Collected+Blogs+Spring+2011

Danielle's [] ([]) easy alternative is KidzBlog. KidzBlog is an affordable, secure, and simple solution for the elementary teacher wanting to blog on just one classroom computer. Downloads are available for both Windows and Mac OS X and the program resides on that one computer rather than on a school server or elsewhere. Set-up is a matter of just a few steps (choosing a name, selecting design elements, and so on). Then, students write their entries and illustrate them with the simple drawing tools included with KidzLog. Password protection ensures that what students write or draw will not go online until the teacher enters the password. I had not seen this until I was looking for blogs. I like the fact that you can teach your students how to blog but you do not have to worry about who is reading it outside your class.

[] I thought that is was great because you are able to find different things for free for teachers to use in the classroom. [] This one gave ideas for the classroom on what you could teach or use during a certain season, event or what to do with a book that your class might be reading.
 * Alex Helm:**
 * Each blog I found interesting represents a different type of blogger – that of a corporation founded by a educational technology coordinator (and former teacher) offering educational technology services; a discussion by James around living and teaching through Buddha’s teachings; a teacher reflecting on experiences learning from students; a president of an association of computers and technology whose blog looks at education from a similar perspective; and a non-traditional educator and author providing yet another perspective on teaching and learning.**

[|Pete Reilly] is an education blogger that I make sure I read as often as possible because he gets me thinking. His recent post titled An Inconvenient Truth was not about global warming, but about the disconnect between educational mission statements and how they are embodied in schools. [|Pete Reilly] blogs are reflections that are embodied in one of his statements… About this bog…an excerpt: If you enter the profession realizing that you are not just teaching a subject; but you are also teaching students; if you can grasp that you have as much to learn as your students do; if you can persevere through days like my first day, which was pretty much a blueprint for the rest of my horrible first year… **@http://windhorse.edublogs.org/** About this bog…an excerpt: The first time I heard the phrase //There is nothing wrong here// was during a meditation class with Mark Hart. Mark and his wife Kate are the founders of the Bodhisara Dharma Community in Amherst, MA. The phrase, as I am continuing to understand it, refers to the human condition. There is basically nothing wrong with being human and having human emotions. It is the attachment to positive and negative emotions that causes problems. When we identify ourselves as happy, angry, sad, etc. we put limits on who we are.
 * []**
 * @http://edtechlife.com/**
 * Ed Tech Journeys**-Learning is a journey of the mind, the body, and the heart

[|2¢ Worth] Teaching & Learning in the new information landscape… About this blog…an excerpt: Many of the barriers that prevent us from modernizing our education systems come from the baggage of outdated notions about teaching, learning, curriculum, our children, and their future. Asking questions seems to be one way of probing and provoking new perceptions about what we do, why we do it, and how we might adapt within an almost constantly changing environment. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading this blog. It is not always serious and it is not always about education. It comes from a non-traditional educator who is grappling with an intensely exciting world he had no reason to expect.
 * @http://davidwarlick.com/2cents**

Ruth - Also on Blog ;-)

In my world, the interest lies within how **//virtual environments and gaming relate to teaching and learning//**. I did a little Google search and found a few Blogs that reference this topic. It is quite interesting that there are so many people presenting thoughts and ideas on this subject! It truly is a wonderful world we live in.

[|Art of Cyberdribble] [|Digital Reveal: Future Web 2010] [|SLED Blog] [|Mind Leaders Third Force] [|Serious Games Market] [|Educational Games Research] [|Mathias Poulsen]

Karen Clymer: The term “educational blogs” seems to encompass a wide variety of formats and subject areas. The blogs I looked at could be divided into a number of categories, such as leaning theory, K-12 oriented, higher education oriented, education technology, education leadership, and just general theory. Some of the ones I researched were on education technology aspects that I think would challenge even Thatcher, Ruth and Todd. Here are my favorites.

At the top of the list: **The Stingy Scholar** [] This is a truly useful blog. It has lots of short entries, each of them having something to do with lowering the cost of education. We’re not talking about how to save money on photocopying. This blog tackles issues like the high cost of tuition (even Yavapai College would be considered high by this author) and textbooks. There are lots of links to open source information, some controversy about copyright issues. The blog is very focused and I like his slightly radical, irreverent attitude.

Number two on my hit parade: **The ELearning Queen h** [|ttp://elearnqueen.blogspot.com/] This blog focuses on distance training and education from instructional design to e-learning and mobile solutions. The most current blog post is an interview with the Vice President of Skillsoft, a provider of integrated learning solutions for business. The trend: five-minute learning sessions employees can access on their mobile devices, and a 24/7 e-library (similar to a college and university library) that is accessible only to customers.

And finally: The Writings of Lee Krause [] This blog focuses on creativity, innovation, collaboration, technology and e-learning. Some of the most recent posts are topics such as Motivation, Drive, The History of Visual Thinking, and Home vs. School: The Best 21st Century Learning Environment. He inserts lots of animation which keeps the whole blog very lively and engaging. One of the reasons I chose these blogs is that they all exhibit focus, a factor that I will take into account as I work on my own blog.

Todd Conaway

[] Gardner Campbell is someone I have recently discovered in my ds106 course. He is pretty thoughtful about education in general and has some pretty far out views about the role of technology and the future. He is the director of the Teaching and Learning Center at Baylor.

[] Alan Levine lives over in Strawberry in a cabin. I have seen him present a couple times and I had dinner with him and some others in Phoenix one time. While he is pretty darn smart with technology, one thing I love about his blog is that he is willing to laugh at himself and the world. He is funny. Alan is the assistant director of The New Media Consortium.

[] This guy is a teacher in Jakarta and he is a student in the ds106 class I am taking. He is really creative and artistic and reflective. I enjoy the participation he shares and the ideas he has about teaching and learning.

Sukey Waldenberger

One area of educational technology that I'd like to learn more about is Augmented Reality in education. Augmented reality is any experience in which your interaction with the environment around you is enhanced with virtual information. Virtual reality is, of course, an entirely created environment, like Second Life that Ruth mentioned above, but augmented reality allows the blending of reality and virtuality. (Is that a word?) Imagine viewing the Prescott Courthouse through the screen of your smartphone and seeing architectural features highlighted and labeled, or scanning Whiskey Row and seeing buildings from an old postcard superimposed over what is there now. Right now I have an app on my iPod called Star Walk that allows me to look up at the night sky and, at the same time, see information about what I am seeing. So here are a few blogs I try to keep up with, since they all deal with augmented reality at least some of the time.

Education Stormfront deals with all sorts of cutting edge educational technology and its implications. [] Augmented Reality in Education is pretty much self-explanatory [] ProfHacker is a (mostly) technology blog on //The Chronicle of Higher Education.// []

__Joanne Oellers__ Well, I just went browsing around and found:

1. Open Education: free education for all [] This site tracks changes and trends in education. Includes, for example, "In Breaking Down Walls, Does Online Education Sacrifice Quality?" and "A Small-minded Easily-swayed Public". The work here is featured in //The New York Times// and //Chronicle of Higher Education//.

2. Ecology of Education: exploring the ecosystems of learning [] This is a multiauthor K-12 blog that generally explores education and includes humor (Teacher's Field Guide to Parents). Has a cool link ([|http://www.tpt.org/?a=kits&id=]) to clips of the documentary //Digital// //Media: New Learners of the 21st Century//.

3. NeurologicaBlog [|http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=490] This blog's author also produces the podcast "The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe". The blog covers news, especially neuroscience. and examines how society connects with the media.

Molly Beauchman

eLearning Technology: []

This blog is created by Tony Karrer who has tons of information and resources about technology used for teaching online including links to many other blogs that deal with several online teaching topics such as course management systems.

Algebra Word Problems: []

This blog is designed for problem solving strategies for Algebra word problems

Math Education Blog: []

All grade levels –for parents, teachers and students

Jeri's Blogs  Math Blog Sites [] This blog contains math cartoons and humor primarily. I found most of the cartoons deal with higher levels of math. There are tons of archived blog posts organized by date and topic. You really get a feel about how geeky this teacher is—love it. [] This blog approaches math as a hobby. It has some historical perspectives including unsolved famous math problems. It has contains many You-Tube videos. A math major or enthusiast would find this to be a good site. [] This blog is authored by a professor who comments on math problems and answers student questions. I could see this as a good source for algebra students to get help with some of the most commonly asked questions in algebra including word problems.