Group items tagged

"This handbook aims to take the mystery out of ICT policy and make it easier to understand. In particular, it aims to build the capacity of those who want to understand more about the issues surrounding policy on ICT development and regulation, to grasp the policy process, and to become more involved as informed participants.The main text of the handbook has been written by experts in the field so that readers get a basic understanding of the issues. It can then be used as a platform for further investigation. Each chapter seeks to give an objective account of existing issues, rather than presenting any specific point of view. Where issues are controversial, the different viewpoints involved have been explained so that the reader has a clear view of the issues in dispute. Examples are also given of recent events or debates, which readers can explore further if so inclined. Suggestions as to where readers can find out more about ICT policy can also be located in the bibliography and list of organisations active in the field which are in appendices. "

An electronics kit in your computer! Build circuits with resistors, light bulbs, batteries, and switches. Take measurements with the realistic ammeter and voltmeter. View the circuit as a schematic diagram, or switch to a life-like view.

The Pencil Project's unique mission is to build a free and opensource tool for making diagrams and GUI prototyping that everyone can use.

Great overview from Tara about how she uses wallwisher. I haven't played with this new, cool tool but will. She says: "One of my favorite new tools that I shared with the group was Wallwisher. It's the whole 'get a sticky note, write your thoughts and stick it to the chart paper' activity but online. Brilliant! It's free, and I can keep the information archived each time I build a new wall. "

What happens if you really begin to rethink what your school looks like? No, I'm not talking about rethink from a wildly radical viewpoint - like mine or say, Neil Postman's - but just if a dedicated set of educators stops "tinkering" with little changes and wonders what school might be like...

FaceBook is fun and tweets have a short shelf life. However, for those who are serious about building a professional network, then LinkedIn is the service for managing their career. In today's job market an invitation to "join a professional network" has become obligatory and more useful than swapping business cards or sending out résumés.

Microsoft's free worldwide telescope. The coolest thing about this is the planetariums that people build with it.

Non traditional approach to literature. Just received this in my inbox: " We, The Hazardous Players, have been building a fantasy adventure where we plan on constructing multiply narratives using various media: writing, audio performance and art, (eventually video), to create a story that is an expanding fantasy for children and adults. Though we realize this is a nontraditional approach to literature, we do see that this could be a unique way to tell a story, harkening back to the time of episodic adventures on the radio. " Couldn't students do this as a semester or shorter project?

This is a comprehensive checklist of best practices for online instruction.  The resource was build by Joan Vandervelde and Jim Erbe from the Online Professional Development program at the University of Wisconsin Stout.

Open source global construction kit designed to help developing communities and nations rapidly build materials, structures, and a functioning community with a small number of self-built machines. Prototypes for a few of the 40 machines in the global construction kit have already been made, and are demonstrated in the video.

A notetaking site that turns notes into flashcards from Jason Urton. "I am currently working towards a masters in Computer Science at Brandeis University and have developed a site (http://zen.do) with a few friends that I think can help students in certain learning environments with personalized/optimized learning. Our goal is to offer a tool that allows students to take notes as they normally would while automatically building a study guide of related flashcards. When students review the cards, we use a memory decay model and a Google-style pagerank algorithm to optimize their review time. This allows students to spend their study time as effectively as possible."

For parents who want fun things for their students to do over the summer that will help students learn more and move forward in math and literacy skills - this is a website to check out. "Students enter the tournament by going to www.DimensionU.com/SummerChallenge. Once registered (parental permission is required) they will compete in math- and literacy-based games for a chance to win gift cards and summer-related prizes like inline skates, inflatable pools, beach volleyball sets, or tents. Five lucky players will be randomly selected to win an iPod Nano each. New this year is a social networking component that encourages students to build online "learning communities" of friends, family, community members, or even teachers - basically anyone who wants to help support the child's academic efforts during the summer. Participants who earn the highest number of social network points in each tournament round will win prizes separate from those awarded for game play performance."

Suggest this to parents.

How do browsers and the web actually work? What is HTML5-or HTML, for that matter? What do terms like "cookies" or "cloud computing" even mean? More practically, how can we keep ourselves safe from security threats like viruses when we're online?

"The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release September 24, 2011 WEEKLY ADDRESS: Strengthening the American Education System WASHINGTON-In this week's address, President Obama told the American people that it is time to raise the standards of our education system so that every classroom is a place of high expectations and high performance. On Friday, the President announced that states will have greater flexibility to find innovative ways of improving the quality of learning and teaching, so that we can strengthen performance in our classrooms and ensure that teachers are helping students learn rather than teaching to the test. By modernizing our schools and improving the education system, the United States can continue building an economy that lasts into the future and prepare the next generation to succeed in the global economy."

"7:21 7:26 And so the bottom line is if you think the last 8 years haven't worked, 7:26 7:32 if you think that the government can do a better job creating jobs, building the economy, 7:32 7:36 making sure that kids can go to college, providing health care to people who don't have it, 7:37 7:44 then it's hard to figure why you would want 4 more years of exactly the same policies. "

"COMMUNIA Non-Profit Organization Basic Information Founded 1 September 2007 Company Overview COMMUNIA ("commons" in Latin) is the European thematic network on the digital public domain funded by the European Union in the context of the eContentPlus programme. The project will end on 28 February 2011. Mission Building a network of organisations that shall become the single European point of reference for high-level policy discussion and strategic action: on all issues related to the public domain in the digital environment and on related topics, Products Three major conferences and eight thematic workshops on the many aspects of the digital public domain. Website http://communia-project.eu"

building learning communities

From the Committee on Education and Labor here in the US. Mark your calendars! This is June 16 at 10 am EDT. "WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, June 16 to examine how technology and innovative education tools are transforming and improving education in America. Immediately following the hearing, members of the media are invited to attend an education technology demonstration where they can have hands-on experience using cutting-edge education technology products. WHAT: Hearing on "The Future of Learning: How Technology is Transforming Public Schools" WHO: Jennifer Bergland, chief technology officer, Bryan Independent School District, Bryan, TX Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer, White House Office for Science and Technology Dr. Wayne Hartschuh, executive director, Delaware Center for Educational Technology, Dover, DE Scott Kinney, vice president, Discovery Education, Silver Spring, MD John McAuliffe, general manager, Educate Online Learning, LLC, Baltimore, MD Lisa Short, science teacher, Gaithersburg Middle School, Montgomery County Public Schools, Gaithersburg, MD Abel Real, student, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC WHEN: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 10:00 a.m., EDT WHERE: House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room 2175 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. **Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. You can access the webcast when the hearing begins at 10:00 am EDT from http://edlabor.house.gov**"