Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-18

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Do you want your students to be consumers or creators?

The new space of mobile / tablet computing has brought along with it some interesting choices for educators.  Apple has done an extraordinary job of marketing its iPad as the mobile device of the future.  My purpose here is not to argue for or against this claim.  What I would like to talk about are the ramifications of using these types of devices in the classroom.

What Should the Classroom Be?

This is of course an enormous question.  However I would like to present two polarizing views.  Each of these views are going to be a bit of an extreme or caricature of the real world.  However, I think they will reveal some fundamental differences that we can identify when selecting technologies.

The first view of the classroom is that it is fundamentally a place where content is delivered to students.  The students then digest that content and retain it.  Some may refer to this as a “Sage on the Stage” type of mentality.  Textbooks, lectures and educational videos are all delivery mechanism of this type of model. The student becomes a consumer of content.  There is a clear line between those who create content and those who consume it.

The second view of the classroom is that it is an essentially creative space.  In this view, students are active participants in creating and directing their learning experiences.  Digital story telling, role playing, simulations, wikis and blogging are just a few examples of creation centric learning experiences.

With these two views in mind we must now turn our eyes to technology. The first assertion that I will make is that certain technologies (including hardware) will tend to lean toward vision of the classroom or the other.

The First Option

For the sake of example I would like to take two pieces of technology that I have been working with lately and contrast them.  The first device is the iPad.  This device I would assert is in general designed to be a consumer’s device.  Here are a few reasons why. Read the rest of this entry »

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-30

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Podcast Episode 12 – m4lit and Steve Vosloo

Show Notes:

Interview with Steve Vosloo:

News:

Picks of the week:

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-23

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-16

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Podcast Episode 11 – Baker’s Dozen Edition

Show Notes:

Pick of the week:

Matt: Photo Bucket mobile image upload

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    Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-09

    • Teens don't have data plans http://bit.ly/9aF9BE #
    • Getting ready to record the next edtechpodcast. We'll be talking of Google Editions, Teen's mobile technology use, docs.com and much more. #
    • Wikipedia is now selling books: http://bit.ly/cYPwQF #
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    Wikipedia now offering printed books

    Wikipedia has enabled a new feature that allows you to create print based books via the wikipedia website.  The books are a collection of wikipedia articles that you choose.  You can see all the details of how it works below.

    Does this idea have any merit whatsoever?  Or are traditional print texts on their way out in favor of ereaders?  Only time will tell for sure but I wouldn’t count the traditional book down for the count yet.  What is more fundamentally interesting  about this idea though is the interface that allows the end user to create a new compilation of content from existing articles.  I could see this same interface used very effectively to customize textbooks whether they are in print or ebook form.  What are your thoughts?  Is Wikipedia on to something?

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    Paid Google Books Coming This Summer to a Browser Near You

    According to the Wall Street Journal, Google will be releasing “Google Editions” this summer.  This service will compete directly with Amazon Kindle, iBook and B&N’s bookstores.  While not entirely surprising, it is great to see a company that knows how to manage and organize content getting into the book business.  Hopefully this service will be an “everybody gets to play” type of service where authors will be able to directly market to consumers taking out the middle man of the publishers.  What could be even more compelling is if Google editions is combined and tightly integrated with ChromeOS tablets and Android devices.  You can get more details in the video below.

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