a journey that Ninestiles School, a secondary school in Birmingham with 1,500 students on roll, has already embarked on with its learning platform.
SecEd | Features | Unleash the students
November 12, 2009
How Web 2.0 has changed the face of education
Young people are reported to spend almost as much time online as they do watching TV, and they are particularly attracted to many Web 2.0 developments, finding the social aspects of easy communication, co-ordination and online expression of personal identities appealing. The speed at which the internet has developed is phenomenal, and the rapid way that young people have taken to Web 2.0 can be challenging to comprehend for those who haven't grown up with it. However, it is vital for teachers, lecturers and parents to really take the time to understand the way students are using the latest technology, and the various unique features of these new services.
Young people regard many Web 2.0 applications, such as social networking, as just another part of their social life, and they are more likely to have learnt these skills from their peers than from parents or teachers. However, these tools, used correctly, could bring huge benefits and support learning in more creative, social and participatory ways.
How Web 2.0 has changed the face of education
November 11, 2009
Lest We Forget
Remembrance Day is the kind of holiday D and I try hard to observe. We decided if the weather was nice we would take the kids to an outdoor service in our old neighborhood. We awoke to the temperature on the + side, so away we went.
In our old neighborhood, the streets are all named after places like Dieppe and Normandy or after war heroes like Merritt. The area was established for war veterans after WWII and so most families who grew up there have a relative who went overseas. For me it was my Step-Dad's father.
When you are young and you learn about the wars, it cannot possibly register unless you have lived through one. The reason why we are so oblivious in our youth is because we are living the peaceful life these men and women fought for us to have.
Why it Doesn't Take a Heartless, Multinational Corporation To Raise a Child.: Lest We Forget
Gritty Teachers
The Journal of Positive Psychology recently put out an article called Positive Predictors of Teacher Effectiveness. In it, the authors suggest that novice teachers working in poor public schools do better if they have certain traits like grit. One of the authors of the paper, UPenn psychology professor Angela Lee Duckworth, has researched the "grit factor" quite a bit and even has a grit scale. So what is grit? Think diligence, ambition, perseverance, an affinity for hard work and high achievement, and an unwillingness to give up or fail.
Gritty Teachers « The Quick and the Ed
November 10, 2009
Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today
Allen has concluded that our urge to protect teenagers from real life - because we don't think they're ready yet - has tragically backfired. By insulating them from adult-like work, adult social relationships, and adult consequences, we have only delayed their development. We have made it harder for them to grow up. Maybe even made it impossible to grow up on time.
Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today - NurtureShock Blog - Newsweek.com
Will the Digital Divide Close by Itself?
There's the growing divide between kids who have access to technology and those who don't; kids who participate in creating content with technology at home and school, and those who can't; and the kids who know a lot about technology, and the parents who fear them.
Will the Digital Divide Close by Itself? - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com
Sevier principal subscribes to educator's idea to encourage students to turn in homework » Knoxville News Sentinel
Wonder if this concept could be applied to online education?
If you can't use technology get out of teaching!
Teachers should focus on information and learning, not on the technology and simply getting ICT into their classrooms, believes David Warlick.
NZ Interface Magazine | If you can't use technology get out of teaching!
November 9, 2009
Are Schools Preparing Students for 21st Century Learning?
There's a "disconnect" between school administrators and parents. While more than half of America's school principal's said they think they're "doing a good job" preparing students for the 21st century, only a third of parents of middle school and high school students agreed, according to research released by Project Tomorrow and Blackboard.
Are Schools Preparing Students for 21st Century Learning? -- THE Journal
Top 12 Ways to Increase Student Participation
Call it "active learning," or "classroom participation" -- every teacher wants more involved students and fewer apathetic ones. With a little extra planning, that is possible. Below are four common reasons students don't participate and techniques to solve those problems and spice up your lessons.
Education News Archive :: Top 12 Ways to Increase Student Participation
November 7, 2009
Give Obama A+ for school reform ideas
President Obama deserves an A+ for his agenda for education reform. His decision to nominate Arne Duncan as U.S. education secretary was inspired, and his comments on holding the system accountable are honest, refreshing and insightful.
Give Obama A+ for school reform ideas - CNN.com
November 5, 2009
Military Tries Out Virtual Schools
It awarded a $6.2 million contract to UNLV's Division of Educational Outreach to develop 33 courses that would encompass the virtual high school.
Officials say students should no longer run into problems about missing courses. The virtual courses will stay on track with the courses in the actual schools.
Military Tries Out Virtual Schools - Las Vegas Review-Journal « Virtual High School Meanderings
Technology not causing social isolation
Contrary to popular belief, technology is not leading to social isolation and Americans who use the Internet and mobile phones have larger and more diverse social networks, according to a new study.
"All the evidence points in one direction," said Keith Hampton, lead author of the report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project released Wednesday. "People's social worlds are enhanced by new communication technologies.
"It is a mistake to believe that Internet use and mobile phones plunge people into a spiral of isolation," said Hampton, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
AFP: Technology not causing social isolation: Pew study
More Schools Opening Door to Technology
In the span of three years, Holy Cross has joined the increasing number of schools in the region that are in the process of supplying all their students with portable computers for use at school and at home.
The programs, called one-to-one initiatives, are the vanguard in technology and education. High schools in Lower and Upper Merion Townships, and Springfield, Delaware County, this fall became part of the growing contingent, which has distributed laptops, netbooks, and tablet PCs.
"It will become even more widespread as computing and computing tools become more ubiquitous and less expensive," said Holly Jobe, an educational consultant affiliated with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. "A computer is a thinking tool. You wouldn't send a student to school without a pen and paper."
Education Week: More Schools Opening Door to Technology
November 4, 2009
Seventeen Interesting Ways* to use Voicethread in the Classroom
This is a great collection of ideas...check it.
Seventeen Interesting Ways* to use Voicethread in the Classroom
Ten Twitter Mythconceptions
Poor Twitter! It may be the hottest service on the Web, but it's also profoundly misunderstood. Lots of people cheerfully admit they don't get it. Others emphatically believe things about it that aren't true. I encounter confusion over Twitter every day, especially in the real world as I chat with folks who have either never used it, or have tried it and then walked away.
Ten Twitter Mythconceptions | Technologizer
Teach Your Teachers Well
ARNE DUNCAN, the secretary of education, recently called for sweeping changes to the way we select and train teachers. He's right. If we really want good schools, we need to create a critical mass of great teachers. And if we want smart, passionate people to become these great educators, we have to attract them with excellent programs and train them properly in the substance and practice of teaching.
Op-Ed Contributor - Teach Your Teachers Well - NYTimes.com
The Search for Thirsty Teachers
Many times, I've been asked by colleagues: "Why do you use the World Wide Web to connect with other teachers?" My response has always been: "It's where the learners are!"
The Clever Sheep: The Search for Thirsty Teachers
November 3, 2009
Are Schools Preparing Students for 21st Century Learning?
The research also showed that only 40 percent of students in grades 6 through 12 think their schools are doing a good job preparing them for the future.
"The disconnect between educators and parents reveals the need for schools to improve the integration of technology into the learning environment and students' learning experiences," said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow. "Parents do not feel that schools are effectively preparing students for the jobs of the 21st century, and view technology implementation as essential to student success."
Are Schools Preparing Students for 21st Century Learning? -- THE Journal
Welcome To The Revolution
The prediction, as we now know, was spot dead on. The technology has transformed our relationships, how we are able to collaborate, how we now define communities, what constitutes a network, and what kinds of work we are able to do.
Education Innovation: Welcome To The Revolution: The Professional Networked Learning Collaborative
November 2, 2009
Schools' zero-tolerance policies tested
Parents and elected officials across the USA are demanding that schools slacken zero-tolerance policies that are meant to reduce violence because strict adherence has lead to some students being forced out of school for bringing items such as eyebrow trimmers and a Cub Scout's camping tool to campus.
Schools' zero-tolerance policies tested - USATODAY.com
Ensuring the Net Generation Is Net Savvy
Although the current generation of students may have never known life without the Internet, they are not necessarily "net savvy." Exposed to huge quantities of information on the Web--in text, audio, image and video formats--sorting valid information from misinformation is a constant challenge. Beyond the quantity and variety of information, students are now creating information, not just consuming it. This white paper explores the challenges of functioning in an information-rich environment where students must blend skills in finding information, using technology, and thinking critically.
EDUCAUSE
Ensuring the Net Generation Is Net Savvy
Young Canadians in a Wired World - Phase II
Young Canadians are more connected than ever, and at a surprisingly early age. The second phase of the Young Canadians in a Wired World (YCWW) research project reveals that an astonishing 94 percent of young people access the Internet from home, with students as early as Grade 4 beginning to rely on the Internet to explore social roles, stay connected with friends and develop their social networks.
Young Canadians in a Wired World - Phase II | Introduction
20 Ways to Use Comics In Your Classroom
Through Josh Allen's Tech Fridge blog I recently learned about this slideshow created S. Hendy who writes Digital Tools for Teachers. The slideshow, Tap Into the World of Comics, presents a series of comic creation tools followed by twenty suggestions for using comics in your classroom.
Free Technology for Teachers: 20 Ways to Use Comics In Your Classroom
9 Resources for Website Evaluation Lessons
Therefore, I've compiled a list of nine resources that teachers can use as part of lesson plan about evaluating the quality and reliability of a website.
Free Technology for Teachers: 9 Resources for Website Evaluation Lessons
October 30, 2009
Autistic artist draws 18ft picture of New York skyline from memory
This astonishing 18ft drawing of the world's most famous skyline was created by autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire after he spent just 20 minutes in a helicopter gazing at the panorama.
The unbelievably intricate picture was drawn at Brooklyn's prestigious Pratt Institute from Stephen's memory, with details of every building sketched in to scale.
Landmarks including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building can be seen towering above smaller buildings after just three days in his spellbinding creation.
Autistic artist draws 18ft picture of New York skyline from memory
| Mail Online
The New Diagnostics - Inside Higher Ed
The Arizona community college, where more than half of the 64,000 students pursue their degrees online, has devised a system of predictive modeling that officials believe can forecast, with 70 percent accuracy, how likely it is that a student will achieve a "C" grade or higher (the threshold for transferable credits) in a given course. The tool -- one of several of its kind -- is intended to help instructors to identify at-risk students early enough that they can intervene.
News: The New Diagnostics - Inside Higher Ed
Why Teach? Teacher Motivation and ED 2.0
We think about teaching primarily as school teaching. This can make it hard to understand why teachers would want to contribute voluntarily to ED 2.0 projects. But when we broaden our view of teaching we unlock this mystery.
ED 2.0 Report: Why Teach? Teacher Motivation and ED 2.0
Math's Too Hard for a Parent's Help
Numbers have never been my strong suit, and as it happens I couldn't really help with math and science homework sometime in middle school. Not only was whatever I once knew rusty, but it was also out of date. "They don't teach it like that any more" I was told, and then dismissed.
Math's Too Hard for a Parent's Help - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com
October 27, 2009
Internet Access in Canada Reaches All Time High
A new study released by Ipsos Reid shows that more than eight in ten Canadians (82%) have Internet access at home. That's a six per cent increase from Q2, 2008 and a four per cent increase from Q4, 2008.
Internet Access in Canada Reaches All Time High - 10/27/2009
October 26, 2009
Many teachers 'face false claims'
Nearly 30% of school staff have been the subject of a false allegation of misconduct by a pupil, a survey by a teaching union suggests.
BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Many teachers 'face false claims'
October 23, 2009
The end of teacher sameness and solidarity
[I]n American education, policy making is not guided by what is best for children or the larger public. It is a political process driven by power. And the most powerful groups in that process are special interests, led by the teachers unions, with a stake in keeping the system as it is. . . . Reforms of real consequence are vigorously resisted and watered down. (p. 149)
The end of teacher sameness and solidarity - Dangerously Irrelevant
How to Remake Education
The single biggest problem in American education is that no one agrees on why we educate. Faced with this lack of consensus, policy makers define good education as higher test scores. But higher test scores are not a definition of good education. Students can get higher scores in reading and mathematics yet remain completely ignorant of science, the arts, civics, history, literature and foreign languages.
Why do we educate? We educate because we want citizens who are capable of taking responsibility for their lives and for our democracy. We want citizens who understand how their government works, who are knowledgeable about the history of their nation and other nations. We need citizens who are thoroughly educated in science. We need people who can communicate in other languages. We must ensure that every young person has the chance to engage in the arts.
But because of our narrow-minded utilitarianism, we have forgotten what good education is.
How to Remake Education - NYTimes.com
Getting Students More Learning Time Online
Online courses increase equitable access to quality educational opportunities by bringing flexibility to the course calendar, expanding the course catalog, and offering individualized instruction.
October 22, 2009
Telecourses losing out to online options - News
Telecourses were the first distance education programs at TJC. However, what was once considered high-tech is losing ground to online options.
Telecourses losing out to online options - News
October 21, 2009
We Have to Stop Doing This to Teachers
Being an administrator in a cyber school in Saskatchewan, I feel the building pressure in my teachers as well...we are in interesting time. I am not sure I have an answer.
We Have to Stop Doing This to Teachers | Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech
But I Don't Want to Teach My Students How to Use Technology
For some teachers, the technology revolution of the last 30 years was and is an epiphany, but for most faculty it remains an enigma, at best a fad and at worst a threat. A person responding to one of my recent articles in Web 2.0 told me that, "Come on!, I don't want to teach my students how to use the technology but just do pure teaching." He missed the point: Adapting to information technology does not necessarily mean using technology at all, but it does require an understanding of how education has been irreversibly altered.
But I Don't Want to Teach My Students How to Use Technology -- Campus Technology
Tweet Wrap talked about my posting...
It is always cool to see your posts listed in other sites around the world...thanks Tweet Wrap.
Scholarly post asks if online model is beginning of long overdue evolution in education.
Technologically Externalized Knowledge and Learning
Let's take a step back and consider how well we are using learning technology in contrast with what is possible given advances over the last decade. Ideologies influence design, then design constrains future options. We don't have to look very far to see examples of this simple rule: classrooms, design of organizational work activities, politics, and the operation of financial markets.
What we create to survive during one era serves as neurosis for another. In education - particularly in technology enhanced education - a similar trailing of ideologies from another era is observed.
Technologically Externalized Knowledge and Learning « Connectivism
October 19, 2009
Teens and the internet
In 2002 the Pew Research Institute conducted a study of teenagers and how they are using the internet in education. Below are some excerpts from the 37 page report. It's an interesting read for educators and community members.
Teens and the internet - 180 Free Technology Tip #29
Online, teachers walk a fine line
Five years ago, social networking sites weren't on the list of items that Palm Bay Elementary Principal Lori Migliore talked to her staff about. But they are now.
"What I say is, 'Don't put anything on Facebook or MySpace that you wouldn't want on the front page of FLORIDA TODAY,' " Migliore said. "When you take this job, whether you agree with it or not, teachers are held to a higher standard."
Online, teachers walk a fine line | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY
The Facebook Generation's Impact on Learning
What is the Facebook generation (a.k.a. Generation F)? This is the new generation of people who live, learn and laugh using social networking sites. Facebook is one of the more well known social networking communities where people are connecting, sharing and exchanging knowledge all around the globe.
Connecting Redefined » Post Topic » The Facebook Generation's Impact on Learning
Education Week: State of Mind
Two out of five of America's 4 million K-12 teachers appear disheartened and disappointed about their jobs, while others express a variety of reasons for contentment with teaching and their current school environments, new research by Public Agenda and Learning Point Associates shows.
State targets student-teacher communication
Beginning next month, Louisiana public schools will be required to document all electronic communication that occurs between teachers and students. The new law will even require tracking exchanges initiated by students to teachers via personal devices the schools don't own.
Top News - State targets student-teacher communication
If you can't use technology get out of teaching!
Technology has done a lot but what's really impacting on teachers is how information is changing. A number of years ago I wrote a book called Redefining Literacy. It started out being a technology book but the more I researched the more I realised it wasn't technology I wanted to talk about, it was information. The nature of information has changed and, as a result, so has what it means to be literate.
For instance, an increasing number of teachers are getting students to blog. When they used to write an assignment on paper the teacher was the only person who was going to read it... and the students knew it. So, they write what they think the teacher wants to read. However, when they're writing to a blog they know that their classmates are also going to read it... and respond. It takes the assignment to a whole new level where it becomes less 'I'm proving to you that I understand what was in the chapter' to a conversation within the class where the students are reacting to each other's insights, and are learning more in the process.
NZ Interface Magazine | If you can't use technology get out of teaching!
October 18, 2009
The Positive Impact of eLearning
Studies indicate that ICT-enhanced learning can benefit students, teachers, families, societies, and economies.
The Positive Impact of eLearning
October 15, 2009
Five myths about paying good teachers more
Education Secretary Arne Duncan says paying public school teachers based on their performance is his "highest priority," and he plans to dole out hundreds of millions of dollars to states and school systems that embrace the idea. In the District of Columbia, Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has made such reform a cornerstone of her agenda -- and a backdrop to her recent move to lay off 229 teachers in response to budget cuts. But school reformers have been trying unsuccessfully to introduce performance pay in public education for decades. If today's reformers want to break the deadlock, they're going to have to let go of several myths hanging over the debate:
Five myths about paying good teachers more | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Why Online Schools are Popular
We've always been taught that necessity is the mother of invention, but, in the case of the Internet and its rapid growth, invention and innovation have contributed greatly to satisfying the needs and demands of online education. The number of online schools and degrees have proliferated to an extent that there are too many of them now, some of which are barely legal and others that don't bother to even put up a front of respectability. But, in spite of diploma mills all the other ills that plague the world of online education, the degrees they offer still have more than a few takers. Online schools enjoy their popularity because:
Why Online Schools are Popular
October 14, 2009
Facebook threat disrupts Charlottetown school
Charlottetown Rural High School operated under heightened security Wednesday, a day after a shooting threat appeared on Facebook.
CBC News - Prince Edward Island - Facebook threat disrupts Charlottetown school
Sluggish Results Seen in National Math Scores
Scores on the most important nationwide math test increased only marginally for eighth graders and not at all for fourth graders, continuing a six-year trend of sluggish results that suggest the nation will not come close to bringing all children to proficiency by 2014, a central goal of the Bush-era federal education law, No Child Left Behind.
Sluggish Results Seen in National Math Scores - NYTimes.com
October 12, 2009
Setbacks In Online K-12 Education
It's something of an anomaly that while adult online education has taken off like a rocket, its K-12 counterpart is still dragging its feet and trying to find wings to fly. Not much progress has been made when it comes to using technology to teach kids who are still in school, because of a number of reasons. It's not that schools are not capable of getting the technology or implementing it; more often than not, it's the finances and effort that throw a spanner in the works. If we take a closer look at online K-12 education, we see that the setbacks to its success are:
Guest Blogger - Setbacks In Online K-12 Education « Virtual High School Meanderings
October 5, 2009
Optimizing Pictures for Web Pages
I wish people did this in our cyber school courses it would make it so much easier to back up courses.
Optimizing Pictures for Web Pages
October 2, 2009
COUNTING ON GRADUATION
Among industrialized nations, the United States is the only country in which today's young people are less likely than their parents to have earned a high school diploma. Reversing this trend could hardly be more urgent.
September 28, 2009
How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles
It has everything, under education there is a description on how to slap fat....I have seen it all.
eHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles
By 2040 you will be able to upload your brain... - Science, News - The Independent
Mine will need a fairly small sized hard drive.
By 2040 you will be able to upload your brain... -
Science, News - The Independent
The Ten Commandments of eLearning
We discovered 'The Ten Commandments of eLearning" as elucidated by Cath Ellis and Clive Shepherd. We've decided to follow in the same vein and list our commandments. First off, we thought ten is too many to remember, so we cut it down to five. There are some similarities to Cath and Clive's commandments but that is to be expected given the nature of this post.
The Ten Commandments of eLearning | Upside Learning Blog
Three Future Directions of E-Learning
When asked about the trends in e-learning, the contributors to the E-Learning Handbook: Past Promises, Present Challenges, saw a similar dichotomy. On the one hand, almost everyone thought the quality of e-learning would improve and become more responsive to learners. On the other hand, nearly everyone saw the emergence of less expensive, less thoughtful e-learning. In addition, the contributors saw one other trend that might help to reconcile this dichotomy: e-learning as a way of life. The following describe their insights.
Three Future Directions of E-Learning - 2009 - ASTD
September 24, 2009
Unmuzzling Diploma Mills: Dog Earns M.B.A. Online
Sure makes me proud to have my Masters.
September 23, 2009
Real-time Web keeps social networkers connected
Such is life in the post-Web 2.0 world. The latest iteration of the Internet -- deemed the "real-time Web" by some analysts, is exemplified by the obsessive use of PCs or cellphones for quick interactions and dips into the online information stream. This hyper-connectedness is fueled by the rise in social media and distinguished by quick, short communication and, increasingly, an absence of privacy.
Real-time Web keeps social networkers connected - USATODAY.com
Teachers Learn Too: Developing a PLN
This summer I have learned so much about technology and teaching. Almost all of my learning has come from the internet and the connections I have made online. One of the most important things I have learned is how to develop a PLN. My PLN is still very much in development, but I add new contacts everyday.
Reflections of a Classroom Teacher: Teachers Learn Too: Developing a PLN
Blogging About Generational Differences
Next in the series of blogging about entries... Generational differences.
Blogging About Generational Differences « Virtual High School Meanderings
September 22, 2009
Interactive, animated scenarios using motion paths in PowerPoint 2007.
Screenr - @elearning:
Interactive, animated scenarios using motion paths in PowerPoint 2007.
September 20, 2009
If You Printed The Internet
If you printed the internet, stupid tree killing idea, but just in case you wanted to...here is what it would be...
If You Printed The Internet ... | CreativeCloud
Best Search Tools Chart
All on one table nice, very nice.
Best Search Tools Chart - Infopeople.org
September 18, 2009
Student "Learning Styles" Theory Is Bunk
The prediction is straightforward: Kids learn better when they are taught in a way that matches their learning style than when they are taught in a way that doesn't.
That's a straightforward prediction.
The data are straightforward too: It doesn't work.
The Answer Sheet
- Willingham: Student "Learning Styles" Theory Is Bunk
Do Students Cheat More in Online Classes? Maybe not.
A new study contradicts the perception that cheating is more widespread in online classes, finding that students in virtual courses were less likely to cheat than their face-to-face peers.
Teacher Starting Salary vs. Annual Amount Spent on Inmates
Not only are there several states that pay significantly more for prisoners per year, but also in total, nearly half of the states either pay more for prisoners or have a minimal difference between the two. Maine, believe it or not, spends over $17,000 more per inmate than they do per teacher.
Teacher Starting Salary vs. Annual Amount Spent on Inmates at Educator® - Educational News
Bob on Medical Device Software
I am not sure what he is talking about with the .net application but he did use one of my cartoons and I am honoured...:)
A .NET Application that Never Dies | Bob on Medical Device Software
September 16, 2009
Interesting Facts About the Internet and Social Web
This is a great collection of charts and videos that we have used in the past but all in one place...check it out.
Interesting Facts About the Internet and Social Web - 'Did You Know' Video Series
Series: Cyber School Students' Learning Styles
Virtual High School Meandering continues to be a friend to TADO and the Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School, we do appreciate the continuing support that is shown by displaying our blog entries in an organized fashion...
Thank you again.
Series: Cyber School Students' Learning Styles « Virtual High School Meanderings
September 15, 2009
Why Don't Students Like School?
After all, students are born as naturally curious creatures, so why are they turned off by education, even when they are paying to attend? Why can they remember the most trivial detail from a TV show or the words to a popular song, but not remember the answers on our tests? Willingham submits nine principles that he states explain this disconnect. Through these nine principles, he first attempts to explain how the minds of students work and then relate how to use that knowledge to improve teaching.
Why Don't Students Like School? | Learning In a Flat World
Reshaping Learning from the Ground Up
I'm roughly quoting Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, who said, "We don't need to reform the system; we need to replace the system."
Reshaping Learning from the Ground Up | Edutopia
September 14, 2009
Social Media is BIGGER than you think? Are educators lagging behind?
What are educators doing? Are we using Facebook, Wikipedia, and YouTube in our classes? If not, are we lagging behind?
e-Learning Acupuncture: Social Media is BIGGER than you think? Are educators lagging behind?
10 Things I've Learned About Teaching Online
When I first started to think about teaching online, I realized I had a lot to learn. I had never been an online student, nor did I know much about distance education. I just knew I wanted to be a part of something I felt would benefit those students who--for whatever reason--could not come to a traditional classroom setting. I wanted to help create quality courses for these students that would incorporate the kinds of activity and discussion that typically took place in a classroom-based course.
I wanted to share some of the lessons I've learned over the years about online teaching with other online instructors who are just starting out. There is so much I wish I had known when I first got started, and I can only hope some of my reflections will be helpful to those who might be questioning whether online teaching is right for them.
eLearn: Best Practices
- 10 Things I've Learned About Teaching Online
Philadelphia's Public Libraries : kaput.
It's not just the books. Granted, the books are important. But what else do libraries provide? The Philadelphia libraries operate GED, ESL, and ABE programs. They bring books to schools, day care centers, and retirement homes. They teach computer courses, help small business owners, and host community meetings. Libraries are one of the few places in major cities where the internet can be accessed freely. In short, this is a travesty.
Philadelphia's Public Libraries : kaput. | RVA Magazine | Richmond, VA
September 11, 2009
Innovation in educational technology. Why not?
The size of the global education industry, defined as all the money spent by governments, individuals, and corporations on education and training, is almost three times the size of the global entertainment industry, and double the size of the global telecommunications industry.* Education is bigger, in fact, than entertainment and telecom combined.
So why do education's technical innovations feel like hand-me-downs?
PolivkaVox: Innovation in educational technology. Why not?
Charter Schools Go Cyber
I wanted to make everyone aware that the most recent issue of TechTrends is a special issue focused on cyber charter schools. For those not familiar, TechTrends is a publication of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.
TechTrends Special Issue: Charter Schools Go Cyber « Virtual High School Meanderings
Swine-Flu Preparations Spur E-Learning Plans
Last school year, many educators were caught unprepared when schools closed in response to cases of swine flu. This time around, both the federal government and school districts are putting specific online-learning measures in place to get ready for possible closures or waves of teacher and student absences because of a flu outbreak.
Education Week: Swine-Flu Preparations Spur E-Learning Plans
September 9, 2009
Memory prowess linked to gaming
Video war games could enhance a key element of intelligence that is vital to success in life, an expert has claimed.
Spending time on the Facebook networking site and solving Sudoku may have the same effect, according to psychologist Dr Tracy Alloway.
BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Tayside and Central | Memory prowess linked to gaming
September 8, 2009
Facebook 'enhances intelligence' but Twitter 'diminishes it'.
Spending time on the Facebook networking site could enhance a key element of intelligence that is vital to success in life, a psychologist has claimed, but using Twitter may have the opposite effect.
Facebook 'enhances intelligence' but Twitter 'diminishes it', claims psychologist - Telegraph
September 4, 2009
A library without the books
Cushing Academy has all the hallmarks of a New England prep school, with one exception.
This year, after having amassed a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials at the pristine campus about 90 minutes west of Boston have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. The academy's administrators have decided to discard all their books and have given away half of what stocked their sprawling stacks - the classics, novels, poetry, biographies, tomes on every subject from the humanities to the sciences. The future, they believe, is digital.
A library without the books - The Boston Globe
e-Learning Programs Come in All Shapes and Sizes
Here's a sample of online learning programs serving very different populations: a small district spread over a vast area, a large inner-city school district, and a statewide program serving numerous districts.
ISTE | e-Learning Programs Come in All Shapes and Sizes
The future of libraries, with or without books
The stereotypical library is dying -- and it's taking its shushing ladies, dank smell and endless shelves of books with it.
Libraries are trying to imagine their futures with or without books.
Books are being pushed aside for digital learning centers and gaming areas. "Loud rooms" that promote public discourse and group projects are taking over the bookish quiet. Hipster staffers who blog, chat on Twitter and care little about the Dewey Decimal System are edging out old-school librarians.
The future of libraries, with or without books - CNN.com
September 1, 2009
Engage me Or Enrage me.
Anyone who has taught recently will recognize these three kinds of students:
The students who are truly self-motivated. These are the ones all teachers dream
about having (and the ones we know how to teach best). They do all the work we
assign to them, and more. Their motto is: "I can't wait to get to class." Unfortunately,
there are fewer and fewer of these.
1. The students who go through the motions. These are the ones who, although in their
hearts they feel that what is being taught has little or no relevance to their lives, are
farsighted enough to realize that their future may depend on the grades and
credentials they get. So they study the right facts the night before the test to achieve a
passing grade and become at least somewhat successful students. Their motto: "We
have learned to play school.' "
2. The students who "tune us out." These students are convinced that school is totally
devoid of interest and totally irrelevant to their life. In fact, they find school much less
interesting than the myriad devices they carry in their pockets and backpacks. These
kids are used to having anyone who asks for their attention?their musicians, their
movie makers, their TV stars, their game designers?work really hard to earn it. When
what is being offered isn't engaging, these students truly resent their time being
wasted. In more and more of our schools, this group is quickly becoming the majority.
The motto of this group? "Engage me or enrage me."
Cleaner Classroom Learning Kit
Meet the Clean Club. These "grime-fighters" are designed to help
you teach kids healthy habits, so they can steer clear of germs
that can make them sick.
Cleaner Classroom Learning Kit
9 Ways To Show You Are A "Know It All In Control" Principal
"When you hear a new idea criticize it. Show how smart you are by pointing out some of the weaknesses and flaws which will hold it back. The more experienced you are, the easier it is to find fault with other people's ideas.
Education Innovation: 9 Ways To Show You Are A "Know It All In Control" Principal
Tetris players found to have greater brain efficiency, thicker cortex and better hair
You just knew all that Tetris playing you did as a kid yesterday was good for you, huh? A new study published by the big thinkers at Mind Research Network has found that "practicing Tetris" can actually improve brain efficiency and lead to a thicker cortex in other areas of the tabula rasa.
Tetris players found to have greater brain efficiency, thicker cortex and better hair
August 31, 2009
Top 12 Academic Articles
This was a harder exercise than what it may appear... For this "Top #" I wanted to focus solely on academic articles (which I defined for myself as published in academic journals), and I wanted to provide a variety of topics - kind of like an overview of the main issues or areas in K-12 online learning/virtual schooling academia.
Travel Day - Top 12 Academic Articles « Virtual High School Meanderings
August 29, 2009
Comparison of Face-To-Face and Hybrid Delivery of a Course that Requires Technology Skills Development
Online learning continues to be among the fastest-growing sectors of higher education. K-12
teachers and education professionals outside of the K-12 classroom are among the consumers taking
interest in online learning. With many opportunities for technology-enriched learning, educators
are becoming more interested in educational technology programs that will provide them
with credentials necessary to serve in the growing areas of educational technology incorporation
and online learning.
August 27, 2009
Textbook Deathwatch: August 2009
Is the print textbook--that old-fashioned, heavy, expensive staple of the 20th-century classroom--soon to be a thing of the past? While it's hard to imagine the K-12 world, known for its resistance to change, throwing out math, language, and science textbooks in favor of digital content, our nation's current fiscal crisis, combined with major shifts in the way we access and process information, is bringing the subject to the fore.
Textbook Deathwatch: August 2009
Seven of 10 parents: I'd like my child to become a teacher.
The majority of Americans give their local public schools good grades, but they rate US schools as a whole lower, expressing concerns about everything from paltry funding to high dropout rates
Seven of 10 parents: I'd like my child to become a teacher. - Yahoo! News
August 26, 2009
Clive Thompson on the New Literacy
As the school year begins, be ready to hear pundits fretting once again about how kids today can't write--and technology is to blame. Facebook encourages narcissistic blabbering, video and PowerPoint have replaced carefully crafted essays, and texting has dehydrated language into "bleak, bald, sad shorthand" (as University College of London English professor John Sutherland has moaned). An age of illiteracy is at hand, right?
Andrea Lunsford isn't so sure. Lunsford is a professor of writing and rhetoric at Stanford University, where she has organized a mammoth project called the Stanford Study of Writing to scrutinize college students' prose. From 2001 to 2006, she collected 14,672 student writing samples--everything from in-class assignments, formal essays, and journal entries to emails, blog posts, and chat sessions. Her conclusions are stirring.
Clive Thompson on the New Literacy
A Kindle for Every Student
In a proposal released last month, the group argues that a K-12 education system where each student has an E-book reader like Amazon's Kindle is "inevitable" and that we shouldn't wait "a decade or two" to achieve it.
A Kindle for Every Student - US News and World Report
Free Screencasting Tool for E-Learning
You may have heard the news last week that Articulate launched a new screencasting tool called Screenr. It is a free web-based tool that lets you create screencasts without installing any software.
» How to Use This Free Screencasting Tool for E-Learning The Rapid eLearning Blog
August 25, 2009
Should a 4-year-old have an iPhone?
My answer, after only a couple of months, is absolutely--with only a few caveats. The first is that I bought him a nice bright red safety case, so that he could find the iPhone easily, differentiate it from mine, and hopefully not break it if he dropped it (although as far as I know, that hasn't actually happened.) Second, I disabled the phone function, so he can't make or receive calls. Although he would no doubt enjoy calling his friends and relatives, given ATT's rates, it makes sense for him not to be randomly calling around the world, (Whether they would like hearing from him with the frequency he might choose is another matter.)
Handheld Learning - Should a 4-year-old have an iPhone?
August 24, 2009
SCCS: Microsoft National Innovative Teacher Award
One of the reasons why I like Darren and the Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School so much is because they are good at what they do (see SCCS makes me proud for proof). The latest reason appears to be:
Microsoft National Innovative Teacher Award (Ryan Hauber)
SCCS: Microsoft National Innovative Teacher Award « Virtual High School Meanderings
eLearning On The Rise
It seems more and more like this recession will further enhance the position of eLearning amongst various training options an organization could choose from for their learning and development initiatives. In March earlier this year I wrote - 'while the times are tough, they are on our side' (by 'our' I meant all technology enabled learning solution providers). Then In May I'd posted about the growth of eLearning outsourcing as projected by an India-based research agency - Valuenotes and more recently about how training companies are adopting eLearning using us as their training back-office. All of these lead upto what I have always believed in - that this downturn will lead to renewed growth in eLearning industry. Here's more to support that thought.
eLearning On The Rise | Upside Learning Blog
August 20, 2009
Blogging About Generational Differences
A good collection of articles about Generational DifferencesBlogging About Generational Differences « Virtual High School Meanderings
Opening Education reports - 2020 and beyond
At the present time the UK education system is witnessing a rash of crystal ball gazing. The Education 2020 report provides a vision for personalised learning for the next 13 years; the Building Schools for the Future programme is engendering debates about the institutions and structures of schooling for the next 50 years; and the 21st century curriculum reviews at QCA are generating discussions about the purpose and function of education for the next 100 years. These discussions are not restricted to the UK; since the late 1990s nation states around the world, and international organisations such as the OECD and UN, have been exploring the future of education in the 21st century.
Things are getting interesting
Chris began by challenging folks to picture any high school at dismissal time and observe the mad rush for students to turn on their devices, the same devices that are banned in most schools. He argues that the more we continue to ignore the role these devices play in students lives, the less relevant our schools become. These devices will only increase in importance and use as our students become adults.
Things are getting interesting
August 19, 2009
The Blaine Game: Are Public Schools Inherently Anti-Catholic?
The article argues that while the development of the public school was un-catholic, in the sense that it did not give Catholic Church authorities what they wanted, its development was not the result of bigotry, but rather of concern about the proper governance of mass education in a republic. It concludes that scholars and judges should engage in more sophisticated analysis of the past, rather than resorting to the casual use of terms like "bigotry" and "anti-Catholicism."
The Blaine Game: Are Public Schools Inherently Anti-Catholic?
Students May Not Be as Software-Savvy as They Think, Study Says - The Chronicle of Higher Education
When it comes to basic computer applications, even members of the millennial generation may not know as much as they think they do.
A study by North Carolina Central University found that most students overestimated their skill levels when they were asked how they perceived their ability to complete certain tasks and then tested on those tasks.
Researchers surveyed 171 undergraduates, the majority of whom believed they had either an average or high skill level in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. The students were then tested on three different skill levels -- basic, moderate, and advanced -- in each of those applications.
Students correctly perceived their skill level only in PowerPoint, the study said, with 81 percent of students who thought they had at least an average skill level actually performing that way.
Mobile internet use increases sharply in 2009
An April 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project shows that 56% of adult Americans have accessed the internet by wireless means, such as using a laptop, mobile device, game console, or MP3 player. The most prevalent way people get online using a wireless network is with a laptop computer; 39% of adults have done this.
Best Practice Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education
This list of best practice strategies is based on "Institutional Policies/Practices and Course Design Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education," produced by WCET in February 2009 and updated in April 2009. In May 2009, the Instructional Technology Council (ITC) surveyed its membership to invite feedback and additional strategies to enhance the WCET work.
Best Practice Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education
Schoolkid Laptops: How Portugal's Doing It Right
Though Portugal has been out of the exploration business for nearly 500 years, the government is charting new territory in preparing its students for the global knowledge economy.
In June, Portugal completed the major phase of the largest deployment of laptops for education in the world to date, equipping nearly a million secondary school students throughout the entire country with high-performance computers and mobile Internet connectivity.
Internet Evolution - Rob Salkowitz - Schoolkid Laptops: How Portugal's Doing It Right
August 17, 2009
Digital Textbooks: 3 Reasons Students Aren't Ready
For higher education students who spend an average of $702 per year on course materials, mostly textbooks, the prospect of going digital is an appealing one. Among the theoretical benefits of digital textbooks is the possibility of significant cost savings due to lower overhead costs -- bits are cheaper than printed pages, after all. Unfortunately, students shouldn't chuck their backpacks any time soon; there still exist some major hurdles that digital textbooks must overcome before they widely replace traditional, printed textbooks on college (and high school) campuses.
Digital Textbooks: 3 Reasons Students Aren't Ready
Escaping the Comparison Trap
One kind of comparison which unfortunately is still employed frequently is comparing delivery modes, in particular comparing online and other forms of distance learning with traditional classroom-based instruction...
Education at the crossroads
Actually, there isn't one, there are three choices that anyone offering higher education is going to have to make.
Should this be scarce or abundant?
Should this be free or expensive?
Should this be about school or about learning?
The combinations...
Education at the Crossroads -Seth's Blog
August 16, 2009
Internal marketing and e-learning success
Traditionally, e-learning implementation plans have focussed on technical issues, however, it is the human element that will dictate success or failure. Hardware can always be upgraded, but perceptions are more difficult to alter.
Experience has shown that in order for e-learning to succeed and for it to become fully integrated into the organisation the training must have a high profile and make an impact right from the start. A full internal marketing campaign is required to ensure high levels of take up and completion rates.
Internal marketing and e-learning success
Online high school grows in popularity
Nearly 1,000 Oklahoma high school students will not be sitting in traditional classrooms this year. Instead, they'll complete courses online through the Oklahoma Virtual High School Web site.
OKVHS offers more than 90 fully accredited courses for students in sixth through 12th grades, with state-certified instructors who are available 14 hours per day, five days a week. And nearly all homework, research and testing is conducted online, although end of instruction exams must be completed in-person.
Online high school grows in popularity - Shawnee, OK - The Shawnee News-Star
Spirituality for Kids
I've had a few parents ask me recently how to help their kids develop their spiritual essence. I love this question. Kids are naturally spiritual. They live in the present moment. They love unconditionally. They don't believe their minds. They don't compare themselves and think they are unique. They overflow with joy.
August 15, 2009
Myths, lies and bull
Its time to start (re)exposing the myths, lies and mountains of bull around education - especially in relation to social media, openness and online learning. If we don't try and gain some perspective on all this, our efforts to develop appropriate educational practices will amount to changes of no significant difference, resulting from a whole lot of pissing in the wind, pushing crap uphill, and hitting our heads against brick walls. You've heard it all before - the same as it has been for most efforts that have come before.
Leigh Blackall: Myths, lies and bull
August 13, 2009
Online textbooks offered free to students
When California math and science teachers return to their classrooms this month, they'll have 10 free online textbooks at their fingertips to help them teach everything from calculus to chemistry.
Online textbooks offered free to students
August 12, 2009
Top ten for summer: A learning list for teachers
Summers seem to go by quickly, especially for teachers who take classes, read up on the latest educational theories, and search for new ways to inspire and engage their students. What can you do, learn, even download in the limited time you have? Improve your technical skills and expand your resources with these classroom tools.
Top ten for summer: A learning list for teachers
10 Things You Must Do to Earn Your Audience's Trust
Do you think some of these might apply to your student's trust????
10 Things You Must Do to Earn Your Audience's Trust
As Classrooms Go Digital, Textbooks May Become History
It is about time.
As Classrooms Go Digital, Textbooks May Become History - NYTimes.com
August 11, 2009
What Does Research Say About Online Learning
Online learning has made a major impact in the world of education. Recent studies show that online learning is an effective and reputable way to earn a college degree.
Want to know more? Here are some highlights from online learning research reports:
What Does Research Say About Online Learning - Online Learning Statistics
10 Reasons to Choose Online Education
Online education isn't the best choice for everyone. But, many students thrive in the online education environment. Here are 10 reasons why online education continues to grow in popularity.
10 Reasons to Choose Online Education - Benefits of Online Education
August 10, 2009
Is Lower Teacher-Student Ratio Better?
There are five Kindergarten classes. Each has 15-16 students, except the class Truman is assigned to. It has 23. It also has a full-time teacher's aide, which I suppose makes the ratio better than in the other classes ... but still. I turned to MuniNetGuide for some guidance on what class sizes may mean. Student-teacher ratio is "generally used as a measure of school quality and state effort, on one hand, and inefficiency, on the other, by politicians, policy makers, the press, local educators, and Education researchers," says John Sietsema, data consultant with the National Center for Education
Is Lower Teacher-Student Ratio Better? : Blisstree - Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles
Why I Left Teaching Behind
When I was a first-year teacher fresh out of college, I got a lot of questions about my chosen profession. I usually said that I was inspired by my grandmother, who taught in the Boston public schools for 35 years. The real truth was that, like many of my peers, I had fallen in love with the idea of the job. Urban classrooms struck me as seductively gritty, and it only seemed right that I "give back" after spending 22 years in a suburban, Ivy League bubble. I rarely voiced this sentiment because I was afraid of sounding cavalier.
Four years later, the question I encounter is equally thorny: Why leave teaching? It's not just a question about how I'll pay my rent. Reformers have big plans to transform failing urban schools, and their work hinges on finding a way to keep strong teachers in the classroom. By throwing in the towel, I have become one more teacher abandoning her students.
By Sarah Fine -- Why I Left Teaching Behind - washingtonpost.com
Gay-friendly online high school believed to be first of its kind
Brooklyn Suchy was in sixth grade when she wore her Gay Straight Alliance shirt for all to see: "GSA, like it or not, I am what I am."
It was at a restaurant in Newport where her shirt drew the ire of a group of girls. They called her names. They shoved her. And then they locked her in the restaurant's bathroom.
"Others don't accept people who want to be who they want to be," said Brooklyn, now a ninth-grader at Crosswinds East Metro Arts & Science School. The 15-year-old Landfall girl considers herself bisexual.
Those were the kinds of stories that prompted one local educator to begin an online high school catering to students like Brooklyn. Named the GLBTQ Online High School, it is based in Maplewood and believed to be the first of its kind. (GLBTQ represents gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning.)
Other online schools exist, as do bricks-and-mortar schools that serve gay students. But the Minnesota program is the first to combine the two features, according to the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.
Gay-friendly online high school believed to be first of its kind - TwinCities.com
July 25, 2009
SWEET MUSIC, TIPS IN A BUCKET, AN OLD VIOLIN
Our students report back for school next week. They will pass by in search of sweet music that genuinely stirs them. I for one, will not abide the adults that rush them past when they only want one glimpse of that brilliant virtuoso that seems to give life a fleeting instant of meaning; or they pop their IPod headphones out to listen to a song whose name they cannot pronounce.
SWEET MUSIC, TIPS IN A BUCKET, AN OLD VIOLIN « "El Milagro Weblog"
July 9, 2009
Closing the Student Information Gap
Electronic student records (ESRs) for all K-12 children would improve accountability, achievement, and the continuity of each child's schooling experience. Right now, we have no cohesive national system for keeping track of what students have done over their educational careers. As a result, we lose incalculable opportunities to provide individual student support, all the while creating a vacuum of institutional knowledge.
Teacher Magazine: Closing the Student Information Gap
July 6, 2009
Unveiling the New Influencers
Traditional influence has followed a systematic top-down process of developing and pushing "controlled" messages to audiences for decades, rooted in one-to-many, faceless broadcast campaigns.
Personality wasn't absent in certain mediums, it was missing from day-to-day communications.
For the most part, this pattern seemingly served its purposes, fueling the belief that brands were in control of their messages, from delivery to dissemination, among the demographics to which they were targeted.
It scaled very well over the years, until it didn't...
Unbeknown to many companies, a quiet revolution was amassing over the last two decades. And, slowly but surely, the whispers eventually intensified into roars.
The socialization of the Web and content publishing disrupted the balance and is now forcing a media renaissance that is transforming information distribution, human interaction and everything that orbits this nascent ecosystem.
It is the dawn of a democratized information economy, which is engendering the emergence of champions and visionaries who endeavor to manifest a more media literate society while transforming the way we publish and share relevant content.
The Social Web heralded the arrival of mainstream consumer influence and a global ecosystem that supports and extends their observations, complaints, opinions, and recommendations.
It served as a great equalizer, capsizing the existing balance and redistributing influence.
Not only is it changing how we create, decipher, and share information, but also it is forever reshaping how brands and content publishers think about their markets and the people who define them.
Unveiling the New Influencers | PR2.0
Arguments for social media engagement
His argument is that he has a very well established, and effective, way of engaging in scholarly discourse and activity, and in order to develop the type of online identity and reputation I was suggesting he would need to give up doing something. I think it is easy for those of us who spend a significant amount of time in the online, participatory media world to think its attractions are obvious, and undeniable. But Chris raises some valid objections here that bear consideration. I think there are four responses one might make, which range in levels of evangelism.
The Ed Techie: Arguments for social media engagement
July 3, 2009
An absolutely riveting online course
This article explores excellence in web-based teaching. Drawing on the views of experts in the field and the perspective of their own years of experience, the authors compiled a list of 9 principles to provide direction in the search for online excellence. The principles include: the online world is a medium unto itself; sense of community and social presence are essential to online excellence; in the online world, content is a verb; great online courses are defined by teaching, not technology. The list is not intended to be an exclusive set of principles or a comprehensive guide to online teaching. Rather it is a collection of important ideas and suggestions for teaching excellence in the online world.
An absolutely riveting online course: Nine principles for excellence in web-based teaching
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teachers
They explain how along Crelos, a business psychologists, they went to analyse the "personalities, motivations and behaviour of 15 award-winning teachers to uncover the seven habits that make them successful in the classroom."
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teachers
July 2, 2009
"The Not-So-Hidden Politics of Class Online"
Many of us in this room have had our lives transformed by technology. Some of us have grown up with tech while others have embraced it as adults. Many of us have become enamored with tech and its transformative potential. And because of this, many of us have become technology advocates. We've worked our way into different institutions, preaching about new opportunities introduced because of the internet. Furthermore, many in this room have been active in transforming politics through technology. We've leveraged technology for fundraising and getting out the vote. We could go on and on about political events that have been shaped by technology, from the Obama Campaign to the post-election Iranian protests.
All of this is brilliant and powerful, exciting and motivating. But I'm also worried. I'm worried about the rhetoric we use when we talk about technology. Given what we've experienced and what we witness today, we tend to believe that these technologies are the great equalizers, that they can help ANYONE participate, that the technologies in and of themselves can revitalize democracy. In other words, we tend to believe in a certain utopian myth of the internet as the savior. What if this weren't true?
"The Not-So-Hidden Politics of Class Online"
June 30, 2009
With More Money, New York's Schools Add More Jobs and Higher Paychecks - Series - NYTimes.com
They have overseen a large expansion in annual school spending, to $22 billion from $13 billion, with the additional money pumped in from Mr. Bloomberg's budget and from the state. And that has allowed them to reshape the system to reflect the central elements of the mayor's philosophy: smaller schools, relentless assessments of progress, and higher salaries for administrators to attract top talent.
Google heads to grade school: New resources for K-12 teachers and students
We use the Internet all the time: at home, at work (especially at Google!), on the move, and, increasingly, at school. We believe that the Internet and cloud-based tools are a key part of a 21st century classroom, helping students learn and teachers teach in collaborative and innovative ways.
Official Google Blog: Google heads to grade school: New resources for K-12 teachers and students
June 29, 2009
The Evidence on Online Education
The study found that students who took all or part of their instruction online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through face-to-face instruction. Further, those who took "blended" courses -- those that combine elements of online learning and face-to-face instruction -- appeared to do best of all. That finding could be significant as many colleges report that blended instruction is among the fastest-growing types of enrollment.
News: The Evidence on Online Education - Inside Higher Ed
Need Something? Talk To My Right Ear
We humans prefer to be addressed in our right ear and are more likely to perform a task when we receive the request in our right ear rather than our left. In a series of three studies, looking at ear preference in communication between humans, Dr. Luca Tommasi and Daniele Marzoli from the University "Gabriele d'Annunzio" in Chieti, Italy, show that a natural side bias, depending on hemispheric asymmetry in the brain, manifests itself in everyday human behavior.
Need Something? Talk To My Right Ear
Many Teens Say They'll Die Before 35
Univ. Of Minnesota Study Polled 20,000 In Grades 7-12; 15 Percent See An Early Demise Thanks To Risky Lifestyle
Shock Study: Many Teens Say They'll Die Before 35 - wcbstv.com
U.S. Push for Free Online Courses
Community colleges and high schools would receive federal funds to create free, online courses in a program that is in the final stages of being drafted by the Obama administration.
The program is part of a series of efforts to help community colleges reach more students and to link basic skills education to job training. The proposals are outlined in administration discussion drafts obtained by Inside Higher Ed. A formal announcement could come in the next few weeks. In addition to the free online courses, the plan would provide $9 billion over 10 years to help community colleges develop and improve programs related to preparing students for good jobs, and a $10 billion loan fund (at low or no interest) for community college facilities.
News: U.S. Push for Free Online Courses - Inside Higher Ed
June 27, 2009
50 Useful Blogging Tools for Teachers
Blogging is becoming more and more popular in the classroom. Teachers can blog to stay in touch with parents and students or they can incorporate blogs from all of the students as a learning tool. The beauty of the student blog is that children from Kindergarten to high school can blog. No matter how you use blogs in your classroom, these tools will help you get started, enhance your experience, or bring the students into the fun.
50 Useful Blogging Tools for Teachers | Teaching Tips
June 25, 2009
Internet for Image Searching
Would you like to learn how to use the Internet to find copyright cleared images for your work, quickly and efficiently?
Internet for Image Searching > START
Key schools policy to be ditched
The government is set to abandon one of its most significant education policies in primary schools in England.
From 2011 schools will no longer have to implement national strategies in literacy and numeracy.
BBC NEWS | UK | Key schools policy to be ditched
June 24, 2009
Kids cheating with tech but are schools cheating kids?
Cheating is cheating regardless of whether you use technology or old-fashioned paper notes. I'm appalled that kids may be using technology to cheat in school, but I'm just as appalled at how schools are cheating kids when it comes to technology.
Kids cheating with tech but are schools cheating kids? | Larry Magid at Large - CNET News
June 23, 2009
Let's Get Real-- Online Networks Will Change Education
Just looking about myself here in Southeastern, Michigan, the phrase "industrial mode of thinking" is enough to send shivers down my spine. "Way of thinking" is the key. I've found that many of my colleagues regard my zest for bringing web 2.0 to the classroom as a novelty. One called it a "hobby." Others certainly see it as something one does beyond regular teaching. "When do you have time to learn it?" or "How do you fit this into everything else you teach?" And those are the ones who will even talk about technology without sneering.
Larry's Opinion Drive-thru: Let's Get Real-- Online Networks Will Change Education
June 22, 2009
The Online 'Attrition Puzzle': New Study Revisits Dropout Debate - Chronicle.com
Online students are much more likely to drop out of courses than their campus-based peers, according to a new study that confirms earlier research on what has been a longstanding concern in the distance-education industry.
Wired Campus: The Online 'Attrition Puzzle': New Study Revisits Dropout Debate - Chronicle.com
eLearning Skills Then and Now
Have you noticed a change in the focus of your eLearning skill set over the past few years? I've noticed a change in mine. I'm doing more work with existing products and services, instead of developing things from scratch. And I find that I'm doing more research and development of learning technology tools now that so many options are available. I'm also doing less and less work with the LMS. I'd like to know: Is it just me? Have you seen your role change? And if so, how?
eLearning Skills Then and Now « eLearning Weekly
Actual Analogies from High School Essays
Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two other sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
Fun Meme | Actual Analogies from High School Essays
June 19, 2009
eLearning, Web 2.0, Blogging, and the stuff inbetween
For a while now I've been happily RT'ing (re-twetting) resources and links in Twitter and then it suddenly struck me. "Bugger, where was that really good link about something that was really good but I can't remember what-it-was or where-I-found-it now?".
So, here is a series of links to websites that have made a difference over the last few weeks:
eLearning, Web 2.0, Blogging, and the stuff inbetween | eLearning Blog // Don't Waste Your Time ...
June 18, 2009
How To Become More Optimistic
Optimism simply means focusing on what can go right. Optimists are happier because they expect and anticipate good things to happen to them in their work life and beyond. They also see the best in every situation.
The case for optimism is a very strong one indeed. Optimists are happier, more successful, healthier, experience less stress, have better relationships and live longer. Crucially, there is plenty of evidence to support the fact that pessimists can learn to be more optimistic.
Optimism is all about how you explain the world around you. Psychologists call this your explanatory style. Your explanatory style refers to the way in which you explain the events that happen in your life, and the meaning you give to that explanation.
Plain Sailing In Schools » Blog Archive » How To Become More Optimistic
Tips For Writing Great Reports
One of the key elements of a good report is knowledge. Teachers deliver programmes of study through a sequence of lessons. As the lessons are being delivered and the pupils are learning, evidence of this learning is being compiled. The evidence may be transitory - through oral questions and answers, discussions and practical work such as that found in subjects like drama or physical education.
Plain Sailing In Schools » Blog Archive » Tips For Writing Great Reports
Brainpower Beyond Sea of Cynicism
If you enjoy your workplace and find yourself coming up with refreshing solutions to stubborn problems, you likely also make choices that cynics rarely get. How so?
Allow no judgments when brainstorming new ideas. Suggest that no criticism be made against any offering until all insights are welcomed and displayed. Remind folks ahead that naysaying shuts out mental creativity.
Brainpower Beyond Sea of Cynicism - Brain Leaders and Learners
Liven Up eLearning Courses With A Funny Quiz
Making good eLearning courses is a developing art. As a trainer, your goal is to make the training memorable. As you design the course, you must design not only the "what" (or content), but also the "how" (the delivery mechanisms). Integrating a funny quiz (like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire") into an eLearning course is an easy way to capture the attention of learners and make your course memorable. Learners will quickly interact with key concepts for your course.
Webinar Wire / Liven Up eLearning Courses With A Funny Quiz
June 17, 2009
Educating the Net Generation
The publication Educating the Net Generation: A Handbook of Findings for Practice and Policy is now available to download.
The Handbook is the main outcome of the Educating the Net Generation project. It provides a set of practice and policy guidelines developed from the project findings.
Hand Book : Educating the Net Generation : The University of Melbourne
Coming to a screen near you
Distance learning is a success, with the provision and demand for it and the technology to support it on the rise. But, as Hannah Fearn reports, the pace of change can make it hard to keep up
Times Higher Education - Coming to a screen near you
How to measure innovation in eLearning
This paper presents and discusses innovation in relation to the European project Innovative Approaches for a Full Inclusion in eLearning (i-AFIEL) and, in particular, the methodology applied to measure innovation in eLearning projects developed by the Spanish OVSI Foundation. The paper focuses on the concept of innovation and the three key aspects related to the eLearning context: technological innovation, sociological innovation and service customization.
How to measure innovation in eLearning. The i-AFIEL methodology
June 15, 2009
Innovation and Motivation
Where exactly does the motivation for innovation come from? Is the act of inventing buried deep within our evolutionary context? Is there an "invention gene" that makes certain people better at inventing fire, steam engines, iPhones and social network engines?
Innovation and Motivation | Psychology Today
Poor knowledge of history 'shocking'
Canadian high school students need a history lesson. Four provinces received a failing grade for their Canadian history curriculum in the latest Canadian History Report Card, released by the Dominion Institute of Canada Monday.
Poor knowledge of history 'shocking': Dominion Institute
Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech
he concept of student involved assessment is hard to deny as a powerful learning practice. Students taking care of their own learning and being able to use meta-cognition to dissect understanding and progress and seek ideas and support to learn more. The work of Rick Stiggins and others provides extensive research into this practice as the most important component leading to student achievement.
Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech » Student Involved Assessment
The Future of Education: Youtwitface to teach.
We are currently living in a technogically-advanced world and the Internet has been highly-regarded as a necessity in life and not a want anymore. As a 15-Year-Old student, I spend several hours on the net daily to find information on Wikipedia for my school projects, watch Barack Obama's speeches on YouTube, and get in touch with my friends on social networking websites Facebook and Twitter. For the past generations, kids like me do not even get a chance to surf the Internet at all when they are young.
The Future of Education: Teachers to use Facebook, Twitter & YouTube to Teach
Politicians Fail to Grasp Peer-to-Peer
The decision was a big setback for the music and movie industries, which wanted other countries to follow the French lead and impose similar systems, called "three strikes" because cutoffs would have been preceded by two warnings to copyright cheats.
Media Cache - Politicians Fail to Grasp Peer-to-Peer - NYTimes.com
June 13, 2009
TV industry eyes future online
Cable and satellite distributors and broadcasters dabble in online video, but unsure of business model
TV industry eyes future online
June 12, 2009
Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally
Bloom's Revised Taxonomy Sub Categories
Each of the categories or taxonomic elements has a number of key verbs associated with it
Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS)
* Remembering - Recognising, listing, describing, identifying, retrieving, naming, locating, finding
* Understanding - Interpreting, Summarising, inferring, paraphrasing, classifying, comparing, explaining, exemplifying
* Applying - Implementing, carrying out, using, executing
* Analysing - Comparing, organising, deconstructing, Attributing, outlining, finding, structuring, integrating
* Evaluating - Checking, hypothesising, critiquing, Experimenting, judging, testing, Detecting, Monitoring
* Creating - designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing, devising, making
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
The elements cover many of the activities and objectives but they do not address the new objectives presented by the emergence and integration of Information and Communication Technologies into the classroom and the lives of our students.
Read More: http://techlearning.com/article/8670
June 11, 2009
100 Incredibly Inspiring Blog Posts for Educators
Blogs offer an excellent way for communities to come together over a common interest despite physical location. Educators can take advantage of this shared pool of knowledge to find inspiration, enhance their teaching, and help students learn more. The following blog posts come from a variety of bloggers sharing their passion and insight.
100 Incredibly Inspiring Blog Posts for Educators - Learn-gasm
Top French court rips heart out of Sarkozy internet law
The Constitutional Council declared access to the internet to be a basic human right, directly opposing the key points of Mr Sarkozy's law, passed in April, which created the first internet police agency in the democratic world.
The strongly-worded decision means that Mr Sarkozy's scheme has backfired and inadvertently boosted those who defend the free-for-all culture of the web.
Top French court rips heart out of Sarkozy internet law - Times Online
June 10, 2009
College in Need, Closes a Door to Needy Students
Money was the problem. Too many of the students needed financial aid, and the college did not have enough. So the director of financial aid gave the team another task: drop more than 100 needy students before sending out acceptances, and substitute those who could pay full freight.
Reed College, in Need, Closes a Door to Needy Students - NYTimes.com
Friending your students
The fear about teacher-student interactions also worries me at a broader societal level. A caring teacher (a genuinely well-intended, thoughtful, concerned adult) can often turn a lost teen into a teen with a mission. Many of us are lucky to have parents who helped us at every turn, but this is by no means universal. There are countless youth out there whose parents are absent, distrustful, or otherwise sources of frustration rather than support and encouragement. Teens need to have adults on their side.
Friending your students - a researcher's perspective « Lucacept - intercepting the Web
Ten Important Classroom Management Tips and Strategies
By now, you have probably already learned that a good classroom management system is responsible for building a positive classroom climate. As a classroom manager, A good classroom manager knows that the benefit of using classroom management strategies can both stimulate and encourage learning.
Ten Important Classroom Management Tips and Strategies
Six ways to escape analysis paralysis
Rushing blindly into a project is a great way to understand the old adage: Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Six ways to escape analysis paralysis | The New Man Of Action
Gridlock at the World Copyright Summit
If there was one word that summed up yesterday's proceedings, it was "gridlock." This term was introduced by Michael Heller, a Columbia Law School professor who spoke in the morning. The word came from his book The Gridlock Economy, whose basic thesis is that too much ownership or property, including intellectual property, creates gridlock that results in underutilization of property and stunting of innovation.
Gridlock at the World Copyright Summit « Copyright and Technology
Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship
Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use.
June 9, 2009
State of E-Learning in Canada
CCL's State of E-Learning in Canada was written to improve Canadians' understanding of e-learning--particularly of its challenges, limitations and benefits--so that Canada may move forward in appropriate and relevant ways.
Learning from Mistakes Takes the Right Feedback
Mistakes, claims Jonah Lehrer, “should be cultivated and carefully investigated.” To the brain, “Disappointment is educational.”
http://www.eduratireview.com/2009/06/i-slammed-my-foot-and-to-my-surprise.html
June 8, 2009
Are we preparing them for life?
In the venerable auditorium of Coughlin High School, with an embattled school board as backdrop, 24 Wilkes-Barre Area School District seniors took turns accepting valedictorian awards. Are they ready for life after high school?
Are we preparing them for life? | Wilkes-Barre News | The Times Leader
8 ways cloud computing may change schools
In considering the 8 statements that Dion has shared from a business perspective, I thought I'd have a crack at presenting some thoughts on how I see cloud computing changing education - in particular, schools - in the near future. (note - I am aware that in some of the ideas represented here I am blurring the boundaries between cloud computing and virtualisation, but the impacts are still valid.)
Derek's Blog » 8 ways cloud computing may change schools
June 5, 2009
School Library Journal's 10 Best Digital Resources for 2009
Our second annual "best of" list looks at products reviewed between June 2008 and the present. The past year saw many excellent and innovative projects--and narrowing them down to a top-10 list wasn't easy. As we prepare for the next school year--or as public libraries develop the budget for a new fiscal year--these are the products for children and teens you should be advocating to add to your digital collection.
School Library Journal's 10 Best Digital Resources for 2009 - 6/1/2009 - School Library Journal
Top 10 Technology Tips for New Teachers
Being a first year teacher can be overwhelming to say the least. There is new curriculum to learn, unfamiliar school policies, classroom management challenges, and new teammates. Technology can help to ease some of these first year growing pains.
Top 10 Technology Tips for New Teachers - TheApple.com
Next Test - Value of $125,000-a-Year Teachers
So what kind of teachers could a school get if it paid them $125,000 a year?
An accomplished violist who infuses her music lessons with the neuroscience of why one needs to practice, and creatively worded instructions like, "Pass the melody gently, as if it were a bowl of Jell-O!"
Next Test - Value of $125,000-a-Year Teachers - NYTimes.com
June 4, 2009
'Dumbest Generation'? Professor blames technology
I find that the definition of intelligence is narrow, many of the smartest people I know have never gone near the ivory towers.
'Dumbest Generation'? Professor blames technology - USATODAY.com
Teachers trump class size
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spent billions of dollars exploring the idea that smaller high schools might result in higher graduation rates and better test scores. Instead, it found the key to better education is not necessarily smaller schools but more effective teachers.
Top News - Gates Foundation: Teachers trump class size
June 2, 2009
How Google Wave will reshape the blogging world forever
I am interested to see this application when it arrives...Google does many things well, I hope this in another.
How Google Wave will reshape the blogging world forever
May 31, 2009
Flips&DigitalCams
We just purchased a flip cam for the cyber school this resource will be useful.
Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age » Flips&DigitalCams
Implementing Web 2.0
A lot of organizations are struggling with what to do with a host of costly, high-maintenance technologies that they have introduced in the last decade, hoping these technologies would produce (a) improved internal productivity, and (b) better relationships with customers. They have achieved neither objective. So they're stuck with some very large and expensive lemons,
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO IMPLEMENTING WEB 2.0 (AKA SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS) IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
Royalty free stuff
A whole list of royalty free stuff
Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age » Royalty free stuff
The 19 Best Elearning Blogs - Articulate - Word of Mouth Blog
From learning theories to content design, metadata to LMSes, survey data to industry trends, these blogs have it all.
This list represents some of the more active e-learning blogs I've found or already read regularly. Each of these is great in its own way -- be it the in-depth analysis, the industry headlines, the technical prowess -- but all will get you thinking about learning and technology in new ways.
The 19 Best Elearning Blogs - Articulate - Word of Mouth Blog
May 30, 2009
The Excellent Inevitability of Online Courses
As students sign up for online courses in record numbers, faculty members and administrators on campuses across the country are considering what place such courses should have in their curricula. Each institution's answer goes to the heart of its mission, and the examination process involves debate and discussion about how that mission will be carried out using the newest technology.
Opponents of online instruction believe that traditional, face-to-face teaching is always better. A colleague of mine, wary of caving in to students' demands for online courses, remarked recently that "students demand free beer, too; that doesn't mean we should give it to them."
The Excellent Inevitability of Online Courses - Chronicle.com
May 25, 2009
Flickr Perversion
I'd love to hear from you. While openness will be a continued theme in my educational life, I continue to rethink these philosophies on the most personal of levels. It is also my belief in openness that guides me in telling this story. I believe that we need to face these issues head on, inform others, raise awareness, and work to solve these problems together.
open thinking » Flickr Perversion
Teen Brains Wired to Make Lousy Decisions
Ever scratch your head and wonder what your teen was thinking when they made a decision that was clearly going to have negative consequences? You saw the right choice; why couldn't they?
Two reasons: teen brains aren't fully grown up, and teens use a different part of the brain to make decisions than you do.
Get used to scratching your head for a few more years. Your teen's "good decision making" part of the brain won't mature until they are in their late twenties. This slow growing part of the brain is called the prefrontal cortex. Think of it as the CEO of the brain. It is responsible for rational, logical decision making, future planning and understanding consequences. Since this part of the brain is still maturing, teen brains' are wired to rely more another area of the brain to make decisions. It's called the limbic system.
Teen Brains Wired to Make Lousy Decisions [Guest Post] | Radical Parenting
May 22, 2009
Probe into teacher Twitter posts
A Scottish teacher who posted messages discussing her pupils on a social networking website is being investigated by her employers.
BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Probe into teacher Twitter posts
Young People Are All Right
The Dumbest Generation is an assault on people under 30. In chapter after chapter, the author, a professor of English at Emory University, rails at how little they know, how little they read, and how their fascination with screens (television and computer) fails to produce learning. What they write is full of "bad grammar, teen colloquialisms and shallow ironies." Books are losing out. Unlike many, the author worries about the consequences less for the country's economic future than for its intellectual future. "We need a steady stream...of strong military leaders and wise political leaders, dedicated journalists and demanding teachers, judges and muckrakers, scholars and critics and artists." The problem is not so much school as it is what young people do in their private time: their "social and leisure dispositions are killing the culture, and when they turn 40 and realize what they failed to learn it will be too late."
Hoover Institution - Education Next - Young People Are All Right
Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials are next!
I came across this very well put together video a little while ago. It is about the generation that is moving into power as you read this: Generation We.
Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials are next! | Daniel Staemmler
May 21, 2009
70+ Videos for Tech. & Media Literacy
Over the past few years, I have been collecting interesting Internet videos that would be appropriate for lessons and presentations, or personal research, related to technological and media literacy. Here are 70+ videos organized into various sub-categories. These videos are of varying quality, cross several genres, and are of varied suitability for classroom use.
open thinking » 70+ Videos for Tech. & Media Literacy
The Challenge of Training the PlayStation Generation
The Challenge of Training the PlayStation Generation
We now live in a multiplex world of many voices and ideas, mediated by the internet. At the forefront in using digital technology is the e-learning industry.
I'd forgotten about that.
That is to say, I'd forgotten that I had written those sentences until my quarterly copy of T&D Magazine came through the mail the other day. Included in the magazine was a short article I'd contributed to the publication on workplace training, e-learning, and one of the challenges organizations are about to encounter.
Recession notwithstanding, the PlayStation Generation (Digital Natives, Millennials, Generation Z: pay your money and take your choice) is beginning to enter the workforce, and the trickle of TandDSpring09people will grow to a flood over the next decade. These workers will test the skills and expertise of training professionals in ways never encountered in the past, and quite unlike the demands the current economic unpleasantness is making on L&D people.
Like other generations, the PlayStation Generation is "shaped by the events ...and trends of its time" (McCrindle, M., 2008). In particular, the emergence of internet-based technologies and synchronous communication systems including e-mail, txtng, and IM, as well as new media used through websites like YouTube, and the (ever-growing) range of social networking sites and influence of the Read/Write Web seem to be a characteristic of this generation's reputation for intense peer orientation and their desire for instant gratification.
In their 2008 text, Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's Students, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa found that in a survey of 7,705 college students in the US:
* 97% own a computer
* 97% have downloaded music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing
* 94% own a cell phone
* 76% use instant messaging and social networking sites
* 75% of college students have a Facebook account[18]
* 60% own some type of portable music and/or video device such as an iPod
* 49% regularly download music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing
* 34% use websites as their primary source of news
* 28% author a blog and 44% read blogs
* 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day/7 days a week
(I think it's time to use the quote from my article - don't you?)
It's clear that we now live in a multiplex world of many voices and ideas, mediated by the internet. At the forefront in using these digital technology is the e-learning industry.
To meet the challenge of workplace generational diversity, L&D professionals must embrace the knowledge that change is coming, look to the training tools and technologies that already exist, and be prepared to embrace innovation in organizational learning. Understanding the demographics of the 21st Century workforce should influence future training techniques; if you're smart, you'll be developing training strategies and approaches already.
Some approaches to consider:
* Understand the importance of the peer group
* Incorporate viral marketing or word-of mouth/ referral strategies into learning.
* Use an anecdotal style / storytelling to engage learners
* Use scenarios, risks, and consequences to develop skills, build cognitive awareness, and likely outcomes to events. Dealing in theory, raw data, or pure statistics will not motivate this group of workers to learn.
As the 2008 US presidential election demonstrated, everyone from GenX onwards is technologically savvy (if not quite literate) and think nothing of accessing trends and movements online. They are not inclined to hang around for traditional, authoritarian leaders (or trainers) and the government (or company) to tell them what to do; they have decided to "get on with it."
I predict that one of the consequences of the current economic crisis is that many older employees will choose to leave or be forced out of the workforce. Here in Ireland we've already seen unskilled and semi-skilled people losing their jobs by the tens of thousands, as both they and the firms they work for have problems adapting to the new economic reality.
This story is unfolding all around the Western Hemisphere.
The chances are that the industries that supported these people will go to low cost base economies and will never return. The older, Baby Boomer generation-aged manpower than supplied these businesses will be hard-pressed to find full-time work in the same economic sector again.
If, as an L&D professional, you fail to adapt your training strategies to the needs of the new, diverse workforce, start planning a career change, because you might find your skills as relevant as those of other obsolete professions, such as chimney sweeps, match girls, gurl hurriers, and stagecoach tilters: the workplace of the future won't hang around for if you can't adapt to its requirements.
________
References:
McCrindle, M. (2008) The ABC of XYZ: Generational Diversity at Work. McCrindle Research. [Internet] Available from: http://www.quayappointments.com.au/email/040213/images/generational_diversity_at_work.pdf Accessed 10 May 2009.
Junco, R., & Mastrodicasa, J. (2007) Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's Students. NASPA.
Social Networks that matter
Scholars, advertisers and political activists see massive online social networks as a representation of social interactions that can be used to study the propagation of ideas, social bond dynamics and viral marketing, among others. But the linked structures of social networks do not reveal actual interactions among people. Scarcity of attention and the daily rhythms of life and work makes people default to interacting with those few that matter and that reciprocate their attention. A study of social interactions within Twitter reveals that the driver of usage is a sparse and hidden network of connections underlying the "declared" set of friends and followers.
May 20, 2009
Plug Into The Cloud
Microsoft VP and its former CIO Ron Markezich is participating in a panel discussion on cloud computing today at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's CIO Symposium. Markezich will share five tips on how to get started in the cloud, based on the experiences of Microsoft's early cloud customers.
Microsoft's own cloud services--Windows Azure and the Azure Services Platform--aren't yet available, but CEO Steve Ballmer has said Microsoft will deliver the first of those services later this year. In the meantime, demand for Microsoft's business productivity suite offered as a service--the "Online" versions of Exchange, SharePoint, Office Communications, and Live Meeting--is strong, Markezich says. A few weeks ago, Microsoft expanded availability of those online apps to 20 countries.
Microsoft's Beginner's Guide To Cloud Computing - Plug Into The Cloud - InformationWeek
Save schools money, expand learning time
New research at the University of Florida predicts more public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade will take classes online, have longer school days and more of them in the next decade. Academic performance should improve and schools could save money--an especially appealing pitch when budgets are tight.
While distance education over the Internet is already widespread at colleges and universities, UF education al technology researchers are offering some of the first hard evidence documenting the potential cost-savings of virtual schooling in K-12 schools.
Online classes can save schools money, expand learning time | News & Publications
Perceptions of Distance Learning Among Faculty of a College of Education
Students and employers laud distance education for its usefulness in overcoming obstacles like location and family and work schedules. College and university administrators hail its cost effectiveness and its usefulness in facilitating enrollment increases. However, faculty members do not necessarily share this enthusiasm. Since the role of faculty members is crucial to the successful implementation of any education program, it is important to understand why faculty members may be reluctant to embrace the non-traditional modes of course delivery standard to distance education. In order to better understand this dynamic, a qualitative study was conducted among faculty of a College of Education at a public regional university located in south Texas to ascertain faculty perception of value and viability of distance education in their context. The results of this study indicate that faculty members studied do not uniformly recognize or embrace the use of distance education. These findings are discussed and recommendations for this College of Education are derived from the analysis.
Perceptions of Distance Learning Among Faculty of a College of Education
May 19, 2009
Podcast trumps lecture in one college study
The ability to pause and rewind podcast lectures gave the upper hand to college students in a recent study that compared the performance of students who attended a lecture in person and those who viewed it from iTunes University.
The study, "iTunes University and the Classroom: Can Podcasts Replace Professors?," was conducted at the State University of New York Fredonia. It called for some introductory psychology students to watch a recorded lecture available online and others to attend a traditional classroom lecture.
Top News - Podcast trumps lecture in one college study
The Facebook Promise: Cool Or Just Cold
Do you Facebook? Why do you Facebook? How many friends do you have? How many Facebook friends do you have? Is there a difference? Should there be a difference?
We could have quite a conversation on these four questions, if only we could actually converse. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and all the other "social networking" sites might be signs that we aren't talking much anymore, or, worse yet, could be contributing factors to the absence of meaningful communication.
Russell Bishop: The Facebook Promise: Cool Or Just Cold
The Benefits of Distraction and Overstimulation
I'm going to pause here, right at the beginning of my riveting article about attention, and ask you to please get all of your precious 21st-century distractions out of your system now.
The Benefits of Distraction and Overstimulation -- New York Magazine
25 Elearning Tools 2009
This is the 2009 version of this popular resource. The 2009 Toolbox contains 25 categories of learning tool. Within each tool category are the names of the most popular tools from the emerging 2009 Top Tools for Learning, as selected by learning professionals worldwide. The majority of tools in the Toolbox are FREE tools, although a number of commercial tools are included. Some of the tools are desktop tools; others are online services.
May 15, 2009
Learning with 'e's: Here's to the crazy ones
Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward.
And while some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
Learning with 'e's: Here's to the crazy ones
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing -- the creation of large data centers that can be dynamically provisioned, configured, and reconfigured to deliver services in a scalable manner -- places enormous capacity and power in the hands of users. As an emerging new technology, however, cloud computing also raises significant questions about resources, economics, the environment, and the law. Many of these questions relate to geographical considerations related to the data centers that underlie the clouds: physical location, available resources, and jurisdiction. While the metaphor of the cloud evokes images of dispersion, cloud computing actually represents centralization of information and computing resources in data centers, raising the specter of the potential for corporate or government control over information if there is insufficient consideration of these geographical issues, especially jurisdiction. This paper explores the interrelationships between the geography of cloud computing, its users, its providers, and governments.
May 14, 2009
CNIE 2009 Concludes
CNIE 2009 Concludes « Virtual High School Meanderings
The conference was held a one heck of a nice hotel in Ottawa. After all the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel was good enough for Mulroney (who we saw in the lobby) while he was testifing at the Oliphant Commission.
The conference had a good program filled with good speakers but did not have WIFI which did not add to a real good backend with twitter chatter and bloggin etc.
The second day had no lunch and only one hour break which did not allow us to get back in time for the 1:00 session.
Did some great networking and did get some great flip video content which I will post in the next couple of day. Overall the trip to the capital was a worthwhile venture.
CNIE 2009 Concludes
Just a quick note, the 2009 annual conference of the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education wrapped up yesterday in Ottawa, Ontario. I few weeks ago I posted an entry that outlined the K-12 Online Learning Presentations at CNIE 2009.
CNIE 2009 Concludes « Virtual High School Meanderings
May 13, 2009
ZaidLearn: ZaidLearn's Master List
To avoid such scenarios happening again (at least to me!), I have created a 'Master List' below containing all the juiciest resource lists compiled on ZaidLearn. Trust me; some of these resource lists are really yummy. Interestingly, some of these resource lists have been referenced by several University/College/School courses around the world including United States, Canada, England, Australia, and South-Africa. Actually, a couple of the resource lists below have been embedded or referred (linked) to from more than a hundred sites or blogs out there (try to guess which one, or Google them to figure it out). It is really amusing and motivating (to the ego).
ZaidLearn: ZaidLearn's Master List
Ten Commandments of eLearning Design
Cath Ellis has a great post outlining her Ten Commandments of eLearning. These basic principles, if adhered to, can make a huge difference in whether or not a project will be successful. These principles apply whether you are designing an eLearning course or introducing a new tool for your learners (ex. a blog, wiki, discussion board, etc.).
Here's a summary of the Ten Commandments, but be sure to read Cath's post for detailed information on each of the items:
Ten Commandments of eLearning Design « eLearning Weekly
Google Apps For Education
Google Apps is free for schools and has no ads. It allows students and teachers to create documents(Word, Excel, PowerPoint), share calendars, email, chat, create web pages and more. It is secure as everything stays within the registered domain and cannot be accessed by people who do not have a school login. It is an excellent tool to provide elearning. It works on any computer including Macs.
Inside Microsoft's 'Future Home'
I want this now....please....please
BBC NEWS | Technology | Inside Microsoft's 'Future Home'
May 12, 2009
More Search Options
Our first announcement today is a new set of features that we call Search Options, which are a collection of tools that let you slice and dice your results and generate different views to find what you need faster and easier. Search Options helps solve a problem that can be vexing: what query should I ask?
Official Google Blog: More Search Options and other updates from our Searchology event
Why Kids Cheat and How to Stop It
These days, it seems like cheating is everywhere, from the baseball diamond to the classroom. With stories of professional dishonesty and performance-enhancing drugs permeating the adult world, it's no wonder that studies show academic cheating among children and teens on the rise. But while cheating on a test or plagiarizing an essay may seem a quick way to get a leg up, students are actually holding themselves back from the type of meaningful learning that will serve them best in life.
Why Kids Cheat and How to Stop It
Nine great reasons why teachers should use Twitter
What's the point of Twitter? Why should educators get involved? What difference does using Twitter make?
Here are some answers that you might like to share.
Nine great reasons why teachers should use Twitter | Laura Walker
Prepare for Swine Flu Pandemic
Many traditional schools are considering online learning alternatives as a backup in case Swine Flu outbreaks necessitate campus closures.
Schools Consider Distance Learning Alternatives to Prepare for Swine Flu Pandemic
I'm Not Changing My Mind About Cell Phones...
Please, do not ban cell phones from schools! Instead, use these examples of poor behavior to teach children to use their phones (and other technologies) responsibly and appropriately. Teach children the positive uses of technology so that they respect the power they hold in their hands. Instead of eliminating cell phone use in school, use cell phones more in school. Teach children how they can take and send pictures that relate to the curriculum, that have merit, and that show creativity. Give children the freedom to explore the uses of technology with the proper guidance and instruction. I believe that once kids respect the technology, the examples of irresponsibility, cyberbullying, and "sexting" will diminish.
I'm Not Changing My Mind About Cell Phones... « The Principal and Interest
Facebook user poked - by the courts
Chatting with "friends" on social networking sites could have legal implications and turn Facebook users into their own worst enemies.
Facebook user poked - by the courts
A Firm Foundation
George Siemens keynote at the CNIE Conference 2009. Makes you think check it out.
May 9, 2009
Is Real-time the Future of the Web?
It's clear that the Web has altered how we as a society consume information. Not only has Internet communication made information more accessible, but social media has made it easier to organize, filter, and most of all, create. Yet with innovations like Twitter and microblogging, we're reaching a point where the flow of information has become so heavy that the only way to really keep track of it is via real-time web tools.
Is Real-time the Future of the Web?
May 8, 2009
Teaching Generation Tech
Today I had to tell one my male students that it was a bit awkward that his hands repeatedly fidget with something in his pocket below the desk. If you're now horrified (because I am, in fact, a high school teacher), don't worry, it's just a cell phone.
However, to many educators, the cell phone is the bane of our professional existence. My school has a no cell phone policy that is completely ignored by students and heavily debated by faculty. These devices are everywhere, either hanging out of the pockets of their low-slung jeans or glued between their ear and their shoulder.
Teaching Generation Tech: Is this ringing in my pants bothering you?
The Net Gen and Web 2.0
"Baby boomers... are embracing popular consumer technology applications nearly 20 times faster than younger generations. Compared to a year ago, Gen Y consumers between the ages of 18 and 24, are decelerating their use of consumer electronics and related services including social networking, blogging, listening to podcasts and posting video on the Internet. Yet, there was a 67 percent increase among baby boomers reading blogs or listening to podcasts."
Net Gen Skeptic: The Net Gen and Web 2.0
Project based Learning
Project Based Learning (PBL) is a great way to teach students content, 21st century skills, and engage them in something fun and educational
How to get Started with Project Based Learning by David Andrade
Balancing the Good and Bad of Social-Networking Sites
Principal Conn McCartan of Minnesota's Eden Prairie High School had no plans to police the Internet and its social spheres. But in January, he was mailed a computer disk containing photos of students drinking alcohol, and the photos had been posted on the social-networking Web site Facebook. McCartan couldn't ignore the rule-breaking.
McCartan and his staff interviewed 43 students; 13 of them were subsequently disciplined. Most were members of athletic teams and clubs that have specific prohibitions and penalties for underage drinking.
"Facebook is a public site, but we didn't go out there looking for it," McCartan says of the misbehavior that came to light. "Somebody sends us something, and we're obligated to respond."
May 7, 2009
Tech-savvy teens 'adopt' teachers
Students help instructors navigate computer techniques, blogging, multimedia
The Strength of Weak Ties
How innovative are you?
Like the concept of best practice, defining what constitutes innovation is probably a relative term and a moving target at best. What is innovative for one teacher might not necessarily be considered so innovative for another. I'm not so sure that there is a clear line in the sand where something, some practice, some technique, or someone, becomes labeled as innovative. I think you know innovation when you see it.
The Strength of Weak Ties » Side Pocket
Debating the future of e-learning
There was a general agreement that e-learning usage would continue to rise, that blended learning would ultimately replace isolated face to face delivery, not least for capturing the event itself and providing simple pre-session preparation and post session reinforcement.
Lars is Learning: Debating the future of e-learning (video)
The Future of eLearning is Social Learning « eLearning Weekly
These presentations are valuable for several reasons. First, they explain the significance and importance of social learning in simple, people terms without getting overly technical. I would feel very comfortable using these presentations to help educate upper management on the benefits of social learning without hesitation. Second, the presentations describe a solid approach (using Elgg) for getting started with social learning. It's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the social learning tools out there, and even though I've never used Elgg, it seems like it would be a great starting point. Finally, the presentations are extremely portable on SlideShare; you can embed and share them very easily with others. Take a look...
The Future of eLearning is Social Learning « eLearning Weekly
Free Digital Textbooks for High School Students
Now this is a good idea...
May 6, 2009
Blended learning
I think that these findings are a fitting frame for thinking about blended learning, the focus of this special issue. Also known as "hybrid" or "mixed" learning, blended learning integrates face-to-face and online learning in a pedagogically sound manner. The NSSE findings suggest that blended learning not only solves problems of space and access, it is also more likely to engage students in learning.
May 4, 2009
Top Tech skills a student needs to know
It's no longer enough for students to get an education if they want a great job; they also need the technology know-how that employers have come to expect. It is never too early to assist students in developing their communication skills in the use of technology. Here are 10 things a students needs to know once they leave school; to survive in higher education, to get a job and to communicate and contribute in the global world.
Top Tech skills a student needs to know | My Tech Reflection
Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?
Social media is quickly moving from an emerging form of communication to the mainstream. So, just like in the old days when companies had to figure out how to deal with email, now they have to figure out how to deal with Facebook and all other new media venues. Let's talk about the Five Ws to adopting a social media policy.
Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?
Blogging About Generational Differences
A great collection of entries about generational differences.
Blogging About Generational Differences « Virtual High School Meanderings
May 1, 2009
Education for a Digital World Advice, Guidelines, and Effective Practice from Around the Globe
Co-published by BCcampus and Commonwealth of Learning, 2008
"Our time is a time for crossing barriers, for erasing old categories - for probing around."
- Marshall McLuhan
Digital information technologies are transforming the way we work, learn, and communicate. Within this digital revolution are new learning approaches that transform hierarchical, industrial-based models of teaching and learning.
The creation of this book employed the very principles it espouses. It embodied a forming relationships model, and the sharing of ideas to produce new thinking model. A unique interactive, collaborative research model based on the formation of online relationships among 50 contributors from around the world representing research, administration and business communities. The development of the book demonstrates the powerful opportunity afforded by online technologies in this digital revolution era.
Education for a Digital World contains a comprehensive collection of proven strategies and tools for effective online teaching, based on the principles of learning as a social process. It offers practical, contemporary guidance to support e-learning decision-making, instructional choices, as well as program and course planning, and development.
Practical advice, real-life examples, case studies, and useful resources supply in-depth perspectives about structuring and fostering socially engaging learning in an online environment. A plethora of e-learning topics provide insights, ideas, and usable tools. Tips and evidence-based theory guide administrators, program and course developers, project teams, and teachers through the development of online learning opportunities.
Education for a Digital World is an indispensable guide, resource, textbook and manual for policymakers and practitioners in developing and developed countries.
___________________
* Part 1: The Impact of Instructional Technologies
* Part 2: Preparing Online Courses
* Part 3: Implementing Technology
* Part 4: E-learning in Action
* Part 5: Engagement and Communication
http://www.col.org/resources/crsMaterials/Pages/edDigitalWorld.aspx
"Where Do You Learn?"
Learning environment development has been a key part of the Academic Innovation Team's remit for a number of years at Sheffield Hallam University (see About Us). Beginning with our research into the impact of e-learning on the student experience in 2002 -- and recognizing the way e-learning influenced students' views of physical spaces -- we started to look more closely at the ways in which our students and faculty use on-campus spaces, and at ways in which our environments needed to evolve. A recurring theme that emerged was the importance of serendipitous meetings and the ad hoc use of those "in between" times: in between taught sessions, in between focused study, in between study and home.
"Where Do You Learn?": Tweeting to Inform Learning Space Development (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE
April 30, 2009
44 Tools for the PR Consultant's Toolbox
Sometimes as an administrator for the cyber school I feel like a PR type guy...this list is very cool
44 Tools for the PR Consultant's Toolbox | soloprpro.com
April 27, 2009
Stopping bullying by teachers and other school staff
After screening responses, his research (done in the mid- 1990s) found that 11-12% of students reported bullying by peers, while 1.5-2% reported bullying by teachers, with the numbers reporting teacher bullying increasing as students got older. Interestingly, he did not find a correlation between any one young person being bullied by a teacher and that same young person being bullied by a peer- so his research suggests that teacher bullying does not set up students to then be bullied by their peers.
Stopping bullying by teachers and other school staff
April 26, 2009
Ten Commandments of eLearning Design
Cath Ellis has a great post outlining her Ten Commandments of eLearning. These basic principles, if adhered to, can make a huge difference in whether or not a project will be successful. These principles apply whether you are designing an eLearning course or introducing a new tool for your learners (ex. a blog, wiki, discussion board, etc.).
Ten Commandments of eLearning Design « eLearning Weekly
How To Make E Learning Work
Jane Hart has created a great slideshow.
The session is How to make e-learning work. Here are the slides I am using. I hope I can keep it to 25 minutes; I have a lot to say!
April 24, 2009
Use Skype with Students
So, I have been using Skype to stay connected to the folks back home, as well as to connect to the people I'm working with in India. Though my cell phone's functionality has been terrible, Skype has been nearly flawless.
Use Skype with Students | Edutopia
April 23, 2009
Rules in an Online Course
With the onset of the online education environment and online courses a new buzzword has evolved called, netiquette. Simply defined, it means etiquette on the Internet (or net). In an online course you will have your communication skills tested! You will be speaking through writing both to fellow students and instructors, so it is imperative to communicate well and professionally.
Top Five Netiquette Rules in an Online Course for Success!
1 in 4 grade schools going year-round
1 in 4 grade schools going year-round
CPS | Some parents say schedule disrupts family, but backers say students learn more
1 in 4 grade schools going year-round :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education
April 21, 2009
FIVE QUESTIONS...For George Siemens
I wouldn't use the term broken to describe the education system. I would say, instead, that our education system is mismatched to the needs of today's society. Caught your interest...read more
April 20, 2009
Take Your Faculty SpeedGeeking!
I would like to know more about this...it seems like a cool idea.
Why Web 2.0 is Important to Higher Education
Worth a read...
Why Web 2.0 is Important to Higher Education -- Campus Technology
Blogs in Education
What is a Blog?
A blog is a personal website that contains content organized like a journal or a diary. Each entry is dated, and the entries are displayed on the web page in reverse chronological order, so that the most recent entry is posted at the top. Readers catch up with blogs by starting at the top and reading down until they encounter material they're already read.
Though blogs are typically thought of as personal journals, there is no limit to what may be covered in a blog. It is common for people to write blogs to describe their work, their hobbies, their pets, social and political issues, or news and current events. And while blogs are typically the work of one individual, blogs combining contributions of several people, 'group blogs', are also popular.
Full Article can be found here:
April 9, 2009
Video: World Wide Web in Plain English
A short explanation of what makes the World Wide Web work: browsers, packets, servers addresses and links
April 7, 2009
Four tips for when teaching (and life) gets crazy
These apply to online as well as face to face.
Four tips for when teaching (and life) gets crazy
'Tweeting' Between Students, Faculty
At 2:46 a.m. on April 3, Princeton politics professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell tweeted to Kyle Carone '09, "omg! Go to sleep already!" after he wrote on his twitter.com profile that the 165-page thesis he had just finished would make for great reading on her plane ride to Cape Town, South Africa.
'Tweeting' Between Students, Faculty
April 5, 2009
Smart People Really Do Think Faster
The smarter the person, the faster information zips around the brain, a UCLA study finds. And this ability to think quickly apparently is inherited.
Smart People Really Do Think Faster
April 3, 2009
Twitter experiment
I am a co writer of the next best selling novel! OK, maybe not quite the best selling and not quite a novel yet :-) Let me start from the beginning:
Twitter user dcannell announced via Twitter:
Feel like helping, we need your next 140 characters, your creativity, together writing the next best seller http://bit.ly/14lBrK
A story built 140 characters at a time. If you are a twitter users...log on and add your line...add a hashmark #tothesky and I will add your line to the story.
I think therefore I blog :-): Twitter experiment
April 2, 2009
Get Game Smart: Tips for Teens
Interesting list...
Get Game Smart: Tips for Teens
April 1, 2009
Free Technology for Teachers: 5 Fun, Interesting, and Educational Things on Twitter
The feedback on my idea for sharing my five favorite Twitter finds of the day received very positive feedback so I will continue posting my favorite links
Free Technology for Teachers: 5 Fun, Interesting, and Educational Things on Twitter
March 31, 2009
Series: Cyber School PPTs
Series: Cyber School PPTs « Virtual High School Meanderings
Again thanks to Michael Barbour for this repost of TADO blog entries.
Series: SCCS Historical Documents
Series: SCCS Historical Documents « Virtual High School Meanderings
Again thanks to Michael Barbour for this organization of my blog entries.
March 30, 2009
The Perfect Fit?
The present model in which we function has served us well for many generations and has served society. However, it has become apparent that the model is not doing as well as it once did. As a class, we began to discuss the model and examine it as being a model. We broke it down into different aspects of the model framework: patterns, people, perception and environment. As we went through these different aspects, we began to look at what things we could change to improve the model. I then assigned this to students, who were free to work together to discuss and then come up with their own model of learning.
The Perfect Fit? « Educational Discourse
Angela Maiers Educational Services: SCAMPER Your Way to Success
I will be sharing with University students one of my favorite strategies called SCAMPERing.
SCAMPER was created by Bob Earle and popularized by Michael Michalko in his excellent book, Thinkertoys. to strengthen a learners ability to question, imagine,and adapt. See why it is one of my favorites?
Angela Maiers Educational Services: SCAMPER Your Way to Success
How Attention Works
First of all, getting and keeping an audience's attention is probably the most important thing that a presenter must be able to do. There are other things that are important, but if the audience members are daydreaming or not listening, they just aren't going to hear you. In addition, bored audiences are noisier, and are more distracting to the presenter since they tend to talk amongst themselves, shuffle paper, get up and leave.
How Attention Works - A Guide For Public Speakers & Presenters
Darren's Got Cyber Style
I believe this collection comes from a face-to-face professional development session that Darren (from over at TADO) had with administrators from the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division.
Darren's Got Cyber Style « Virtual High School Meanderings
TADO: Learning Styles « Virtual High School Meanderings
Some Thoughts On Hybrid Learning « Virtual High School Meanderings
The Edublogger's Student Competition! | The Edublogger
But the most important aspects of this challenge are
to have fun,
improve your blogging and
make friends.
The Edublogger's Student Competition! | The Edublogger
Helpful Websites for Teachers
The Internet offers a wealth of helpful information for teachers. Sometimes however it is hard to find time to find the best websites. The following websites are full of useful information and help teachers share ideas and stay abreast of new educational trends and technology news.
Software as a Service and Cloud Computing
Explained in plain english...I was trying to explain this to someone the other day and messed it all up...but this is good.
Software as a Service and Cloud Computing : SharePoint in Education
March 29, 2009
Nine great reasons why teachers should use Twitter
What's the point of Twitter? Why should educators get involved? What difference does using Twitter make?
Here are some answers that you might like to share.
Nine great reasons why teachers should use Twitter | Laura Walker
March 28, 2009
Top 10 Tools for a Free Online Education
It's easy to forget these days that the internet started out as a place for academics and researchers to trade data and knowledge. Recapture the web's brain-expanding potential with these free resources for educating yourself online.
http://lifehacker.com/5188342/top-10-tools-for-a-free-online-education
March 27, 2009
How to Start a Twitter Novel
Twitter Novels are one use of Twitter that many of us would never consider - but there's a growing number of Twitter Novelists exploring the medium. Today Brandon J. Mendelson, author of The Falcon Can Hear The Falconer (a Twitter Novel) gives some tips for writing Twitter Novels.
Are computer games a literary genre?
Sci-fi has a nobler literary tradition than you might think. Doris Lessing, Iain Banks trading as Iain M Banks and Toby Litt have all turned their hand to it, so you can see why Edinburgh Napier University has chosen to run a creative writing MA in science fiction. But a module in creative writing for computer games seems a step too far.
Blog: Are computer games a literary genre?
The Heart of a Teacher: Identity and Integrity in Teaching
Love this article...
The Heart of a Teacher: Identity and Integrity in Teaching, by Parker J. Palmer
March 26, 2009
Weblogg-ed » Kids Owning the Learning
It's hard to capture everything that's cool about the Wooranna Park Primary School in a blog post, but let me boil it down to this: the kids are driving the learning, from the design of the school and the curriculum to the decision making around school policy and more.
Weblogg-ed » Kids Owning the Learning
ELearning Development Questions
Educators and trainers just like you are being asked to create online education programs to cut training and operations costs. Before plunging into developing an elearning program answer these five questions. Use the comments area to ask other question about developing elearning.
ELearning Development Questions | EPS411 ELearning Design and Production
Six technologies soon to affect education
New report describes the emerging technologies that will shape K-12 education in the near future
Top News - Six technologies soon to affect education
March 25, 2009
How Zoombini games help Children Learn
One of the best-known educational games among educational gaming professionals is The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis-an early entrant into the field of educational games, and an extremely thoughtful and challenging puzzle game for kids.
Breaking Away From Tradition
As the world of online education continues to evolve, brick-and-mortar schools are incorporating digital curricula and virtual teachers into their classrooms in surprising ways.
Education Week: March 26, 2009
Letter to cyber parents 2001
March 9, 2001
Dear Cyber School Parents.
We would like to congratulate you on allowing your child the opportunity to be part of the cyber school alternative. The Internet enables education to occur in places where it normally does not. It extends resources where there are few, expands the learning day, and opens the learning place. We experienced how the Internet connects people, communities, and resources to support learning. We witnessed how the Internet adds graphics, sound, video, and interaction to give teachers and students multiple paths for understanding. The cyber school developed by the Saskatoon Catholic School System has met with rave reviews. However, one of the reoccurring questions we get asked is:
"What is the role of the parent of a cyber school student?"
Some helpful suggestions are for parents to:
• be directly involved in the daily supervision of their student's time on task.
• assist their child with time management.
• establish an appropriate computer workstation that is semi-private.
• maintain communication with your child's teacher/teachers when resolving problems.
The next question that will come to your mind is:
"How do I, as a parent, do these things?"
Parents should be aware that there are on-line assists provided by SCCS to help. If you require assistance, please contact your child's teacher or Mr. Cannell at the address below.
• Parents should use the student's username and password to access student information on SCCS.
• All classes will post calendars which can be viewed by parents when discussing a student's schedule for the day/week.
• Students can add private items on this same calendar, which can be viewed only by that student.
• Parents and students can see current marks and completion status attained by the student in SCCS as well.
Parents are the primary educational facilitators for their children. Parent support is a significant factor in students being successful with this alternative type of education.
We are here to help!
Cost of Dropping out...
The failure to complete high school has enormous fiscal implications in terms of expenditures on social services and programs, education, employment, criminality, lower economic productivity, and health.
Research Shows Evolving Picture of E-Education
Online classes may be a relatively young instructional practice for K-12 schools, but experts already generally agree on one point: Research shows that virtual schooling can be as good as, or better than, classes taught in person in brick-and-mortar schools.
Education Week: Research Shows Evolving Picture of E-Education
March 24, 2009
Why Teens are Lousy at Chores
Finally researchers have come up with a reason other than pure laziness for why teenagers can't shower and brush their teeth or unload the dishwasher and wipe down the counter.
Blame it on "cognitive limitations." Their brains can't multitask as well as those of the taskmasters.
Why Teens are Lousy at Chores | LiveScience
Does e-learning have a future?
Donald Taylor's opinion piece on trainingzone prompted me to reflect that we are really just at the end of the beginning for e-learning - in its broadest sense - to transform the way we educate and train in the future.
Lars is Learning: Does e-learning have a future?
Social network sites 'monitored'
Social networking sites like Facebook could be monitored by the UK government under proposals to make them keep details of users' contacts.
BBC NEWS | UK | Social network sites 'monitored'
Parents Push For Online Learning | The Virtual Education Blog
Maryland parents made a pitch to Annapolis lawmakers Tuesday to create a virtual classroom where children would go online for lessons.
Parents Push For Online Learning | The Virtual Education Blog
4.5 lessons from Twitter
You can tell that Twitter has added something important to the ecosystem by the volume of the snickering. If you dismiss it by asking "Why do I care what you had for breakfast?", there are only two choices. First, you're saying everyone on Twitter is an idiot. Second, you don't understand what you're talking about. As a Twitterer (dweinberger), I'm going to go with Option #2.
David Weinberger: 4.5 lessons from Twitter
2009 Twitter and Facebook Demographics and Statistics Report
Aside from Facebook, Twitter is perhaps the most important and interesting social media platform on the web. The following information will give you a good look at Twitter and Facebook from a demographic perspective:
2009 Twitter Demographics and Statistics Report | iStrategyLabs
2009 Facebook Demographics and Statistics Report | iStrategyLabs
March 23, 2009
Parents feel excluded by children
Many parents feel "excluded" by their children's reluctance to tell them anything about their time spent at school, suggests a survey.
BBC NEWS | Education | Parents feel excluded by children
Advantages and disadvantages of online classes
Distance education bridges that divide and helps those who otherwise could not gain the benefit of higher education the means to achieve their educational goals.
Students weigh advantages and disadvantages of online classes - Features
Digital natives coming to a school near you.
He is my nephew and an inspirational boy who I have the pleasure of seeing regularly on family visits. I have received parental consent to use images and footage of this 5 year old from my sister in-law, his mother, but do not think I needed to get a form filled out. Reading the tweet from Andy I remembered that two years ago I was surprised that at the age of 3 Noah was for the first time allowed to go on the computer. What was interesting is watching as he was willing to click and learn everything from scratch.
Art of Innovation - Guy Kawasaki
Last week was at a conference where the Keynote speaker was Guy kawasaki. He had an excellent discussion on 10 truths on the art of innovation.
ZedProMarketing » Art of Innovation - Guy Kawasaki
March 20, 2009
48 of the Coolest, Stylish and Creative Lego Creations : Speckyboy Design Magazine
These Lego designs are not all the biggest, not all the most intricate and not all the famous...but they are really, really cool. You could almost call these designs art, they carry the style and character of each talented and creative designer.
48 of the Coolest, Stylish and Creative Lego Creations : Speckyboy Design Magazine
March 19, 2009
Seven Principles: Using Technology to Improve Learning
This video, a shorter and better version of an earlier post, can be used to guide a workshop for faculty on how to use technology to improve learning.
Seven Principles: Using Technology to Improve Learning « leelearning
Google's pictures of UK go live
Google has launched the UK version of its Street View service, which allows users to browse a selection of pictures taken along city streets.
Street scenes in 25 UK cities from Aberdeen to Southampton can be viewed using the service.
The Netherlands version of the service also launched on Thursday, bringing the number of countries covered to nine.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Google's pictures of UK go live
1% Chance at the Dream of Online Success
I'm guessing that less than 1/1000th of 1% of all websites provide enough income to enable their owner to rely solely on that income.
I'll go a step further... Even among very motivated people that focus a lot of time and energy on creating a successful website with the goal of reaching the online American dream - there's still less than a 1% chance of success for them too.
1% Chance at the Dream of Online Success
Google or Big Brother?
Google is the go-to provider of many things online-search, email, maps, and more. But have you ever stopped to consider all of the information you're sharing with Google? Read on, and find out all of the dirt that Google has on you.
25 Surprising Things That Google Knows About You by e-Justice Blog
March 18, 2009
Rhee Tackles Classroom Challenge - TIME
In 11th grade, Allante Rhodes spent 50 minutes a day in a Microsoft Word class at Anacostia Senior High School in Washington. He was determined to go to college, and he figured that knowing Word was a prerequisite. But on a good day, only six of the school's 14 computers worked. He never knew which ones until he sat down and searched for a flicker of life on the screen. "It was like Russian roulette," says Rhodes, a tall young man with an older man's steady gaze. If he picked the wrong computer, the teacher would give him a handout. He would spend the rest of the period learning to use Microsoft Word with a pencil and paper.
Rhee Tackles Classroom Challenge - TIME
Editorial: Online learning can supplement classroom study
Technology is advancing so quickly these days that students can take a number of classes online. And while that works well for busy professionals who are continuing their education or looking for a career change, it's relatively new at the high school level -- or even younger. It's part of a developing idea that the way our children will learn in the future is changing.
Editorial: Online learning can supplement classroom study
Never mind the technology, where's the learning?
Pedagogy has moved a long way in 40 years despite the computer.
FACEBOOK COULD KILL GOOGLE -- Analyst (GOOG)
Ross Sandler of RBC has done what every good analyst should do, which is say something interesting. What Ross has said is that, at its current growth rate, Facebook will surpass Google in size by 2011-2012.
FACEBOOK COULD KILL GOOGLE -- Analyst (GOOG)
As Jurors Turn to Web, Mistrials Are Popping Up
Last week, a juror in a big federal drug trial in Florida admitted to the judge that he had been doing research on the case on the Internet, directly violating the judge's instructions and centuries of legal rules. But when the judge questioned the rest of the jury, he got an even bigger shock. Eight other jurors had been doing the same thing. The federal judge, William J. Zloch, had no choice but to declare a mistrial.
As Jurors Turn to Web, Mistrials Are Popping Up - NYTimes.com
March 17, 2009
K-12 Online Learning And Open Access Literature
he literature related to online learning programs for K-12 students dates to the mid-1990s and builds upon a century of research and practice from K-12 distance education. While K-12 online learning programs have evolved and grown over the past decade, the amount of published research on virtual schooling practice and policy is limited. The current literature includes practitioner reports and experimental and quasi-experimental studies, both published and unpublished. This paper reviews open access literature in K-12 online learning and reports on a structured content analysis of the documents. Themes in the literature include steady growth and a focus on the benefits, challenges, and broad effectiveness of K-12 online learning. In addition, newly developed standards for K-12 online learning are emerging in descriptions of effective practices.
K-12 Online Learning And Open Access Literature « Virtual High School Meanderings
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Life-like walking female robot
Japanese scientists have unveiled a female humanoid walking robot at Tsukuba City, north east of Tokyo.
The robot, named HRP-4C, has 30 motors in its body that allow it to walk and move its arms as well as eight motors on its face to create expressions like anger and surprise.
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Life-like walking female robot
Rob Hubbard's twitter about this made me laugh...
"And they look like us too...I've seen terminator - I know where this ends. I'm off to beat my toaster to death."
March 16, 2009
Online material replacing textbooks
If a tree doesn't fall in the forest, online technology could deserve some of the credit.
Officials at B.C.'s Sprott-Shaw Community College estimate their efforts to cut textbooks from a range of business classes have saved 26 trees since last September. Textbooks are now passe in 11 courses at seven of Sprott-Shaw's B.C. campuses, including those in Victoria, Duncan and Nanaimo.
Online material replacing textbooks for B.C. business students
March 14, 2009
IT Survey Reveals Key Findings, Adds New Insights
SchoolDude.com and eSchool News have partnered for a second year, along with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), to conduct a survey of more than 600 school district leaders and IT administrators. Key findings from this latest survey, conducted in November and December of 2008, are similar to the previous year, indicating that IT funding and staffing remain the top issues for IT professionals. A newly emerging challenge, however, is the rapidly expanding demand for school bandwidth, due to the rise in use of video applications such as video streaming, YouTube, and TeacherTube.
SchoolDude - Second Annual School IT Survey Reveals Key Findings, Adds New Insights
March 13, 2009
The Semantic Web in Education
What happens when the read-write web gets smart enough to help us organize and evaluate the information it provides?
Facebook cheating scandal nothing new
Students are accused of cheating all the time. And yet, when you add Facebook to the mix, every newspaper in Canada publishes a story.
Such is the case for newly-minted celebrity Chris Avenir, who is facing expulsion from Ryerson for his role in a Facebook study group. The first-year engineering student is the subject of multiple articles in the Globe, the Post, CBC, the Star, community papers, and student papers from all over North America. For all his headlines, Avenir has attracted a crowd of supporters (fans) who claim sharing answers online is not cheating. They have a website where users can sign a petition and even purchase "Chris Didn't Cheat" hats and t-shirts.
http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2008/03/18/facebook-cheating-scandal-nothing-new/
Guy Kawasaki Keynote
This is a link to the audio of Guy Kawasaki keynote at the Adeta Symposium 2009.
10 habits of geeks
Everyone has annoying habits, and a sizable part of every successful marriage is learning to live with those things each other does that annoy you. I think it's safe to say, too, that geeks have some habits that we think are awesome, but that non-geeks find a little...less awesome.
http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2009/03/10-annoying-hab.html
March 12, 2009
12 elearning predictions for 2009
Last year he laid out in January his Ten Predictions for eLearning 2008. In his post, 2008 2009 - written in December 2008, he looked at how well he did in those predictions, and his results were pretty good, not perfect. So, he tried it again this year ...
http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2009/01/12-elearning-predictions-for-2009.html
25 Surprising Ways You Are Harming your Brain
What happens if I do 20 of the 25...sorry mister brain sorry.
http://www.onlinedegreeworld.com/blog/2009/25-surprising-ways-you-are-harming-your-brain/
March 10, 2009
Making the Most of Virtual Classrooms
An interesting read...
Making the Most of Virtual Classrooms and Self-Paced
Presentations--Guidelines for Rapid E-Learning
March 9, 2009
Lent's most controversial sacrifice: Facebook
People who spend more time on the Internet may actually have more friends, according to an upcoming study co-written by Barry Wellman, a senior sociologist
at the University of Toronto specializing in the Internet. The findings indicate that social-networking sites are a potential antidote to loneliness. Dr. Wellman
says researchers often make the mistake of blending all technology use together and then assuming it has a common impact on everyone.
globeandmail.com: Lent's most controversial sacrifice: Facebook
February 14, 2009
Internet-and-Businesses-Online - Web-Design EzineArticles
A good set of resources on website design...
Internet-and-Businesses-Online - Web-Design EzineArticles
February 13, 2009
Blogging About Generational Differences
A nice collection of blog entries...worth a check.
Blogging About Generational Differences « Virtual High School Meanderings
Using Learning Styles « Virtual High School Meanderings
Thanks for the re-post.
Using Learning Styles « Virtual High School Meanderings
February 10, 2009
Blogging About 21st Century Skills
A list of articles from Virtual High School Meanderings
Blogging About 21st Century Skills « Virtual High School Meanderings
February 9, 2009
Serious Gaming Boosts Cognitive Skills
Certain types of video games can have beneficial effects, improving gamers' dexterity as well as their ability to problem-solve - attributes that have proven useful not only to students but to surgeons."
Study: Serious Gaming Boosts Cognitive Skills
Everything's amazing, nobody's happy
Cool video and so true.
Louis CK Everything's amazing, nobody's happy
January 30, 2009
The digital generation gap
Great FRONTLINE documentary on kids online, definitely worth checking out. From an online Q&A with the producers: "The report mentions that the Internet has created the greatest generation gap since rock 'n' roll. Caitlin, you're in your 20s; did you experience that gap while working with these kids?
The digital generation gap | Stanford Center for Internet and Society
January 24, 2009
An New Online Resource For Canadian Educators « Virtual High School Meanderings
So the National Film Board of Canada has flung open the vault to make many national treasures freely available online. Wow. This is such an amazing set of resources, covering the entire range of Canadian culture. Films that helped define who we are.
January 23, 2009
Teaching How to Learn | blog of proximal development
t's not surprising that interactions with peers and even adults in an interest-driven community are more engaging and more fulfilling than traditional classrooms where teachers and their textbooks and tests are often presented as more important than independent thinking and personal growth.
Teaching How to Learn | blog of proximal development
January 13, 2009
Sage or Guide?
Found my name in this article...
Sage or Guide? « Random Thoughts
Sage or Guide?
January 8, 2009
Geeky Mom: Online Learning
The main thrust of the article is actually about how to motivate and compensate faculty for teaching and developing online courses. Course releases and monetary compensation are among the incentives already tried and have somewhat succeed. Someone in the comments suggested allowing the development of these courses to count for tenure. I think that's a step in the right direction. The subtext of the whole discussion seems to be about whether these courses are "real" courses and whether the people who teach them are "real" faculty.
Using Blogs to Enhance Learning
We think that teachers should be tempted to put web 2.0 tools to work as a method for increasing engagement in students.
Using Blogs to Enhance Learning - Some Helpful Tips -- Open Education
January 7, 2009
State of the Nation Study: K-12 Online Learning in Canada
Online learning is a powerful innovation that expands education opportunities for all students.
Online learning has tremendous benefits in areas where students are geographically dispersed and
Canada has been a leader in establishing K-12 online learning opportunities for students.
This report provides important research on the programs of online learning in elementary and
secondary schools across Canada and a framework for better understanding the trends.
January 6, 2009
Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre
A story has a beginning, a middle, and a cleanly wrapped-up ending. Whether told around a campfire, read from a book, or played on a DVD, a story goes from point A to B and then C. It follows a trajectory, a Freytag Pyramid--perhaps the line of a human life or the stages of the hero's journey. A story is told by one person or by a creative team to an audience that is usually quiet, even receptive. Or at least that's what a story used to be, and that's how a story used to be told. Today, with digital networks and social media, this pattern is changing. Stories now are open-ended, branching, hyperlinked, cross-media, participatory, exploratory, and unpredictable. And they are told in new ways: Web 2.0 storytelling picks up these new types of stories and runs with them, accelerating the pace of creation and participation while revealing new directions for narratives to flow.
Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre (EDUCAUSE Review) | EDUCAUSE CONNECT
January 4, 2009
Cyber school representatives, supporters respond
Representatives of cyber schools and their supporters say contentions that they get too much money from traditional public school coffers are wrong.
Fred Miller, communication specialist for the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, said traditional public schools "keep about 50 percent of the cost for students they don't have to educate."
Cyber school representatives, supporters respond
January 3, 2009
Let us hear your voices on this education poll
A poll on CNN showed that parents and teachers disagree on a large range of topics concerning education.
January 2, 2009
Adams 50 skips grades, lets kids be pacesetters
A school district in Westminster struggling with declining enrollment and falling test scores will try something revolutionary next year that many say never has been accomplished in the Lower 48.
Adams 50 will eliminate grade levels and instead group students based on what they know, allowing them to advance to the next level after they have proved proficiency.
"If they can pull this off, it will be a lighthouse for America's challenged school districts," said Richard DeLorenzo, the consultant who implemented a standards-based model in Alaska and is working with Adams 50. "It will change the face of American education."
December 22, 2008
High school model for a new world | Tritown.gmnews.com | Tri-Town News
"By 2010, about 67 percent are going to require some postsecondary education, but not all, because some jobs do not require a degree," Doolan said. "By 2020, about 80 percent of new jobs will require some postsecondary education."
He said the new learning environment and new technology will be changes that schools will have to adapt to if the initiative is going to be successful.
High school model for a new world
7,000 drop outs per day « California Dreamin' by Rob Darrow
By the time you go home today, 7,000 more high school students will quit. But some educators are reversing this trend using the one tool that has proved powerful enough to stop them in their tracks.
LeaderTalk: Best for Kids? or Best for Teachers?
As leaders, do we invest enough thought in the end-user (the students) while serving our tribe (the teachers)? This is the question I have been grappling with for some time.
December 20, 2008
Marking with Voice tools | Virtual Canuck
First, it saved me time. I am not a fast typer and using voice, meant I didn't even have to spell check!! My comments were much longer than text annotations and I was able to give examples, suggestions etc. that I could have done in text, but likely would not have due to time constraints.
Second, I was able to express more affect by chuckling, expressing uncertainty and in other ways adding a personal touch to the marking.
Stephen's Lighthouse: Michael Wesch Lecture
Recently Dr. Wesch spoke at the University of Manitoba where he explained the the basis of this video in a talk entitled, "Michael Wesch and the Future of Education." I found it fascinating! He describes how he so naturally incorporates emerging technologies into his courses from the smallest seminar type class to the largest lecture theatre filled class.
December 16, 2008
Medical students get iPod tutors
The University of Derby has given 35 devices - costing £99 each - to radiography students, to provide them with "different ways to learn".
They contain pre-loaded video lessons about how to position patients for X-rays.
It is hoped the portable video demonstrations will be more useful than traditional text books.
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Medical students get iPod tutors
Shocking: Teens Talk Sex Online | Techdirt
This parallels earlier reports that have found teens do a decent job of looking out for themselves online. It just makes you wonder if maybe giving teens a little more credit and going from there, rather than trying to paint pictures that scare parents and politicians into action, might be a more effective way to protect teens from all these supposed online problems.
Shocking: Teens Talk Sex Online | Techdirt
December 15, 2008
Cool Cat Teacher Blog: 3 Things I believe about Every Student
Stephen Downes says...
Vicki A. Davis identified three things she believes about all students: first, that every student has a purpose, second, that everybody benefits from a plan, and third, that schools make a promise to children to do right by their future selves. My take is a bit different. First, students don't have a purpose, they have to find it in themselves to make one. Second, that's it's better to have a strategy than a plan, because we all know the saying about the best laid plans. And finally, students would be wise not to count on the promises of schools, because they have over the years made too many promises to too many people and won't be able to keep them all. A lot like governments and our banking system.
Cool Cat Teacher Blog: 3 Things I believe about Every Student
The Next Bubble?
The idea of "bubble" has been on everyone's mind since the escalating housing and economic crisis first erupted in July 2007. Throughout these turbulent times, one institution appeared to be coasting along above the fray: Higher Education. Higher ed has been growing for decades, becoming a staple in the national political economy. The supply and demand situation has been remarkably favorable to it: believing that higher education is a necessary, if not sufficient, ticket to personal success and social progress, the public has tolerated increasingly higher costs and tuition---forces that citizens have rebelled against in other consumer domains.
December 14, 2008
Technorati: State of the Blogosphere 2008
Welcome to Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008 report, which will be released in five consecutive daily segments. Since 2004, our annual study has unearthed and analyzed the trends and themes of blogging, but for the 2008 study, we resolved to go beyond the numbers of the Technorati Index to deliver even deeper insights into the blogging mind. For the first time, we surveyed bloggers directly about the role of blogging in their lives, the tools, time, and resources used to produce their blogs, and how blogging has impacted them personally, professionally, and financially.
Technorati: State of the Blogosphere 2008
Fluid Learning | the human network
Our greatest fear, in bringing computers into the classroom, is that we teachers and instructors and lecturers will lose control of the classroom, lose touch with the students, lose the ability to make a difference. The computer is ultimately disruptive. It offers greater authority than any instructor, greater resources than any lecturer, and greater reach than any teacher. The computer is not perfect, but it is indefatigable. The computer is not omniscient, but it is comprehensive. The computer is not instantaneous, but it is faster than any other tool we've ever used.
http://blog.futurestreetconsulting.com/?p=94
December 12, 2008
EEGs show brain differences between poor and rich kids
“This is a wake-up call,” Knight said. “It’s not just that these kids are poor and more likely to have health problems, but they might actually not be getting full brain development from the stressful and relatively impoverished environment associated with low socioeconomic status: fewer books, less reading, fewer games, fewer visits to museums.”
Kishiyama, Knight and Boyce suspect that the brain differences can be eliminated by proper training. They are collaborating with UC Berkeley neuroscientists who use games to improve the prefrontal cortex function, and thus the reasoning ability, of school-age children.
12.02.2008 - EEGs show brain differences between poor and rich kids
Presentation Zen: Is it finally time to ditch PowerPoint?
One of the findings mentioned in the article: it is more difficult to process information if it is coming at you both verbally and in written form at the same time. Since people can not read and listen well at the same time, the reporter suggested, then this may mean “the death of the PowerPoint presentation.”
Presentation Zen: Is it finally time to ditch PowerPoint?
Future of the university -- Internet Time Blog
Discussion of the future of the university conducted at Online Educa Berlin by Gilly Salmon of the University of Leicester.
What should change? I suggested no tenure, no grades, no classes, no departments, campus rotation, and loosely configured multidisciplinary teams focused on solving the world’s problems. I was not alone. The group was up for change. Thanks to Gilly for sparking an animated discussion!
Future of the university — Internet Time Blog
Top News - Students use iPods for med school study
Ohio State University’s medical school has joined the ranks of colleges replacing cumbersome textbooks with the handheld Apple iPod touch this fall.
Ohio State med school officials said the iPod lets students study high-quality images of organs and body parts in the palms of their hands, on the fly—a welcome change from the days of endlessly flipping through textbooks to find pictures and directions for surgical procedures. The iPod allows students to see images from several angles, take short review quizzes for helpful reminders, and access videos documenting the many steps of a surgery or procedure.
Top News - Students use iPods for med school study
E-Commerce News: Wireless: Verizon Paws the Ground as High-Speed Wireless Fight Begins
Verizon appears ready to challenge Clearwire in the battle for high-speed wireless dominance. Clearwire and Sprint Nextel took an early market lead with the rollout of the Xohm WiMax service in Baltimore. Now Verizon is redoubling its efforts and expects to launch its LTE network by late 2009, months earlier than originally expected.
E-Commerce News: Wireless: Verizon Paws the Ground as High-Speed Wireless Fight Begins
December 11, 2008
Enjoying life in the Cloud | Negative Approach - CNET News
One of the most common questions about The Cloud is what should you use it for? The easy answers tend to be things that you don’t want to maintain yourself or that you can get cost advantage from not doing yourself.
Enjoying life in the Cloud | Negative Approach - CNET News
Genetic Programming: Evolution of Mona Lisa « Roger Alsing Weblog
This weekend I decided to play around a bit with genetic programming and put evolution to the test, the test of fine art :-)
I created a small program that keeps a string of DNA for polygon rendering. Could you paint a replica of the Mona Lisa using only 50 semi transparent polygons?
That is the challenge I decided to put my application up to.
Genetic Programming: Evolution of Mona Lisa « Roger Alsing Weblog
December 9, 2008
Seven Tips for Technological Late-Bloomers
Dr. Patricia MacGregor-Mendoza
from Educators’ eZine
Feel like the technology bandwagon is more like a bullet train and it’s passing you by at breakneck speeds? Many educators are interested in using technology to enhance their teaching but feel they’re behind the curve or are overwhelmed by the number of choices and don’t know where to begin. But even if words like pod and sprite sound more to you like they belong in your garden than your computer, you can take some small simple steps to begin to integrate technology in your teaching by employing the same reflection you do when teaching without technology. These tips below may help you get started.
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196605516
December 5, 2008
phaedrus
I think this does work for adults, but perhaps we don't recognize it. If there's a difference between kids and adults, it's the driver. A kid sees something new and says "Ooo, what's this? Can I play with it?" An adult says, "Oh, great. Can I avoid this for the moment while I deal with the urgent problems of the day?" The difference is that a kid will see how this new thing -- whether it's an idea, a device, or a process -- can be adopted, adapted, or otherwise integrated into his or her life. They'll poke at it a little bit to see if there's anything interesting there and then make a decisionHole in the wall
Grading
It came as an unpleasant shock to realize that I had completely failed to respond to or even acknowledge some pretty amazing feedback for an admittedly tentative post I wrote floating an alternative grading structure for essays. I feel like a terrible host, and even now with my current obligations I don't feel like I can do these ideas justice... but at the very least I can urge you to check out the comments yourself, and offer a few excerpts below.<a title="Abject Learning: It seems I'm always too slow when it comes to grading" href="http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/brian/archives/049597.php">Abject Learning: It seems I'm always too slow when it comes to grading</a>
Teachers and K-12 Online Learning in Alberta
Early in my career as a classroom teacher, the province developed a virtual school called the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (CDLI). In the first year or two, I remember that the CDLI capped their teachers at 80 students. I believe that number increased to 100 at some point, and may have even increased to 120 students. I have no idea what they use now or even if there is a cap anymore. But for the first few years of operation you need one and a half or two online teachers to handle the same number of students that I maintained as a classroom teacher. Teachers And K-12 Online Learning In Alberta Virtual High School MeanderingsNovember 30, 2008
Dumbed down
The troubling science of how technology is rewiring kids’ brains
November 26, 2008
Blondes are going to be mad.
Now blondes can have more fun while typing with Keyboard for Blondes
Online time 'is good for teens'
Surfing the internet, playing games and hanging out on social networks are important for teen development, a large study of online use has revealed.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Online time 'is good for teens'
November 21, 2008
IBM to build brain-like computers
IBM has announced it will lead a US government-funded collaboration to make electronic circuits that mimic brains.
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | IBM to build brain-like computers
Internet not the child-devouring swamp many adults fear
A three-year research project, headed by Mimi Ito, involving 28 researchers and 800 subjects, and sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, finds that the stereotypical idea of the Internet as a soul-devouring, anti-social wasteland for our kids is just plain wrong. If you suspected otherwise, now you know you were right.
Joho the Blog � Internet not the child-devouring swamp many adults fear
November 19, 2008
Google Image Search - To Steal or Not to Steal
I found this an interesting read.
Google Image Search - To Steal or Not to Steal : StraightUpSearch
November 8, 2008
These traits make online teachers successful
What are the qualities that help instructors succeed when teaching online? That was the focus of a lively discussion at the 14th annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning Nov. 6.
Presenter Bill Phillips of the University of Central Florida discussed findings from his research on the topic. Not surprisingly, he said, successful online instructors share many of the same characteristics that successful teachers in traditional classrooms exhibit--but they also spend a lot of time establishing a persona of approachability and ensuring students' comfort in the course.
Top News - These traits make online teachers successful
November 4, 2008
Again I am honoured to be mentioned.
Darrell Cannell is a member in good standing of the Canadian Content Contingent. His Teaching and Developing Online blog is one of my “Must Read” feeds.
phaedrus Blog Archive Alec Courosa Open Doctrine
I will take the challenge.
I am a few days behind but I will try to catch up and then follow the challenge for 30 days. It should be fun.
Be a Better Blogger in just 30 Days - Teach42
We are honoured
I am honoured to be mentioned by such a famous researcher. Thank you for the support you have shown for TADO. And I link to your postings because they are interesting so keep up the good work.
I like the description of TADO being the online staffroom that is a very good way to explain what it is all about.
Day Three - Thirty Days To A Better Blog � Virtual High School Meanderings
November 1, 2008
CBC news March 2000
I found this on the web, march 2000, holy crow that was along time ago. I don't even remember talking to CBC.
It would be interesting to do a follow up talk with them now, how things have changed.
High school classes to go on line.
October 30, 2008
Banning school technology: A bad idea?
On day two of the National School Boards Association's Technology + Learning (T+L) Conference in Seattle, panelists in a session titled "Leveraging Banned Technologies to Create Ubiquitous Learning Environments" offered their advice to educators on why technology shouldn't be banned from classrooms--and why saying "yes" is worth the time and effort.
T L Top Story - Banning school technology: A bad idea?
October 29, 2008
K-12 online learning policies and activities
An intial report about K-12 online learning in Canada. Check it out. My name is on page two...he says proudly.
http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/NACOL_CanadaStudy-lr.pdf
October 24, 2008
Police jail woman accused of killing digital husband
A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.
A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.
October 20, 2008
The Internet is no 21st-century boob tube
"We were surprised to see that lots of families treat the Internet as a place for shared experiences," Tracy Kennedy, author of a new report about the survey called "Networked Families," said in a statement. "They don't just withdraw from the family to their own computer for private screen time. They pretty regularly say, 'Hey--look at this!' to others in the household."
The Internet is no 21st-century boob tube | News - Digital Media - CNET News
October 19, 2008
The future of interaction?
By ditching that basic interface for touch, gestures or mind control inventors hope to improve the way people can interact with a machine.
BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | The future of interaction?
October 14, 2008
Fitness Tips for Chair-Bound Computer Users
If the only part of your body that's subjected to a real workout every day is your brain, it might be time to consider strategies for getting the rest of you moving. Other health issues aside, a lack of physical activity can have a detrimental effect on mental performance.
Linux News: Tech Stew: Fitness Tips for Chair-Bound Computer Users
Five advantages of Using a LMS.
Ever-improving technology, new laws and regulations, increased job requirements, and a changing workforce are all factors that create an environment where employers must efficiently and effectively deliver and manage learning experiences for their employees. These experiences must be easily accessible and easily tracked.
Five advantages of Using a LMS.
Instructional Technology/Learning Management Systems/Benefits
October 13, 2008
iPod dying? It's already dead
Steve Wozniak's offhand comment to the Telegraph that the iPod would go the way of the transistor radio and the Sony Walkman, becoming a cheap and eventually boring commodity product.
iPod dying? It's already dead | Digital Noise: Music and Tech - CNET News
October 9, 2008
Scouting the Blogs of Internet Icons
One of the best things about blogs is that anyone can create one, easily. That gives us tremendous access to the thoughts of many. Say what you will about the quality of most blogs, but I still think we’re better off.
A pleasant outcome of blogs being attainable for all is that some internet icons have started blogs.
Scouting the Blogs of Internet Icons - Webmonkey
October 6, 2008
BackRoom Ed Tech
This blog will focus on educational technology and use in the classroom; Creating rich teaching and learning experiences.
Questions for a Virtual School Teacher
Tomorrow evening I will have my first online meeting with a virtual school class. In the meantime, I had the opportunity to explore an AP U.S. History and American Government course. As a result of this exploration, I had a number of questions for the teacher. Some of her answers follow. I did not publish answers that were confidential or offered from a more personal point of view.
Teach Web 2.0: Questions for a Virtual School Teacher
Speaking of Blogging
Darren over at Teaching and Developing Online has posted a number of items recently about the Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School that when read together are rather interesting. What do you think?
Speaking Of Blogging � Virtual High School Meanderings
From Now On
With an insulting tone worthy of the original American nativists who hated immigrants (especially Catholic ones), Marc Prensky speaks of pre-iPod humans (digital immigrants) contemptuously. (Prensky's work)
In a rather shallow piece lacking in evidence or data, Prensky offers the terms "digital natives" and "digital immigrants" to set up a generational divide. His proposition is simple-minded. He paints digital experience as wonderful and old ways as worthless. He lumps people together by nothing more than age and exposure, spending little time on differentiating or understanding. He offers learning with video games as a digital Nirvana that should replace forms of learning that he claims are now outmoded.
September 25, 2008
An iPod Touch for each student?
A Chapel Hill middle school could become the first in the country to give an iPod to every teacher and student, an experiment that would challenge teachers and administrators to ensure the hand-held devices are used as learning tools, not toys.
newsobserver.com | An iPod Touch for each student?
September 24, 2008
Exploring New Trends in Online Learning for K-12
During the event, which was attended by nearly 100 people, we learned about student and teacher perceptions of, and experiences with, online learning. Some of the data might surprise you. For instance, the majority of middle school students want to take an online course to get extra help and to learn more about a certain subject.
Blackboard Blogs: Exploring New Trends in Online Learning for K-12
September 12, 2008
Research your Online High School before you start.
Online high school is becoming a more common educational alternative. According to the National Education Association, as many as 100,000 students may be enrolled in an online high school program, with a majority of students taking at least one online course before graduating. How can you ensure that you enroll in a quality accredited online high school? The key is to learn as much as you can before you get started.
Allied Online High School Blog: Be Smart: Research Online High School <em>Before</em> You Start