Archive of ‘technology’ category

Digital Literacy in Public Libraries

State Library Guidebook: Support for Digital Literacy in Public Libraries

http://webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/webJunction/DLG_Complete_v2.pdf

In their January 2013 Digital Literacy Task Force Report, the American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy (ALA OITP) defines digital literacy as the following:
“Digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information, an ability that requires both cognitive and technical skills.”1

p. 5
Key findings from the press kit, executive summary, and full report state that from a national perspective:
• 62% of libraries report that they are the only source of free Internet access in their communities.
• More than 90% of public libraries offer formal or informal technology training.
• 91% of public libraries provide free Wi-Fi, and 74% of libraries report use of Wi-Fi increased in 2011.
• Over 60% of libraries report increased use of public access workstations.
• 65% of libraries report having an insufficient number of public computers to meet demand.
• 57% of libraries report flat or decreased operating budgets in FY2011.
• For the third year in a row, 40% of state libraries report decreased state funding for public libraries.1

What if LRS offers technology training at the SC Public Library?

Gamification of the LMS

Please look at our blog entry:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2014/09/04/gamification-its-easier-than-you-think/

Gamification of the LMS – A Step Towards Evolution of the Modern LMS

http://www.gc-solutions.net/blog/gamification-of-the-lms-a-step-towards-evolution-of-the-modern-lms/

my note: article is written for the corporate world, but there is no reason why not apply in higher ed.

While applying gaming in learning content, we create timed quizzes, mazes and other such learning tools, which award the learner points, badges or other collectibles. The same mechanics are employed to embed gamification in our strategy for delivering content. Gamification provides an added incentive for learning, making the process of learning enjoyable through the excitement of built-in gaming elements.

two strongest components that help gaming to deliver effective learning – healthy competition between peers and asense of achievement.

  • Certificates
  • Collectible points that can be redeemed
  • Discounts on new content
  • Expert status
  • Special privileges in the portal
  • Fame on the Social Circuit: Leading professional networking site ‘LinkedIn’ has a popular gamification element that has worked very well among users.

Our WiZDOM LMS v5.0 is a new-age Learning Management System which has the built-in capabilities of gamification to make sure that the learner feels motivated to complete the e-courses and is able to have fun while doing it! But while employing game-based learning within the LMS, a few points need to be kept in mind:

  • Know your audience well
  • Provide real benefits
  • Keep a close eye
  • Keep evolving to make it fun

Never Work Harder Than Your Students…

Never Work Harder Than Your Students… Use Technology

http://www.rundesroom.com/2011/07/never-work-harder-than-your-students.html

some_text

1)  Start Where Your Students Are …
2)  Know Where Your Students Are Going …
3)  Expect Students To Get To Their Goals
4)  Support Students Along The Way
http://www.transl8it.com – (English to text lingo conversion – I blogged about this last night – see my post below).
Google Translate – Language translation – spells it (correctly and phonetically), and says it.
Skype – great for author conferences, social studies (talk to people in other countries), keep a student connected who has been absent, or is away on a trip.
https://posterous.com/ – easy way to create your own blog through your email – great for setting up a class blog to keep students / parents informed.
5)  Use Feedback
edmodo.com – It’s almost like a kind of facebook – but you can set it up for your classroom – post questions, reading clubs, etc. and give feedback to students as they answer questions.
ed.voicethread.com
https://docs.google.com – Students can use this for their writing assignments, and not worry about bringing files back and forth to school.  Teachers have access to the page to make corrections / give feedback throughout the writing process.
6)  Focus on Quality Rather Than Quantity
edu.glogster.com – I’ve set up an account with glogster so we can make multi-media posters next year.  I can so see myself using this with science / social studies.
http://www.animoto.com/education – A site for making movies and slideshows.
photopeach.com/education – Another site for making movies and slideshows.
http://www.jaycut.com – Yet another site for making movies and slideshows – this one looks like it has a few more features (like slow-motion).
blabberize.com – Bring your still pictures to life by making them talk – I can so see myself using this next year with my SMARTboard lessons!  Wouldn’t it be cool to make a fraction talk and explain how to do a concept during a math lesson?!?
http://www.wikispaces.com – I am definitely going to investigate this one further.  I’d like to make a wiki for one of my science units next year – assigning students a different part or concept, and then putting it all together.  We could even print off the pages later and turn them into our own reference book.
livebinder.com – A lot of the teachers at the webinar talked about how they would use this resource to set up student portfolios … hmmmmm … intriguing.
epubbud.com – Students can create their own ebooks (which other people can access) and display them on a shelf (similar in looks to shelfari).  A great way to publish their writing, and make the writing process more authentic for them.
http://www.prezi.com – Another multi-media site great for presentations.  Use as an introduction to a new unit, or have students create their own presentations for a certain topic.

7)  Never Work Harder Than Your Students

electronic portfolio: resources

ePortfolio for the Assessment of Learning 

http://www.futured.com/documents/FuturEdePortfolioforAssessmentWhitePaper.pdf

http://www.myefolio.com/
http://chalkandwire.com/index.php/product

A Survey of the Electronic Portfolio Market Sector: Analysis and Surprising Trends

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/10/12/a-survey-of-the-electronic-portfolio-market-sector.aspx

FolioTek, Columbia, Missouri, ePortfolio launch in 2001. Sells in U.S. with interest in expanding globally.

Livetext, LaGrange, IL, founded in 1998. New product: Field Experience Module. Smart phone app: iPad, iPhone, Android. Mostly U.S., but expanding in South America and the Middle East. Easy tie-in to accreditation agencies and their standards. Individual accounts. New release start of 2012. Started in K-12, moved focus to higher education, now exploring K-12 once again, starting with teacher education.

RCampus, produced by Reazon Systems, Santa Ana, CA. Software development started in 1999,

Desire2Learn, Kitchener, Ontario also Baltimore, MD, with offices around the world, founded in 1999. Sells worldwide, latest release for the electronic portfolio (ver. 3.5) was in August 2011. Electronic portfolio and the D2L LMS are bundled; each leverages functionalities from the other. ePortfolio moving to hosting service and individual accounts soon.

Digication, Providence, RI and Palo Alto, CA, founded 2002. Is in partnership with Google Apps. Individual accounts; institution keeps assessment data; individual keeps ePortfolio functionality. Through Google Apps: free digital accounts with Digication (no assessment management functions with these accounts). “Three or four clicks and Digication is enabled.” Almost daily updates. Smart phone app: IOS and Android. Contact jyan@digication.com.

Learning Objects, producers of Campus Pack, in Washington, DC, with employees around the world, founded in 2003.

TaskStream, New York City, organized 1998, founded 2000, markets internationally, versions available in a variety of languages. Offers separate platforms, AMS (Accountability Management System) and LAT (Learning Achievement Tools); each is multi-component.

Longsight, based in Ohio with offices in NY, IN, OH, WI, and CA, founded in 1978, a service provider for open source solutions. Supports both the Open Source Portfolio (OSP) and Sakai, within which OSP is embedded.

Chalk & Wire, Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada;

NobleHour, produced by TreeTop Software, in Lakeland, FL, founded in 2011

Sherston, Tag Developments, the assessment division of Sherston Software, Ltd., providers of Red Pen Tool: http://www.maps-ict.com/redpentool.mov, of LiveAssess: http://www.maps-ict.com/liveassess.mov, and of MAPS 3: http://www.maps-ict.com/maps3.mov.

PebblePad from PebbleLearning, in Telford, UK, with office in Australia, founded in 2003. Most popular ePortfolio in the U.K. and Australia,

Symplicity, in Arlington, VA, offers an electronic portfolio (http://www.symplicity.com/reflection) but it is only one among dozens of products that Symplicity offers–all of them are management tools for higher education (see http://www.symplicity.com/products). Good example of separating products to support a single function.

Blackboard

eFolioWorld, technology from Avenet, the Minnesota Colleges and Universities portfolio system,

iWebFolio, from Nuventive. Also known for TracDat, marketed since the 1990s, Nuventive founded 2000.

Epsilen,

Mahara,

eLumen,

A survey of e-pdp and e-portfolio practice in UK Higher Education

http://www.islamicstudiesnetwork.ac.uk/assets/documents/pdp/survey_of_epdp_and_eportfolio_practice_in_uk_higher_education.pdf

p. 10 and p. 18 offer questionnaires for assessment

Exploring Faculty Perceptions of ePortfolio Use and Its Relationship to Faculty Teaching Beliefs

http://ncepr.org/finalreports/WSUfinalreport.pdf

p. 3 questionnaire  p. 5

Five Apps To Test Your Physics Skills

Beyond Angry Birds, Five Apps That Test Your Physics Skills

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/01/beyond-angry-birds-five-apps-that-test-your-physics-skills/

1. Crayon Physics Deluxe worldofgoo

2.  World of Goo                  coaster_crafter

3. Coaster Crafter               602196_434936999916746_2105602860_n-1

4. Amazing Alex                  tinkerbox

5. Tinkerbox

All the above games have physics in common but they’re also all in 2D. If students love these games, consider challenging them with 3D and even 4D games that put physics knowledge to the test. Valve’s Portal series is a great choice, or look into the equally mind-bending first-person games Antichamber or Quantum Conundrum, both of which go beyond the boundaries of Newtonian physics and Euclidean geometry.

influencers

Who Are The Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers, 2013?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/04/17/who-are-the-top-50-social-media-power-influencers-2013/

The 55 Unknown Rock Stars In Tech, According To Marc Andreessen

 http://www.businessinsider.com/the-55-unknown-rock-stars-in-tech-according-to-marc-andreessen-2014-10?op=1#ixzz3H683duZv

10 Twitter Chats for Teachers:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/77898268530455682

some_text

tablets

Hands-on with the new Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3

http://www.cnet.com/pictures/apples-refreshed-ipad-line-pictures/

Apple created the A8X processor specifically for the iPad Air 2. The new chip has a second-generation 64-bit architecture, houses 3 billion transistors, and compared to the iPhone 6‘s A8 chip, has a 40 percent faster CPU, while its GPU is 2.5 times faster.

rear 8-megapixel iSight camera boasts a new sensor to capture 3,264×2,448 resolution photos and 1080p HD video.

Apple added an impressive anti-reflective coating to the iPad Air 2, which allegedly reduces glare by 56 percent.

Review: Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 Merges Power and Productivity

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2014/10/review-microsoft-surface-pro-3-packs-punch

250-gigabyte hard drive, the Surface Pro 3 offers 15GB of online storage through Microsoft OneDrive

12-inch screen’s 3:2 aspect ratio

Intel Core i5 that could crunch large Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft PowerPoint files with ease

 

Google Glass issues

Help – my glass can’t start – Explorers Community

I just received the glass yesterday.  After fully charge the glass and turn it on, it displays the “Glass” logo then keeps on “main stopped unexpectedly” -> “voice stopped unexpectedly” -> “camera stopped unexpectedly”.  What’s wrong with it? The seller told me it is a common problem. (boot looop?)  After a hard-reset, it still does not function.

call 1-800-Glass-XE for support

https://code.google.com/p/google-glass-api/issues/detail?id=533&can=1&sort=-id&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Priority%20Owner%20Component%20Summary

https://glass.google.com/myglass

Device 2

Last Activity: May 1, 2014, 7:11:43 AM
Registered: Apr 30, 2014, 9:11:17 AM
Software Version: XE16.11
Serial: LGCCC140574672
Wi-Fi MAC Address: f8:8f:ca:26:16:83
Talked to 1-800-Glass-XE. The issue is because the OS (XE16.11) is not updated. In order to to push the updates, GG needs to be reconnected to Wi-Fi. Easiest way is if GG “remembers” previous settings. In this case, any phone or tablet that GG has been connected before will do. Battery must be  charged at least 50% (at least an hour).
GG can take the updated also directly from Wifi, but the SCSU WiFi does NOT take devices like Google Glass yet.
If updates cannot be pushed to Google Glass, then the “owner” of the device has to talk to Google for replacement.

1 72 73 74 75 76 100