Dot Learnt

Today, we pass the digital pen over to our Literacy Research and Education Outreach Resident, Nelly Elzayat. Currently based in Cambridge, MA and a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Nelly is studying and working extensively in the realm of international education. In today’s post, Nelly shares with us her latest research on digital literacy and it’s integration into curricula both domestically and globally. You may read her report in it’s entirety by checking out Using Digital Literacy to Enhance Adolescent Literacy.

Today’s adolescent reader is engaged with digital texts that range from electronic books to websites to mobile phone texting (Larson, 2009),  yet our middle school and high school classrooms do not reflect this component of adolescent life. Textbooks continue to be predominantly in print, and the main mode of communication between the teacher and the student is face-to-face interaction that occurs mostly in the classroom. Nevertheless, some educators have managed to capitalize on the predominant technological aspect of adolescents’ lives to raise student motivation levels, and in turn enhance their literacy skills.

Sheelah Sweeny (2010) describes a US literature teacher who sent her class an assignment to summarize a Shakespearian passage through a mobile text message, and required the class to respond in the same way. Another teacher required his students to post a minimum number of tweets each week. The result was a strong sense of community among members of the class. (more…)

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…)

Fellow EdTechies – as much of the east coast is digging out from the first snowfall of the season, I’m here to remind you that some things do stay hot in the midst of November. Read on for the most thought-provoking topics in the edtech sphere happening all across our world:

Emerging Elements

The Silicon Valley is getting a run for its money. World Wide Web Foundation alongside Mobile Web Ghana are two organizations working together to transform Accra, Ghana into the next tech hub. The team looks to prepare participants with the tech and business skills necessary to start a successful mobile web company. The recent wave of graduates has already created 10 distinct mobile programs.

Nokia has unleashed its latest line of cell phones meant for emerging markets. The Symbian S40 class is alow-end set meant to bring Internet connection to the “next one billion” consumers throughout South Asia and Africa. The Asha 300 and 302 will be released late 2011, running between 85-115 Euros a piece, while in 2012, the Asha 200 and 201 will go for about 60 Euros a pop. Angry Birds, for all!

Tech for the Trade

Eager to find out what UNESCO is up to? Look no further. Tuesday, November 1st marks the launch for the UNESCO Open Educational Resources Platform. In this first-ever platform, users can access UNESCO publications as open educational resources. Furthermore, UNESCO/COL Guidelines on Open Educational Resources (OER) in Higher Education will highlight key issues in terms of integrating OER into higher ed. Get ready to freely use and reshare! (more…)

Today we hear from Josephine Man-Ying Ho, a graduate student at The Harvard Graduate School of Education. After spending a year working in the realm of social media with Participant Media, Josephine found her interest in international education policy. In an effort to fuse the issues of education in emerging markets with the bright future of technology, Josephine explores some of the latest edtech developments how to bring Internet to students around the world.

Think of a school in a rural village in Ghana and what do you see? For many, images of broken-down schools and cramped classrooms come to mind.

Education in most developing countries faces a droughtof resources. The lack of trained teachers leadsover-stuffed classrooms,where teacher-student ratios can run up to 1:58 in places like Ethiopia. The multitude of problems that education systems face in emerging markets seem overwhelming, but what if there’s something that can be done? Taking into consideration thelimited resources, one thing comes to mind…Technology!

What technology has done for education

Technology plays a large role in education in emerging markets. Instead of spending thousands of dollars to put more teachers in every classroom, teachers can record their lessons and reach a hundred more kids through the computer screen. The emergence of “distance education” has opened up a world of potential, as resources shrink and learning requirements increase. It has expanded access to students who cannot meet the demands of traditional education due to distance and time-constraints. Because distance learning can be conducted off-site, learning can take place in areas with little infrastructure for education.In a world with limited resources, this is a big jump towards increasing educational access to children. UNESCO highlights the role of technology in shrinking gaps in education access by stating in a report that, “such technology can complement teacher-student contact by being available at times when children cannot make it to school (whether in the evening or during seasons when they are needed to work).” (more…)