Dot Learnt

Early last week, Daniel Donahoo a tech savvy parent who writes for GeekDad (a Wired.com blog dedicated to raising a “geek” generation) introduced me to World Book Day.

On March 1^st, authors, illustrators and reading enthusiasts took to the streets in a celebration of literature and reading. The celebration is an internationally recognized effort, designated by UNESCO as an ode to books, storytelling and reading in over 100 different countries.

The celebration encouraged kids to investigate the pleasures of books by sending schools World Book Day Resource Packs filled with invigorating ideas for making reading a student’s favorite pastime.

Reflecting ont his mission of World Book Day, Donahoo poses these questions on the future of literature: Will it be likely in the coming years that specific days will be designated to celebrating Apps or Tablets? Will e-books and apps soon hold the same value in society as tangible books?  (more…)

Globalization has consumed our world. In an increasingly interconnected community, the daily happenings of the dwellers of Delhi to the inhabitants of Dubai seamlessly transcend borders. For those unable to explore the world on a physical level, these 5 apps can transport you from here to there in an instant, self-guided discovery.

7 Billion: How Will Your World Change

• An ode to the growing world population, National Geographic Magazine unveiled this visually stimulating app that takes users on a journey through a stunning array of photographs, thought-provoking charts and videos painting a picture of the challenges and problems associated with population growth. 

Hear Planet

• The world’s largest audio guide, with over half a million-voice files, this app is an “Audio Guide to the World.” HearPlanet provides a “virtual reality audio layer” that gives users feedback and facts about points of interest, turning your town or vacation spot into a self-guided museum tour.  (more…)

Every once in a while DotLearnt takes a step back from education technology to salute other technological feats making waves and changing lives cross-sector. Today we recognize a technology that is bringing new life, literally to the power of SMS.

Mali suffers from one of the highest infant morality rates in the world, with almost 111 deaths for every 1000 births in the country.

Pesinet is a non-profit organization that is using the power of mobile technology to deliver health care where it is needed most by using cell phones to track disease spread and to fortify local health infrastructure.

With almost 600 children registered in their program, the organization teaches local families and health care officials how to use mobile technology to issue health checkups and cost-friendly health insurance. For a small monthly fee, enrolled children are granted access to doctor examinations and receive  a fifty percent discount on medications. Local health workers test children each week for symptoms of diarrhea, low weight, vomiting and other health concerns. (more…)

Edtechistas and Edtechers – back again for your global education technology fix. Dig in for this month’s most talked about topics unearthing across the globe:

Too Cool for School

These days it is all about mobility. School in a Box brings the very concept of portability and convenience to the notion of schooling. The new non-profit initiative providesaccess to education ICTs in rural populations throughout India and sub-Saharan Africa. Weighing in at 11 KG, the $1600 boxes will set up teched out schools. Each box contains an iPad, solar panel, projector and speakers. Looks like officials in Zimbabwe are liking what they see…

Samsung Africa is shedding some light on education. The new Solar Powered Internet School in Boksburg, South Africa is one of the first of its kind. The Internet accessbile and solar-powered school grants students more accessibility to education, especially throughout areas that lack connectivity.  Shine on Africa!

Spreading that Tech Love

Looking for free Wi-Fi can be tough, but when it comes to emerging markets, finding any Wi-Fi can be a challenge. Last month, the Global Education Challenge, a competition to find original ideas that can improve student outcomes across the globe, announced their annual winners. Prizewinner Neil Dsouza introduced Education Hotspots, a program that provides mobile hotspots and free educational courseware to emerging communities lacking Internet connection. Neil’s in good company – check out the other GEC winners, here. (more…)

The full interview can be viewed above, but for those of you looking for just a taste, here is the rundown:

As an education technology consulting firm, the Bon team spends about half of our time in schools throughout the Middle East zeroing in on teacher programming. Ultimately, our goal is to seamlessly integrate technology into the classroom to promote learning and engagement.

The other 50% of our time is spent on research and product development. At Bon, we are passionate about creating products that spice up the world of education and empower both students and educators to become self-directed learners.

Alongside both non-profit and for-profit organizations in the Middle East, Bon has led the campaign on digital literacy skills. It all started when the Batchelders arrived in the Middle East and took note of the increased government spending across the region, supplying schools with WiFi and computers. They noticed a weakness in the system: teachers and students were granted access to technology, but few knew how to use these tools…

A few brainstorms later, a proposal was issued to the UAE Ministry of Education to work on a teacher training program on ICT use in schools and “poof,” Bon Education was created!

Bon is continually growing and learning from our co-educators. Do you have any ideas that can socially empower those living in emerging markets? Talk to us!

Keep Calm and Learn On,

Nora

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Reality:

Many educators in the world…

• Don’t receive sufficient teacher training.
• Have little or no ongoing professional development.
• Work in schools that suffer from chronic lack of funding.

Vision:

What if edu-passionate volunteers from around the world banned together to…

• Build an open licensed, free, multilingual virtual school of education driven by the principles of peer learning.
• Facilitate the free exchange of knowledge and ideas between educators in a context that positively transforms teacher and student practice, learning and engagement.
• Codify existing educational best practices into a series of experiences that provide foundational knowledge of how to be an effective teacher.

It’s Happening:

Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Encourage Deeper Learning from Bon Education on Vimeo.

Now get involved:

• Check out the Peer to Peer University School of Education Pilot. For example, view “Using Social Media to Promote Deeper Learning,” “Differentiated Instruction,” or “Student Engagement”.
• What if we expanded this pilot into a Global Teaching Certificate Program? What practical educational experiences (or courses) would need to be created to help multinational cohorts of pre and in-service educators become phenomenal teachers?

Help think through the tricky details:

• Design—How do we design a program whose requirements are realistic and practical for all involved?
• Accreditation—Do it? Dump it? Redefine it? Teaching certificates vs. badges? FYI – Many school principals, parents and students don’t want “certified teachers” per se, they want “great teachers”. Great teachers come with and without certification.
• Sustainability—How do we sustain a program run by 99% volunteers?
• Marketing—How do we get volunteer curricula writers, course facilitators, coordinators and teachers from mountains of Oman, to the valleys of China to the beaches of the Seychelles to get involved?

From one P2PU School of Ed fan to another,

Anna

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Images Available Under CC Licensure by Thelonious Gonzo and Casey David

1. Pick a word to describe your classroom culture as it is.
2. Now select a word to describe your classroom culture as you’d like it to be.
3. Ask your students to do 1. and 2.
4. Reflect.
5. I think you know what you need to do.

When a classroom’s “default” culture stinks, it gets…

Boredom. Dropouts. Apathy.

When a classrooms’s “default” culture rocks, it gets…

Delight. Energy. Determination.

Culture matters. The stories we tell ourselves about our surroundings matter. Culture influences the stories we tell. Stories influence the culture we create.

Lesson to educators and learners (especially online educators and learners)…

Be the artists of your own culture and let the stories you wish to hear sing.

Just as we are deliberate about platforms, standards, curricula, methodology and assessments, it is time to be more thoughtful, imaginative and deliberate about education culture here, over there and everywhere.

Imagining…

Anna

P.S. Thanks to Anil Dash (A Blog About Making Culture), Henry Jenkins (Confronting the Challenge of Participatory Culture), and my yoga instructors at Zen Yoga for inspiring my recent thoughts and activities on the artistry of educational culture.

P.P.S. Have thoughts about educational culture? Leave a reply below.

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Images available under CC licensures by spettacolopuro, pouchie153, mckaysavage and powi

The school year is fast approaching and Bon is picking up right where we left off. Take a minute from your busy schedules and find out about the latest and greatest in edtech around the world!

Tech Talk

Online? Free? Two words that Bon loves to hear being used in the same sentence. The 2011 Global Education Conference will be held November 14-18 bringing together educators and experts from countries around the world. The sessions will take place in several times zones and in different languages in order to cater to the needs of a global audience. In an effort to increase opportunities for globally connected education projects, the organizers are seeking volunteers, commercial and non-commercial sponsors and an international advisory panel. Don’t miss out on this convenient and enlightening opportunity!

When it comes to graduation requirements, students in Pune, India have to look no further than Wikipedia. As of recent, over 843 students from the College of Engineering (PUNE) will be obliged to contribute to Wikipedia as part of their first semester bachelors technology degree course. Students from the electrical, computer, electronics and telecom, mechanical and production engineering fields will work alongside their professors at the university to contribute to the site. Wikimedia has also approached the Symbiosis School of Economics and Modern College of Engineering for similar programs. Wicked!

The World Innovation Summit for Education has recently announced twenty finalists for the 2011 WISE Awards, “Transforming Education: Investment, Innovation and Inclusion.” Some of Bon’s favorite projects include Freda Wolfendan’s Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa which looks to improve school-based learning for teachers through open educational resources in twelve African countries and Teachable Solutions’ Scientifically Tailored Employability Program (STEP) providing Indian students with soft-skill computer training for job search. To find out about the rest of the finalists, check it out, here.

New Horizons

Blackboard, the well-known LMS and education technology solutions company, has recently announced new partnerships in Brazil and the Middle East. In hopes of meeting the demands of those interested in edtech in the region, “Blackboard has partnered with BME Holding S.A.L. (BME), a local company with offices in Beirut and Riyadh, to work closely with six partners to support clients throughout the Middle East.” While In Brazil, “Blackboard has partnered with Grupo A, a leading distributor of education publishing content, to expand access to Blackboard solutions.” Move over chalkboards, Blackboard is making waves.

MIT once again is reinventing the concept of schooling. Famous for its Open Course Ware initiative that provides learners around the world with free and open access to course content, they are now making access to knowledge even more convenient. This August, MIT Media Lab announced the establishment of the MIT Center for Mobile Learning. This institution will focus on using new mobile technologies and applications in order to allow people anywhere the ability to learn. Reach for your cell, it’s time get to class.

It All Comes From the STEM

The annual FIRST Robotics Competition looked to spark youth interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). During the contest, over 11,000 students on 600 teams from 29 different countries had a go at designing, building and competing with robots. With a focus on “gracious professionalism,” the competition attempted to show students that competition and mutual gain are not separate concepts. Will.i.am, front man for the Black Eyed peas, came out in full support of the competition. His interview can be found, here!

I myself am more of a visual learner, so when I came across this infographic I could not help but be captivated by the graphics that depicted the current “STEM Dilemma.” The diagram represents the current problems that America faces in terms of STEM education and provides viewers with several statistics. It is crucial to maintain and recruit quality STEM teachers in order to ensure success for the youth.

In typical fashion, if you got something to say, say it! We love hearing your feedback and comments.

Keep Calm and Learn On,

Nora

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Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Encourage Deeper Learning from Bon Education on Vimeo.

This fall Bon Education co-founders, Anna and Chris Batchelder, will be creating and facilitating a course for Peer 2 Peer University’s newest initiative – The School of Education (pilot). Funded by the Hewlett and Shuttleworth foundations, P2PU is an open education project that knocks down the walls of the university by providing students and their peers with an open platform where they can teach courses and learn from one another for free. As the P2PU mission statement points out:

The Peer 2 Peer University is a grassroots open education project that organizes learning outside of institutional walls and gives learners recognition for their achievements. P2PU creates a model for lifelong learning alongside traditional formal higher education. Leveraging the Internet and educational materials openly available online, P2PU enables high-quality low-cost education opportunities. P2PU – learning for everyone, by everyone about almost everything.

To learn more about the founding of P2PU read Fast Company’s, “How Web-Savvy Edupunks Are Transforming American Higher Education.”

The P2PU School of Education will bring the model of open, community-based peer learning to professional development for K-12 teachers and administrators. Seven courses will be offered between September and November 2011, with a focus on innovative teaching methods. Anna and Chris were invited to create and facilitate “Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Promote Deeper Learning.” The course is for K-12 teachers and administrators that wish to utilize web 2.0 and social media tools to promote student core content knowledge, critical thinking, collaboration skills, communication, self-directed learning and global outlook (components of what the Hewlett Foundation calls deeper learning). Teachers and administrators interested in participating can register here.

“Learning for everyone, by everyone about almost anything!” That is a motto we like!

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The Ivy League is the crème de la crème of universities. Prestigious and world renowned for their academic rigor and their ability to prepare students for what is becoming an even more competitive job market, these schools entice students from all over the world. Recently, Stanford University has knocked down the walls of the classroom and pushed aside the admissions office. They’re providing high-quality education to anyone in the world, for free.

With a focus on the most common and talked about topics in technology today, the three courses including Machine Learning, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Introduction to Databases will take students on a self-paced exploration of what a typical Stanford student would see. Students partaking in the semester long course will be expected to devote time to reading course materials, completing assignments and taking exams and quizzes.

So the walls of the university have been knocked down – come one, come all! Similar programs such as Massachusetts’ Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare or Open Yale Courses all seek to unlock the world of knowledge and empower the minds of students, both in America and abroad.

Sebastian Thrun, a Stanford research professor teaching the artificial intelligence course explains that the current times have called for this academic shift. “Technology has progressed, connectivity has progressed and video has progressed,” it is time to take the “Stanford education out into the world to people who cannot afford it or who do not have access.”

Who would have thought that the day would come where anyone regardless of SAT scores, GPA, teacher recommendations or work experience could get an Ivy education? The degree though, that still comes with hefty tuition bill (for now at least).

Keep Calm and Learn On,

Nora

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