Opinions and Commentary on Texting in Teaching

What perspectives have already been shared concerning incorporating text messaging into teaching? The following links to opinions and commentary provide individual perspectives on texting and education.

Are you aware of another news story or other perspective available online on use of text messaging in teaching that you’d recommend be added to the list above? Leave a comment with the link.

Texting Background and Definitions

Looking for more information on the background of text messaging, the tecnology the makes it possible, or definitions of technical terms? The following resources provide foundational background information.

Are you aware of another resource regarding background and definitions of texting that you’d recommend be added to the list above? Please leave a comment below!

Envisioning the Future of Education Technology

What technology will we be using in the classroom 3, 5, or 10 years or more from now? This visualization attempts to organizing a series of emerging technologies that are likely to influence education in the coming decades.

visualization
Click here for enlarged version. Courtesy Edudemic

Social Media for Educators: Strategies and Best Practices

Book Cover - Social Media for Educators: Strategies and Best PracticesI was really excited to learn nearly a year ago that Tanya Joosten was working on a new book on social media for educators. When the book availability was announced, I went out that same day and purchased it on Kindle but had to put off reading it until I finished a few other pressing projects. While on my flight to BbWorld 2012 I finally read through the entire book and must admit it is the book I wish I would’ve written on the topic.

The author does a fantastic job in the book of laying a rationale and foundation for incorporating social media into teaching and learning, then shares best practices for selecting the right tool for an intended learning outcome. Strategies for assessing and documenting the effectiveness of using these tools are also shared.

Even though the book is focused on higher education, the tools and techniques can be easily generalized for K–12 classrooms or organizational learn­ing. The best practices and faculty development tips can be informative for individuals involved in any kind of professional development or network-building.

This book is a must-read for any educator who is considering incorporating social media into their teaching. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the educational opportunities that social media affords.

For those who teach education or social media courses, you should take a closer look at Tanya’s book as a possible course text. You can request an evaluation copy or purchase a copy on Amazon.

To connect with Tanya, you can find her at tanyajoosten.com or follow on Twitter @tjoosten.

Blackboard Tutorials, Helps, and Resources @BlackboardTutor Moving to the Next Level

Back in March 2009, I had the idea of beginning to aggregate and share the best tutorials, helps, and resources I found online, including resources from the NIU Teaching with Blackboard site that my colleagues and I develop and maintain. I went ahead and setup a free Twitter account @BlackboardTutor and using TwitterFeed, created several different automated actions whereby when I bookmarked a resource, it would automatically be tweeted.

first Tweet from @BlackboardTutor

After doing the initial setup, it was years before I would again log back into this Twitter account, as new tweets were automatically posted when Blackboard helps were bookmarked or shared online.

Since that time, what began initially as just a social media experiment has blossomed into a trusted resource, with currently nearly 1,900 followers to date. Desiring for this resource to continue to grow and benefit others in the Blackboard community, I approached Blackboard to see if it is a social media resource they would be willing to take over, and they gladly accepted. So, I’m pleased to report that moving forward, @BlackboardTutor will be moving to the next level as it will be more actively managed by Blackboard’s social media team. It is my hope that it will continue to be a great aggregator of newly available Blackboard support resources, tutorials, etc. that will benefit the entire Blackboard user community worldwide. Follow @BlackboardTutor and watch for many more support resources to come!