testing the code from gliffy.com

And... YES!!! It works!!!!!!!!!!!

building diagrams *on gliffy.com* φτιάχνοντας διαγράμματα (in Greek)

Teachers and the use of technology

What seems to be a major implication concerning the integration of technology into teaching is the development of internet and communication skills needed for such an endeavor. C. Sessums proposes 3 elements for the advancement of the adoption and use of SS (social software= “Web sites and software tools which allow you to discover, extend, manage, enable communication in, and/or leverage your social network. We include blogs, social network sites, virtual communities, relationship capital management software, contact management software, and so on." -according to Fast Company writers Teten & Allen) for teaching purposes: comfort, confidence, creativity.
My experience in e-tutoring Greek teachers tells me many of my colleagues ARE interested in using technology for the improvement of their face-2-face lessons but exposure is what is lacking. Not only to collaborative tools but to collaborative techniques as well. So, it is basic that a re-orientation from traditional patterns of teaching emerges towards practice that boosts the learners' motivation to learn through a learning-to-learn approach (e.g. through project work).

Augmented Cognition

This is a very interesting post about the concept of 'augmented cognition' from G. Siemens' Blog e-learnspace . The term refers to improved understanding that enhances human knowledge. Improved understanding relates to two cognitive processes: attention and memory.

Our minds are finite. We have limitations on our ability to absorb and synthesize new information. Our memory does not always serve us well. We are not able to learn as much or as fast as we would like. Our minds seem rather unsuited for the challenges facing humanity. In my original article on connectivism, I suggested that learning can reside in non-human appliances. Our understanding of cognition is evolving on many level...in particular a) how knowledge and sensemaking happens in distributed, social spaces, and b) the utilization of technology in improving learning and sensemaking. The concept of augmented cognition attends to the latter: "he limitations of cognitive processes, particularly attention and working memory, place a ceiling on the capacity of the brain to process and store information. It is these processes that some researchers are aiming to enhance with augmented cognition, an emerging field which aims to use computational technology to enhance human performance in various tasks by overcoming the bottlenecks in processes such as attention and memory."

But how are 'attention' and 'memory' defined? It will be interesting to see how the results of AC-related research can benefit learning.

Read more about augmented cognition ...

One Laptop Per Child

... or the 100-euro student computer. This is about the project that N. Negroponte and his team started in MIT. The whole concept has found both friends and enemies, defenders and opposers. Alan Kay is an American computer scientist, known for his work on object-oriented programming and user interface design. In 2006 he gave a talk at the EuroPython Conference (CERN, Geneva) about students, powerful ideas and the OLPC.

Read more...