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

A Sharing Community

You never know when your small idea will ignite a fire
in the mind of another.

I get an interesting reaction from people who know that I've retired but am still involved in education and the online education community.  "Why are you doing this?" they say, "You're supposed to be retired!"
So why am I doing this?

I think because interacting in an online education community has become such a passion for me.  It's a way to keep on learning, interact with an intelligent and interesting community and share or help out where I can.  People choose to give back to their communities in a variety of ways through volunteering their time and sharing their resources.  For me, that community resides online.

Which brings me to the K12 Online Conference keynote presented by Dean Shareski.  Dean makes the point that all teachers have a moral imperative to share and I agree.  Why not share his presentation with your colleagues?  The  K12 Online schedule is posted here.  I'm always amazed at the depth and breadth of these offerings, there really is something for everyone.

Image used under a creative commons licence by furiousgeorge81 - Thanks for sharing, George!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/furiousgeorge81/177926979/sizes/m/

TweetUp

Meeting with people you've only interacted with on Twitter takes conversations to a whole new level.  Last night I took part in a Vancouver area educators Tweet-Up along with a couple of colleagues and four others.  We had an established comfort level to build on, we knew each other's interests in education and technology and some of the barriers we deal with on a daily basis.

As we enjoyed some refreshments and good pub food we shared ideas, resources, philosophies and discussed the possibilities for future meetings and joint projects.  It was a great evening of laughter and some undirected Friday night Pro D.  Thanks @davidwees for organizing this event.

Resources I bookmarked this week:

Guest blogger Melissa Smith on Differentiated Professional Development on Wes Fryer's blog offer's some great online suggestions for Pro D. opportunities.

Google Docs tip sheet and resource guide.  More Google Docs resources can be found in Delicious.

Free easy and useful creation tools from New York Times The Learning Network.

Where Good Ideas Come From a 4 minute video that would be useful for starting conversations around teaching methods and classroom structure.