CTLT and Friends

good analysis of some of the opportunities of light-weight (craigs-list style) comunity volunteer organizing

Students consistently told us that "really good" or "the best" writing is writing that is performative, that makes something happen in the world; for more information about this aspect of our findings, please see our article "Performing Writing, Performing Literacy" Throughout the five years, students reported being deeply engaged with writing out of class: for these students, extracurricular writing is very important, often more important than any of the writing they are doing for classes. Of the thousands of out-of-class texts students contributed, here is a representative sample:

lays out specific actions using existing tools (not craig's list) and encourages action on part of Obama and citizens. get educated on an issue

FROM OVERVIEW: "They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Persuasive Writing is recommended for use in Sages First Seminars. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein have created a book of templates useful for "Demystifying Academic Conversation" (Preface ix). While the book has received mixed reviews (mostly related to the contentious issue of whether or not templates are useful/proper tools for use in writing instruction; see "Responses to TSIS" below), we present the following information to help you decide for yourself. In addition, you will find sample exercises from the text (some of which have been tested in the classroom) under "Links." '

Wikipedia, meet RNA. Anyone submitting to a section of the journal RNA Biology will, in the future, be required to also submit a Wikipedia page that summarizes the work. The journal will then peer review the page before publishing it in Wikipedia.

Bookmarks of the Center for Teaching Learning and Technology at Washington State University.

good podcast about roles of internet and other personal technologies. just about mid-way talks about information scarcity (1.0) vs information abundance (2.0). near the end it talks about the tech proclivities of various ethnic groups

This book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methods--to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. You can read the entire book online for free.

HOW TO 2008: How To Do Almost Anything With Social Media

The "2009 Horizon Report," the latest edition of the annual list of technology trends to watch in education, is compiled based on news reports, research studies, and interviews with experts.

points at seely brown social life of information, gives a couple takes on future of the CMS

Google Reader + iPhone = Awesome

Wikipedia launched a "please save our website" fund drive campaign on or about Christmas Eve. At that point, they had raised $3.8 million dollars of their $6 million goal. In just five days, as of January 1, 2009, they had surpassed the $6 million goal by raising an additional $2.3 million. They now have on hand $6,150,647 (as of 12:15am CST). The people's message: We love Wikipedia!

After four months of spirited discussion, the EDUCAUSE teaching and learning community has voted on the, "Top Teaching and Learning Challenges, 2009." The final list for 2009, ranked by popularity, includes (click on individual Challenges to visit their wiki page): 1. Creating learning environments that promote active learning, critical thinking, collaborative learning, and knowledge creation. 2. Developing 21st-century literacies among students and faculty (information, digital, and visual). 3. Reaching and engaging today's learner. 4. Encouraging faculty adoption and innovation in teaching and learning with IT. 5. Advancing innovation in teaching and learning (with technology) in an era of budget cuts.

School of Environmental Studies: Taking Class Outdoors At this Minnesota school focused on problem solving, the academic program and the architecture were designed to promote interdisciplinary project-based learning. More to this story.

SLJ offers an engaging, law-themed curriculum, with the goal of providing a high-quality, 9-12 education to under-resourced students. SLJ's focus on the study of law builds upon the success and experiences of The Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice (BLGJ). BLGJ opened in 1997 in the South Bronx and has maintained 95% graduation rates in the first three graduating classes, with 90% of those graduates going on to college. Over its seven years, BLGJ has developed an array of law-themed courses that range from constitutional law to forensic science, and has established a successful internship model through which seniors spend three afternoons a week in courthouses, law firms, and non-profit organizations. SLJ was developed in conjunction with members of the BLGJ community including teachers, students, parents, and the principal.

Chamberlain High School is small inner-city school within a school in a large urban district. Over its five years of existence, Chamberlain administrators have enlisted the aid of outside partners to help them realize the vision of an interdisciplinary environmental science theme based school. Partners include many university-based groups, as well as groups such as National Public Radio's Living on Earth, the Urban Ecology Institute (a non-profit university-based organization), and a local environmental literacy program. This study was undertaken to understand some of the dynamics behind those partnerships. Using activity theory as an analytical lens we found a set of tensions that drove many of the changes that have occurred between the school and its partners. In this paper we document these tensions so others who are working in similar situations will be able to leverage our experience and findings to support urban school change.

The Harvard Networks in Political Science Conference\nThis site contains papers and presentations on network applications in political science. Interresting titles include: "Network Analysis for International Relations", "Social Networks and Correct Voting", "Partisan Webs: Information Exchange and Party Networks", "Mapping Iran's Online Public: Politics and Culture in the Persian Blogosphere ", and "Mining Political Blog Networks".

BigDialog: Ask the President-Elect Think of questions you'd like to ask the President-Elect. 2. We fly the top questioners to MIT and ask their questions. Link to Terms 3. You rate the President-Elect's answers. More...