This video makes you think about how quickly things change...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx2Slxp0TkM
Friday, March 06, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Google Apps and Netbooks supported by major educational research project
The just released 2009 Horzon Report which is based on "ongoing primary research effort that draws on a comprehensive body of published resources, current research and practice" looks at future technological in education states the the two top trends are portability such as netbooks and cloud computing such as Google Apps. read report
Quotes from report
cloud computing ..."Inexpensive, simple solutions to offsite storage, multi-user application scaling,hosting, and multi-processor computing are opening the door to wholly different ways ofthinking about computers, software, and files."
"cloud computing transforms once-expensive resources like disk storage and processing cycles into a readily available, cheap commodity. Development platforms layered onto the cloud infrastructureenable thin-client, web-based applications for image editing, word processing, social networking, and mediacreation. Many of us use the cloud, or cloud-based applications, without even being aware of it. Advances incomputer science to ensure redundancy and protection from natural disasters have led to data being shared across many different hosting facilities. Improved infrastructure has made the cloud robust and reliable; asusage grows, the cloud is fundamentally changing our notions of computing and communication.""Already, cloud-based applications are being usedin the K-12 sector to provide virtual computers tostudents and staff without requiring each person toown the latest laptop or desktop machine..."
portability "making it an ever more versatile tool that can be easily adapted to ahost of tasks for learning, productivity, andsocial networking. For many users, broadbandmobile devices like the iPhone have alreadybegun to assume many tasks that were oncethe exclusive province of portable computers."
"The idea of a single portable device that can make phone calls, take pictures, record audio and video, store data, music, and movies, and interact with the Internet — all of it — has become so interwoven into our lifestyles that it is now surprising to learn that someone does not carry one..."
Quotes from report
cloud computing ..."Inexpensive, simple solutions to offsite storage, multi-user application scaling,hosting, and multi-processor computing are opening the door to wholly different ways ofthinking about computers, software, and files."
"cloud computing transforms once-expensive resources like disk storage and processing cycles into a readily available, cheap commodity. Development platforms layered onto the cloud infrastructureenable thin-client, web-based applications for image editing, word processing, social networking, and mediacreation. Many of us use the cloud, or cloud-based applications, without even being aware of it. Advances incomputer science to ensure redundancy and protection from natural disasters have led to data being shared across many different hosting facilities. Improved infrastructure has made the cloud robust and reliable; asusage grows, the cloud is fundamentally changing our notions of computing and communication.""Already, cloud-based applications are being usedin the K-12 sector to provide virtual computers tostudents and staff without requiring each person toown the latest laptop or desktop machine..."
portability "making it an ever more versatile tool that can be easily adapted to ahost of tasks for learning, productivity, andsocial networking. For many users, broadbandmobile devices like the iPhone have alreadybegun to assume many tasks that were oncethe exclusive province of portable computers."
"The idea of a single portable device that can make phone calls, take pictures, record audio and video, store data, music, and movies, and interact with the Internet — all of it — has become so interwoven into our lifestyles that it is now surprising to learn that someone does not carry one..."
Friday, February 20, 2009
smart phones and other mobile devices improve learning
Below is an excellent article from eSchoolNews showing the value of using PDAs.
quote from article
"Using smart phones and other mobile devices for learning isn't just a trend, but rather a sustainable approach to educational technology that can adapt to future assessments and help raise student test scores significantly" read article
Monday, February 16, 2009
Cells phones as an educational tool
Interesting New York Times article about a study of the use of cell phones in the classroom. From article "The study found that students with the phones performed 25 percent better on the end-of-the-year algebra exam than did students without the devices in similar classes." read more
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Mobile Technology in the Classroom
It is interesting in my school library, where we have wireless, to watch students use their mobile devices from netbooks and PSPs to cell phones use the Internet to work on their assignments. This also takes the pressure on the demand for computers (I often do not have enough computers for the demand).
"Children’s lives have been caught up in a tide of mobile digital technologies—games, cellphones, and smartphones—that if carefully managed could significantly boost their learning"
Paradigm Shift - Web 2.0 into the classroom
This article discusses the how to connect young people with the technology they use in their personal lives into the education setting to improve learning. The article also shows how this is supported by International Society for Technology in Education, or ISTE.
This article entitled "Tech Literacy Confusion" is from the educational journal Education Week and is written by the technology editor Andrew Trotter.
Quote for article:
"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 say schools should add these forms of communication to their literacy mission as "technology literacy."
Monday, February 02, 2009
Technology empowers differentiated instruction
One thing I have noticed over the last 2 years is that the integration of technology into at risk classes - such as locally developed classes - really improves learning.
This article entitled "Technology empowers differentiated instruction" supports this. Quote from article "the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), experts provided several examples of classroom projects that can help all students learn while keeping them engaged."
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