edutwist.com - teaching and technology

“Free” moves on to free enterprise

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

Today, in response to the announcement of the ning network that it would move from free accounts to premium status, I revisited and updated a post I wrote in February on the free availability of Web 2.0 sites. Please check out my post from February 13, 2010, updated with new remarks ...

A passionate cry for educational reform

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

Dan Brown's video (below) presents the best rationale for educational reform I've seen, and like any provocative cry for revolution, it raises more questions than it answers. Even if we all agree that the U.S. educational system needs an overhaul, HOW do we go about it? We don't agree on the ...

Web 2.0 costs more than you think

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

[caption id="attachment_1508" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Educators created these ning networks for free, but now must pay. Is this unexpected move by ning from free access to paid status another glimpse into the future for Web 2.0 sites?"][/caption] Update: (The original post following these remarks was written on Feb. 13, 2010. Today is ...

Fear of rotary-dial phones (or, how to be gentle when introducing technology)

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

I watched a 1930's-40's video yesterday showing a Grandpa grumbling about rotary dial phones. Seems they were coming to town whether he wanted them or not -- and he did not! What fascinated me about this video (other than the curious retrospective back in time) was how methodically and deliberately ...

Down the rabbit hole: internet addiction

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

Is there life after internet? In the Read Write Web blog, Jolie O'Dell struck a defensive nerve in her daring post "Should Tech Get a Turn-Off?" In her post, she confronts the geeky world of internet addiction and wonders if the seductive lure of the internet makes it much ...

More show and tell: Dave Truss rocks!

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

The POD's Are Coming Not only does this slideshow offer highly important points about opening our minds to new technology in education, but Dave Truss, author of the Pair-a-dimes For Your Thoughts blog, knows the secrets of polishing his visual material so it captures his audience's imagination along with its intellect. ...

Show and tell

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

I wanted to share a couple of eye-openers for educators. iSchool Initiative First, if you haven't checked out the iSchool Initiative yet, visit 17-year-old Travis Allen's website to explore more about his push to bring schools into the 21st Century with iTouch technology. Here's a short introduction to his conceptual dream ...

Imbedded leaders

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

As educators, we are all leaders. Our students look up to us, the public entrusts us to guide their children, and our colleagues depend on us for mutual support. We make decisions continually that affect our students' futures and, by our actions and our attitudes, we contribute to a school's professional, ...

Delicious binge and purge: An invitation to a bookmark makeover

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

It's time for deep cleaning. My delicious.com site is out of control. It's bloated, overloaded and almost as overstuffed as my neglected guestroom closet. The problem with delicious (and its cousin, diigo.com, which I also use) is that they are ridiculously effortless; you can save a website as a bookmark ...

Technology graveyards: Why schools need instructional technology integrators

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

We've run out of room in our schools for the clunky technology of yesterday, both figuratively and literally. We need to get rid of the old equipment, along with the old mindsets, instructional methods, and philosophies that keep us pinned in the past. But change is exploding all around us ...

Links for 2010-09-06 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

State of the Art - Presenting the MiFi of Your Dreams - NYTimes.com
"the MiFi. It creates a personal Wi-Fi bubble, a portable, powerful, password-protected wireless hot spot that, because it’s the size of a porky credit card, can go with you everywhere. The MiFi gets its Internet signal from a 3G cellphone network and converts it into a Wi-Fi signal that up to five people can share. "
How to Protect Your Privacy with Facebook’s New Privacy Settings in 17 Easy Steps
How Secure Is My Password?
test your password for security level
IMAGES FROM THE SALEM WITCHCRAFT TRIALS.
1600s historical events
The Weird
surprisingly fascinating
Fungus, Lichen,
"Most people shudder if they happen to touch the slimy fungus or fruiting moss, and rarely have an inclination to give them a closer look. A few Russian photographers from the Photosight.ru group have braved the damp silent woods and came up with a veritable photographic delights"

Links for 2010-09-05 [del.icio.us]

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

How to make drop-down menus in Google Docs
"Sometimes, you may be using a set of variables over and over in a spreadsheet, or you want to give others an option of a set of options. For example, if you are organizing a potluck party and want people to input what type of food they are bringing (main dish, side dish, salad, desert, soup, bread, etc), you can limit what someone can input with a dropdown menu."
What Are Run-On Sentences? : Grammar Girl :: Quick and Dirty Tips ™
"I bet a lot of you think that run-on sentences are just really long sentences that go on and on like the Energizer bunny. But actually, run-on sentences are sentences that lack punctuation

Links for 2010-09-04 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

video: bb91_student_taking_test_online
How to take a test on blackboard 9.1
video: Bb91_color_coding_the_grade_center (for instructors)
How instructors using Blackboard 9.1 can color code the grade center to indicate status (such as needs grading) and grade ranges (such as failing grades)
video: How to grade one question of a test for all students in Bb9.1 (for instructors)
For instructors using Blackboard 9.1: This is useful for grading essay questions
Declaration of Independence - Transcript
Transcript of the text in the Declaration of Independence
Charters of Freedom - The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights
A study of primary documents and artwork depicting America's rise to a new form of government.
Video: Checking grades in Blackboar 9.1 (for students)
Shows students how to view their grades in a Blackboard 9.1 course
Official Site of the Bowman Body Documentary, "Hi There Horror Movie Fans!"
Tech Comfy NOT Tech Savvy!
"Being tech-comfy, however, does not guarantee their proficiencies automatically grow into new and sophisticated literacies or on line competencies as info-sumers, critical thinkers, and savvy participants in a digital space. "

Links for 2010-09-03 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Franzen Book Controversy: Chick Lit v. Dude Lit - The Daily Beast
"men who write about family and relationship issues in general are ballyhooed as brilliant, while women who write about similar topics are routinely overlooked. "
131 Tips for New Teachers
Introducing Mint™ | The Evolution of Floor Care

Links for 2010-09-02 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Links for 2010-09-01 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Color list for cold pastel azure blue colors :: hex #9EABBC :: rgb 158,171,188
This website provides hex codes and descriptions for html colors. Use the color search to find a particular code.
iPad | Stratepedia Blog
great tutorials with tips for iPad users!

Links for 2010-08-31 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Wikispaces - Tours
Video tutorials showing how to create and maintain a wiki on wikispaces.com