Should Every Teacher in the World Really be on Twitter? - Read Write Respond So often it is said, teachers must be on Twitter. For example, Peter DeWitt’s provides 3 Reasons You Need Twitter More Than It Needs You! while Mark Barnes gives 5 Reasons Every Person in the World Should Be On Twitter. The question though is whether Twitter is the answer? Teachers are encouraged to develop their own personal/professional learning network, but does this automatically equal Twitter? When I started my PLN, content and connections came via Twitter. Feedly is not the only aggregator out there. An alternative to aggregation and syndication is social bookmarking. There are other alternatives when it comes to curation, such as Delicious, Pinterest and Evernote. One of the complaints about Twitter is that due to constraints it does not properly grasp the personal and limits depth of dialogue. An alternative to Voxer is Google Hangouts. Going beyond this list, what interests me is why just Twitter? Like this: Like Loading... Related Signals, Noises and Relationships July 8, 2014
Free Tools to Easily Record and Share Audio Messages with your Students Sharing audio messages with your students on your blog or classroom website is an effective way to maintain communication with them and their parents. We have compiled some awesome tools that can allow you to easily record a short audio message and share it online without any need for signing up . 1- Vocaro This is basically a free service that allows you to record short audio message without having to install any software or register for any account. All you need to have is a built-in microphone and head over to its main page and click on record then grant access to Vocaroo and start talking. 2- Audio Pal This is another awesome tool where you can record audio message and share them with others. 4- Record MP3 It allows users to easily and instantly record short audio messages to share with others.
21st Century Librarian 20 Ways To Improve Your Professional Learning Network In 2013 Networking is a prime form of 21st century learning. The world is much smaller thanks to technology. Learning is transforming into a globally collaborative enterprise. Take for example scientists; professional networks allow the scientific community to share discoveries much faster. Just this month, a tech news article showcased how Harvard scientists are considering that “sharing discoveries is more efficient and honorable than patenting them.” As educators, we aim to be connected to advance our craft. Learning networks are based on the theory of connectivism, or learning from diverse social webs. What are some ways to grow your PLN and improve the quality of your interactions? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. You can bookmark a page in a “virtual” library or online archive, even PDFs or videos. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. PLNs are a powerful change agent. This is a cross-post from opencolleges.edu.au; image attribution flickr user worldeconomicforum
Take Another Look Around You- Learning to Learn in a New World Will Richardson said: If you are not feeling a little bit uncomfortable about being a teacher or being in education right now, then you are not paying attention Working in schools and in education tends to put us in a “bubble” sometimes. We have our own micro-organisms of the way things work. I am asking every teacher to TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AROUND. The sense of urgency is real and PERSONAL to me (as it should be to most of you!). You will mostly see my own granddaughter as the model in the presentation slides below! Will they prepare her for the year 2030 and the way the world beyond will look like? It is PERSONAL… when I look at my own three children. She went to a so called all “A” schools (Schools in our State are classified with a grade according to the results of the standardized tests). If you have children in school…blink once and they will too graduate in no time.
6 Great Videos for Teaching Media Fluency There’s no denying the influence of digital media in our daily lives. Media consumption is everywhere, and it’s got us plugged in pretty much constantly. Our passions are shared with, our opinions are shaped with it, and our emotions are fed by it. Sometimes we control it, and sometimes—well, it kind of controls us. Does this mean we’re in danger of our brains melting? No, of course not. It also benefits us to find out how we can strike a healthy balance between being connected and being unconnected. A snapshot of the chart is featured below, indicating where the primary focuses are. Source: www.statista.com One of the crucial 21st Century Fluencies is Media Fluency, and it’s important to understand what it’s all about. Media Fluency is not about “bashing” digital media. To help you with this, you’ve got a list of videos below that explain much about media and how it works in our lives today. Media Smarts: Media are Constructions Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century
Free Technology for Teachers A New Way of Looking at Public Library Engagement in America The Pew Research Center’s Internet Project has intensively studied the changing world of public libraries for the last three years. The first stage of our research explored the growing role of ebooks, including their impact on Americans’ reading habits and library habits. Our second stage examined the full universe of library services, as well as what library services Americans most value and what they might want from libraries in the future. In March, we released a report from our third and final stage of research—the fruits of a representative national survey of 6,224 Americans ages 16 and older. It explores public libraries’ roles in people’s lives and in broader American culture—how libraries are perceived, how they are valued, and how people rely on them. provision of digital content is certainly a key element of the services that make libraries useful. This approach is a little new for us. The table above (PDF) provides an overview of the typology groups. Other insights in the data
Creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN) | Pennsylvania School Librarians Association A PLN: What is it? How do you get one?* You just finished your multi-level teacher evaluation observation. One of the most important things you can do for your professional career is to start to establish a Personal Learning Network (PLN). This is the concept of Wisdom of a Crowd and “two minds are better than one” This is where we harness others to help make a decision or develop an opinion. This speaks as to what a PLN is but it can be so much more. A PLN is a group of individuals that share a common interest. To get started, it is suggested to start small and grow from there. You are probably thinking, “I don’t have time for this” or “Where do I fit that in my day” or “I’m not that tech savvy”. The essence behind starting a PLN is not to create more work. *A derivative of this work originally appeared in the March 2013 issue of High Tech Teachers- Central Dauphin School District Classroom Technology Integration Newsletter by the author. PSLA Blogger: