21st Century Concepts-Technology in the Classroom

Google continues to expand their offerings, this time with the Google Cultural Institute, with the goal of preserving and promoting culture online. The Institute has just "opened" with 42 exhibits that explore a wide variety of events from 1905 - 2008. The site is "to provide a visually rich and interactive online experience for telling cultural stories in new ways. Discover exhibits by expert curators, find artifacts, view photographs, read original manuscripts, watch videos, and more."

Via Beth Dichter, Smaragda Papadopoulou

Any educator who wants to take advantage of the benefits video can have in the classroom needs to create and implement a video strategy.

Check out this article for 11 reasons why you should think about using videos in your classroom. What do videos offer?

* Online and open source - with many sources to choose from

* Accessibility - another method for students to learn and to review/retain/remember information (and many sites provide transcripts also)

* Visual learners - some students learn better with visuals

An additional 8 reasons are provided in the post.

Via Beth Dichter

A field guide to the art and science of the solid argument.

 

Australian outfit Bridge 8, who have the admirable mission of devising “creative strategies for science and society,” and animator James Hutson have created six fantastic two-minute animations on various aspects of critical thinking, aimed at kids ages 8 to 10 but also designed to resonate with grown-ups.

 

Inspired by the animation style of the 1950s, most recognizably Saul Bass, the films are designed to promote a set of educational resources on critical thinking by TechNYou, an emerging technologies public information project funded by the Australian government.

 

Via Gust MEES, Dennis T OConnor