Try This Website! - ASCD Launches Teacher Social Network (K-12 Teachers)

ASCD Launches Teacher Social Network

Calling all K-12 teachers! If you enjoy social networking websites, here is the social network for you! The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development just launched their new social networking website for teachers. I imagine that this website will foster idea sharing and informal support groups that span across the United States!

What do you think about this new website?

Millennial Professor/Jennifer T. Edwards

E-Textbooks in College Courses: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

Article from the Chronicle of Higher Education's Wired Campus: Leading E-Textbook Seller Reports 400 Percent Sales Increase in 2009 - http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Leading-E-Textbook-Seller/20566/

I really like the e-textbook concept in undergraduate courses. This technology was not present when I was an undergraduate, but I think that today's undergraduate student would really benefit from the technology. I promote the e-textbooks because they would save the students money (compared to an actual tangible textbook) and the students would not have to carry all of their textbooks across campus. E-textbooks also provide the students with interactive features that may help their learning process. I teach at a rural, 4-year, public university and my students seem to be resistant to e-textbooks, because many of them do not have a laptop computer to view the e-textbook. In addition, most undergraduate students look forward to selling their books back to the bookstores at the end of the semester and e-textbooks do not give them this option.

What is your opinion of e-textbooks? 

Millennial Professor/Jennifer T. Edwards

Communication Tech. (Use This Tool!): Screencast-O-Matic

Use Screencast-O-Matic.com to create "how to" videos and power point presentations for online classes. This website has the EASIEST online screencast software that I have ever used for my syllabus overview for online classes. It provides an easy upload to youtube.com (10 min. or less) and the site even provides its users with a place to host their 15 minute presentations. The volume is great and I uploaded the video to my youtube account. This provided me with a seamless integration into my blackboard course.

Here's one of the videos from the site (another professor):



This browser-based tool would be great for professors who teach online classes and librarians who need to teach others how to conduct research using the databases. Just an idea!

Have a great week!

Millennial Professor/Jennifer T. Edwards

Eduroam: Access to University A's wireless network, while using University B's username and password

Recently, Louisiana State University (LSU) students, faculty, and staff gained access to technology that enables them to use the wireless network while visiting several other universities. This technology, Eduroam, is a service dedicated worldwide roaming access for international research and education communities.

My perspective: I think this is a great

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move for LSU and I wish that my university (and other universities in Texas) would offer the same service. When I travel to other parts of Texas and to several Louisiana cities, I have to do without access to the internet or I have to request guest access to the university wireless network. I think this move would definitely benefit the research community.

For more information, access - http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2010/01/04/Louisiana-State-Joins-Eduroam-Network.aspx.