Group items tagged

great resource. Nice layout for a how it works feature article. Students can find articles that relate to some interest that they have.

So, is Wikipedia headed out? Some scientists have found that: "The number of articles added per month flattened out at 60,000 in 2006 and has since declined by around a third. They also found that the number of edits made every month and the number of active editors both stopped growing the following year, flattening out at around 5.5 million and 750,000 respectively." I have to wonder if their changes in who can edit has caused this shift. People still look at it (I do) to kick off research.

"This article responds to a generation of techno-criticism in education. It contains a review of the key themes of that criticism. The context of previous efforts to reform education reframes that criticism. Within that context, the question is raised about what schools need to look and be like in order to take advantage of laptop computers and other technology. In doing so, the article presents a vision for self-organizing schools."

Peter Krantz - January 10th, 2005 "A while ago I read the article "Observing Users Who Listen to Web Sites". In that article the authors report that visually impaired users scan web pages with their ears instead of reading them top to bottom. This may not come as a surprise to you if you read Jakob Nielsen's "How Users Read on the Web" back in 1997. Recently I have had the opportunity to study a number of screen reader users and my observations are similar. (...) So, here are some suggestions you can use to improve the browsing experience for visually impaired users: Use headings god dammit!"

In the last few days I have read enough articles about automation in areas one would assume could not be automated to make me wonder where we will draw the line. An article in the latest issue of Inc. magazine...

Scholarpedia feels and looks like Wikipedia -- the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Indeed, both are powered by the same program -- MediaWiki. Both allow visitors to review and modify articles simply by clicking on the edit this article link.

The Open University's peer reviewed Journal of Open and Distance Learning, Open Learning, has devoted its first issue of 2009 to the theme of Open Educational Resources (OER).The issue provides an introduction to the emerging OER movement and its implications for education systems and institutions, educators and learners. The articles describe a range of initiatives and issues, and articulate the vision of some of the most committed and passionate champions of Open Educational Resources. Together they communicate the energy and dynamism associated with this new movement, and its potential to extend learning opportunities worldwide.

You'll recognize many of the authors, I'm sure. A very nice collection of articles to keep you busy reading for a while.

A nice collection of articles, many available online, from the folks at ASCD.

ResearchBlogging.orgI think there is a lot of potential for use of wikis in classrooms, particularly in the area of collaborative writing. There are a number of articles out there extolling the possible virtues of the tool. However, I also think it is important to look at potential pitfalls so they can (hopefully) be addressed during implementation. Here are five areas of caution that peer-reviewed articles have suggested:

n this article tripwire magazine provides one of the most comprehensive compilations of Tutorials for Wordpress. The article is mainly focused on version 2.7+ but most resources will be relevant for earlier versions as well. Wordpress is without discussion one of the most popular blogging and publishing platforms ever. Mastering both simple and advanced Wordpress techniques will enable you to create blog solutions that are highly accessible and attractive to your target audience. Read on and take control over Wordpress

The Encyclopedia of Educational Technology (EET) is a collection of short multimedia articles on a variety of topics related to the fields of instructional design and education and training. The primary audiences for the EET are students and novice to intermediate practitioners in these fields, who need a brief overview as a starting point to further research on specific topics. Authors are graduate students, professors, and others who contribute voluntarily. Articles are short and use multimedia to enrich learning rather than merely decorate the pages.

The author provides a short history of information discovery that provides a fascinating context for the article.  You see the evolution of web info over the paste decade. You also get some true insight on how to consume information using social tools.  Abundant links to web 2.0 apps make this article well worth the time to read (and re-read it).  

"As the development of apps has evolved, including the platforms they operate on, the ability to ease the organisational challenges in life have become more refined. Whilst the apps featured in this article come at a premium, the features that they display make organising busy lives less complex, with clever design, features and functionality that will keep you ready for the daily trials of being a busy teacher. The apps mentioned in this article are mainly built for Apple devices (iPhone / iPad / Mac), with links directing to the relevant App Stores, unless otherwise indicated."

Interesting article in Journal of Higher Ed with Many Great Points "The real obstacle in education remains student motivation. Especially in an age of informational abundance, getting access to knowledge isn't the bottleneck, mustering the will to master it is. And there, for good or ill, the main carrot of a college education is the certified degree and transcript, and the main stick is social pressure. Most students are seeking credentials that graduate schools and employers will take seriously and an environment in which they're prodded to do the work. But neither of these things is cheaply available online. Arizona State University's recent partnership with edX to offer MOOCs is an attempt to do this, but if its student assessments fall short (or aren't tied to verified identities), other universities and employers won't accept them. And if the program doesn't establish genuine rapport with students, then it won't have the standing to issue credible nudges. (Automated text-message reminders to study will quickly become so much spam.) For technological amplification to lower the costs of higher education, it has to build on student motivation, and that motivation is tied not to content availability but to credentialing and social encouragement. The Law of Amplification's least appreciated consequence, however, is that technology on its own amplifies underlying socioeconomic inequalities.

As teachers our time is unfortunately finite, but there are ways that we can use time in the classroom to have a positive impact on learning, progress, attitudes and mindset. In this article I hope you will find something that will really resonate. It is important that you carefully discriminate and find the new tips that work for you. After all, we don't have much time.

Indexed list of highly rated lesson plans at all age levels by the curators at TES for studying about teh events of the Titanic along with articles and videos.

Very nice collection of resources to help show that mistakes and failures can be a positive experience.  

Games based learning resources. Here is some information on games and articles on how they are being used.

A detailed discussion from the journal about launching a 1:1 ipad program beginning with leadership and cost and moving through other issues. I do wish this article had a few more links but it is a great read for those who are discussing this (like we are at my school.)