EDUC 439/639 Social Networking - Fall 2012

"I am convinced of two things: The education will be the most important growth business of the 21st century. That whatever comes next in education will emerge from India."

"With all of the new technologies that are surrounding us, and to the many school administrators that are not feeling comfortable with Twitter, Facebook, etc., I would like to suggest three ways (as opposed to the typical round number of 10) that you can focus on your own professional development over the summer. Less is oftentimes more in the digital world as we move from simply being "literate" to "fluent" in this language. "

The strategy Think-Pair-Share, along with a variety of twists, is a versatile strategy that can be used before, during or after a reading, viewing or listening activity. It incorporates elements of strategies that are known to increase learning (summarizing, comparing/contrasting, restating an idea, collaboration, think time, and using different learning modalities).

6 secret strategies to take control of studying and improve memory. FLIRT, DRIVE, and RELAX are mnemonic acronyms that help readers tap their multiple intelligences and learning styles to garner the wealth and breadth of information they will encounter throughout their academic and professional careers. Through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the Internet, students, teachers, and parents can watch videos, post comments, and connect with others struggling with the demands of academic literacy. www.myreadingsecrets.com shares the secrets learned by successful college students, and the reading secrets of successful professionals, authors, and entertainers.

Shortly after the invention of the quantum computer chip, and the laying of fibre optic broadband to almost every house in the UK, it had been clear that the days of teaching as a profession were numbered. Teaching had been relegated to a minority profession in a matter of years. It had been simply a question of scale. A teacher, working for 45 years, could teach maybe 1,500 children. Some lessons would be better than others, some children would get more attention and do better than others, they'd occasionally need time off and so on. Simply put, human teachers were inconsistent, and not always great. So when the new educational bodies started recording the best lectures for every subject from around in the world, annotating them in 3D, and enhancing them with CG, what could the schools do to fight back?

"The infographic below, based on data by CPP, publishers of the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, details the qualifiers for each of the test's characteristics, but furthermore, predicts the psychological types most likely to participate on specific social networks. More extroverts reported using Facebook than introverts, for instance. And people with inclinations toward Feeling spend more time browsing and interacting with people on Facebook, rather than those who tend toward Thinking."

"In the last six months the economic model of a scarcity of teaching resources justifying a rationing of education has been changed to a free commodity model of unlimited availability and world-class quality education. This changes everything."

"Here's why I went on my social media diet and why you might want to consider doing so too, as well as a few social media dieting tips."

"Dropbox is an awesome service. You can back your files up to the cloud, sync them between computers, and share them with your friends. That's not all it can do, though. Here are our top 10 favorite clever uses for our favorite file syncing program."

"We in the ed-tech world have been talking, visioning, and showcasing innovation for decades. Based on the results to date, I don't think our voice is enough. I've come to the conclusion that the voice that will push real change is yours. Indeed, if you-the students-are willing to accept a set of key educational responsibilities as you stand up for your core educational rights, you might be the real game changer we need in catalyzing next-generation learning."

"After looking for one of those "joke" worksheets to review competing the square I thought I'd try some group work (ala @druinok) via index cards.  I decided to write problems in varying degrees of difficulty... those with an "a" value, those without, those that would result in fractions, etc.  I pulled out my Sharpies to start writing and what did I discover?"

I wanted the two teachers I was talking with understand how to help their students learn to read and write hyperlinked text effectively. I shared with them the story of Bud's "Going South" blog post. It's a poignant lesson in reading and writing linked text.

"it won't be long before they begin modeling mathematical processes, using spreadsheets, creating concept maps and editing one another's work in writer's workshops. Over time, they will film documentaries and work collaboratively with students in another city (and perhaps another country). They'll see the power in expressing their collective voice to a global audience and working with people in another social context."

"I created the document below as a menu of choices between iPad apps and Web 2.0 applications that can be used to employ types of formative assessments. It is organized to encourage a balanced approach to formative assessment so that teachers can easily see the various options they might have to encourage Write, Do, and Say in the classroom."

Free sample chapter from Net Smart.

"One of the things I've noticed from turning off my computer periodically throughout the day (I work in 30-minute chunks), is that when the computer is off, I often think of a question I want answered - and my first instinct is to go to the computer and search. I'd know in like 4 seconds!"

"As your company searches for new ways to boost productivity and increase sales, it's important to be aware of the ways your plans can be thwarted. Turns out, your everyday work habits may actually be standing in the way of your success. Want to know how to kill your productivity? Do these seven things."

Establish a PLN (Personal Learning Network) to build staff development and become a scholar in a pedagogy and curriculum: Teachers need to accept primary responsibility for their professional growth. Participate in social network sites for teachers and learn from the experiences of others.

"Producers of web-video instruction need to negotiate old and new rules of video grammar to remain credible (to the traditional video grammar) as they also strive to be cool (in the new media video grammar). The goal is to avoid violating traditional video grammar while tapping into new video aesthetics to gain ethos with web-savvy audiences (like students). This tutorial explains the best old and new practices in creating talking heads web video for maximum impact and effectiveness."

"Below, we've rounded up a few other ways that social media and technology are bring innovation to the classroom."