When I finally met Agafia, what surprised me was that rather than feeling like a primitive situation, it felt like arriving in the future – to a world with no technology, the vast forest littered with discarded space junk. It is an incredible and beautiful place
Infuse Learning
Infuse Learning is a tablet-based student response system for learning through conversation and collaboration. Teachers can build assessments and track students’ responses. The drawing-response tool (for sketches and diagrams) is a powerful feature here. Also, there’s native-language support for English learners. Read full review.
Kahoot
Kahoot is a game-based classroom response system. Teachers can create quizzes using content from the web. Questions appear on a class screen; without needing an account, students answer in real-time on a mobile device. Kahoot is different in that it creates an engaging competition. Students can also create their own quizzes and assessments. Read full review.
Socrative
Socrative is a student response system with a variety of activities: quizzes, assessments, games, and even exit notes. Teachers control the flow of exercises; students respond in real time. It generates reports to help teachers track learning over time. Read full review.
Turnitin
Turnitin is mostly a tool for promoting originality in students’ writing (or catching plagiarism). However, it’s also a tool to support the writing process — from teacher feedback and grading to peer evaluation and review. There’s also a handy discussion forum feature, with built-in moderation. Read full review.
Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere isn’t just for schools, but works well as a classroom response system. Students can respond via text message, Twitter, or a Web browser; teachers can project the results on the Web, or in a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation. Read full review.
TodaysMeet
TodaysMeet is a backchannel to help an audience and presenter connect in real time. Like a closed version of Twitter, posts are limited to 140 characters. Teachers can offer students a live stream for discussion, addressing issues on-the-spot, or as an after-lecture reflective activity. Read full review.
Backchannel Chat
Backchannel Chat is just for educational use. Students don’t have to enter any personal information into the system, and teachers can save, search, and archive discussions. Teachers also get a lot of control with customizable moderation options, a room-locking feature, and filtering for unwelcome content. Read full review.
GoSoapBox
is a student response system offering teachers more than a standard quiz/poll tool. The social Q&A feature allows students to vote the most relevant questions to the top, and a “Confusion Barometer” tool lets teachers track understanding throughout a lesson. Read full review.
Blendspace
Blendspace allows teachers to collect resources from the web and create a customizable, blended-instruction experience for students. Formative assessment tools are built in, allowing multiple question types, and the ability to track students’ progress over time. Read full review.
Collaborize Classroom
Collaborize Classroom allows teachers to create an online classroom community for learning — a home-base for online discussion forums, polls, assessments, and student-driven projects. There are differentiation tools and customized learning opportunities for individuals and small groups. Read full review.
Quizizz is an alternative to Kahoot, and there’s also a lot for educators to like. It is very similar to Kahoot, with a few key differences.
Just like Kahoot, the teacher (or student host) chooses a quiz to begin. A five digit game code is provided. Players point their browsers to join.quizzizz.com and input the game code, along with their names. If players are using smartphones or tablets, I display the join link as a QR code.
Quizizz takes a different approach. No projector is necessary becauseplayers see questions and answer options on their own screens. The question order is randomized for each student, so it’s no easy for players to cheat. With Quizizz, players don’t have to wait for the whole class to answer a question before they continue to the next one.
So, Quizizz is player-paced while Kahoot’s pace is determined by the teacher or host. This is the major difference and can be a benefit or a drawback. If you want to pause after each question, then Kahoot is better. The class can stop and discuss after each question, immediately addressing misconceptions. With Quizizz, players zip through questions at their own pace, limiting all discussion to after all questions have been answered.
Over the past few years, Twitter’s status as a platform for public debate is a dog-whistle platitude that has become the gilded shield of First-Amendment-waving journalists everywhere, like our very own #NotAllMen hashtag, to justify the mishandling – and, in some cases, even endangerment – of our sources for digital stories (and, yes, tweets should be considered sources).
Instagram wants you to share your most special moments on its ap, but if you’ve been using it for awhile you may have also accidentally shared some much more personal information.
an annual trade show in the United Kingdom that showcases the use of information technology in education. The show has also expanded from being a purely technology show, and whilst it has played host to companies ranging from multinationals Microsoft, Google and Apple Inc. to small single-product firms, it has also created themed zones for exhibitors, such as those specialising in SEN provision. New for 2015 is its “Bett Futures” feature, which aims to select and promote 30 educational technology start-ups, selected by a panel of expert educators.[3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BETT)
As we continue to move into a more digital world, the digital badge has been heralded as a means to demonstrate evidence of work online, an alternate method of accreditation, and a solution to support, guide and motive learners. With examples from a university ahead of the curve in the use of digital badges, learn what roles badges could have in your teaching
Please join us for this free webinar and learn fun and effective ways to develop technology skills amongst library staff:
Technology Training for Library Staff: Effective and Engaging Training Programs
Wednesday, January 27, 11:00am-12:00pm PST
Registration Link: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/lpbeog1w500a&eom
How can we get library staff excited about learning new technology skills? How can libraries be better prepared to help the public with technology questions? How can staff go from tech shy to tech savvy? Designing an engaging technology training program can help all library staff get up to speed.
Join us for this free webinar to learn about two fun and engaging staff technology training programs in public libraries. Our guest panelists will share details of their programs, including success stories and lessons learned.
The Estes Valley Library dedicated six months to bringing every staff member up to technical literacy through trainings that were hands-on and fun. Tech Guide Diana Laughlin will share their Technology Competencies, the process they created for staff learning, and the way they approached staff accountability.
The Sunnyvale Public Library designed the True Tech Ninja program. Adult Services Librarian Rachel Schmidt will share how they created a gamified program to teach technology skills through seven stages. Team work was encouraged and rewarded, and library administration played a key role in motivating staff to learn.
This webinar will be recorded and archived on the TechSoup for Libraries website. Please register for this webinar to receive an email notification when the archive is available. Email questions to cschimpf@techsoupglobal.org
tech ninja training. 7 ninja skills. your first mission is to master the library web page. complete these three tasks.
(my note: using gaming and gamification techniques). and this is how this library improved their web site – through gamification and including ALL parties, whereas this SCSU library has a web committee, where a regular LRS employee (heaven forbid a regular student) to gain participation on its web page is very much the same as to gain access to the federal reserve.
@TechSoup4Libs
“Would you like fries like that?” aka the art of up-selling: Tell patrons about services they might not already know about! #ts4libs. like for example the digital literacy instruction and other technology technology sessions, which some of the LRS faculty offer, but for some reason, they fail to be promoted by the LRS librarians.
Technology Skills for Library Staff: Effective and Engaging Training Programs
Dear Plamen Miltenoff,
Thank you for attending our webinar! You can view the archive materials for this webinar by clicking the links on the right. Additional resources can be viewed at the links below. Be sure to sign up to receive the TechSoup for Libraries Newsletter.
As for learning, our survey indicated that students used smartphones (77 percent) and tablets (79 percent) for academic reasons. When asked how often their instructors required a mobile device, there was a significant drop-off for smartphones (19 percent) and tablets (13 percent). This reveals a missed opportunity for instructors to engage with students in a way that is familiar to them. – See more at: http://blog.canvaslms.com/like-it-or-not-students-love-their-mobile-devices-for-learning#sthash.ztx8ousF.cvgdnuFI.dpuf
Excellent discussion on the blend-online listserv on :
Can anyone recommend a good social network platform, preferably Cloud-based, that could be used to facilitate substantive organic communication and collaboration among past, present and future students on a handful of online and blended learning programs?
From: The EDUCAUSE Blended and Online Learning Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:BLEND-ONLINE@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU] On Behalf Of Robert Tousignant Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 11:50 AM To:BLEND-ONLINE@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Subject: Re: [BLEND-ONLINE] Social network platforms for HigherEd
Also, as mentioned in my previous post, Schoology (http://www.schoology.com) offers an LMS with a modern social media interface and integrations with Facebook, Microsoft OneDrive, etc… you might want to add it to the list as well.
I added both thanks for the update and clarification.
Facebook Group
“Groups for Schools” feature today which will allow American colleges to create Group pages accessible only within the school community.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking service. Founded in December 2002 and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking.
K-12 Edmodo
Edmodo is a social networking site for teachers and students where over 46 million teachers, students, and parents are connecting to collaborate on assignments, discover new resources. Edmodo is a web 2.0 social networking tool for educators to use to communicate with students and parents.
Microsoft OneDrive
A file hosting service that allows users to upload and sync files to a cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser or their local device.
12manage.com
A free management education and business education platform for management and organization of business or education.
Yammer
Yammer a private social network collaboration software and business applications that allows the user to connect to the right people, share information across teams and organize around projects.
Celly
Celly is a platform for ad-hoc social networks that is accessible via iPhone, Android, Web, SMS text and even email. Networks connect individuals and communities for instant and easy communication.
Jive
Jive is a communication and collaboration platform solution for business. Jive enables employees, partners and customers to work together.
Twitter
Twitter is a powerhouse for marketing, communication, business, and even education, letting people from around the world work together, share ideas, and gain exposure to concepts.
Google+ Communities
Google+ is a place to connect with friends and family, and explore interests. Google+ allows the user to share photos, send messages, and stay in touch with the people globally.
Hive Social
Hive Social is a specialist Social Media consultancy, that helps businesses and brands find, connect, build and engage with their online audience through Social Media and Digital Marketing.
Enterprise Hive
HiveSocial for higher education is an enterprise social software, communication and collaboration platform with embedded game mechanics
Socialtext
Socialtext applies Web 2.0 technologies such as enterprise microblogging, enterprise social networking and wikis to the critical challenges facing businesses. Socialtext’s platform allows employees to share expertise, speed workflows, and get their jobs done faster.
Elgg
Elgg an open source social networking software that provides individuals and organizations with the components needed to create an online social environment. It offers blogging, microblogging, file sharing, networking, and groups
“Learning is finding out what you already know, Doing is demonstrating that you know it, Teaching is reminding others that they know it as well as you do. We are all learners, doers, and teachers.”
A Facebook group is probably the quickest, easiest, and will give you the best engagement. Data shows that in the under 25 age group, Facebook groups is still popular.
If you were trying to reach mainly current and future, I would shift to LinkedIn.
All of those other social networks and white label networks require people to remember another log in, site, and place to check and update. You might get good engagement up front, but it will deteriorate.
David Kampmann, M.S. in Ed, CFD | Southeast Technical Institute
Can anyone recommend a good social network platform, preferably Cloud-based, that could be used to facilitate substantive organic communication and collaboration among past, present and future students on a handful of online and blended learning programs?
I am familiar with Google+ Communities, Yammer, Jive and Socialtext, but I am wondering if there are other solutions worth investigating. Facebook at Work might be a possibility, but it is too early to tell. Elgg is also a viable option, especially, a hosted Elgg instance, but identifying a fully functional, customizable and super easy to use and administrate Cloud-first solution is most desirable.
GameMaker: Studio Grades: 5–12 Pricing: Free, paid Concepts: Digital creation, programming and coding, game design
GameMaker: Studio is a robust game-making tool that appeals to both entry-level novices and game-development pros alike.
The Orchestra Grades: 6–12 Pricing: $13.99 Concepts: Music theory, memorization, listening, part-whole relationships
The Orchestra is an interactive iPad app for exploring classical music, the orchestra and orchestral instruments.
WonderBox Grades: 2–8 Pricing: Free Concepts: Design, geography, curiosity, imagination, making new creations
As its name suggests, WonderBox is an app that piques kids’ natural curiosity through video, drawing, taking pictures, messaging with family and friends and engaging in multistep challenges.
A.D.A.M. Interactive Anatomy Online is a 3D visualization and curriculum-development tool all about the human body. Teachers can select and create assignments that allow students to manipulate 3D images of the human body.
Construct 2 Grades: 7–12 Pricing: Free, paid Concepts: Digital creation, programming and coding, game design
Construct 2 is a Web-based 2D game-creation tool for students and teachers who want to get into game design without the need to know programming languages.
Set in a tropical jungle full of brightly colored fruit and animated birds, Fruity Fractions teaches fractions concepts to kids in first through third grades.
Pennsylvania State University will start using Starfish by Hobsons enterprise software to identify and assist at-risk students in real time. By Michael Hart 12/15/15
“Advising is not just about selecting classes or checking on degree requirements,” said Penn State Executive Vice President and Provost Nicholas Jones. “It involves a sustained conversation that enables students to understand and articulate how the many pieces of their education come together as a whole.”
