Today's Technology Session at Curriculum Connections

If you participated in today's Using Technology in Smart Living, thank you for your attention! If this is your first visit to a blog, be sure to look around for a while. Blogs read from the most recent post (at the top of the page) to the oldest posts at the bottom of the last page of posts. My intention is to create a resource-rich blog that you can use! Whenever I refer to a website it will be posted as a link (bold and underlined text). You can click on any link and you should end up at that page.

Someone in the group asked a question about asynchronous learning. I copied the following definition from Wikipedia:

The types of available technologies used in distance education are divided into two groups: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous technology is a mode of online delivery where all participants are "present" at the same time. Requires a timetable to be organized. Asynchronous technology is a mode of online delivery where participants access course materials on their own schedule. Students are not required to be together at the same time.

[edit] Synchronous technologies

• Telephone
• Videoconferencing
• Web Conferencing

[edit] Asynchronous technologies

• Audiocassette
• E-mail
• Message Board Forums
• Social Learning websites (social networking sites that focus on e-learning)
• Print Materials^[13]
• Voice Mail/fax
• Videocassette

PLease let me know if you have any additional questions!

TeacherTube links worth investigating

In my last post I was unable to access the TeacherTube links mentioned. TeacherTube is an excellent resource for educators because the videos are created by teachers or their students! Take a few minutes to search for these videos at www.teachertube.com:
24 Hours in the Life of a Digital Native - this video puts the connection between young people and their technology tools....a must see for educators and parents.
Learning, Sharing and Connecting Online with 6 & 7 Year Olds - this video features students using blogs and wikis to create newsletters of their school work.
Why Not Let Our Students Blog? - brief video created by very young children using today's technology tools.

Do you have any videos you can upload to share with other educators???

Excellent technology resources on the web

If you attended one of my Speed Learning Sessions today, thank you for your interest and support! I thought it would be easier if I added the resource links here rather than emailing them out to everyone. If you are interested in an excellent 3 minute video explaining the use of Blogs check out Blogs in Plain English. If you are feeling confident go to Blogger to set up your first blog in 3 easy steps.

Are you ready to try a Wiki??? Before you start I highly recommend you watch this quick video that really hits the mark...Wikis in Plain English. When you are ready to set-up your first wiki, go to PBWiki for a simple start. They will walk you through the process!

I mentioned that I had a few favorite TeacherTube videos, but for some reason the website is not working tonight....sorry about that! I'll let you know when the site is functional again. One of the things that really surprised me as I learned about technology is that YouTube has some excellent technology training videos (it has lots of junk too, but we can overlook that for now). If you are an educator and haven't seen Shift Happens it is well worth the 8 minutes of your time.

Get started and let me know how you are using these technologies in your programs!