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Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wes Fryer

Category: globalvoices

  • K12Online09 on The Heartland Flyer

    It is January 1, 2010, and I am riding on the Heartland Flyer Amtrak train from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas. I have been watching presentations from the 2009 K-12 Online Conference on my iPhone. Thanks to the available podcast channels in iTunes and the presentation transcoding functionality provided by the conference Blip.tv account,…

  • Hedonism, Politics, Authoritarianism, Twitter and Political Change

    Gary Stager recently tweeted me a link to Evgeny Morozov’s article “Techno-utopian fail.” Of the “techno-utopian” view which predicts social media will lead to democratic revolutions around the world in repressive countries like China and Iran, Morozov asserts: But this is an anachronistic view of the world. Modern authoritarian states have eagerly (but selectively) embraced…

  • Translate entire websites on the fly with Google

    If you are building and/or maintaining a website with Google Sites, your creation just acquired new powers. Google announced today it has integrated language translation functionality directly into Google Sites. When you visit a Google sites website in a different language, you should be presented with an optional translation menu. If you are not using…

  • Digital tools to analyze the President’s speech on Afghanistan

    President Obama shared an important speech Tuesday night at WestPoint calling for changes in US policy and troop strength levels in Afghanistan. Use the following Wordle “word cloud” with your students and ask them what they can “see” were major themes in the President’s address. Larger versions are available from Wordle.net and Flickr. Next, follow…

  • Models of Contemporary Learning by Carolyn Thompson #ok1to1

    These are my notes from Bruce Dixon’s comments between our first and second sessions at the AALF / Oklahoma SDE 1:1 Learning Conference, November 30, 2009, as well as Carolyn Thompson’s session, “Models of Contemporary Learning.” This event is organized by the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation, and sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.…

  • Learning about Xinjiang, Urumqui, and China’s Uygur People

    Matthew Teague’s December 2009 National Geographic article, “The Other Tibet,” should be considered must-reading for anyone interested in understanding modern China. In my November 5, 2009 podcast, “Reflections on Social Media, School Change, 21st Century Learning Skills, and China” I addressed some of the recent challenges the Chinese government has faced in maintaining tight control…

  • Power of Google Voice Transcriptions comes to YouTube with Automatic Annotations

    Two weeks ago in Oklahoma City at the “Oral History for the 21st Century” symposium, I mentioned in my presentation that the transcription power of Google Voice suggested that exciting new transcription possibilities are on the horizon for oral historians. On November 19th, Google announced new functionality for YouTube including automatic annotations and language translation…

  • Creativity and Innovation in Chinese Society and Schools

    Yesterday our international group (composed of educators from the UK, Australia, and the US) had the opportunity to visit both Hangzhou Normal University as well as Zhejiang University here in Hangzhou, China, just outside of Shanghai. (full panorama: 4154 x 976) Hangzhou currently has a population of about 13 million people, Shanghai has a population…

  • Global Awareness, Community Service and Classroom Project Ideas

    It is very important we help students in our classrooms develop deeper, broader, authentic world views through the information we share and collaborative activities in which we engage together during and after class. It is also critical we help students develop values like respect, empathy, and compassion. Learning is most powerful when it is experiential…

  • Considering Somalia’s Situation: Rated as the #1 Failed State

    The September 2009 issue of National Geographic magazine features an article on page 70 titled, “Somalia: The Number One Failed Nation.” According to the English Wikipedia, the term “failed state” is: …often used by political commentators and journalists to describe a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of…