Blogging First Steps

Photo credit: xenia from morguefile.com

Thinking about starting your own blog? I'll be doing an Elluminate session on Monday Nov. 22 at 8:15 PST to have an informal discussion around the benefits of blogging for teachers and their students. Along with others from the LAN44 Innovative Learning Team I'll share resources, give some getting started tips and sources of inspiration. Join us in elluminate.lan44.ca.

Resources used in this session will be posted on the LAN44 blog following the session along with a link to the archived session.

More QR Ideas

via youtube.com

Another source of QR code use information is The Active Class: http://theactiveclass.com/?s=QR

Embracing Cell Phones Elluminate Session

Still feeling uncomfortable with mobile technology in the classroom? This might be a great place to learn more about using it successfully. Catch it live or at your leisure in the archive at Classroom 2.0 LIVE.

The Innovative Educator: The Innovative Educator Discusses How to Go from Banning to Embracing Cell Phones Live! on Classroom 2.0 - Saturday, November 13th

And while you're there have a look at the other fabulous archived sessions. You'll find a wide range of topics in a variety of subject areas.

Alerts = Connections to Great People and Resources

Some time ago I set up alerts through Google that feed into my RSS reader. This service searches for mentions of The Web-Footed Booklady and bookminder online. Most of the alerts that filter through are for mentions I already know about such as Twitter comments but occasionally an alert will lead me to a new contact or some great resources.

Today an alert led me to @auntytech 's delicious page because she had bookmarked my post from yesterday. Browsing through her other bookmarks I came across some useful QR code resources I didn't know about. Like the 1 Tool at a Time: Build Your Own Toolbelt wiki which just happened to have an archived Elluminate webinar on using QR Codes along with the Slideshare used in the presentation and a list of links to other resources. Thanks, Donna!

Splash!

A URL shortening service I've been using for some time just got better.  When using a projector/screen to show sites to groups of students or teachers you inevitably come across some with long URLs.  Some people will want to copy them down and the presentation stalls while you wait for them to do this.

This is where SplashURL comes in handy.  Simply install the bookmarklet on your toolbar.  When you want to shorten a URL for easy copying click on the bookmarklet.  You'll get a short URL in large font like this, a good trick for quick URL shortening in the middle of a presentation.

Today when I used it I discovered that SplashURL also creates QR codes.  Here's the one for a page of resources I created:

So how might QR codes be used in the library?  My friend @bryanhughes is going to have students write book reviews, attach a QR code and then insert them into the corresponding books in the library.   Any student with a smart phone can scan the code and read reviews created by peers.

Or you could use QR codes on posters around the school to advertise new books or special library events.  Miguel Guhlin (@mguhlin) has published a great list with further suggestions on his blog.  Has anyone out there used QR codes in your library or to promote reading?  Do you have some other creative ideas?  Please leave a comment.

Comparing 20th and 21st Century Educational Paradigms | Educational Origami

Comparing 20th and 21st Century Educational Paradigms | Educational Origami

Thanks to Dave Truss @datruss for sharing this excellent chart in Google Reader. Think about how it could spark discussions around moving classrooms towards more collaborative, process focused, learner-centric environments.

YouTube - Academic Excellence in 140 Characters

This YouTube video talks about an interesting study done recently to examine how using Twitter in class might benefit students. The results are encouraging.

YouTube - Academic Excellence in 140 Characters
Social Media in Higher Education Blog