Eclectic Technology

A look at three news articles published this week. Common Sense Media...has just released a new ratings iniative to evaluate the learning potential of websites, video games and mobile apps." This provides a "system which is more than just categorizing subject areas..."

A look at Minecraft as a teaching tool. As well as sharing information from a recent study from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center they also discuss MinecraftEdu, a company working with Carnegie Mellon University to offer an educational version of Minecraft (http://minecraftedu.com/).

The use of Twitter in the classroom which explores the potential of using Twitter within educational settings.

And news from the Pew Internet and American Life Project on "millenials and their connected lives" and shares some of the predictions and arguments about millenials. 

Quoting from the post: "The Ethics and Responsibilities of the 21st Century Classroom: A Collaborative Guide to Best Digital Learning Practices for K-12 Teachers and Administrators

PREAMBLE: Tools aren’t teachers, they aren’t students, and they aren’t magic.

We need to know the limits and possibilities of our twenty-first century tools and the role of teachers and administrators in ethically and responsibly using digital media to enhance and foster learning."

This is a "public, participatory document" and folks are invited to add their ideas and concerns. Some of the other areas addressed include: teacher training and time for collaboration, administrators taking the lead with digital technology and encouraging high quality student input and output. 

In an impassioned call to action, Diana Rhoten kicked off the 2012 Digital Media and Learning conference by suggesting that education will never see its long-overdue renaissance without "audacious goals." ... spoke of the urgent need for researchers, practitioners, teachers, educators, technologists, as well as entrepreneurs and investors, to join together in the cause of a learning revolution. Without "audacious goals" and a diverse community willing to come together at this historic moment of convergence, most would-be education reformers will probably "die trying," Rhoten said.

You may also listen to her talk.

On March 1, 2012 the winners of the Badges for Lifelong Learning competition (DML4), part of the Digital Media + Learning Conference, were announced. The winners represent an enormous range of areas and competencies and would seem to be a strong indicator that digital badges are here to stay. Here is an overview of the concept, a look at some of the most interesting winners of the competition, and where the badges concept may go from here.