Infromative Reading: Learning with Blogs and Wikis

Learning with Blogs and Wikis. Bill Ferriter. ASCD Educational Leadership. Online February 2009.Technology has made it easy for educators to embrace continual professional development. … Times have changed in two significant ways, … First, there's a new emphasis on the importance of collaborative learning among members of close-knit teams in schools. … Second, digital tools now help fulfill Elmore's desire for fresh "portals through which new knowledge about teaching and learning can enter schools." Specifically, thousands of accomplished educators are now writing blogs about teaching and learning, bringing transparency to both the art and the science of their practice. In every content area and grade level and in schools of varying sizes and from different geographic locations, educators are actively reflecting on instruction, challenging assumptions, questioning policies, offering advice, designing solutions, and learning together. And all this collective knowledge is readily available for free. …

Informative Reading: Internet Safety Education for Teens: Getting It Right

Internet Safety Education for Teens: Getting It Right. Crimes Against Children Research Center. Online February 2009. A growing number of people are promoting Internet safety education in an effort to help keep youngsters safe from Internet sex offenders. But some of the information in their lectures, pamphlets, videos, and web sites does not reflect what researchers have learned about the important features of these crimes.
Here are suggestions of how to make Internet safety education materials more consistent with current research. …

Informative Video:Did You Know

Did You Know? Video by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Bronman. Posted on YouTube. Online February 2009.Video on the progression of information technology, an update to past versions by the same title. 

(GW Note: Thanks to Stephen Brand, President and Chief Imagination Officer, The New Enterprise Factory, Inc. for sending a note about this update to an older video. sbrand@enterprisefactory.com)

Informative Reading: New Google Earth features host of educational tools

New Google Earth features host of educational tools. Christopher Dawson. Zdnet. Online February 2009. Google Earth 5 was just released and includes a host of new tools that educators can tap in the classroom. Google Ocean is being touted in particular, allowing users to interact with 3D maps of the ocean floor, courtesy largely of US Navy data. However, I found the databases and interactive features associated with the ocean views to be a lot more useful educationally than floating around the ocean floor. …  this is really a must-download for teachers and students. …

Informative Reading:Tech Literacy Confusion: What Should You Measure

Tech Literacy Confusion: What Should You Measure? Andrew Trotter. Digital Directions. Edweek. Online February 2009.  http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2009/01/21/03techlit.h02.html.Teaching literacy—reading and writing—is a core mission for schools, but today's young people increasingly "read" 3-D computer simulations and "write" via social networks such as Facebook. A growing chorus of experts says schools should add these forms of communication to their literacy mission as "technology literacy."… Many educators, even those who agree technology literacy is important, are confused by the phrase's competing meanings and the diverse ways of measuring it. …

It's Baaaack!

Hi, folks--Once more, I find it difficult to keep track of the interesting news bits and readings about education technology that I come across every day, so I am resurrecting my blog "ICT in Education around the Globe". I hope you have missed the notice of posts and welcome this return. If so, let me know. If not, let me know that, too, and I will remove your name from the Yahoo group receiving notice of posts. 

I hope you have been busy and productive in your efforts to support the use of technology in teaching and learning. Let me know what you are doing, and please send your papers and other suggestions for blog entries.