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Free webinar tomorrow (9/27) from Tech&Learning on Google Chromebooks and Apps for Education - Power of the Web for TEaching and Learning 

Edmodo And Common Sense Media Partner (the authors of the 0-8 report some of us read for Joe Blatt's class this week) to offer free teaching tools based on Dr. Howard Gardner's work at HGSE. The partnership provides teachers with a set of student activities based on Common Sense Media's free K-12 curriculum, "Digital Literacy and Citizenship in a Connected Culture," for the Edmodo platform. The curriculum introduces the basics of using social networks and other digital technologies safely, responsibly and respectfully and is based on the work of Dr. Howard Gardner and the GoodPlay Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Los Angeles spent $1 billion to put iPads in the hand of students and within a week students found a way around and use the iPads for playing video games instead.

Will Richardson's blog.

Videos from "School for Tomorrow, Bringing Technology to the Classroom", NYC, Conference. #HGSET561

Integrating technology into teaching and learning at CPUT

#HGSET561 Integrating technology into teaching and learning at CPUT

The best way to study languages, vocabulary, or almost anything P.S. It's fun, it's free, and you can share with friends!

#HGSET561 A great way to study languages, vocubulary, or almost anything. Attended the founder speak at MIT Bootcamp. http://quizlet.com/

"A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it."

#HGSET561 A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it.

With all of the unfounded claims being made by developers of early childhood learning toys regarding the educational efficacy of their products (read BABY EINSTEIN), I think that groups such as this one that review apps for safety and quality issues will become increasingly important. It's crazy that Android requires nothing of their Android Market developers than to pay a fee and submit a description and a few screenshots. App quality control will become a big deal, I'm predicting...

Stephen, Looks like a great business opportunity - an Apps Rating Agency like Moodys or S&P?

Dr. Lawrence Summers, former President of Harvard, tauts the role of technology in educaiton in NYTimes' "Schools for Tomorrow" conference. #HGSET561

MOOCs, or "Massive Open Online Courses", are a relatively new model of distance e-learning where hundreds and sometimes thousands of participants all take an online course together. The instructional mode of the courses is fairly decentralized; since there are so many participants in the course, the individual students cannot typically expect to have much individual interaction with the professors running the course. As a result, individual members of the MOOCs take on roles of peer teachers, and these roles are assumed organically (i.e. nobody invites them to become teachers in the course, they simply step up and take the reins). The assessment of MOOCs is extremely flexible; there are no grades and people only participate in what they want to participate in. The theory is that the MOOC creators put the learning environment into place, and the participants learn what they want to learn; less participation simply means that they will not learn as much. Thought this was a though-provoking model of eLearning and the changing role of the instructor in an eLearning environment.

Interesting follow up to a previous post about open-source learning management systems (LMSs), the most popular of which is Moodle. Hawaii's Virtual Learning Network has decided to scrap Moodle and go with Blackboard, a commercial LMS. Moodle's really losing its lustre...

Interesting report on the slowing move to cloud-basted email. 3 reasons for this are inertia, lack of strategic value and disappointment w/ vendor offerings

Augmented Reality Glasses are out there! Here is a review of some of the current models:

Interesting description of what is going on right now with advances in haptic technology

Interesting look at the limited menu of viable open source LMSs that are out there. Moodle is by far the most popular, but as anyone who has ever developed any online courses on Moodle knows, the interface is clunky and it is overall pretty uninspiring (although adequate). Sakai sounds like an interesting competitor to Moodle and it sounds like it's gaining traction in the market- Rhode Island schools use it. From what I have read about it, it sounds like it is much more user friendly than Moodle and the students surveyed preferred the interface and design of Sakai to Moodle significantly (81% vs. 53%). Would love to hear any posts from people who have used any of these systems.

My Wife's friend is a principal in this district. I am still incredulous at the fact that schools can require students to use electronic textbooks without providing laptops or e-readers to each student. But then again, where would the money come from? On a related note, the federal government seems to be sinking an awful lot of money into solar energy, despite the fact that a lot of these companies are folding. Wouldn't education be a better investment?

Stephen, In my opinion, the government is not sinking enough money into renewable energy. I am sure we have 'sunk' much more money into education over the last few decades and continue to do so. I don't think it is an either/ or.

Jerry Brown, Governor of California, speaks out about the ineptitude of standardized tests as a comprehensive, accurate way of measuring student learning. This idea is germane to most of what we are learning about the virtues of performance-based assessments, constructivist approach to learning, and the future of education. Does anybody think that there will ever be a time when standardized testing is replaced by something more effective? Emerging technologies like augmented reality simulations and multi-user virtual environments could be candidates for the replacement of standardized paper-based tests. Interesting to think about...

Memphis, TN teachers are getting real-time coaching on their teaching performances- by wearing EARBUDS as a coach in the back of the room tells them what to do! This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. This is an example of emerging technology meddling in the mix and enabling a Big Brother style environment for teachers. These are people who are in charge of leading our kids, not coaching a football game!