Twitter in the Classroom - Twitter Meets the Breakfast Club (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Readers,


I incorporate Twitter in each of my online and hybrid courses. However, most of this communication is optional and takes place through extra credit assignments. In a recent post by the Chronicle of Higher Education, David Silver wrote about his classroom experiences with Twitter. Silver requires his students to create a twitter account and to use the account to communicate with him and their peers.


The most interested part of this article when Silver explains that another professor contacted him through Twitter to find out more about his assignment. Then, this professor adopted the assignment for her classroom. Read about their experience here - Twitter Meets the Breakfast Club.


I hope to write a book about Twitter in the classroom and how to incorporate this communication technology in online and hybrid courses.


Sincerely,


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Learning About New Technologies - Seven Items at a Time!

Readers,


As a tenure-track professor, I have a short amount of time each day to read my e-mail and to glance over long journal articles. I attempt to stay informed about new technologies and how these technologies affect education. I usually read short technology briefs by Educause on their "Seven Things You Should Know About..." series.


Some recent topics in this series are:


- 7 Things You Should Know About Open-Ended Response Systems


- 7 Things You Should Know About Online Media Editing


- 7 Things You Should Know about Android


This series is ideal for the "professor on the go" who needs to do more with less time. Click here for the "Seven Things" series - http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

2011 Horizon Report: Six Technologies in Higher Education (Time-to-Adoption)

Readers,

Technology in higher education both in student affairs and in the academic setting is very important to me. Personally, I feel that technology is going to lead higher education in a direction that higher education professionals are not anticipating (yielding both positive and negative results).

Here's an interesting article from the Chronicle of Higher Education's Wired Edition titled "Six Top Tech Trends on the Horizon for Higher Education". According to this article, here are the top tech trends:

1 - Mobile Devices (i.e. - learning via iPad or iPad 2)
2 - Game-Based Learning (i.e. - interacting with avatars to learn the interview process)
3 - Learning Analytics (i.e. - great for assessment and evaluations)
4 - Electronic Books (i.e. - textbooks on the Kindle)
5 - Augmented Reality (i.e. - a mobile-based museum map, etc.)
6 - Gesture-Based Computing (i.e. - practicing surgery via the Nintendo Wii)

To read more about each of these technologies, you can access the report here - http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/HR2011.pdf

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

A Great Resource - "Welcome to Teaching Media" Website

Readers,

If you teach media courses or if you integrate media literacy in any of your courses, here is a great website for you - "Welcome to Teaching Media". This website is a collaborative resources that facilitates the exchange of college teaching resources among faculty and those interested in media.

What a great resource!

Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Emerging Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011

Readers,

I love the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies website, because they feature A LOT of great ideas (which are released on a daily basis). Today's great idea was the "Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011 List".

Check it out!

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Digital Literacy - A Short Video to Help Millennial College Students Learn About Identity Theft on the Internet

Readers,

Good morning! I thought that this video was very interesting. Although I tend to release a significant amount of information online, I try to protect the "important information" (like the information in this video).

I think it would be a good practice to show this video to our students. It provides a great history of the social security number process and the video gives the viewer a good sense of what potential damage can be done when people release personal information on the internet.

What do you think?

Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

#EDUSOCMEDIA - A Neat Resource for Higher Education Faculty and Technology Professionals...

Readers,

Today, I found such an incredible resource titled "#EDUSOCMEDIA: The Social Media Resource for Higher Ed". This resource actually emerged through my numerous daily alerts from "Google Alerts" (which is another incredible resource).

This website features a twitter feed, videos, a wiki, and various additional resources. In fact, Pretty neat! This website was created as a Twitter hashtag resource for last year's EDUCAUSE conference, but it was so great that the authors decided to keep the resource updated and available after the conference. Here's a sample post, "The Five Considerations of Social Media" - http://www.edusocmedia.org/2010/10/the-five-considerations/"


After viewing each of the website's resources, I became very excited about submitting my first proposal to EDUCAUSE 2011. I hope that my proposal will be accepted... I love Ed Tech/Comm. Tech!

Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Google eBooks: A Potential Competitor for Kindle....

Readers,


Today, I finally installed the Google eBooks e-reader application. I am quite pleased with the amount of free books available through the software.


I hope that Google decides to include free textbooks through the software. I think it will be an incredible asset for school districts and universities.


What do you think?


J. Edwards

Readers
Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Ask a Millennial Professor Friday! - The Future of Netflix

Readers,

Good morning! A few years ago, I started a feature on my blog titled, "Ask a Millennial Friday". After a few weeks of the feature, my teaching schedule became VERY busy and I received less questions via e-mail.

However, for the past two weeks, I've received A LOT of questions via e-mail. Here's this week's question:

My name is [student's name] and I am an [name of university] journalism student working on my final paper for my Inquiry class. I am writing about the impact of Netflix on DVD rentals and the company's aim to push itself more into the instant streaming realm, alongside the free sites Hulu.com and various TV network sites. I stumbled upon your blog and saw your post about possibly using Netflix in the classroom, and would love to take a moment of your time to discuss your opinion about where Netflix is headed, socially, and what you think we as consumers should expect to see with online streaming in the next few years. I would greatly appreciate any moments you may have, be it over email or on the phone, and I'd like to emphasize that this paper I'm writing is intended only for my professor's eyes. 

My response - Personally, I feel that Netflix is one of the most ingenious products and/or services available to the general public. As a Netflix subscriber, I LOVE the service for my personal use. I watch TV shows and movies through the service and then I make a list on my Google Docs to rent from the library (or to purchase for my classroom). Although I think they would be great additions to my classroom, I am quite afraid of showing Netflix movies (or shows) in my classroom because of copyright infringement, but I do not mind showing TV shows (Undercover Boss on CBS) via steaming websites.

I think this industry will continue to grow and flourish for personal and professional use. I think public and community libraries will definitely jump on the streaming video bandwagon, because it would increase their services (and products) without having to consume addition library storage or checkout space. This is a huge concern for community libraries. 

Professors can also benefit from streaming videos in their classroom. My classrooms are located in a different building from my office and it is very inconvenient to leave resources (i.e. - DVDs) in your office across campus. In addition, the students would be exposed to foreign and independent films that they would not normally watch at home nor would they have access to these films in their community.

I have over 250 movies in my instant queue and most of them are British films and independent movies. If I did not have a Netflix account, I would drive to 50 miles to the metropolitan library to view the films before showing them to my students in class.

Netflix will benefit from creating university and community library accounts for their company. Libraries other similiar types of organizations can enter into a five-year (or more) contact with Netflix and might be an advantage to month-to-month users. I envision this "university account" working similarly to a library research database. Some databases only allow one viewer to view an article at a time. Residence halls could also greatly benefit from this service. The amount of students with Wii systems and HD televisions is growing every year.

I think the future is filled with services focused on video downloads and streaming websites/services. The number of video offerings within each genre will increase and the the number of users will definitely increase. This increase in the number of users will be accompanied by more satisfied users who will experience a more customized viewing experience. However, as the amount of users increase, the amount of bandwidth will need to increase as well.

Thanks for your question! What do you think?

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

iPad Pilots in Higher Education - iPad Pilots

http://fairfieldmirror.com/2010/02/03/an-ipad-a-day-gives-students-an-a/

Readers,

Tonight, I received a great e-mail from Mr. Jim Siegl (@jsiegl). He created and maintains a list titled "iPad Pilots in Higher Education". This list of more than 145 institutions is an EXCELLENT resource for higher education professors who research the effectiveness of iPads in secondary and post-secondary classrooms.

Here's the link - iPad Pilots in Higher Education - iPad Pilots

Several Texas institutions are featured on the list. I hope that our university is able to utilize iPads in my proposed course for Fall 2011 (Communication Technology and Social Media).

If you have any institutions to add to the list, please let Jim Siegl know!

Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Can Students Survive Without Social Media?

Readers,


Sometimes, I ask myself - "Can college students actually survive without technology?" Well, one college actually decided to see how college students would react to a sans technology campus. This university blocked Twitter and Facebook on campus computers. Here's the interesting caveat, I wonder if the students accessed the technology on their cell phones. hmmm.... Would this be considered "cheating"?

Well, the article addressed this as well...

Critics noted students could visit the sites with smartphones or by walking to nearby buildings with free WiFi. But Darr said the point was not to prevent access so much as to get people to think critically about the role of social media in their lives.

In my opinion, this was an ingenious strategy to enable college students to see what their lives would actually be like without having technological interruptions every few minutes.

Here were some interesting "findings":

But during the ban, 33 percent of students reported feeling less stressed. Twenty-one percent said they used their normal social networking time to do homework, while 10 percent said they read online news.

Some students changed their study methods. Darr cited a Facebook-based tutoring effort that was failing to explain a complex biology process to students; they grasped the concept only after a face-to-face meeting during the blackout, he said.

Here's the link to the article - http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/12/10/pa_college_social_media_blackout_wins_converts/

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

The NEW Issue of Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education

The latest issue of "Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education" is now available on the Ed/ITLib Digital Library.

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 10, No. 3 (September 2010)
Table of Contents

Copying Right and Copying Wrong with Web 2.0 Tools in the Teacher Education and Communications Classrooms
Ewa McGrail, Georgia State University, USA; J. Patrick McGrail, Jacksonville State University, USA
Abstract: http://www.editlib.org/p/30354

Making Sure What You See is What You Get: Digital Video Technology and the Pre-Service Preparation of Teachers of Elementary Science
Paul Bueno de Mesquita, Ross Dean & Betty Young, University of Rhode Island, USA
Abstract: http://www.editlib.org/p/32406

Using Digital Primary Sources to Teach Historical Perspective to Preservice Teachers
Scott Waring, University of Central Florida, USA; Cheryl Franklin Torrez, The University of New Mexico, USA
Abstract: http://www.editlib.org/p/29480

The Impact of and the Key Elements for a Successful Virtual Early Field Experience: Lessons Learned from a Case Study
Lily Compton, Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching, USA; Niki Davis, University of Cantebury, New Zealand
Abstract: http://www.editlib.org/p/30479

Grounded in Theory: Immersing Pre-Service Teachers in Technology-Mediated Learning Designs
Donna DeGennaro, University of Massachusetts - Boston, USA
Abstract: http://www.editlib.org/p/32358

Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education
http://www.aace.org
E-mail: info@aace.org

© Copyright 2005-2009 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Netflix in the Classroom?

Readers,


Personally, I LOVE Netflix! I watch Netflix while I research, grade papers, and while spending time with family. I think Netflix is a great resource for households who have diverse film interests and who value documentaries. Historical, education-related, adnd social documentaries are a favorite in our household. In addition to the documentaries, we love Bones, CSI, Law and Order, and I recently developed a love for The Commish.


This summer, I started a list of movies that I would like to incorporate in my classroom (ordering them from the university library). Netflix enables me to preview documentaries/movies for my classes and then I am able to order these films through our library.


I really wish Netflix would enable educational institutions to subscribe to Netflix. Our faculty would WELCOME the additional "educational" media tool (AND they would not have to drag videos from classroom to classroom).


Here is a snippet from the "Academic Libraries Add Netflix" article in the Chronicle of Higher Education:


Copyright lawyer and librarian Kevin Smith, a scholarly communications officer at Duke University, said academic libraries are taking a risk with these programs. Although copyright law allows faculty members to use the material in the classroom, he said, they may be opening themselves up to legal action from the company.


Read the rest of the article here - http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Academic-Libraries-Add-Netflix/27018/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en 


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Instructify - Blog Archive - Scribus is a free desktop publishing program similar to Adobe InDesign

Readers,


I use Abobe InDesign to design almost every brochure, newsletter, or advertisement that I make for our department conferences and my small business. However, there is a new options for designers, Scribus.

I have not had the chance to try to program yet, but I wanted to share the link with each of you!

Enjoy! - Instructify - Blog Archive - Scribus is a free desktop publishing program similar to Adobe InDesign

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Youtube Videos - Student Reflections from a Twitter Assignment

Readers,


As most of you know, I LOVE incorporating Twitter in my online and face-to-face courses. I embed the Twitter widget on my blackboard page to enable my students to see my grading updates, etc. and I interact with my students through the communication tool as well. So, it seems like the "Twitter in the Classroom" movement is catching on with other professors across the nation. 


This week, I was grading Youtube assignment submissions from students and I discovered these Twitter submissions from a fellow professor:





I love the students' comments and after watching the videos, I plan to incorporate filmed interviews in my fall courses. Youtube provides many opportunities for professors to spread ideas across the nation! We can improve our teaching practices by submitting one Youtube video, blog spot, or tweet as at a time! Contribute to your profession by sharing ideas!


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

YouTube Better at Funny Cat Videos Than Educational Content, Professors Say - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

YouTube Better at Funny Cat Videos Than Educational Content, Professors Say - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

What do you think about this one? Have you used any educational videos from Youtube?

I use sample speeches from other universities AND "how to" videos ALL of the time!

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Advertising Your College Courses... An Innovative Way!

I placed this blog entry under "technology in the classroom", but I should have placed it under a category titled "advertising your college courses". I think this is a great way to advertise your college courses AND to SHOW what you do in your classrooms.

Besides, who actually reads those e-mail advertisements for new courses anyway?




Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

APA 6th Edition Video - A Great Resource for Students, Faculty, and Staff

This semester, I incorporated the new edition (6th) of the American Psychological Association (APA) manual in my upper-level courses and it has been an interesting process. I learned a lot and the students have learned a lot about the manual as well.

However, I would like to incorporate the APA manual in my online classes as well. It is easier for me to teach the APA citation style in a face-to-face format, but I am seeking engaging resources to make this process easier for the online students.

Here is a great video for professors who are teaching an online class that might require supplemental materials for a lesson on APA citations - https://www.sworps.utk.edu/training/APA_6_0/player.html.

Enjoy!

Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Hippocampus - A Video Resource for K-12 Educators

My husband, a high school science teacher, uses various websites to engage his students in the classroom. One of the websites he really likes is hippocampus.com. 


This wonderful website provides users with videos of each of the following subjects: Algebra (English and Spanish), American Government, Biology, Calculus (English and Spanish), Environmental Science, Physics, Psychology, Religion, Statistics, and US History.


I hope the website works for your educational needs!


Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

The Flat World Knowledge Textbooks - Free E-Textbooks for College Students

I know the economy is not the best and I strongly believe professors should provide students with affordable textbook options. I am strongly considering the e-textbooks from this website (http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/) for some classes that I will teach in the fall semester. Personally, I think this option might be appropriate for a few of the courses I teach (Business and Professional Speaking and Organizational Communication) - http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/1.0/organizational-behavior/28781. I am interested to see what the students think about the e-book option, because some of my students do not have a laptop computer and/or do not embrace new technological developments.

I know that I will supplement these e-textbooks with scholarly articles and engaging activities, but overall I think it is a good option. In addition, I think that this website may be a good outlet for some supplemental books that I plan to write in the near future.




Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.