Future Trends .... and a Butterfly

Mark this date: On December 10, 2007,Seth Blodget from the Maine Attorney Generals Office will kick off our Internet Safety Training Program dubbed "R U I.S.?"

Mark this date: On November 13, GWH will host an Internet Chat Night.


Future Trends: Teachers Tread Cautiously
Education does not keep pace with emerging technology trends; therefore, rethinking curricula and pedagogies in an instant (relatively speaking) would be foolhardy: Not all of the latest and greatest means it will work for education. Moreover, trends in emerging technology –bandwidth speed, chip technology, internet growth- are not created for education, rather, they are adopted –or not – by it; therefore, use is determined by effectiveness, and if educators and researchers are uncertain and unconvinced of emerging technology’s influence on learning, then those trends will not influence education. In sum, technology trends, no matter what their promise, demand curriculum and pedagogical overhauls.

Searching for an LMS:

It's arguable but technology makes a classroom interactive all the while personalizing learning. Harold and I have been searching and researching a suitable learning management system (LMS) and since Moodle is free and the state of Maine offers a free training on December 7 we are leaning towards adopting Moodle. I tinkered with Moodle at the ACTEM conference and it is user-friendly. Asking the Lawrence High School Assistant Technology Director why they chose Moodle he advised having all staff using one system is easier to monitor and manage.


At the ACTEM Conference, a session I visited revealed information from the Horizon study who examine emerging trends in technology:

People like immersive experiences - virtual worlds

People like to create and communicate via online networks

Technology will become more ubiquitous - you will not log on you will be on constantly -all the time.

Game-based learning and training: Gaming will influence teaching



How will education adjust to this?

To stay ahead we would be wise to use the online community. Learn to use Twitter, Slashdot, Digg, and Techmeme

Use specialized websites: ELI, Sloan-C, NMC

Use corporate sites: IBM, Alphaworks, O'Reilly Network

Massively Multiplayer Educational Gaming (MME): learn it


Try this with your students: Go to magnetic poetry

Check these games out from Nobel prize

Prepare a mummy for burial at Mummy Maker from the BBC