Back to School with New Devices? Lesson #1: Mobile Safety - Microsoft on the Issues Posted by Jacqueline BeauchereDirector, Trustworthy Computing Communications, Microsoft Unlike their parents who went back to school with new notebooks, pens, pencils, and binders, today’s young people are likely readying for the coming academic year with laptops, tablets and mobile phones. But, before parents arm kids with the latest Internet-enabled devices, it’s a good idea to share some do’s and don’ts about online safety. Whether it’s a new laptop for research and writing, a tablet for reading, or a mobile phone to get in touch with mom or dad in the event of an emergency, kids are using mobile technology more than ever. Data show that 52 percent of kids ages eight to 12, and 77 percent between 12 and 17, own mobile phones, with teenagers 14 to 17 sending an average of 100 text messages a day. When it comes to Internet safety, some practical advice can go a long way toward helping kids stay safer and more secure when they’re online on the go.
11 Real Ways Technology Is Affecting Education Right Now How Online Education Has Changed In 10 Years 8.44K Views 0 Likes We all know that education, specifically online education, has come a long way in the last few years. Why TED Talks Have Become So Popular 6.89K Views 0 Likes TED talks are useful and free ways to bring high-level thinking and through-provoking ideas into the classroom and your home. 5 Things To Know About SXSWedu 5.72K Views 0 Likes The real story for anyone reading this is SXSWedu, the education-oriented version of the conference that's turning into a force of nature. How Social Media Is Used Around The World 8.55K Views 0 Likes In a fascinating infographic, we get a look at how social media is used around the world by a variety of countries.
Good Practice Guide and Use Case Studies of Mobile Learning (#mlearning) As ownership of smartphones and tablets grows there is increasing interest in how they might be used to support learning and teaching, both in the classroom and beyond. This Best Practice Guide has been put together by the UCISA Digital Skills and Development Group Academic Support sub-group to provide examples of good practice in using mobile technologies to enhance learning. Mobile learning: How mobile technologies can enhance the learning experience (Link to full guide) It includes six interesting case studies from different institutions on how mobile devices/technologies have been used to enhance the learning experience. Mobile for fieldwork in Environmental Sciences The intended result of this activity was to encourage and enable students to quickly and easily document discoveries and ideas in the field, to access resources electronically and reuse data in other learning contexts, and to encourage students to develop a collaborative approach to data sharing and discourse.
Cellphones in the Classroom: Distraction or Tool? The final version of the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) was released last week, setting forth the Obama Administration's plan for improving access to and integration of technologies for teaching and learning. Among the recommendations the Department of Education makes in the NETP is a call for support for "efforts to ensure that all students and educators have 24/7 access to the Internet via devices, including mobile devices, and that states, districts, and schools adopt technologies and policies to enable leveraging the technology that students already have." The push for "24/7 access to the Internet" falls under another the auspices of yet another endeavor, the National Broadband Plan. But the call for better access to Internet-ready devices, particularly utilizing tools the students already possess is an interesting one. This series on Education Technology is underwritten by Dell. Cellphones: Teens' Primary Communication and Computing Device, Banned from Most Schools
Texting in the Classroom: Not Just a Distraction The Pew Research Center released new data this week on Americans' text-messaging habits. According to Pew, 83 percent of American adults now own cell phones and almost three-quarters (73 percent) send and receive text messages. The research only looks at adults' usage of text-messaging, but it does find that younger adults are much more active texters than older age groups. Cellphone owners between the ages of 18 and 24 exchange an average of 109.5 messages a day -- that's more than 3200 messages per month. That's compared to about 41.5 messages a day for all cellphone owners, a figure that's largely unchanged from figures reported in 2010. The Pew study doesn't look at the texting habits of those under age 18, but a study released last year by Nielsen found that those cellphone users in the 13 to 17 age range were the most avid texters among any age group. Certainly that age group -- in fact, all those under 18 -- are increasingly likely to be cellphone owners.
How to Focus on Your Work and Ditch the Distractions It may be the rarest skill in the modern workplace: the ability to focus. “Deep work is giving something intense concentration without distraction for long periods of time,” says Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University and author of the new book Deep Work: Rules for Success in a Distracted World. “If you’re one of the few who masters this skill, you’ll have a lot of opportunities.” Take Newport, for instance. He eschews social media and carefully schedules meetings and email. To be sure, that may sound more doable in the academic world. Start a conversation. “Having an open dialogue about these issues of productivity and distraction led to many positive shifts in culture,” Newport notes. Stop managing with meetings. That makes sense, but meetings chop up a schedule and prevent people from enjoying long periods of focused time. Block it on the schedule. Seize quiet times. While mornings are often good, they’re not the only option for deep work. Be disciplined.
From Visible Thinking Routines to 5 Modern Learning Routines I have been a fan of Visible Thinking Routines which were developed by Project Zero from Harvard, for a while now. I have used these routines with students, as blogging routines and in professional development workshops. The Visible Thinking Routines website explains that: Routines exist in all classrooms; they are the patterns by which we operate and go about the job of learning and working together in a classroom environment. A routine can be thought of as any procedure, process, or pattern of action that is used repeatedly to manage and facilitate the accomplishment of specific goals or tasks.[…] Classrooms also have routines that structure the way students go about the process of learning. As I am trying to make 21st century, modern, contemporary or “now” learning visible, it seemed a natural step to point out “Modern” or “Now” Learning Routines. Here are my 5 routines that promote modern learning: 1. Read as much as you can on your subject. Comment or annotate on the things you read.
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning: Terrific Mini Guide to Help Students Think Critically December 26, 2014 Questioning is the key to critical thinking and through questions students get to explore the deep layers of meanings that would otherwise go unnoticed. Of course not all questions have this analytical ability. For instance, closed questions tend to limit the thinking choices available for students. The same with questions that promote factual recalling. In today's post, I am sharing with you this mini guide created by Foundation of Critical Thinking which you can use with your students to help them better comprehend and apply critical thinking in their learning. I learned about this great resource from a post shared by Education to Save The World. Image credit: Foundation of Critical Thinking