"UN Agency gives laptops to youth at technology conference"

"The United Nations technology agency (ITU) announced today that it will give away free laptops to each of the young participants attending its Asia conference in Bangkok this weekend."

"The International Telecommunications Union is handing out the laptops at the opening of the Youth Forum, a branch of its ITU Telecom Asia 2008 conference, as part of its effort to increase access to cheap information and communications technology across the world.

Some 100 XO laptops are being donated by One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), the non-profit organization which developed and manufactured the machines, continuing its long-standing partnership with the ITU in the "Connect the World" initiative."

URL: Read this article.
Referred by: UNESCO Communication and Information Sector newsletter

George Lucas discussing social/emotional learning

"Engaging Youth Through Social & Mobile Media"

Engaging Youth Through Social & Mobile Media

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: marketing facebook)

"Management Professor Uses 'Crowdsourcing' to Write Textbook"

"Charles Wankel is gathering hundreds of co-authors from around the world to write his latest textbook — 926 of them in 90 countries, to be exact.

Mr. Wankel is an associate professor of management at St. John’s University, in New York. Each of his co-authors, most of whom are also management professors, will write or edit a small portion of the final text, which is slated to be published by Routledge. They’re organizing the vast effort using a wiki that lets participants see and edit each other’s contributions...."

URL: Read the article.
Referred by: Wired Campus, The Chronicle of Higher Education

"The Laptops Are Coming! The Laptops Are Coming!"

"What I am learning from my school's infatuation with computers"

By Sarah Heller McFarlane

"When I first learned that all of my students were getting laptops, I thought it was an educator's dream come true. One year later, I look at the situation differently. Like many progressive educators, I have regarded computers and other technology in schools as important tools to help students understand the world around them. I also hoped that providing all students with laptops would address the digital divide. But after an exhausting year, I have learned that before adopting the technology on a wide scale, it is essential for schools to first consider the potential promises and perils of using technology in the classroom...."

URL:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/22_04/lapt224.shtml

"Lyon's 1:1 Laptop Program Aims To 'Level the Playing Field' for Students"

"This fall Lyon College, a four-year liberal arts school in Arkansas, will join the elite ranks of post-secondary institutions offering laptops to all incoming freshmen. The program is part of a larger initiative, called "The Lyon Experience," which aims to bring "additional value to the education" the school provides. How can a small college roll out such an ambitious technology program? It's all a question of priorities, according to Lyon College President Walter Roettger."

URL: http://www.campustechnology.com/articles/64734
Referred by: Campus Technology Newsletter

Carnegie Mellon Office of Technology for Education (OTE): White paper on Laptop Study

"Despite the growing popularity of laptop programs, there have been very few systematic or behavioral studies examining how students use laptops to support their learning or how the multiple uses of laptops affect the work and lives of students. In this study we use multiple methods to systematically investigate how the availability of laptops affects the culture of the classroom, the process and quality of students work, student engagement in their work, and how laptops affect the social interactions of students."

URL: http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/resources/PublicationsArchives/StudiesWhitepapers/LaptopStudyReport-2006.pdf

OnTV - Teaching With Video

"Using video in the classroom is as easy as 1-2-3: selecting a program, taping or purchasing it, and viewing it with your class."

URL: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/ontv/teachingwithvideo2.html

Social Networks' Sway May Be Underestimated

By Rob Stein

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, May 26, 2008; Page A06

Facebook, MySpace and other Web sites have unleashed a potent new phenomenon of social networking in cyberspace. But at the same time, a growing body of evidence is suggesting that traditional social networks play a surprisingly powerful and underrecognized role in influencing how people behave.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/25/AR2008052501779.html?referrer=emailarticlepg

ReadWriteThink: Lesson Plan: A Collaboration of Sites and Sounds: Using Wikis to Catalog Protest Songs

A Collaboration of Sites and Sounds: Using Wikis to Catalog Protest Songs

"Over the years, protest songs have served as a means to combat social ills. These songs cover a wide array of topics, including but not limited to the following: racism, sexism, poverty, imperialism, environmental degradation, war, globalization, and homophobia. In 2005, hip-hop artist Kanye West released the single “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” to bring attention to the issue of conflict diamonds. In this lesson, students research and analyze contemporary and historic protest songs and then as a class catalog their findings in a wiki.

This lesson works well with a unit focusing on a piece of literature in which a character(s) actively fights for social, political, or economic justice. For example, this lesson can build on a discussion of the issues that Atticus Finch contends with in To Kill a Mockingbird"

URL: http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=979

iChat and Student/Instructor Collaboration

Students demo uses for Google cell-phone OS

"Future looks bright for innovative applications as MIT programmers design software using forthcoming cell-phone operating system"

"What do you want your cell phone to be able to do? Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Hal Abelson put that question to about 20 computer-science students this semester when he gave them one assignment: Design a software program for cell phones that use Google Inc.'s upcoming Android mobile operating system."

URL: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=53784
Referred by: eSchool News

"Comic Relief: Comic Books Aren't Just for Entertainment"

"How the comics can help students learn to love reading"

"Comic books serve a great function in this one area: They make a young person equate reading with pleasure. Kids enjoy reading comic books. Once they can equate reading with something they are enjoying, then reading is no longer a chore, but, rather, a fun thing to do. Nobody reads just comics; eventually, you read everything."

URL: http://www.edutopia.org/comic-relief
Referred by: Edutopia News

"ARE WIRED KIDS WELL SERVED BY SCHOOLS?"

"An increasing number of teens are hyper-motivated to learn a special skill like creating podcasts, directing YouTube videos, publishing a website or hacking an iPhone, reports Stefanie Olson for CNet NewsBlog. However, teachers largely have not kept up with this trend and remain unable to inspire much of the same ingenuity. In addition, researchers have begun to notice that digital media is minting a new brand of kids who are creators of media rather than simple passive consumers. Within these digital environments, kids who create and evaluate media derive a sense of competence, autonomy, self-determination and connectedness among their peers. In fact, it appears many kids are drawn to create media online because their work can be immediately recognized and evaluated by their peer groups and potentially a much larger audience. In contrast, it can take kids much longer to reap the rewards or build recognition from hard work in school."

URL: http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9928174-7.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=NewsBlog
Referred by: PEN Weekly NewsBlast

"BLOGGING HELPS ENCOURAGE TEEN WRITING"

"The big news from a recent survey that explored the links between formal writing that teens do for school and the informal communication they exchange through email and text messaging was that emoticons and abbreviations have crept into students' formal writing assignments, reports the eSchool news staff. However, there was another interesting finding that proves promising: blogging helps many teens become more prolific writers. While teens who communicate frequently with friends and those who own more technology tools do not write more often than less communicative teens, teen bloggers write more frequently both online and offline. In fact, 47 percent of teen bloggers write outside of school for personal reasons at least several times a week compared with 33 percent of teens without blogs. In addition, 65 percent of teen bloggers believe that writing is essential to later success in life."
URL: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=53663;_hbguid=e0da166a-2d66-434d-9c7c-01286ec3b126
Referred by: PEN Weekly NewsBlast

"UW considers mandatory laptops" - news published in 2005

"Although the sound of clattering laptop keyboards has already become commonplace inside University of Wyoming classrooms, UW officials and faculty members are considering a proposal that would require students buy laptops upon admission to the university.

Such a proposal is still in preliminary stages, but both the UW student government and the faculty senate have supported resolutions that call for the study of a mandatory laptop program. And all eight of UW's college deanshttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif have expressed preliminary support for the proposal...."

URL: http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/04/27/news/wyoming/4834d1a285f7293187256ff00002232d.txt
Faculty Senate Resolution by UW:

Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation Newsletter Archives

A great resource on 1-1 computing

URL: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1101604644883/archive/1102081845522.html
Visit the website Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation

"The Teachers' Podcast — The New Generation of Ed Tech PD"

"News, views, research and resources you can use are featured in every episode of The Teachers’ Podcast. The popular podcasting team of Mark Gura and Dr. Kathy King are teachers, ed tech experts, authors and professors.

Note that this is not your usual podcast, nor PD experience. Instead it includes fun, abundant resources and crisp insight from the perspective of what you can use today and tomorrow."

URL: http://teacherspodcast.org

Suggestions for Addressing Computer Use in the Classroom

Northern Michigan University IT Dept put together laptop use classroom rules.
- Sample statements for a syllabus
- Example of Classroom Management Techniques
- Philosophical Offerings
- Cheating
- Student Handbook
- Acceptable Use Policy
URL: http://it.nmu.edu/Faculty/laptopuse.htm

Notebooks for Students 1:1 (Resource by Gov. of W. Australia)

"In recent years a number of schools have trialled the use of notebook computers for students on a 1-to-1 basis. The intention of this webpage is to provide links to research that investigates the value of notebook computers in education and curriculum strategies that make best use of them in the learning process."
URL: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/notebooks

"Will New Messaging Service Catch On With Professors?"

"Will Twitter grow in popularity, or will it be something that only the most tech-savvy professors use?" - video interview

URL: http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2785&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
Referred by: Wired News, The Chronicles of Higher Education

"10 Ways to Make Your iPod a Better Learning Gadget"

"The iPod can supercharge your learning. But it’s often a matter of finding the right software and content. Below, we’ve listed several new pieces of software that will let you suck more educational media (DVDs, web videos, audio files, etc.) into your iPod. And we’ve also listed some important pieces of content that will make your iPod a better learning gadget."

URL: http://www.oculture.com/2008/02/10_ways_to_make_your_ipod_a_better_learning_gadget-2.html

Media Awareness Network

"Resources and support for everyone interested in media and information literacy for young people"

URL: http://www.media-awareness.ca

"The Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use"

"The Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use provides research and outreach services to address issues of the safe and responsible use of the Internet. We provide guidance to parents, educators, librarians, policy-makers, and others regarding effective strategies to assist young people in gaining the knowledge, skills, motivation, and self-control to use the Internet and other information technologies in a safe and responsible manner."

URL: http://cyberbully.org

"Educators Set Proficiency Level for Information-Literacy Tests"

"A panel of educators has ratified a document, released this week, that sets passing scores on two information-literacy exams administered by the Educational Testing Service. The standards are intended to help college officials assess the abilities of their students to sift through and analyze electronic data. About 85 colleges give one or both of the tests to their students. For the basic skills test, the panel said a passing grade should be at least 165, out of a perfect score of 300. About 24 percent of first-year community college students and 39 percent of freshmen at four-year colleges have achieved this level of proficiency, according to the document. Students taking the advanced test should receive a score of at least 575; the lowest possible score is 400, and 700 is the highest. About 27 percent of college juniors and seniors have achieved this skill level, according to the document."

URL: http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2781&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
Referred by: Wired Campus, The Chronicle of Higher Education

"Canadian University Offers Students Ability To Highlight Lecture Videos"

"Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada has deployed an online video portal that lets students view, index, annotate, remix, search, and share class lectures. Although the school has been offering streaming video for three years, the new portal, run on the Gotuit platform, implements more interactive features."

URL: http://www.campustechnology.com/articles/58803
Referred by: Campus Technology
Go to the Carleton University Television video portal

"The Future of Web 2.0: An interview with WSU's Gary Brown"

"Web 2.0 is changing the landscape of higher education IT and the application of learning technologies. Washington State University's Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology Director Gary Brown explains why he thinks we're moving from collaborative learning environments (CLEs) and ePortfolios, to personal learning environments (PLEs) and worldware."

URL: http://www.campustechnology.com/articles/58872
Referred by: Campus Technology Newsletter

"More Colleges Show Interest in Hooking Up With YouTube"

"Today Research Channel, a nonprofit consortium of colleges and universities that runs a TV channel featuring videos of campus events and lectures, started a page on YouTube, joining a growing number of colleges and educational organizations using the popular video-sharing site.

Since we wrote about professors on YouTube, officials from three different colleges have asked us, via e-mail, who to call at YouTube to find out more about setting up a YouTube channel. “I am having trouble contacting YouTube about signing up,” said one. Indeed, the site seems to offer no information about how to become an academic partner, and so far officials from the company have not answered follow-up questions from The Chronicle about the project.

It is not even clear how many colleges have set up channels. It turns out that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has one, though the company did not mention it when supplying a list of college YouTube channels to The Chronicle last month.

Meanwhile, several academics gathered the other day at the DIY Video Summit to discuss the social impact of Internet video, especially the kind of homemade creations made by Internet users around the world (some of them professors). Naturally, some video from the event is available online."

Implication for research in the digital world...

URL: http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2740&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
Referred by: Wired News, Chronicles of Higher Education

"THE HALO VIDEO GAME SERIES IS TAKING OVER ALL FACETS OF LIFE"

"In the five months since the release of Halo 3, students have logged millions of hours playing online, reports Katie Ash for Digital Directions magazine. The volume of time has parents and teachers hoping that there may be skills honed by Halo 3 that are similar to that which students learn in the classroom. Elliot Soloway, a computer science and education professor at the University of Michigan says that kids learn mostly from the inherent collaboration required to effectively master the online version of the game. It is particularly interesting because games like Halo are "self-organizing, so...kids are putting together their own teams and are responsible for managing their own learning," says Kurt Squire, an assistant professor of educational communications and technology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While collaboration, teamwork and organization are necessary skills, the game may not translate this practice to the classroom. For example, there was a push to teach students computer programming because it reinforced linear thinking. However, researchers later found that teaching programming skills simply produced lots of computer programmers and not necessarily better linear thinkers. If video games are to have any educational value, it seems likely that teachers must adjust their instructional strategies in accordance. Still, as is, Halo 3 may exhibit some untapped educational potential, as the environment created in the game is one that realistically adheres to the laws of physics. As a result, some players have performed virtual physics-based experiments."

URL: http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2008/01/23/3games.h01.html
Referred by: PEN Weekly NewsBlast

"A Professor's Tips for Using Twitter in the Classroom"

"Twitter is a service that lets you micro-blog your life by dashing out very short notes (140 characters max) to a select group of friends or other subscribers, who can receive them as text messages on their cell phones."

URL: http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/2699/a-professors-tips-for-using-twitter-in-the-classroom?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Referred by: Wired Campus, The Chronicle of Higher Education