FALL2012CSM

David Schwen for The Chronicle Grades are broken. Students grub for them, pick classes where good ones come easily, and otherwise hustle to win the highest scores for the least learning. As a result, college grades are inflated to the point of meaninglessness-especially to employers who want to know which diploma-holder is best qualified for their jobs. This article proposes using badges for learning rather than earning.

GREAT website for political cartoons. Since my lesson plan assignment is to create a political cartoon involving US foreign policy, this would be very useful for me. Also a great resource to show what cartoons are great and what ones are not-so-great (or WAY politically-incorrect)

Not sure if this has been posted yet (there are more and more articles to comb through), but I thought this was a great article. This article features eleven online programs that can be used in the classroom. I love this list because a few of these resources are ones I can use with my video project! However, I kind of think some of these are "cheating" because not all of them are free :(

This blog post explains two opposing viewpoints on uses of classroom technology. On one hand, technology enables student learning by often times being more engaging, while on the other hand, technology can be a distraction that inhibits student learning. Although both viewpoints have merit, it comes down to the course purposefulness, class appropriateness, and individual conduct of the technology user that reflects whether technology is a benefit or hindrance to particular classes.

I really like this website because it organizes technology tools according to learning objectives. As we discussed during week one, it is not just using technology in the classroom for the purpose of using technology, but it should be used to enhance learning by getting students engaged. This website reinforces this idea by displaying first what needs to be accomplished, and then offers the tools and links to get students involved in the learning process.

I liked this article because it talked about podcasts and RSS feeds (push instead of pulling resources off the web), as well as some of the other tools. I don't always remember that in a pinch,instrucutional information videos are often available on YouTube. I also thought it was interesting that this author talked about knowing how to use social media sites ... and when not to.

This article, written in 2008, is about one teacher's experience using a wiki to share knowledge amoung teachers. It is a nice step-by-step look at the possibilities. I liked his enthusiasm.

I was inspired to share this after watching the TED Talk about Captcha. This isn't about philanthropic efforts per se but discusses what motivates people - and it isn't all about money. Scientific studies are referenced to backup the discussion and would be a great talk to share with your students as well as your peers.

This article explains how a new school in Manhattan, New York teach their students entirely through video games! The program is designed for those students who are on a patch for a career in technology. The response were impressive and overall students really want to learn and stay engaged!

Worried your kids spend too much time with their faces buried in a computer screen? Their schoolwork may soon depend on it. Education Secretary Arne Duncan called Tuesday for the nation to move as fast as possible away from printed textbooks and toward digital ones. Many countries outperform the US in terms of education and moving toward digital forms of education is a way the US can get back in the game, so to speak.

This is an amazing resource for Social Studies teachers. There are archives for many podcasts by professionals pertaining to the social sciences in education. Definitely a site to revist and spend some time listening to the podcasts and becoming familiar with some very knowledgable people in the field.

Ultimate twitter-guidebook is full of resources. It list different areas including making the most of twitter, twitter educators, how to use twitter in the classroom, apps, and fun twitter experiments just to mention a few. I beleive this is a great resouce to have on hand.

This post answers the age old question "What do "real' teachers do with their Saturday morning other than sleep?" As a result of a great twitter national education forum on NPR's "Tell Me More" I came across this story of 200 teachers who get together on twitter every Saturday morning to discuss best practices.

I shared this on Twitter! I thought it was an interesting story.

Students love to tell stories! This is one of many tools that students can use to write, illustrate, and share stories.

This article discusses the impact technology has on k-12 classrooms. The technology revolution has forced teachers to move from the front of the classroom to the center. It has forced teachers to differentiate their instruction , get to know their students, and create digital learning materials.

This article explains how scientists can use twitter. It talks about how important twitter can be for scientists. In addition it discusses ways twitter can be used by scientists. I found this interesting because science is not only a passion for me but it is one of the subjects I hope to teach someday.

This journal article is about the integration of computers in the early childhood setting. The use of computers in the early childhood schools has increased dramatically and is a powerful tool in education. Arguments arise out of fear that the computers will harm the child's emotional and social development.