World-Shaker

eachteach:

Some of the things that I have seen on Facebook are a disgrace.  I am an advocate for free speech, human rights, and all things righteous.  I am not an advocate for stupidity, violence, and sexual promiscuity.  These are the things that I am seeing on Facebook.  Many of you may feel it necessary to hit the delete button.  I would challenge you to do the opposite and engage your brother, sister, cousin, or friend.  If you are fearful that an interaction will push them further way, consider indirect postings on your page.  Doing nothing is not an option.

It is my choice to use Facebook. There are certain aspects of it that I enjoy and other parts that I do not. I am aware that I can restrict my profile, delete friends, etc. However, that does not excuse poor judgment that is displayed throughout Facebook daily. I felt that I would use my PERSONAL blog as opportunity to vent and share some “Facebook Etiquette.” I also received some submissions from a few friends as well.

An interesting perspective. Thoughts?

thingsforteachers:

Now it is even easier to create content for YouTube without even needing a video camera or webcam. YouTube has just launched ‘YouTube Create‘ a new portal pulling together three great animation tools: GoAnimate, Stupeflix, an Xtranormal, each of which lets you ‘build’ custom videos featuring virtual avatars, custom speech, and more. All three would be excellent resources to support digital storytelling.

Click through to read more.

Nerdgasm.

A petition asks Facebook to restrict developer access to chat on the site, in order to end the rise in hijackings by spammers.

We really dig this petition, and hope Facebook can require compliance with a set of rules in order for developers to access chat.

Completely blocking access to chat would hamstring the half dozen or so videoconferencing applications that have barely gotten off the ground on Facebook. A full blockage would also bring to a halt the much-anticipated integration of Skype, killing off any hope for phone conversations over Facebook.

You can click through for a link to sign the petition.

thingsforteachers:

We spend too much time debating 20th century arguments — e.g., whether or not Teach for America or university-based certification programs are the best ways to recruit and train teachers. What we need instead are millions of well-prepared, highly savvy teachers who know how to teach the iGeneration and work successfully in teams in order to serve diverse public school populations that include large numbers of English language learners and students from poverty.

Teaching in the 21st century is complex, challenging work, and the fiction that “anyone can be a teacher” threatens our future. We have entered an era of rapid and inexorable change, where the real “high stakes” must be measured at a global level. We don’t have time for myths. Here are five that often distract policymakers from creating the results-oriented teaching profession students deserve.

Click the link to read the 5 myths and explanations/research to go with them.

Thanks Larry Ferlazzo for sharing this article.

Great article.

Relationship status: virtual.

That’s what startup Cloud Girlfriend promises, although your friends on Facebook will never know it. The new Internet company helps guys who aren’t ready to admit, at least online, that they don’t have a significant other.

The new service allows users to create the perfect girlfriend who will write on your Facebook wall and otherwise make her ghostly presence known through social media.

Melanie Kramer, AOL

Cloud Girlfriend has yet to officially launch, but the site is already generating overwhelming interest, advising visitors to “register early to get in line.”

Wow. Just…

Wow.

infoneer-pulse:

Consider what a smartphone can do, and the devices it replaces, and its value increases. A refurbished iPhone 3GS is currently on sale by AT&T for $19. With the least-expensive data and voice plans and a two-year contract, a customer would pay around $1,800 over 24 months, including taxes and fees.

But to do all the things a smartphone can do without buying one, that same consumer would need to buy the following:

1. A cellphone (at least $800 over 24 months: $20 for a device, plus $25 or more per month on a prepaid plan, plus taxes and fees).
2. A mobile e-mail reader ($430: the Peek 9, an e-mail reader, is $70; two years of service costs $360).
3. A music player (an iPod Nano is $149).
4. A point-and-shoot camera (around $200).
5. A camcorder (around $200).
6. A GPS unit (they start at $80).
7. A portable DVD player (they start at $60).
8. A voice recorder (around $40).
9. A watch (around $30).
10. A calculator (around $10).
11. Total cost: $1,999

In a smartphone, all those devices are reduced to software. They are a tap away, and new functions or services can be downloaded in seconds.

» via The New York Times

This is one of those articles where you may be tempted to read it, say “Oh that’s cool”, and move on.

Don’t do that.

This says a lot about how we use and view technology. It’s hard to find a place outside the mobile realm where we are comfortable with such a consolidation of technology. We don’t want a flashlight with a built-in clock. We don’t want a Chef’s Knife that can open cans. We still prefer separate boxes for our cable, DVDs, and stereo systems. But when it comes to mobile devices, we want everything included. This is important.

revolutionizeed:

“If you could put a number of items into a box that described your life, what would you include? What do you think would be included if you were a Victorian Servant or Queen Elizabeth I. If you lived during the English Civil War, what items would you include to make a case for, or against, the parliamentarians? And what if you were an abolitionist and wanted to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary, how would you create your evidence.

Museum Box provides the tools for you to do just this. It allows you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view the museum boxes submitted by other people and comment on the contents.”

Ooooh, shiny!