Emerging Learning Technologies and related practices.

This post provides an overview of current technologies, how they work and where are they going, and why they matter to teaching and learning.

E-Books ----2006
E-books offer new ways for readers to interact with content. E-books incorporating audio, movies, and simulations facilitate deeper understanding of subject matter, while annotation features let users customize a text. More>>

Facebook --- 2005
The social networking site originally developed for college students has now become available to anyone. It offers creative way of organizing social networks as well as extensive new features and access to other Web applications. Users can now manage online identities and engage other users more easily. More>>

Google Earth ---2006
Google Earth is an interactive mapping application that allows users to navigate the entire globe, viewing satellite imagery with overlays of roads, buildings, geographic features, and the like. Educators can use it to assess and bolster students' visual literacy. Students can use it to develop a context for spatial and cultural differences globally. More>>

Podcasting ---2005
"Podcasting" refers to any software/hardware combination that permits automatic downloading of audio files to an MP3 player for listening at the user's convenience. Podcasting allows learning to become more portable and gives teachers another way to meet today's students where they live and learn - online and on audio players. More>>


RSS, April 2007
RSS is a protocol that lets users subscribe to online content using a "reader" or "aggregator”. RSS allows users to create a list of those sources in an application that automatically retrieves updates, saving users substantial time and effort. More>>

Screencasting, ----2006
A screencast is a video recording of the actions on a user's computer screen, typically with accompanying audio, distributed through RSS. Screencasts can be thought of as video podcasts. They provide a simple means to extend rich course content to anyone who might benefit from the material but cannot attend a presentation. More>>

Skype ---- 2006
Skype is an application that offers free phone calls between computers and between computers and telephones. It usually provides voice and video communication for a low cost, allowing for more communications between colleagues and collaborators. More>>

Social Bookmarking ---2005
Social bookmarking is saving bookmarks one normally makes in a Web browser to a public Web site and "tagging" them with keywords. The resulting community-driven, keyword-based classifications, known as "folksonomies," may change how we store and find information online. More>>

Twitter ---2007
Twitter is an online application that that offer blog, social networking, and cell phone/IM tool. It is designed to let users describe what they are doing or thinking at a given moment in 140 characters or less. As a tool for students and faculty, Twitter could be used academically to foster interaction and support More>>

Wiki --- 2005
Wiki is a free, online encyclopedia that anyone can contribute to and edit. It is one of the most visited Web sites with millions of articles in multiple languages. It helps students both to analyze and create content for reflective, creative learning. More>>

YouTube -- 2006
YouTube is a video-sharing service that allows users to post personally developed videos of nearly any variety online. YouTube is one of an emerging group of social applications that allows users to share and form communities around their content. It draws users into engaging content as commentators and creators, activities that heighten students' visual literacy. More>>