Top 3 Reasons to Spice Up Language Learning Evernote, the cross-platform note-taking and archiving service that helps users “remember everything”, is growing and expanding into the educational community. In particular, it has caught the eye of many language learners who, quite simply, want nothing more than to “remember everything” they have learned in and about their foreign languages of study. If you find yourself struggling with the Russian alphabet or German syntax, here are the top 3 reasons to spice up your own language learning odyssey with Evernote. 1. Evernote works by syncing all of your computers and mobile devices through a single account. 2. Long gone are the days when bookmarking was the best way to keep track of your top-100-websites-to-revisit-before-they-get-buried-under-another-100-links. 3. At Voxy, we are currently building an iPhone appthat allows users to learn English in the “privacy of their own phone.” (Visited 1,433 times, 2 visits today)
The 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen By You 100 Web 2.0 Tools Every Teacher Should Know About 44.24K Views 0 Likes We're always trying to figure out the best tools for teachers, trends in the education technology industry, and generally doing our darnedest to bring you new and exciting ways to enhance the classroom. But I wanted t... 20 Free and Fun Ways To Curate Web Content 23.98K Views 0 Likes What's the best way to organize it all into at least some reasonable manner? It’s Time To Crowdsource Your School’s Social Media Policy 12.53K Views 0 Likes Every school has a different policy when it comes to social media. New: 10 of the best Apple apps for education in 2012 New apps include student file sharing, special education, cyber bullying information By Meris Stansbury, Associate EditorRead more by Meris Stansbury April 21st, 2012 One app teaches young students about cyber bullying. Last year we presented “10 of the best apps for education,” which highlighted some of the best apps for iPhones and iPods. This year’s list includes some of the most highly rated apps, both by teachers and by Apple, and features a range that spans from simple math games to a revolutionary special-education app, and from 3D imaging of the elements included in the periodic table to secure file sharing for students and teachers. For every app we’ve listed, we’ve included a brief description, device compatibility, suggested use, features, price, and a link to a more in-depth summary with an option to purchase on iTunes. Don’t see an app you love on this list? (Apps are listed in alphabetical order.)
10 Commonly Misunderstood Words My friends and I are self-professed grammar geeks. Upon hearing Alanis Morissette’s 90s hit “Ironic” on the radio, a worn out discussion usually breaks out: is she using the word “ironic” correctly? Yes, you can roll your eyes now. But, seriously, “It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife” is not really ironic, is it? Today’s infographic supports my argument, but it also schools me against using “literally” as an emphatic “really,” and reminds me that politely chuckling does not a bemused person make. Share This Infographic Get Free Infographics Delivered to your Inbox
What Shapes Our Language? Our language is constantly being shaped by a number of different influences, from social media and pop culture to other languages and even human error. Thanks to the ever-evolving Internet, new words enter our language almost daily. But beyond new words, technology has had a big impact on the ways in which we communicate, particularly with respect to how many words it takes us to get our point across. View the infographic below to learn more. (Click Image To Enlarge) Use This Infographic In Your Class We think that infographics are an awesome learning and teaching tool, so our creations will always be available for you to print out, use with your students and embed on your blog! Embed this image on your site <a href=" src=" <a href=" Blog</a> Warm-Up Activity Writing Challenge
How Can Web 2.0 Curation Tools Be Used in the Classroom? Digital Tools Jeff Thomas “Curation” may be one of the big buzzwords of 2011. As the amount of information accumulates thanks to the Web, it becomes increasingly important that we use tools to help us find information that’s relevant and useful. The role of the curator has always been to help pull together and oversee collections of materials. There are a number of tools that enable this. “Curation offers a context on the biggest learning playground the world has ever known.” That’s another vital part of the act of curation: what other people have deemed important. While the Web has perhaps democratized who can be an expert, we do still prefer to turn to those with specific backgrounds and from specific professions, especially when it comes to education.One interesting new curation tool is Scoop.it. Curation was once the purview of experts and professionals who collected and preserved resources. Related Explore: Scoop.it
Twitter Literacy (I refuse to make up a Twittery name for it) | City Brights: Howard Rheingold Post-Oprah and apres-Ashton, Twittermania is definitely sliding down the backlash slope of the hype cycle. It’s not just the predictable wave of naysaying after the predictable waves of sliced-breadism and bandwagon-chasing. We’re beginning to see some data. Nielsen, the same people who do TV ratings, recently noted that more than 60% of new Twitter users fail to return the following month. To me, this represents a perfect example of a media literacy issue: Twitter is one of a growing breed of part-technological, part-social communication media that require some skills to use productively. Sure, Twitter is banal and trivial, full of self-promotion and outright spam. When I started requiring digital journalism students to learn how to use Twitter, I didn’t have the list of journalistic uses for Twitter that I have compiled by now. One of my students asked me online why I use Twitter. Immediacy – it is a rolling present. A way to meet new people – it happens every day.
A Few Rules for Making Homemade Infographics Like many other fans of infographics, we were excited about today's launch of Visual.ly, a site that helps normal folk create infographics. The program just requires users to upload data, and it generates a pretty JPG with charts, graphs, and icons -- no PhotoShop skills required. Given the service's ease and availability -- it's free to join -- it will probably mean the proliferation of more infographics. The definition of what an infographic is can be pretty broad. (Wikipedia's history of the form starts out with cave paintings.) But it's pretty clear to us that there are two crucial parts: information and graphics. 1. 2. On this Mac vs. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Why It Pays To Be Bilingual Being bilingual provides a variety of perks. Aside from giving you the ability to impress your latest love interest by reciting foreign poetry, being bilingual also pays dividends – monetarily, cognitively, and culturally. See the graphic below to find out why. Note to teachers, edubloggers and all those interested: Want to use this infographic in your class or share it on your blog? (Click Image To Enlarge) Use This Infographic In Your Class We think that infographics are an awesome learning and teaching tool, so our creations will always be available for you to print out, use with your students and/or embed on your blog! Warm-Up Activity Before handing out the infographic, discuss the following question with your students: What are the advantages of being bilingual? Speaking & Critical Thinking Practice Questions to ask your students after presenting the infographic: What is the most surprising fact that you discovered from this infographic? Writing Challenge Spread the Infographic Love