Education and discussion on the issues and dangers of these sites for high profile users has been abandoned and fear has won the day. The NRL is a business and Twitter, along with Facebook, is a massive tool for spreading the message of both the individual clubs and the league. Let’s disregard this massive misstep in business strategy and focus on the restriction of the individual. If the dangers are outlined and, the players and organisations are educated as to what is appropriate content, there can be no reason for banning these sites.

This case is a prime example of an organisation over-reacting.

Ultimately it is not the website that creates the problems but the players and culture of a club. Don’t look for a technology based solution to a social problem as you will be forever treating a symptom not a cause.

Thanks for another brilliant term!

It’s been a pleasure engaging with you face to face as well as in cyberspace through these blogs and newsletters.

Have an awesome break.

Let’s get charged and ready for term 3!

Cheers,

The Beyond Chalk team

“However, it’s important to keep in mind that my own research in Massachusetts has found that children are significantly more willing to “go further” and to type very shocking things that they would never say in person. The fact that these communications occur in type, and online, greatly reduces their perceived impact. Kids believe that online statements simply “don’t count” because they’re not being said to someone’s face”

Very intersting women with extremly relevant observations. Use this in your staffroom or classroom to generate discussion.

LINK: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/when-your-child-is-the-cyberbully/

A teacher from New Zealand:

“Before the event we have a bit of a look around on Google Earth to fly between New Zealand and the place we are going to connect with.

Then we brainstorm anything we know about the country that we are going to connect with. Before our Skype call- not a lot!

We then designed fairly open ended questions and allot people to ask the questions.

I used the Time Scroller widget to get our timing right and after a bit of negotiation as to a time the works we are underway.

I have Call Recorder set up auto record the call which I have edited in iMovie to highlight the interesting bits.”

Super cool right? Download Skype and follow the link below then it just a matter of setting the date and time. So go on. Do it!

http://aroundtheworldwith80schools.ning.com/

This system was formally hundreds of digital photos printed, laminated and shown to autistic children as a means of communication- they can point out what they want to their parents, carers, or teachers. The app, created for iPhone, allows people to use the camera in the phone to photograph any object and instantly convert it to a picture tool.

The best thing about this app is that it’s not only changing the way that parents relate to their children, but the way that teachers relate to their students. Sapsburg School in Ireland is trialing four students with the Grace App now and can only cry success.  Woodbury school in Baulkam Hills, Sydney is looking to implement it in their curriculum for students who are unable to be taught in mainstream school systems.  As the app spreads, more and more schools are thinking about how best to use it to create opportunities for these students to learn more effectively.

We at Beyond Chalk always love to hear stories of how technology is helping people live their lives more easily. This is the perfect example. By breaking down the barrier of communication with autistic children, this app has opened them to a new world of education and understanding. It’s a great story; a suburban mother designing an app to help her daughter.

This is the epitome of what is possible when you approach teaching with creativity and an air on what is possible.

This stuff should send shivers down spines.

But first, some background. Web 2.0 is just a term used to define user-generated content. That is – sydneymorningherald.com.au is web 1.0, because the users go there to read, not create. YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, – in these spaces, users don’t just passively absorb, they create.

There’s one thing you need to know to help this video make sense, and it’s what HTML is. HTML is just a language used to write web pages. It was lots of little letters inside triangle brackets. When the web first started, pretty much every page was written in HTML. So to make a line break, you’d write <br>. And to make something italics, you’d write <i>. That was HTML.

XML makes it much easier to build sites where you don’t need to know any HTML to contribute to them. So for instance, if you want to post something on a wall on Facebook, you don’t need to know HTML. That’s because the website is built in such a way that you can just write normally and then the site figures out how to post it on the page. Seems simple – but THAT simplicity is what has led to the whole web 2.0 revolution.

SO… with that, enjoy this – it moves fast so pay attention!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

There can be no doubt that the release of this new device from Apple has been a global phenomenon. It seems as though every person on the street has an opinion on it and they range from echoing the thought of Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, that the device is ‘magical’ right through to those who claim that it is useless.  One the most common comments that I have heard in regard to the iPad is the comment that it is a ‘media consumption’ device. Basically it is great to look at stuff on but you cannot really create anything on it. But let me ask you, what is content? Is content a Tweet? If so then the argument is over because Tweeting, using Facebook and sending emails are only some of the functions that are enjoyable and easy on the iPad. But what about building web pages or editing movies? Sure the iPad at this stage is not capable of these things, but remember this is only the first version and Apple has released iWork for iPad, so I think it is only a matter of time before iLife is available as well. For the sake of this article let’s look at what the iPad can be used for right now. Hopefully this will help you understand what this product can offer and can help educate your decision on whether you want to bring it into your classroom.

One of the most common uses of technology in schools is as a research device. The process of research is not a passive one, and when the student is armed with a engaging question or task they can be set loose to research it on the web. The iPad features Safari as its web browser and text and images can easily be saved. The iPad also features a number of Apps that can help the student including a World Atlas and Google Maps. Students can then take the information they have gathered and create their own text document using the built-in Notes App or other Apps such as Pages. Getting used to the touch keyboard may take a little time but this process in itself is fun as typing using the touch screen will be new for most students and a break from a traditional keyboard. The iPad comes with another handy in built App called Photos. This is where photos can be stored and accessed from. There are many Apps such as Masque that allow photo editing, while Apps such as SketchBook allow users to create their own pictures.

When it comes to sound, the iPad features Apps such as Voice Memo which allow the user to make audio recordings using the in-built microphone. These can then be emailed to fellow students or the teacher using the email function. An App called SonicPics allows you to combine photos and voice recordings into a presentation. Once you have organised your photos you then record your narration. Once you are finished you can save your project as a video podcast (.m4v) which can then be shared across all platforms.  Students can also use the Keynote App to create presentations that combine text and images. These presentations can include simple builds, animations, and transitions. Text and images can be copy and pasted from the other applications and once the presentation is complete the iPad will plug into a projector.

Clearly there are some limitations with the iPad. It does not have a built-in camera or the ability to edit video. However what it does provide is more than enough to keep learners of all ages and abilities engaged and creating. The major upside with the iPad is the App store. This technology has just been released and already there are thousands of Apps which have been produced specifically for it. The number of Apps will only increase and in the very near future there will be millions to choose from.  The Apple iPad may not be able to everything a laptop of desktop computer can do and that is fine, because it is not meant to. What it does do it does very well and very very quickly and for those of you who think that this is just a ‘consumer’ device I have only one thing to say, you are wrong.

But what do we do with the movies once they are made? Sure they can be posted on a private webpage or even on a public one such as YouTube but if you want to give your students the sense that what they are creating if for something larger, then set the challenge of entering the film into a film festival for children. Tropjr and LittleBigShots are two festivals specifically designed for students. By entering these festivals you open the door to many useful learning experiences.

First of all the students realise that you are not the only one who is going to be judging the work, the films will be judged by an external panel. This can motivate the students to dig deeper and work harder. Now the entry will go either of two ways, one you are accepted and draw mass exposure for your school and the students or second, you do not make the cut. Even if you are not accepted into the competition the students will still feel a sense of excitement and achievement. The process can also be deconstructed and reviewed. Link the film to an element of the curriculum and then, as the teacher you cannot lose!

Stand back and watch the kids call lights camera action!

Links to the festivals websites:

http://www.tropjr.com/au/

http://www.littlebigshots.com.au/