Welcome to Baker University's Technology Blog (B.T.B). Education is rapidly changing and the incorporation of technology into instructional methods is quickly becoming a must. In the time you blink your eye something is being added, deleted, or developed that may revolutionize the way we communicate, think or interact with students. So how do you keep up with it all...or how do you keep up with it all and then bring in into your courses? That is the million dollar question ( if you answer it please share it with me :). How can I help? One of the luxuries I have is to "play" on the computer, literally. I spend time adventuring out into the World Wide Web to find the latest, greatest freeware tool that can make the educational experience for our students up to date and relevant...and in the process advancing instructors' understanding and use of "tools." My knowledge is based in exploration. Web 2.0 carries a mantra to be user friendly (but don't worry Web 3.0 is just around the corner). The need for understanding coding was taken out and the average lay person was empowered to add content and become a provider on the web. From that has been an explosion of resources...some stay and are sold for billions of dollars (see Twitter and YouTube) and some disappear as quick as they came (we are probably better off for it too). What this blog can become for you is a place to frequent and catch a glimpse at what is available to bring your courses up to speed with the changing face of education. I'll explore, add to my user accounts list, test, try, and go through the process and then share with you my experiences. I will try to weed out the ones that don't fit with Baker's approach (and the ones that make you pull your hair out trying to use) and offer you options at the same time. I am a firm believer in reading the literature too...so when I come across an worthwhile study or article I will add to your Sunday afternoon leisure reading. Feel free to post comments and follow along. As you try out any suggestions or tools the more we can collaborate the better off we'll all be.
To start, I have links to two books. These are books I use in my Issues and Ethics in technology course. There are parts where the read can be tedious, but overall they do a nice job of over viewing Web 2.0 and the transformation of delivering education we are immersed in. I found these through Google Books (I think you'll find that I am slightly enamored with Google and think it will take over the world one app at a time :) a great Web 2.0 contribution. There may be times that you can't read every page...all depends on the rights agreement Google has (and that pesky court case). Check back soon and I will have another posting.
Blogs, Wikis, Podcast and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms
Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools
