Category: Ed Tech

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Treading Water in a Swelling Sea of Information

Digital Nation

You are awash in information. Its marginal cost of production is approaching zero. As costs of goods drop, you naturally consume more.  It’s easy to deal with the other cheap stuff you bought and no longer want. (Just look at all those T-shirts in the back of your closet). Consuming information is different. It competes for your limited attention, and your ability to critically filter out unwanted “informational noise” is emerging as an important new literacy.  

PBS: FRONTLINE’s Digital_Nation explores the implications of living in a world consumed by digital media and the impact that this constant connectivity may have on future generations. Broadcast on Feb 2, 2010

I hope you find the time to watch the show. If you don’t have 90 minutes to spare, you can spend 4 and enjoy this trailer. 

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Does Your Business Work for Mobile Users? Three Design Tips

A recent post on Business Week "The Tech Beat" confirms my casual observation that "Wi-Fi Hotspot Use Shifts from Laptops to Handhelds" 

More people are accessing Wi-Fi hotspots at cafes and airports via handheld devices, according to a new study from In-Stat. While, last year, devices like smartphones accounted for 20% of total connects to Wi-Fi hotspots, in 2009 that number jumped to 35%. And by 2011, smartphones should account for half of hotspot connects — and challenge laptops’ dominance of Wi-Fi hotspots, In-Stat estimates. more

For the last month I've been "on the road" and away from my desktop. I've been almost totally reliant on my iPhone for all my online activities. I can attest to the fact that many businesses will need to retool their web presence to accommodate the new flood of smartphone / handheld users. 

My web design skills topped out with FrontPage '98 so I'm in no position to offer design specifics. But here's a few end user observations based on my smartphone-only month.

Login  1. Internet cafes, keep your wifi login simple. I'm not applying for a mortgage – I just want to use your wifi connection. My favorite login is at Portland Oregon's Ace Hotel. (iPhone screenshot at left) A simple button you "press." It "toggles in" and you are online. No disclaimer to read / agree.

2. Businesses, pay your web designer a few extra bucks and have her develop a second mobile version of your website. Check out the Amazon mobile web version on a smartphone – fast, functional and fully integrated with typical Amazon account functions.

3. Businesses, if you don't develop a mobile version of your site, at least kill off your graphic – intensive splash page. I'm surprised at the number of businesses that have a start page that isn't even visible on my iPhone. No links to click on  - no way into your site from my phone. You own a restaurant. I'm in town looking for a place to eat. Did you think I'd bring my desktop? Your site doesn't even talk nice to Yelp! 

OK – I'm done ranting. Happy new year to all my readers.

Technical note:  I broke down and dragged my laptop to a Portland cafe to post this. Their wifi login disclaimer runs – 5 pages, 22 paragraphs, 1379 words and has a 16 pixel "I agree button" buried at the bottom of the page. 'Nuff said.

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The “Simpsons” Debate the Role of Social Media and Cell Phones In the Classroom

The latest episode of “The Simpsons” (Oct 5, 2009) nicely satirizes the debate over the role of social media in the classroom. Watch this episode and you’ll see the debate framed as “Social Media as Classroom Distraction vs. Social Media Instructional Gimmick.”


Bart Gets a Z

Much of the debate over the role of technology in the classroom is clouded by stereotypes of Luddites vs. Techies. What’s often missed is the point that it’s not about the technology, but the level thinking that technology can support. A PowerPoint can easily dumb down information into a series of shallow bullets, while a Wordle can help us to visualize text to support revealing insights.

Schools should be thoughtfully-designed learning environments where students can investigate information and be given a chance to reflect (with their peers) on what they learned and how they see themselves progressing as learners. That can be done with a variety of technologies – even pencil and paper. A social network is already sitting in the classroom that can interact with information and each other without the need to go online. But at the same time, handheld technology can support a level of investigation and teamwork that far exceeds the traditional classroom discussion group. 

I’m always looking for the cheapest, most dependable, and accessible instructional tool to get the job done – depending on the situation – chalk or Twitter may fill the bill.

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Harness Twitter and Your Audience Backchannel with Wiffiti

Recently I posted about trying out Wiffiti in my professional development sessions. "Use Wiffiti to Engage Your Audience." Since then I've used it a few more times with great success. I thought I'd share a live Wiffiti screen with my readers. This is from my most recent training session at Pomperaug High School in Southbury CT.

Wiffiti accounts are free and it's very easy to use. I created a new Wiffti screen using the school logo and set it to gather the tag #R88. The evening before the presentation (and again that morning), I posted a Tweet asking for greetings – “Say hi to Monday's teacher workshop at Pomperaug HS. (Southbury CT) Go Panthers! Tell us where you're from & why you Tweet. Add tag #R88”  As participants arrived in the workshop, they were greeted on the big screen with encouraging words from all over the world. 

During breakouts I switched back to projecting the Wiffiti screen and invited workshop participant to text message into the screen. They had fun with shoutouts to their friends and comments about the workshop.  Pretty impressive when you're talking about the impact of technology on teaching and learning!

Many thanks to my Twitter PLN who took the time to send us a greeting. You made this possible!

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Inspire Your Students To Tell A Story With Prezi

I've been using Prezi in my workshops and have written a few posts illustrating it's features – brainstorming with Prezi and embedding Prezi in your blog.

Enjoy "Create a Prezi" – a fine video that demonstrates the process in under 5 minutes. (No, I didn't create it!) It will inspire your students and give them a chance to break out of the lineal / PowerPoint style. (Thanks for the tip – Twitter/ashleyproud)

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