Ricki Chowning, REMC Association of Michigan

Do you sometimes feel like a modern-day prospector digging in the dirt for nuggets of gold on the Internet? With over one-hundred-million websites and thousands of new sites created every day, the numbers become almost irrelevant.

Although the methods for determining these statistics are often hotly contested, our own experiences tell us that there exists an amazing amount of information out there ready for mining. There’s a vast amount of glitter and dross out there as well, but today I’d like to share several specific sites with great resources and research for you to use.

• EDUCAUSE
• Route 21
• The Pew Internet and American Life

EDUCAUSE is a website whose mission is “to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.”

There are rich resources to be found for K-12 administrators and educators on this site, specifically in the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiatives (ELI) section. ELI contains papers, research, videos and podcasts on learners, learning principles, learning technologies and other ELI resources.

One series is 7 Things You Should Know. The monthly pieces provide “quick, no-jargon overviews of technologies and related practices that have demonstrated or may demonstrate positive learning impacts.” If you need to explain a new learning technology or practice quickly and clearly, check out this section. If you’re new to this site, start at this section.

Also check out the videos and podcasts--some created by EDUCAUSE and others contributed by institutions—all for downloading and use on topics such as the net generation, network security, mobile technologies, adult learners, and many more! The recently published 2008 Horizon Report describes six areas of emerging technology that will have significant impact on education within one to five years. The 2008 report focuses on the following topics: Grassroots Video, Collaboration Webs, Mobile Broadband, Data Mashups, and Social Operating Systems.

If you’re not familiar with some of the terms just mentioned, don’t falter in your quest for understanding this area of emerging technologies—they are already being used in Pre-K-12 education in more familiar terminology such as i Phones, blogs, UTube & wikis. All resources on the site--podcasts, videos, papers, reports—are free for downloading and use.

Route 21 is a one-stop shop for 21 st Century skills-related information, resources and tools.

Sponsored by the Partnership for 21 st Century Skills, the site has research, lesson plans, state resources, papers and much more centered around Life and Career Skills, Learning and Innovation Skills and Information, Media and Technology Skills. The website is designed to provide extensive information on identifying the skills themselves with support materials in assessment, professional development, curriculum and instruction standards, and learning environments. The site drills down to detail that allows educators to specifically select discrete skills with a huge amount of supporting documentation.

The site contains numerous white papers that give excellent overview of 21 st Century Skills components. One such example is the white paper on Learning Environments. Start here and you get a glimpse of the quality of resources on this site. Bookmark this site and revisit it soon.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project is a research site with data and research reports on all facets of the internet—both in personal and work use.

As you scan the research reports, you will see a broad scope in content. The four most recent reports (all published within the last three months) are Mobile Access to Data and Information, Online Shopping, Internet and Politics and Information Searches That Solve Problems. This mini-list is a good picture of the kind of research done by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

One feature on the home page is Recent Trends. Two reports are currently lodged there:

• “Who’s Online?” The Demographics of Internet Users
• “Online Activities” This site covers research from all facets of American life; crossing age, demographic and ethnic groups.

One last example, “Teens and Social Media,” describes how teens are immersed in the conversation nature of technology.

You can sign up on the site for emails that notify you of new reports.

At the April 22 MACUL Educational Technology Coordinators’ Conference at Macomb ISD, keynote presenter Elliot Solloway addressed the topic of Mobile Technologies; how they are changing teens’ communication styles and skills and how will schools embrace this challenge.

Please contact your local REMC Director if you would like more information about these resources. If I can personally be of assistance, please email me at rchowning@remc.org.