Some Web 2.0 sites to check out.

One of the places I've gone to reading regulalry is a blog called Dangerously Irrelevant by Scott McLeod. Dr. McLeod is an associate professor in education administration at Iowa State and has some very forward thinking ideas about using technology (even cell phones!) in the classroom. 

Dr. McLoed is a strong advocate for increasing technology use in schools.  Some of his premises are made to create a reaction, but most of the time he is very informative and I think he has some great ideas for improving Iowa school through technology.

TED.com is a great spot that I think many of you will find intersting. For one, my son referenced it to me, and the video he wanted me to see is by Sir Ken Robinson from 2006. The video is a talk entitled “Schools Kill Creativity.” Mr. Robinson discusses the lack of focus on fine arts in school as a problem. Towards the end he also makes a very good point about ADHD students with a true case study. I think his view of the problems we create by making students fit the sterotypical mold of a good student is very accurate. I also believe this struck a chord with Evan to have sent it to me, so that may be an indicator of the issue’s existance on a the local level. Its about 20 minutes so if you have the time its a thought provoking essay.

The real reason I am posting this is to open your eyes to the TED website. TED doesn’t stand for Ted Kennedy and its not, as far as I can tell, aligned with any political party or think tank partisan group. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. You can check out who they are at About TED. By the way, thats a very good practice to get into when accessing ANY web page. On that page is also a short and impressive list of corporate sponsors that should give you more insight into the organization. If you look at a specific video they also have a link to a full bio of each presentor.

The reason I am asking you to browse TED is that its an example of quality, free and non-biased content that can shift your thinking or better yet, can be used in some classrooms as educational resources. An excellent example of that is this presentation by James Blalog on his study of the Extreme Ice Survey. This survey used dozens of time lapse cameras around the world to put glaciers in motion. The evidence he presents here is scientifically based and difficult to dispute.

 If this all sounds too rigorous for the younger set, find the bio on Saul Griffith on TED and check out his HowToons! site. Pretty cool.