Group items tagged

"Educators and educational institutions need to understand that virtual worlds, like other social media, are here to stay and that these exciting forms of media are not a threat to formal education. The genuine conversation and participation that virtual worlds encourage is a step toward more authentic learning for all students."

Similar to bitly and tinyurl but focused on educators (created and hosted by an educator-Christopher Craft)

A Ning site with a collection of educators and great resources

"# Learning takes place in a social context, and encouraging student-student and student-faculty contact and interaction gets at the heart of student engagement in online-education settings. # Because of their fundamental reliance on social participation and contribution, Web 2.0 tools, specifically social-networking tools, have great potential for enhancing the social context in support of learning, especially in online education. # Twitter used as an instructional tool can add value to online and face-to-face university courses that far outweighs its potential drawbacks."

Teachers, administrators, researchers, reformers, government leaders, parents, and others have long extolled the benefits that computer-based learning could have in schools: Educational video games, often referred to as "edutainment" or "serious" games, could make learning fun and motivating, especially for today's students. Computers offer a way to customize instruction and allow students to learn in the way they are best wired to process information, in the style that conforms to them, and at a pace that matches their own.

Educational Outcomes and Research from 1:1 Computing Settings

"Virtual worlds technology, like the Internet in general, is changing the way we access and experience information and the way we can access and connect with each other. Few college/university presidents or CIOs are currently prioritizing the exploration of virtual worlds, but it seems safe to predict that within the next three to five years, a higher education institution without a virtual worlds presence will be like an institution without a web presence today."

"# John Dewey's ideas on progressive education have become newly relevant with the advent of online learning. # Collaborative online learning is an important example of Dewey's intellectual legacy. # Virtual teams move instructors off center stage while increasing their students' - and their own - engagement. # Most campuses already have all the software required to support virtual teamwork."

A great collection of links to virtual field trips. There is a lot here to explore.

Open Yale Courses provides free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. The aim of the project is to expand access to educational materials for all who wish to learn.

hash tag collection for twitter

Wonderful look at the work and ideas of Paulo Freire- Critical Pedagogy. The comments at the end are also very interesting.

Here is a great blog post with tips for beginning bloggers. Liz Davis also speaks to the power of blogging as a professional development activity.