Survey: School web filtering can impede learning

Many survey respondents
said web filtering can curb
learning’s social potential.

For years, working at private schools and high schools this has been a heated debate: to filter or not to filter; but mostly to filter, and I was at the wrong end of the debate! Obviously, there are many dangers out there and there's also the matter of the reputation of each of the schools. There are many good and reliable choices in the market that filter the nasty, and that I believe is enough. Blocking all entries and only allowing one by one is totally inefficient and a mind-boggling task. Also, I truly believe that the only way to teach and learn digital citizenship is by working at it. If everything is blocked, on which criteria will we find learning indicators? Wish the following article and more like this one had been available when I was at the no-filter end of the debate.
Read More...

Whenever we connect to others we can change what happens...

Hi everyone, been a while. Sorry about that. Family health issues got in the way. Learned a lot though, maybe I'll write later down the line about that.
Meantime I'd like to share this article, originally I believe in Brasiian portuguese, and translated to a very rough Spanish. Hope some can read it and learn many interesting things going on in cybercommunication, city forums and the likes. The world's social and political panorama is in constant change, can it really be harnessed? Take a read:
http://blogs.20minutos.es/codigo-abierto/2012/10/30/siempre-que-podemos-conectarnos-a-otros-podemos-cambiar-cosas
gd readings...

Are Kids really all that techno smart... Maybe not ...

Reading an eSchool news article by this title,  read more @ http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/08/13/are-kids-all-that-techno-smart-maybe-not/6/, I remembered an instance with my own teenage daughter related to her use of her smartphone. She had been struggling with forgetting assignments or assignment details and I suggested why not use the calendar features on the smartphone... She stared back at me like I had no idea what she was going through, so I helpfully added how to make it work for her, alarms and all. Not only had she not considered the possibility as to where, what or when this feature could be applied. And, as expected from a teenage daughter with her mom, she proceeded to ignore me. I must say that this is no Tech dummy here, she uses phone apps, works around tech glitches and or obstacles and gets what she really wants from technology with her smartphone, tablet and laptop. However, each device is purposely used as a tool the way she was introduced to it; and looking beyond that has been a bit more of a challenge than expected... A phone is meant to communicate with, that is, apps included to enhance, improve,  and even further the communication objective. Photos, with the smartphone, is a feature to be used to further communicate; so the photo, as an objective itself, is not given much consideration. The idea of taking pictures with the phone to retain information, for example, was an advantage that was only considered (and broadly used thereon) quite a while after owning and using it for the purpose of communication. Being resourceful with the available technology is not something that comes natural to this techno savvy generation. Exploiting all the possibilities is something that maybe the older generation can somehow pass on to this one. As to my daughter, she still thinks it is something of the older generation to use the calendar and it's reminders to organize her life... But, I am definitely making waves, the other day she used her drawing tablet to cover for the wireless mouse that had run out of batteries... There is hope! 

Readers: Five ways to motivate students

Readers say getting to know your students and empowering them to be leaders are good ways to get students engaged

By Meris Stansbury, Associate Editor
Read more http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/07/13/readers-five-ways-to-motivate-students/2/

Motivation has been, for as far as I can remember, the one factor baffling teachers and administrators alike. Concern over the lack of it and over-expectations when consciously applying motivators soon enough lead to frustration, both for students and teachers alike. Coaching, coaxing, motivating, inspiring and so on, is something that first must be understood as coming from within the individuals and can only work if the one doing it is indeed inspired and motivated to get things done.. Most of our stories around teachers motivated students are spun around a much motivated individual itself, inspiring other teachers as well students to act. Learning organizations foster motivation among all their members. Only when educational institutions grow into learning organizations themselves, is that we will see true joy, inspiration and motivation to learn and help the organization move along its learning path.
Read more by Meris Stansbury

“Students need to know that someone truly cares about them when they are in a classroom,” said one reader.

We recently highlighted a report from the Center on Education Policy that looked at how schools can motivate students. Now, here are some of the best ideas from our readers.

We asked readers: “What are some ways/tactics/activities you implement to motivate students?” Their advice ranged from “be there for your students and let them know you care about them,” to “entice them with technology they use with their friends.”

Here are five of the best responses (some comments have been edited for brevity). What do you think of these ideas? Do you have any stories of your own for how to motivate and engage today’s 21st-century learners? Be sure to leave them in the comments section!

Bill Gates: Why ‘game-based learning’ is the future of education

Essentially what needs to be underscored here is that gaming, and particularly digital or virtual gaming, has proved, beyond a doubt, that it is a learning medium that has  far exceeded expectations. Now this brings to the table the possibility to gauge the learning process and make use of it to scaffold further knowledge. I can't wait!!!! 

"In Bill Gates’ vision of the classrooms of the future, students are grouped according to skill set. One cluster huddles around a computer terminal, playing an educational game or working on a simulator. Another works with a human teacher getting direct instruction, while another gets a digital lesson delivered from their teacher’s avatar.

This kind of “game-based” learning is one of the priorities of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a nonprofit founded by the Microsoft creator.

Read more @ http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/07/17/bill-gates-why-game-based-learning-is-the-future-of-education/?

Last year, the foundation announced it would invest $20 million in a variety of teacher tools, including this and other technologies geared toward changing the way teachers teach and kids learn.

Gates sat down with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week while he was in Atlanta speaking at the Education Commission of the States’ national forum.

The billionaire philanthropist said there are lessons to be learned from the enthusiasm kids have when playing video games, including that winning can be a motivator and that students should be able to move to the next level when ready.

“We’re not saying the whole curriculum turns into this big game. We’re saying it’s an adjunct to a serious curriculum,” he said"

Peru's ambitious laptop program gets mixed grades

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/07/03/perus-ambitious-laptop-program-gets-mixed-grades/comment-page-1/#comment-164475
Considering that teachers are ill prepared or not at all, and parents least of all, it is very likely that it all goes up in political smoke.
It looks and sounds very good for governments and politicians to take on projects like this, and greedy officials and suppliers know so; but if no firm scaffolding is in place to produce the desired results, the learning curve is surpassed by frustration and soon enough it turns into wasted effort.
A project, as this one, requires at the least the creation of digitally sufficient strategically located centers, with well prepared facilitators to create and develop a powerful learning network within reach of every community. If Teachers and parents aren't included, the chance for children and teens to overcome the digital challenge is very small.