Blog IT

Lecture Blues

In mid January, The New York Times outed MIT TEAL initiative and large lectures (for freshmen, at least) took a hit they may not recover from. Read more.

Why Wikis?

Most Web 2.0 tools are discussed at length in terms of their application to the learning process. While there is much that can be learned from using these tools in instruction, there are also principles upon which that use rests that have long been the goals of instruction at various levels. In other words, while the tools may change, the goals of teaching and learning remain much the same.

What is a great advance, however, is how quickly and effectively some of these instructional goals can be met while using newer technology tools. The Wiki is one such tool. Read article.

Writing: It Ain’t the Same Anymore

Is the essay a native electronic text? No. Can rhetorical elements of the essay be better taught in a form that is  native? Probably. Read article.

Closing the Gap Between Education and Technology

According to Apple curriculum evangelist Mark Benno, we live in a time when "our kids are being pushed harder, faster, and in ways we never would have imagined." And that, he insisted, is creating a variety of challenges for today's educators. Read more.

Malcolm Gladwell to Keynote ISTE’s NECC 2009 in Washington, D.C.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) welcomes noted author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell will deliver the opening keynote address at the 30th annual National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), to be held June 28 through July 1, 2009, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Read more.

How to: Build a Social Media Cheat Sheet for Any Topic

Step-by-step instructions on how to get up to speed with social media.Check it out.

Government 2.0: How Social Media Could Transform Gov PR

Just as private companies are learning to embrace social media to manage brand reputations, governments must adapt if they wish to effectively communicate with their "customers" -- a.k.a. their citizens and stakeholders. Read article.

Social networking -- the new 'killer app'?

Beyond social networking, what will Web 2.0 do for businesses in a forthcoming year that is economically unpredictable? Read on...

Semantic E-Mail Delivery

A prototype e-mail system being tested at Stanford University later this year will radically change how users specify where their messages are supposed to be delivered. Called SEAmail, for "semantic e-mail addressing," the system allows users to direct a message to people who fulfill certain criteria without necessarily knowing recipients' e-mail addresses, or even their names. Read more.

Upcoming Ed-Tech Trends

A higher-education study released this week highlighted six technologies that soon could change college campuses--including mobile devices with abundant applications, cloud computing that bolsters data accessibility, and web tools that could make campus-based research faster and more thorough. Read more.