Using Free Digital textbooks in K-12 FREE Live Chat

There will be a live chat on March 9, @ 2PM EST on the "benefits and challenges of using free digital textbooks in K-12 Classrooms" as experienced by California teachers.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/events/chats/2010/03/09/

Technologies that support verbal and linguistic learners

In our 2/23/ class, I found some of the technologies to support verbal-linguistic learners really interesting. Part of this is because I am, on some level, a verbal-linguistic learner, and use a lot of these technologies myself.

I am particularly fond on message boards and asynchronous discussions. They help me (and would be useful for students) to really think about what they are going to say and how they react to a given issue. It gives students time to reflect on the materials presented in class.

Although we used Second Life as a vehicle to discuss digital libraries, I think that virtual worlds would be an interesting way for students to learn and it applies to different learning styles. Students get to experience the information hands-on, they read and hear the information and they see the information.

Pathfinder's and Google Books

I've never really thought of using Google books on a Pathfinder. At the university level, we teach our students that Google books are available, but students may not have access to the entire book. I am of two minds about this. On one hand, it really does have the potential to expand your collection without the support of a budget. On the other hand, how much are we really expanding collections if we only have access to parts of a book. Also, what are we teaching our kids, by telling them it is o.k. to only have access to partial information? Will they ignore a relevant pathfinder source that is in print in favor of one on the web?

Other sources that I think could be utilized in lieu of, or in conjunction with, Google Books could be Project Gutenburg (albeit older books), Library of Congress (also historical), state library consortium's access to digital books (Maryland Digital Library), and possibly college or university libraries. I'm not anti-Google books, but I think we also need to take a close look at the drawbacks of using them and explain those to our students.

ISTE NETS-S and AASL

ISTE NET -S Wordle It appears that the ISTE NET-S Standards focus on Students using and learning digital technology and information.








For the AASL, the word 'information' occurs more frequently. So it seems like AASL focuses on using information, knowledge and personal learning. I am surprised that 'students' does not appear more often. Then again, the AASL standards and bullet points, so the exclusion of the word 'students' may not be significant.





Wordle would be a good tool to (possibly) pull out key or important concepts. It also has potential for students to use it to identify keywords and synonyms.

Multiple Intelligences

The main problem I have with these types of tests is that I have taken them so many times that I know how to "tip" them in my favor. So I cannot tell if I am answering honestly, or if I am trying to sway the outcome.
That being said, I'm not sure I am a necessarily "Nature Smart". Sure, I like spending time with my dog and I can name some trees, but that's about it. I was not surprised to find out that I am a Visual/Spatial Learner. Honestly, I don't think my Interpersonal skills are that bad. I mean I like to go out but it depends on the activity and my mood...