Weekly Reader

Do You Need a Social Media Detox?
"We all know that social media can be a great tool for teachers, both in the classroom and for professional development purposes. Here at Edudemic, we encourage you to do things like use Twitter to build your PLN, connect with other educators on Facebook, pin great ideas on Pinterest, and more. But just as we often criticize our students for being unable to disconnect from their devices and actually look up at the world every now and again, we often suffer from the same affliction. So how do you know if you’re just ‘into it’ or if you’re overdoing it?" -- Jeff Dunn, Edudemic, 8/25/14

How Streaming Media Could Threaten the Mission of Libraries
"Digital music has made it easier to buy and share recordings. But try telling that to librarians.In March 2011, the University of Washington’s library tried to get a copy of a new recording of the Los Angeles Philharmonic playing a piece by Gustavo Dudamel, a popular composer, that the library could lend to students. But the recording was available only as a digital download, and Amazon and iTunes forbid renting out digital files." - Steve Kolowich, Wired Campus, 8/22/14

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Raising, Communicating, and Enforcing Expectations in Online Courses
"As an instructor new to the online environment, I carefully reviewed the syllabus and the requirements for the course discussions and assignments and incorporated the following ideas from Myers-Wylie, Mangieri & Hardy: a “what you need to know” document that includes policies about late work, formatting, source citations, grading and feedback, and the dangers of plagiarism; a separate “assignments at a glance” calendar that details due dates and submission instructions; a “frequently asked questions” thread in the discussion forum; detailed scoring rubrics for each assignment, and example assignments" --Marie A. Revak, PhD, Faculty Focus, 8/22/14

Twitter Demystified: How To RT, MT, #FF And Fave Like A Pro
"Twitter has a problem: New users just don't know how to use it. To help newbies sign up and start tweeting, the company has made a number of recent changes. Redesigned profiles, a giant World Cup marketing push, and rejiggering the Home timeline are just part of Twitter's many attempts to make it friendlier for first-time users." -- Selena Larson, Read Write, 8/21/14

Why I'm Asking You Not to Use Laptops
"At a teaching workshop last week, a new faculty member asked me how I felt about students using laptops in the classroom. I replied, “I ask students not to use laptops in my classroom—unless a student tells me they need or strongly prefer a laptop to take notes (for any reason), in which case we make that work.” She looked relieved to have this endorsement of a learning zone with fewer electronic distractions." -- Anne Curzon, Lingua Franca, 8/25/14