Thursday, July 26, 2007
Thinking out of the box…
Often we here how the world will be different in the future...5, 10, 15 years. Today I ran across this article and was blown away by some of this thinking. Thinking of where we have come from, and how much more rapid change is occurring, these ideas are probably not too off base.
Computers Will Extend Human Lifespan
Reading • Emerging Technologies • (1) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Saturday, June 09, 2007
6 C’s of Authentic Learning
I ran across this in the Academy of Discovery wiki and wanted to preserve it here:
In response to the question, “How do you create authentic learning?” ---
- Contextual (Relevant) - All information that is disseminated, and content that is uncovered has a greater context in the past, present, or future lives of the students.
- Connected (Hyperlinked) - All concepts are linked to others’ ideas, whether they be original source documents, experts in the field, student experts who already have an advanced understanding.
- Collaborative - Each assignment has the potential for working with others to brainstorm, create, refine, or revise.
- Change-directed - All knowledge is constantly changing, and so are students understanding and demonstration of knowledge.
- Conversational - Understanding is created through thoughtful discussion, conversation, and debate.
- Continuous (Spontaneous) - Students can pursue all of their inspiration for learning. It does not have to wait until they get to the next class or until they get home because they have access to the technology and the freedom of the environment.
How do you specifically apply these “Cs” to create authentic learning? I think this could be useful to keep us on track as we design learning opportunities.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Seth Godin’s the dip
Soft Tires...Pick Your Dip
Consider the bicycle tire.
The first ten pound of pressure you put into a completely flat tire do no good at all. and adding ten extra pounds to a full tire will burst the tire, defeating the entire purpose of your effort. No, it’s just the last ten pounds, the ones that get it to full that really pay off.
When it’s down five or ten pounds, it might as well be flat. A 10-percent change in pressure makes it defective. If it’s up five or ten pounds, though, the entire wheel is threatened with a blowout. Obviously, it’s the pressure right around full that has the most impact.
How much pressure have we put into the educational technology tire? This not only includes resources, but also evaluation and assessment? In what areas are we below full, around full and above full?
It’s an interesting analogy.