“We deliver 21st century technology learning opportunities that foster academic excellence leading to global collaboration, digital citizenship, and a love for learning.”
On 08/16/2010,
in collaboration, education technology, global / globalization, learning, new media literacies, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
On 08/16/2010,
in blogs / blogging / vlogging, education technology, K-12 related, pedagogy, tools,
by Daniel Christian
On 08/16/2010,
in dangers of the status quo, disruption, education, education reform, education technology, future, innovation, K-12 related, leadership, strategy,
by Daniel Christian
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Also see:
On 08/12/2010,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, assistive technologies, education technology, emerging technologies, learning spaces, smart classrooms, tools, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
— My thanks to Mr. Michael Haan, Technology Integration Specialist/Purchasing within
Calvin College’s IT Department, for this resource
On 08/11/2010,
in education, education reform, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, face-to-face, future, innovation, K-12 related, leadership, strategy, student teaching/teacher education,
by Daniel Christian
Ed-tech innovators share their vision for education — from eSchoolNews.com [via the Ubiquitous Learning Newsletter; see below]
Leaders in education technology offer their insights on the future of education in video interviews with eSN-TV
Ubiquitous Learning Journal, Volume 2, Number 4 now available
The final issue of Volume 2 of Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal has now been published. Volume 2, Number 4 contains:
- Changes to the Information and Communication Technology Skills of Pre-Service Teachers Over Time by John Kenneth Hope and Anthony Neil Hunt.
- Sustaining Technological Innovation: Is it too Calm after the Storm? by Heather Hemming and Gregory MacKinnon.
- Involving Students in the Development and Evaluation of a Ubiquitous Learning Application for a Design Practice Setting by Lisa-Dionne Morris and Anthea Connolly.
- Dynamic Organizing and Evaluating Project-Based Collaborative Learning by Oleg Tilchin.
- Using a Customized Wiki for Classroom and Online Learning by Arthur Taylor.
- Learning Language, Content, and Collaboration through Group Projects by Paula Korsko, Kate Lyons and Carlos Guevara.
- The Use of Instructional Technology to Impact Student Retention and Attitudes in a College Level Geology Course by Michelle McMahon.
On 08/10/2010,
in 21st century, digital learning, disruption, education technology, emerging technologies, learning theories, telepresence, tools, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
Here are some slides from a Cisco WebEx presentation by Marcus Lim
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On 08/06/2010,
in computer science, education technology, languages and translation,
by Daniel Christian
On 08/06/2010,
in education technology, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, online learning, open courseware and systems,
by Daniel Christian
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David Wiley
As institutions and as individuals, we seem to have forgotten the core values of education: sharing, giving, and generosity.
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Vicki Davis
Open content is not yet changing students’ lives because there are questions that should be answered first.
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Dave Cormier and George Siemens
Online open courses can leverage communications technologies and open the door to learners to fully engage with the academic process.
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Maria H. Andersen
Open digital faculty do more than just share and participate in open resources; they transfer their approaches to the teaching space.
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Brian Lamb and Jim Groom
Has the wave of the open web crested? What does “open educational technology” look like, and does it stand for anything?
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Carolina Rossini
The right to be a creator, the right to govern and develop one’s own knowledge, and the right to share with others are fundamental freedoms for the Internet age.
On 08/05/2010,
in Apple, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, education technology, Google, learning ecosystem, pace of change, strategy, tools,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Two items I read this morning remind me of the need to be very flexible — as the world is full of change:
- RIP Google Wave
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Google’s attempt to reinvent e-mail has fizzled. The company said Wednesday it is pulling the plug on Google Wave, a collaborative tool that drew intense attention when it debuted last year. “Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked,” Urs Hölzle, Google’s senior vice president of operations, wrote in a post on the company’s blog. “We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects.” - Apple will be phasing out the ALI website
On September 3, 2010, Apple will be phasing out the ALI website and folks are encouraged to visit iTunes U instead. Apple believes that iTunes U is the best way to meet the growing needs of teachers and students demanding flexible access to world-class curriculum and learning resources.
From DSC:
These two items are in addition to the fairly recent announcement that NING-based groups would be charged for services that were previously free of charge.
As an instructional technologist, these waters are rough. Picking the right vendor and the right product is not easy — but one develops some principles over time. As an example: For best adoption, follow the “KISS principle.” Google Wave floundered because it was too complex — it was understood by the programmers at Google who were joined by a very limited # of folks after that…but the product was not comprehended by the masses.
Furthermore, this move by Google to pull the plug here is troubling for various types of institutions — whether they be in higher ed, K-12, or in the corporate world — as we look towards cloud-based applications to help serve the needs of our organizations. If those apps have a life span of 12-18 months…that’s not going to cut it. We need greater stability than that.
But we may not get it…so how do we respond? We need to be able to change — quickly; and we don’t implement a product without having an escape plan/backup plan in place.
I wonder…will organizations take more of a “wait and see” approach before implementing cloud-based apps? Perhaps.
Further info on iTunes U:
There are over 800 universities with active iTunes U sites. Nearly half of these institutions — including Stanford, Yale, MIT, Oxford, and UC Berkeley — distribute their content publicly on the iTunes Store. In addition, cultural and education institutions such as the Library of Congress, public broadcasting, and state departments of education also contribute to this growing educational content repository which now includes over 325,000 free lectures, audiobooks, lesson plans, and more. iTunes U is the ideal resource for educators who want to gain insight into curriculum being taught world wide, get access to primary resources, and find inspiration for enhancing teaching and learning with technology.
A sampling of the amazing resources available for both K12 and HIED on iTunes U include:
KQED
Arizona IDEAL
Virginia Department of Education
University of South Florida
Virginia Department of Education
Texas A&M
Poynter Institute
On 08/04/2010,
in education technology, educational games / serious games,
by Daniel Christian
DimensionU expands educational gaming multiverse with literacy games — from The Journal by David Nagel
Educational game developer Tabula Digita has launched the DimensionU Learning System, an expansion of the DimensionM series that now incorporates an all-new gaming universe, DimensionL, focusing on literacy skills.
DimensionM is a cross-platform immersive gaming environment focused on math for students in grades 3 through 12. It offers a 3D environment in which players carry out missions in multiplayer or, in some cases, solo games. Players face mathematical obstacles, which, when solved, allow them to advance and score points. There are now four distinct missions available in DimensionM: TowerStorm, Swarm, Meltdown, and Velocity. (In addition, DimensionU offers two standalone single-player games, Evolver for pre-algebra and Dimenxian for algebra.)
Like DimensionM, DimensionL provides an immersive 3D environment in which students score points in games that involve correctly answering questions pertinent to the topic. The literacy games in DimensionL–which are, like DimensionM, TowerStorm, Swarm, Meltdown, and Velocity–cover language conventions, parts of speech, reading skills, writing skills, and vocabulary for various skill levels or grades. The literacy games are targeted toward students in grades 3 through 9.
On 08/03/2010,
in education technology, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, smart classrooms,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC: This type of thing needs to occur in the classroom — communications with multiple devices, without the wires. Students need to be able to “play” their media without interrupting the flow of the classroom..without having to go up to the front of the class to figure out how to plug in their device up at the lectern.
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