Internet Slang Getting the Best of You?

Teachers have you noticed Internet messaging shortcuts popping up in the note-taking or writing of your students? I was reading a note (you know, the piece of paper that kids pass stealthfully in class) the other day and just had to laugh! It could have been written in a foreign language for all I knew. Now, I am an IM-er and a trying phone text messenger, but definitely not a native to this language! This "old-fashioned" note that was passed had so many "slang" words that I could not make out the jist of what was being said! Well, if you are like me and wondering what idk, tnc, dead-tree version, j/w, etc. mean, use Net Slang.

or if u wuld like 2 wow yur kids with yur vocab use NetLingo 2 lrn mor.

TTYL

Google Your Way!

Sometimes finding just a little gem to add pizzazz to our computer use it just what we need! Teachers change bulletin boards for the seasons, events, and holidays, right? Well, why not change your Google search page, I say!

Just some mindless searching I do that brings me to some efriendlylearning ideas!!!
Enjoy how you can add pizzazz with your students!!
Check out my new Google search page...

Another YackPack Post

My previous post was about a new efriendly tool for communicating with technology called YackPack. BJ Fogg, the creator of YackPack, recently emailed me to tell me how he uses the software with college students at Stanford University. I wanted to add it to my list of ways teachers could use the tool with students. Here is what BJ does using YackPack for providing feedback to students on assessments.

>>The big insight: YackPack makes grading papers so much easier. I just begin a message and start commenting as I read the paper. When I'm done, I type in a grade and send the message.And I'm on to the next paper. So easy!I thought I was doing my student wrong with this fast method. But they loved it. They could hear the reaction in my voice; they said it was the best feedback they've ever gotten on their work. So a paper that would have taken 30 minutes to evaluate with paper and notes now takes about 7 minutes. And I'm doing better work.<< Thanks BJ!

Since YackPack is just an emerging tool, we are just beginning to hear about what is going on. It has been used in an interactive museum exhibit @ Tech Museum of Innnovations. A year from now it will be interesting to see how many teachers and students are using this efriendlylearning tool! A new YackPack project is being created for teachers who would like to take the power of this tool and communicate with other students in classrooms around the world. Become part of the beta-testing and try it out!