Tag Archives: Technology

Five Tech Skills Every Student Should Possess

Recently, eSchool News asked its readers for their thoughts on the top five technology skills that all students should learn. A big part of what came through loud and clear is the ability to easily  adapt to change. Tip: the comments at the end of the article are probably as interesting as the article itself. The full text of the article is available at  http://tinyurl.com/ckb63x5

What do you think the top five technology skills are for students?

TIES Conference Summary: A CMLE Scholarship

The following was submitted by a CMLE scholarship recipient.

 Submitted by: Deborah Disher, Holdingford Media Specialist

 The place to be on December 12 & 13th was the TIES Conference at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.  Here you would have found 3,100 educators learning about new technology and what others are doing in their classrooms and districts.  I have attended TIES for more years than I would like to admit too, but it never fails to give me new ideas, renew my passion for technology, and motivate me to share ideas with staff and students.  This year was no exception.

 One of the most interesting things that seemed to come up in many sessions was that of a “flipped classroom”.  Where teachers tape their presentation and post to the web and students then listen to the presentations as homework.  During class time students do what would normally have been assigned as homework and the teacher is there to assist them.  Class time can also be used to go more in-depth.  I can see this being very beneficial, especially in math classes.  What a different way to think of teaching!  

 I attended a session on staff training that gave me some new ideas.  One idea I liked was what they called, “Speed Geeking”. During “Speed Geeking”, staff will spend ten minutes at different stations being introduced to some new tool.  After offering a “Speed Geeking” program it’s a good idea to offer a period of time for post-session discussion. During the post-session discussion, questions can be asked of staff attendees about what they learned, what they liked, whether the format of the class effective, and suggestions for improvement.  Later on, a follow-up can be done, asking if staff is using what they learned and if they need further help, advice, or assistance.

 I am anxiously awaiting our next staff development days so that we can try “Speed Geeking”. I also plan to setup up some after school sessions to share some of the other great ideas I learned.  All in all, the conference was great and I would encourage anyone who has never attended to try it next year.

2011 Horizon Report is Available

This annual report identifies and describes key trends that a group of experts believe will have an impact on teaching, learning and creative inquiry.  This year, some of those trends are: electronic books, mobiles, augmented reality, game-based learning, gesture-based computing, and learning analytics. This is a recommended read for those who wish to get a concise overview of important trends in addition to reviewing specific examples of current uses of technology. The 2011 Horizon Report is  a collaborative initiative of the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) and  is now available for free download from www.educause.edu/Resources/2011HorizonReport/223122.

Staying App-licable with Apps!

An increasing number of libraries are developing applications (apps) for use on mobile smartphones. With a smartphone comes the ability to access a great deal of information and entertainment directly over the phone. More often than not, this information and entertainment comes to the user in the form of an app. Everything from games, to reference resources, to calorie counters, to ebook readers are available.  It’s really amazing what’s out there!

As patrons become increasingly comfortable and dependent upon their mobile phones and apps, it’s up to libraries to respond to this trend and develop apps of their own.

Recently, ALA recognized the Orange County Library System (OCLS) as a cutting edge library system due to their new app called “OCLS Shake It”.  “OCLS Shake It” is a downloadable app for the iPhone and iPad. It allows users to shake or scroll on their iPhone or iPad to have books, videos and other materials “suggested” to them by the library catalog. The app even allows the user to filter their results by genre, audience, and format. How fun is that?! The OCLS currently has five apps to share with patrons. Most of the apps were developed through partnerships with vendors.

Looking for more library apps? Check out this three part article on the top 30 iPhone apps from Ellyssa Kroski’s iLibrarian blog. Ellyssa also just shared Mashable’s  top apps to watch in 2011!

Locally, some of our Minnesota public library systems have an app available for the Overdrive Media Console. The Overdrive Media Console app allows users to read ebooks, listen to audiobooks, and find libraries… all on their smartphone!

What are your thoughts on apps? What are some of your favorites? What types of library apps would you like to see in the future? What types of apps would our patrons LOVE…if only we had them?

Image: ‘apps’ from  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ehecatzin/3287079932/