Fun & Exciting Stuff

How do we get here?

Over at this historical blog Lynn Meighan pointed out to us called Old Picture of the Day I have come across an interesting idea. I don’t know if it is educational or not, but is it possible to stump the internet?

This is just amazing. 438 students are freshmen this year.

# Percentage of first-year applicants who applied online in 2003: 33%.
# Percentage of applicants who did last year: 89%.
# Year that an incoming Amherst College class first created a Facebook group so that they could socialize and otherwise get to know each other prior to arriving on campus: 2006.
# By the end of August 2008 the total number of members and posts at the Amherst College Class of 2012 Facebook group: 432 members and 3,225 posts.
# Students in the class of 2012 who registered computers, IPhones, game consoles, etc. on the campus network by the end of the day on August 24th, the day they moved into their dorm rooms: 370 students registered 443 devices.
# Number of students in the class of 2012 who brought desktop computers to campus: 14.
# Number that brought iPhones/iTouches: 93.

And I am running dittos and using a textbook. Sheesh. I have never felt like an old lady driving a 1970 Pinto in the slow lane of the 6 lane super highway. Teaching is passing us by.

As part of thier “back-to-school” posts, many blogs are listing different tools for students. Lifehacker has this nifty looking tool called StudyRails. Only $5.00 a month.

Short, sweet and to the point. I don’t think I could have said it any better.

From Vicki Davis’ Cool Cat Teacher blog. Of the many interesting things she discusses here, I will be doing the textbook scavenger hunt and taking away cell phones. The rest are blocked or can’t be accessed through my computer. Information Technology Skills??? I am sure we can’t even allow ourselves to use some of these. Although gCal, among others, would be helpful and a useful communications tool.

This would be my ultimate professional development day. Communicate with colleges about how to implement changes in your curriculum connected to technology. Instead of taking us from the classroom for a day, set aside a time, (10 minutes) to communicate with others. Think of how much we would learn.

Cosand became a Twitterer about a year ago, and he now considers Twitter one of his best sources of real-time professional development. “I’m able to get information and find opportunities I wouldn’t have been able to gather on my own,” he says.

Twitter is the most popular platform for microblogging, which combines the features of blogging, text messaging, and social networking. Since it launched in 2006, Twitter has attracted more than a million users, including a growing community of educators.

What’s all the buzz about? Teachers who are fans say they appreciate the easy-to-use tool as a quick way to network with colleagues. They like being able to ask and answer questions, learn from experts, share resources, and react to events on the fly.

Google is proclaiming that they have 1 million users worldwide. Does your school use it? It would seem like a cheap way to get out from under the behemouth that is Microsoft. For districts on a shoe string, this might be a way to get out of those extra fees.

Jacquie Henry and I are having an online discussion about ITS in the comments section of her blog. I am just not sure about the web 2.0-ness of the skills she has there.