Group items tagged

Kids from the UK surveyed about search habits - researchers found: 54 percent of those surveyed admitted that Google is now their first point of call when they need to answer a question or find information for research purposes. 91 percent of the children asked use Google; Almost half - 47 percent - use the service at least 5 times per day; 18 percent said they use the search engine ten times or more each day.

interesting advent in the digital textbook market - Discovery's Techbooks. iBooks competitor? From the article: Discovery's Techbook series is cloud-based, meaning students can access the materials from wherever they have an internet connection; the company says that's because not all school districts have the funds to give every student his or her own device. The Techbooks are also platform-agnostic to work with whatever hardware a district or student might have-iPads, tablets, mobile devices, laptops, or desktops.

ESRC report on Generation Y's use of technology - they assert that the "net generation" moniker is a misnomer and doesn't represent the different levels of ability and technology use seen in this generation.

Use Quixley to find apps based on what you want to do or accomplish.  Not just apps for a tablet or other hand-held device, but applications for computers and even Internet browsers

From the website: "TrackStar is your starting point for online lessons and activities. Simply collect Web sites, enter them into TrackStar, add annotations for your students, and you have an interactive, online lesson called a Track. Create your own Track or use one of the hundreds of thousands already made by other educators. Search the database by subject, grade, or theme and standard for a quick and easy activity. There is a fun Track already made for each day of the year, too!"

Teachers across grade levels are forsaking traditional resources such as textbooks for free, online, and collaboratively-created instructional materials.

Important quote: "Many students already had iPads or have parents purchasing them through a special lease-to-own plan through the school system and Apple. Others will be provided a device for use in school."

Great ideas for using QR codes in the classroom - perfect for schools with iPods or iPads

From the article: With 33 years of experience as a school librarian under her belt, Snyder said getting adults to understand the changing role and "look" of the library is an ongoing battle. "A lot of people still think of the library as a warehouse where you go to get a book or a magazine," she said. "To deal with it we just strive to be a model for helping people understand that a media center is a lot more than just a place for physical books."

From the article: "Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said, "Google will remain a place where you can do anonymous searches. We're very committed to having you have control over the information we have about you. So, for example, if you want to continue to use Google and don't log in, and don't tell us who you are, that will continue to be true forever." Mr. Schmidt's statement would remain true for people who aren't logged into a Gmail, Google+, YouTube, Android phone or any other Google account. But as Google's services become more ubiquitous and deeply linked, it could become more difficult for users to take Google up on that promise of anonymity."

Steps and advice on how to create your own textbook, with free resources included

Web 2.0 tools for educators, organized by purpose or use.

Resource for learning about integrating web 2.0 tools in the classroom... all videos are 5 minutes or less!

Photo sharing app - this would be cool on the classroom sets of iPods or iPads - students could instantly see others' pictures (with a wifi connection)

From the post: "One challenge teachers face is requiring and enabling every student an equal opportunity to ask and respond to questions during class. A new web-based classroom tool called GoSoapBox is one possible solution to this problem. With GoSoapBox, students can simultaneously interact with the class in real time as well as participating with any Internet connected device. I am currently accessing GoSoapBox with my classroom set of iPod Touches; however, the app will run on laptops, notebooks, iPads or other mobile devices."

The MITS Freedom Stick is a portable, use-anywhere accessibility solution. Install this software package on any 4gb USB Flash Drive (full) or 2gb USB Flash Drive (lite) and you create a set of tools for your students that they can carry in their pockets which will make any Windows computer highly accessible.

Chief Information Officer offers perspectives to consider when determining if mobile learning is right for a school district or learning environment