Tech Addiction. the Return of Analog, and other Blasphemies

As the year ends, I am republishing the Opinion Drive-thru's seven most viewed posts of 2013.  This is #5.

A Trip to Camp to Break a Tech Addiction

At Camp Grounded, however, we would no longer be bloggers, entrepreneurs, lawyers, consultants or any other title . . . .By removing the things that supposedly “connect” us in this wireless, oversharing, humble-bragging age, the founders of Digital Detox hoped to build real connections that run deeper than following one another on Twitter or “liking” someone’s photo on Instagram.

http://tinyurl.com/l9rgvtb 

My Top Tech Trend for 2013: The Return of Analog

My students and I make fairly heavy use of digital tools: we use Google Apps, Google Sites, Twitter (follow us at #tokafe11 and #tokafe12) and Storify especially. But increasingly, we find ourselves sharing analog content.

http://tinyurl.com/obaaz34

The Challenges and Realities of Inquiry-Based Learning

The challenge: Right now, a standards-based environment forces teachers to straddle the inquiry process. Most projects employ performance assessment tools, but a majority of projects end up designed more for academic coverage than exploration and invention, which means they lack power and depth. And a more difficult issue looms: It is likely to prove impossible to objectively measure the more subterranean aspects of inquiry, such as creativity and critical thinking.

http://tinyurl.com/nf3pkus

Booker on Twitter: Model for Pols or Cautionary Case?

if Cory Booker maintains his big lead in the New Jersey Senate race and wins October’s special election. With nearly 30,000 tweets and 1.4 million followers under his belt, the Newark mayor already stands alone among high-level politicians in the scope and highly personalized style with which he uses the social medium.

http://tinyurl.com/lgdoap3

Three Things to Consider When Planning Video Projects

People are more likely to watch multiple short videos all the way through than one longer video of equivalent length. Consider having your students use the YouTube annotations tool to create a series of linked, short videos about a topic rather than one long video. 
 http://tinyurl.com/mxjy3v4

Bookery: 10 Books and Author Widgets in 90 Seconds

Jeremy Johnstone via Compfight cc