links for 2008-05-01 April 30, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Link Collections.add a comment
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A wiki for school library media specialists (teachers) to learn about cool new web tools. Nicely organized collection of Web 2.0 tools for use in education.
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Nice video from Rachel Boyd’s 6 and 7 year old students from New Zealand. Includes link to the classroom blog.
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by way of the LibrarianInBlack, Open Learning’s Open University. Why not sign up and take a course for free?
Hidden Short Fiction in Wikipedia April 30, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos.1 comment so far
Bryan Alexander, also known as Infocult Information, Culture, Policy, Education, has posted an interesting article about a phenomenon of inserting fiction into Wikipedia. Of course, fiction where it is least expected is a time honored tradition, with many examples of journalists or biographers who later admitted they invented the details in their writing. Then there was Jorge Luis Borges who is said to have written reviews of books that didn’t exist. One can only wonder what encyclopedias would be like if authors had the ability to insert elements of fiction into the articles.
http://infocult.typepad.com/infocult/2008/04/wikipedia-art.html
Expanded Short Statement by Berners-Lee April 30, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.add a comment
Sir Tim Berners-Lee actually had more to say about the Web on its 15th birthday. The BBC has an expanded version of his comments about his teenager linked below.
The experience of international collaboration continues. Also the spirit that really we have only started to explore the possibilities of [the web], that continues.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7371660.stm
RSS Awareness Day April 30, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Link Collections, Tools.add a comment
By way of Sarah Houghton-Jan, the LibrarianInBlack, May first, in addition to being May Day, is RSS Awareness Day! Huzzah! Here are my links for RSS: http://del.icio.us/mwoolums/rss.
Happy Birthday to the World Wide Web April 30, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Opinion.add a comment
The World Wide Web turned 15 today! In honor of the event, the BBC has put up short responses from 10 of the Web’s brightest in which they provide their views on where we go from here. Worth the read.
Let me first say that I am extremely optimistic. - SIR TIM BERNERS LEE
Where do I think the Web is headed? I think the Web is already finding its way into many more devices and providing many more services. Devices that are location aware begin to create social networks of devices, and not just people, although the people networks will continue to be the most visible. What will people-independent networks do? I don’t know, but I hope they take good care of us! Where do you think the Web is heading?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7373717.stm
links for 2008-04-29 April 28, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Link Collections.add a comment
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Very simple online template for creating WebQuests.
Happy Birthday Cool Cat Teacher - We Get the Presents! April 27, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Edubloggers, Link Collections.add a comment
Cool Cat Teacher is celebrating her 38th birthday, and we are the ones who get the presents! Vicki Davis has decided to post 38 great tools to celebrate her birthday, and the list looks like a terrific ‘best-of’ collection. The list is linked and annotated, so it would be a terrific list to pass along to anyone interested in getting started.
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2008/04/38-birthday-presents-from.html
links for 2008-04-27 April 26, 2008
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Outline of teaching on and with YouTube, includes extensive links.
techLEARNING webinar for Teachers April 26, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Conference Sessions.add a comment
From the Cool Cat Teacher:
This webinar is Monday about Web 2.0 and I’m co-presenting. If you attend, you’ll receive a 3 month free trial subscription to Atomic Learning. Preregister here.
This will give you access to the series I did on Web 2.0 and how to set up an RSS reader, etc. Also, the new one I’ve done on Flattening your classroom will be available as well.
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2008/04/sites-that-caught-my-eye-today-04262008.html
links for 2008-04-26 April 25, 2008
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George Siemens slideshar presentation on “The Big Picture: Future of Education”
$100 Laptop Roundup April 25, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Hardware, OLPC.add a comment
Liliputing has put together a fairly comprehensive list of low-cost ultraportable laptops. There are several on the list I’ve never heard of, but for some reason doesn’t include the XO although it is mentioned in the reviews of other laptops. The whole site is a terrific resource for anyone looking for more information about small inexpensive laptops.
http://www.liliputing.com/2008/04/over-past-six-months-or-so-asus-everex_24.html
links for 2008-04-24 April 23, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Link Collections.add a comment
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visually compose boolean searches using puzzle pieces
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great digital story telling resources
Simple Programming Reviewed April 23, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
I know this is a bit old fashioned, but I believe that the best way to learn technology is to take control of the technology by learning a programming language. This can be as simple as setting up a macro in a spread sheet, or hand-coding the HTML code for a web page. Programming can also be simple enough for students and teachers and be fun at the same time. Clarence Fisher has posted a nice review of several education-focused programming environments on his Remote Access blog. Lego Mindstorms, Alice, Phun, and Scratch. Take a look and challenge yourself to learn one! Or two!
http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2008/04/simple-programm.html
links for 2008-04-23 April 22, 2008
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Site dedicated to fight the high burnout rate of new teachers by building a bridge between service and pre-service teachers.
Necessary Ingredients Part 5 - Overcoming Success April 22, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion.add a comment
I’ve been thinking about this one for a long time. There are many voices calling for change, but change is slow in coming if it is coming at all. One reason for the lack of change in the educational world is the belief that as educators, we are mostly successful practitioners of our craft. Fortunately, this is partly true. While the generalization can’t be applied with even brush strokes for all teachers, most teachers deliver their curriculum, their students complete most of the assignments, and in the end, there is some growth, even if it is no more than a student might affect with any concerted intervention on anyone else’s part.
It is that modest success that keeps us from adopting new techniques, strategies, goals, and technologies. In order to provide a thriving 21st Century technology-infused learning environment, we (as educators) must not rely on moderate success. Treading water isn’t enough to keep up with the pace of change in the world around us. The ability to feel uncomfortable with doing ‘good enough’ needs to be an integral component of our approach to a life dedicated to teaching and learning.
I’m going to have to think critically about my own practices. I hope the following questions will be helpful to me in identifying where I’ve settled for ‘good enough’ instead of preparing for what’s next.
- What do I believe about how learners learn?
- What can others see in the craft of my teaching that expresses my philosophy of education?
- What did I learn today, and what impact should it have on my teaching tomorrow?
- What am I doing to regularly seek out new information, concepts, ideas, opinions, and the voices of others?
- How much time did I spend in reflection on what I did today?
- When did I say ‘no’ today and why?
In case you missed them, here are links to the previous four ingredients.
- http://villagegreen.edublogs.org/2007/11/02/necessary-ingredients-part-1-access/
- http://villagegreen.edublogs.org/2007/11/05/necessary-ingredients-part-2-neutral-internet/
- http://villagegreen.edublogs.org/2007/11/14/necessary-ingredients-part-3-wireless/
- http://villagegreen.edublogs.org/2008/01/22/necessary-ingredients-part-4-identity/
