Group items tagged

... and other stuff about how we communicate.

As people increasingly embrace social media and new technologies with open arms, social learning, informal learning and blended learning continue to gain a strong foothold in an organization's learning palette. We have scouted the Internet to help you know how. And, how could we possibly end this post without mentioning the iPad? Besides the latest scoop, news and stories, you can also find tips, tricks and tutorials to help you get the most out of this 9.7" wonder. Find it all here in our Weekly Digest - a collection of our top 20 links from the week gone by, each accompanied by a quick brief.

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In order to put together a list of the best Web 2.0 classroom tools, I polled my Twitter followers, Facebook fans (are they still called fans? Likes?) and ran a contest to try and get as many submissions as possible. This left me with 100 different Web 2.0 tools that are recommended by your peers. After all, what better way to uncover new products than by the people you are already sharing with?

Rapper's tweet sparked debate in the Twitter-verse after his performance at 'Suara Kami' - but was he misinterpreted?

The popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Classmates.com more than quadrupled from 2005 to 2009. Many users say the sites are good for our society, but others contend that the dangers of social media outweigh the benefits. Proponents of social networking sites argue that these online communities promote increased communication with friends and family, familiarize people with valuable computer skills, and allow contact with people from around the world. Opponents argue that social networking sites expose children to predators, increase vulnerability to computer viruses, lower worker productivity, and promote narcissism and short attention spans.

The increasing popularity of social networking sites and mobile phone texting have presented society with problems in how to protect children online. More and more youngsters are becoming victims of Internet predators and bullies. Parents are finding it more difficult to ensure their kids are safe online. Gone are the days when Mum and Dad could keep an eye on their child's surfing with parental controls on the family computer. Today's new mobile and networked world poses new and dangerous threats to online kids. Two recent initiatives aim to teach children about cyber-safety. Internet safety will soon be taught in UAE schools, while in Indiana, USA, parents will attend an Internet Social Networking conference. The UAE has launched a nationwide programme aimed at educating students on how to use the Internet safely and avoid suspicious websites. Spokesman Jay Bavisi said: "Advances in instant communication media, including the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and other instant messaging services, drive the very fabric of our modern society. Parents, siblings, teachers and children alike will need to understand the dangers the connected world presents." The Indiana conference will explore topics like cyber-bullying, sexting and online child exploitation. Local attorney Steven DeBrota said: "The number one way to keep a kid safe is for them to be skeptical. If they do not believe automatically what people tell them, they will be safer."

Abby Martin cuts through the media narratives on the Israeli Palestinian conflict, going over the different ways Israel targets international audiences with 'Hasbara', a narrative that gives legitimacy to policies that have killed and displaced millions of Palestinian Arabs.

Google Forms is a great tool and I hope to use it more throughout this year. Take a look here for a more detailed introduction and guide to using and creating a Google Form - this was written prior to Google bringing forms into the NEW menu. I have created example forms for each of the different topics, follow the links in each of the ten sections. With help from a Googler I have included a link so that you can get your own copy of the form - click on the appropriate link and it should open in your docs home.

Two Pew Internet Project surveys of teens and adults reveal a decline in blogging among teens and young adults and a modest rise among adults 30 and older. In 2006, 28% of teens ages 12-17 and young adults ages 18-29 were bloggers, but by 2009 the numbers had dropped to 14% of teens and 15% of young adults. During the same period, the percentage of online adults over thirty who were bloggers rose from 7% blogging in 2006 to 11% in 2009. Much of the drop in blogging among younger internet users may be attributable to changes in social network use by teens and young adults. Nearly three quarters (73%) of online teens and an equal number (72%) of young adults use social network sites. By contrast, older adults have not kept pace; some 40% of adults 30 and older use the social sites in the fall of 2009.

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