Group items tagged

This is a nice blog that categorizes the different online sites that are out there right now. It helps me compartmentalize the different online programs.

Interesting article on how technology impacts the classroom today.

This article provides insights into the educational value of web 2.0 tools and how these tools may be used within education

This article encourages and motivates the exploration of best practices in integrating digital games, social networking, and simulations in the learning environment.

Recommended to organize tweets

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/10/balancing-advantages-disadvantages-student-social-media-use/ "In " Only Disconnect," Andrew Reiner, writing for The Chronicle of Higher Education, lamented the state of American youth, particularly their preoccupation with social media. By the end of his article, Reiner advocated for social media Sabbaths, in which students would disconnect from their networks in order to more deeply engage with each other and their academic pursuits.

An infographic with numbers about students use of social media and its role in education.

... including Edmodo, Google Hangouts, LinkedIn and more ...

Millennials live and breathe on social media, so teachers are learning how to incorporate the medium into the classroom successfully. In doing so, teachers not only encourage students to engage actively in the material, but they also provide online communities for students that might not exist for them in real life.

Managing e-Learning Projects is extremely important for successful e-Learning course design. This article is the third in a series about e-Learning Project Management. Check it out and learn about the Stages of Effective eLearning Project Management and Skill Set Required for Managing eLearning Projects.

A survey about the state of educational blogging in 2013.

The Nature of Knowing One of the most important innovations that an educator can embrace is not a software program or particular technological tool, but rather a philosophy of teaching. In the 20th Century, the theory behind learning and the very nature of knowledge has changed several times.

October 19, 2011 "If seeing, hearing, or sharing with your online students could help the learning process, then Google+ Hangouts could be a great, engaging venue for your students." This site outlines 6 practical uses for Google Hangouts in an educational setting. Hangouts are great for small meeting of 10 or less. In this site, there are screenshots to explain the Hangouts with extras and screen sharing. This would be a great way for students to collaborate on a project.

In this article from The Gaurdian (UK) the author reports on a debate at King's College London where a respected panel and an energetic audience of students discussed the future of online technology and education. While students didn't think it was a big deal, not all of the educators saw technology and education flowing together so smoothly. A very interesting article.

This blog has followed social gaming juggernaut Zynga's progress for a couple years now. One of its most popular gaming apps is FarmVille, which runs on Facebook and touts an estimated 70 million players, making it one of, if not the, most popular games ever. Testaments to the game's popularity abound. I opted to post this here as we are debating the use of Web 2.0 tools in education. Farmville dominated Facebook games for a number of years, and educators made use of this trend to enhance their teaching. Though it has not been developed for educational purposes, I know even teachers of business studies who used it in their classes with students 13+ of age. This example should encourage us to make use of what is trending and popular with our students to our advantage!

Take the quiz. See if you are ready for social media in your class

The myth about social media in the classroom is that if you use it, kids will be Tweeting, Facebooking and Snapchatting while you're trying to teach. We still have to focus on the task at hand. Don't mistake social media for socializing.