It is time for year end lists – best, worst, etc.
Eschool News has a nice list of the biggest ed-tech stories. I might come up with some different suggestions, but I like this list because the staff make the effort to offer substantial justification for each item. This content, agree or not, makes it a worthwhile read.
The newest tech buzz seems to be focused on the newest wonderkid – Nick D’Aloisio. His product is Summly an app that takes a new approach to summarizing web pages. Here is a description from Wired. I have been giving the app a try (it is free) with mixed results. I first tried some of the content I write – nothing generated was a summary. Of course, my students do claim I am hard to understand. Then, I tried summarizing articles about Summly. Some results seemed reasonable (second image), others would not allow you to provide a description of the product (first image).
This title is not my own – I attribute it to Leo Laporte. If I have a hobby, besides writing stuff to amuse myself, it is probably photography. I have no idea if my images are any good – I guess this only matters if I try to sell a photograph I take.
I like this blog post on how the iPhone has changed photography. I don’t have an iPhone (personal decision to encourage other products), but I think the idea of caring a reasonable camera in y0ur pocket is a significant opportunity to document and share experiences. Sharing your personal world with images somehow changes things.
Very nice post from the Langwitches blog on student blogs. Cindy always said the same thing in a more basic way – why would teachers settle for something in a technology project that would not be acceptable if it were a traditional writing assignment?
Trying to figure what you might concentrate on if you have a reason to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to preparing for the next big area of emphasis in ed tech? Who might care? I guess I do in a way. I write about technology integration and what I write must survive for a few years before I get the chance to write again.
One strategy for making such predictions might be described as follow the money. Assume the big investors are smarter than you and find out what relevant to educational practice these investors are betting on. Here is an analysis from Co.Exist. I can accept the three areas – I think the same three areas can be addressed if a variety of ways.
I have been a critic of the bring your own device advocates (BYOD), not so much because I am against diversity in devices (although I do assume this increases the complexity of the instructor’s job), but because of the diversity in devices students and their parents can provide. I see this as an equity issue and we somehow assume the responsibility of the government and the school district can be ignored.
I came across a post today that argues against this (my) position and I think it is fair to review both arguments.
You must be logged in to post a comment.