UCLT Promotes Creative Thinking in Education

The Utah Coalition for Educational Technology does a good job of advancing the use of technology in schools throughout the state. Their monthly newsletter is very well done.

Their upcoming UCET 2.0 conference will focus on some creative uses of technology in education such as:

Language Arts: Online resources such as Starfall.com for beginning readers and ESL, online interactive resources-such as MarcoPolo’s Read-Write-Think, teaching writing through Podcasting-Movie Making-Blogging-Digital Cameras (multimedia), using Inspiration for graphic organizers and writing preparation, and/or Pioneer Library for Big 6 research skills.

Mathematics: Online Virtual Manipulatives and other online resources-such as USU’s Matti’s website, spreadsheets or InspireData for analyzing data, SketchUp for Geometry, effective use of calculators, and/or the teaching mathematics through Podcasting-Movie Making-Blogging-Digital Cameras-PowerPoint (multimedia).

Science: Using probes/microscopes for science experiments, student use of National Science Digital Library or other online science resources, using online experts, teaching science through Podcasting-Movie Making-Blogging-Digital Cameras-PowerPoint (multimedia), and/or using robotics and student inventions.

Social Studies: Google Earth and SketchUp, online resources such as CultureGrams-CIA world fact book-Library of Congress, Expeditions from National Geographic, NationalAtlas.gov, original source documents-such as the American Memory Project-National Archives-American Rhetoric, Virtual Museums, teaching social studies through Podcasting-Movie Making-Blogging-Digital Cameras-PowerPoint (multimedia), and GPS/GIS.

The Utah quarter is being minted today.

I have been interested in the 3D internet for business for some time. It will be interesting to see what comes from this IBM-Linden Labs partnership.

I am wondering about the impact of this announcement from ICANN: "The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will launch an evaluation of Internationalized Domain Names next week that will allow Internet users to test top-level domains in 11 languages." As of yesterday, the evals are live.

The Web 2.0 Summit starts tomorrow.

The Utah League of Cities and Towns has a blog entitled The City Cafe discussing issues of interest to municipal government.

Bulgaria recently announced their new egov portal.