Daily Bookmarks 02/02/2007

High Tech Learning: Learning Spaces: Social Networks  Annotated(1)

  • Comparison of different types of social networks and ideas on how to use them for learning.
     – post by christyinsdesign

Quote:Well-constructed social environments provide an excellent opportunity to model high tech learning in a safe online environment. In other words, experienced learners can share their experience with new learners.

Social software and learning

  • Report on the changes in education with a growing focus on preparing students for lifelong learning and the changes in technology allowing the building of online communities and networking.
     – post by christyinsdesign

The Strength of Weak Ties: Uh oh-Another Flickr Post

  • Good description of uses of Flickr for digital storytelling. Includes an explanation of Flicktion and a project called “Putting a Face on Statistics.”
     – post by christyinsdesign

Learning Technology: Blogging as an Educational Technology

  • Learning Technology’s special issue on blogs in education. Articles include blogs as eportfolios, collective learning through blogs, and examples of blogging to improve writing. Unfortunately the formatting (or lack thereof) makes the site hard to read.
     – post by christyinsdesign

2 thoughts on “Daily Bookmarks 02/02/2007

  1. I wonder if part of it is that schools as institutions have focused too much on control. Home schoolers may have accepted critical thinking earlier because the power structure is very different, especially for the unschool adherents. That’s a broad generalization, of course; there have always been great teachers in public schools who have encouraged critical thinking, and there are home schoolers who discourage it.

    I think the Read/Write Web tools are changing some of the power structures. When students are used to creating, synthesizing, and analyzing on their own, they have less tolerance for the old “chalk and talk” model.

    As for the question of whether anyone will listen–that’s a big one. To some extent, I think it is going to happen anyway as older teachers retire and digital natives become teachers themselves. However, I sincerely hope that we can start making and planning for the changes much sooner than that. The edublog community is growing, and that gives me hope. Right now, I’m thankful that you’re being asked for these materials, and I hope that I can play my little part towards encouraging these changes!

  2. In the past few years it’s become increasingly amazing to me that the Home Schoolers got this message way before the mainstream educational systems. They are leading the way in preparing their children with critical thinking curriculums.

    And now (finally?) I am getting more requests from schools who want to “add” critical thinking to their learning labs and curriculums.

    Thanks for the push. Will anybody listen?

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