August, 2017

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Document Student Growth with Portfolios

Teacher Reboot Camp

“How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.” – Yvon Chouinard. Digital portfolios are one of the most powerful ways my students take ownership of their learning and reflect on their learning journeys. Digital portfolios help students set, track, and achieve their academic learning goals. Check out several of my students’ reflective portfolios here.

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10 MORE digital bell-ringer activities to kickstart class (Part 2)

Ditch That Textbook

We have a golden window of time at the beginning of any class. For these first five or ten minutes of class (OK, probably more the five than the ten), we have our students’ most attention. It’s the most focused they’ll likely be for us all day. If we squander that time, the rest of […].

EdTech 515
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Google Docs Scavenger Hunt

Catlin Tucker

With the new school year, comes new students and a steep technology learning curve. My goal is to make learning how to use technology fun and engaging. Given how many tools we use, that’s no small feat! Many of my incoming 9th-grade students have never used the Google Suite prior to my class. I could spend 10 minutes walking them through Google Docs and explaining the functionality, but I’d lose their interest immediately.

Google 420
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Tech in the Music Classroom Creates Efficiencies, Improves Accessibility

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez Whether you’re a seasoned choir director or a teacher interested in exploring how music relates to your subject matter, technology can help.

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Quickly Create Personalized Learning Experiences that Work

How can we actively engage learners 24/7, on their level and according to their interests, while respecting their learning styles? It’s not impossible. In this guide: Explore how to transform traditional, one-way videos into two-way interactive learning experiences Understand different types of artificial intelligence (AI), including - Generative vs.

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5 Ways to Help At Risk Children Succeed

The CoolCatTeacher

Episode 130 with Basil Marin on the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Today Basil Marin @basil_marin takes us on a journey to help at risk children with these five steps. From the inspiring books to the essential mindsets, Basil will help us reach at risk kids because he speaks from experience.

eBook 386
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5 Easy Ways To Make Your Digital Content Accessible To Everyone

The Web20Classroom

Reaghan is my oldest daughter and about to start third grade. At 2 years of age I noticed she wasn’t talking much and when she did talk you couldn’t really understand what she was trying to say. After talking to her pediatrician it was decided to have her evaluated for her speech. She spent countless hours working with a speech-language pathologist for nearly 5 and half years.

More Trending

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Beginning the School Year: It’s About the Learners Not the Content

User Generated Education

9Too many classes, all grade levels, begin the school year with getting down to academic business – starting to cover content, discussing expectations regarding academic requirements, giving tests, and other academic information provided by the teacher to the students in a mostly one-way communication. The human or social element is often disregarded.

STEM 290
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Google Slide Scavenger Hunt

Catlin Tucker

After posting my Google Doc Scavenger Hunt activity, I had several teachers ask if I had created scavenger hunts for any of the other Google tools. Below is the scavenger hunt I designed for Google Slides. Teachers are welcome to access and use this Google Slide Scavenger Hunt. Just click “File” on the presentation and “Make a copy.” It will automatically save to your Google Drive, then you can edit your version so it works for your students.

Google 419
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5 Ways Video Can Foster Teaching and Learning

EdTech Magazine

By Steve Zurier K–12 districts use cameras on phones, tablets and notebooks to extend classroom learning, confer with experts and arrange conferences with colleges and prospective employers.

Video 367
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Getting Rid of Cemetery Style Seating in the Classroom with Bill Selak

The CoolCatTeacher

Episode 118 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Today Bill Selak @billselak talks about flexible seating and the research behind academic gains when using it. He also shares how flexible seating should go with more student voice and choice in their learning. Prepare to have your mind shift about how we sit in classrooms today!

Classroom 315
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Can Brain Science Actually Help Make Your Training & Teaching Stick?

Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape

The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.

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How One Teacher Founded A Whole New High School

EdNews Daily

Scott Heister, an engineering and physics teacher, began mentoring his high school’s FIRST Robotics Competition team in his home state of Michigan 19 years ago. Since then, the robotics program has overcome their fair share of obstacles, including nearby factories shutting and decreased funding for their program, while working hard to transform culture in their school and build leaders in STEM.

Robotics 279
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12 Tools and Resources to Get Students to Create Instructional Videos

Teacher Reboot Camp

“Animation offers a medium of storytelling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world.” – Walt Disney. Research indicates that one of the most effective ways students learn is by teaching others. In my new book, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom (published in September), students are sent on a mission to instruct others by creating their own video tutoria

Video 364
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10 Top Cooperative Learning Strategies (and some tech tools that could come in handy)

EdTech4Beginners

Dr Spencer Kagan is a renowned educator who changed the way the world viewed teaching. He is mainly known for his work on cooperative learning strategies (often referred to as Kagan learning structures). Instead of didactic teaching, in which a teacher stands at the front and tells information to whole class, Kagan thought that there were more effective methods.

Strategy 280
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6 Shifts to Maximize Productivity and Happiness

Catlin Tucker

This year I’ve decided to pursue my doctorate at Pepperdine University. It is a blended program with a mix of face-to-face and online learning, which is obviously perfect for this blended learning enthusiast! My program will allow me to continue teaching and coaching, but it will present some very real challenges for me personally when it comes to balancing my various roles and responsibilities–mother, teacher, trainer, coach, speaker, and author.

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Reimagining Chickering & Gamson's Principles Post-Pandemic: Technology's Central Role in Modern Edu

This white paper examines and proposes revisions to the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" introduced by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson in 1987 for today's technology-driven world.

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4 Skills Tech Industry Employees Say Today’s Students Need to Succeed

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez From communication to STEM experience, these experts offer tips on future readiness.

Industry 418
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6 Questions to Consider as You Start the School Year

Tom Murray

It was August of 2000. I was about to enter my very first year teaching fourth grade in Pennsylvania. At 21 years old and a new college degree in hand, I thought I had a clue as to what it would take to be a new teacher. I had no idea that my first year teaching would be one of the most difficult and emotional years I’d ever have. My experiences that first year would change me for the rest of my life – both personally and professionally; experiences that I’ll share when I event

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10 digital bell-ringer activities to kickstart class (Part 1)

Ditch That Textbook

One of the hooks from the book Teach Like a PIRATE that’s most memorable to me is the Board Message Hook. In a book about engaging students, the idea of meeting students with something that’s eye-catching and thought-provoking — a statement or a picture or whatever — really resonated with me. Put a photo of something seemingly random on the [.].

Meeting 275
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2 Tools to Help You Learn Students’ Names

Teacher Reboot Camp

“A name represents identity, a deep feeling and holds tremendous significance to its owner.” – Rachel Ingber. Many of us are headed back to school. Within the first days you need to cultivate relationships and create a community. Learning each other’s names correctly is significant to forming a strong bond with your students and for students to form strong bonds with each other.

Tools 317
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Behind the Bell: The Underlying Impact of Tardiness in K-12 Schools

Managing a K-12 campus with constant pressure to meet performance metrics is challenging. And tardiness can significantly limit a school from reaching these goals. Learn more about why chronic lateness matters, and key strategies to address the following impacts: Data errors caused by manual processes Low attendance and graduation rates that affect a school’s reputation Classroom disruption, which leads to poor academic performance High staff attrition and “The Teacher Exodus” Unmet LCAP goals t

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This Is How It Feels To Meet Your Online Students In-Person

EdNews Daily

Have you ever wondered what it can feel like to meet some of your online students in-person? Educator Heather Pence, who teaches for 51Talk recently attended an event that brought her closer to the students who take classes with 51Talk. On August 15, 2017, 51Talk brought students from China to New York to compete in an English competition titled: The 51Talk Star Final.

Meeting 248
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10 building blocks for the future of schools

Dangerously Irrelevant

As Dean Shareski and I worked together on our new book, Different Schools for a Different World , (released this week!), he encouraged me to update my list of building blocks for the future of schools. Here’s the new list (now 10 items instead of 8): Project- and inquiry-based learning environments that emphasize greater student agency and active application of more cognitively-complex thinking, communication, and collaboration skills.

Software 236
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Survey Says: Tech Use in Math Class on the Rise, But Needs Improvement

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez In a state-by-state breakdown, Maine is leading the way in innovating with active computer usage.

Survey 393
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What Exactly Is Curriculum?

Education Elements

I recall one distinct shocking moment as a new teacher. It was when a mentor teacher was onboarding me. She walked me to my classroom, opened a cabinet door rather proudly, showed me two shelves filled with textbooks and supplementary materials (worksheets, assessment guides, etc.) and said, “This is your 6th grade math curriculum.”.

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The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

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Updates abound: New features for Flipgrid, Google Classroom, Formative and Kahoot!

Ditch That Textbook

This year is no exception. In fact, just yesterday (the day before I publish this post), Flipgrid threw a HUGE bash at their Minneapolis headquarters to release the all new Flipgrid and a slew of new features. It’s a good time to be in education, folks. Technology makes all sorts of meaningful, engaging education accessible [.].

Google 261
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6 Ways to Add Video to Your Classroom with Animoto

EdTech4Beginners

Students relate to video — it’s a growing part of how they share and how they absorb information. And if you’re looking for a good way to tap into that natural enthusiasm and understanding, it helps if you can communicate with video, too. That’s where Animoto comes in handy. What is Animoto? Animoto is a website that lets you easily create videos and slideshows.

Video 222
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10 Lesser Known Ways To Cultivate Resilience in Educators And Students

EdNews Daily

Guest article by Dr. Jared Scherz. Dr. Scherz is a clinical psychologist, author, consultant, and the founder of TeacherCoach, LLC. For more information about his program, please contact him at coach@teachercoach.com or visit his site at [link]. You can also contact Robyn to learn more about TeacherCoach and how they can serve you or your school district this year.

Education 226
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A Textbook Dilemma: Digital or Paper?

The Hechinger Report

My friend Joanne was packing her youngest child off to college this month and wrestling with a modern dilemma: Is it better to buy textbooks in digital form or old-fashioned print? One of her son’s professors was recommending an online text for a business course: lighter, always accessible and seriously cheaper ($88 vs. $176 for a 164-page book). But Joanne’s instinct was that her son would “learn better” from a printed volume, free of online distractions, and with pages he could dog-ear, peruse

Study 184
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The Roses and Thorns of an LMS Strategy: How to Flourish with the Right LMS

Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions

The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.

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AP Computer Science Draws In More Girls, Minorities

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez A new style of teaching the complex topic has enticed a more diverse group of students than ever before.

Groups 377
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This is how you build the library of the future

eSchool News

When looking towards the future of education and instruction, hardware will not be the catalyst for change. The people behind the technology will be the ones who transform student learning. Media specialists operating within the demands of 21 st -century innovation find themselves tasked with the responsibility not only to be as tech-savvy as possible, but to tap into their creativity to create an inspiring library learning environment.

Libraries 200
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8 strategies for reducing your reliance on homework

Ditch That Textbook

In the past, I’ve assigned homework when I’ve felt a lack of control, a sense of scrambling to cover everything. I would think, “These students just aren’t where they need to be. I have so much to get to and not enough squares left in my lesson plan book.” “I have to do something.” That’s [.].

Strategy 258
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A Range of Free, Downloadable, Writing Templates

EdTech4Beginners

I’ve made some writing frames, which are completely free to download (just right click and ‘save image as’, or find high quality PDFs by clicking this link ). I hope they are useful. 1) Narrow lined paper template: 2) Medium lined paper template: 3) Postcard writing template: 4) Recount writing template: 5) Recipe writing template: 6) Poetry Writing Template: 7) Letter Writing Template: 8) Instructions Writing Template: 9) Early Years Story Writing Frame: 10) Newspaper templat

Report 214
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Building the Foundation for a Modern K-12 Classroom

K-12 looks different these days. But one thing remains the same: you need a reliable learning platform that serves as the foundation for teaching and learning––for all students, in a variety of learning experiences. Discover how the Instructure Learning Platform supports today's K-12 classroom through: A central, consistent, connected hub of the digital learning environment.