A Glimpse into the future of learning Trolls Pounce on Facebook?s Tahrir Square | Danger Room Cairo’s Tahrir Square is a war zone, thanks to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s goon squad. But the crackdown isn’t limited to physical spaces where the protest movement congregates. Ever since Mubarak restored internet service on Wednesday, the most important dissident Facebook page has seen a curious flood of pro-regime Wall posts, sowing disinformation. Some of the new up-with-Mubarak commentary at the Facebook page We Are All Khalid Said is classic concern-trolling: people wringing their hands over how Egypt’s dictator deserves better than calls for his downfall. Some is pure abuse, questioning the loyalties of the page’s administrator. It’s hard not to see the trolling as part of a larger effort by Mubarak’s allies to win the propaganda battle surrounding Egypt’s unrest. A sampling of pro-Mubarak posts on Thursday: “I’m sad that I was one of you,” Tamir Said hissed. As online properties go, We Are All Khalid Said is a strategic target for the Mubarak regime. See Also:
Schools must embrace mobile technology Testing out the latest school gadgets The need for schools to prepare for 21st century learning was top of the agenda at this year's BETT conference. They must embrace mobile technologies, games, podcasts and social networking, according to leading educationalist Professor Stephen Heppell. Schools should also break away from traditional classroom and curriculum models, he argued. The gap between those schools embracing technology and those not is getting bigger, he said. Prof Heppell was speaking to delegates at BETT, the world's biggest educational technology show. Technology revolution Meanwhile the UK's minister for Schools and Families Vernon Coaker reiterated the government's commitment to putting technology at the heart of the school curriculum. "Teachers need access to innovative services. "Cutting edge technology is the cornerstone of our reforms," he added. But in that timeframe there could be a big divide between schools, thinks Professor Heppell. Cells and bells Skyping infants
Five Ways to Use Online Portfolios in the Classroom Our digital world is transforming the way we learn, and today's teachers are tasked with the challenging job of sifting through the deluge of educational technologies and creating a meaningful learning experience for students. In my 15 years in education, I've seen firsthand how opportunities and a little guidance can positively impact a person's future and change the life path they're following. In fact, as a result of serving on the San Francisco School Board, where I learned about the obstacles to education, I've seen how creating learning opportunities can impact a long-term digital identity. Next-generation education portfolio platforms -- such as Digication, Pathbrite, Taskstream and Epsilen -- are one way for teachers to start early and educate students about how they can manage their own academic and professional accomplishments. 1. 2. Sifting through the endless hoards of information on the Internet is becoming a necessary skill. 3. 4. 5.
Podcamp Western MA learning • ingenuity • research • policy • design • technology • delight • (+ sailing!) Why Your Creativity Needs Boundaries to Thrive The first few years after I decided to take my creative writing seriously, I couldn't overcome the nagging feeling that my fiction was simply a glorified hobby—like knitting or fishing. Plenty of people helped reinforce that. I'd be at a party filled with people who worked sensible office jobs when someone would find out I was writing a novel and tell me they'd been meaning to take up the hobby themselves—if only they had more time. But it's hard to justify carving out time every day in your busy schedule for "just a hobby." Music wasn't just a hobby for Lou Reed. Inventing wasn't just a hobby for Steve Jobs. Creative work is hard. An interview with Godin appears in the book, Manage Your Day-to-Day, put out by 99U. 1. Setting aside time every day to do creative work keeps your momentum going. Cal Newport, a writer and professor at Georgetown University, calls these periods of uninterrupted creative work "daily focus blocks." 2. 3. 4. Try making rules for yourself and see what happens.
MixedRealities « Where philosophy, business and immersive media meet 10 Rules for Students, Teachers, and Life by John Cage and Sister Corita Kent Buried in various corners of the web is a beautiful and poignant list titled Some Rules for Students and Teachers, attributed to John Cage, who passed away twenty years ago this week. The list, however, originates from celebrated artist and educator Sister Corita Kent and was created as part of a project for a class she taught in 1967-1968. It was subsequently appropriated as the official art department rules at the college of LA’s Immaculate Heart Convent, her alma mater, but was commonly popularized by Cage, whom the tenth rule cites directly. The list, which can be found in Sister Corita’s Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit (public library), touches on a number of previously discussed themes and materials, including Bertrand Russell’s 10 commandments of teaching, the importance of embracing uncertainty, the pivotal role of work ethic, the intricate osmosis between intuition and intellect, and the crucial habit of being fully awake to everything.
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