NCSS Position Statement on Media Literacy Media Literacy A Position Statement of National Council for the Social Studies © 2009 National Council for the Social Studies. All rights reserved This position statement was prepared by a task force of the Technology Community of National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), and was approved by the NCSS Board of Directors in February 2009. "In the twenty-first century, participatory media education and civic education are inextricable" (Rheingold, 2008, p. 103) This position statement focuses on the critical role of media literacy in the social studies curriculum. The statement addresses the following questions. First, why and how has media literacy taken on a significantly more important role in preparing citizens for democratic life? Second, how is media literacy defined, and what are some of its essential concepts? Finally, what is required to teach media literacy and what are some examples of classroom activities?

Essential multimedia tutorials and resources for do-it-yourself training Wednesday, March 25, 2009 The funny thing about the new wave of journalism is that news organizations are requiring journalists to learn additional technical skills, but aren't making the necessary training readily available. In order to be or remain employed in this industry its essential to hunker down and learn some new skills. The following tutorial sites will take you from journalist to multimedia journalist, something that looks great on any business card.

What it Means to Educate Today's Students February 4th, 2009 Comments The Carnegie Foundation is focusing on where and how technology can add value as we seek to advance more ambitious learning goals for all students, and where we can assist educators as they move toward making these new learning goals universal. The Foundation has enlisted expert advisers to help us look at how technology is transforming how we educate. One of these advisors is Nichole Pinkard, Director of Innovation at the Urban Education Institute, University of Chicago.

The Meyer and Land Threshold Concept "The idea of threshold concepts emerged from a UK national research project into the possible characteristics of strong teaching and learning environments in the disciplines for undergraduate education (Enhancing Teaching−Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses). In pursuing this research in the field of economics, it became clear to Erik Meyer and Ray Land [1−6, 7−12], that certain concepts were held by economists to be central to the mastery of their subject. These concepts, Meyer and Land argued, could be described as 'threshold' ones because they have certain features in common." Glynis Cousin, An introduction to threshold concepts Over the past five years this concept has been embraced by many disciplines outside economics; indeed the above quote is from Glynis Cousin's excellent short introduction to the concept written for earth scientists. The threshold concept has been seen as a valuable tool, not only in facilitating students' understanding of their subject, but in aiding the rational development of curricula in rapidly expanding arenas where there is a strong tendency to overload the curriculum (Cousin, [1, 13]). This web page will describe, briefly, the characteristics of a threshold concept and list selecteted references to the work of those examining its value in the engineering and computer sciences, the physical and biological sciences, economics, accountancy, mathematics and statistics.

* iPED * * iPED International Conference 2009 * iPED 2009 Conference * Themes * Speakers * Virtual delegates * Author Guidance * Register for iPED 2009 * Venues * Contact us iPED 2009, 4th International Inquiring Pedagogies Conference 'Researching Beyond Boundaries', Academic Communities without Borders 14 - 15 September 2009, Coventry, UK NEWS SUBMISSION SYSTEM OPEN You are invited to join our international iPED JISCMAIL discussion list. Read how delegates from Pakistan and Thailand viewed the iPED2008 conference.

This Directory contains over 2,700 tools for learning in two main sections: 1. for creating, delivering and managing learning and performance support solutions 2. for personal learning and productivity, for sharing resources, as well as group collaboration (also includes some enterprise tools) The tools in this Directory are both freeware/open source and commercial.

New tools for new news Journalists need new tools to work online. I started building this online database of such tools as a personal project, just a way to keep track of everything I was using. It has since grown into something I think others will find useful.

Digital Research Tools (DiRT) This wiki collects information about tools and resources that can help scholars (particularly in the humanities and social sciences) conduct research more efficiently or creatively. Whether you need software to help you manage citations, author a multimedia work, or analyze texts, Digital Research Tools will help you find what you're looking for. We provide a directory of tools organized by research activity, as well as reviews of select tools in which we not only describe the tool's features, but also explore how it might be employed most effectively by researchers.

Book Cover about THE BOOK The first generation of "Digital Natives" - children who were born into and raised in the digital world - are coming of age, and soon our world will be reshaped in their image. Our economy, our politics, our culture and even the shape of our family life will be forever transformed. But who are these Digital Natives? More

December 2005/January 2006 | Volume 63 | Number 4 Learning in the Digital Age Pages 8-13 Listen to the Natives Schools are stuck in the 20th century. Students have rushed into the 21st. How can schools catch up and provide students with a relevant education? Marc Prensky School didn't teach me to read-I learned from my games. -A student Educators have slid into the 21st century-and into the digital age-still doing a great many things the old way. It's time for education leaders to raise their heads above the daily grind and observe the new landscape that's emerging. Recognizing and analyzing its characteristics will help define the education leadership with which we should be providing our students, both now and in the coming decades. Times have changed. So, too, have the students, the tools, and the requisite skills and knowledge. Let's take a look at some of the features of our 21st century landscape that will be of utmost importance to those entrusted with the stewardship of our children's 21st century education. Digital Natives

Welcome to the Global Innovation Network www.ginnn.com is THE social network and community of practice dedicated to facilitating innovation and business development by bringing together businesses, entrepreneurs, academics, researchers and investors in one place. The more you put in to this community the more you will get out - so join in and get involved.

The key goals of The Commons on Flickr are to firstly show you hidden treasures in the world's public photography archives, and secondly to show how your input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer. You're invited to help describe the photographs you discover in The Commons on Flickr, either by adding tags or leaving comments.*

Acceptable Use Policy Version: 10.0 Date: April 2008 Editor: Shirley Wood Contents * Background and Definitions * Acceptable Use * Unacceptable Use * Access to Other Networks via JANET * Passing on and Resale of JANET Service * Compliance * Explanatory notes Background and Definitions Background and Definitions 1. "JANET" is the name given both to an electronic communications network and a collection of electronic communications networking services and facilities that support the requirements of the UK higher and further education and research community. JANET is managed by JANET(UK) on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and its partner funding bodies, via their Joint Information Systems Committee (the "JISC").

Thousands of images from the world-famous Getty archive. For UK HE and FE.

Student Publications We have been involved in writing and developing publications. These have been celebrated by CETL, Students Union and Academic Registry and include guides for staff and students and also resources. Click on the links below to download pdf versions of the original Assessment for Learning guides created by students working with CETL AfL. A Catalogue of Assessment Essentials for Higher Education Staff The Student Survival Guide to Assessment for Learning

First Experience Asssessing E-Portfolios December 17, 2008 by Terry Anderson As an instructor in Athabasca University's Master of Distance Education program, I was involved in providing an e-portfolio option to replace the standard comprehensive exam process for non thesis route students. The old 'comps' consisted of the candidate writing yet two more essays on material covered in the porgram and defending the essays with two faculty members via audio conference. As students in our program write at least 30 papers over the course of the 11 courses in the program the added value of writing yet two more seems of little value. We use the elgg platform with its "presentation" plugin to create the e-portfolio. We extracted the graduate competencies from throughout the program and then required students to demonstrate with a blog reflection and an artifact or two from their course work or 'real life' to show how they have achieved this competence. The assignment also called for a final terminal "reflection" on the whole program and the e-portfolio exercise.

Add Multimedia to Your Site with One Click. Apture provides the first rich communication platform allowing publishers and bloggers to easily turn flat pages of text into multimedia experiences.

WRITER'S TOOLBOX: 35 Best Tools for Writing Online December 13, 2008 - 7:38 pm PDT - by Paul Glazowski 44 Comments Whether you're new to the world of authorship or a veteran trying to make the most of Web services and applications, there are a number of online tools for writers of all types. From blogging platforms to networking hotbeds, and job boards to real-world gatherings, and more, the supply of utilities is comprehensive, to say the least. But finding them all can be hard-going, so we've taken the liberty to make the discovery process easier by arranging our top finds here for your perusal. Here are 35 of the best social media tools for writers.