Education Today and Tomorrow: You Tube Video

This is a thought-provoking video on what challenges face educators today.  Highly recommended!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE&feature=player_embedded

Author Stream: Upload PowerPoint Presentations

http://www.authorstream.com/

Author STREAM is a new app that allows you to quickly and easily upload PowerPoint presentations no matter what size. You can upload to share on MP3s, iPods, You Tube, Blogs and Websites, or, by using the Present Live link, you can share and discuss the PowerPoint with participants live and interactively. They can also participate in a live chat area.

You can use authorSTREAM to:

• Create e-learning content created with PowerPoint.
• To publish reports with audio-visual slideshows created with PowerPoint.
• Embed PowerPoint presentations in your blog or website.
• Convert and download them as video or share on iPods, iPhones and YouTube.
• Find, browse and download PowerPoint presentations created by other members.

Present Live link:
Another excellent tool on this site is Present Live!  It allows you upload your PPT and share it with colleagues world wide in real time. Participants can also respond in real time. A video explanation is available on the Authorstream site. See below:

Just upload your PowerPoint presentation and share the 'Present Live' link with your contacts.
All your contacts can then watch and discuss the same presentation. You can click through the slides and everyone attending will be on the same slide. Animations work the same way as in your PowerPoint file. Chat with attendees in a common chat area.

Call them on your favorite VoIP application like Skype or using the good old conference call and voila, you are in a live web meeting. And yes, Present Live is free for authorSTREAM members!

Create Screencasts: Screentoaster.com

http://www.screentoaster.com/

ScreenToaster is a free online screencast service allowing to capture screen activity. ScreenToaster is compatible with Windows Vista, Mac OS and Linux. It's incredibly easy to use and understand. It's still in beta format, but you can request an invitation to join. A demo explaining the site is embedded below.

To watch videos : Just click on a video to launch the player.

To record videos : Click on "Start recording" or "New recording", start recording using the shortcuts.

When finished, add audio and subtitles, describe and tag your video so other users can easily find your screencasts.

Record your screencast online

Qwizdom Wireless Tablet

http://www.qwizdom.com/ Cool tool. I do a lot of presentations and hate having to turn my back on the audience to run the slide show. This tool will make that problem disappear, allowing teachers to draw, annotate, and control computer applications without being tethered to a computer. It's a great add-on to an LCD projector and puts the presentation in the hands of the instructor.
View presenter notes and presentation indicators privately on LCD screen. Control volume, window shade, and virtual laser pointer.
Move from slide to slide and launch new presentations using navigation keys or pen. Pose questions and interact with learning objects or games. It also has interactive whiteboard capabilities, which will let you wirelessly create, annotate, and interact with screen objects.

Run computer applications with programmable pen keys and hard keys.
Utilize pen on tablet interface which offers all mouse functions.
Aligns with other whiteboard devices (not required).

Current cost is under $500 per unit.

All of this in a handheld device. Oh I do indeed love the new technologies and what they can do!

ProProfs: Create a Quiz

http://www.proprofs.com/I found this site while browsing through my favorite blog sites...this came from the Random Thoughts blog (http://nmckeand.wordpress.com/). It's a perfect Web 2.0 app that allows you to post quizzes on your website/blog or share through email, print, links etc. View quiz results & discussions, reports & analysis. Scored Quizzes are knowledge based quizzes like tests, trivia & assessments. Each question has a right/wrong answer. Personality quiz reveals something about the quiz taker. Unlike a scored quiz, here there is no right/wrong answer to a question. You can also create your own online flashcards for free. Customize with name and text & colors of your choice. Post your flashcards at any webpage (eg. your blog or classroom page).

According to the website, it has:

flickr integration for images
Widgets (embed) to share your quiz
Security options like password protection
Styles and formatting options

Looks interesting and worth exploring further.

Commentary: Sotir: Got Tech?

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" Arthur C Clark

Actually, most of the Web 2.0 apps DO feel like magic to me. I've been involved in technology since before the WWW existed, and started out creating BBS, a.k.a. the infamous Bulletin Board System, uploaded through FTP transfer and requiring all kinds of magic codes to operate. Knowing what it took to upload to the Internet in the early days makes the new systems even more impressive. I look at a lot of sites, but my new favorites (and some 'oldies' but goodies) include:
Blogs and Wikis: How could I ignore my absolute favorite tools? I've been blogging since 2003, and love the transformation in how much easier it is to upload everything from photos to widgets. I also like browsing through other Ed Tech Blogs to get a sense of what else is out there. There's a list of my favorite 'others' in the right column of this Blog.
Gabcasts and Podcasts: Still make me smile every time I think about creating an audio podcast with nothing more than a regular phone and some site-generated code. Podcasts are also quite easy to create now that webcams are more plentiful. And thank you, Apple, for making the process effortless and almost instantaneous.
TinyURL: I hate long and complicated URL addresses, mostly because I never type them in correctly the first time. This cuts them down to size.
Hotlists: Wonderful tool to compartmentalize the various Websites by skill or level. We have several on this site, and I'm sure we'll make more. Anything that works to narrow done the huge and daunting amount of sites is worthwhile to both instructors and students.
Microblog and social networking sites such as Jaiku and Twitter...just because I'm busy and it's an easy way to stay connected with friends and family.
Cool Web Sites: A lot of sites that can be adapted to educational settings. SnagFilms has free full-length documentaries, and Voice Thread lets you do classroom projects using photos and audio. Webquests can be used as online lessons, and TeacherTube has an abundance of good (and safe) videos that can be incorporated into lesson plans. Webware has wonderful 2.0 apps to view, and Widgetbox will supply an endless list of widgets to apply to your applications. Sometimes a tool like SlideShare comes along, and lets you share those longer PowerPoints that never quite fit in an email and put them directly in Blogs and Wikis. BabelFish allows you to translate your posts into another language. It isn't perfect, but it certainly helps.

I have URLs for all of the above listed sites in the right hand column. You could check the list and and click or just click on any of the underlined words in this post. Did I mention that I really like things that are easy to use?

New Technology: Slide Share

"SlideShare ( http://slideshare.com/) is the world's largest community for sharing presentations.- Individuals & organizations upload presentations to share their ideas, connect with others, and generate leads for their businesses.- Anyone can find presentations on topics that interest them. They can tag, download, or embed presentations into their own blogs & websites.SlideShare is the best way to get your slides out there on the web, so your ideas can be found and shared by a wide audience. Do you want to get the word out about your product or service? Do you want your slides to reach people who could not make it to your talk? Are you a teacher looking to share your lesson plans? It only takes a moment - start uploading now, and let your slides do the talking!

Some of the things you can do on SlideShare- Embed slideshows into your own blog or website. - Share slideshows publicly or privately. There are several ways to share privately. - Synch audio to your slides. - Market your own event on slideshare. - Join groups to connect with SlideShare members who share your interests - Download the original PowerPoint / Pdf file"

New Technology: Voice Thread

Did you ever want to share a photo, and get comments back from viewers? Voice Thread (http://voicethread.com/) allows you to post a photo or a diagram and allow for responses from the viewers. There is an extensive series of demos and tutorials, so pop onto the site and check it out. It really is quite awesome.

"A VoiceThread is an online media album that can hold essentially any type of media (images, documents and videos) and allows people to make comments in 5 different ways - using voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam) - and share them with anyone they wish. They can even be exported to an Archival Movie for offline use on a DVD or video-enabled MP3 player. A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world."

• By Voice (mic or phone), Text, Audio file, or Webcam. Simple voice recording within your web browser allows you to collect the voices of an entire group on a single page. All you need is a mic and Flash Player 7+. Capturing voices couldn't be easier.
• Video Doodling allows you to control the playback of a video as you comment using a mic or webcam, giving you the power to voice comment over specific segments of video. Move to a spot, doodle, then move to another, all while commenting.
• The Doodler is a new way of annotating. It captures your drawing as an animation synced to your voice or text commentary. Instead of seeing the final product of your thoughts, viewers can see the actual process. Doodling delivers a sense of live presence.
• Put your VoiceThread on any site you want, or better yet, put it on many. Embedding is easy and allows you to add group collaboration to any website. Whether it's feedback, critique, or group story-telling, collect it how and where you want.

Curriki

http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
The Curriki homepage has a new design. Included are:

• 
  It’s now possible to create wiki resources using a very simple form. To see some examples of lessons created using this new template, click this link. Then start to contribute your own!
  http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_curriki/ModelLessonsfromCurrikisForm-BasedTemplate
• 
  FEATURED GROUP: WYOMING SHARES SPANISH CURRICULUM
  This group has developed a curriculum for middle-school students who began their study of Spanish in early elementary school. The group is sharing its Grade 6 curriculum as a service to the profession and as a method of gaining input into the continued evaluation and updating of its resources. Check back soon for Grades 7 and 8!
  http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Group_Wyoming6-8Spanish/
• 
  To browse through other groups which have formed on Curriki:
  http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Groups/Browse

It's a good site and worth a second look.

Nuevo: En Español de GED Hotlist, New: Spanish GED Hotlist

http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listspanishjs.html

Para los estudiantes españoles de GED, hay un hotlist nuevo, o lista de los Web site españoles de GED, en la columna derecha de este blog. Chasque simplemente encendido el título En Español de GED Hotlist para llevarle al sitio del hotlist. Una vez que allí, usted pueda chascar una vez en cualquier título (acoplamiento) y le llevarán a ese Web site. Para una lista similar para las constituciones de Illinois y de Estados Unidos, vaya por favor a http://constitutionaelc.blogspot.com/.

For Spanish GED students, there is a new hotlist, or list of Spanish GED websites, in the right hand column of this blog. Simply click on the title En Español de GED Hotlist to take you to the hotlist site. Once there, you can click once on any title (link) and you will be taken to that website. For a similar list for the Illinois and United States Constitutions, please go to http://constitutionaelc.blogspot.com/

Tech Tools: I-Lighter

http://www.i-lighter.com/

2/26/08 update: Please check out i-Lighter 2.1, our new release. 2.1 includes upgrades, enhancements, is now totally web based and includes a few features that are particularly beneficial to the Adult Education community:1. Folders and Notebooks: i-Lighter 2.1 allows you to organize your i-lights and iNotes (annotations) into Folders. Notebooks allows users to save i-Lights from various folders into one location.2. iNotes which are annotation notes that you can add to any i-lighted content.3. Export to Word: Export allows you to export your collected data into word documents. With 2.1 you can also print or email your i-Lighted data as well as post to a blog.

They read my mind. Or at least highlighted the important sections. Anyone who knows me and knows how often I hit the Internet would understand why I am making this my tech tool of the decade. Maybe longer. When you spend a lot of time on the ole www highway, you tend to get overwhelmed not just by by the number of Web hits (like 8,943,632...and counting...) but by the fact that you only need portions of the hit pages found. Enter I-Lighter...a free cool tool developed for Internet Explorer and Firefox, that lets you mark content on any Web page and automatically store it, with notes (be still my heart) for access from any location.
I used to print out the salient pages and then use the trusty yellow markers to indicate information I needed, but this allows me to highlight and store said information on the Web, and then access it wherever I go. Why, I was even able to view them off my cell phone browser. Trust me, this is a truly cool tool.

(originating source: Technology and Learning, Vol 27 Number 8)
Also added to the 'Tech Tools Recommended' list on this Blog

Commentary: Sotir: Preparing Students for the Future

It's now 2008, and we are on the downside of the decade following the millennium, safe from the Y2K but still dealing with the aftermath of 9/11. In reviewing where schools now fit into our tech society, I realize that we still fall short. Recently I read an article about students who chose to give up technology for a specified period of time, and the difficulties they encountered in the process. Frustrations included trying to get assignments completed for instructors who only accepted papers online, or trying to figure out how to use a typewriter versus a computer keyboard. As I've noted in the past, the societal changes due to technology have been evolutional, not revolutional. Can you remember, for example. seeing an outside phone booth lately? Pay phones still exist, but are becoming less and less commonplace now that almost everyone has access to a cell phone. All generations are touched by technology.

Of course, schools have evolved. But has staff evolved as well? To some extent, yes, but is it enough? From the iPhone to Wi-fi to the Wii, technology is part of daily life for students. Yes, there are pockets of educators creating innovative 2.0 interactive Websites and Podcasts, but it is hardly a universal phenomena. The average instructor is satisfied with accessing 20th century technology. Many have changed (usually reluctantly) to LCD projectors and PowerPoint presentations but I am sure that in most every school there are still those using the overheads with abandon. Professional development workshops are given, often showcasing the newest and most innovative technologies, but how much of that is truly brought back into the classroom?

The excuses I hear from educators range from 'there's not enough time' to 'there's not enough money'. Probably true enough, but the reality is, there's not enough interest. I have what I call AELC 10 minute wonders; technology applications that require only about 10 minutes to develop, and a computer with Internet access to implement. Many of those are highlighted on this Blog, with Blogs and Wikis as the first tool shown. Others are apps like Gabcast (yes, that does require a phone too, but it can be a landline phone), Tiny URLs and Filamentality Hotlists. These are powerful applications, easy to use, and readily available without additional equipment or cost.

Do adult students also crave these tools? Of course. Our college is closed to students for about 7 weeks between fall and spring semesters. In response to student requests for continued access to instruction during the hiatus, my staff created Gabcasts and Hotlists. During the week prior to the start of the break when classes had ended but the college was still open, I had over 20 students stop in to make sure they knew how to access the lessons, and one student who purchased a laptop computer specifically to allow him access to those tools. Over 100 students have accessed these sites to date, and I anticipate that now that the holidays are winding down, that number will increase. My staff saw a need, utilized easily accessed applications and provided a solution.

The advantage of technology is that it is accessible and readily available to most of us. It is sometimes overwhelming, but often that sense is created by those who are providing instruction rather than by the application itself. From my first attempts with administration of technology, I realized that how easily you access the tool is more important than the tool itself. If it is easy to use, it will be used. If it requires an instruction book to utilize the process, the actual usage will be low.

Look at your own cell phone. Sure, most people can make calls and answer calls on them, and probably even access voicemail and a few other general features. How many additional features does it have that you never utilize, simply because you don't know how to use them? The iPhone is a success largely because it is intuitive. If you want the weather, touch the weather icon. If you want to get directions, touch the maps icon. People are now accessing things like stocks and email from their phones because Apple made it easy to do. Many of those same tools are available on other cell phones too, but accessing them requires several steps, not the least of which is actually knowing that they are there and can be accessed. On the iPhone, there is an icon, and when you touch it, it opens the application. Sure, it may take a bit longer to figure out how to use the tools effectively, but at least you know they exist. And knowledge is power.

We need to approach education the same way. If you want instructors to use a tool, then make that tool easy to use. Do whatever it takes. Quick Notes? Labels? Short instructional training sessions? Whatever it takes. I often think about the professional development workshops where instructors are given everything they can possibly learn about using a new application or tool. Most say wow, that is truly amazing. And then they go back to the same way they had been working all along. Technology training should be in short bursts, with immediate opportunity to apply the training. Utilize the business axiom of JIT, or just in time, for providing training. Make sure all tools and technologies are in place, tested and ready to use. Give instructors concrete examples of how to use those tools with their students. Provide after training to answer the inevitable questions that occur. Allow peers to showcase their use of the tools to other instructors. Training is a necessity. Make it worthwhile.

Commentary: Sotir: Blogs and Wikis

I've read more than a few articles lately about the 'death' of Blogs and Wikis as communcative tools. New technologies and applications come out literally daily, and it certainly is hard to keep up with them all. I don't see the Blogs and Wikis leaving us anytime soon. Widgets and small apps such as Blogarithm or Site Meter make them easy to use and track. Adding a post is as easy as writing an email. I love to try out new apps...the Babel Fish Translator is interesting, and so are Cluster Maps. You can get feedback using tools like Survey Monkey or Poll Daddy. Most Blogs and Wikis have a defined purpose, and are easier to track updates with RSS feeds.

And as for use...this tiny little academic Blog has been read in over 1000 cities and educational institutions in the U. S., and all 50 states. It's also been read in 92 countries, and over 600 cities around the world. I started out using the Internet before the WWW, using BBS or Bulletin Board System to post pages. Sure, you needed to know things like FTP File Transfer, and it took a while before you got your words uploaded, but the promise of being able to quickly share information across town or around the world was there. It's just easier now. A LOT easier.

Are there more changes on the horizon? Of course, and I can't wait to try them out. I've talked about the iPhone (as have more than a few others), and noted its positives and negatives. Subsequent generations will be better, and easier. Most of the flaws will be corrected. But back when I used BBS, could I have ever imagined the ability to see pages on a 2" by 4" handheld device, without a cord or cable in sight? Could I have imagined podcasting lessons for students that can fit inside a shirt pocket? Could I have imagined Interactive White Boards, LCD projectors, or Portals? The world is spinning more rapidly, but those of us with imagination are holding on tightly. It's worth waiting for, and just as exciting as it is frustrating. I'm ready...are you?

New Technologies: Writing Quizzes and Test on an iPod

McGraw-Hill Higher Education Delivers Interactive Learning for iPod

NEW YORK, July 9 /PRNewswire/ — College instructors now have the capability to quickly access millions of questions and deliver them in the form of student quizzes via iPod. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, a premier provider of print and digital teaching and learning solutions for the post- secondary and higher education markets, is the first major educational publisher to offer college-level content for the iQuiz game application, recently launched by Apple and designed for iPod. iQuiz is available from the iTunes Store for $.99 and works with all fifth generation iPods.
Any instructor who uses McGraw-Hill Higher Education's EZ Test Online program can create and deliver multiple-choice or true/false quiz questions using iQuiz for iPod. EZ Test Online combines high quality content with the ability to prepare and deliver tests to students in a variety of ways. To set up and deliver a quiz to students via iPod, instructors simply press the iQuiz button in EZ Test Online to export a quiz ready for use with iQuiz. Once students download the quiz into their iPod, they can use the interactive iQuiz to practice and learn the content specific for their course. Students can quickly self-assess and receive their quiz scores instantly.

EZ Test Online may be used with McGraw-Hill textbooks, which are available in hundreds of academic courses. It gives instructors access to hundreds of textbook question banks and millions of questions when creating their tests and quizzes. When tests are created and delivered with EZ Test Online, each one is immediately scored, saving instructors valuable time and allowing them to quickly give test feedback to students.
Instructors can register for EZ Test Online by visiting http://www.eztestonline.com/.

The ubiquitous iPod can be used as a tool for students to take practice tests and quizzes, or even actual tests.

NEW Blog Feature: Babel Fish Translator

If you look in the right column of this Blog you will see a new feature: I've added a Babel Fish Translation widget. Click on one of the flags of a supported language, and in a few seconds this Blog will be translated into that language. It does take a few moments to work, but the end result is impressive. I checked the German translation and while not perfect, it was close enough to be readily understood.

Review: Tablet PC's

I am an unabashed fan of tablet PC's, and really don't understand why they don't cover a larger market share. Perhaps it's the weight issue, or the newness of writing on a tablet versus typing on a keyboard. Whatever the reason, they haven't caught fire in the marketplace. Perhaps the new Dell Latitude Tablet PC due out later this year will make a difference in the pen and touch category. It's a very lightweight convertible, and just might shake things up. See it in action at: http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/05/18/15193.aspx

Commentary: New Tools: Citizendium

From TechLearning (http://www.techlearning.com/content/ednews/index.php#article5)

Wikipedia Rival Goes Live
Citizendium, a new, free, user-created online encyclopedia, is designed to avoid some of the pitfalls that have bedeviled Wikipedia. While anyone can read and edit Citizendium, they will have to use a real name to do so. Larry Sanger, one of the co-founders of Wikipedia, believes that anonymity contributes to some of Wikipedia's more publicized faults. The volunteer contributors to Citizendium are expected to provide their real names, have that identify confirmed and submit a short biography. And their contributions will be reviewed for accuracy by experts in given fields. Sanger originally conceived of Citizendium as a fork of Wikipedia. A fork copies everything in a given product and then goes off in its own direction. But he decided that it made more sense to start from scratch than to first mine the Wikipedia content for any potential "gold." Given the increased barriers to participation, it's likely to be some time, if ever, before Citizendium, approaches Wikipedia's three million member accounts. Citizendium currently has about 900 authors and 200 editors. Of its 1,100 articles, only 11 display the green check that indicates that it has been "approved" by editors.
Source: Cincinnati.com

A lot of the workshops and lectures I do on technology center around Blogs and Wikis and podcasts etc. The question 'how many know what a Wiki is?' is generally followed by blank stares, until I give them Wikipedia as a base. Ah yes, most have heard of Wikipedia, and many have used it. For several years now, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) has been drawing us into an interactive format for providing information. I tend to think that it epitomizes the Web 2.0 school of thought, where information is in constant flux and readers are more active participants.
Citizendium is the new kid on the block. Like everything else, it was inevitable that even the venerated Wikipedia would need a 2.0 type upgrade. To be fair, Wikipedia itself has evolved through its rather short life, but as with many things, there are inherent 'flaws', not the least being the relative anonymity of its authors. Citizendium takes on those flaws and ups the ante.

I see Wikipedia as more the free-spirited, few rules hippie-type, and Citizendium being its more matured boomer type brother. Viva revolution! Check it out: http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Main_Page

Commentary: Emotive Software

One of the biggest criticisms of email is that you can't tell what the writer really means just by the words alone. 'I'm leaving you' might simply mean that you are running out to a meeting, or it might mean you are heading for a divorce. It's hard to tell. Yes, you could throw a smiley face in, but is that enough to let your reader know your true emotions? Hardly. Wouldn't it be better if you could simply get a wonderful voice to read your words, adding the true emotions that you are feeling? Enter the world of emotive software: (http://actor.loquendo.com/actordemo/default.asp?language=en

"The Interactive TTS Demo enables you to use Loquendo TTS to create and listen to your own synthetic messages. Scroll the list of Loquendo languages to find the persona of your choice, type in a text in your chosen language and have Loquendo TTS read it to you. You can choose between .WAV and .MP3 formats."

Yes, you could say I am leaving you, but have Susan (in a very clear American accent) say your words and add a giggle afterwards. Or if it's a divorce you want, have Kate (in an equally clear British accent) cry a little, while still keeping a stiff upper lip. Or perhaps you are feeling saucy, and would prefer from Juliette, in a very fetching French accent. Just laying down the options? Try for Ulrike to give it the German no nonsense accent. I think you get the drift. I remember when Apple came out with computer voices to read your words. It was nice to have a voice read your letter outloud to you before you sent it, but the robotic sound was quite annoying. I-am-leav-ing yo-u. The new generation sounds like your best friend, no matter where they come from. Clear, easy to understand and quite fun to do. Check out the Loquendo Web site to give it a try.
Now, wasn't that fun? Of course. However, this is an academic blog, so what is it that you could do with the Kate and Simon, and Susan and Kenneth? Well, imagine typing what you want students to learn, and then having an American accented reading of your words, complete with the emotions you want to express. If you were commenting on a student writing assignment, for example, you could say 'Interesting piece, Elizabeth \_ sigh, but I have to tell you that you will not pass \_ cry-big'. You might want Simon to read it...his smooth British accent can ease the blow. Or, perhaps not. All are much better than the old robotic voices. At any rate, it is rather interesting, and might have some academic applications. Worth a peek \_ giggle.

Or consider Auto Tutor:
http://www.autotutor.org/what/what.htm

"AutoTutor is a web-based intelligent tutoring system developed by an interdisciplinary research team. This team is currently funded by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation and is is comprised of approximately 35 researchers from psychology, computer sciene, linguistics, physics, engineering, and education. The Tutoring Research Group (TRG) has conducted extensive analyses of human-to-human tutoring, pedagogical strategies, and conversational discourse. This research has provided the empirical and theoretical foundations for developing intelligent tutoring systems that help the students learn by engaging them in a natural language conversation about a particular subject matter. Currently AutoTutor comes in two forms: The computer literacy version is designed to help students learn basic computer literacy topics covered in an introductory course (e.g., hardware, operating systems, and the Internet). The conceptual physics version is designed to help students learn Newtonian physics. AutoTutor can also be adapted for use in a variety of other content domains.
AutoTutor works by having a conversation with the learner. AutoTutor appears as an animated agent that acts as a dialog partner with the learner. The animated agent delivers AutoTutor's dialog moves with synthesized speech, intonation, facial expressions, and gestures. Students are encouraged to articulate lengthy answers that exhibit deep reasoning, rather than to recite small bits of shallow knowledge. For some topics, there are graphical displays and animations. "

This could be used for adaptive students who need special tools. It's all interesting, and worth viewing.

New Technology: Cubicle 2.0

Ever want to stay in touch with co-workers who are in different offices or sites? Well of course, who doesn't need even more connectivity to work?? Employees can work together, wherever they are, by creating virtual rooms and using simple avatars (cartoon like characters that represent you), and talk via voice or IM (instant messaging). You can pull up applications to share information. It's still in beta phase, but will get better as time works out the kinks in the programming. The real issue is that we barely have time to get work done in the real world, and now we have to work in the virtual realm as well. Maybe you can pick a better looking avatar, and go out after work to a virtual party, and have some real virtual fun.

New Technology: Course Curriculum Online

MIT plans to make its entire 1800 course curriculum available online by the end of the year on the MIT OpenCourseWare site: http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html:

Welcome to MIT's OpenCourseWare:
a free and open educational resource (OER) for educators, students, and self-learners around the world.
MIT OCW:
Is a publication of MIT course materials
Does not require any registration
Is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity
Does not provide access to MIT faculty

Over 100 other universities have done the same thing. Courses are free, but no credit is granted. You have access to things like course materials, reading lists, homework (and sometimes the solutions), and even textbooks, streaming video lectures and lecture notes. You can find similar sites from Harvard Law School, Michigan State University, University of Notre Dame and University of California at Irvine, to name a few. Education is indeed changing, and so is the information that previously could only be accessed behind the walls of academia. This really shows the directional change towards lifelong learning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_OpenCourseWare