Technology
Edmodo
EDMODO is a VLE specially designed for education, which draws on the appeal and modus operandi of social media.
Edmodo provides teachers and students with a secure and engaging environment to connect and collaborate, share content and access homework as well as offering a place for class discussions, polls, reactions and notifications.
It’s very much like a networking site for education and students find it engaging and easy to use. Teachers have at their disposal a variety of resources and applications for planning, delivering content, creating homework and giving feedback.
One thing to note about Edmodo is that it also allows teachers to network and exchange ideas with their peers, allowing for the creation of interest groups.
Edmodo can be used in several languages, English, Spanish, French, German and Greek, among them.
Based in San Mateo, California, The Edmodo team also run webinars and conventions, and keep a blog with news and updates on how to use the platform.
David Crystal’s Txtng: the gr8 db8
We can be more than certain that texting has evolved since David Crystal published his book on the subject in 2009, but “imho” Txtng: The gr8 db8 still deserves much credit and attention. In this riveting study, Crystal “sets the record straight” by offering a much-needed linguistic analysis on the phenomenon. Why do people do it? Who texts? What do people text about? These are some of the questions Crystal explores, as well as looking at the fuss and hype over texting.
To quote him: “Some people dislike texting. Some are bemused by it. Some love it. I am fascinated by it, for it is the latest manifestation of the human ability to be linguistically creative and to adapt language to suit the demands of diverse settings. In texting we are seeing, in a small way, language in evolution.”
TED, “Ideas worth spreading”
TED (short for Technology, Entertainment and Design) is an archive of lectures which aim to disseminate “ideas worth spreading”, as their motto goes. It isowned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation.
TED was founded in 1984 as a one-off event and the conference was held annually from 1990 in California. TED’s early emphasis was largely technology and design. The events are now held in other parts of the US and in Europe and Asia, offering live streaming of the talks. They address an increasingly wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture.
The talks are now offered for free viewing online at any time, with optional subtitles.
Yours Truly, 