Gimp

In 2003 I was introduced to Gimp, a free photo manipulation tool. At the time Gimp was difficult to use, but in the last year I gave it another try and I was pleasantly surprised at the strides it made in the last six years. Gimp is a great alternative to Adobe Photoshop because it is free and allows you to crop, enhance, retouch and manipulate images just like in Photoshop.

Take a look at this tutorial on how to create a vintage-looking photo in Gimp.

Making a Wii Smartboard

Can't afford to buy a SmartBoard for your classroom? You can make a homemade one for around $50 with an Apple computer and by following this short tutorial.

We've Come a Long Way Baby

Listen to Thomas Edison reproduce his first phonograph recording. This is a 1927 re-enactment by Edison of his first recording from 1877.

Multitasking makes you less productive

Turns out that multitasking actually makes us less productive, not only for adults but also for our youth. Nearly one-third of kids say they chat on the phone, surf the web, send instant messages, watch TV, or listen to music "most of the time" while doing their homework, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Whatever the consequences of multitasking, they're going to be widespread. The report also found that when students are sitting in front of their computers "studying," they're also doing something else 65 percent of the time.

What will be the long-term effects of multitasking and students' learning?

SL in the Classroom and Constructivist Teaching Methods

Jeremy Koester, an eighth-grade math teacher at Alamo Heights Junior School in San Antonia, Texas, uses technology in his classes and is exploring ways to use Second Life as a distance education environment. Koester, also a graduate student in the Instructional Technology program at the University of Texas at San Antonio, is working toward the immersive opportunities of gaming in SL for his students.

In an interview with TechTrends reporter Joe Landsberger, Koester indicated that SL “provides an opportunity for constructivist applications. Students can model and share their prior knowledge, learn from other learners and show proficiency through physical representation and collaboration” (p. 3).

Constructivist teaching methods have been used for many decades in the classroom and they allow for students to actively engage in the construction of knowledge rather than passively receiving it. For example, students form a study group when they have a difficult and confusing textbook. As they help each other, they are able to better interrupt and understand the book in way that they cannot do on an individual basis. This type of learning that focuses on how people work together reflects a social constructivism perspective (Ormrod, 2008).

Landsberger, J. (2007, July/August). Learning by design: An interview with Jeremy Koester. TechTrends, 51, 4.

Ormrod, J.E. (2008). Human Learning (5th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Professional Development Needs Assessment

Many educational technologists are asked to devise a plan to help faculy integrate technology into the classroom. But, where do they start, and what do they need training in?

Conduct a needs assessment to answer these two questions by starting with a survey. You can conduct surveys online with a free, web-based tool that emails collected data to the creator for analyzing data and results.

One such online survey tool is Survey Monkey. It offers great video tutorials about it features.

Second Life and businesses

Summary of Second Life used for Business

More than 10 years ago it was though that Instant Messaging would only be used to socialize with friends and family, however it is now commonly used in everyday work activities between coworkers and customers to quickly communicate.

Just like Instant Messaging, SL is gaining popularity in the business sector by offering real-time meetings without leaving the office, employee training sessions and simulations, recorded teamwork efforts and product feedback from clients.

Statistics show significant growth among SL monthly user hours, which grew from an average of less than 20 hours in early 2006 to more than 100 hours in summer 2008 (Second Life Economy Graphs).

SL can offer inexpensive business alternatives in a fun, engaging environment for company employees and customers.

To learn more about Second Life, visit its website at: http://www.secondlife.com