Sharee Dickey's blog

Deciding on a topic was indeed very difficult. As I searched for articles, I ended up with 20! I am now in the process of weeding out the ones I will not be using and refining my topic.

I plan to include a brief overview or history of the various social software that has been used in educating adults up to this point. This will be the history section. I will then narrow my focus to the newest trend of using microblogging. There have been several case studies that will be included and I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages that were found.

Microblogging supports the social aspect of learning, but does it also cause a distraction?

Borau, K., Ullrich, C., Feng, J. & Shen, R. (2009). Microblogging for Language Learning: Using Twitter to Train Communicative and Cultural Competence. LNCS, 5686, 78-87 

In an effort to save money, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (did I spell that right?)  has announced that starting next fall, math and science classes in California will be taught using digital textbooks. While most admit it will save money in the long run, critics point out that there will be huge start up costs and wonder where the money will come from to provide each student with their own e-reader. There are many details to be worked out. Among them- 

Will the state pay for the devices or at least subsidize the cost?

Will teachers just end up printing out pages for students?

Will teachers be able to change or modify open-source materials?

Will the quality be as high with open-source textbooks?

How many students will have access to computers at home?

I think learning covers a wide range of activities and behavior. It can be as simple as memorizing or acquiring knowledge or as complex as gaining a greater understanding and empathy for another person or situation. An example of this is when I was a teenager, my sister and I liked to cook for fun. We usually made cakes and desserts or whatever we felt like making. We thought we know how to cook. When you get married and have a household to be responsible for, you learn what cooking really is. It's not just about making desserts and the fun stuff, it's about having good meals every day. In addition, it's a good thing if they are nutritious!