The movie The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring began with the phrase, "The World is changing..." This has never been more true as it is in education today.
Recently, educators seem to have aligned themselves in opposite camps of an epic intellectual battle. On one side, we find the educators who are completely dedicated to the old-fashioned, time-tested methods of education. On the other side, we find innovative individuals who seek and embrace new technology, new ways of teaching, and new ways of learning.
A recent article from Educational Leadership clearly lays out the opposing views on technology and social networking.
In the end, no one side can win. We should not use technology in school for its own sake. On the other hand, we should not maintain the status quo because it is comfortable. The only resolution is collaboration and partnership.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Square It with Google
The easiest way to get to this great resource from Google Labs is simply to Google "Google Squared" or click this link
When you enter a topic, Google will search the Internet and create a matrix of relevant information. It is a great way to give students an organized start to their research.
Click here for an example.
When you enter a topic, Google will search the Internet and create a matrix of relevant information. It is a great way to give students an organized start to their research.
Click here for an example.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Copyright and Web 2.0
Web 2.0 resources can be a phenomenal addition to any classroom, especially since it allows the ability to gather content, alter content, and then make it publicly available. This does pose some potential problems regarding Fair Use and Copyright.
Students do produce a much higher quality work when they know that the world can see what they have produced; however, we teachers often misunderstand how copyrighted materials can be used in the classroom.
I have compiled a basic overview of Copyright, Fair Use, and Public Domain on this wiki.
Students do produce a much higher quality work when they know that the world can see what they have produced; however, we teachers often misunderstand how copyrighted materials can be used in the classroom.
I have compiled a basic overview of Copyright, Fair Use, and Public Domain on this wiki.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
It all adds up with Instacalc
I just stumbled on Instacalc.com. It is an online, shared calculator. Not only does it skip the step of hitting or clicking "Enter" before getting an answer, it also allows you to create a customized, embeddable calculator.
Below is a quick travel expense calculator I created as an example. If you change the values, the result is automatically updated.
Below is a quick travel expense calculator I created as an example. If you change the values, the result is automatically updated.
Monday, May 4, 2009
If it's good enough for the White House...
It looks like social networking and Web 2.0 sites just hit the political big time! An article in ComputerWorld.com revealed that the Obama Administration has created pages on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter as a way to provide information to the tech-savvy public.
It also looks like the Presidential Tweeter (I doubt this is an official title) is a fan of tinyurl.com.
Most of the Tweets so far involve H1N1.
One question is now burning in my head...when the President of the United States recognizes social networking sites as a valuable communication tool, why are we still so afraid of them in education???
It also looks like the Presidential Tweeter (I doubt this is an official title) is a fan of tinyurl.com.
Most of the Tweets so far involve H1N1.
One question is now burning in my head...when the President of the United States recognizes social networking sites as a valuable communication tool, why are we still so afraid of them in education???
Penn State One-to-One Conference - Dave J's Recap
Last week, I attended the One-to-One conference at Penn State University. The keynote speakers and session presenters provided so much information, I found myself a victim of cognitive saturation.
Below are some of the thoughts and tools that stood out:
The Tools
1. Tabbloid.com - This site allows you to create a PDF newsletter based on the RSS feeds of your choice. The newsletter is e-mailed to you on the day(s) and time(s) you select. This is potentially a huge timesaver if you need to frquently find current articles on a particular subject.
2. Diigo.com - This site is the next generation of social bookmarking. Not only can you make a list of bookmarks available, you can also higlight text on the site, and add "sticky notes." This ability to bookmark and annotate provides a unique way for students to collaborate on a project, or just share what information was important to them.
3. Netvibes.com - This is similar to Tabbloid in that it provides a way to collect and manage all your RSS feeds. Instead of creating a PDF newsletter, Netvibes helps you to create a completely customized start page, based on all your feeds.
4. Prezi.com - This is the next...next...next generation of PowerPoint. It is visually stunning, creating presentations that use a range of motions to proceed from item to item in what can only be described as one large dynamic slide. The only potential problems with this site are (1) the presentation can overwhelm the content and (2) an overly complicated presentation could cause vertigo.
5. DeepDebate.org - This site is an "online conversation tool" that provides the ability for students to debate a particular subject. The order and organization of the information is designed for ongoing conversation, making this a much more effective tool than a wiki or a blog for a debate.
Some Random Thoughts and Questions
* "Technology is anything that was invented after you were born." -Alan Kay
* "The blogosphere is the exhaust of the human experience." - David Warlick
* How can you continue a class discussion after the school day ends?
* How do you make the shift from teacher created Wikis to student created Wikis?
* How do you plan and prepare for a complete failure of all technology in a class? (The internet was down for almost the entire third day of the conference.)
Blogs to Follow:
tipline.blogspot.com - Jim Gates
davidwarlick.com/connectlearning/ - David Warlick
www.practicaltheory.org/serendipity/ - Chris Lehmann
Below are some of the thoughts and tools that stood out:
The Tools
1. Tabbloid.com - This site allows you to create a PDF newsletter based on the RSS feeds of your choice. The newsletter is e-mailed to you on the day(s) and time(s) you select. This is potentially a huge timesaver if you need to frquently find current articles on a particular subject.
2. Diigo.com - This site is the next generation of social bookmarking. Not only can you make a list of bookmarks available, you can also higlight text on the site, and add "sticky notes." This ability to bookmark and annotate provides a unique way for students to collaborate on a project, or just share what information was important to them.
3. Netvibes.com - This is similar to Tabbloid in that it provides a way to collect and manage all your RSS feeds. Instead of creating a PDF newsletter, Netvibes helps you to create a completely customized start page, based on all your feeds.
4. Prezi.com - This is the next...next...next generation of PowerPoint. It is visually stunning, creating presentations that use a range of motions to proceed from item to item in what can only be described as one large dynamic slide. The only potential problems with this site are (1) the presentation can overwhelm the content and (2) an overly complicated presentation could cause vertigo.
5. DeepDebate.org - This site is an "online conversation tool" that provides the ability for students to debate a particular subject. The order and organization of the information is designed for ongoing conversation, making this a much more effective tool than a wiki or a blog for a debate.
Some Random Thoughts and Questions
* "Technology is anything that was invented after you were born." -Alan Kay
* "The blogosphere is the exhaust of the human experience." - David Warlick
* How can you continue a class discussion after the school day ends?
* How do you make the shift from teacher created Wikis to student created Wikis?
* How do you plan and prepare for a complete failure of all technology in a class? (The internet was down for almost the entire third day of the conference.)
Blogs to Follow:
tipline.blogspot.com - Jim Gates
davidwarlick.com/connectlearning/ - David Warlick
www.practicaltheory.org/serendipity/ - Chris Lehmann
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
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