The Future of News and Newspapers

Last year, while attending a lecture by noted technology guru, Alan November, there was discussion and concern about the decline of the newspaper industry, punctuated by fears for the book industry too.  Well, those concerns were justified, but the sentiments were all wrong.  Indeed, these industries are changing, but all for the better.  Just ask anyone who owns a Kindle or Ipod Touch or Iphone.  The customer is now in control.  Welcome to the 21st Century!  

For those who like to be frightened on this upcoming Halloween, I thought you might like to revisit this curious flash movie that was originally created in 2004. Its foresight is more than a bit eerie! Now that Amazon delivers the NY Times electronically, via the Kindle e-book reader, the future in here.

Enjoy.

See original prediction from 2004

http://epic.makingithappen.co.uk/ols-master1.html

See updated prediction

http://epic.makingithappen.co.uk/new-masterfs1.html

PS: There are some significant changes in the new version so it’s worth watching both.

Differentiation: "Guess what! Different People Choose To Learn In Different Ways."

When it comes to learning, "What's the difference between adults and children?" Adults have choices when choosing how to learn. Children? Uh! Less so.

Note these personal "adult" examples:

1. I want to learn about news and politics: I LISTEN to podcasts from National Public Radio and retain a lot. If I read the newspaper, I seem to retain less.
2. I want to learn about a new software program: I explore and play with the software's features well ahead of the time when I will actually need to use the program. Then, when I have real problems, I READ the FAQs, manual and help screens very slowly until I uncover the solution to my problem.
3. I want to learn how to fix a toilette: I WATCH a youtube video that shows me how the entire flushing system works.
4. I want to learn how to manage my appointments: I prioritize which features I need first, and then I use my Outlook calendar every day and provide myself easy access to it.
5. I want to learn how to train my mind and improve my vocabulary: I READ a book. Sometimes I read a paper book, and most times I read on my Kindle or Ipod Touch. After reading a book, I document my progress on my virtual bookshelf of choice, Shelfari.
   

I love this new world in which we are living. Opportunities for learning abound and the tools we have at our disposal are effective and intriguing. So I have to ask, "Are we giving our students access to all the tools in the toolbox?

No doubt, children are not adults and their needs are different, including their needs as learners. Still, common sense suggests that children are like adults when it comes to modes of learning. Different kids learn differently. Thus the explosion of the new "eduspeak" term: Differentiation.

Although I am not fond of educators' proclivity for using trendy terms that have a tendency to complicate matters, that doesn't negate the importance of the topic of Differentiation. When it comes to learning in school, students need options. Teachers need to provide and allow for such options, and parents can provide such support as well. To better understand how differentiation can work for children and teens in schools, the following web site should be a good starting point.

Learner Strategies

Survey Says! Why aren't you using this free and easy assessment tool?

Ever wonder whether the students in your class have a real grasp of the subject matter? Need a free and easy way to tap into their "prior knowledge?" Consider using SurveyMonkey or one of the myriad internet polling sites available to you.

For teachers on a budget, here is a free and easy to use assessment tool for your classroom.

1. Go to SurveyMonkey and open a free account.

2. Create a survey based on whatever subject matter you want to sample to see what the class does or does not know.

3. Email the survey link to your students and ask them to "take the survey."

4. Review the survey results in class together (SurveyMonkey totals them for you automatically) and see what the majority or minority of students are thinking. I've done this in class before, and the conversations are quite animated. Because this is not a test, students are more willing to listen and exchange ideas as they try to remember whether or not they actually "voted" for the best answer.

See this link to take a simple, 5 question geometry quiz as an example of how this might look.

Geometry Knowledge Survey Example