Pros and cons of digital devices in the hands of young students I have three kids and they love their tech tools, but I worry about the possible effects of electromagnetic radiation, and about the way in which time spent with these devices takes away from time they could be spending in more active pursuits. I also see skills and learning coming from their use of these tools. While I am clearly an advocate of technology, I also recognize that there are down sides and trade-offs that come with these advances. This guest post from Daniel Kimball reflects those realities and I look forward to hearing what readers think about this modern day dilemma. – K. Digital devices are all the rage among young people today, across all ages. Image from Are digital devices plugging our children into experiences that actually fuel their creativity and make them consider the world beyond their neighborhood or are they robbing our children of some of the joys of childhood? PROS include … CONS include … About Kelly Walsh Print This Post
Do You Have the Digital Leaders You Need? - Jeffrey F. Rayport and Tuck Rickards These days you can’t have a business conversation without discussing digital — social, local, mobile, big data, the cloud. But that’s just talk. We wanted to discover what companies are really doing about this new world, so we analyzed the backgrounds of the CEOs and directors of America’s largest companies. The answer is surprising. Only nine companies — less than two percent of the Fortune 500 — are what we would call “highly digital.” If you narrow the scope to the Fortune 100, the data are still relatively weak. You might focus exclusively on company leadership, but, of course, boards matter: they provide strategic counsel to the CEO and, crucially, they plan for CEO succession. It’s clear the tide is turning — and it’s turning fast. At HP, Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, has moved from board director to CEO. At the board level, when done right, certain patterns emerge: leading companies have jumped in with both feet. Some CEOs are learning by doing.
Why Digital Writing Matters in Education Writing teachers like me (and perhaps like you) have been caught in a tight spot for some time now. On the one hand, computing technologies have radically transformed the meaning of "writing." On the other hand, high stakes assessments and their impact on teaching have limited what counts as writing in school. As a teacher, I feel pulled in different directions. Digital writing challenges what counts as writing and reveals the gap between how writing works in the world and how we teach it in schools.Digital writing platforms and services are ways to innovate instruction and learning. Why Writing Matters I always find it worth starting with why writing matters in education and in life. A second Commission report concluded that writing is a "threshold skill" for hiring and promotion among professional employees. The "Digital" in Digital Writing What distinguishes "digital" writing? But digital technologies also have made it easy to "write" in all sorts of new ways.
Digital Storytelling – Part I Storytelling has been a great part of our school year, which is already winding down. From… telling about our and Jose, the travel bear ‘s adventurous stories live while in Egyptoutfitting EVERY classroom in our school with their own digital cameras, so teachers and students could create a visual of their daily activities or create a visual of a learning conceptcreating a collective knowledge story across grade level and subject areas demonstrating what students have learnedLife ‘Round Here project, where students assumed the point of view of an object and narratedCreating printed books that narrate the daily life in the classroom, special visits and fieldtrips and the physical and academic growth of the students throughout the year. …to Professional Development in Technology for VoiceThread , Mixbook , PhotoStory , Audacity , and MovieMaker . Image by CaptPiper The National Storytelling Network defines: Storytelling as an ancient art form and a valuable form of human expression Daniel H.
Connecting – to the Earth and the Digital World « June 3, 2012 by cultureofyes There is a very interesting dynamic between two of the strongest trends for K-12 education – connecting to the earth and connecting to the digital world. Though these two ideas appear to run counter to one another, they can also coexist, and they do work together in the evolution of the education system. I have covered digital connections on many occasions — from my presentation at TEDx, a post on Classrooms of the Near Future, and a reflection on How My Teaching has Changed. I have also written about the intensification of inquiry and self-regulation — two other key theme areas we are seeing in our schools. On Bowen Island, the Bowen Island Community School is launching Outside45 – a choice program for Grade 6 and 7 students. When the program was announced in the fall, there was always the question of enrollment, and it ended up being oversubscribed for its first year. Photo credit: Gordon Trousdell Like this: Like Loading...
Sharing Student Work: Digital Life Glogs I was fortunate to be asked by my National Writing Project colleagues Gail Desler and Natalie Bernasconi to contribute a few pieces of student work to their emerging site around digital citizenship and digital life. The wiki site — entitled Digital ID — is becoming another great resource to share with teachers and students around the teaching of using technology in meaningful and thoughtful ways. My sixth grade students contributed a few Glogster posters to the developing section around student-created work. Gail and Natalie are really curating a site with value, particularly around lesson plans and resources, and an overarching theme of empowering students with technology in a way that gives them agency to make informed decisions about their digital footprints and lives. Check out Digital ID for more information and for more resources. Peace (in the sharing), Kevin
Not ONLY rights but also responsibility!? Possible instructions for educators on how they can work together with the learners. Knowing the tools for 21st Century Learning is primordial to give quality courses. One very important knowledge who needs to get taught is “Critical Thinking“; it brings out also new ideas and the courage to become an engager and helps to try to build a better world in both worlds: “Real World” and “Virtual World” (Internet)! Teaching “Critical Thinking” to your students and learners is a MUST for a world who is changing very fast (sometimes too fast…) so that a lot of people can’t follow anymore… But by knowing “Critical Thinking” people would be catching up more quick, so very important!!! ===> Critical Thinking is a catalyst when well used together with Social Medias! <=== When talking about Critical-Thinking then automatically we should talk also about responsibilities! I suggest to YOU to follow my FREE courses here: Germany Like this:
Parenting (and Educating) in the Digital Age « The Digital Frontline Too often, we condemn or criticize our colleagues who are slower to adopt Ed Tech into daily practice. I have always adhered to the wisdom of “Field of Dreams” namely “If you build they will come!”. Our first thought should be development rather than criticism.Those who are comfortable with new forms of practice must support the development of those who are not. I came across this wonderful presentation by David Truss through People for Education. Like this: Like Loading...