Chatzy ( www.chatzy.com) is a neat little website that I tried out in my summer class. According to the website, Chatzy provides a fast way to start your own private chat area. You can name your chat area, choose your privacy settings (even password-protect it), and then invite friends and family to start chatting. Instead of sending out invitations, you could just post the link to your chat area in K-State Online.
1. Applications for education
According to the Oct. 16, 2009, Chatzy article at www.freetech4teachers.com, “Chatzy is a nice alternative to Tiny Chat because you can restrict access to it. Chatzy could be used to hold an after-school tutorial session, host a discussion about a book or article, or use it as a back-channel during a class lecture.”
If students were all contributing information to the Chatzy area during class, there would be a very robust set of notes for each class lecture.
2. Integrate 21st-century skills into the curriculum
“Available at no cost, Atomic Learning’s Creating 21st Century–Ready Teachers ebook discusses 21st-century skills and their impact on education, as well as tips on integrating them into existing programs. ..this resource provides valuable insight into the primary components of 21st century education.” (download the Free eBook from AtomicLearning.com)
[Editor’s note: Ebook information is excerpted from “Free and Inexpensive Resources” in the Oct. 15, 2009, issue of the Big Deal Book of Technology Newsletter, a publication of the New Jersey Association for Educational Technology (NJAET).]
