Group items tagged

Learning intelligences for the 21st century.

Person who wants to talk about learning intelligences for the 21st century -- see Jackie Gerstein's goals and join in the discussion. Feel free to join the Ning.

Discussion of why Generation X is inundating Second Life and why Gen Y is so underrepresented. I will say that my students LOVE Second Life, but you also have to remember that I teach students who, for the most part, grew up playing outside and have engaged in free play all of their lives. Perhaps this is also a function of the presence of free play in the lives of children. How many Gen Y kids truly had free play as part of their childhood? We've sort of structured and organized everything for them in many cases.

Overview of Linden Stats showing more Gen X than Gen Y in Second Life and the impact of using SL to teach.

This site provides resources and games explaining to elementary students what we consider to be "pests".

Just got this in my email. I could see some really fun, funny public service announcements -- cross curricular project for science and technology. This is what they sent me: "The contest challenges students in grades 4 through 8 to use their biology and entomology knowledge, as well as their creativity, to create educational public service announcements (PSAs) that discuss the health and property risks posed by household pests. The grand prize winning entry will receive $3,000 for their school's science department! We know that this award could mean a lot to one of the many schools in the country that are being forced to cut budgets and programs in this difficult economy. As a non-profit organization, NPMA is committed to science education, and never promotes specific products or services. I know that Cool Cat Teachers covers a wide range of topics, but we are hoping that the many science teachers who read your content would be interested in the contest for their schools. We would deeply appreciate your help in spreading the word about this fun and educational contest. The press release below has more information on the contest rules and details. Additional information, including sample PSAs and lesson plans for creating PSAs, are available at www.PestWorldForKids.org."

Science contest on this website for creating a PSA.

The state Board of Education voted Thursday to require all high-school students to pass algebra II to graduate, and it agreed to work toward raising other graduation requirements as well. Board members have been discussing, for example, whether to increase the number of classes students would have to complete to earn their diplomas, essentially making the list equal to what they''d need to apply to public, four-year colleges in Washington. That would mean additional classes in English, science, foreign language and more.

Article discussing how cooled white dwarf stars (i.e. black dwarf stars) are most likely primarily made of diamond.

Fascinating Article about how to change people's attitudes.

Teens are really moving a lot of their relationships to cell phones as Danah Boyd said recently on a Wow2 show. This example of teenage habits of sharing photographs on cell phones is an example. Discussions of cell phone use should be a part of what parents and teachers do with kids. This makes me think twice about allowing cell phone cameras on my children's phones, but I'd rather help them be wise in using it.

The conversation that has been going on around Twitter both here and here has lead to other e-mails and discussions around building networks and specifically how do you get people to comment on your blog? The problem is….you can't make people comment. What you can do is write compelling blog posts that make people want to leave comments. How do you do that….I'm not sure.

Article describing real science being done in virtual environments. Excellent read. Also discusses use of second life as an educational tool.

So if I were to make the post title into a statement it would be: Rather than a Digital Native/Digital Immigrant dichotomy, students have a wide spectrum of digital competence positively correlating to their digital exposure.

Excellent post, and much needed discussion on digital competencies!

This site was created so that literacy leaders around the world can: * share research, resources, and ideas. * discuss current issues in literacy education. * improve literacy teaching and learning.

Whether you love or loathe technology the reality is that it's going to play a big role in the future of libraries and educational facilities all over the world. Mobile technology has been at the center of a lot of discussion lately in research and library facilities, with schools like ACU choosing to distribute iPhones to new students for educational purposes. While the long term value of the iPhone as an educational tool is still up for debate, there are a number of ways librarians and researchers can begin using the technology to help them find information, catalogue their collections and much more. Here are a few ideas and tips to get you started on using the iPhone for more than just calls.

Cell phones and what the japanese government is doing about it.

Japanese government becoming "involved" in the overuse of cell phones by japanese teenagers. This program emphasizes cell phone addiction. 1/3 of japanese 6th graders and cell phones and 2/3rds of 9th graders have them. Interestingly, one panel wants to take texting off the phones? How about using texting iN school? How about letting them define words on it instead of using a dictionary? How about letting them use it in the classroom? Seems kind of like damming up the Mississippi - it may work for a while, but eventually, the dam is going to break. Yes, this is something to talk about and discuss... internet and cell phone addiction is a real issue with many kids I talk to reporting that they literally sleep with it under their pillow. However, just getting rid of texting, I don't think that is a good idea. As with anything in human history, every tool may be used for good or bad.

Program during May to promote effective comments and communications in the blogosphere.

the 31 day comment challenge is a program to promote effective, meaningful comments run by several amazing edubloggers -- this is an example of something that those interested in facilitating effective communications should discuss and participate in.

This is the best example of how professional development works.

I love this post. This is how Web 2.0 spreads. I want to quote from the author: "Then I showed him wikispaces and the lightbulb went off. In a voice full of what I can only describe as awe, he said, and I'm paraphrasing him, "This could change the way we teach." (Cue the heavenly music). While I was showing him each tool, we discussed how he could integrate it into his teaching practices. I know I probably overwhelmed him, but he's excited and energetic. He left with a brand new Google account and having created his classroom wiki. That and he's vowed to share what he's learned with his fellow teachers. Here's hoping this goes viral - if at least a little." I love it. It is the one on one time and the lights go off. This is how it works best. we need to have more one on one time planned in order to promote change. People want the attention -- no one likes to feel like an underappreciated cog in an overworked machine.

An example of Flowgram from sirexkat who discusses Adventures in Microblogging Flowgram is building a new multimedia-empowered way to communicate. The Flowgram product has captured the imagination of a prestigious group of individuals with exceptional track records. Flowgram investors include Reid Hoffman (Paypal, LinkedIn), Josh Kopelman (Firstround Capital, Half.com), the founders of Flickr, Bud Colligan (founding CEO of Macromedia), Rajeev Motwani (Stanford) and members of the founding team of WebEx and Tibco Software.

Discussion about benefits and challenges of flattening your classroom. Yes, this is another plurk page -- I'm finding that plurk and twitter are good for two entirely different types of conversations!

This middle school 1:1 learning program in Maine has been named one of the best. here is some information on best practices and a video about it that I'll be reading and learning from as we discuss this at our school over the next year.

Overview of 1:1 best practices from Skowhegan Area Middle School in Maine

Collaboration versus Cooperation in networked environment.