Digital Education
This blog post on Ewan McIntosh's edu.blogs.com points out a new peer-reviewed study that links Web 2.0 to academic improvement. The report found that Web 2.0 tools encourage participation and engagement, especially for those students who are timid; help students continue classroom discussions outside of the classroom; let students who are so inclined continue researching anytime, anywhere; and instill a sense of ownership and pride in students for the work they publish online, which can lead to more attention to detail and a better quality of work.
The report also found that one of the biggest obstacles to using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom was the time it takes teachers to incorporate those new tools into lesson plans. Although many teachers were familiar with the tools and used them in their personal lives, they were apprehensive about how to monitor Internet use in the classroom and the time needed to figure out how those tools should be used to teach.
more fromblogs.edweek.org
Dangerously Irrelevant: I don't like my district's AUP
Last night was Family Night at my kids’ elementary school. You know, that night when you visit your kid’s class with the other parents, learn about the curriculum and teacher expectations for the year, sit in little tiny chairs, etc.
Each parent was asked to sign the district’s Digital Resources Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for the 2008-2009 school year. Not a single parent read over the AUP; everyone just signed it blindly. Except me, of course. I combed through it because, as a former attorney and technology guy, I want to know what I’m signing on behalf of my fifth-grade daughter.
more fromwww.dangerouslyirrelevant.org
Elections (ECB Surf Report)
As the November elections approach, here are some Web sites to help you get your students interested and involved.
Elementary
Middle and High School
Election History
more fromexplore.ecb.org
Examples of Digital Storytelling with Elementary Students
Examples of Digital Storytelling with Elementary Students
Google Knol - Yup, it’s a Wikipedia killer (ZDNet)
Google Knol, Mountain View’s answer to Wikipedia, launched last week and, while it can’t yet match the volume of articles on Wikipedia, its focus on accountability and ownership makes it a better choice for students and teachers.
more fromeducation.zdnet.com
School District Restricts Teacher-Student Online Social Networking
Teachers and students in Lamar County can''t be Internet friends this year after the School Board revamped rules prohibiting them from being friends through online social networks. The Lamar County School Board approved the staff policy against online communication and text messaging between teachers and students at its July 7 meeting.
more fromwww.districtadministration.com
Create A Graph
Here you will find five different graphs and charts for you to consider. Not sure about which graph to use? Confused between bar graphs and pie charts?
more fromnces.ed.gov
What Our Future Demands (ASCD)
The July issue of Education Update addresses ways educators are striving to develop students for work and life in the ever-changing 21st century. ASCD President Valerie Truesdale applauds the Association as it joins the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which closely aligns with ASCD’s Whole Child Initiative and allows ASCD to sit at the table with corporations like Dell, Apple, and Verizon.
more fromascd.typepad.com
They don’t all really need laptops, do they?
I’ve been getting this question a lot lately from administrators, parents, and taxpayers. The question isn’t malicious, but rather comes from folks with a vested interest in making sure that our technology dollars directly benefit students. Does giving teachers laptops directly benefit students? For people who aren’t actively teaching in a classroom, that’s a hard question to answer.\n\nI don’t think it’s very hard for teachers to answer the question, though, especially at the secondary level. For most people entering the business world, there is no question that they will have a computer on their desk when they are hired. It might be a laptop, a desktop, a shared desktop facilitated with some sort of flextime arrangement, or even a computer allowance so that the new hire can buy a machine that makes them the most productive. However, it’s not terribly likely that they’ll just be handed a dry erase marker and a whiteboard, pointed towards a copy machine, and told to go for it.
more fromeducation.zdnet.com
Study: Parents clueless about kids' internet use
A survey by Symantec Corp. suggests that parents are unaware of their children's internet activity.
more fromwww.eschoolnews.com
Giving Students’ learning Choices Through Technology « Education with Technology Harry G. Tuttle
more fromeduwithtechn.wordpress.com
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