Texting for Security

Student safety is important. This week we will look at how schools are changing the way that they react to crisis situations and how technology is being used to alert people. Go to the link below and read the article. Then write a reflective comment about the topic.

Were you aware of the incidents reported in the article? Does our school have a text messaging system for emergencies? Should it and if so, who should be contacted through the system? How should students be involved? Under what circumstances should such a system be used?

Texting Article

Digital Textbooks – Will They Disappear?

Digital textbooks are being introduced in some schools. As California schools begin adopting the state's first digital text, some ask why textbook publishers aren't offering more electronic versions of their hefty tomes. Teacher preferences, technology access as well as state and local policies all play a role, educators and publishers say. Go to the link below and read the article. Then, write a reflective comment about the topic.

Are all of the reasons given for the slow adoption of digital textbooks valid? Which is the strongest reason in your mind? How well would digital textbooks work at our school? How would you train teachers to work with digital instructional materials? As schools increase their expenditures for digital supplemental materials in the future, how should they spend their money? What sorts of things should they buy? What do we need at our school? What do you think about the electronic text reader idea?

Digital Textbooks Article

YouTube Class

Most people are familiar with YouTube through viewing videos there or perhaps posting a video. A professor at a college in California has created a course to “explore the role of the popular site.” Begin your assignment by going to the link below and read the brief article. Next, go to the link at the end of the article and view Intro to Learning from YouTube video and another video from the class. Read the comments below the videos. Write a reflective comment about the article and the class.

What value do you see in having a class like this? Would you take this class if it were offered at the college you will attend? If you were the instructor, what kinds of lessons would you have? What kinds of questions should be asked in a class like that?

To view the videos you have to have a YouTube account. If you are unable or unwilling to have an account, please contact me. We can use my account and schedule viewing during a lunch time.

YouTube Class Article

Photo Feud Intensifies

We are familiar with the presence of photographers at various events. This week’s article is about a conflict - some call it a feud – between journalists and the International Rugby Board over the use of online photographs. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that addresses the conflict and the questions that I ask below.

Why do you think that the restrictions are being imposed on the news groups? Why would the journalists object to the restrictions? Are the journalists right in what they are doing? Is the International Rugby Board right in what it is doing? How would you solve the problem? What should happen if the restrictions expand to other sports and events? Are the restrictions the same as censorship or is there a difference?


Photo Feud Article

Bringing Music to Consumers in the Internet Age

Most people enjoy listening to some form of music. Music companies are in business to get people to listen to their music and to make money. This week’s article is about some of the innovations that companies are using to get you to pay attention to them. Go to the link below and read the article. Then, write a reflective comment that expresses your views and addresses some of my questions.

The article gives some reasons why music is appropriate for online innovations. Do you fit the profile that the author gives for people your age? Have you heard of any of the companies that are described? Have you experienced any of their innovative ideas? See if you can find more about one of the companies mentioned and their marketing. Is it something that you would tell your friends about? What other innovative ideas would you like to see music companies try in marketing their music?

Innovative Music Marketing Article