Given the harsh criticisms that social networks commonly face when it comes to their use by teenagers, I thought it would be useful to post this newspaper piece that presents the opposite argument: Social media might be usually considered to be just places of the lurking danger of real-life social isolation (among more gruesome dangers in this context), but they could also be seen as places where a teenager can be inventive, discover aptitudes and of course develop his/her social skills. Also, it discusses research which shows that teenagers are more often than not well aware of the dangers that lie behind the (ab)use of social media.
If you haven't seen this, it is a safer place to post educational videos you make for class. It is also a great place to search for related media to use in class. You can set up an account so that only certain people can see your videos if you want.
A free community for sharing instructional videos and content for teachers and students. We are an education focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners.
The main argument stems from the fact that the students (and most of the teachers) are already there. Facebook has 1.1 billion users, and despite reports that young people are drifting away from Facebook in favour of mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat, you'd be hard pressed to find a teenager in the UK without an account.
Stories for Change is an online meeting place for community digital storytelling facilitators and advocates. Learn more about how we're using this unique medium for social change and join the network.
In his work as a professor, Stephen Downes used to feel that he was helping those who least needed it. His students at places like the University of Alberta already had a leg up in life and could afford the tuition
Sometime in June Sandy McAuley, Bonnie Stewart, George Siemens and I decided to apply to SSHRC for funding for researching the place of MOOCs in the digital economy. We did a little work creating videos to allow people to understand what was going on in a MOOC and decide if it was something they might want to do.
#TT1921
An online communication that takes place independent of location but at the same time (real time). Participants must agree on a time to log into the chat room and messages are received at the moment they are sent
#TT1921 - I got a better insight into synchronous interaction though this article. I think it is worth reading. Synchronous learning refers to a learning event in which a group of students are engaging in learning at the same time. Before learning, technology allowed for synchronous learning environments, most online education took place through asynchronous learning methods. Since synchronous tools that can be used for education have become available, many people are turning to them as a way to help decrease the challenges associated with distance that occurs in online education.
Will great free courses drive down applications to places like Stanford? That's doubtful. It's more likely that these offerings will help build a stronger university brand. Writing about the success of a Stanford online computer science course in the Wall Street Journal, Holly Finn implies that free Web-based education is about to or should replace elite universities: It's a thrilling collegiate coup.
however, this places a greater responsibility on the student
student must
be well organized, self-motivated, and possess a high degree of time
management skills in order to keep up with the pace of the course
For
these reasons, online education is not appropriate for younger students
(i.e. elementary or secondary school age), and other students who are
dependent learners and have difficulty assuming responsibilities required
by the online paradigm.
Vesely, P., Bloom, L., & Sherlock, J. (2007). Key elements of building online community: Comparing faculty and student perceptions. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 3(3), 234-246.
Vesely, Bloom, and Sherlock (2007) document that essential to the learning process is the student/student and student/teacher interaction, and building this community of learners is more challenging in online. Students in blended courses felt interaction may be better than in traditional courses. Students who feel silenced in onsite class discussions are more apt to contribute online. Seeking help can be a determining factor in successful learning. In the online communities, help is available virtually around the clock from the instructors and fellow classmates. Furthermore, through their experiences in the blended course, students would better understand the significance of managing their time, cultivating their study environment, regulating their effort, seeking appropriate support, and learning from classmates. In my experience, students reported that their online interaction with classmates had greatly assisted in their comprehension of course materials. Central to how they felt about blended learning was the quality and quantity of student and faculty interaction. In blended courses, students are often required to engage actively by reading and responding to discussion forum postings that become a permanent record of their participation and learning, rather than passively attending classes. Perceptions of interaction from faculty are also positive for blended courses. Faculty renovate their teaching methods by placing onsite lectures online and adding supplementary activities to aid student learning. Blended teaching and learning transforms education from "a command and control structure to a connect and collaborate environment" (Moskal, Dziuban, Upchurch, Hartman, & Truman, 2006) which is more student-centered than faculty-controlled. For faculty, the quality
February 2009 | Volume 66 | Number 5
How Teachers Learn Pages 34-38
Learning with Blogs and Wikis
Bill Ferriter
Technology has made it easy for educators to embrace continual professional development.
Few ideas about teachers' professional growth resonate with me more than those of Richard Elmore, professor of educational leadership at Harvard, who has gone as far as to argue that school structures make learning for adults unlikely at best and nothing short of impossible at worst. In a 2002 report for the Albert Shanker Institute, Elmore wrote,
As expectations for increased student performance mount and the measurement and publication of evidence about performance becomes part of the public discourse about schools, there are few portals through which new knowledge about teaching and learning can enter schools; few structures or processes in which teachers and administrators can assimilate, adapt, and polish new ideas and practices; and few sources of assistance for those who are struggling to understand the connection between the academic performance of their students and the practices in which they engage.
So the brutal irony of our present circumstance is that schools are hostile and inhospitable places for learning. They are hostile to the learning of adults and, because of this, they are necessarily hostile to the learning of students. (pp. 4-5)
Technology has made it easy for educators to embrace continual professional development.
Few ideas about teachers' professional growth resonate with me more than those of Richard Elmore, professor of educational leadership at Harvard, who has gone as far as to argue that school structures make learning for adults unlikely at best and nothing short of impossible at worst.
Founded in 1943, ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is an educational leadership organization dedicated to advancing best practices and policies for the success of each learner. Our 175,000 members in 119 countries are professional educators from all levels and subject areas--superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of education, and school board members.
Mashable's 5th annual Social Media Day takes place on Monday, June 30, 2014. The goal? It's designed as "a way to recognize the digital revolution happening right before our eyes." This revolution is happening in higher education.
A word or phrase preceded by a "#." How do hashtags work? Twitter can be a busy place with lots of tweets-and thus lots of "noise." A #hashtag is a way to aggregate tweets that are appended with a hashtag. Picture it like a magnet that attracts all messages categorized by that topical word or phrase.
I find that this parking place for podcasts is efficient and effective. So far I have posted two podcasts using podbean, and I plan to have my students hold material on this website in future courses.
Group items tagged 
