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)

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

Due Thursday 5/21 - Digital Natives and Web 2.0

Today we will be exploring how the digital world has changed the world, the people and how we interact with one another. This week's assignment begins with an article by Marc Prensky about Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. This is followed by a group of videos to introduce you to blogs, wikis and twitter. There are a couple of podcasts that include interviews of educators about using new technologies in schools. Have fun!!!

Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.
This is the classic article about generation differences. Reflect how this applies to your life and your associates.

Blogs in Plain English
You have heard of blogs. Do you know what they are? This 3-minute video does a good job of describing blogs and blogging in plain, easy-to-understand, English.

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog in the Classroom
Here are the opinions of 10 high school students about why to use blogs in the classroom. It isn't educational theory, but it provides some personal insights of students.

Blogger: How to Start a Blog (YouTube Video)
A 2-minute video on how to create your Blogger blog and begin with your first posting.

Wikis in Plain English
Another plain English introduction to a technology tool. This 4-minute video describes how a wiki works.

Using Wikispaces in the Classroom (Podcast)
This is a 30-minute interview with Vicki Davis, a high school teacher in GA, and Adam Frey, the developer of Wikispaces.com.

Twitter in Plain English (YouTube Video)
A 3-minute video explaining Twitter.

Shifting Our Schools Episode 9: How to Go Deeper in Student Learning. Why Go Deeper?
This is an exceptional podcast where Michael Lambert shares some of his instructional and assessment practices that take the learning deeper and make it more meaningful for his students. Mike will talk about making connections in the brain and making connections between other areas of study. You can read more about this in the podcast's "show notes."

Optional

Learning Styles of the Net Generation
9-minute video about how educators should address teaching today's students.

photo:www.flickr.com/petervanallen

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?