BrainPOP UK customer buzz Don’t just read the buzz – watch it too in our Video Testimonials! “We’ve seen a real difference in terms of how children engage with their learning and particularly in them wanting to explore and learn more. Since using BrainPOP the quality and quantity of home learning has vastly improved. I personally don’t think there is anything better to encourage fun, substantial and real learning.” Sarah Wright, Longton Lane Primary (read the full article) “I would like to thank you for the unbelievably excellent response to my email query. Mary McDonach, parent, home educator, and writer on WonderBaby.org “I want to thank you for the personal touch in the help we have received from the BrainPOP team since joining. Mrs I Durrant, Evelina Hospital School “Often, on the educational front, parents can feel a little bit exposed; they’re not confident on the topics that the children are learning in school. Jonathan Farr, ICT Coordinator at Aldborough Free School Gary Wilson, Home Educator
Smokescreen | Six to Start A cutting-edge game about life online. Explore websites, search for clues, receive phone calls, chat on IM, and tackle puzzles and minigames. On Smokescreen, who can you trust? We all use Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and MSN to keep up with our friends – and we’ve all heard the stories about parties on MySpace being mobbed, or people getting stalked on Facebook. The question is, what would you do if it happened to you? In 2009, Six to Start was commissioned by Channel 4 Education to help teens aged 14-16 understand the risks (and benefits) of being online – from defending yourself against phishing to avoiding online stalkers. At its heart, Smokescreen simulates the internet. With Smokescreen, we’ve created an cutting-edge solution to a 21st century problem of online privacy and security. The Numbers Almost 500,000 playsA massive 15 minutes spent on site per sessionHighly positive reactions from Channel 4′s teenage focus group, and expert critics and professionals Game Highlights
Libraries: championing digital information on campus | Higher Education Network | Guardian Professional Librarians have potentially numerous roles to play in the digital environment, but one of their key roles is in supporting and advising staff and students. Photograph: Michael Hanschke/EPA The Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) is working on a project to review the roles academic libraries are playing in developing the digital literacies within their own institutions, and across the information profession. Academic librarians have a long tradition of championing the effective use of information. The SCONUL project is designed to reveal how libraries and librarians are shaping their services to maximise the opportunities and benefits of working in a digital environment. The starting point is the assertion that digital literacy is more extensive then effective use of technologies. It is based on the seven pillars of information literacy, but focuses on digital environment. Alison Mackenzie is dean of learning services at Edge Hill University.
The 100 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen By You The Wordle of this list! (Click image to enlarge) One of the most popular posts on Edudemic in 2010 was The 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen By You and I felt it might be time for an update to that list for 2011. In order to put together a list of the best Web 2.0 classroom tools, I polled my Twitter followers, Facebook fans (are they still called fans? Likes?) There were more than 900 submissions but many were duplicates. Cyberbullying What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying (or online bullying) is using modern communication technology to deliberately and repeatedly harrass, humiliate, embarrass, torment, threaten, pick on or intimidate someone. Effects of cyberbullyingCyberbullying can leave teenagers with low self-esteem, less interest in school and a deep sense of loneliness. Some feel they have no safe place, because the bullying can happen anywhere there’s internet or mobile access. It can also happen at any time of the day or night. Nearly one quarter (23%) of children who use mobile phones have reported receiving a threatening or abusive text, and 14% reported sending one. Helping your child avoid cyberbullies You can help make cyberbullying less likely to happen to your child by: A recent study suggested that 20% of teenagers have engaged in cyberbullying behaviour at some point. How to spot cyberbullying Cyberbullying can be tough to spot. Worried your child might be the one doing the bullying?
Phil Bradley: People search engines, people related search, People related search engines This is a large section and is just getting bigger. There are search engines that find people, that are moderated by people, that search social media, weblogs and forums. This section attempts to pull people search engines together. People search engines If you are looking for an individual, these engines may help. 123people UK version192 for UK individualsBritish Telecom Directory EnquiriesInternet Address Finder US biased, but still usefulMyLife.com 'Find everyone, all in one place' 40 million social network profiles.PeekYou on life, work, school, GooglePeopleBrowsr or pb.ly Designed for searchers to hunt for data in tweets, biography, 'authority' (whatever that is), links, sentiment and lists.Pipl 'most comprehensive people search on the web'PPLDIG Another people search engine." Weblog search engines People write weblogs, and these are an increasingly important way of finding the content that you need in a timely manner. People moderated search engines
Technology "How To" Guidelines | Social Media Productivity | Scoop.it "How to" Guideline series is coordinated by Helen Mongan-Rallis of the Education Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions to improve these guidelines please me at e-mail hrallis@d.umn.edu. This site contains various guidelines developed to assist people in using a variety of computer applications and tools. Some of the guidelines have been designed for specific classes or workshops taught by Helen Mongan-Rallis but are included here as they may be of use to a broader audience. The authors are listed next to the tutorial name (unless just the link to a third-party tutorial is included and the author is unknown). All work created by Helen Mongan-Rallis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Guidelines related to web page development: Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts & audio/video conferencing Course Management Systems iDevice guides (iPad, iPod, iPod Touch) Online Research Tools Presentation media: Microsoft Office
Facebook, Google Support Program To Help Kids Connect Safely The Family Online Safety Institute has announced A Platform for Good. The program is designed to help kids, teenagers, parents, and teachers connect and share safely on the internet. The program has been endorsed by some of the biggest names in the tech, social media, telecommunications, and search. A Platform for Good has three main goals. The goal of the program, says FOSI CEO Stephen Balkam, is “to transform the [online safety] discussion and create resources to inform, inspire, and empower kids to make the right choices online.” The Family Online Safety Institute is an international nonprofit organization that focuses on making the internet a safer place for children and families.
mySkills: Academic Skills at Essex - Home - Learning styles 01 Introduction The term 'learning style' has become increasingly common in education, but what does it mean? One of the problems you might have encountered if you have already tried to determine your learning style or 'preference' is that there are a number of models to choose from, some of which seem very similar, but some of which appear to be very different. There is also great variation in the quality of these models, as some have a sound methodological basis and are based on rigorous research and testing, whilst others are not. The rest of this webpage will distinguish the main models by type, before identifying the best ones to use and where to find them on the web. [Back to top] 02 Overview The majority of learning styles models fall into one of two categories. Remember, the purpose of these methodologies is not to determine which single type you are, but to help you to understand your natural biases and your unique mix. 03 General learning styles Honey and Mumford Test Test
Apple: iBooks 2 will 'reinvent textbooks' | Technology Apple has unveiled a glimpse of the classroom of the future, launching a new version of its iBooks software that will allow publishers to create interactive textbooks for iPad-owning students. The new textbooks offer a host of functions which experts say will transform teaching – including images that turn into slideshows, links from the body text into glossaries, and multiple choice tests which are instantly assessed. Students will be able to create notes by highlighting text with their fingers, and then review all of their notes in one place – instantly creating a tailormade set of study cards. The price of the books – $14.99 or less – will also be a crucial factor in a market frequently criticised for its high prices. According to Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isacsson, the Apple founder spent the last years of his life looking at how the company could shake up the textbook market. Apple unveiled the textbooks on Thursday at an event at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Online safety & civility Demos | Publications The internet is the greatest source of information for people living in the UK today. But the amount of material available at the click of a mouse can be both liberating and asphyxiating. Although there are more e-books, trustworthy journalism, niche expertise and accurate facts at our fingertips than ever before, there is an equal measure of mistakes, half-truths, propaganda, misinformation and general nonsense. Knowing how to discriminate between them is both difficult and extremely important. Truth, Lies and the Internet examines the ability of young people in Britain to critically evaluate information they consume online. This pamphlet recommends that teaching young people critical thinking and skepticism online must be at the heart of learning.
What's Obvious to You, Is Amazing to Someone Else One of the reasons I sometimes hear people give for not blogging, Tweeting, or otherwise participating in sharing their ideas online is, "I don't have anything to say." To that I often reply, "yes, you do." The great thing about sharing online is that you never know who is going to discover what you share. Something that you think has been said one hundred times over might be brand new to someone else. We all have something to share. Applications for Education This message needs to be shared with our students too. U Rheingold U. is a totally online learning community, offering courses that usually run for five weeks, with five live sessions and ongoing asynchronous discussions through forums, blogs, wikis, mindmaps, and social bookmarks. In my thirty years of experience online and my eight years teaching students face to face and online at University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University, I've learned that magic can happen when a skilled facilitator works collaboratively with a group of motivated students. Live sessions include streaming audio and video from me and from students, shared text chat and whiteboard, and my ability to push slides and lead tours of websites. Future classes will cover advanced use of personal knowledge tools, social media for educators, participatory media/collective action, social media issues, introduction to cooperation studies, network and social network literacy, social media literacies, attention skills in an always-on world.