TechCrunch - The Year in Launches - 2007 December 31, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Link Collections, Tools.add a comment
I often get asked how I find stuff online. My usual response is that I hear about stuff from other people. One place I like to listen to is TechCrunch. It is a site that follows tech startups, new companies, new products, or new services. They’ve posted a nice collection of notable posts from 2007. Some of these will be very influential, while others may eventually end up in the deadpool.
On a side note, I thought I heard about TechCrunch from a very influencial interview of Tom March, Will Richardson, and Tim Wilson at NECC 2006. Turns out they never mentioned TechCrunch in that interview at all. So my own ability to store and retrieve information is obviously suspect. Anyone else remember an interview, probably from NECC Live! or moderated by Chris Walsh that included a reference to tools used to keep up with what’s new online?
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/31/the-year-in-launches-2007-edition/
Student Programming - Scratch December 31, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Tools.add a comment
MIT has provided us with several wonderful programming tools for students over the years. Remember Logo anyone? I’ believe that technology has the ability to empower students, especially when students are the ones who determine what the technology will do. Programming is one way to accomplish the task of empowering students, whether it is simple (spreadsheets, presentations, web pages) or complex (databases, multimedia, programming.) Scratch, a simple programming language, is a great way to introduce programming to your students ages 8 and up. Below is an additional link to Kent Chesnut’s “Learning Forward” blog. He has three posts on using Scratch in the classroom.
Learning Forward >> Scratch - http://g4classes.com/learningforward/?cat=11
Scratch - from MIT Media Labs‘ Lifelong Kindergarten group - http://scratch.mit.edu/
A Tool With Clout - I Mean Kwout December 27, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Tools.add a comment
I stumbled upon a new tool yesterday called Kwout. It lets you grab a screenshot of a web site and returns the code necessary to embed the image into your blog. Below is a small snapshot of the “Meta” section of my blog where I log in. The image also includes the RSS feeds for my site.
Copyright Morality - 21st Century Style December 25, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.1 comment so far
I’ve enjoyed reading books and articles from David Pogue for many years now. Recently he posted an article for the New York Times titled: The Generational Divide in Copyright Morality. In the article, he describes a series of questions posed to his audiences that provide an interesting perspective into the ethical thinking of the future leaders of America. If you’ve ever wanted a way to initiate a discussion about copyright, David Pogue’s questions provide an opportunity. Here is my favorite question:
“I record a movie off of HBO using my DVD burner. Who thinks that’s wrong?” (No hands go up. Of course not; time-shifting is not only morally O.K., it’s actually legal.)
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/the-generational-divide-in-copyright-morality/
Education Tools - 2007 Edition December 24, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Link Collections, Tools.1 comment so far
I feel like Christmas came a little early this year. Normally, Internet postings seem to taper off this time of year, however, what did I find in my GoogleReader but three collections of online tools for education! There are areas of commonality, but each one has its own slant.
- Solution Watch ”Back to School with the Class of Web 2.0″
- Part 1: Tools http://www.solutionwatch.com/512/back-to-school-with-the-class-of-web-20-part-1/
- Part 2: Office Applications http://www.solutionwatch.com/515/back-to-school-with-the-class-of-web-20-part-2/
- Part 3: Blogging http://www.solutionwatch.com/519/back-to-school-with-the-class-of-web-20-part-3/
- Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies Top 100 Tools for Learning
- Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites Of The Day For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
- The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education — 2007 http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2007/12/21/the-best-web-20-applications-for-education-2007/
- The Best Web 2.0 Applications for ESL/EFL Learners — 2007 http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2007/12/22/the-best-web-20-applications-for-eslefl-learners-2007/
- The Best of the Year Lists http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2007/12/23/best-of-the-year-lists/
Early Internet TV Coverage December 23, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, History.1 comment so far
I enjoy exploring the history of the Internet, and I’m very happy that Steve Borsch from Connecting the Dots has posted a “Computer Chronicles” video from the Internet Archive. I can’t get over how they keep calling it “Internet” instead of “the Internet” as in “connecting to Internet.” Oh, and everything is text based. You’ll even hear the old modem squawk. It is also surprising how all of the issues (like security, online music, standards) mentioned are still issues today. Who knew the Internet once had a 1-800 help line?
http://www.iconnectdots.com/ctd/2007/12/think-the-inter.html
Are You Smarter Than a Teenager? December 20, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Data.add a comment
According to the results of the latest Pew Internet survey, teens are actually practicing some measure of safety online. At least when it comes to personal information on social networking sites and posting photos. When they post videos, fewer restrict access. Turns out adults are less likely to protect their information. Looks like teens are better practitioners of safe behavior online than their adult counterparts.
Some 66% of teens with social network profiles restrict access to their profiles in some way and 77% of teens who upload photos restrict access to them at least “some of the time.” In contrast, 58% of adults who post photos restrict access to them in some way. A smaller percentage of teens who upload videos (54%) restrict access to them.
http://www.pewinternet.org/press_release.asp?r=150
Wikipedia Live December 19, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
Clarence Fisher takes a close look at Wikipedia editing in real-time. He notes that a small act of vandalism was repaired in under 20 minutes. The article is a great read for Wikipedia skeptics and supporters alike. He also includes a link to a really cool tool that mashes up Wikipedia edits with a world map. Not only can you see what is being edited right now on Wikipedia, you can see the originating location of the edit. Really cool!
WikipediaVision - http://www.lkozma.net/wpv/
http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2007/12/revising-wikped.html
Tips for Integrity - Student Edition December 18, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Fair Use.add a comment
Joyce Valenza recently posted a terrific set of points for students to help them understand why integrity in education is so important. If you’ve ever wanted a way to start the discussion in your classroom about cheating and why it is wrong, please read the linked article below. I had a difficult time selecting just one quote to whet your appetite:
Integrity matters in our community. When you cheat intentionally, you lose the respect of people who care about you and want to see you succeed. You may also lose the respect of your peers. We set in place a policy to define all of our responsibilities in creating a culture based on integrity.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/1500018150.html?nid=3714
It’s a Twitter World December 17, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos.add a comment
If you’ve ever wondered just how small the world is getting these days, check out this short post from Will Richardson about a middle school twitter project that ended up with coverage from NPR.
http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/twitterstories/
Google Me December 16, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Data.add a comment
TechCrunch published an excerpt from a Pew/Internet survey about attitudes toward online information. Seems almost half of the people interviewed said they had googled themselves. If you don’t know what that means, go to Google and type your own name in the search field. Check the results to see if your information is available when others google you!Here’s what you find if you google me:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Matthew+Woolums&btnG=Google+Search
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/16/do-you-use-google-for-vanity-searching-youre-not-alone/
Twitter Mobile December 14, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Net Neutrality.add a comment
Okay, I’m not a T-Mobile customer, nor do I Twitter (or would that be tweet?) but I do recognize another attempt by a service provider to restrict access on the part of its customers. If you needed another example of why Net Neutrality is important, read this TechCrunch article:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/14/t-mobile-turns-off-twitter/
CyberSmart® video series December 14, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.add a comment
I found a video series on Internet related issues that all come under the CyberSmart® label. In the video below, Joyce Valenza and Gary Price discuss the importance of, and proper ways to, conduct research on the Internet.
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-9173729117236267695&q=joyce+valenza&total=2&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
Interactive Wiiteboard December 13, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Opinion, Tools.add a comment
I saw this posted the other day, but couldn’t see the video because it is on YouTube and we block that site in my district. If you haven’t seen these videos yet, go home and try the link below. What will you see? For less the cost of a Wiimote, and an infrared light pen, you can convert any surface into an interactive whiteboard. Imagine in the very near future that any projector comes with this interaction built in, or for less than $100, a peripheral for your computer that turns the screen or any surface into an input device. The future is going to be so cool!
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/
Jakesonline December 13, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Conference Sessions, Link Collections.add a comment
I was listening to a Bit by Bit podcast by Bob Sprankle (episode 58) and wanted to share a collection of tools mentioned by Hall Davidson. In the podcast, Hall Davidson runs through a number of terrific digital storytelling tips, including a reference to Jakesonline, from David Jakes, where you can find video screencasts to use Photo Story 3. This site also includes tons of other resources, articles, presentations, and tutorials for the 21st Century Classroom.
