EDUC 439/639 Social Networking - Fall 2012

"Making learning accessible, engaging and relevant. Every classroom. Every lesson."

"Fortunately, a group of tireless researchers-who I've had the honor of collaborating with-has put a wooden stake through the dark heart of this demon. In the most recent addition of the scientific journal Educational Technology, Deepak Subramony, Michael Molenda, Anthony Betrus, and I (my contribution was small) produced four articles on the dangers of this misinformation and the genesis of it. After working separately over the years to debunk this bit of mythology, the four of us have come together in a joint effort to rally the troops-people like you, dedicated professionals who want to create the best outcomes for your learners."

"if there's a method for retaining, on average, 100% of material, don't you think we'd all be using it in the classroom?  This also seems to imply there's one, best way to teach in all circumstances.  In my experience, this goes against the philosophies of differentiation and personalization of learning in the classroom."

"Students are unknowingly ensnared in The Maze when they first stop into the college bookstore to collect required books prior to the start of classes. They may be shell-shocked by the prices, but feel they have no alternative but to purchase the materials."

"Today we are launching a challenge, seeking the best ideas worldwide for how to align our postsecondary educational ecosystem to the future of work and life. We are looking for bold ideas that reimagine how we learn across our lifetimes, ideas that expand opportunity for all members of our society and foster equity. We hope to uncover ideas and seed the development of tools that will ensure that all learners, especially low-income students, can draw on a diverse array of educational opportunities that provide them the skills they need to find the opportunities to work and live meaningful and economically stable lives."

"some users will be asked to pay a support fee, "from $9 up to some portion of the certification cost," said Medros. The price of the support fee "will be aligned to the value and experience" that a course gives to a learner, said Medros, suggesting that the best courses will also be the most expensive."

"For many, knowledge about the natural world is superseded by personal beliefs. Wisdom across disciplinary and political divides is needed to help bridge this gap. This is where institutions of higher education can provide vital support. Educating global citizens is one of the most important charges to universities, and the best way we can transcend ideology is to teach our students, regardless of their majors, to think like scientists. "

"Blogger Tim Urban explains his process of extreme procrastination in which his brain wages war between instant gratification and the moment of pure panic just before a deadline."

"Perhaps the best known of many so-called unconference models, Edcamps arose out of the idea that teachers, just like their students, need "voice and choice" to help them learn. Anyone who shows up to these free events can suggest or lead a session, and participants are invited to "vote with their feet" about which to attend."

"At Arizona State, Michael Crow has pioneered transdisciplinary structures and algorithm-driven apps to help students hone in on a college and career path. Crow says colleges and universities are too "fixed" and "rigid" and must figure out a way to "be very broadly engaged with society." At Northeastern, Joseph Aoun is attempting to supplement the traditional "human literacy" curriculum with "technological literacy" and "data literacy," and to power this via experiential education - "the most powerful way to learn": internships, co-ops, work study. "

Created by William Horton (2006), this model is most useful in 1) providing a lens for instructors to be intentional about the variety and balance of activities provided in a course, and 2) building scaffolded activity sequences that require progressively higher order thinking skills.

"Comics are also great at abstracting away details so that readers uses their imagination to focus on what they want. You draw a character simply so that the readers can insert themselves or someone they know and relate to the character. This abstracted style of art also leaves room for comics to be incredibly expressive. Whether it's a smiley face, the dynamic motion of a superhero, or Charlie Brown missing a football, the medium communicates a lot with very little."

"In 2016, more than 40 percent of all students who started at a four-year college six years earlier had not yet earned a degree. Odds are that most of those students never will. In real terms, this means that nearly two million students who begin college each year will drop out before earning a diploma."

"Homelessness has caused Jasmine to give up on some dreams. She wants a college education, so that means giving up a home."

"On the first full day at the unconference my "neighborhood," those interested in different aspects of personalized learning area, were tasked with coming up with one, three, and five year plans for personalized learning under the categories of Dream, Do, and Drive. Our collective dream in year one was to develop and sustain effective models and criteria for good teaching and learning-it all starts there. To do so requires the clear creation of agreed upon learning objectives informed by data, student feedback, and peer review. Rewarding good teaching and rewarding learning are ultimately driving this first phase."

"In order for your virtual meetings to be productive, they need to be effectively managed. Read on for our 4 simple tips for effective virtual meeting management."