Dangers and Opportunities

Dangers and Opportunites
Doug Johnson gave a talk on the dangers and opportunities facing libraries in the 21st Century.  He highlights three dangers and seven opportunites – he’s an optomistic sort.  It is an entertaining and humourous read.    Very quickly, the dangers are
1 – growing digitization and portability of information.  As ipods and handhelds become more [...]

Judging Importance

“The final result is that technology aids our thoughts and civilized lives, but it also provides a mind-set that artificially elevates some aspects of life and ignores others, not based upont their real importance but rather by the arbitrary condition of whether they can be measured scientifically and objectively by today’s tools.  Consequently, science and [...]

Environment, technology and making a difference

I really want an ipod, well an mp3 player. I have been thinking about it for a year or so now. The last time I really thought about it I decided that the cd players and tape players that mostly sit dormant in the t.v. unit were probably still sufficient to the task. [...]

Project – Round One

I compiled the first draft of my Master’s project today.  It is a beautifully round 100 pages.  I don’t know if it is any good, I suspect my advisor will let me know but it is ready to be sent away.  Technically that means, I don’t need to blog anymore.  This blog is my ‘field [...]

The unending Web.20

Within my course on information technologies for learning, we have been looking at the different possbilities for integrating technology into the curriculum.  The possibilities are endless and as a friend put it just today – “Sometimes it feels as if we are chasing smoke.”  It is hard not to feel overwhelmed by the options.  Do [...]

Beyond the Bird Unit!

In the Teacher Librarian magazine (Beyond the Bird Unit, Dec. 2005), Jennifer Robins et al, define three kinds of constructivist lesson planning strategies – Problem based learning, Inquiry based learning and Project based learning. I must admit I have trouble keeping these three straight in my head.
Here it goes, problem based learning, the instructor [...]

21st Century Skills

Janice Friesen’s article, Giving Students 21st Century Skills in Multimedia Schools (2003) gives a quick a dirty look at the need for a new kind of assignment in school.  She highlights some of the advantages of the Big Six research method and mentions a few starting resources, including James Mackenzie’s FNO. This article is a [...]

What’s old is new again!

Doug Johnson has been reflecting on the slow speed of change in the arena of education and particularly educational technology. I was mulling this over as I picked up John Dewey’s Experience and Education. Over the past two years whenever I pick up Dewey, I am surprised and chagrined at the relevance of [...]

In My Language

Maybe you have had the chance to see this video. I believe I was introduced to it via Stephen Downes pointing to Christopher at think:lab.

It is an incredible testament to the nature of intelligence. Even as I accept this woman and her ways of interacting with the world, and [...]

Copyright, plagiarism and school

It is interesting how copyright, free speech and plagiarism are connected. I don’t think I had thought about them as being in a package before. I am trying to make a diagram of it in my mind. I keep thinking back to Lawrence Lessig’s presentation that I’ve mentioned before. How do [...]