October+8,+2010

In this Worthy of Note ...
K-12: Tools K-12: Free Webinar K-12: Mobile Learning, Online Learning, Wireless and Other Compelling Things K-12: Standards K-12: Curriculum K-12: Information Literacy Higher Ed: Tools Higher Ed: Information Literacy Higher Ed: Accessibility Higher Ed: Online Learning, Wireless and Other Such Things Higher Ed: Gates Foundation and Community Colleges

//Note: K-12 and Higher Education topics are featured separately. That is not to say that there are overIaps in interest. I welcome your comments about topics you would like to see on these “almost weekly” pages.//


 * K-12 **


 * Tools**

31 Interesting Ways to Use Google Docs in the Classroom This slide presentation features 33 slides about using Google Docs in the classroom, such as collaborative homework and environmental / experimental data allowing access to group results and data. (Google Docs, Creative Commons: Attribution)

Web 2.0 Science Tools //Tech&Learning: Digital Learning Environments// These Web2.0 sites would be useful for science educators at the high school and middle school level. Some would also be appropriate for higher elementary grade levels. There are many new ‘tools’ or Websites that take advantage of the higher speed and bandwidth of today’s Internet.


 * Free Webinar**

Free Webinar: Sensibly Incorporating Technology in Today's Classroom: It's All About the Writing! //Sponsored by eSchool News// Join BookJams author and California's 2007 Teacher of the Year Alan Sitomer on October 12 as he hosts a free webinar on how to sensibly incorporate technology and new literacies.


 * Mobile Learning, Online Learning, Wireless and Other Compelling Things**

English Language Teachers Connect to Mobile Learning //Guardian Weekly, September 14, 2010// A UK study, but nonetheless, almost 80% of the 500 teachers who responded to the survey claimed to have some form of web-enabled mobile device. When asked whether teachers planned to buy a mobile device in the near future, almost 60% responded positively, with 50% planning to buy either an iPhone or an iPad.

Virginia Using iPads to Teach Social Studies //eSchool News, September 30, 2010// Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), in collaboration with Pearson Learnng Solutions, is implementing a pilot program that puts fourth, seventh, and ninth grade social studies curriculum on an iPad.

Children Like eBooks; Parents Not So Much //eSchool News, September 29, 2010// [|The 2010 Kids and Family Reading Report], released Sept. 29 and commissioned by Scholastic Inc., offers a mixed portrait of eBooks and families. And it reveals that kids might read more if they had access to eReaders.

Education Investments in Wireless Continue to Grow //David Nagel, T.H.E. Journal, October 7, 2010// Academic institutions in the United States are spending more than $5 billion annually on wireless hardware, software and services. And, according to new research, that figure will climb to $6.8 billion by 2014.

Coming soon: ‘Super Wi-Fi’ connectivity? //eCampus News, September 14, 2010// The Federal Communications Commission is looking to tap into vacant TV airwaves for fast, powerful wireless service.

Anytime, Anywhere //Carlo Rotella, NY Times, September 16, 2010// Karen Cator, director of the office of education technology at the U.S. Department of Education, says she thinks of online learning this way: “If students have their own computer, it can travel with them from home to school. There can be software programs that help the student, or there can be an online teacher, but the technology can also augment a teacher in a face-to-face classroom.” She references the Sloan Consortium study, K–12 Online Learning: a Survey of U.S. School District Administrators.


 * Standards**

States Eye Standards for Virtual Educators //Ian Quillen and Michelle R. Davis, Education Week, September 20, 2010// Experts say many states and national education groups are behind the curve in addressing the Issue of teacher quality for the online classroom. References this report: E-Learning 2010: E-Educators Evolving, published in September. Be sure to check out the links posted in the profile insert in the article to other related points in E-Learning 2010: E-Educators Evolving. Several SREB states and SREB/iNACOL standards are noted in this article.


 * Curriculum**

Computer Science Education Getting Short Shrift, Study Finds //Eric Robelen, Curriculum Matters, Education Week, October 6, 2010// Running on Empty: the Failure to Teach K-12 Computer Science in the Digital Age //was// //unveiled// at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on October 6. The event also featured the launch of Computing in the Core, a coalition of associations, corporations, scientific societies and non-profits that will raise the national profile of computer science education. Essentially, the new report outlines deficiencies in preparation for computing careers and the vital need to build a strong K-12 computer science education program in our nation’s schools.


 * Information Literacy**

Searching for Better Research Habits //Inside Higher Ed, September 29, 2010// This is a testimony for information literacy skills (which the American Association of School Librarians has touted for years). “Students do not have adequate information literacy skills when they come to college, and this goes for even high-achieving students,” said Andrew Asher, the lead research anthropologist at the Enthographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries (ERIAL) Project, which recently studied the search habits of more than 600 Illinois students spanning a range of institutions and demographic groups. The findings of inadequacies in curriculum are revealing.

Furthermore, The Big Six Skills also recommended by AASL, have been around for way over a decade. Developed by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, the Big6 is the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world. The Big6 is an information and technology literacy model and curriculum, implemented in thousands of schools – K through higher education.


 * Higher Education **


 * Tools**

31 Interesting Ways to Use Google Docs in the Classroom This slide presentation features 33 slides about using Google Docs in the classroom, such as collaborative homeword and environmental / experimental data allowing access to group results and data. (Google Docs, Creative Commons: Attribution)

The Super-Secret, Never-Before-Revealed Guide to Web 2.0 in the Classroom //Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology, October 01, 2010// Focusing on higher education this guide shares foolproof, unintimidating methods for incorporating social media apps into the classroom — guaranteed to work for even the most squeamish scholar. Campus Technology gathered advice from faculty members and other experts from institutions and organizations around the country that have experienced real success in helping timorous teachers incorporate social media in their classrooms.

The Use of Alternative Social Networking Sites in Higher Educational Settings: A Case Study of the E-Learning Benefits of Ning in Education //Kevin P. Brady, Lori B. Holcomb, Bethany V. Smith: North Carolina State University;// //Journal of Interactive Online Learning,// //Volume 9, Number 2, Summer 2010// Distance education as a primary means of instruction is expanding significantly at the college and university level. Simultaneously, the growth of social networking sites (SNS) including Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace is also rising among today’s college students. An increasing number of higher education instructors are beginning to combine distance education delivery with SNSs. However, there is currently little research detailing the educational benefits associated with the use of SNSs. In order to evaluate the largely unexplored educational benefits of SNSs, NC State University surveyed graduate students enrolled in distance education courses using Ning in Education, an education-based SNS, based on their attitudes toward SNSs as productive online tools for teaching and learning. For results, the research article is available for download.

Cloud Computing in Education: A Practitioner's View //Reed Sheard, Westmont College, Campus Technology, September 22, 2010// “How do we--without additional resources--align the college’s technology with its strategic plan and mission at a time in its history when it’s never been more important?” This was the driving question that prompted the author to offer this viewpoint featuring cloud computing.

Social Media in Higher Education: The Survey //Hester Tinti-Kane, Jeff Seaman, Justin Levy: Pearson Social Media Survey 2010// A rather comprehensive survey of university faculty and use of social media, this survey presented in graphic format is provided by Pearson Learning Solutions, Babson Survey Research Group and New Marketing Labs.


 * Information Literacy**

Searching for Better Research Habits //Inside Higher Ed, September 29, 2010// This is a testimony for information literacy skills (which the American Association of School Librarians has touted for years). “Students do not have adequate information literacy skills when they come to college, and this goes for even high-achieving students,” said Andrew Asher, the lead research anthropologist at the Enthographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries (ERIAL) Project, which recently studied the search habits of more than 600 Illinois students spanning a range of institutions and demographic groups. The findings of inadequacies in curriculum are revealing.

Furthermore, The Big Six Skills also recommended by AASL, have been around for way over a decade. Developed by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, the Big6 is the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world. The Big6 is an information and technology literacy model and curriculum, implemented in thousands of schools – K through higher education.


 * Accessibility**

College Web Pages Are 'Widely Inaccessible' to People with Disabilities //Marc Parry, Wired Campus, August 12, 2010// The study, Web Accessibility: a Longitudinal Study of College and University Home Pages in the Northwestern United States (abstract), found that more colleges are deploying basic accessibility features, like adding alternative text to images so a blind student can understand them with read-aloud software. But those gains were offset by challenges from inaccessible emerging technologies. For example, a person with disabilities who can't use a mouse will often be stymied by a Web site that requires users to hover their mouse over a page element to trigger a sub-menu.


 * Online Learning, Wireless and Other Such Things**

Coming soon: ‘Super Wi-Fi’ connectivity? //eCampus News, September 14, 2010// The Federal Communications Commission is looking to tap into vacant TV airwaves for fast, powerful wireless service.

Top 20 Most Influential People in Online Learning Quote: If you’ve ever wanted to know some of the names behind educational projects such as OpenCourseWare or e-learning options for the state of Texas, then we’ve got the goods. The individuals on this list of the top 20 most influential people in online learning may not have their name in lights, but they may have altered your life forever with their innovations in e-learning and other educational online tools.


 * Gates Foundation and Community Colleges**

Completion Must Be Community-Wide Effort Notes about the community college effort on the Gates Foundation Website.