Posts Tagged ‘education’

5 blogs people interested in education technology should follow

One of our core beliefs here is that those with a vested interest in how technology will affect education (for the better or for the worse) is to look not at the education/instructional technology or corporate/enterprise technology sectors, but rather directly at the consumer technology field. This is how you’ll learn about the gadgets, games, and websites your students and teachers are using and playing when they’re not in a classroom. There are tons of blogs devoted to these issues–we link to many of them daily–but I wanted to highlight five I’ve found to be reliable and professional.

1. Mashable

A steady go-to whenever we need links to what’s new in social media, Mashable has provided great coverage for Web 2.0 and associated technologies for almost ten years. Mashable is also responsible for the Twitter Guidebook, the Facebook Guidebook, and an ongoing how-to series to get the most out of these and other technologies.

2. Ars Technica

Ars Technica, now a property of Condé Nast Digital, provides news on a wide range of technology-related interests. Ars Technica goes beyond the paragraph blurb about a new product you might see in other blogs–authors there take time to analyze trends and put new products through the ringer. They also have top-notch coverage on the effects of political and legal matters on the world of technology.

3. Wired Gadget Lab

Want to get your hands on all the newest gadgets and gear? I can’t help you there, but if you follow Wired’s Gadget Lab you can at least play with all the new toys vicariously. Current hot topics include e-readers, tablets, and mobile devices, with extra coverage on really hot items like the Apple iPad.

4. ReadWriteWeb

ReadWriteWeb covers many of the same topics as blogs like Mashable and Ars Technica, though often with a slightly different spin that’s not necessarily negative, but maybe provocative in how things sometimes get phrased in their commentary. I don’t always agree with their take on things, but ReadWriteWeb is still a good addition to your feed reader.

5. WebWorkerDaily

Even if you’re not a “web worker,” or someone who takes advantage of cloud computing to work wherever and (sometimes) whenever you want, WebWorkerDaily has lots of great tips for making your computer and the Internet productivity boosters. If you’re wondering how social technology tools might be put to practical uses, peruse WebWorkerDaily on an, uh, daily basis.

Note that these blogs don’t (usually) point out educational merits of new technologies. That’s our job, as education technologists, right? These should also serve as good reference points for other blogs you might enjoy. One nice thing about blogs is you can add them to your favorite RSS reader and watch them for awhile. If you get tired of them, just unsubscribe and move on. (Please don’t unsubscribe from the Stratepedia Blog, though!)

Have a great weekend!

Photo: stevegarfield on Flickr

By Aaron | February 5th, 2010 | Comments

5 ways the iPad and education could go together

You’ve no doubt heard by now that Apple’s newest gadget, the iPad, was announced on Wednesday. Based on what was shared during Steve Jobs’ keynote demonstration, the iPad looks to be lightweight, easy to use, and super-fast. (A shorter, more digestible video is available on the iPad site).

By now, every gadget blog and ed tech pundit has at least said something about the iPad. Keep in mind that most of them–including me–have yet to actually get hands-on exposure to the device. I’d imagine this goes double for the ed tech pundits, as most of the journalists and bloggers invited to the Apple event represented consumer electronics interests. So with that said, here are five ways, off the top of my head, I think the iPad could, hypothetically, be put to use in education and education research.

1. Electronic Textbooks

This is the most obvious possibility, so I’ll lead off with it to get it out of the way. Many school districts have experimented with online textbooks, Amazon Kindles, and other electronic reading devices. I’m apt to think, for textbooks anyway, the iPad and its inevitable clones will be first adopted in higher education. Check out this video we linked to a few weeks ago, before the iPad was announced, demonstrating a proof-of-concept textbook delivery model using an Apple-branded tablet computer:

iBooks, the iPad’s built-in e-reader, needs some work before it can be a viable replacement to textbooks (or, to a degree, existing devices like the Kindle). From what I’ve read there are no included annotation tools, so readers can’t highlight passages or make notes in the virtual margins. My guess is that Apple will address this in future software updates.

2. New mobile computing labs

From a technology administrator’s perspective, I figure there’s a lot to like about the iPad versus a netbook or notebook computer. For one thing, it’s much less likely to be loaded up with the junk and viruses computer lab managers must constantly be aware of. Apple allows network administrators to remotely reset iPhones; it’s plausible this technology could make its way to the iPad as well.

I’m also pretty pleased with the pricing of the iPad–for 500 bucks you get a 10-inch touchscreen device with 16 GB of memory and 802.11n wireless networking (currently the fastest available). I imagine there will be some sort of price break for education institutions. Add the external dock/keyboard combo and you’ve got a nice alternative to larger, more expensive notebooks and cheaper (but cheaper) netbook computers. (If you’re a fan of netbooks, please feel free to retort in the comments. They’ve just never worked for me for a number of reasons.)

3. Virtual field trip guides

OK, let’s get into something fun. Could an iPad be brought along as a virtual guide on field trips? Many museums provide virtual guides for a rental fee–perhaps visitors who bring along their iPads could access content, maps, and other educational material. (It could tie in with the gift shop, too–you could purchase your souvenirs from the device and have them waiting for you to pick up on your way out of the building.) With a 3G-equipped iPad, you could take your virtual field trip guide, literally, into the field for outdoor learning activities.

Put an iPhone-like camera in the thing and the iPad could make for the most compelling uses of augmented reality yet. Imagine pointing a camera to a painting or other museum piece and instantly getting more information about the subject or being able to instantly do further research online.

4. Mobile data collection

As you may know, we’ve been working toward making mobile versions of the Stratepedia toolkit to make them accessible from iPhones, Blackberrys, and other smart phone-type devices. We’re looking forward to using the iPad’s larger interface to collect and present meaningful, real-time data. For example, you could carry an iPad from room to room as you make classroom observations, then use rich, real-time visualizations of that data to make critical decisions.

Students could use the iPad to collect data as well, in the field or science lab.

5. New ways to create content

Early into Wednesday’s iPad demonstration, I mentioned to someone that the device appeared to be geared more toward content consumption than content creation. Then Jobs and Company demonstrated Brushes, a painting program originally designed for the iPhone and now updated for the iPad. Artists have made some amazing digital works using the iPhone version of Brushes (one image was even used as the cover of the June 1, 2009 New Yorker)–imagine the possibilities a larger canvas might give aspiring artists.

Need something more practical? Apple’s take on an office suite, called iWork, has been ported to the iPad. I’m looking forward to creating Keynote slides using the device’s multitouch interface and also look forward to seeing how Numbers, iWork’s spreadsheet application, responds to my finger as opposed to a mouse. It will be interesting to see if the iPad’s touch interface revolutionizes the ways we interact with computers and create content on them, the way the mouse did nearly 30 years ago. At any rate, it looks like Apple and third party software publishers are already considering ways to use the iPad for creating original material.

What else?

Those are my initial thoughts about putting the iPad to use in education and research–what about you? Are you looking forward to checking out the iPad, or do you have plenty of gadgets to keep you busy already? What features are on your wish list for future iterations of the iPad (or the competition)? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Enjoy your weekend!

By Aaron | January 29th, 2010 | Comments

Tell your students, don’t “hand it in”–”publish it!”

Over the long weekend, I came across an interesting entry on the Innovative Educator blog. I posted it on our Delicious account but thought it was worth more visibility–I’d really like to hear what you think about it. The article suggests that 21st century educators should require all student work to be published–not just handed in. The author, Lisa Nielsen, provides several examples of how students could publish their work in viable channels, such as self-publishing services, social networks, and video sharing portals.

Nielsen asks, “If the first decade of the 21st century was about data driven instruction and assessment, can we make the next decade about realizing potential of the student behind the data and publishing to authentic audience as part of student’s school lives?” and I’m apt to agree. How would the knowledge that hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people could see your work influence the amount of effort you put into your next project? One of my most memorable projects as a student was in art class, when we created ads for local businesses. It was exciting to open that week’s newspaper and see my work in the real world–this experience probably had much to do with my decision to pursue a degree in journalism/advertising.

Anyway, I know this is easier said than done, but I would like to hear from anyone who’s taken a “publish it” approach to classroom instruction (or, for that matter, professional development–what if publishing Content Enhancement drafts to Depot were a required component of CE certification)?

21st Century Educators Don’t Say “Hand It In.” They Say “Publish It!” (via Delicious)

By Aaron | December 1st, 2009 | Comments

Using handheld gaming devices in the classroom

Nintendo is working to use its popular DS series of handheld gaming devices as interactive classroom response units. Think of these as the “clickers” many schools now have to solicit real-time response from students, with additional functionality to also receive direct feedback and visual aids from the teacher. The devices may also be used for testing, with immediate scoring and feedback to the student possible. Each device communicates with the teacher’s PC using WiFi. This product will debut next year in Japan and will include 60 programs covering a variety of subjects across elementary, middle school, and high school.

Concerns about cost, cheating, and staying on-task aside, I think this is a compelling idea. Using consumer-oriented devices like the Nintendo DS, iPod, and others in classrooms allow kids to use devices they likely already have used in the past (many will already own a device) and are generally capable of much more than devices strictly geared for the classroom.

DS in the Classroom (via Fast Company; illustration via Fast Company)

By Aaron | June 15th, 2009 | Comments

Live Tweeting in class: Professor encourages students to pass notes online

In their blog, The Chronicle of Higher Education shares a story about Cole W. Camplese, a professor who encourages students to use Twitter during class. Mr. Camplese hopes that “that the second layer of conversation will disrupt the old classroom model and allow new kinds of teaching in which students play a greater role and information is pulled in from outside the classroom walls.” This informal experiment has yielded interesting results, as noted in the blog post, including live posting of online materials related to the classroom discussion and more participation from shy students.

I can attest to the power of such “back channel” conversation and this practice of “live Tweeting:” At a conference I attended last month, Twitter was the de facto tool for conversation. Every session I attended had a live conversation going, with people working together to create a live stream of notes and have their voices heard in a packed room–and open up the conversation to the world, not just the audience. It felt a little chaotic, but only at first–with the right tools (I use TweetDeck) the back channel became in ingrained part of the session experience.

(via mcompton on Twitter)

By Aaron | April 9th, 2009 | Comments

Could you learn better from a podcast than a lecture?

I found this article interesting: Dani McKinney, a researcher at the State University of New York in Fredonia, conducted a study comparing test scores of students who attended a regular physics lecture to those who only viewed the content as a podcast, downloaded through iTunes University.

The results, as noted in the article:

Students who downloaded the podcast averaged a C (71 out of 100) on the test – substantially better than those who attended the lecture, who on average mustered only a D (62).

But that difference vanished among students who watched the podcast but did not take notes.Students who listened to the podcast one or more times and took notes had an average score of 77, McKinney says.

Motivation might have been an issue, as the experiment did not count for class credit, though the highest scorer in each group earned a $15 iTunes gift certificate.

McKinney next wants to test how these two delivery methods compare over an entire semester, and also thinks podcasts would benefit traditional lectures as opposed to just replacing them. I’m inclined to agree, especially as the means necessary to create rich podcast content decrease.

(New Scientist, via Daniel Pink’s Twitter stream)

By Aaron | February 19th, 2009 | Comments