Universal McCann has released a new report (Wave 3) describing what Richard MacManus (ReadWriteWeb) has termed "the impact of social media (such as blogs, social networks, online video) on the media landscape."

I prefer to call it the "umpteenth reason why educators need to Pay Attention report", but that's neither here nor there. See for yourself what I mean (from the report, italics added by me):

Social media - and blogs in particular - are becoming a more important part of global media consumption for internet users than some traditional media channels.

In South Korea - the market that's leading the world in digital trends - 77% of internet users read blogs each week compared to just 58% reading the mainstream press.

Globally, 73% of internet users are reading blogs

If 73% of internet users worldwide are reading blogs, then clearly a large percentage of our students are reading them too. What are we doing as educators to channel the use of such technologies - for our students' amelioration and for our instructional sanity?


The March 2008 survey of 17,000 global internet users is, according to Universal McCann, "the most detailed survey of the Social Media revolution." In spite of the bias that such a claim emits, I still think these figures are something that educators everywhere should consider:

• 83% of internet users watch video clips, up from 62% in the last study in June 2007
• 78% of internet users read blogs, up from 66%
• 57% of internet users are now members of a social network
• 70% of internet users in China write a blog, 66% in the Philippines and 60% in Mexico
  

Saving the best (for China, at least) for last:

• China is the world's largest blogging market with 42 million bloggers - versus 26 million in the United States.

Original Image Source - Flickr user Mel B.

Technorati Tags: blogosphere didyouknow... payattention education technology

Round three of Open Professional Development was a learning experience for everyone involved. Upon completion of Wednesday’s final session, we were left hungering for more interaction, more collaboration, and more conversation. As our discussion centered on many of the more intricate nuances of blogging (including photo attribution with Creative Commons and proper blogging etiquette), we learned that in this new environment, each of us has a tremendous amount to learn. Just as David Jakes, Jon Becker, and many other contributors to the recent conversation have stated, we - as a network of educators - have real issues to work out in relation to this new form of learning that so many have come to embrace. I think Clay Burrell has said it very well in a recent comment:

...We’re evangelizing this stuff, but it’s all so new we can’t be too “expert” at it. We’re not only evangelists of the new Gospel - we’re also its guinea pigs. We’re experimenting on ourselves.

Likewise, the question of where we take OpenPD from here can be an equally difficult morsel. Within this overarching question, there are actually several sub-questions that also deserve our attention:

1. How do we transform OpenPD so as to attract the kinds of teachers that aren’t the most technologically savvy?
2. How do we garner the participation of additional groups of teachers? Sure, individual participation from wherever you may be is fantastic, but a class of multiple classes would be ideal.
3. What can be done to provide OpenPD participants with local district credit - enabling additional rewards other than the intrinsic?
4. Considering question 3, are such extrinsic rewards really needed or would they only taint the enthusiasm for such an endeavor?

In the end, we were able to identify a number of topics that would benefit future OpenPD participants, although the times and dates of such sessions are yet undetermined:

• RSS - We wanted to discuss RSS in this session but simply ran out of time. RSS, what it is, how it can be used to teach and to learn.
• Creative Commons - Who, what, when, where, how, and why. Resources for finding CC licensed content.
• Mobile devices in the classroom - Phones, GPS, possible classroom uses and integration with Google Earth.

Image Source: Flickr user doctor paradox

Technorati Tags: openpd blogosphere

Rickrolling is an Internet fad o' fun that, while recently gaining in popularity, is probably on it's way out. According to the source of all eighth-grade knowledge:

Rickrolling is a prank and Internet meme involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a classic bait and switch: a person provides a link they claim is relevant to the topic at hand, but the link actually takes the user to the Astley video.

On a related note, you may also Flickroll your "friends" by sending them here or see the Muppet's remake of the Rick Astley video below (certainly my personal favorite):

My daughter had homework tonight. Four hours worth. Is it me or is four hours of homework a little excessive?

She's twelve. And in the sixth grade!


Now, I realize that every night isn't comprised of a homework marathon for her, and I also recognize that she's asked for this heavier workload (she's in an accelerated learning program). Nevertheless, as one that is currently in his 24th year of schooling, I seriously hope she doesn't burn out. If I had the amount of school work that she has now when I was her age, I highly doubt that I would still be going to school.

I'm just sayin'.

Image Source - Flickr user Cayusa

Technorati Tags: education schooltime

Every teacher that's ever survived Parent-Teacher Conference knows how true this is:


Which is what makes this picture of one of my favorite teachers so absolutely perfect:


But I wonder how many educators have considered their own place in the overall scheme of things:


The more I work with teachers in a variety of different schools, the more I'm convinced that we teachers are not that different from our students.

Quick Quiz:

1. If we teachers are the apples that never fall too far from the tree, then what person, position, attitude or entity is the tree?
2. How much effect does a school administrator have on the attitudes and perceptions of his/her subordinates? (Possibly the same question as #1)

Original Image Source (apples): Flickr user r-z

Technorati Tags: education administrators change