Reading an excellent book to start off the school year The World is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education by Dr. Curtis J. Bonk - Recommended Highly -you should get this for your personal and school/learning library - couple websites to check out on this book and the author (he mentions many of the things we're seeing more educational institutions doing, such as the new internet requirements in Michigan, our use of technology in the classroom, even critical friends as benefits for staff and students - it is an amazing process, as he emphasizes that technology allows us to teach anything to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.
Important websites for your consideration, concerning the book, the technology, and the author:
Dr. Bonk's blog - Travelinedman
- includes the basics of the books and other resources from his blog - including contacting him (already have through our independent scholars group)
The book: World is Open
- the book website with lots of resources as well
His syllabus for his current course
- Web2.0 and Participatory e-Learning at Indiana University - interesting ideas
Taking this to the next step, I've researched one of my favorite fields, Economics, and checked with a couple of my favorite professors in the field, to show, as Dr. Bonk explains in his book, how technology is expanding our opportunities in and outside the classroom:
To give a couple great examples demonstrating the use of technology to expand our classrooms, beyond the basics, I've been fortunate to have a nice little e-relationship with Dr. Greg Mankiw at Harvard, and had sent the info, I had posted here - he sent some examples back of some of the things he does to make economics educational while possibly making it (gasp) more interesting - these are just some of the things he sent, if you'd like some other examples I have quite a few, not just from Dr. Mankiw, but teachers and professors from around the country and beyond - the stuff available is just amazing - I can't imagine lecturing from a podium (not that I have in the last ten years - though I feel sorry for the students I had the 15 years before that) ever again - we're competing with cable, computers, social networking, web 2.0 and now 3.0, etc., we've got to step it up every single day, to engage the student -
First he "maps" his blog (#1 economics blog in the country) with his text (very simple procedure if anyone would like to try it)
Audio podcast created by his students using economics principles (warning: it's rap)
He even presents his text in a humorous way (presented by an actual economics comedian - believe it or not)
And his students come up with creative multimedia ways to present his text (#1 economics text in the country)
With another e-relationship with Dr. James Gwartney at Florida State University, who introduced me at my Great Teachers in Economics award ceremony - check out what he's rolled out for his latest book Common Sense Economics, check out all the tabs, the various media, so many ways to present economics in a thought-provoking way - my text and classroom materials will soon hopefully be added to his site - which I'll share with anyone who asks - we can make a difference, and with the advances of technology as a very important tool, all of us, as independent scholars can no longer say "Why?," but rather "Why not?"
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