Archive
Google+ as a Tool for Collaborative Learning
Emerging Technology in Online Learning Symposium
Las Vegas, NV. July 26, 2012
Lead Presenter: Karissa Locke (Google, US)
Tess Milligan (Google, US)
Mark Green (Simpson College, US)
David Wicks (Seattle Pacific University, US)
Courtney Step (Seattle Pacific University, US)
Kami Cottrell (Seattle Pacific University, US)
Abstract:
Hear from professors and students pioneering the use of Google+ for collaborative learning, discuss best practices, and leave equipped to enhance your Google experience with Google+.
Original version of video posted on YouTube by Karissa Locke.
Recommended Martin Luther King Day To-Do List for SPU Faculty
I sent the following message to Seattle Pacific University faculty in hopes that they will submit a grant application to me by Monday night:
- Wake up.
- Have some coffee and breakfast.
- Download and listen to several of the Martin Luther King lectures from SPU’s iTunes U collection (27 possible choices dating back as far as 1975).
- Read the just-released 2010 Horizon Report to become informed about emerging technologies predicted to have an impact on teaching and learning in higher education within the next five years.
- Complete your online application for the 2010 Teaching and Technology Grant and submit it by midnight. Keep in mind that CIS sent out a message saying that SPU Internet access may not be available between 6-10 PM on Monday because of an upgrade.
- Go to bed.
Do older teachers use technology differently?
Technology generation gap at work 
The Technology Generation Gap at Work is Oh So Wide – ReadWriteWeb
A study (identified in the links above) finds a significant difference in how people from different generations think about and use technology in the work place. This may have implications for technology integration in the classroom. The study states that older workers are more likely to be distracted when co-workers use laptops or PDAs in meetings. Could this mean that older teachers have less tolerance for students who bring a laptop to class? I don’t think so. Of the professors I know who don’t allow students to use laptops in class, about half are belong to Gen X or Gen Y.
(delicious tags: technology teacher digitalnatives)
Happy Birthday Macintosh!
Here’s a short video of Steve Jobs introducing the Macintosh computer to the world 25 years ago. The crowd goes crazy over a word processor, a paint program, and a synthesized voice. Fun stuff. My first sustained exposure to Macintosh was in 1986 as a student teacher in St. Joseph, Missouri. I was fasinated by the WYSIWYG editor and mouse. No more Ctrl KG to save a document.
Quest Atlantis
National Science Foundation funded project by the University of Indiana that uses a multi-user game-like environment to engage 9-15 year-old students in educational tasks.
Drunk driving & facebook, Online Cheating Legislation
Don’t drink and drive, then post on Facebook
Here’s a reminder to think twice before posting something on a social networking site. It doesn’t appear as if the people mentioned in this article were thinking at all.
New Systems Keep a Close Eye on Online Students at Home
You have to be kidding me. Congress wants proof that online students are who they say they are. Has any of them ever taken an online course from an accredited institution? It would cost a lot of money to hire someone to take one of our online courses. There is so much student-student and student-instructor interaction that it would be very difficult and costly to have someone else do all of your work. We have successfully used proctors for online exams for ten years. How does congress plan to address this issue with the growing number of online K-12 students?
Would mini laptops be a good choice for your school?
Mini laptops a hit with schools
California school district buys about 10,000 mini-laptops. This may truly be “the fall to go small.”
About
David Wicks
Educational Technology
I have been active in the instructional technology world for over 20 years. My previous positions include: high school teacher, university lecturer, school district technology facilitator, multimedia author, and project manager for an educational technology company. My current position is Director of Instructional Technology at Seattle Pacific University. As Director, I regularly consults with faculty on effective uses of technology. I have been involved in the development of numerous online and blended courses. In addition, I have taught face-to-face, blended, and online courses in the School of Education for over ten years.
Recent projects include: developing a Web 2.0 electronic portfolio system based on WordPress, creating a feature-comparison matrix for lecture capture solutions, and leading SPU’s iTunes U project. I am an Associate Editor for MERLOT’s Teacher Education Editorial Board. I served as program chair for the 2013 International Symposium for Emerging Technologies in Online Learning, and will be the conference chair for the 2014 conference. Currently, I facilitate faculty learning communities on topics such as learning spaces, active learning, blended learning, and mobile learning.
