Weekly learning technology digest... 3

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This week seems to have absolutely flown by and as ever there have been lots of bits and pieces of learning technology loveliness to have a look at.  I always like things which trigger ideas and help me make connections... and lists of ideas are a nice place to start.  So, here are some of those lists which caught my eye in the past week:

• 21 Things that will become obsolete in education by 2020 - so, while this is completely debatable, it's a timely reminder that the children who will be coming to university in the next decade are going to have a completely different set of 'normal' expectations about education than our own experiences.  Planning for the future is more about building in flexibility and creative / critical thinking than setting the foundations of experiencing specific technologies.
• 18 Amazing examples of Google+ Hangouts in Education - I'll admit it, I've been slow on the uptake with Google+.  I think the tangle between a personal G+ account and a work-based Google Apps account threw me in trying to decide which network to build / how to handle them.  But, I think I'm figuring that bit out and starting to see some interesting things that people are doing with Google+.  And Google+ Hangouts are one of those areas on the 'interesting' list - have a look at these ideas and see what you think!
• TED-Ed - this isn't strictly a list of succinct ideas, but it's from the brilliant TED Talks and they've just launched TED-Ed which they describe as 'lessons worth sharing'.  I have a feeling that over the next few months this will build to become a really rich resource.  New videos will be added from 16th of April.  One to watch.
• 7 tips for developing an e-learning strategy - whether this is at an institutional, departmental or even an individual level, if you're wanting to put some effort into planning these simple tips are handy for giving that thinking a bit of shape.
• 15 Grammar goofs that make you look silly - I was at a presentation recently and on the very first slide was the classic 'its / it's' transgression.  At the coffee break, sure, people were talking about the content, but they were also going 'did you see...' about the grammar goof.  If you're preparing a course for online delivery, then getting these points right is essential - your words are there to be read and re-read, and your mistakes will be seen and seen again.  A useful checklist of some common grammatical horrors.

And finally, a few other articles which stood out this week - 'University is about job prospects, say parents' in the Times Higher; '45,000 caught cheating at Britain's Universities' in The Independent; and finally, we're 'Slaves to the Smartphone' says The Economist.  Employability, academic practice and the technological blurring lines between work and home.

Some meaty topics to get you thinking, that's for certain!

Sarah