September 2010
“The great wonder of our current school system is the lost potential for real...”
– Some pretty incredible conversations are going on over at Cooperative Catalyst
We Must Look to Young Children « Cooperative Catalyst (via adventuresinlearning)
So You Want to Teach: What Makes a Great Teacher? →
positivelypersistantteach:
Great teachers are made by:
Understanding what sparks their students They know how to motivate them and what makes them hungry for knowledge.
Forming genuine bonds with their students This is important for the teacher as they establish trust with the student and interest in their learning abilities. This makes the student more apt to learn more and be open to new...
3 tags
4 Tips for Teaching a Course Online →
There’s some great advice in here.
3 tags
Semantifi - A Search Engine for Data Sets →
Semantifi is a new search engine and host for data display tools. The basic idea behind Semantifi is to help people locate data sets and view those data sets in charts and graphs. Right now Semantifi is focused on government and economic data. Here’s how Semantifi works. Enter a query in the search box (Semantifi will offer suggestions too) then select a search result. When you open the...
5 tags
The Case For Social Media in Schools →
2. When Kids Are Engaged, They Learn Better
Matt Hardy, a 3rd and 4th grade teacher in Minnesota, describes the “giddy” response he gets from students when he introduces blogs. He started using blogs in his classroom in 2007 as a way to motivate students to write.
“Students aren’t just writing on a piece of paper that gets handed to the teacher and maybe a smiley face or some comments get put...
“Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it...”
– Earth-Like Planet Can Sustain Life : Discovery News
Mind = Blown.
On Social Networks, Most Still Just Like to Watch →
infoneer-pulse:
Although the number of people worldwide who are using social networking services and engaging with social media continues to climb, the number who describe themselves as “creators” of content — those who publish their own blogs, create and upload videos, and so on — is falling, according to new research from Forrester. The research firm found that the number of content creators...
Teacher Girl: collegefail: ... But merit pay is... →
adventuresinlearning:
I just want to add, What is the so called Model of a Bad Teacher? We keep saying Bad Teachers need to go, but what does one look like? I mean truly bad hurting the system, hurting kids type bad teacher…. i had bad teachers in High School and College (This is where most of them are) but most of them were old school traditional teachers lacking a open mind….but is that not a...
4 tags
Meghan McCain Cancels College Speaking Engagement... →
Meghan McCain, scheduled to speak at Juniata College in Pennsylvania today, canceled the engagement earlier this week due to “several unforeseen professional responsibilities.”
According to McCain’s Twitter feed, those unforeseen professional responsibilities include a trip to Las Vegas, Don Troop at the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
“First real time off in...
5 tags
Wiki-Centric Learning →
Vicki Davis has a technology-centric classroom where pretty much everything revolves around the multiple wikis that she’s set up over the last five years. A computer science teacher at Westwood Schools in Camilla, GA., Davis said her own “wiki fever” has since spread to other classrooms throughout the school, where she teaches technology to students in grades 8 through 12.
Wiki-Centric Learning →
Vicki Davis has a technology-centric classroom where pretty much everything revolves around the multiple wikis that she’s set up over the last five years. A computer science teacher at Westwood Schools in Camilla, GA., Davis said her own “wiki fever” has since spread to other classrooms throughout the school, where she teaches technology to students in grades 8 through...
Tumblr Staff: Queues at capacity →
staff:
Later this week we’re pushing a complete overhaul of the Queue feature with some killer new functionality.
In the meantime though, the existing queue service is handling a volume of posts it was never designed for. To prevent it from becoming unstable and mis-publishing posts, we’ve decided the…
Skype and Facebook to announce a partnership →
To say this is a huge deal would be the worst understatement in recent social media history.
Facebook and Skype are working on a deal that would integrate Facebook Connect with Skype accounts, AllThingsD has learned citing sources familiar with the situation.
ATD has managed to get a hold of a screenshot showing the new features in action: once you connect Skype with Facebook, you’d be able to...
Questions on Waiting for Superman
I’m hearing a lot of complaints about Waiting for Superman and the angst it’s causing amongst educators. The common thread is that it’s doing more harm than good.
So here’s my question: To those of you upset by the movie, what do you propose as a solution instead?
Here’s some food for thought for your response:
The general consensus is that there needs to be a...
3 tags
3 tags
For Students, Breaking Up Digitally Is Hard to Do →
Everybody agrees that communication outlets like Facebook, instant messaging, and texting are creating new rules for dating. But people can’t seem to reach a consensus on exactly what the new rules are, says Ilana Gershon, an assistant professor of communication and culture at Indiana University at Bloomington who studied student dating for her new book, “The Breakup 2.0:...
3 tags
5 Tools to Create and Administer Quizzes Online →
I use Google Forms for giving short multiple choice quizzes. I create the quizzes in Google Forms, post them on my classroom blog, students take the quiz on my blog, and their answers appear in an easy-to-grade spreadsheet.
Genius use of a simple, free tool. I love it!
Oh, quick protip regarding this idea: If your school is running GMail, you can restrict the form to people with your...
4 tags
How to Embed YouTube Video Playlists in Web Pages →
If you are planning to embed multiple YouTube videos on a web page, you may even consider putting all these videos into a single YouTube playlist and then embed the playlist into your page. This offers two advantages:
1. You can squeeze in more video content in the same amount of (visual) space.
2. A video playlist will reduce the (byte) size of your web page considerably because, technically,...
5 tags
Using Text-Expansion Software to Respond to... →
I’ve recently started using text expansion software to improve the written feedback I provide to my students with regard to their writing, and it’s made a huge difference. Let me explain.
I teach students how to write. It’s a huge part of my job, and I love it…for the most part. I love talking with students about their writing. I love looking at their drafts and giving them feedback. I...
Preventing Online Dropouts: Does Anything Work? →
Turns out the answer is “No.”
3 tags
Educators use technology to help kids with... →
Much of the technology used to help people with disabilities learn is new, and many teachers aren’t yet familiar with it. But the Iowa Center for Assistive Technology Education and Research is working toward educating future teachers about the latest tools available by teaching part of the Technology in the Classroom course in the University of Iowa College of Education.
I heard my...
3 tags
Educators use technology to help kids with... →
Much of the technology used to help people with disabilities learn is new, and many teachers aren’t yet familiar with it. But the Iowa Center for Assistive Technology Education and Research is working toward educating future teachers about the latest tools available by teaching part of the Technology in the Classroom course in the University of Iowa College of Education.
I heard my...
It's Tuesday...
…so if you’re looking to recommend someone for the directory, I’d ask you to pass on me. Given the issues with the Queue, I’ve been lax over the past week and haven’t really earned it. Instead, please consider recommending some of these folks:
Positively Persistent Teach
The YUNiversity
Adventures in Learning
And of course, Things for Teachers
How to Craft Clear Explanations - A Podcast With... →
5 tags
Software can 'proof-read' Wikipedia →
University of Iowa researchers are developing a software tool that can detect potential vandalism and improve the accuracy of Wikipedia entries, a university release says.
The tool is an algorithm that looks at new edits to a page and compares them to existing words in the rest of the entry, and then alerts an editor or page manager if it senses a problem.
There are existing tools that spot...
6 tags
SCVNGR Teams Up with Universities to Introduce... →
Location-based social gaming apps are making a major push to become the app of choice for university students during the back-to-school season.
In mid-September, Foursquare announced the launch of its Foursquare for Universities program, complete with school-themed badges and official partnerships with 20 universities. Other apps, like Whrrl and Gowalla, have designed similar outreach schemes.
...
5 tags
5 tags
Five lessons from the nation’s best online teacher →
Educators who teach in an online setting should foster strong relationships with their students’ parents and should offer plenty of positive feedback, says the nation’s first-ever K-12 Online Teacher of the Year.
Teacher Teresa Dove of the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) last week was chosen as the first winner of this new award, which not only recognizes excellent teaching but also the...
5 tags
“I see a lot of student in class sit on Facebook the entire time, which I find...”
– Students: Social media blackout eye-opening, ‘annoying’
This sounds like a perception issue.
Students refurbish computers to donate to charity →
Students from the Montgomery County Students Information Technology Foundation Inc. at Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Wheaton will donate a complete computer lab consisting of six computers with operating systems, monitors, keyboards, mice and a printer, to a nonprofit charitable organization in Montgomery County.
The project provides an opportunity for the ITF students to practice...
Did Teachers' Unions Just Score a Major Victory? →
According to Ben Smith over at Politico, the teachers’ union played a role in the defeat of Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrain Fenty (and, by proxy, his Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee). Smith says that the American Federation of Teachers doled out $1 million to usher the aggressive reformers out of office.
This. This is the problem with teachers unions.
If they were solely focused on...
A Note on Waiting for Superman and Unions
I’m sure over the next few weeks there’s going to be some kerfluffle (yes, kerfluffle) about teachers unions and the perceived attacks on them from the film Waiting for Superman. To be clear, I view unions separately than individual teachers. Unions are organizations. It’s not possible for all of their members to agree with every platform.
I also want to clarify that I recognize...
3 tags
iPad wine list boosts sales in high-end... →
When the iPad was originally announced (and, heck, when it was rumored), lots of us were dreaming up different ideas for how the iPad might revolutionize the way written content is consumed. There were books, of course, including comics, magazines and coursebooks. This is the first time, though, where I’ve seen a different kind of print medium successfully making the jump to digital:...
7 tags
6 tags
Foursquare 2.0 Goes Beyond The Check-In — By... →
Today, Foursquare has announced the arrival of version 2.0 of their service. This version has been the subject of much speculation for several weeks, as everyone wants to know how Foursquare is going to keep their momentum alive. With Facebook Places now out in the wild, and slowly rolling out around the world, Foursquare is well aware they need to move beyond simply being a check-in service. So...
4 tags
Hotel ousts couple after accusing them of writing... →
Adrian Healey, 33, tells the Blackpool Gazette that earlier this month, he’d booked a room a hotel in the seaside resort of Blackpool, England, to take his first vacation with his girlfriend Sherrie Andrews, 33, since being diagnosed with cancer 18 months ago.
But the Golden Beach Hotel’s manager asked them to leave two days into their paid, three-night stay, they told the Gazette,...
3 tags
What's the Advantage of a School Without a... →
The Christian Science Monitor ran a piece this week documenting the rise of schools that have no principals and are instead run by their teachers. According to the article, the idea is one of many first rolled out in New York City schools in the 1970s and now gaining new life in the current environment of experimentation and reform—a list that includes extended school days and collaborative...
Notes for Participating Isn't Leading
Hello Kent Staters,
Thank you for attending Participating Isn’t Leading! Here are some resources that may help. Also, if you enjoyed the presentation, please consider taking an incredibly brief survey on this session (no ads). Feedback helps me improve this session for other folks.
The slides are available at this link. This is a larger file, so you may want to right-click the link and...
A question on leadership
Hi everyone,
I’ll be giving a keynote on leadership and social media tomorrow for Kent State’s Student Leadership Conference.
I’d like to ask you all a question.
Now social media has been a huge equalizer, allowing just about anyone to become a leader. What this means is that there really isn’t a training program for leadership online. You can’t be certified to...
Dear Tumblr
The Queue is broken. Please fix it.
Facebook DOWN: Users Report Problems With... →
But how will I like status updates?
2 tags
Twitter Hack Opens Popups, Causes Havoc →
A new way to cause mischief quickly spread through short-messaging service Twitter on Tuesday morning before the site could fix the problem, as mysterious “tweets” of blocked-out text propagated themselves and caused popup windows to open. Shortly before 10 a.m. Eastern time, (1400 GMT), Twitter said on its “safety” feed on the site that the attack had been shut down. It...
Notes for NEOUCOM
Some folks had asked for more info about the presentation. That can be found at the Facebook fan page here. I’ve got some sample slides, what parents and students had to say about OL&L, and an outline of the session. If you’d like additional info, or would like to talk about bringing this presentation to your school, please contact me via the methods listed at the bottom of this...
Facts about texting (infographic)
[image: texting.jpg]
Your weekly recommendation request →
It’s Tumblr Tuesday! Please consider recommending me to the Educational Directory :o) Yes, that’s right: I’ve stooped to using emoticons.
Facebook now letting random people follow you... →
Sorry for the email post, but my campus is still blocking enough of Tumblr for it to not work. Assinine.
A few days ago, Facebook made what seemed to be a small tweak to its Friend Requests area.
As first noted by Inside Facebook>, the social network changed the way friend rejections work. Previously, you could either Confirm or Ignore (deny) a request. Now, Ignore has been replaced by...
