03.31.07

What to use?

Posted in Blogs, OpenSource, web2.0 at 10:40 am by sbetts

What to use? I have been asked several times when to use what - although there is no clear answer, here are some tips:
*Blogs* - Blogs are ongoing individual postings with the ability to take comments from readers. This is a great way to journal, reflect or get input.

*WIKIs* - are online editable pages available to anyone given permission. Usually you can attach files to wiki pages and there is a comment page connected. This is good for collaboration. It does not fit the journal model as well as it does a portfolio / archive model. Of course, it is also great for multiple editors of a single document.

*Forums* - threaded discussions. Can be used for the same as above. They individualize each posting, but in a threaded manner unlike blogs
which are sequential.

*Social networks* - combine all or some of the above with many added features. If you are ready to launch your students into the cybersphere
of learning, this is the way to go. I like Ning - but it still does not have a wiki module although the blog and forums are great.

*Course Management Systems* - also combines the above features and adds the ability to quiz etc. It is an online class. My favorite is Moodle
(at the moment). Students are part of a class and can use the forums, wikis, as well as complete assignments. I do not like the blogging
feature presently being used.

There are hybrids of all the above - and more appear each day. The key is to know what your goals are for each project.
Is it your students first adventure into online learning? do you simply want journals? do you wish to attach artifacts? do you want to actually hold your class online with assessment and all? do you want to use these in a more social atmosphere? Do you have the ability to pay for a service or to host it “in house”?






Turbo Tagger

03.21.07

Now it’s MY space

Posted in future paradigms, web2.0 at 2:11 pm by sbetts

from eSchoolnews.com

Lawmakers who voted for a bill to force schools and libraries receiving federal funds to block access to MySpace and other social-networking web sites on their computers are among those who have created personal profiles on a special section of MySpace dedicated to the 2008 presidential election. The apparent contradiction points to the difficulty faced by lawmakers and educators as they try to protect children and teens from the dangers lurking in cyberspace–and it underscores the problems that can occur when lawmakers, many of whom have a limited understanding of internet issues, seek to legislate behavior in the Information Age.
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Just struck me as interesting - when it benefits me……….

If DOPA was firmly in place, these would all be blocked in libraries. How do we protect our children and yet be able to use these new communication tools?

03.14.07

Nothing like the human touch?

Posted in future paradigms at 9:17 am by sbetts

During a discussion (virtual) with fellow Maine educators on technology instruction and use for young children, several questions were posed.
quote –
The questions are these: What is the balance for using computers and other tech tools with young children versus human contact and hands-on work? How important is it that kids relate in groups working with actual math manipulatives vs. the excellent virtual manipulatives that are everywhere on the web now. How important is that eye-to-eye, tactile experience working with stuff. In short, what is developmentally appropriate? Where is the balance? What is our job as educators in this regard? –

My belief is that technology is a “tool” at every level. Nothing replaces the hands-on personal touch with developing children, but technology can enhance and at times transform their learning. Your example of the toddler sitting in your lap with the computer made me smile. Here is an example of a machine replacing the book in the “mentors” hands, but the child still getting the one-on-one attention and direction from the adult. There must be a balance between the virtual and the real. Part of our mission, as educators, is to use every tool available in advancing our students to adulthood.

Any discussion?

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03.09.07

Open Content Learning

Posted in OpenSource, future paradigms at 1:23 pm by sbetts

OERcommons.org

A new online content resource center, formally launched March 9 by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), will make more than 8,000 classroom materials available to teachers, faculty, and learners worldwide, at no cost.
The content on the site has been developed by faculty at colleges and universities, including Rice, Harvard, MIT, and the University of California-Berkeley. On the site, users can gather information on topics such as art, mathematics and statistics, and science and technology, targeted to grade levels ranging from primary school to post-secondary studies.

The march continues……

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03.07.07

Their Space

Posted in future paradigms, web2.0 at 4:14 pm by sbetts

The report is published by Demos, a think tank that advises the current UK administration.

I first read about it from a blog posting by Terry Freedman, author of Coming of Age.

It is worth a read - it talks about childrens’ higher skills in these social areas, the issues with government, teachers and change.

Their Space: Education for a digital generation draws on qualitative research with children and polling of parents to counter the myths obscuring the true value of digital media.

Approaching technology from the perspective of children, it tells positive stories about how they use online space to build relationships and create original content. It argues that the skills children are developing through these activities, such as creativity, communication and collaboration, are those that will enable them to succeed in a globally networked, knowledge-driven economy.

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03.02.07

Habbo

Posted in future paradigms, web2.0 at 1:10 pm by sbetts

http://www.habbo.com/

Second Life drops to the younger teen set. Here is a new 3D virtual area where I see many of our students beginning to spend time. I like the fact that they have a Parents’ Guide and many links and references to “how to stay safe”. I do believe these V3D worlds are the Web 3.0 onset.