21st century learners

I rather like this video - it was put on youtube in response to a video 'view of 21st century learners'. It is called 'I am a 21st century learner'. It certainly gives educators some food for thought.

Kids search engine - Kigose

A search engine for kids is kigose. It includes some search tips (I suspect that these would be useful for everyone!). In the 'Internet Safety' area there is a section where you can input a site's web address to give you a diagnostic output about the site - very useful for teachers as it is quick and easy.

There are also areas for Art, Literature, Maths, Social Studies, Sports, Technology, and Science. By clicking on these you will find links to appropriate web sites.

In addition there is a 'translation' area where you can have text translated from one language to another as well as a unit conversion area. Very useful site to use in the classroom.

Phishing Scams in Plain English

Once again Common Craft have put out another great video on Phishing Scams in plain English. It is interesting just how many people are taken in by these so it is to be hoped that this might help to prevent that.

Web 2 research

BECTA have released a report about the use of Web 2. This includes such things as blogs, wikis, social networking with children between the ages of 11 to 16. This report looks at the use of these tools both in and out of the classroom.


The report found that these children used Web 2 a lot in their leisure time but a limited amount in the classroom environment.

The report found that teachers who are using Web 2 technologies found benefits such as:

• Web 2.0 helps to encourage student engagement and increase participation – particularly among quieter pupils, who can use it to work collaboratively online, without the anxiety of having to raise questions in front of peers in class – or by enabling expression through less traditional media such as video.
• Teachers have reported that the use of social networking technology can encourage online discussion amongst students outside school.
• Web 2.0 can be available anytime, anywhere, which encourages some individuals to extend their learning through further investigation into topics that interest them.
  Pupils feel a sense of ownership and engagement when they publish their work online and this can encourage attention to detail and an overall improved quality of work. Some teachers reported using publication of work to encourage peer assessment.
  

I use Web 2 tools with my students. There are so many with so many uses. Teachers need to think laterally to integrate these technologies in authentic and meaningful ways in their classrooms. We look at how a tool works and then use Mindmeister (another Web 2 tool) to do our mindmapping on how this can be integrated into the classroom.

Interactives

"Interactives" provides educators and students with strategies, content, and activities that can enhance and improve students' skills in a variety of curricular areas.

There are many activities here to use in the classroom in Maths, Science, Language, Arts and History. Many of these activities can be used to extend or reinforce concepts for the children.

Spell with Flickr

Another Web 2 tool to use in the classroom Spell with Flickr.

This is a simple to use tool where you enter a word - this word is then displayed using a set of images which spell out the word. These can be copied or saved to use in the classroom.