eCROP Blog

An emerging trend might be tagged as Social-multimedia-threaded-communication (SMTC); this interweaves the deeper ideas of multi-page web sites with the context of the tweet moment; it enables theory/research to dialog with practice, a long standing educational gap. SMTC is a simple expansion of current developments. A tweet, a short comment, has been the mark of a more socially aware voice in educational and community circles. More experienced tweeters find that great starting point often leaves change on the table; their tweets expand the text with an image, a connection to visual thoughts that unpack the tweet further. Further, through hashtags, they connect the reader with other communities that inform the idea(s). Yet though a tweet comment has become an important dimension of 21st communication, it is just one dimension, yet one with great potential to lead to other dimensions, blogs and multipage sites. The idea of Social-multimedia-threaded-communication (SMTC), provides a...

I'll get to cyberspace and the knowledge society, but first a little story. Let's imagine for a moment that you are extracting ore from a gold mine. You are studying some recent reports. The good news You are confronted with a report from the experts (geologists in this case) that the size of your gold mine will grow 40% a year forever, doubling every two years. The amount of the best ore that converts more quickly into gold will increase from 22% to 37% in just the next few years, and will continue to improve ( IDC , 2014). Using your techniques, there is not only a rapidly growing number of other gold mine sites that have high potential, but an astonishing number of other kinds of valuable ores that are appearing as well. There is a high amount of financial capital not currently in use that is interested in financing mine expansion. The bad news The investors need to see a higher level of actual gold (profit) before they will invest. Though you are highly automa...

The Burlington MakerFaire is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2014. They requested that Twitter and social networks work with the hashtag of #BMMF for sharing tweets related to this event. Ideas that emerge from those tweets and my own photos will appear later in this blog posting. Tweet on! Sneak preview video below. And use the comment box below to chime in with observations and ideas. Ben Harris is the founder of the Burlington MakerFaire. His question for Steve Wozniak as Elon University's 2013 Fall Convocation notes the educational interests of the Alamance Maker Guild . This videoclip will require some patience with the audio echo. The makerfaire movement helps answer an interesting question. Is the makerspace movement a passing fad or the revenge of progressive education  (Paulo Blikstein, Feb. 3, 2014)?

"We learn by doing" Aristotle "To understand is to invent" Piaget "Constructing solidifies learning" Papert Invent to learn" Martinez & Stager "The Makerspace in the library is an  oasis for student self-directed learning . It serves as a  rejuvenation center for inspiring love of both formal and informal learning . In my opinion, a space like this should be a priority for all schools in the twenty-first century; and you do not have to break the bank to create one."  Eric Sheninger , award-winning Principal at New Milford High School, Bergen County, NJ. Maker Schools and Makerspace For over 30 years the personal computer revolution has expanded cyberspace into our homes, businesses, government, the globe and our pockets and purses and ever so glacially slow into 1 to 1 computer-to-student-technology for our public school classrooms. Meanwhile, technology races on ahead, transforming and giving rebirth to long dormant ideas...