Google, Memory, Free Range Learning, and The Learn Button

Last week we considered Wikipedia's place in the classroom. Given Wikipedia's vastness AND the incredible amount of information available from other sources, the idea of "information overload" is experienced by each of us and our students almost daily.

Today I stumbled upon this infographic which does a  nice job of summarizing our current information culture and how it affects memory. Take a look. (If you want to see it bigger, just click on the image and it will take you to the original.)

Research and Design by: Online Colleges Site
(Sidenote: I love infographics. Don't know about info graphics? Check out the Cool Infographics blog and I bet you may find one related to your content area.)

So, this infographic does a nice job of capturing the information environment we live in. Yet, what can we do about it?
Dr. Maria Anderson has an idea. Watch her 5-minute talk below, then share one or two ideas that gave you pause to think. How might the way she talks about learning, the Internet, and information impact your work with students?

Why Wikipedia?

Wikipedia. The very word may give you shivers. For many teachers those shivers are based on a sense that the  information it contains is unreliable. For me, I get shivers thinking about how the largest encyclopedia has been written by volunteers, people who care deeply about the topics they monitor and contribute to. I'll admit, when it first showed up several years ago back when I was still in the classroom, I was a skeptic. But today I treat Wikipedia the same way I treated World Book and Britannica 10 years ago. I tell kids, "Wikipedia is a great place to start your research, and a horrible place to end it." (I didn't make that up. I heard a presenter say it at a conference, and it stuck with me.) I think ignoring Wikipedia's relevance does our students and our information culture a disservice. What do you think? After watching the video and taking a look at the resources I've linked to below, come back here and offer us your informed opinion about Wikipedia.


Resources
Common Craft Explanation of Wikipedia
Opinion Piece Begging Us Not to Ban Wikipedia
Wikipedia 101

Make Learning Visual--If They See It, They Can Learn It

This week's post may be review for some of you, but I feel so strongly about the message that I feel it bears repeating: seeing IS learning. These two short screencasts explain why and how to make learning in your classroom more visually engaging in ways that improve student learning.

Part 1: Why?


Part 2: How?


After viewing the screencasts, suggest a way you could apply (or have applied) the learning in own classroom.

(In the screencasts I make reference to Creative Commons licensing. You can learn more about that here: http://10techsecondary.blogspot.com/2010/04/week-9-copy-right-with-creative-commons.html. I also suggest a way students can make digital flashcards for their iPod. More specific directions can be found here: http://tsdsecondarylearnandearn.blogspot.com/2011/03/tech-upgrade-for-flash-cards.html)