Thanks to my PLN … Kahn Academy … UTube UNIVERSITY … IMHO

I am SO LUCKY!

I have a great PLN (Personal Learning Network).

I have a huge list of blogs that I read.

Sometimes I read every single word; sometimes I scan the posts; sometimes, I feel like  I am way behind in reading all the posts and so I (Gasp!) say I have read them (and click them READ) just to get my number of unread posts lower!

There, I have admitted it. It feels so good!

Dean Shareski,of Ideas and Thoughts blog, is someone who I have followed his blog posts for some time, and even followed him on Twitter (although I have to admit – Gasp! – that I am NOT a twitter guru or complete convert!)

Today I was catching up on some blog posts from those many blogs on my blogroll, and suddenly, I saw this post: The Kahn Academy.

I wasn’t sure I was going to watch the video, but something in the blog post piqued my curiosity. So I watched. And if you try it, you, too, should be glad you did.

Sal has such an unassuming quality to his manner of speaking that you immediately feel you know him, you like him, and you want to listen to him. These are the reasons his Kahn Academy is so successful and so valuable!

Thank you Sal!

(You see, I can call you by your first name because I feel like you are already my friend, even though we have never met, talked, or seen each other!)

Watch the video and then go on to attend the Kahn Academy and learn things you never thought you would ever understand!

Sal Khan at Gel 2010 (founder, the Khan Academy) from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

Technorati Tags: Sal Kahn,Kahn Academy,Salman Kahn,UTube,Dean Shareski,learning,videos,education,Gel 2010,PLN,Personal Learning Network

Online Safety 3.0- Empowering and Protecting Youth

Dean Shareski of Ideas and Thoughts shared his delicious link to Online Safety 3.0- Empowering and Protecting Youth.

All adults should read about Internet Safety 3.0 whether you are a parent, teacher, grandparent, or citizen of the world.

The internet is here to stay until the next better idea comes along.

In the meantime, we need to allow it to be used in a safe manner, NOT shut down and hidden away. Students need to know how to use it and how to use it properly. How to use it for their increased knowledge. It is the way these students of today and the future are going to learn. Why not make it a great learning experience for them? Let their proper use of the internet empower them. Students are using it on their own when they are OUT of school. Why not teach them in school how to be savvy internet users?

The article states:

Both the Internet and the way young people use technology are constantly changing, but Internet safety messages change very slowly if at all.

…To be relevant to young people, its intended beneficiaries, Net safety needs to respect youth agency, embrace the technologies they love, use social media in the instruction process, and address the positive reasons for safe use of social technology. It’s not safety from bad outcomes but safety for positive ones.

…Online Safety 3.0 enables youth enrichment and empowerment.

…We need to move on to Version 3.0 because…

1. We know more about youth risk online.
2. We know more about how youth use digital media.
3. Online safety needs to be seen in the context of participatory culture and democracy.

How can you, as a parent, teacher, administrator, or other responsible adult teach students of today the use of the internet to empower them?

Start to find out the answer by reading this article…NOW!

[As always, in my author quotes, the underlines, color changes, and bold type is mine, not the author’s!]

Technorati Tags: internet safety,social media,Dean Shareski,Ideas and Thoughts,Online Safety 3.0- Empowering and Protecting Youth,education