Attention Google Apps Users

"Over the next couple of weeks, we are rolling out the ability for Google Apps users to easily upload and securely share any type of file internally and externally using Google Docs. You get 1 GB of storage per user, and you can upload files up to 250 MB in size."

Mary Ann Apple 13 Jan 2010

Bright Ideas

I was looking into finding more info on YouTube access for students when I was directed by the awesome Educator's PLN Ning to Michael Wesch's work with YouTube. Inadvertently I came across his recent discussion on using the power of smart mobs to enhance classroom discussion. Read Prof. Wesch's recent blog post from his Digital Ethnography class at Kansas State Univ: How to get students to find and read 94 articles before the next class.

He is inspired by the work of Howard Rheingold, author of Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution in which "Rheingold primarily explores the sociology that might characterize a world of 'ad-hocracy', in which people cluster temporarily around information of mutual interest." [Booklist] This book is available at the Winnetka Campus New Trier Library [303.483 R469]

I am looking into other articles of this nature by Googling Smart Mobs. When I use the wonder wheel, I am able to find other keywords such as crowd sourcing, "wisdom of crowds", and Jeff Howe's work in this area. Don't forget the power of the wonder wheel when teaching keywords; visual learners will benefit from this graphical way to explore topics by clicking on related searches that dig deeper.

Welcome to the Twitter U wiki

Welcome to TwitterU!
Take charge of your own learning 24/7/365
From the wiki: "Think about all the links you miss during the school day. Imagine if those links were accompanied by a hashtag that would make it easier to search by topic."
Add your own hastags! Help build this PLN.

This wiki was just created on January 1 and in less than 2 weeks, the power of the mob will turn it into quite a nice personal learning network.

Kiran Bir Sethi teaches kids to take charge

This new TED Talk is catching on: educator Kiran Bir Sethi shows how her groundbreaking Riverside School in India teaches kids life's most valuable lesson: "I can." Watch her students take local issues into their own hands, lead other young people, even educate their parents.

pbs Survey on Digital Media use

This week, pbs said: New Research Reveals PreK-12 Educators Increasingly Value and Use Digital Media. The annual PBS/Grunwald survey, "Digitally Inclined," was released Tuesday. The survey includes data collected from pre-K educators for the first time and reveals the growing use of digital media among educators. Here's a link to the release for more details and to download a free copy of the survey.

Language Resource: Memidex

Take a look at Memidex, a free dictionary and thesaurus. It offers multiple definitions and suggests synonyms. English language learners will find it especially helpful.

For instance, I looked up "class" and it gave me separate links to 15 definitions, some having to do with education, elegance or social standing, biology, and the abbreviation for classified advertising. With so many synonyms and examples of specific uses, Memidex is a great compliment to OneLook or dictionary.com, a student favorite which allows users to improve vocabulary by signing up for an email word of the day.

RefSeek's Guide to Best Educational Videos Online

Be sure to check out RefSeek's guide to the 25 best online resources for finding and viewing educational videos. "With the exception of BrainPOP and Cosmeo, all listed sites offer their extensive video libraries for free and without registration."

One that I definitely intend to explore further is ResearchChannel, founded by a consortium of leading research and academic institutions which share the valuable work of their researchers. Their library houses more than 3,500 full-length programs, including thousands of interviews with leading thinkers.