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7 Tips For Using Social Media in Your Classroom

Driven by passionate innovators engaged in the proverbial "thinking outside the box," disruptive innovation creates new values and new networks...something institutions find, at best, difficult to accommodate, at worst something to fear and repress. What, then, does disruptive innovation look like inside the educational institution? What do innovative educators do with--and demand from--their students? From flipping the classroom and mobile learning to social media and students as creators, let's examine some real-life educational innovations, try out some interesting technologies, share from our own experiences, and brainstorm ways to move forward despite institutional lethargy and the chorus of nay-sayers who claim innovation is impossible.

Links-up is research project about how 'Web 2.0' technologies - e.g. social networking software - are changing the face of education and training for disadvantaged people. The project puts together a picture of the 'landscape' of 'Learning 2.0 for Inclusion' by reviewing what has been done in the academic and research field, and by practitioners working on the ground in projects that have been using Web 2.0 to work with disadvantaged groups. It uses a series of 'action research' experiments, collaborating with 'host' projects working in the field, to evaluate the added contribution Web 2.0 can make to practices that use learning to support social inclusion.

The use of web 2.0 social platforms such as wiki's, blogs and podcasts offers new possibilities for networking, and project management. Users are able to publish their own texts, images or videos, and can share them with others. A European partner consor

iTEC (Innovative Technologies for an Engaging Classroom) is a four-year, pan-European project focused on the design of the future classroom. With funding of €9.45M from the European Commission, the involvement of 15 Ministries of Education and school pilots in up to 1 000 classrooms in 12 countries, iTEC is the largest and most strategic project yet undertaken by European Schoolnet and its supporting Ministries.

Results of recent studies about Web 2.0 teaching and learning in Europe show that existing pilot projects at schools are often driven by single, motivated teachers in grass-root approaches and that apart from support by the school basic knowledge, motivation and inspiration of teachers are necessary for realization of Web 2.0-related innovation. The te@ch.us project sets up a web-based learning community for teachers who are novices in Web 2.0 and connects them to experts and experienced teachers for exchange of concepts, experiences and learning materials.

This report shows that two actions are at the heart of the drive to make MST studies and professions more popular option for young learners: the development of effective and attractive MST curricula and teaching methods, and improved teacher education and professional development. Some countries (the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Israel, Switzerland, and Italy), have implemented national strategies and others have set up dedicated national, regional, or local centres (Norway, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain, and Ireland). These centres aim to improve the quality of MST teaching, and sometimes more particularly, to increase science and technology's popularity (also achieved through campaigns and competitions). This holistic approach usually includes all MST subjects, covers the lifelong learning span and involves the government, educational sector and industry. Public-private partnerships are an important feature of these all-encompassing approaches, aimed at developing a sustainable scientific culture which is deep-rooted in society. Other common approaches are to establish networks of teachers and teacher trainers, as well as other relevant stakeholders, and to implement curricular reform and initiatives favouring inquiry-based learning (e.g. cross-disciplinary, thematic or project work). In some countries, extra time, funding and smaller student groups enable more handson MST activities in laboratories and outdoors.

The INSPIRE project aimed to develop and experiment new teaching methods in the field of math, science and technology (MST). The purpose is to challenge the lack of interest of students to start scientific studies and more widely to extend the supply of scientific specialists and to develop a scientific culture in European countries

The easiest way to create and broadcast Live audio on the Internet and mobile...

Vocaroo | Online voice recorder