Group items tagged

The Urban Dictionary is an ever expanding user created dictionary of commonly used colloquial words and terms. Each entry comes with a definition as well as an example of the term in use. Site users are also able to agree or disagree with each definition providing a guide to the realiability of the term. With over 4 million entries, the dictionary is searchable.

The Urban Dictionary is an ever expanding user created dictionary of commonly used colloquial words and terms. Each entry comes with a definition as well as an example of the term in use. Site users are also able to agree or disagree with each definition providing a guide to the realiability of the term. With over 4 million entries, the dictionary is searchable.

Doug Belshaw has collected together many definitions of digital literacy in this wiki page

Educators looking together at student work using structures and guidelines ("protocols") for reflecting on important questions about teaching and learning.">
<area

In late November I wrote a blog post outlining five resources for free spelling games. That blog post was among the top twenty most read posts of 2008 therefore I am sharing some more online spelling games for elementary school, middle school, and high school students. 1. Spelling Wizard from Scholastic.com lets students, parents, and teachers create their own word search and word scramble games to play online. Each game can have up to ten words. To use Spelling Wizard simply enter ten words into the list field then select word search or word scramble. Spelling Wizard is probably best suited for students in Kindergarten through second grade. Scholastic also offers a free tool for creating online spelling flashcards. 2. Read Write Think has an online activity for young (K-2) students based on four childrens' books. Read Write Think's Word Wizard asks students to select one of four books that they have read or have had read to them. After selecting a book the Word Wizard creates a simple online spelling exercise based on the words in the book chosen by the child. 3. Spell Bee was developed at Brandeis University with funding from the National Science Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Spell Bee allows students to play spelling games in a head-to-head format. Spell Bee allows teachers to create accounts for students so that teachers can track student progress. 4. MSNBC has an interactive spelling bee based on the words from the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. There are three games to play and the words get progressively more difficult the longer you play. The words are read to students who then type the word into the spelling box. Just like in a real spelling bee, students can get the definition and or hear it used in a sentence. The difficulty of the words in the game make it best suited for middle school and high school students. 5. Spelling Bee The Game is an online spelling bee similar in style to the MSNBC game mentioned above. Aft

While there are both pros and cons to using digital textbooks to replace printed texts, the use of digital textbooks is definitely on the rise. Check out these stats about e-texts.

This is a dictionary created specifically for finding definitions to acronyms. Covers: common acronyms, computers, science, technology, government, telecommunications, and military acronyms.

There isn't really such a thing as "educational technology" - there is technology, used in the context of teaching and learning.

"Critical thinking is a skill that we can teach to our students through exercise and practice. It is particularly a skill that contains a plethora of other skills inside it. Critical thinking in its basic definition refers"  to a diverse range of intellectual skills and activities concerned with evaluating information as well as evaluating our thought in a disciplined way ". All of our students think in a way or another but the question  is , do they really think critically ? are they able to evaluate the information they come across ? are they capable of going beyond the surface thinking layer ? Can they make connections between what they learn and the outer world? Can they question the status quo of their knowledge ?"

Andrew Churches post re:  a project out of Harvard University. The essence of this project is a series of routines or perhaps "mantras" for thinking. They are simple and to the point. While more suited to Middle school students they are good, apt and appropriate. Some of the truth and understanding routines will definitely have a place in senior classes.

Where do you think is the best place to invest your money? Most people will definitely think that it will be better to invest their money in a bank. Yes! It's good to invest your money in banks to gain interest but do you know that money can also be invested online? Not only your money will be safe but you will also gain interest from it up to 14%. Are you interested now? If you are interested, try to visit https://recyclix.com/ and know more about it.

Useful site for studying idioms. It gives simple and accurate definitions to a good range of idioms.

"Welcome to iPad4Edu A place to ask questions about using the iPad in education. We take a broad definition of 'education' to include early years, school, further/higher and adult and continuing education."

The Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project attractively displays the text of Shakespearean plays, enhanced with definitions, images, audio and video to support and enhance reading of the play. The Canadian site has many extraordinary curricular features (and a couple of cool games!) including The Learning Commons offers a bounty of guides and courses.

# Copy and paste this link into your Email or IM: Share this thing # 4See the Cerne Giant in your bedroom Visit some of the world's most famous and unusual places on Google Earth. You can search for places you know or visit the Google Earth KML directory to make new discoveries. *Download required. Download Google Earth Copy and paste this link into your Email or IM: Share this thing # 5Automatically save every draft of your wedding list/seating plan Google Docs automatically saves every version of your document so you never have to worry about losing a valuable draft again. Try Google Docs Copy and paste this link into your Email or IM: Share this thing # 6Flight arrival and departure times in real time With Google Search, you can enter a flight number and get updated information on when the flight is arriving or departing. Copy and paste this link into your Email or IM: Share this thing # 7Say 'I don't speak Italian', in Italian With Google Translate, type the word or phrase you want to translate and select your languages to receive your translation. Please note that Translate is only available in some language pairs. We're adding more as fast as we can. Copy and paste this link into your Email or IM: Share this thing # 8Are you big in Uzbekistan? With YouTube Insights, you can find out what countries your viewers are from and also get additional information like viewer demographics. Go to YouTube Copy and paste this link into your Email or IM: Share this thing # 9Settle trivia disputes in the pub Settle a bet in the pub with Google Search on your mobile. Access all the information on the web without needing to be in front of your computer. Go to Google search on your mobile by typing m.google.co.uk into your mobile phone browser Copy and paste this link into your Email or IM: Share this thing # 10Watch your favourite YouTube clips in high-resolution If you have a fast internet connection, you can change the setting in your YouTube account to

"AnswerTips are small bubbles of information triggered by double-clicking any word on an AnswerTips-enabled page. AnswerTips-enable your site or blog: An AnswerTips-enabled page allows your visitors to access definitions and fast facts on millions of obscure words, personalities or slang. Keep your visitors from wandering: Don't lose your readers to outbound links, new browser windows or other distractions. AnswerTips delivers quick and integrated answers."

Professor MacFarlane discusses many issues which ring true to me. In particular: - lack of vision for what education could be like with new technology (around 4 min mark) - the web2.0 and technology revolution is great for the 15% of people who have a good life anyway because of their suituation and culture (5:30) - others don't benefit from the access to the technology - they need help (6:00) - no change in classroom over last 20 years with computers and in danger of no change in next 20 years (7:30) - instruction vs. construction (8:30) - expect learning to change with introduction of technology (10:30) - but hasn't really done so - student self-directed learning is separate from school work i.e. at home and not related to school (14:30) - much of what kids do on computers at home is trivial (16:00) - the ones that do have good experiences are the same 15% (16:30) - kids that are missing out have a computer at home probably but no access to the community that enables them to have these experiences (17:10) - doing something by themselves does not really benefit them - it is being part of a community that had benefit for learning - what are we dong for these people? (19:10) - talking about missing pedagogical model for how to teach (22:00) - teachers are expected to use technology to provide innovative learning but no model against which to do so, some don't use it at all, some use it inappropriately - there maybe some individual examples but not overall (23:00) - schools bad at connecting with their communities in a learning sense (26:00) - talks about chinese online writing community and how they comment, collaborate (34:00) - community (47:30) - communitites aren't formed when people are brought together in schools etc. - need to have a common problem or interest (48:30) - Plant's definition? - in education the problem is because assessment is done individually (49:00) - so forming groups and sharing ideas is not attractive for students - worried about not getti

Another superb post from Tony Vincent this time a comprehensive listing with discussion of how to maximise the setup of ipod touches in the classroom. A definite recommendation for anyone looking to use iPod Touches in the classroom.

Another set of links from OnlineDegreePrograms.org, this one deals with Google Wave. It deals with the basics through Communication and Collaboration, Shortcuts, Management and Customization, to Applications and Extensions. Definitely a set of links to check through even though the surge of the wave seems to have subsided a little.