Blogging in the Classroom » interesting things http://www.classroomblogging.com Supporting students in the 21st Century Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:31:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Free e-Learning | MinuteBio http://www.classroomblogging.com/free-e-learning-minutebio.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/free-e-learning-minutebio.html#comments Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:23:25 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/free-e-learning-minutebio.html Jeff Goldman in his blog Minute Biohttp://minutebio.com/blog/free-e-learning/ post a phenomenal list of games and free online elearning sources.

]]> http://www.classroomblogging.com/free-e-learning-minutebio.html/feed 0 A Holiday Guide to E-Readers – NYTimes.com http://www.classroomblogging.com/a-holiday-guide-to-e-readers-nytimescom.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/a-holiday-guide-to-e-readers-nytimescom.html#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:56:01 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/?p=1104 Following up on my previous post about Kindle and e-readers, I want to share an article from the New York Times. Thought you might find it helpful to hear a review of several offerings.

  • A Holiday Guide to E-Readers – NYTimes.com

    "WHEN Amazon.com introduced its Kindle electronic book reader two years ago, the chief executive, Jeff Bezos, hoped the company was forever transforming the reading experience. The Kindle wasn’t the first e-reader on the market, but it came with a built-in advantage: a wireless connection to Amazon’s vast online bookstore. Today, when we think of e-readers, the Kindle comes readily to mind. Skip to next paragraph Multimedia Wider Choices for e-Book LoversSlide Show Wider Choices for e-Book Lovers Growing MarketGraphic Growing Market Related Apps That Turn Pages, and Save Money (December 3, 2009) E-Reading, in 2 Authors’ Eyes (December 3, 2009) Plastic Logic’s Que will be unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. More Photos » But it’s no longer just Amazon’s story. This year, new players have entered the e-reader space, while some familiar ones have hedged their bets by introducing new devices. Among Amazon’s eager competitors are Barnes & Noble, Sony, Plastic Logic, IREX Technologies and even Disney. We’ll see even more in 2010. Companies hope convenience will trump the beloved aesthetics associated with real books. They’re even betting that consumers will turn to these devices to read magazines and newspapers, or to complement their professional e-lives. For anyone considering an e-reader purchase this holiday season, here’s a round-up of current and soon-to-be-available devices. AMAZON’S KINDLE, $259 The Kindle has access to more than 360,000 e-books as well as newspapers, magazines and blogs that can be wirelessly downloaded from Amazon.com. The latest version uses AT&T’s 3G wireless network and works in more than 100 countries. The Kindle relies on Amazon’s own proprietary file format so it is not compatible with titles purchased from other e-bookstores. But Amazon offers a free application that allows its books to be read on an iPhone. And both remember where you left off if you change devices. You can buy subscriptions to your favorite magazines and newspapers, read more

    tags: ereaders, kindle

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

]]> http://www.classroomblogging.com/a-holiday-guide-to-e-readers-nytimescom.html/feed 0 Some E-Readers May Become Obsolete or Lack Compatibility – WSJ.com http://www.classroomblogging.com/some-e-readers-may-become-obsolete-or-lack-compatibility-wsjcom.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/some-e-readers-may-become-obsolete-or-lack-compatibility-wsjcom.html#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:56:16 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/some-e-readers-may-become-obsolete-or-lack-compatibility-wsjcom.html I am wondering what impact e-readers will have in the classroom.

  • Some E-Readers May Become Obsolete or Lack Compatibility – WSJ.com

    "By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER Books are having their iPod moment this holiday season. But buyer beware: It could also turn out to be an eight-track moment. While e-reading devices were once considered a hobby for early adopters, Justin Timberlake is now pitching one on prime-time TV commercials for Sony Corp. Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle e-reading device has become its top-selling product of any kind. Forrester Research estimates 900,000 e-readers will sell in the U.S. in November and December. View Full Image EREADER Getty Images Barnes & Noble announced its Nook e-reader in October, but you won’t be able to see it in stores until Dec. 7. EREADER EREADER But e-reader buyers may be sinking cash into a technology that could become obsolete. While the shiny glass-and-metal reading gadgets offer some whiz-bang features like wirelessly downloading thousands of books, many also restrict the book-reading experience in ways that trusty paperbacks haven’t, such as limiting lending to a friend. E-reader technology is changing fast, and manufacturers are aiming to address the devices’ drawbacks. "

    tags: no_tag

    • By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER

      Books are having their iPod moment this holiday season. But buyer beware: It could also turn out to be an eight-track moment.

      While e-reading devices were once considered a hobby for early adopters, Justin Timberlake is now pitching one on prime-time TV commercials for Sony Corp. Meanwhile, Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle e-reading device has become its top-selling product of any kind. Forrester Research estimates 900,000 e-readers will sell in the U.S. in November and December.

      View Full Image

      EREADER

      Getty Images

      Barnes & Noble announced its Nook e-reader in October, but you won’t be able to see it in stores until Dec. 7.

      But e-reader buyers may be sinking cash into a technology that could become obsolete. While the shiny glass-and-metal reading gadgets offer some whiz-bang features like wirelessly downloading thousands of books, many also restrict the book-reading experience in ways that trusty paperbacks haven’t, such as limiting lending to a friend. E-reader technology is changing fast, and manufacturers are aiming to address the devices’ drawbacks.

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

]]> http://www.classroomblogging.com/some-e-readers-may-become-obsolete-or-lack-compatibility-wsjcom.html/feed 0 Students get iPods and Wiis to help study http://www.classroomblogging.com/httpmlearnopediacom.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/httpmlearnopediacom.html#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:27:59 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/httpmlearnopediacom.html

  • Castle College to get £100,000 worth of IT investment


    • STUDENTS in Nottingham will benefit from £100,000 of new equipment – including Nintendo Wii consoles and iPods.

      Castle College is hoping the gadgets will encourage 300 children from disadvantaged backgrounds to learn to use modern technology.

      It will use £40,000 to increase its wireless internet capacity, so students can access the internet all over its campuses.

      Up to £60,000 will be used to buy Nintendo Wiis, iPod Touch MP3 players and the new Nintendo DSi, which is a portable games console with a handheld camera.

      Lyn Lall, Castle College’s development manager for new technologies, said: "Innovative methods and materials will make the learning experience more personalised and fun, which will result in increased engagement, retention and achievement levels of students.

      ]]> http://www.classroomblogging.com/httpmlearnopediacom.html/feed 0 7 Things You Should Know About Google Wave | EDUCAUSE http://www.classroomblogging.com/7-things-you-should-know-about-google-wave-educause.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/7-things-you-should-know-about-google-wave-educause.html#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:10 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/7-things-you-should-know-about-google-wave-educause.html

    • 7 Things You Should Know About Google Wave | EDUCAUSE

      tags: no_tag

      • Google Wave is a web-based application that represents a rethinking of electronic communication. Users create online spaces called “waves,” which include multiple discrete messages and components that constitute a running, conversational document. Users access waves through the web, resulting in a model of communication in which rather than sending separate copies of multiple messages to different people, the content resides in a single space. Wave offers a compelling platform for personal learning environments because it provides a single location for collecting information from diverse sources while accommodating a variety of formats, and it makes interactive coursework a possibility for nontechnical students. Wave challenges us to reevaluate how communication is done, stored, and shared between two or more people.

        The "7 Things You Should Know About…" series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.

        In addition to the "7 Things You Should Know About…" briefs, you may find other ELI resources useful in addressing teaching, learning, and technology issues at your institution. To learn more, please visit the ELI Resources page.

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

    ]]> http://www.classroomblogging.com/7-things-you-should-know-about-google-wave-educause.html/feed 0 Streaming workshop http://www.classroomblogging.com/streaming-workshop.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/streaming-workshop.html#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:28:16 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/streaming-workshop.html For 25 years, Gary Stager, an internationally recognized educator, speaker and consultant, has helped learners of all ages on six continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual laboratories and vehicles for self-expression. He led professional development in the world’s first laptop schools (1990), has designed online graduate school programs since the mid-90s and is a collaborator in the MIT Media Lab’s Future of Learning Group. Mr. Stager’s doctoral research involved the creation a high-tech alternative learning environment for incarcerated at-risk teens. Recent work includes teaching and mentoring some of Australia’s “most troubled” public schools. Gary is Senior Editor of District Administration Magazine, Editor of The Pulse: Education’s Place for Debate, Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University and an Associate of the Thornburg Center for Professional Development. Dr. Stager is also the Executive Director of The Constructivist Consortium. In 1999, Converge Magazine named Gary a “shaper of our future and inventor of our destiny.” The National School Boards Association recognized Dr. Stager with the distinction of “20 Leaders to Watch” in 2007.
    Gary is presenting a workshop at the Science Academy Leadership Conference in Philadelpia January 25 – 27, 2008

    ]]>     http://www.classroomblogging.com/streaming-workshop.html/feed 0     Think before you Ban http://www.classroomblogging.com/think-before-you-ban.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/think-before-you-ban.html#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:48:28 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/think-before-you-ban.html ESchool News presents an excellent overview of the reasons that School Board should get on board using Technologies that keep pace with our students.

    Before school officials prohibit teachers and students from accessing certain web sites, they should think about the positive impact those sites might have on education: That was the message of “Think Before You Ban: How Classrooms Become Communities with Web 2.0 Technology,” a recent webcast sponsored by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN).
    The Jan. 16 program, moderated by ed-tech consultant Karen Greenwood Henke, focused on how schools can use Web 2.0 tools to foster collaboration and innovation in classrooms.

    “We cannot ignore this phenomenon,” said Susan Brooks-Young, a Web 2.0 consultant who works with schools on technology programs and integration. Educators should “look at the instructionally sound ways to bring [Web 2.0 tools] in, and help both teachers and kids make the best use of this technology.”

    Web 2.0 technologies “lend themselves very well to teaching 21st-century learning skills, and our job is to prepare kids for the workforce they’ll be facing when they leave school,” Brooks-Young added.

    Before school officials prohibit teachers and students from accessing certain web sites, they should think about the positive impact those sites might have on education: That was the message of “Think Before You Ban: How Classrooms Become Communities with Web 2.0 Technology,” a recent webcast sponsored by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN).
    The Jan. 16 program, moderated by ed-tech consultant Karen Greenwood Henke, focused on how schools can use Web 2.0 tools to foster collaboration and innovation in classrooms.

    “We cannot ignore this phenomenon,” said Susan Brooks-Young, a Web 2.0 consultant who works with schools on technology programs and integration. Educators should “look at the instructionally sound ways to bring [Web 2.0 tools] in, and help both teachers and kids make the best use of this technology.”

    Web 2.0 technologies “lend themselves very well to teaching 21st-century learning skills, and our job is to prepare kids for the workforce they’ll be facing when they leave school,” Brooks-Young added.”

    Read More

    ]]>     http://www.classroomblogging.com/think-before-you-ban.html/feed 0     Flash Movie – Video Clip Freezes – Quicktime Pro solution and iMovie08 http://www.classroomblogging.com/video-clip-freezes-quicktime-pro-solution.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/video-clip-freezes-quicktime-pro-solution.html#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:28:12 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/video-clip-freezes-quicktime-pro-solution.html While I was facilitating the project Student Learning a Parent Focus I found a particularly annoying problem with the video clips freezing and dropping the sound about a minute and a half into the clip. It took some considerable time Googling to find an answer. It happened when I created 5 minute video clips that I created with iMovie and then converted to Flash Movie using Adobe Flash encoder Movies. The problem was created by the audio component. These are the steps that I now take to produce a video using iMovie08. I import DV footage using the import function. Edit the movie as needed. Share the movie as a Quicktime Movie using the mp4 format being sure to select mono not stereo for the audio settings. Then open file in QuickTime Pro and convert the file to a flash movie. For some reason iMovie08 returns a error for saving video as a FLV which prevents you from exporting the file directly from iMovie08. I worked around it using Quicktime Pro. Import the Quicktime movie into Quicktime PRO and then export as a FLV. I learn by trial and error perhaps someone else has a better solution.

    ]]>     http://www.classroomblogging.com/video-clip-freezes-quicktime-pro-solution.html/feed 0     WordPress SEO for Beginners http://www.classroomblogging.com/wordpress-seo-for-beginners.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/wordpress-seo-for-beginners.html#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2007 04:25:04 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/wordpress-seo-for-beginners.html I present to you the very first WordPress SEO guide for beginners – The Blog Oh! Blog way. It can be considered as a crash course for all the people who are struggling to get better search engine results with their WordPress blogs.

    Better search engine results will increase the number of people interested in what you have to say. In this e-book, I will guide you how to rapidly configure your WordPress blog with maximum SEO benefits.

    Please use the traffic you get to sign up at the Wikispace support blogging petition

    read more | digg story

    ]]>     http://www.classroomblogging.com/wordpress-seo-for-beginners.html/feed 0     Centre d’Apprentissage du Haut-Madawaska uses a blog for its school website http://www.classroomblogging.com/centre-d%e2%80%99apprentissage-du-haut-madawaska-uses-a-blog-for-its-school-website.html http://www.classroomblogging.com/centre-d%e2%80%99apprentissage-du-haut-madawaska-uses-a-blog-for-its-school-website.html#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:43:39 +0000 admin http://www.classroomblogging.com/?p=42 Diane Carver at thecanadianteachers.com talks about how Centre d’Apprentissage du Haut-Madawaska uses a blog for its school website.

    The C.A.H.M. weblog links to individual blogs kept by students, teachers, department heads and administrators to present a dynamic and up to date picture of the school. Each week, the school’s director uses feeds from classroom and student blogs to post an update of what’s going on in the school. The front page may include recognition of students or teachers, short summaries of classroom work that’s being done and information about upcoming events.(3)(4) The RSS feed makes it easy to pull in and format all the information, and the recognition encourages students and teachers to post their work, questions and information.

    ]]>     http://www.classroomblogging.com/centre-d%e2%80%99apprentissage-du-haut-madawaska-uses-a-blog-for-its-school-website.html/feed 1