The Pew Internet & American Life Project released a report last week which documents their findings on teens’ writing and technology habits. The report explores writing skills, frequency, and attitude as they relate to student’s access to technology, including cell phones, the internet, and computer availability. There were many findings that will not surprise most [...]
Still one of the best sources for simple, to-the-point explanations of emerging tech concepts, Common Craft has now produced “Podcasting in Plain English.” Podcasting in Plain English explains, in about 3 minutes, the essential hows and whys of podcasting. The process is pretty easy and really requires only a microphone and some free software in [...]
If you’ve ever considered authoring a blog, take a look at these two free blogging tools. If you’ve never considered authoring a blog, look at yesterday’s post on the topic for some good reasons to consider it. I’ve been revisiting blogging tools lately with some of the afterschool classes we’ve held. My go-to blog for [...]
There are two questions that are helpful when considering authoring a blog: What would I write about? Am I able to keep up with it? There are a handful of models that could work well for you professionally, depending on your personality, classroom, and writing style. Think about how any of these might fit you. [...]
National Public Radio aired a pair of very balanced stories on middle and high school students’ expectations of online privacy and attitudes toward safety this week. It’s helpful as educators to understand the changing expectations of privacy of our students. These clips provide some insight. Digital Culture: Teens Take Advantage of Online Privacy Tools (6:37) [...]
With Google Docs’ presentation tool (docs.google.com) you now have the ability to publish presentation slides online within your webpage. This means that your students could view slide sets without the need to download them and launch them in PowerPoint, a tool which they may or may not have. This could be great for sharing student [...]
I was impressed by an NPR story featuring Secretary Mike Leavitt of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In the very hostile climate of government agencies where it seems that even the smallest offensive statement can spark an uprising and firing overnight, Leavitt is seeking a communication venue outside the norm for Washington. [...]
In case I haven’t mentioned before, I am a big fan of the folks at Common Craft. I think that somewhere deep down inside, these folks missed their calling into teaching. They’re very good at simple explanations of otherwise complex topics. Common Craft has produced “Blogs in Plain English,” the latest installment in their “Plain [...]
Doug Johnson at Blue Skunk Blog highlights a good example of the importance of teaching students responsible use of the internet, rather than steering clear of it. A case that arose in his district out of the use of school-sponsored email provided a meaningful teaching opportunity. “It is because of incidents like this that I [...]
PBS Kids Go! “Don’t Buy It: Get Media Smart” helps students understand the ways in which people and products are often portrayed by the entertainment and advertising media. “Children spend the majority of their days consuming mass media. On average, children spend four-and-a-half hours a day using television, video games and computers. Yet children are [...]
