Weekly learning technology digest... 2

Image from Johann Larsson, under a
CC-Attribution license

... another week and yet more web-based loveliness out there to look at.  Since there were also a couple of notable ed tech-related events happening, there was plenty to read... so... here goes with the list...

• This last week has been the first 'Open Education Week' which meant that there have been plenty of interesting discussions about the role and development of 'open'.  Even the New York Times had an article about the impact of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and though retention rates are very low, there's no denying that openness is firmly on the educational agenda.  JISC produced a helpful 'open practices across sectors' briefing paper and this is excellent for first steps in understanding the drivers and potential impact.
• We're also thinking about issues to do with students' digital footprint at the university at the moment and so this article on '14 Things you should do to protect your online reputation' caught my attention. Having read it... I'd say it's definitely worth a read generally!  An active approach to issues of online reputation / identity is better than a head in the sand one - if you aren't prepared to take charge of your online reputation, are you sure you're rather someone else did?
• The Guardian's 'Higher Education Network' is always a rich source of advice and the '20 tips and resources for using learning technology in higher education' is an absolute gem.
• It's been around for a while but the site 'A Google a Day' is fantastic for getting students to do more than just look at the first page of hits from a quick search on Google.  There are tons of search techniques to master if you want to get the most from Googling - and this simple site is a handy little teaching tool.
• The 7th of March also saw the announcement of the iPad 3 - or rather, just the 'iPad' - Apple aren't using the '3' (to paraphrase something I read elsewhere, who wants to start a revolution with the third time lucky attempt at a product?!).  As part of the mobile learning push, tablet PCs / iPads etc are game-changers.  While the newest iPad may be out of reach of many people, the resulting drop in price for the iPad 2 will see growth in use generally - and this is another of those areas to keep a close eye on.
• And finally... I spotted an interesting article on 'How to tackle real-life social media customer service obstacles' - which, although this is about customer service primarily, with social media taking more and more of a role in people's lives beyond the technologically enthusiastic, I think educators can pick up some useful tips on how best to approach their use from this little article.

Openness, new iPads, social media and Googling.  Just another learning technology week!

Sarah