CollegeTweetUp is a grassroots community effort to create a directory of college and university students who use Twitter. Anyone is free to add their @handle to the directory.
To add your name, just send a tweet with the message "college tweetup" and "school name" to @resawu or add it directly on the CollegeTweetUp PBwiki page.
There's a brilliant editorial in today's LA Times by the editors of IvyGate, a blog that covers news, gossip and other tidbits from the Ivy League, all about lifecasting and Facebook.
Here's a snippet from their OP-ED piece, Facebook Never Forgets:
"Imagine if the current crop of public figures had grown up during the Facebook era. We might have photos of John McCain in Florida slurping body shots off his stripper girlfriend.
Barack Obama rolling a joint on a beach in Hawaii. George W. Bush passed out at a Yale frat party, 40-ounce beer bottles duct-taped to his hands. Hillary Rodham Clinton at a Wellesley peace rally, locking lips with her husband's future secretary of Labor, Robert Reich.
It's one thing to hear that your elected representative had a wild time in college. It's entirely different to have pictorial proof. Would you still vote for someone after viewing a photograph of him passed out in his own vomit?"
Two takeaways: First, eventually there will be enough dirt on all of us that we won't really care what we learn about others. Secondly, perhaps it's time that everyone (not just students) should think more about what and why we post information on the web.
And remember, just because you delete that photo of yourself doesn't mean that it isn't archived somewhere. Forever. After all, your privacy is an illusion.
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"As you may expect, traditional academic institutions have generally resisted the influence and increasingly pervasive presence of social networking activities in the life of their students, but recently the same institutions have had to look with new eyes at all of the aspects and consequences of these new modes of technological socialization sweeping the younger generations."
--Social Networking: Learning Theory in Action, Campus Technology
"Psychologists have long studied social networks, and the growing popularity of sites like MySpace and Facebook provide fertile territory for research. Stanford University even has a class called Psychology of Facebook. What do our online profiles say about us?" (via)
Guests:
B.J. Fogg, director of the Persuasive Technology Laboratory at Stanford University and the author of an upcoming book on the psychology of Facebook.
Sam Gosling, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Campus Technology > Which Technologies Will Shape Education 2008: "Mobile broadband, collaborative Web technologies, and mashups will all significantly impact education over the next five years, along with "grassroots" video, collective intelligence, and "social operating systems. This according to a new report released this week by the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative, the 2008 Horizon Report.
The report focuses on the six key technology areas that the researchers identified as likely to have a major impact on "the choices of learning-focused organizations within the next five years," broken down into the technologies that will have an impact in the near term, those that are in the early stages of adoption, and those that are a bit further out on the horizon."
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50 Years Later, a New ‘Sputnik’ Crisis: The War of Minds: "Their [teenagers] world is one of total interactivity. They’re in constant communication with each other, but when they go to school, they are told to leave those “toys” at home. They’re not to be used in school. Instead, the system continues teaching as if these kids belong to the last century, by standing in front of a blackboard.
Education has not changed, and that’s a problem. It was a good system when I came through, but today’s kids have changed, and that’s the part that educators are not realizing. It’s the kids that have changed, and our education system needs to change along with them.
Again, they are the most technologically savvy group of kids we’ve ever had; we’ve got to take advantage of that."
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Looks like there is another YPluse Mashup on the horizon, this time focused on the college crowd. There aren't many details on this next event other than it will be held in February 08' in lovely Los Angeles, California. Be sure to check the official YPulse Mashup site or check back here for more information as it unfolds.
I attended the inaugural YPulse Mashup in San Francisco. It was a great event--one of the best events like this that I've attended in a long time. The best thing about the YPulse Mashup '07 was that it was very unconferencey, it was more like a gathering of colleagues with lots of time to mix and network. I made some great contacts and had a great time to boot!
I have no doubt that the YPulse College Mash will also be a fantastic event. So stay tuned...
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The FaceBook developer blog posted a note to encourage developers to create educational applications for Facebook. Here's the scoop:
"Developers - Now is the time to build education applications on Facebook Platform! Facebook will be phasing out its Courses feature in early August, and we wanted to make sure you were the first to know.
Collaboration services and applications are a big part of the world of Education. Especially on college campuses, where we first found our roots. Many of you have probably used some kind of collaboration software as a part of your courses.
Our courses application was a great way to connect with new friends, and find your classmates. But, we think Facebook Developers can create even more robust ways to create, connect, and collaborate around teaching and learning in the classroom.
This is a great business opportunity, with vast distribution potential, and a great way to fundamentally affect an important part of the lives of students worldwide."
Chatterbox, powered by Yackpack, is an easy way to put voice chats on your Facebook profile page. Here are some of the cool Chatterbox features:
1) You can now send text messages! This can be a text message along with your voice message, or just text -- whatever you'd like. These show up right in your profile, just like a Wall post.
2) Your friends don't have to have Chatterbox in order to post. Anyone who can see your profile can make a Chatterbox post.
3) It's easier than ever to post messages. If you enter any text or start a recording, you can post at any time just by hitting the post button... no need to stop the recording or anything else first.
Also, did you know that there is a super simple way to invite your friends to install Chatterbox? Once you log into Facebook, go to the Chatterbox description page and then click the "Share" button up at the top. Click "message" and you can add many of your friends to the list at once, and send it out. It's easy and effective. Give Chatterbox a try--it's a great way to add the power of Yackpack to your Facebook page.
Need audio for your Facebook Group? Then be sure to try WalkieTalkie. This Yackpack Facebook App gives you private voice chat for your Facebook groups. It's simple . . . just push the button and talk. Tell friends to add WalkieTalkie and your group will be talking live!
Looks like we are moving even closer to being able to use Facebook as a modular education platform, picking and choosing the Facebook Apps that meet and support the multiple intelligences that our students bring into the classroom.
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"The fates guide those who go willingly; those who do not, they drag" ~ Seneca
Learning 3.0 will be about harnessing the ubiquity of the mobile phone/handheld device and using it as an educational tool. Given the fact that many in the education ecosystem are finding the Learning 2.0 pill hard to swallow, it may seem a bit premature to start discussing Learning 3.0.
However, the future of learning has already arrived in the European Union, Africa and Southeast Asia, and if the United States doesn't act now we will be even further behind the rest of the world.
Another key indicator that the internet is trending towards a mobile experience is the move by media giants such as Yahoo!, Google, Disney Internet Group, Apple Computer, and Sony to provide more and more of their content on mobile devices.
The convergence of mobile and social technologies, on-demand content delivery, and early adoption of portable media devices by students provides academia with an opportunity to leverage these tools into learning environments that seem authentic to the digital natives filling the 21st Century classroom.
Clearly, the spread of web-based technology into both the cognitive and social spheres requires educators to reexamine and redefine our teaching and learning methods.
A few quick facts on mobile technology, Gen Y and education:
by the Irish National Teachers Organization (INTO) found that students are using their mobile phones for just about everything--except making phone calls., the popular online video community, has also recently launched a service that allows users to upload video clips via their mobile phones, PDAs, or other wireless handheld devices. also launched a mobile version of their popular social networking service. The Kansas City Star notes that Facebook's mobile services will be available to more than 2,000 universities. format) or via SparkMobile, a SMS version for mobile phones.The combination of social interaction with opportunities for peer support and collaboration creates an interesting, engaging, stimulating, and intuitive learning environment for students. Effective course design will need to blend traditional pedagogy with the reality of the media hungry and mobile Gen Y learner.
At the 2006 International Consumer Electronic Show, Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel outlined the explosive growth of mobile technology. According to Semel (2006), there are 900 million personal computers in the world. But this number pales in comparison to the 2 billion mobile phones currently being used in the world.
Even more astounding is how mobile devices are increasingly being used as the primary way in which people connect to the Internet. In fact, Semel notes that 50% of the Internet users outside the US will most likely never use a personal computer to connect to the Internet. Rather, they will access information, community, and create content on the Internet via a mobile device.
In order to create a better learning environments designed for the digital learning styles of Generation Y, there is a need to use strategies and methods that support and foster motivation, collaboration, and interaction. The use of mobile devices are directly connected with the personal experiences and authentic use of technology students bring to the classroom.
The use of mobile technologies is growing and represents the next great frontier for learning. Increasingly we will continue to see academic and corporate research invest, design and launch new mobile applications, many of which can be used in a learning context.
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Journal of Educational Technology Systems (JETS )
Volume 35 , Number 1 / 2006-2007
Making mLearning Work: Utilizing mobile technology for active exploration, collaboration, assessment, and reflection in higher education
Mercedes Fisher, PhD.
National College of Ireland
Derek E. Baird, M.A
Educational Technologist
Abstract
The convergence of mobile technologies into student centered learning environments requires academic institutions to design new and more effective learning, teaching, and user experience strategies.
In this paper we share results from a mLearning design experiment and analysis from a student survey conducted at the National College of Ireland. Quantitative data support our hypothesis that mLearning technologies can provide a platform for active learning, collaboration, and innovation in higher education.
In addition, we review mobile interface and user-experience design considerations, and mLearning theory. Finally, we provide an overview of mLearning applications being developed in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland including, Virtual Graffiti, BuddyBuzz, Flickr, and RAMBLE.
Keywords:
mLearning, social media, mobile, Flickr, BuddyBuzz, RAMBLE, Gen Y, mobile interface design, mobile user-experience design, participatory media, community generated content, rapid serial visual presentation, mobile learning theory, Ireland, Yahoo, Google, Tivo, PSP, iPod, open source education, YouTube, Claroline, National College of Ireland
mynoteIT is an extremely powerful social search utility for students. Since mynoteIT is web-based, you can store all your class notes and other information in one place, and access it anywhere in the world instantly. It's like del.ic.ious for your notes.
One of the coolest features of mynoteIT are the Workspace Utilities which "allow you to lookup the definition of a word, and translate words or sentences between languages, all in real-time while taking or editing notes." How slick is that? And a time saver too!
mynoteIT also provides a way for students to search and share your notes with friends and/or other members of their collegiate community. You can e-mail your notes, send them through mynoteIT, or use an unique URL link to your notes. Some other cool mynoteIT features include:
All in all mynoteIT is a fantastic new social search learning tool and one that I'm sure a lot of students--both in high school and college--will be taking advantage of this school year. It would be great to see mynoteIT's social notetaking application mashed-up with a student social networking site like Facebook, Univillage , or StudentFace.
It's important to note (no pun intended) that mynoteIT is still in beta and is subject to tweaks, bugs, and changes. It looks like the mynoteIT team and their social notetaking service is off to a fast start, and undoubtedly will find many friends and admirers in the education community.
O Canada 2.0! The country that brought us Flickr, the Yahoo! Translating Proxy and Gretzky has once again dipped into its talent pool and produced the innovative Nuvvo Learning Management System (LMS).
Nuvvo & Digital Learning Styles
Nuvvo provides a bevy of easy-to-use tools to help instructors weave interactive and social activities into their own online learning portal. Oh, yeah--it's free!
Here are just a few of the features built into Nuvvo to help instructors create an eLearning course that will appeal to today's digital learning styles:
eLearning with a Twist
In addition to a host of really slick course development tools, Nuvvo also provides instructors with the resources to market, advertise, and get paid for thier course via the eLearning Market.
Nuvvo is a LMS with a twist--a twist of cold hard cash! Think of the Nuvvo eLearning Market as an eBay + eLearning mash-up!
Nuvvo and the Web 2.o Sandbox
And because Nuvvo knows how to "play nice," you can integrate some of your other favorite Web 2.o toys into your Nuvvo course.
This means you can insert a HTML snippet for your Flickr photo badge, social bookmarking badge (e.g. MyWeb 2.0/del.ic.ious/BlinkList), or audio messaging group like YackPack into your eLearning portal.
Learning 2.0 for Teachers
"Sharing knowledge is a lovely thing." -Jamie Oliver
Nuvvo is a breakthrough in LMS platforms. It's simple, yet powerful. And it's web-based architecture means that instructors can focus on what they love to do, instead of struggling with the technology.
In short, Nuvvo let's teachers be teachers. Because after all, learning isn't about technology, it's about relationships!
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SparkNotes and SparkNotes.com are a popular series of books and study guides which help students learn and practice basic skills, study for a test, and achieve their academic goals.
Now SparkNotes has gone mobile!
SparkNotes are now available for download on your iPod (both in text and audio format) or via SparkMobile, a SMS version for mobile phones.
But wait! There's more...
Students can subscribe to the SAT Word-A-Day service and have vocabulary words delivered directly to their mobile phone. And if that wasn't enough, SparkNotes has also created a search widget for your desktop!
So what are you waiting for? Grab your mobile phone, iPod, widget, or PSP and get Sparking!
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China Open Resource for Education (CORE) is a non-profit organization committed to providing Chinese universities with free and easy access to global open educational resources.
CORE's mission is to promote closer interaction and open sharing of educational resources between Chinese and international universities, which CORE envisions as the future of world education.
Together, CORE and MIT have brought OpenCourseWare (OCW) to China. CORE has developed partnerships with international organizations and Chinese universities to enhance higher education, promote open sharing of educational resources in China, and share Chinese OCW globally.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
