Browsing all posts in Megan Dolman.
Using Technology to Learn and to Connect
Technology has put the world at our finger tips – and also made the world our audience. It is as simple to go and talk to a friend next door as it is to share an experience or a nugget of wisdom with your PLN—people from anywhere in the world, and people that you have [...]
ISTE Casts – Interviews with ISTE Authors
I’ve always felt that there is more to a book than just the book itself. What inspired the author to write their book? What expertise do they have? How does the content of the book apply to me? Why is this subject matter so important?
For these reasons ISTE produces ISTE Casts. We conduct interviews with [...]
Teaching Students about Privacy (or the lack of) on the Internet
Social networks can provide amazing learning opportunities for students, and so as social media increasingly becomes a large part of school and everyday life, educators have a responsibility to educate students about what is appropriate behavior online.
A lot of students have a false sense of privacy when using the Internet and social networking sites. They don’t [...]
Technology to Enhance Differentiated Instruction
Differentiating Instruction with Technology in K–5 Classrooms authors Grace E. Smith and Stephanie Throne have just published their second book, Differentiating Instruction with Technology in Middle School Classrooms. No matter what age group you’re working with, Smith and Throne have great advice on how technology can assist differentiated instruction. Take, for example, this excerpt from their [...]
Your Brain on E-Books
Working with books, I’m very curious about people’s interest in e-books. I like to take informal polls whenever the subject comes up, and I usually ask the simple question, “Do you want a Kindle?” It’s enough to spark quite a conversation. I enjoy hearing the reasons people do or do not want an e-reader. There [...]
Why the Read/Write Web is Essential in Schools
In his book, RSS for Educators: Blogs, Newsfeeds, Podcasts, and Wikis in the Classroom, John G. Hendron discusses the importance of using the Read/Write Web, or Web 2.0, in education. He says:
What if a school’s success hinged on its ability to prepare students for an evolving, global society that demanded openness, peering, sharing, and acting [...]
The Fear of Change – it’s Nothing New
I recently read an interview with Dennis Baron, author of A Better Pencil. His new book takes a look at people’s fear of computers having a negative impact on various aspects of human interaction, including common complaints that instant messaging (IM) is ruining the English language and that Facebook is causing us to be anti-social. [...]
Digital Textbooks – An Economical Option?
Last week the state of California released a list of 10 free digital text books that meet state standards for science and math. The California government is suggesting that using free digital text books is a way for schools to save money during these times of deep budgetary cuts. But is it? Many schools are [...]
“Transforming Classroom Practice” Reviewed
One of ISTE’s books has received some extra attention recently. Transforming Classroom Practice: Professional Development Strategies in Educational Technology, was reviewed by Educational Technology and Education Review. Both reviews found value in this book for slightly different, but related reasons.
In his review for Ed Tech, Wallace Hannum brings up an important point: professional development for [...]
