Group items tagged

South Korea initiative for digital textbooks - good news?

Michigan State senate approved Cyber Schools. Experts question this legislation. A new report by education professors from the University of Colorado finds that there's no reliable evidence showing such institutions are as good brick-and-mortar schools. Some are just not comfortable with all the unknowns in the cyber school equation. Sounds familiar?

There is a lot murkiness in the conversation. There may be no evidence but so much goes on in brick and mortar schools that has no evidence behind it anyway, I'm less and less convinced by that particular rhetorical approach. I think there is no more to lose by the effort than we already lose in undocumented ways. As with any endeavor, planning and execution will be the determinants of success. I'm beginning to resent the attempts in the media to summarize these complex issues because I think they have a significant impact on public opinion but they horrible at conveying complexity.

I noticed in the video that despite the kids all having computers, the classroom set-up seems to still be the same as the traditional one, with the teacher in front and the students all sitting at individual desks facing the teacher. Where's the group work/peer-to-peer interaction?

Here is a brand new competitor for iPad, the Jetstream from HTC. This tablet takes advantage of AT&T's 4G data network, but its price tag is a steep $849. However, AS WITH ALL DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES< THE MORE COMPETITORS THERE ARE, THE MORE THE PRICE IS DRIVEN DOWN. So, perhaps this is good news for the future of tablets in schools...

Thanks for this, Anna. I saw this group as part of an interview on ABC about iPads. Their data really gets me thinking about the educational and home space and how we need to design content to leverage the technology that is most accessible to them - and the iPad isn't the "golden ticket" (at least in this age span).

CommonSense is a strong organization - they have a comprehensive database of reviews of content, so if you are a parent looking for the low down on a media product (whether it be a TV show, video game, movie, etc.), commonsense is a good place to get an overview of the product. I have heard arguments, however, that their tendency is to be more conservative in their reviews. May not work for every parent, but definitely a good resource! For other groups like this one, check out the following: Temple's Media Education Lab, http://mediaeducationlab.com/ ; Children Now, http://www.childrennow.org/index.php/learn/talking_with_kids//television.html ; The LAMP http://www.thelampnyc.org/ ; and Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/

Good ideas for many different educational projects with step-by-step instruction

Founded in 2004, Games for Change facilitates the creation and distribution of social impact games that serve as critical tools in humanitarian and educational efforts. Unlike the commercial gaming industry, we aim to leverage entertainment and engagement for social good. To further grow the field, Games for Change convenes multiple stakeholders, highlights best practices, incubates games, and helps create and direct investment into new projects.

Can large publishing companies really be force of good in the ed tech arena?

This article/video give a good intro outlining educational uses of digital storytelling.

The Digital Citizenship and Creative Content program is a free, turnkey instructional program. The goal is to create an awareness of the rights connected with creative content. Because only through education can students gain an understanding of the relevance of and a personal respect for creative rights and grow to become good digital citizens.

Emerging technology has had a strong geographical component. With Google Fiber up and running in Kansas City and tech start-ups burgeoning in Des Moines, we may see yet another wellspring of innovation in the Midwest. This could have significant implications on rural education and agtech.

There were numerous communities in Colorado that tried to lure Google Fiber; it looks like it's paying off for KC. It would be interesting to see the tech start-up numbers in comparison to other US locales. I would like more details as to why only two regions increased their share of angel investors.

My guess is that insufficient momentum or critical mass exists in other regions, Danna. The article mentions the Southwest and Great Plains as two regions with an increase in angel investors. The Southwest probably represents spillover from Silicon Valley, while the Great Plains benefits from large metropolitan areas, good universities, and a concentration of young professional residents. I also think that tech start-ups and VC firm naturally promote the growth of one another.

Quite a good critique of the Khan Academy model

AOL ad campaign from 2008.  

Not exactly a link re: technology, but really good reading if you intend to IMPLEMENT any of the stuff we have talked about for the last several months. You will need to move people to change habits - Marshal Ganz of HKS describes a process to articulate a vision of change and move people to action.

Important questions to ask students 1. What do students think is the best use of technology in schools? 2. What do students think the roles of computers should be in the classroom? 3. What do students think about computers being used as tutors? 4. Do students want more time with the teacher or is the computer instruction enough? 5. What is a good use of the internet in classrooms?

I was reading about using tech in elections and I ran across Hackpad. I had never heard of Hackpad, and this is a question for the teaching staff: Might this be a good option to have more of our class conversations in one place? I'd be curious to know how you think it compares as a discussion platform.

"Gillispie: At one of our instructional team meetings, I said, "I have an idea. This is what I want to do. I want to target at-risk students at the middle school level, focus on leadership, language arts, digital citizenship and lots of other things that tend to get less emphasis in our everyday classroom. And I want to use this game, WoW." At the conclusion of my spiel, they said, "We really don't understand all this stuff that you are talking about, but we know it's a good idea. Go for it." The principal said, "Yes, please come do this at my school."

VSee is a high quality video conference tool compared to skype and google hangout. It's good for video conference, pen annotation and file sharing.

Really nice, comprehensive site that meta-rates hundreds of education blogs daily--good for folks like me who need some help sifting through the noise. Too bad I just found it today...