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I get really nervous about these "shifts" when they become sensationalized. Despite our insistence that students are not created equal, we keep searching for the one-size-fits-all solution to education, and in this era that solution is bolstered by anything containing the word DIGITAL. How much socioemotional development will students lose if this trend increases over time? How do we provide for human relationships, mentors, even confrontation and conflict resolution when we are all hiding behind computer screens? It has to be about more than convenience.

I wonder how many medical students and physicians are learning through online information, such as these nutrition modules, to make up for the gaps in current medical education curriculum? These nutrition modules are interactive and let students take electronic notes while reviewing the material.

A very sad story that people think was caused, in part, by how the digital age is affecting students.

I think the wide use of cams has changed people's idea of what is appropriate and what is not. People who have not lived with these webcams and camera phones have at least a background of knowing of a time when they weren't so readily available. Children and students growing up now who've had them all their lives, may not automatically know what is acceptable. I am outraged if I'm in a social setting with friends where we are dancing, having fun, and bystanders start to record us without our consent. These cameras are everywhere, and some states aren't allowing people to video police officers on duty, but I think this should be extended to general public. People should have to consent before they are recorded on camera, and if there is no consent, that offending party should possibly face legal action.

YouTube responds to to the tragedy on their blog - http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/10/responding-to-rutgers-university.html

eyes in the back of your head? One teacher thinks this is good idea.

Online college M State is offering 3D interactive instructional content

access to information leads to greater economic opportunities. I am sure there are several explanations but.. I post this article, because it got me thinking about a concept from a paper on universal design for learning : access to information is not the same as access to learning. As more and more people have increasing access to large amounts of information , progress for all will depend on making it easily accessible How can we do that online ? I am not sure where I am going with this thread, but it all seems interesting to me.... any thoughts ?

Well, I guess if we equate the spread of the printing press to creating a new market (i.e. purchasing printed materials) then this is how economic opportunities increased. But those printed materials spread more quickly when the readers received content that was designed by the people similar to themselves. Likewise, the spread of online learning environments must also connect to greater usage in general; however, learning may be limited for the user with sites that are designed by an alternative culture that does not represent the user's. What do you think?

The idea of "showing what you know" and earning badges instead of degrees? In this economic downswing, could something like this become the new emergent way of learning and of assessing? Thoughts?

Sounds like the digital badge is more lke a digital portfolio- which I would more likely support. I find it interesting that our education system (which strives and struggles to provide consistent, high quality education from coast to coast) is seen as deficient but this badge proposal will be the answer? It's like the flood of support for home-schooling after a home-schooler wins a national competition but no one knows about the tens of homescholers I had to remediate in rural NH. Standardization is the key for any system to be integrated into another system. The variety of education models we have in our country makes it difficult for employers to integrate employees. If this digital badge concept relies on a variety of models, they will have the same problem.

The prospect of digital badges to show what you know is both exciting with its potential affordances and worrisome with some of its limitations and ambiguity. It'd be great if the ideal came to pass that digital badges would allow valid demonstration of super-specific skills and knowledge over a greater range of fields and topics than what having a B.A. or B.S. currently does. Digital badges could represent the most particular concepts or skills at a granular level even-- those that are essential in the real-world (whether that be desired by employers or otherwise). If the task or test or challenge, or whatever else would be the means of assessment for earning a badge, was carefully designed and evaluated to be a truly valid measure of proficiency, then earning a badge for something would be a clear indication that you know something. But like Allison said, standardization would be key. What would these assessments/ badge challenges be- so that they would be truly valid indicators of proficiency? Who would be the purveyors or authorities to determine the assessments or challenges to accomplish a badge? Given the medium (completing badge assessments on one's own computer or mobile device - from any site they're at potentially) - what's to stop a user from going "open book" or "opening another tab" in order to look up answers to questions or tutorials on how to do a task, in order to complete the assessment? Doing this would allow a user to ace the assessment and earn the badge- but would defeat any value of the badge in truly demonstrating knowledge or skill. By imagining if digital badges did reach mass-acceptance and use in the real world, and we were to ultimately find them all over the internet like we're now finding social media widgets, it made me realize that the "prove proficiency anywhere I am in any way I want" won't work. I changed fields and career paths from what I studied in college, so I definitely appreciate the value in being able to truly show e

I love competative learning labs. I wish this project based co-opetition model were a standard in our schools. Innovation and team dynamics are mindsets and skills that need to be developed in our kids.

Connected to a few class discussions (including one in HT 500 about multitasking)... *potential for greater/more diversity in discussion/participation than in person *what do we mean when we say "multi-task"? *weighty topics/140 characters Somebody's got to create something worth tweeting

Here's a little media literacy for our emerging technologies.

Good article that plainly states, Web 2.0 and 3.0 are tools that if used properly can engage and effect teaching and learning beyond traditional classroom spaces.

Interesting study for how students use facebook, and how that might affect academic performance. Those who used facebook to post statuses did worse academically then those who used it to share links/comment on others' links etc. Obviously, self-reporting of facebook use is limiting, as well as the myriad of other factors that influence academic performance. Still, something to look for when it gets published in the journal of Computers in Human Behavior. "How does Facebook activity affect a student's grades? Reynol Junco, a professor at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, recently set out to determine exactly that. Mr. Junco assembled a sample of nearly 2,000 college students who self-reported details of their Facebook use: not just total time spent on the social networking site, but specific actions taken such as commenting, chatting, uploading photos or seeing what others are doing - "lurking," as Mr. Junco calls it."

Friday, October 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM EDT A muckraking journalist enrolls in a for-profit higher education, and finds a mess. We’ll tackle the controversy. For-profit universities promise to make higher ed convenient, accessible and powerful for all comers, and they’ve got the testimonials to back that up.

T561 Alumni involved in this project.  Somewhat similar in approach to SmartyAnts

This article details the findings of a recent study of 6th, 7th and 8th graders in Arizona that found that the students that used a new math and science curriculum called Adaptive Curriculum scored higher on post-tests and assessments than students with the traditional curriculum. The new treatment teaches conceptual understanding of math through content and technology, and emphasizes real-world, informal applications of math and science. 

"They (students) are digital natives. We are digital immigrants...Technology should be an integrated tool in education." ", said Ferguson, a doctoral student and principal of an elementary school in her talk on Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century. Teacher are not the only source or learning for students, rather they are now facilitator of knowledge.