Monthly Archives: August 2011

Class, Turn On Your Cell Phones: It’s Time to Text

August 25, 2011 | 10:09 AM | By

Getty

As we noted earlier this week, cell phones are in the hands of the vast majority of adults and whether schools like it or not, they’re in the hands of most students. While many schools still see cellphones as a distraction rather than as an educational tool, it’s hard to deny that these devices are quickly becoming the primary means by which we communicate, in or out of schools.

For most teens, it’s not the “phone” part of a cellphone that they use most. Rather it’s text-messaging. A Pew survey from last summer found that one in three teens sends more than 100 text messages a day — more than 3,000 messages per month. Statistics like this point to all sorts of possibilities for educational opportunities around texting, particularly if you want to tap into the tools that they’re already using.

Classrooms can use the service to take quick polls and quizzes, filter messages, get news updates, take notes, and organize group study — all in real time.

But text-messaging has other benefits as well. Unlike apps that are only available on certain smartphones or mobile websites that are only accessible on Internet-enabled devices, text-messaging is widely available. This makes it an important and accessible communication tool, one that can meet the needs of schools and communities.

Meeting that need is the goal of Celly, a startup out of Portland, Oregon. A simple description of the new company: Celly offers SMS-based group messaging. Anyone can create or join a group by visiting the website or by sending a text to C-E-L-L-Y (2-3-5-5-9). And it’s free to use (not counting what phone companies charge for messaging).

Classrooms can use the service to take quick polls and quizzes, filter messages, get news updates, take notes, and organize group study — all in real time. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Teaching With Tech, cell phone policy, celly, Mobile Learning

Why Are Finland’s Schools Successful?

August 24, 2011 | 4:00 PM | By


“Whatever it takes” is an attitude that drives not just Kirkkojarvi’s 30 teachers, but most of Finland’s 62,000 educators in 3,500 schools from Lapland to Turku—professionals selected from the top 10 percent of the nation’s graduates to earn a required master’s degree in education. Many schools are small enough so that teachers know every student. If one method fails, teachers consult with colleagues to try something else. They seem to relish the challenges. Nearly 30 percent of Finland’s children receive some kind of special help during their first nine years of school.

— www.smithsonianmag.com

Which Rules Are Worth Circumventing?

August 24, 2011 | 1:19 PM | By

Flickr:Bark

Rules are important in any civilized society. Without them, chaos would ensue. But some rules are worth questioning, especially when the consequences negate their very purpose.

Teachers are grappling with how to address regulations they consider unnecessary at best and harmful at worst. There’s no question that helpful guidelines can and should be put in place surrounding all of these issues, considering the privacy of both teachers and students. It’s the outright banning that seems extreme, especially when many of these examples can be used in rich, educational contexts. The metaphor of throwing the baby out with the bathwater is most apropos in these scenarios.

  • FACEBOOK. As we’ve been hearing for the past few weeks, Missouri has banned teachers from using Facebook (and other social media) to communicate with students. A couple of days ago, Wired reported that “a union representing 44,000 Missouri public school teachers is challenging a state law that dramatically restricts their online speech with current and former students. The lawsuit targets the legislation as a First Amendment breach.” Meanwhile, in many cases, teachers have found lots of ways to use Facebook in the classroom.
  • TWITTER. Teachers are banned from using Twitter in schools in Pinellas County, Florida. “I don’t know what information is being transmitted,” said school board attorney Jim Robinson of private communication with students in a Patch.com article. But couldn’t that be said of any kind of communication, including simple conversation? An article in the U.K.’s Guardian reports that teachers have been banned from using Twitter after one teacher’s controversial public post. In response, a teacher wrote: “Wouldn’t you love to live in a place where public workers aren’t allowed to express personal opinion? You now have the choice of China or Argyll, it seems.” Meanwhile, teachers continue to find creative ways for using Twitter in school. Continue reading →
FILED UNDER: Culture, Teaching With Tech, cell phone policy, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

The Guide to Finding Cheap Textbooks

August 24, 2011 | 10:47 AM | By

Great roundup of alternatives to expensive traditional college textbooks. “Professors can save students thousands by assigning open textbooks,” one sources says.


Exorbitant college textbook prices have given rise to a “textbook rebellion,” which may be coming to a campus near you. A coalition of students, parents, professors and organizations including the Student Public Interest Research Groups, have banded together to promote more affordable alternatives to the $200 textbook – an amount that is not uncommon for science, economics, accounting and math students, among other pricey majors.

— bucks.blogs.nytimes.com

Beyond YouTube: Khan Academy Videos Featured In E-Textbooks

August 23, 2011 | 4:12 PM | By

It was inevitable…


Long gone are the days when your otherwise drab textbook might be lightened up only by the occasional graphic or stock photo. Now, while perusing your electronic textbook, you’ll be able to get videos from the educational gurus at Khan Academy, which has teamed up with e-textbook startup Kno to launch a new platform for its video tutorials.

— www.fastcompany.com

Open Yale Courses

August 23, 2011 | 3:21 PM | By

The Ivy Leagues are going populist!


Who says that Ivy League educations are too pricey for anyone but the privileged few? Like Harvard, Princeton and other schools, Yale is making some of its lectures available in Web-based form for…

— www.time.com