10 Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom Skype is a free downloadable software that lets you do voice and video calls combined with instant messaging for free. The possibilities of Skype to flatten your classroom are endless. 5 Skype Companion Tools To get the most out of Skype, you should consider utilizing other web 3.0 and social networking sites such as Web 2.0 Tools for Class Projects – such as Twiddla in order to brainstorm, collaborate, and share ideas in real time.Google Docs – allows participants to share and edit documents.Flickr – to share photos and enhance the feeling of learning together across a distance.Blogs – to reflect and share learning.Twitter - as a backchannel during interviews, lectures, etc and as a way to continue the conversation throughout the school year. 3 Ways to Connect with Others Using Skype Online Skype Communities ePals Global Community offers a free 30 day trial. Global Skype Projects Skype in Education Directories Ready to install and get started with Skype for free?
K12 Online Conference Evolving Schools for a Whole New Mind Today I have been at Munich International School listening to the keynote from Dan Pink. This was a great start to the conference. Dan started with a quote from Dr Richard Moniuszko: We need to prepare kids for their future, not our past. He argued that the purpose of education is to allow individuals to participate in society and to have young men and women being the best they can. At one time parents used to say get good marks, go to university, find a job that will give you economic security. Dan spoke about tasks that are done by the different hemispheres of the brain. Dan went on to discuss what is causing this shift: Asia, automation and abundance: Asia: Computer scientists, engineers and so on in Europe earn 50-70,000 euros, in Asia they are earning about 12 - 15,000 euros. One advantage countries such as the USA, UK and Australia have had up to now is that they are English speaking, and English has become the linguistic operating system of the global economy.
21st Century Teaching & Learning Better Beginnings: how to start a presentation, book, article... « Dilbert and the zone of mediocrity | Main | Why does engineering/math/science education in the US suck? » Better Beginnings: how to start a presentation, book, article... You are in a dimly lit room. What went wrong? Nobody knows more about the importance of beginnings than novelists and screenwriters, but too often we think their advice doesn't apply to us. Oh really? So, we took some tips on making a good beginning from those whose work depends on it. 1) Do NOT start at the beginning! Advice for first-time novelists is often, "Take the first chapter and throw it away. Yes, this means dropping the user straight in to the fray without all the necessary context, but if the start is compelling enough, they won't care, at least not yet. 2) Show, Don't Tell If you have to TELL your audience that they should care, you're screwed. 3) For the love of god, DO NOT start with history! 4) DO NOT start with prereqs Decide what is absolutely, positively, crucial and then... stick it in an appendix.
Inquiry & Problem Solving in the Classroom Vytheeshwaran Vedagiri's Blog | My blog on science, teaching and education Virtual Education Conferences We all know about conferences, don’t we? You fly or drive out of town and stay in a large hotel for a couple of days, eating complimentary continental breakfasts and ambling from room to identical room in search of a few fresh angles on your profession and its challenges. Conferences can be a standard part of the job for a fair percentage of educators and administrators, but some people tend to find themselves in the unfortunate position of missing a conference, workshop or other sort of professional development event for lack of available funding or enough time away from work to allow for travel. Those days, though, may be over. The same kinds of educational technologies that contribute to enhanced learning in virtual classrooms all over the world are being used to make educational conferences more accessible to the educators and administrators that they benefit the most. How virtual conferences work Advantages of the virtual conference But are they right for you ? Print This Post
Google Maps WhatWasThere: Old pics and new maps Lisa from Maryland stopped by the other day to browse the Google Maps Gallery post and left a quick comment about the similarities of the Maps Gallery and a site called WhatWasThere. (Lisa works as a Secondary Social Studies Mentor in the Howard County Public Schools and also made sure to pass on another great D-Day photo source and oral history archive.) I had never heard of WhatWasThere. Nope. The WhatWasThere folks say that their project was inspired by the realization that we could leverage technology and the connections it facilitates to provide a new human experience of time and space – a virtual time machine of sorts that allows users to navigate familiar streets as they appeared in the past.The premise is simple: provide a platform where anyone can easily upload a photograph with two straightforward tags to provide context: Location and Year. Using the site couldn’t be much simpler. Google Maps Gallery: Interactive digital atlas Don’t ask what.
2013 STEMx Conference Welcome! Welcome to the Global 2013 STEMx Education Conference, the world’s first massively open online conference for educators focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and more. The conference will be held over the course of three days, September 19 - 21, 2013, and will be free to attend! STEMxCon will be a highly inclusive and engaging event that will encourage primary, secondary, and tertiary (K-16) students and educators around the world to share and learn about innovative approaches to STEMx learning and teaching. Register as a member of this conference network to be kept informed! Presenting : The conference seeks to present ideas, examples, and projects related to STEM in a changing world. The Call for Proposals for the conference opens the week of May 20th. As a conference that is focused on being participatory, we encourage new presenters as well as more experienced ones to submit to present. International Advisory Board : Conference Partner Organizations : Conference Sponsors :