Due Wednesday 5/27 - Tech Trends and Education

The following materials support our discussion of Technology Trends & Education. While there is no formal quiz over these RWLDs, they will prepare you for several topics that we'll be discussing in class. These can also be useful resources to support your extra credit blog or final presentation (ideas for improving the use of technology in your unit).

Read: Stumbling Blocks: Playing It Too Safe Online Will Make You Sorry

Watch: Hack the Debate, a short video (2 min) about how Current.tv and Twitter teamed up to hack the presidential debates in 2008.

Read: It’s Not JACK in the Box, it’s RAVI!, a blog post by Bernie Dodge about how some fast food restaurants are using call centers to handle their drive-thru lanes.

Watch: Disrupting Class - a (2 min) video excerpt from Second Life about social learning (from North Carolina Virtual Public School - ncvps.org)

Watch: Second Life with Autism, a short video (4 min) about how persons with autism are using Second Life. (FYI: the full Amanda Baggs video referenced is here.)

Download the 2-page PDF handout: 7 Things You Should Know About Virtual Worlds (from educause.edu)

Read: Listening to Themselves: Podcasting Takes Lessons Beyond the Classroom (from Edutopia.org)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Eight key issues in understanding Australia's National Broadband Network (rossdawsonblog.com)

Due Wednesday 5/20 CyberCitizenry

Welcome to the RWLD's related to the topic of CyberCitizenry. The resources that I selected for you will take some time to complete (hear me out procrastinators ;-)). However, I feel that they are very important pieces to complement my lecture and great learning experience for all teachers and parents. It's very important that you watch both the "Growing Up Online" video and Personal Safety module at iSafe.org. Each of these resources brings a very different perspective to the issue of CyberCitizenry.


But first, please take a few minutes to answer this anonymous survey. Responses will be aggregated to better understand the level of our participation (or absence) in cyberspace. We will look at the results during our lecture.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFlhcXVhM0xjS3lxc2djS05HQnpVVHc6MA..

If you haven't yet, login and complete the Personal Safety module on the www.iSafe.org website.

Watch all 7 segments of the pbs feature “Growing Up Online”, and consider the questions below.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/main.html

Questions to ponder after watching "Growing Up Online":

• The program describes social networking sites as places where kids post pictures, accumulate friends, post messages to others and describe themselves. Social networking also allows young people to express themselves, experiment with different perspectives, and play with aspects of their identity. Do you think it would be possible to use social networking in the classroom to better facilitate students learning? Can you imagine an example to support your opinion?

• Who should be responsible for teaching about cyber safety-- parents or school?

• What is or should be a teachers’ role in students' online life?