HGSET561

Slate has asked for people to submit ideas on what the 21st century 5th grade classroom should look like. It will be interesting to see what suggestions show up on this website.

My toddler plays with the First Words game, but the iAmino and myHomework was interesting too.

The stress of social networking affects many students

High ranking US Department of Education official talks about the importance of technology and the role of the National Ed Tech Plan

Understanding the information source use of contributors helps us to understand how new Wikipedia articles emerge, how edits are motivated, where the information actually comes from and more generally, what kind of information may be expected to be found in Wikipedia.

Guys check this out. New quantitative search may add a new dimension to searching.

I think it is interesting because it is related to our online discussion about artificial intelligence. Can machines and computers be as smart as humans and read language?

How to make the communication online more like the daily interpersonal communication? Facebook is trying to let users have small group chatting.

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

Article in Neuron on counterintuitive outcomes of studies on technology and childhood development (referenced by Johan Lehrer)

Jonah Lehrer on surprising effects of tech on cognition

I worked in Newport News, VA and around that time the current governor was huge with technology initiatives and this school district benefited greatly from this. I see now that they are still being used for projects like this. My concern with Virginia is that they will gladly try technology in schools, but the use of the technology is not always practical. If a person goes on the VDOE website, they will see the state touting their advances in the use of technology. They are calling themselves a leader in online testing, for example, but their 'bragging' points all reflect how the technology has made life easier for all the adults and not necessarily the children. It is the exact same thing that was on paper now on the computer screen: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/online_testing/index.shtml

My first thought is "why would you want to be friends with your students on facebook?" It depends on the reasons people have a facebook page. If it is, indeed, going to be used as a tool to extend "learning" outside of the classroom, then I believe there are other platforms outside of Facebook. If teachers still want to use this for class, perhaps a better option is having a twitter account for school only where they can update students. I worked for two districts-one told us we were not allowed to be friends with our students and the other just warned against it. Most teachers I know do not add their students because it is a place for their friends where they do not see themselves as some child's teacher, but someone's friend. I know a high school chorus teacher who friends her students, and I think its inappropriate. She posts things about her personal life and they frequently chime in. However, discusses her personal life in class so it may not be that much of a difference than posting it online. I would take action as a teacher if I were disciplined for a facebook post. Ultimately people need to check their privacy settings if they can. There are even issues with friending other teachers. I refused to do this with other teachers, unless we were friends outside of school. I knew of teachers who would tell our principal what was posted on other teachers' pages.

New Facebook Groups feature - document sharing, mass email, group chat.

Facebook's new application which allows small sub sections of friends to form groups. It includes the ability to have group chats as well as share documents and send out emails to all members of the group. I see a potential for education in that younger students who are already on facebook all the time but know less about other document sharing or collaboration features may have a new outlet for doing group work or getting help with homework.

Wondering if this idea of "Pulling people into education, rather than pushing them into it" can work for the world's "worst-off Children"? Most interesting ideas found in the TED talk here: http://www.good.is/post/education-innovation-in-the-worst-situations/ Q: Are there smart-phone/cell-phone-based MUVE games?

"This new agreement is part of an ongoing effort by University of Phoenix, the nation's largest institution of higher education, to open the doors to new educational pathways for prospective and current students in the field of Information Technology." Interesting hybrid of college-credit and training/certification programs...

Using education to make better games, a twist on using games for better education. They make an interesting argument for two learning styles: the button-mashing 'exploratory learners', and the more reserved and strategic 'modeling learners'. How do you cater to both?

NSTA's Science Teacher must have known we just spent the class with Paul Horowitz. Jan Mokros (TERC) is an author here

"One teacher commented, "It's hard to manage the class when students become 'click happy' without really understanding what they're doing." However, requiring students to verbally explain and justify their reasoning before proceeding to the next screen was an effective solution."