EDUC 439/639 Social Networking - Fall 2012

"Shirky's point is that for a functioning online community, all you really need is some kind of system for attaching reputation points to a user's "handle" or pseudonym. Klout is trying to do that with a number that rises and falls based on your activity on networks like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Tumblr. "

"Unmasking as a Way to Regulate Social Norms"

"CourseTalk is what you might expect - an early stage Yelp for MOOCs - a place for students to share their experiences with these courses and a way to discover new courses they'd enjoy. Given that it's still nascent, the platform's design is simple and its user experience is straightforward: Visitors can use the general search bar which is front and center, or peruse through "Top Rated," "Popular" and "Upcoming" verticals, or search by category, like Business, Computer Science, etc."

"To ensure that education is more relevant to the needs of students and the labour market, assessment methods need to be adapted and modernised. The use of ICT and open educational resources (OER) should be scaled-up in all learning contexts. Teachers need to update their own skills through regular training. The strategy also calls on Member States to strengthen links between education and employers, to bring enterprise into the classroom and to give young people a taste of employment through increased work-based learning. EU Education Ministers are also encouraged to step-up their cooperation on work-based learning at national and European level."

"Google has added a new feature to Drive: You can now serve up web content from within your Google Drive folder, even ones that run JavaScript. All you need to do is upload your HTML files and assets (e.g., images) and make them public."

"The Provost will charge an Open Access Policy and Implementation Committee with policy interpretation and with developing a plan that renders compliance with the policy as convenient for the faculty as possible. The OA Policy and Implementation Committee comprises two members of the Library/Faculty Advisory Board, one member of the General Faculty Academic Services Committee, one member of the library staff, and one representative of GTRC."

An assessment model for undergraduates

Model Rubric for evaluating e-Portfolios

"The Google Glove is filled choke full with electronics. These include cameras on the fingertips, compass, gyroscopes, accelerometers and other motion detectors on the fingers, CPU, a bunch of RAM and storage in the palm of your hand, and (wireless) communication chips on the back. Maybe even a small battery band around your wrist."

Use our new Scope & Sequence tool to find the lessons that are just right for your classroom. These cross-curriculular units spiral to address digital literacy and citizenship topics in an age appropriate way. Browse by grade band or click a category to highlight the lessons that address that topic. You can download a PDF of the new Scope & Sequence here. Read more about the recent updates to the curriculum in our blog. Also, take a look at the definitions of our 8 categories in our Curriculum Overview. And for reference, you can access the former Scope & Sequence here.

Timely job offer to anyone that may be interested 

"Current students who take the free online college courses can earn certificates of completion, but not college credit. However, if MOOCs are determined to be close enough to traditional college courses as to become eligible for academic credit, they could make higher education more affordable and accessible, Ms. Lewin writes."

"This course was really interesting but more like a PBS show. It consisted mainly of a series of interviews that Chuck Severance had done over the years, which he then strung together to make it into a history. While that is all true, it doesn't convey Dr. Severance' contribution to the whole. Clearly, his perspective was essential and his being present at the conversation at the actual points in history made his current insights more valuable."

"These links will take you to essential reading materials from the institutions and organizations behind Common Core."

"not only have the team at LunaMetrics revamped the look of their graphic, they've also updated the content so that it now includes all the latest social media sizing information for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest. See the infographic below for all that essential sizing goodness."

The open educational resources model, including textbooks, has emerged as a response to rising text prices, a need for greater access to high-quality learning materials, the proliferation of e-reader devices, and a trend in publishing toward electronic media. Many contend that educational resources should be open and that instructional models increasingly depend on open content. Open textbooks can be offered by commercial publishers or found in open repositories. Open resources can promote active learning through student interaction with the text, particularly when they contribute to authorship. Although open textbooks face questions about the accuracy and reliability of their content, they allow higher education instructors to design content for their courses on an as-needed basis, choosing from an array of books, articles, videos, audio recordings, and readings.

Firstly, everything is a trade-off. If you think that your message really requires a certain format, you accept the consequences, and that is the case here. I develop the premise that an individual subject matter expert can create a rich, interactive e-textbook that is competitive with commercial offerings, and at such low cost that it can be offered to students for free or at very little cost.

The suspended student, sophomore Andrea Hernandez, was notified by the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio that she won't be able to continue attending John Jay High School unless she wears the badge around her neck, which she has been refusing to do. The district said the girl, who objects on privacy and religious grounds, beginning Monday would have to attend another high school in the district that does not yet employ the RFID tags.