Weekly Tech Tip - Twitter for Teachers

Twitter is quickly becoming a valuable and popular tool for teacher professional development. This week's TIES conference was a testament to that. This week's tech tip is a beginner's introduction to Twitter for Teachers.

Tech Tip:



Presentation by Caitlin Cahill (presented at the TIES conference) on Twitter for Professionals:

Twitter-Related Links:

• - Microblogging - for messages 140 characters or less. Curriculum ideas!
• - Twitter Search Engine Curriculum ideas!
• Bing Twitter Search
• - Neat site that is kind of like a mashup between Google Earth and Twitter.
• - map where the people you are following are tweeting from
• - Twitter screencasting mashup tool
• - See Twitter like someone else
• - Leave a private voicemail for anyone on Twitter and they'll be notified via @reply.
• - Allows you to tweet audio.
• - Stream live from your webcam on Twitter
• share images and video on Twitter
• Post pictures and map them on Twitter
• - Lyric Rat is naming that tune in 140 characters or less on Twitter.
• Twapper Keeper lets you archive #tag discussions from Twitter

• Create a Diary-Like PDF Book of your Twitter Tweets

• The Twitter Tim.es - generates a personal newspaper from your Twitter stream
  
• Twitter Clients:
  
• Tweetdeck - For your computer
• Echofon - for your iPod Touch or iPhone
• Twitterific - for your iPod Touch or iPhone
• Twitter Mentionmap - PLN Visualization Tool (#edchat #tristateplp)
• #ties2009 Twitter @TIES Conference

TIES Conference Roundup:

• TIES 2009 - Aimee Bissonette
• #ties2009 Mike Horn Keynote
• #ties2009 Bernie Dodge on Engagement
• #ties2009 Dr. Robert Marzano - TIES Conference Day 2 Keynote

Weekly Tech Tip: Digital Media, Social Tools, and Ethics

Weekly Tech Tip:

• Digital Youth Research: Kids' Informal Learning with Digital Media
• Student Free Speech: When Teachers are the Targets by Aimée M. Bissonette, J.D.
• New Report Says Adults Need to Get Involved in Teens’ Online Activities - Harvard University
• Technology Educators Decry New Digital Divide By Andrew Trotter
• The Digital Production Gap: The Digital Divide and Web 2.0 Collide by Jennifer A Schradic, University of California Berkley
  

Blog Carnival:

• Technology Transformation: The Death Valley Bloomby Pete Reilly on Ed Tech Journeys
• You Are What you Search Part 1 by Rodd Lucier on The Clever Sheep blog
• Should I be Thinking About Moving to a One to One Model? by Pete Reilly on Ed Tech Journeys
• Two Road Blocks to Transformation We Have Yet to Address by Pete Reilly on Ed Tech Journeys
• Does your school organization reflect our new digital information landscape? by Scott McLeod on Dangerously Irrelevant
• 1:1 A Wise Choice? by Julie Lachance on The eJulez Perspective
• Researchers Say the Social Web Improves Kids' Literacy (Geeks Say 'Duh') from ReadWriteWeb
• I Don’t Need Your Network (or Your Computer, or Your Tech Plan, or Your…) by Will Richardson from Weblogg-ed
  

Link Stew

• Study: Children Who Blog Or Use Facebook Have Higher Literacy Levels
• Willingham: Six practical reasons arts education is more than a luxury on The Washington Post
  
• Official Google Mobile Blog: Mobile Search for a New Era: Voice, Location and Sight
• Trillions from MAYAnMAYA on Vimeo.
• Mentionmap - A Twitter Visualization - See how Twitter users are connected
• .: Sumo Paint 2.0 :. - Another browser-based image editor that looks and feels like Photoshop
• Memoov - Animation Studio online
• New Choice Health - compare prices on medical procedures at different hospitals
• REDFLY - by Celio Corp - Device you plug a Blackberry into to turn it into a laptop. Gives your phone a full-size screen and keyboard.
• Doing What Works - Research-Based online teaching strategies
• Edudcation Week - Four Flawed Assumptions of School Reform
• Good Video Games and Good Learning by James Paul Gee
• Scott Kim takes apart the art of puzzles - TED Talk
• Shuffle Brain | Smart games for a connected world
• ProProfs - Create your own Puzzle Games

Weekly Tech Tip - Research, Collaborate, Create, Publish and Repeat

Weekly Tech Tip:

Last week I sent everyone the results of our student technology survey. Today I came across a fascinating article that can help inform our analysis of this data. UCLA recently did a study on the effect internet use has on our brains that seems to support some of our findings. A lot of this data proves things we already knew, namely that engaging students in projects that require higher-order thinking results in greater student achievement and more cognitive growth. However, this also means we need to keep this in mind when we are designing learning activities and assessments for our students. One general area that this study finds very positive benefits with is student blogging and website building which is a rather low-impact activity we can integrate into many of our classes. In this screencast I talk through the findings from UCLA, contrast them with our school's survey results, and show where you can go to get students involved with blogging or building websites. If you are interested in integrating this into your classroom don't hesitate to ask for assistance.

• How Using The Internet Is Changing Our Brains

• What the web is teaching our brains

• Digital Backpack

Blog Carnival:

• The Colonialism of Michelle Rhee or TFA v BoA by Ira Socol at Sped Change

• Crossing America: An Education by Ira Socol at Sped Change

• These horses are out of the barn by Doug Johnson at Blue Skunk Blog

• Readin', Writin', and Creatin' by Barry Bachenheimer at A Plethora of Technology

Link Stew:

• Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs west -- the myths that mystify - TED Talk

• Designing Education 3.0 - fascinating projection of the future of education

• Videos, Games Help Preschool Literacy, Study Says

• Teachers begin using cell phones for class lessons

• Willingham: Six practical reasons arts education is more than a luxury

• k-12 Online Conference Schedule - This is a free online conference

• Memoov - Animation Studio online - Free online tool for making animations

• Homepage - Creaza - Collection of powerful online tools. Includes movie editor, audio editor, concept-mapping, and cartoon building applications.

• iLearn Technology » Blog Archive » 20 iTunes Feeds for the 2.0 Teacher

• The Differentiator - interesting teacher tool for generating higher-order student projects.

• National Gallery of Art NGAkids STILL LIFE interactive

• gazelle.com - Site that will give you money for your old electronics and computer equipment or recycle it for free.