Do You Dim Dim?

One of the most exciting things about working in education is how much technology is making it easier for people to learn.

Students are no longer chained to stacks of books at their school’s library. The “library” can now be found at their fingertips on their favorite search engine. Teachers are no longer confined by the traditional four wall classrooms. They now have the ability to tweet or IM their students, many of whom may be several cities or states away.

Another great development is that we are moving away from an obsessive preoccupation with content and moving towards an affinity and total appreciation for the ability to collaborate and share new ideas.

It’s not content that controls how effectively our kids are learning in school or how you’re learning at work. It’s the way that we collaborate that is the most important.

Collaboration is the key. It’s really what matters the most.

This is why I’m loving Dim Dim so much. I found it one day when I was looking for a cheap (read: free) way to brainstorm some ideas about new curriculum I had been creating for a specialized career training program for adults currently out of work. I just didn’t want to forward the materials over to someone randomly, have them read it and then email me back in red all of their suggested revisions. Boring. I wanted to get a group of like minded individuals together, review the curriculum simultaneously and get real time ideas on how to improve and make this program something really great that could truly make a difference for the people who needed it.

Dim Dim made that happen. I got a group of awesome teachers and trainers together online and we rocked that curriculum. After two hours, we had 20 pages of great, relevant material.

Dim Dim lets you run a live meeting or webinar. I know that’s not really that unique because WebEx and GoToMeeting let you host meetings online too.  But if I were to combine those two sites together to form one massive super site on steroids you would have Dim Dim. It’s that cool.

You can chat. There’s a whiteboard in which everyone can access and use together. You can upload documents to share and review. Have a website that you want everyone to check out and discuss? You can upolad the URL and poof, it’s there in your meeting room. Dim Dim has audio and video capabilities. Sessions can be recorded for future use. It’s mind boggling to think about the impact that it could have in classrooms.

There’s no software to install and this is free. Free people. Now if you plan on having larger meetings, it’s $25 bucks a month which is still more affordable than the other sites.

Dim Dim places the focus on collaboration. If you have a computer and have access to the internet, you have the ability to connect and share. It’s that simple.

It truly is an exciting time for education and learning. Excited to see what comes next…