The Google Art Project

Every week, without fail, I stumble across someone or something that amazes me from a technology perspective.  A few weeks back during a webinar on online curriculum development, the presenter introduced us to the Google Art Project.  If you haven’t heard of it, “…the Art Project is a collaboration between Google and 151 acclaimed art partners from across 40 countries.” Using Google’s technology and the wealth of knowledge from their museum partners, Google has created an amazing online art experience (http://www.googleartproject.com/faqs/).  With the Art Project, Google has provided the world with instant access to crisp and clear images of some of the greatest works of art from some of the most renowned museums and collections.

If you haven’t visited the Art Project yet, I strongly suggest you check it out at http://www.googleartproject.com/.  Not only does this site bring you some of the finest works in breathtaking detail, the Art Project includes an “education section” that provides tools to learn about the featured artwork.  “Patrons” of the Google Art Project are also provided with tools to discover different pieces of artwork and share some of their favorites via their preferred social networking site.  Check out how to use the site by watching the video below:



Your student’s next trip to the museum may very well be taken from the comfort of their own home!  How might you be able to use this tool in your classroom?

Today's College Students and Technology Use

College students of today are very different from those of 15 years ago.  Whether we call them Generation Y, the Millennial Generation, etc., this group of young adults has grown up surrounded by technology.  Today's college students, born in the early - mid 1990s, did not know the world before the internet.  Smartphones came on the scene in their teens. Electronic multitasking and communication are normal tasks for them.  In order to reach them in the classroom, it's important to understand what makes them "tick".  Sometimes this means stepping outside of our own comfort zone and playing with new technologies, and using technology in the classroom.

To better understand the way these students think and how they utilize technology, check out this infographic.  I love infographics - they present interesting stats in a quick and easy to read way.  When you click on the link, note that the graphic will display very small - click on it to zoom in and enlarge the image.

Students today are using etextbooks, taking notes electronically, and have access to a wealth of information through computers and mobile devices.  Take a look at this data and consider a new way you could try to reach your students next semester using technology.  Will you collaborate with your students using a Google+ Hangout?  Hold class in a Canvas chat or conference if class is canceled due to weather? Set up a Twitter backchannel and have students tweet during class?  The possibilities are endless - consider trying something new to reach your students via technology and see the impact it can have on student success and satisfaction in the classroom.

The Importance of Understanding How to Search the Web

These days nearly every student is using the internet as a resource - and why not?  There is an incredible wealth of information available online.  The challenge today is no longer how or where to find information, but it is deciphering what is accurate and what is not.  The internet has been mainstream for about 20 years and today's college students do not remember a world before the internet (scary, isn't it?), but surprisingly they are not necessarily entering college prepared with the basic skill of web searching -an essential 21st century skill.  It's important that all instructors understand the finer points of web searching so that we can help our students be more successful in their search for information online.

The basics:

When getting started with a web search, students need to understand how to pick the best search terms and how to interpret the results they find.  This is a skill that takes time to fine tune, but it's growing more and more important in today's world of information overload.  Google has a great site that, although geared toward K-12, has great tools and information about search education.

Assessing the accuracy and reliability of a resources:

There are many clues on a website that can help viewers tell if the information is likely to be accurate - things like clues in the web address (URL), the author, and the type of website the information is on (a personal blog, for example). I once read a great article written by Alan November entitled "Teaching Zach to Think".  It deals with this very topic and shows the scary side of students not knowing how to detect misinformation on the web.

It's important that we all, as educators, understand how to search the web effectively so that we can help students do the same.  The internet gives us the opportunity to find a great amount of information at our fingertips whenever and wherever we may be, but there are many potential dangers when students do not have an understanding of how to find and interpret this information accurately.

Social Media in Education - Twitter

How many of you have experimented with using Twitter?  I'll admit, I first set up a Twitter account a few years ago, played with it for a while, and lost interest.  I jumped back in about a year or so ago when I had an idea for a purposeful way to use it... I use Twitter now to follow ed tech related organizations and individuals and stay on top of the news in the field.  It's pretty great for that purpose - tweets are very short (up to 140 characters) so they're quick and easy to read, and when I see something interesting, I click the link and go to the article to read more.  I also share interesting things I read and have amassed about 80 followers to date.  I've found a use for Twitter that works for me - it helps me get news quickly and easily.

I'm now convinced that there is a useful purpose to Twitter, not just random people posting what they're doing at any given moment.  I'll be honest - there's lots of garbage out there, just like anywhere else on the internet, but you decide who you follow so you only see the tweets you want to see.  There are good things you can do with Twitter that can help your students and also help you professionally. There are many cool things you can do... you could set up a class #hashtag that students can use to ask you questions or chat with each other (a hashtag is a quick way to flag a tweet for easy searching), class discussions can be held outside of class using Twitter, and you can link Twitter to your Canvas account, too.

I could go on and list a bunch of options for using Twitter, but Edudemic created a great list of 100 uses for Twitter in the classroom that contains links to other blogs and sites with more information.  Check out their list to learn more if you're interested in this topic.  And if you're interested in learning more about ed tech, follow me on Twitter @AmberVaill. Hope to see you there!

iPads in Education

Many instructors have shown interest in learning about using iPads in the classroom.  It is true that as mobile devices continue to gain popularity, you will start to see more and more students coming to the classroom with mobile devices such as iPads and other tablets.  These tools are a great educational resource, but in order to truly take advantage of them, instructors must have a plan for how to make use of the device.  If you're looking to use the iPad in the classroom, be sure you fully understand how to use the app(s) you'll be using and that you've created an assessment or activity that will make appropriate use of the device.  Be realistic - an iPad is not a substitute for an actual computer.  They have different functions even though these functions overlap. There are some things that iPads are great for, and other things that really require a laptop.

For instructors planning to use an iPad as a personal device (as opposed to using it for class activities), there are many great tools you can take advantage of.  Instructure offers two great apps for using Canvas.  There is the Canvas app which lets you access your inbox and discussions, as well as other parts of the course, and there is also the SpeedGrader app for easy grading on the iPad.  Some of my other personal recommendations are Dropbox (for cloud-based document storage), Evernote (for cloud-based notebooks you an access from multiple devices), and Kindle (for reading Kindle books on the iPad).  Khan Academy also has an iPad app for viewing their videos.

There are many other blogs and websites that offer lists of top apps for educators.  A couple sites to check out are Apps in Education and OnlineCollege.org's article Evaluating the iPad in Higher Education. A quick Google search will turn up many more results.