Web 2.0: Enhancing Education Through Technology

fur.ly is a great place/idea for educators who are struggling with students finding the right websites or who are having their students copy long URLs off of the board. This tool will let you have one URL that will open multiple websites at one time.

Helpful tools to use web 2.0 in the classroom

This site gave a quick tutorial on how to use Adobe Presenter 8. It seemed like an easy video and voice tool to use. It reminded me of a you tube video and it was a little like animoto. It was hard to tell with the brief overview. This presentation tool could lead to some real creativty for use in projects at school. I read a lot of articles while I was in newsstand icnluding: Tech in the Classroom: Earbud yo-yo, and Social Learning networks promote student engagement, global awareness, but I thought the Adobe Presenter was the most creative.

This post highlights the effects of digital technologies on student research habits. It is a good article to debate whether continuing new technologies and media are adding to the quality of student education.

PhotoStory ideas for educators

This articles talks about our current college graduates being "digital natives,"  teaching digital natives, and how the use of  technology must be tied to subject matter, and  pedagogy.  

The article discussed the idea that higher order thinking skills can not be disconnected from the content of the classroom. The author stated in a traditional teacher-centered classroom higher order thinking skills such as "analysis, problem-solving, investigation, participation in developing reasoning and meaning, questioning, discussing, engaging students, and relevance are short-changed." Think of the possibilities for all students in the room to be able to engage in meaningful conversation, investigation and analysis with the use of group work and web 2.0 technologies.

This article discusses a couple of new books that are being published to help train teachers in blended and online learning models. It is a series of lessons that other teachers have had to learn in order to create high learning thinking skills.

This article was very interesting. It indicated that grades meant different things to different people. If students received a C, some people would say that the teacher wasn't presenting the material correctly. Lessons should aim to motivate, and inspire students to learn. One professor began class by asking if all students would complete all assigned tasks. When they agreed, he told them they would all get As. He claimed that not one of his students fell back on their word and that work submitted was better than ever. They were more concentrated on learning and understanding rather than worrying about their grade. While this article does not directly relate to online communication, it does relate to how we communicate course expectatioins.

This article suggests that blended learning is better than either on-line learning or face-to-face learning. It further suggests that more research is needed to determine what type of learning is best for what type of student.

Using an online exchange project called PenPal News Red-Blue,middle-school and high school students across the country are participating in conversations about election-year issues with peers from different parts of the country. Students are asked to use facts- not just personal experience to converse with their peers about election issues.

I thought this was an interesting article to plea to people during and after Sandy to use text messages and social media to keep people updated so they can use cell towers to manage rescues.

Children in grades one through six submit short videos promoting their favorite books. The StoryTubes contest capitalizes on children's interest in technology to promote reading and media skills.

In this article educational areas surrounding the changing trend of online and traditional teaching are highlighted. Online enthusiasm and concerns, the flipped classroom, the value of online courses and prioritizing teaching students on campus could be issues all educators will have to debate at the rapid pace online teaching are accelerating.

This is an article about a 15-year old student that gave a speech to 3,000 teachers, principals and other administrators about implementing Twitter and Facebook in schools. She gave the keynote address at the conference. At the conference the tables were turned ,the student became the teacher. The adults were taught how to sign up for Twitter accounts, tweet and use hashtags. This fits in with our weekly topic of creativity and innovation as teacher now became the student. The student was teaching what she knew best, this helps to foster communication. This was a creative way to engage adults.

A simple video to demonstrate communication, communication, collaboration, critical-thinking and creativity.

A good suggestion for students to purposefully track and develop their own progress. It holds potential to increase student pride in and accountability for their work. A good alternative to include a wider audience, evaluation and perspective of individual's work.

Ten Ways Schools Are Using Social Media Effectively

This article views a bold move by two Standford professors, ditching lectures and webcam lectures for hands on learning in the classroom. They do rely on technology to flip their classroom. Here is a quote "in an era with a perfect video-delivery platform - one that serves up billions of YouTube views and millions of TED Talks on such things as technology, entertainment, and design - why would anyone waste precious class time on a lecture?,"