Classroom 2.0 Blog

Web 2.0 in Education Posting to CR 2.0 Blog 11/12/2008

2008-11-12T00:30:00.001-08:00

Social networking cannot be ignored by educators.
tags: web20ineducation, ningineducation
How Web 2.0 has changed the face of education - Annotated
tags: web20ineducation
Digital Education: Does 'Writing 2.0' Represent Progress?
tags: web20ineducation, web2.0, education

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Class Scene

2008-10-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

I received an email from somebody at ClassScene asking me to write a post about this company's service. It seems to be a social network site that is safe for students. But, the site does not reveal how much it costs for a school to sign up, and it's obvious there is a charge.

I'm not sure why somebody would pay for something that they can get for free.

But this leads me to a question, does anybody know of a good social network site that elementary school students can use? I work with schools all the time and one issue that we constantly confront is safety. I'd love to find a social network site that can be made private and does not require email addresses. It would also be very helpful if the teacher could approve things before they were posted.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

By the way, if anybody has used ClassScene share some feedback on what you think of it.

Smart Table for Sale

2008-10-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

I think we might really be moving closer to the day when every student works at a smart desk that is a desk and a computer built into one.

SmartTech has released information about a new smart table that it will start selling on Thursday for pre-schoolers and elemetnary school students. It will cost between $7000 and $8000. (How much did the original desk top computers cost?)

Here's the press release:

SMARTTablerelease - Free Legal Forms

School Funding

2008-10-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

Congressman Mike Honda's office has asked me to inform readers that he has introduced a bill into the House that would create a commission to study school funding issues.

An email from his office states, "Congressman Honda, a former teacher and principal, introduced legislation to address this problem last week. The bill would create a commission to conduct research and gather public opinions about solutions to address the inequitable distribution of resources among our schools."

Read a blog article that the Congressman wrote, here.

Watching Television

2008-10-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever suggested that your students watch a particular television show in the evening? Well, if CBS succeeds, not only will you be able to make these suggestions, but you'll be able to invite students into a common chat room. (It would be interesting tonight for a civics class to meet virtually to discuss the debate.) Read TechCrunch's article about it!!

Certainly, this is possible using an online class forum, like Elluminate. But, I thought that the article was interesting. Has anybody ever actually convened a face to face class virtually to do something in the evening?

Donors Choose

2008-10-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with Donors Choose? Well, you should be!! It's description states:

DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.

Cell Phones in Learning

2008-10-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

I just came across this blog that has an awful lot of interesting information about using cell phones for learning.

Discussing Economics

2008-09-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

As you've probably heard the United States House of Representatives voted down the $700 Billion bailout plan. It's a scary thought as to where the U.S. economy is headed.

Well, all's not bad in the tech. world. TechCrunch is running an article entitled, "$21 Million for Mr. China." Liam Casey's Chinese supply chain manufacturing company has just received an infusion in cash from U.S. venture capitalists.

What do your students think this story reveals about the relationship between the U.S. and the Chinese economies? Would it be fair to expand this question to western economies and eastern economies? Why/why not?

Is this discussion appropriate for Classroom 2.0? Why/why not?

MiniTube

2008-09-27T15:46:00.001-07:00

Now, if you are playing music in your class, you can automatically find video feeds to go with it. Take a look at Minitube.

MySpaceMusic

2008-09-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever played a song for your students in class? Have you ever wished that you had a song with you that you could play when a particular teaching moment arose? Well, if I understand MySpaceMusic well, I think it has just become a lot easier to have tens of thousands of sounds easily available whenever a computer is online, legally. I just searched for a couple of songs on MySpaceMusic and one of them did come up: Instanbul not Canstantinople. Several other songs I looked for were not available. But, the site is brand new, so give it time.

Cramster.com

2008-09-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with Cramster.com? It's website explains that you can find help on this site from students, teachers and subject enthusiasts. According to TechCrunch it's primarily for math and science.

Well, if you haven't heard of them, expect to hear about them more now. They've just attained an additional $3 million in funding. They're going to use it to help expand the number of users who come to their site.

You Tube Fighting Poverty

2008-09-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

TechCrunch reports that You Tube has announced an initiative to fight global poverty based on the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.

Don Reisinger writes, "For its part, YouTube has launched a new channel on its site where users can upload a video stating their name, home country, and simple message to their respective government about the need to meet the poverty goals. The company will accept videos until November 1. Once that date has passed, YouTube will create a mash-up of the most powerful submissions from around the world and broadcast it directly to the United Nations General Assembly."

This sounds like a great school project. However, I wouldn't suggest using last names or city locations. Certainly don't identify the name of the school.

Question and Answers?

2008-09-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

TechCrunch is reporting that Yahoo is putting YahooAnswers up for sale. A commenter writes, "There are many much better Q&A alternatives out there (answerbags.com, muchobene.com, fluther.com…)" Have you ever used one of these sites? Which one do you prefer? Do you think teachers should encourage students to use these kinds of sites?

Incredible!!

2008-09-24T04:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Technology Fridge for pointing me towards this incredibly inspirational young man!!!

REMEMBER: YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

A Space Elevator

2008-09-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Japanese scientists revealed a plan to build a space elevator. According to an article, "The plan calls for the use of carbon nanotubes attached to a fixed platform in orbit and extending to a base station on Earth."

I thought this was particularly interesting given the fact that Edutopia is running an article this month on technologies that science students can use to explore outer space from their classrooms.

Michael Moore's New Movie Slacker Uprising

2008-09-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is not meant to be a political statement. But, Michael Moore has placed his newest movie online for all to download. I just think it's really interesting when a MSM movie producer offers his movies online for free. Do your students think that movie theaters will exist in another 20 years? Why/why not?

ILC Conference

2008-09-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Innovative Learning Conference is scheduled for October 14-16, 2008. Readers of this blog can get $40 off the registration fee by typing in ORG40 when they register at http://www.ilc2008.org/.

Has anybody ever been to this conference? Is it worth the trip?

Mobile Learning

2008-09-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

Google has finally released its new Android phone. Makes me wonder about the state of mobile education in the world. I suspect the state is a lot larger outside of the United States.

Get a Band

2008-09-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

There's a portable band set from MadCatz that works with XBox 360 now on sale. According to Engadget, it is "designed to be shoved into most any backpack and played on nearly any solid surface." It costs $59.99.

It sure sounds like it would work well for both schools and homes.

Apple Commercials

2008-09-22T19:44:00.001-07:00

Technologizer has a wonderful history of Apple ads on its blog. The reason that I'm posting this here is because the post could serve as a very interesting prompt for lessons. Students could be asked to compare and contrast the videos over time. They could be asked to integrate each of these videos into one video that offers commentary on the development of the computer. How else could this post be used in class?

Tagging People in Photos

2008-09-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last week Google announced that it can tag words in audio. This week, I just found this video announcing MyHeritage's ability to tag photos of a person and automatically have the tag attached to other pictures of the person within your account. You can import photos from other photo-sharing sites use the tagging tools and then re-export the photo to the photo-sharing site.

How might this be useful in a Classroom 2.0?

Edmodo

2008-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late. But, take a look at Edmodo, a Twitter like service specifically designed for classrooms. Apparently, Edmodo's safety supports make it very unlikely that strangers will communicate with students.

Talk Like a Pirate Day

2008-09-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Who knew, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day!! Thanks, Techcrunch for the info.

Too

2008-09-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

Sergey Brinn, co-founder of Google, has started his own blog, called Too. He writes, "While Google is a play on googol, too is a play on the much smaller number - two. It also means "in addition", as this blog reflects my life outside of work." His second blog talks about his higher than average chances of developing Parkinson's disease. It's an excellent current resource for several different subject areas.

Hubdub, The World's News Forecaster

2008-09-19T05:53:00.000-07:00

Have you seen Hubdub? The site is full of surveys asking for predictions about future news items. For example, "What will be the result of Monday's Presidential Gallop Poll?" Ask students to make these kinds of predictions is fun as well as a process that requires critical thinking. You could also ask them to read the current polls and determine whether or not they agree and why.

The polls have included everything from sports to health. They've now partnered with Reuters to even further increase the scope of their coverage!!