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5 open source alternatives to moodle

Free, open-source alternatives to Ning for building private social networks.

This qualitative study explores a cohort professional development experience that brought new teachers together every few weeks from across an urban school district. Observation data were analyzed through Wenger's (1998) Communities of Practice social learning framework. The purpose was to examine how a cohort can be a valuable resource of new teacher support, particularly in areas where novices, who are being prepared largely through alternative routes, start their careers in some of the most challenging teaching assignments. Key theoretical insights resulting from the analysis include (a) the importance of interactivity of the Wenger elements, (b) the centrality of the community component, and (c) the implications of what legitimate peripheral participation looks like for a solely novice community of practice. Implications of these theoretical considerations are discussed and then linked to possibilities for practice and research to supplement current, traditional induction and mentoring practices.

Nice alternative to Skype, especially as Skype begins charging for multiple participant video chat. Communicate using 8-way Voice, 4-way Video, Instant messaging (Facebook, MySpace, MSN, Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ, Jabber, GTalk and iChat). Transfer files at any size. Remote PC Access. Share files, photos, documents, and stream music to anyone anywhere.

Life science videos from VCU covering topics such as evolution, genetics, biotechnology, research careers. I really like how the videos aren't just informative but focus on relevant or interesting topics, giving a real-world connection for students. For example, within the biotechnology videos, there is a focus on topics such as silk making, individualized drugs, tissue engineering, alternative transplants, etc. Videos tend to be short as well and won't take an entire period but can easily be incorporated into your lesson at any point.

Nice get! You need Realplayer installed to play the videos online or when you download them.

Here's what looks to be a viable alternative for those who would like to make HTML5 (iPod, iPad, iPhone) friendly content. A good designer/web guru friend of mine enlightened me about this app earlier today.

Free Reading Program.. Open Source

FreeReading is a free, high-quality, open-source reading program addressing literacy development for grades K-3. Leveraging the collective wisdom of researchers, teachers, reading coaches, and other education and industry professionals, FreeReading provides a high-quality, cost-effective alternative to static materials. By establishing a foundation of hundreds of research-based lessons and materials that users can download and use for free, FreeReading has created the framework for intervention programs supporting K-6 literacy. The collective wisdom within FreeReading is invaluable and can be more beneficial than any one reading program.

A very cool free/cheap tool for in-class polling using cell phones or twitter!

Mac alternative for Onenote

9. In a post, you argue that the inquiry science teaching cannot flourish with common standards. What is an alternative solution?  That's right.  We do not need a set of Common Core Standards.  I am sure that the teachers in your high school are more capable of determining the curriculum for your classmates than any national committee assembled by the most prestigious organizations in the country.  Education needs to decentralized, not centralized.  There are more than 15,000 school districts in the United States.  Do you think that one set of standards would meet the needs of these 15, 000 school districts.

Post it notes site similar to Wallwisher

PinDax offers a fun real-time alternative to the traditional message board. Sign up for free, and get up and running in minutes.

Using Alternative Lenses to Examine Effective Teachers' Use of Technology with Low-Performing Students

An alternative schema to the "digital native" vs. "digital immigrant" dichotomy. Emphasis is placed upon one's own adaptation to technology-rich culture using the axes of "access" and "participation" to form a classification quadrant.

Open and electronic textbook resource page on compiled by the Drake University Library. 

We are all time travelers... drifting through time at a steady pace, one moment at a time. In what direction are we moving through time? Or does time move through us? How many dimensions of time are there? Though slightly allegorical, three-dimensional time offers physics new parameters, accounting for conventional and exotic physical phenomena, while maintaining the conservation of energy and symmetry groups found in physical law.  I began playing with the idea that all of physics could be reduced to just interactions between spatial and temporal coordinates. I wondered if inertia and momentum might be composed strictly of temporal components. This would require extra time dimensions. Could inertia or momentum be used as indicators of multi-dimensional time? What about charge, spin, and other properties of matter? Answers to some of these questions appeared to reside in neutrino research, specifically neutrino flavor oscillation.  The universality between Thermodynamics and Temporal Mechanics can reduce the fundamental forces of nature into a single expression, a new equivalence principle, which can be used as the generator for the evolution of time. Once Quantum Mechanics is seen through the lens of three-dimensional time, the EPR paradox looses its mystique. The speed of light may be restricted to a set speed limit within each individual frame of reference, however, frames of reference can undergo periods-of-time at varying rates of the passage-of-time. If the positive side of absolute zero is a state of condensed matter, what is on the negative side of absolute zero? Uncondensed matter?  The anti-matter aspect of the Dirac equations may have been misinterpreted. The convention is to assume that "matter" is composed of "particles" distinctly different from "antimatter" composed of "antiparticles". The assumption of one time dimension locks in this interpretation of the Dirac Equations. However, the uniform production of particles and antipa

"Conversation is key . Sawyer succinctly explains this principle: "Conversation leads to flow, and flow leads to creativity." When having students work in groups, consider what will spark rich conversation. The original researcher on flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, found that rich conversation precedes and ignites flow more than any other activity.1 Tasks that require (or force) interaction lead to richer collaborative conceptualization. Set a clear but open-ended goal . Groups produce the richest ideas when they have a goal that will focus their interaction but also has fluid enough boundaries to allow for creativity. This is a challenge we often overlook. As teachers, we often have an idea of what a group's final product should look like (or sound like, or…). If we put students into groups to produce a predetermined outcome, we prevent creative thinking from finding an entry point. Try not announcing time limits. As teachers we often use a time limit as a "motivator" that we hope will keep group work focused. In reality, this may be a major detractor from quality group work. Deadlines, according to Sawyer, tend to impede flow and produce lower quality results. Groups produce their best work in low-pressure situations. Without a need to "keep one eye on the clock," the group's focus can be fully given to the task. Do not appoint a group "leader." In research studies, supervisors, or group leaders, tend to subvert flow unless they participate as an equal, listening and allowing the group's thoughts and decisions to guide the interaction. Keep it small. Groups with the minimum number of members that are needed to accomplish a task are more efficient and effective. Consider weaving together individual and group work. For additive tasks-tasks in whicha group is expectedtoproduce a list, adding one idea to another-research suggests that better results develop