Training in Web 2.0 for Higher Ed

This is perhaps a taste of what we have been looking for, from the Higher Education 2.0 Blog:

Training modules for using Web 2.o in the college classroom!

This resource can help us to understand what it is we should know and students should know...not an end in and of itself, but a helpful resource for defining our needs: podcasting, blogging, using wikis, and general conceptual frameworks for these tools.

SocialLearn: Guidance for Moving Foreward?

I came across this site while searching "Web 2.o and Higher education". The ideas that I found here are articulated in a manner that has eluded me, namely, the Assumptions that SocialLearn holds regarding 21st century education:

from their site:

• There is a major shift in society and education driven by the possibilities new technologies create for creating and sharing content and for social networking.
• Higher education, to date, has not really addressed how to engage with these fundamental shifts and their impact on the core business model of higher education.
• There is educational value in the application of both the technologies seen in web 2.0 and the approaches they embody.
• The status quo is no longer feasible or advisable; we need to apply the best of our expertise and experience to address the necessary change.
• Competition in the learner sphere is ever more complex, multi-faceted and fragmented; If higher education doesn’t address the issues this raises someone else will.
• The principles embodied in SocialLearn reflect the essence of the proposal – harnessing social networking for learning and include adopting an approach which is open, flexible, disruptive, democratic and, most importantly, pedagogically driven.

Exciting News for Northeast Ohio

Technology based economic development (TBED) is indeed revitalizing this economy by drawing large sums of venture capitalism to and providing hope for the future of Northeast Ohio. An editorial by Dorothy Baunach and Les Vinney in the PD from October 15th describes some of the successes of tech innovation that have been seen in recent years.

If a school does not have an engineering program or a science program, what can it offer to the new TBED initiatives? An obvious point of entry would be in looking toward entrepreneurial support and entrepreneurial finance and investment. But teachers - whatever the discipline - should also be aware of this great glimmer of hope for Ohio's future, a hope that they can nurture and explore with their students.

If everyone must realize that Northeast Ohio truly has a great thing going for it in TBED, and we can be proud, confident, excited, and engaged in our region. This is a fantastic perspective to latch onto....