Sunday, December 10

What to do during the holidays to understand the New Knowledge Order

Between Web 2.0 (including Blogs), Computer Games and Simulations, Digital Cameras, Podcasts, Widgets and other Ubiquitous/Ambient Information, and Cell Phones (just to name a few), it is hard to argue that we are all not in the midst of a New Knowledge Order.

The upcoming winter holidays gives some of us an opportunity to spend hours of low-tension time to experiment. My question to you is, how should that time be spent? What are your suggestions (as specifically as possible), for learning by playing and experimenting?

For one, I would suggest that everyone (who has not already) to download the free iTunes and find a few podcasts to subscribe to and listen to. If you like movies, I would suggest the wonderful Filmspotting podcast. If you like politics, try either Slate's Political Gabfest or Left, Right, and Center. You can burn the podcasts onto a CD for your car. The files are all MP3's, so you can copy them onto non-iPod mp3 players, or, of course, synch them with your iPod. Finally, if you are crazily motivated, download the free, open-source Audacity software and try recording your own voice. Many organizations could (and do) easily have a weekly podcast to align and inform groups of employees, customers, and suppliers.

What else?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I suggest you try out a new Google tool or two. View a full list of Google tools for educators at

http://www.google.com/educators

* Start a blog
* Share a calendar
* View up close satellite imagery of any place in the world
* Search a book
* Create and share documents & spreadsheets online

The suite of tools is robust and full of possibilities!

Best regards!

Sallie Draper
WELS Technology Trainer
www.wels.net/university

Clark Aldrich said...

Thanks, Sallie. Great add.

Clark Aldrich said...

Another idea: everyone should have a free email account outside of work, and independent of their ISP. Google and Yahoo are both great options.

Use the time to get one, and get it hooked up.

Meir Navon said...

Spend a great amount of time in other people's blogs informally absorbing the new trends going on in the field...Comment on what they say.Post it in your blog.
Google Reader is a great tool to track your preferred blogs.
Second Life – I believe it's an important tool, which we still have to fully understand how to incorporate it in our learning "arsenal".