Why Web 2.0 Isn't Relevant for the (Education) Masses...Yet

Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li spends her time between two worlds: the early adopter Web 2.0 crowd and the broader business users who don't quite get them.

Here, she explains why all that Facebook-MySpace-Twitter-Digg excitement aside, most of the world just doesn't find Web 2.0 relevant and what entrepreneurs need to do to fix that.

Yahoo! For Teachers + Twitter

It appears that Earl, the Yahoo! For Teachers spokesowl, has discovered the joys of Twitter. And even though he would much rather "hoo" than "tweet"-- he still thinks Twitter is pretty slick.

He's agreed use Twitter as a way to keep everyone up-to-date with breaking community news, links to useful resources along a few random bits of information.

You can follow Earl by clicking here:

http://twitter.com/yahooteachers

Related Resources

• Twitter
• A Guide to Twitter in the Library
• Yahoo! For Teachers + Flickr

Yahoo! & the 21st Century Classroom

Related Resources

• Yahoo! for Teachers + Slideshare
• Slideshare Group > Yahoo! for Teachers
• Yahoo! for Teachers

Blog Buzz: Yahoo! For Teachers

I thought I'd share a couple great blog posts by some folks who got a sneak peak at Yahoo! For Teachers at the Adaptive Path UX Week conference in Washington D.C. a week or so ago.

• WebProNews > Yahoo! For Teachers Shaping up Nicely
• Hacking Education with Yahoo! For Teachers

We appreciate the positive feedback and credit the contributions of the teachers who partnered with us last summer to develop Yahoo! Teachers, as well as the many educators who had the opportunity to use Yahoo! For Teachers at our national summer workshops.

You can learn more about Yahoo! For Teachers, sign-up for an invite, and join your colleagues on the Peer Network map over on our website.

Official Yahoo! For Teachers Groups

• Y! Groups > Yahoo! Teachers
• Y! Groups > Yahoo! Teachers + Educational Wikis
• del.icio.us + Yahoo! Teachers
• Flickr + Yahoo! Teachers

AT&T Education: Four Stars for Jumpcut!

Jumpcut, the free suite of video editing and remixing tools, was recently featured as the AT&T Education "Hot Site of the Week"!

Many thanks to our friends at AT&T Education for featuring Jumpcut. Come join the Jumpcut + Yahoo! For Teachers group and share your video project and clips with other educators.

Jumpcut is Yahoo! too, so if you already have a Yahoo! ID, you're all set to go!

Related Resources

• Jumpcut
• AT&T Education
• Yahoo! For Teachers
• Jumpcut Blog

alpha (beta): customized search

Psssst. Hey. Want to try something cool? Check out Alpha. It's pretty slick.

It's powered by Yahoo! Search, so you can log in using your Yahoo! ID and create customized information source modules. This is a really handy way to search multiple sites with a single query from information sources you already know and trust in a single place.

When you use Alpha to search for, say, Yahoo! Teachers, you get your regular search results along with video from Jumpcut, pictures from Flickr, or Yahoo! Answers related to that query.

Best of all, you have the flexiblity to add or remove information sources until you get the mix just right.

Give it a try! And check out the alpha (beta) blog too for tips and tricks.

It's About Relationships: Yahoo! Teachers Groups

Yahoo! Teachers has set up a Yahoo! Group where you can connect with your colleagues, learn more about Yahoo! Teachers, and discover how other educators are using technology in the classroom.

They’ve even started a Yahoo! Teachers group on Flickr where you can meet other teachers who are using Flickr in their classroom. Yahoo! Teachers will also be posting photographs from all our events this summer on Flickr.

So please join the Yahoo! Teachers groups so you can contribute to the building of this new community for teachers.

• Yahoo Groups + Yahoo! Teachers:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yteachers_community/

• Flickr + Yahoo! Teachers:

http://flickr.com/groups/yahoo-teachers/

Related Resources

• Yahoo! Teachers
• Upcoming > Yahoo! Teachers Events
• 2007 Yahoo! Teachers Workshops

Yahoo! Teachers Workshops 2007

Today Yahoo! Teachers announced the dates and locations for their 2007 Yahoo! Teachers workshops! You can learn more about the workshops and get an application by clicking here.

Come join your colleagues and learn how to use Yahoo! Teachers and the Gobbler in your classroom. This is an excellent opportunity to learn how to use social media tools to support student learning as well as connect and meet other passionate educators like you!




We had a great time at our 2006 Yahoo! Teachers workshop and expect this year to be even better! So this summer, come spend a day with Yahoo! Teachers.

Related Resources

• 2007 Yahoo! Teachers Workshops
• Upcoming: Yahoo! Teachers Events
• Flickr: Yahoo! Teachers, Summer 2006
• Flickr, Yahoo! Teachers, Fall 2006

Are You a Totally Wired Teacher?

This July at the 2007 Y Pulse Mashup in San Francisco, Yahoo! Teachers and the George Lucas Educational Foundation will honor a teacher who has "successfully pioneered the innovative and educational use of social media (blogs, wikis, social networking, photo/video sharing or audio groups) in the classroom.

The award-winner likely had to overcome challenges from parents and administrators in order to use the technology, but because they understand how students use social media outside of school, they persevered with their initiative and worked collaboratively with students, ultimately sharing their insight and knowledge with the larger teaching community." (via)

If you, or a teacher you know is Totally Wired, you can nominate them by sending and email along with why you feel they are deserving to : jdaly@edutopia.org.

Related Resources

• Edutopia
• Yahoo! Teachers
• Ypulse > Media for Gen Y
• 2007 Ypulse Mash-Up
• Upcoming + YPulse Mash-Up
• Gen Y & Digital Learning Styles

Yahoo! Teachers Documentary: By Teachers, for Teachers

Excerpt from a documentary made during the Yahoo! Teachers, Summer Session 2006 camp held on the Yahoo! campus. Check out http://teachers.yahoo.com to see what educators and Yahoo! created together!

Be sure to check the Yahoo! Teachers site for information about upcoming workshops in a city near you!

Yahoo! Teachers Open House @ Tapped In

On Wednesday May 16th there will be a 1 hour Yahoo! Teachers open house in our Tapped In Group Office (Yahoo!Teachers_Grp) at 4pm & 6:30pm Pacific Time.

Tapped In (TI) is free, but if you don't have a TI login and password you'll need to get registered in order to attend the open house. My TI handle is DerekB, so look for me!

I'll be answering questions about Yahoo! Teachers and other Yahoo! tools you can use in your classroom. It's also a great opportunity for you to get ideas, support and connect with other teachers. It's going to be pretty casual, so drop by and say hello!

If you haven't already, check out Yahoo! Teachers, an exciting new community built by teachers, for teachers. You can watch a video and see how Sue Wright, one of the teachers we've been working with to help develop this new service, has been using Yahoo! Teachers and the Gobbler in her classroom. I'll see you there!

Yahoo! Teachers Impresses Singapore PM

On Monday, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spent some time here on the Yahoo! campus to learn more about our innovation process and to take a look at some of the newest products being developed here at Yahoo!

In addition to the new Yahoo! oneSearch mobile service, the prime minister also got a sneak peak at Yahoo! Teachers. Karon Weber, our principal designer, showed him how teachers can use the Gobbler and Yahoo! Teachers to create, collaborate and connect with each other.

The entire Yahoo! Teachers team is honored to have the opportunity to share Yahoo! Teachers with Prime Minister Lee and look forward to sharing this new service with the rest of the teaching community this summer.

If you haven't seen our Yahoo! Teachers preview site, go check it out. Be sure to sign up for an invite and get connected on our Peer Network Map.

Look Ma! No Downloads: Yahoo! Messenger for the Web

Last November at our second Yahoo! Teachers Workshop, we had the Yahoo! Messenger team pop over and share some tips, tricks and features of Yahoo! Messenger with our cadre of teachers.

Needless to say, our group of teachers were pretty impressed and quickly saw how Yahoo! Messenger can be used to collaborate with parents, students, and each other.

In fact, they were so happy to learn that Yahoo! Messenger had been mashed into Yahoo! Teachers, they could barley contain their urge to yodel.


Watch this short video to learn more about Yahoo! Messenger for Web

One of the really cool features of the soon-to-be-launched Yahoo! Teachers tool is that we've integrated Yahoo! Messenger to make it even easier for you to collaborate with members of the Yahoo! Teachers community.

Using Yahoo! Messenger, teachers will have real-time access to colleagues and their curriculum so they can ask questions and discuss ideas via Yahoo! Messenger right from Yahoo! Teachers . Think of it as a virtual teachers lounge!

Last week our friends over on the Yahoo! Messenger team released a new web-based version of Yahoo! Messenger that requires no downloads! Yes, you heard that correctly--no downloads. Here's the skinny from the Yahoo! Messenger blog:

"Ever wish you could use Yahoo! Messenger without having to download or install anything? Well, today is your lucky day: please give a big Yahoo! welcome to the all-new Yahoo! Messenger for the Web .

Now you can sign in from any web browser (PC or Mac!) and immediately start IM’ing with friends. This is great for when you’re on someone else’s computer or traveling and need to stop in an internet café.

Plus, time at work just got a lot more fun. If you or a friend is prevented from IM’ing at the office due to firewalls or other IT restrictions, you’ll love this new version. Because Yahoo! Messenger for the Web runs in a regular web browser window, it sidesteps these obstacles and lets you connect easily with your friends."

Pretty cool eh? So why not give Yahoo! Messenger for the Web a whirl? And if you haven't signed up for a Yahoo! Teachers invite, do that too!

Yahoo! Safely: Net Safety Resources for Teachers & Parents

How does Yahoo! help keep kids safe online? Find out on the recently launched Yahoo! Safely site! As the most trafficked internet destination in the world, Yahoo! is committed to ensuring that the 30 million children on the internet in the US are exploring it safely.

The new Yahoo! Safely site collects resources, knowledge and expertise from across the Web for children, parents, and educators to raise awareness about the importance of safety, ethics and piracy.

Check out some of the interactive features on Yahoo! Safely that help kids form safe and smart Internet habits early in life:

• Games and Activities – Play cyber-safety games online
• Clips and Videos – Watch educational videos that help kids become good cyber-citizens
• Weekly Poll – Vote on opinions about safe practices
• Avatar ID Card – Submit Avatars to be featured in the gallery
• Online Safety Forum for Parents – Join in the discussion about online child safety
• Tech Advisor Articles – Get expert advice from Yahoo! Tech bloggers

Related Resources

• Media Awareness Network (MNet)
• Be Web Aware (en)(fr)
• eSchool News: "Programs Aim to Stop "cyberbullying"
• New York Times: Cyberbullies
• GetNetWise.org
• BBC > Safe Surfing

Yahoo! Teachers: Your Passion, Our Technology

Yahoo! Teachers was launched today at the 2007 National Science Teacher Association conference in St. Louis. Check it out!

Don't forget to put yourself on the Yahoo! Teacher Network map and join teachers from around the country (and the world) in this new community!

Come join Yahoo! Teachers.....we're just getting started!

Innovation: Yahoo! Research Berkeley

What do you get when you combine the brain power at Yahoo! and UC Berkeley? Big time innovation! Watch this video to get a tour inside Yahoo! Research Berkeley--a world-class research organization that focuses on creating the next big thing on the web.

But if you think it's all work and no play---you'd be wrong! Take a peek at this video and discover how "hard fun" is an integral part of the Yahoo! culture.

Related Links

• You're Invited: Yahoo! Research Berkeley
• Education, Web 2.0 & Yahoo!
• University of California at Berkeley
• Yahoo! Search Blog: Mobile, Media, Marc, and Me

Do you wiki?

Do you use a wiki in your classroom? Has it changed the way you teach? Share your thoughts on this topic or see what your peers have to say about it over on Yahoo! Answers.

Teaching Toolbox: del.icio.us Tutorial

Video originally uploaded on YouTube by jutecht on March 8, 2006.

This is a fantastic video tutorial on using del.icio.us in the classroom! Social bookmarking tools like del.icio.us are a great and easy way to find those hidden threads of community knowledge.

Give it a try--soon you'll wonder how you lived on the web with out it!

Digital History + Yahoo! Time Capsule Project

Looking for a way to get your students interested in history?

Well, Yahoo! and the Smithsonian may have just the project that provides a way for students to get actively involved in history and use all those digital Web 2.0 tools they love so much!

From now through November 8th, your students can contribute a digital artifact to the Yahoo! Time Capsule by submitting a photograph, social studies movie, video, audio podcast, classroom blog, or other classroom project.

This is a great way for students to share their work, be involved in living history, and connect with the larger world outside their classroom.

The Yahoo! Time Capsule Project is a joint partnership with the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in Washington D.C. But hurry! You only have until November 8th to share your contribution.

Here's some more information about the Yahoo! Time Capsule + Smithsonian Folkways Project:

"For 30 days, from October 10 until November 8, Yahoo! users worldwide can contribute photos, writings, videos, audio — even drawings — to this electronic anthropology project.

This is the first time that digital data will be gathered and preserved for historical purposes. And by November 8, a mosaic of revealing snapshots will be sealed and entrusted to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings based in Washington D.C., officially taking its place in history.

Finally, to thank you for your contribution to the Time Capsule, you’ll be asked to help us select how Yahoo! will donate $100,000 to seven global charitable organizations. Learn more about these seven organizations.

Y! 360 Toolbox: Stevenson Library Blog

Yahoo! Teachers of Merit, Summer 2006 alumnus Kay Hones has a fantastic Y! 360 blog showcasing education programs at Stevenson Library and weekly updates of programs, events, and literacy happenings!

Kay has a seemingly endless trove of resources and it's great to see her have a forum to share these resources with other librarians, educators, and students.

Great work Kay!

Web Resources

• Yahoo! Teachers of Merit + Flickr
  
• techLearning + Yahoo! Teachers of Merit
  
• Yahoo! Teachers of Merit Program

Education Grants, Donations & Resources

Yahoo! News > Education: "Teachers know all too well how quickly the limited money they receive for classroom supplies is spent. Some teachers can now turn to DonorsChoose to supplement their own resources." (via)

Web Links

• DonorsChoose
• Yahoo! for Good
• techLearning

School Grants

• Ongoing Grants
• Date Grants
• Grants@ Education World

Education Foundation Grants

• Hewlett Foundation
• Skoll Foundation
• Verizon Foundation

Yahoo! + JumpCut

Big news! JumpCut is joining Flickr, MyWeb, and del.icio.us as the newest member of the Yahoo! family of social media and community tools! Yay!

If you aren't familiar with JumpCut, it's like a web based version of iMovie, with easy (and free) video editing tools and a healthy dose of sharing, tags, and community thrown in to make it extra fun.

This is a great tool for teachers and students alike. And since it's web based, students can work on their projects at school or home. Pretty cool, eh?

You can create movies from pictures, audio, or video. You can even grab video from other members of the JumpCut community and remix it into your own original production.

But don't worry, just like Flickr and MyWeb, you set the privacy level of who can see or use your creation. So go ahead and try JumpCut in your classroom!

Web Resources

• JumpCut
• JumpCut > Blog
• Flickr Hacks + Edu
• Flickr+Edu
• Education, Web 2.0, & Yahoo!

techLearning + Yahoo! for Educators

Yahoo! for Educators: "Sixty-five Bay Area educators stormed Yahoo!'s Sunnyvale, Calif. campus this summer for the first annual Yahoo! Teachers of Merit Summer Session. During the seven-day "teacher camp," Yahoo! held working sessions on how new tools such as Flickr and blogs could be harnessed for curriculum activities.

The company also involved campers in discussions about common ed tech challenges and product development. "We talked to them a lot about what they need and what they're not getting," says vice president Lorna Borenstein. "It was like rapid prototyping using industry experts."

Could Yahoo!, which first jumped into the education fray with Yahooligans, be gearing up for a product launch? Borenstein did not say. However, she notes they want to make educational search better. "There's a great opportunity with Web 2.0 tools for education to jump ahead," she says."

Web Resources

• Flickr Education Hacks
• Yahoo! + JumpCut
• FlickrEdu
• Education, Web 2.0, & Yahoo!

Yahoo!, Youth and Current TV

The Yahoo! Current Network :"Internet media company Yahoo! and Current TV, a television channel founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, announced today that they have teamed up on a Web video service aimed at young adults.

The service, named the Yahoo Current Network, will feature both professionally produced video and material from viewers." (via)

Web Resources

• Yahoo! + Current TV
• Current TV
• Gen Y Learning Styles

Flickr + Yahoo! Maps= Flickr GeoTags

Check out this new Flickr feature: How to geotag your photos & Exploring the Flickr GeoTag Map.

These new Flickr GeoTags can provide you with a fast and easy way to find (or share) photos you can use in your geography curriculum. So take a peek at this new Flickr Hack---it's pretty darn cool!

Any thoughts on how you might use Flickr GeoTags or Yahoo! Maps in your classroom? Share 'em here with the rest o' the BlendedEdu community.

Web Resources

• Flickr GeoTags + Flickr Blog
• Digital Geography
• Wikipedia > GeoTagging
• Yahoo! Maps Gallery
• Flickr + BlendedEdu

FlickrEdu: Flickr Hacks for the Classroom

Here are some of the latest and greatest Flickr hacks created by members of the Flickr community for you to try in your classroom!

If you find one that's not on the list.....share it with the rest of us!

Enjoy!

*******

Delivr: "Digital postcards for the people by the people...just select an image from the most recent displayed on the home page, search all 600,000+ images, or lookup your own pix to create a unique custom postcard."

Slide+Flickr: Create a slideshow for your classroom, website or desktop using your Flickr tags and Slide.

FD's Toys Slideshow: "Create a slideshow from images anywhere on the internet. Then share it with your friends. Works with your photos hosted on Flickr or anywhere else."

Tag Man: "TagMan is a game that combines the classic hangman game with tags."

Flickr Firefox Search: " This is a simple search plugin for your Firefox browser, that allows you to quickly search the public available Flickr tags."

Bubblr: "Add comic strip bubbles to Flickr photos of your choice."

Findr: "Find photos on flickr by browsing and refining related tags."

Flickr Kaleidoscope: "A Flash-based Kaleidoscope using recent thumbnails from the Squared Circle group."

and another kaleidoscope hack:

Flickr Wildflower Guide: "Wildflower Field Guide, North America. Use it to identify a flower by searching the group pool for other flowers of the same color and shape."

And just for fun...

Tag Fight

Hack the Education System: Yahoo! Teachers of Merit 2006

During this era of high stakes testing, can teachers discover how to use, apply, and integrate social media into their classroom? Can 7 days make a difference?

For seven days in July 2006, sixty San Francisco Bay Area teachers were selected by Yahoo! to work side-by-side with a team of educational experts, engineers, technologists, and top Yahoo executives as part of the Yahoo! Teachers of Merit Program.

During the course of this innovative program, teachers explored, used, and learned how to use Yahoo! Community Tools in educational instruction: like image sharing, effective and credible web searching, and making the most of Yahoo! online community tools.

But more importantly, Yahoo! and the Teachers of Merit spent time in active dialogue, working together to chart a course that will lay the foundation for a new way of teaching and learning in the 21st Century classroom.

The message from Yahoo! was clear: it's about using technology to support instruction and student learning, not using instruction to support technology.

The Yahoo! Teachers of Merit Program is a unique learning environment where teachers can benefit from the collective genius of the collective Yahoo! Teacher community—and share their own knowledge along the way.

Note: Slideshow created using Slide and Flickr tags.

Yahoo! Teachers of Merit 2006

What an amazing experience we had at the Yahoo! Teachers of Merit Program! Thanks to Mark for putting this video together!

Yahoo! Widgets: Spelling, Math, and History, Oh My!

via Yahoo! Widgets: "Spelling Bee is a nifty stand alone tool for people who like to use big words. Just type in a word, and if it's not a word in the dictionary, the Spelling Bee widget will make some suggestions.

It also features auto-copy, auto-checking, and a couple different visual styles. You can use Spelling Bee with many different languages."

What a fantastic, fun, and engaging way to help students expand their vocabulary! Spelling Bee is a great widget for students and teachers alike!

When I'm working on my research articles, I've been known to give Spelling Bee a whirl! And you know what? It's really handy!

But don't stop with just spelling. The Yahoo! Widgets community has created handy tools to help kids with math, music, and history. And more and more widgets are being added every day.

So, take a walk on the wild side: try, or create and share your own, educational Yahoo! Widget today!

Yahoo! Design Pattern Library

Yahoo! is providing design patterns and resources which you can use to mash-up, create, and integrate Yahoo! social media products into your web site, online learning environment, or other e-learning application!

Yahoo! Design Pattern Library: "This is our first drop of what we hope to be a monthly release cycle for the publication of patterns. In many cases we have bundled the patterns with pointers to related code from the Yahoo! User Interface Code Library.

We are very happy to be sharing our library with the design and development community. We hope this is a useful resource and look forward to your feedback."

Links

• Yahoo! Developer Network (YDN)
• Yahoo! Design Pattern Library
• Yahoo! UI Code Library
• Yahoo! UI Team Blog
• Yahoo! Widgets
• Yahoo! Search

FlickrEdu: Flat Bobby

via Amber: "These are the adventures of Flat Bobby. Flat Bobby is a close cousin of Flat Stanley. Flat Bobby has been sent out to several people all around the world.

If you would like to invite Flat Bobby into your home, please read the Bobby's letter and let me know. This is my school project.

If you would like to participate by downloading a Flat Bobby clone and taking him on a journey, please feel free to do so. I got the official rule that Flat Bobby is allowed to travel through the internet. Thank you! "

No Amber, thank you! This is a fantastic idea!

There are so many skills being utilized in this type of project. First and foremost, kids are able to utilize several types of social media to learn about world geography and different cultures.

In addition, children are getting the opportunity to develop writing, vocabulary, problem-solving, and technology skills all while engaged in a situated and active learning environment.

What other types of social media tools can students use to document Bobby's travels? There are so many possibilities!

Students can use Yahoo! Trip Planner to plot out Bobby's next adventure and learn more about the museums, parks, and other cultural sites in the countries Bobby is visiting. Once Bobby sends his pictures to the classroom, students can create a Flickr photo album in the Trip Planner!

As Bobby meets kids in other countries, teachers can use collaborative web tools like YackPack to provide students with opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and friendship. Students can use PowerPoint and ProfCast to create and publish a podcast of Bobby's adventures!

Thanks again Amber. Best wishes to Flat Bobby for continued safe travels!

Links

• Travels w/Flat Bobby Blog
• Flat Bobby Project
• Flat Bobby on Flickr
• Flickr Tag: Flat Bobby
• Flat Stanley Project

Technorati Tags: learning education education+technology ICT teaching elearning FUSE flat+stanley flat+bobby flickr yahoo flickr+edu educational+weblog yackpack yahoo+trip+planner

Case Study: Yahoo! IM & Collaborative Learning

Innovate: A Journal of Online Education
Using Instant Messaging for Collaborative Learning: A Case Study
Susana M. Sotillo

Abstract

In the spring of 2003, I became intrigued by the use of instant messaging (IM) when one of my English as a Second Language (ESL) students urged me to buy a webcam and sign up for Yahoo! Messenger so that we could chat and see each other during her night shift at work where she processed orders online.

Encouraged by studies in corporate settings that showed the extensive use of IM for quick task-related consultations among co-workers (Poe 2001), and as a means of manipulating social distance between subordinates and superiors (Quan-Haase, Cothrel, and Wellman 2005), I spent time learning how to communicate effectively with colleagues and students using the text, video, and audio components of various IM applications.

I soon realized the potential pedagogical benefits of the various modalities of IM for ESL and foreign language learning by enabling instructors to interact with and provide immediate feedback to students in the second language.

In this article, I describe the results of a pilot study involving the provision of corrective feedback to ESL learners through collaborative work utilizing the text-based chat and audio features of Yahoo! Messenger (Yahoo IM), a form of synchronous desktop videoconferencing (DVC).

I also discuss the implications of such studies for enhancing language learning outside of traditional contexts and possibly encouraging connectivity and informal collaboration with colleagues and students.

Technorati Tags: learning education education+technology ICT elearning yahoo social+software collaboration online+community yahoo+IM innovate IM ESL EFL language+education

FUSE: Find Use Share Expand

“In the Web 2.0 model, we have thousands of services scrutinizing each new piece of information online, grabbing interesting bits, remixing them in new ways, and passing them along to other services.

Each new addition to the mix can be exploited in countless new ways, both by human bloggers and by the software programs that track changes in the overall state of the Web.

Information in this new model is analyzed, repackaged, digested, and passed on down to the next link in the chain. It flows.” - Steven Johnson

More on Yahoo!+FUSE