October, 2016

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Ditching Traditional Grades & My Online Gradebook

Catlin Tucker

Last year, I began experimenting with standards-based grading and wrote a blog titled “ Grading for Mastery and Redesigning My Gradebook. ” My goal was to shift the conversation away from the accumulation of points and, instead, focus on the development of skills. Although I appreciated the immediate change that took place when I began grading based on my students’ ability to master specific skills, I knew I wanted to go even further this year as I began N.E.W.

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How Do You Mend a Broken Teacher?

The CoolCatTeacher

Life Lessons from Hall of Fame Teacher Kim Bearden From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Broken. It happens. It hurts deeply. I have had days when I didn’t know how I would get out of bed and make it to school. Most teachers I respect have had periods of deep brokenness too. So has Hall of Fame Teacher Kim Bearden, co-founder of Ron Clark Academy.

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A parent’s perspective on the best learning apps for children

Neo LMS

There are many different apps that all claim to help children with their learning. From reading to math games, apps are taking over the educational landscape. So much so, that some schools are integrating tablets and apps into their curriculum. Apps can be a great tool to use for learning, once you figure out the best ones for your children and how to use them effectively.

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Virtual Reality: Coming Soon to a School Near You

EdTech Magazine

By Frank DiMaria Soon students will sense movement, explore the human body in 3D and mix chemicals virtually thanks to companies like Oculus, Facebook and Nearpod.

Facebook 383
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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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Celebrating Five Years of Leadership with the League of Innovative Schools

Digital Promise

This week, as we celebrate Digital Promise’s fifth anniversary , we also welcome the districts who are part of the 2016-2017 cohort of the League of Innovative Schools. Members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools are changing the model of traditional public education and building policies, programs, and practices that demonstrate how forward-thinking leadership, combined with driven, empowered educators and smart technology use, can transform learning.

Policies 336
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Three Things to Know about the New Title IV SSAEG Program Guidance

Doug Levin

Earlier today, the U.S. Department of Education released non-regulatory guidance for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant (SSAEG) program (as authorized by Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act ). This guidance is important, because it lays out in (debatably) human-readable language how the Department interprets the legislative language and intent of Congress in implementing specific provisions and programs in the nation’s new K-12 education law.

Outcomes 264

More Trending

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3 Reasons to Bring Music into the Classroom

The CoolCatTeacher

(Besides Improving Test Scores) From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Why does music seem to rewire the brain for learning? Studies show a definite link between music and academic success. Then, why is music often one of the first things cut when budgets shrink ? Let’s dive into why music is so important to a child’s education.

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Improve retention, re-teach less with this learning technique

Ditch That Textbook

What if you didn’t have to spend so much time re-teaching material to your students? What if that material was securely saved in their minds, ready for recall whenever necessary? And they could apply that knowledge to whatever they were learning at the moment? Even though there’s no magic bullet to make students remember everything [.].

Learning 279
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Computer Science (Not Just Coding) Needs a Bigger Role in STEM Education

EdTech Magazine

By Vince Bertram Schools should introduce technology courses earlier and demystify CompSci.

STEM 419
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How To Document A Science Investigation Using Google Keep.

EdTech4Beginners

Recently, my class did a science experiment, where we explored how rain falls. In short, you put shaving foam (the cloud) on top of a cup of water and drop food colouring onto it. When the cloud gets full, it begins to ‘rain’ the food colouring. Have a look at a video we took: How did the class document the experiment? We used a brilliant app called Google Keep.

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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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K–12’s Curricular Transition from Atoms to Bits is a Work in Progress

The Journal

While the book publishing, music publishing and video publishing industries have transitioned successfully from atoms to bits, not so for K-12. Indeed, in K-12 it is early – and confusing – days in transitioning from atom-based textbooks to bit-based digital curricula.

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8 Essential Books Every Tech-Minded Teacher Should Read

Ask a Tech Teacher

I love reading, but there are so many books out there, it’s challenging to pick the right one for my education needs. Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Karen Dikson, came to the rescue. She curated a great list of essential tech-minded books for today’s teachers. Here are her suggestions: We live in an extremely stimulating and dynamic era, and it’s hard to predict what is going to happen tomorrow, let alone in the next few years.

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Designing Technology for Adult Learners: Support and Scaffolding

Digital Promise

We inaugurated our design brief series last spring with Designing for Adult Learners: 5 Key Principles Drawn from Adult Learning Theory. This series is for education technology developers and entrepreneurs who wish to enter the adult learning market, a market with enormous growth potential. We have now published our second brief, Designing for Technology Adult Learners: Support and Scaffolding.

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10 engaging ways to use mobile devices in the classroom

Ditch That Textbook

Mobile devices are everywhere. Adults and children are using smartphones, tablets, e-readers and more to interact with each other and the web every day. More people interact with digital media through mobile now than through desktop computers, and that number continues to grow. Seventy five percent of kids under eight have their own mobile device. [.].

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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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Q&A: CoSN’s Keith Krueger on the Future of K–12 Networks

EdTech Magazine

By Jena Passut Consortium’s CEO outlines how to achieve digital equity and lays out a strategy for bringing broadband to K–12 education.

Broadband 305
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Ideas For Providing Internet Access At Home

The Web20Classroom

This post is sponsored by Samsung. All thoughts and opinions are my own. When I was an Instructional Technology Director one of the challenges I faced was working to ensure that students, no matter where they lived in my district, had access to the same tools and opportunities. I could provide technology that could be used in the schools, and provided high speed network access while they were in schools.

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College Bound? Made of Compassion and Creativity: Meet Ethan Sawyer, College Essay Guy

EdNews Daily

Sometimes, if we are lucky enough, our paths cross with genuine people who truly want to make a difference in the world, especially for youth. When I come across someone of this nature, I make extra effort to ensure I nurture and care for the relationship. I have not recommended specific names or people on this site in the past. In the four years I’ve been running this outlet, I am proud to introduce you to my new friend and colleague, Ethan Sawyer, the College Essay Guy.

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Mindsnacks–Learning in Bite-sized Pieces

Ask a Tech Teacher

Mindsnacks is a series of education apps on topics like geography, vocabulary, languages, and SAT. With colorful graphics and cute characters, it’s a cross between flashcards and multiple choice with lots of visual thrown in. Though these are game-based learning, there’s no plot as you might find simulated games. Think Number Munchers rather than Minecraft.

Learning 229
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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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Goal: Introduce Pop Culture into the Curriculum

Teacher Reboot Camp

Welcome to Cycle 7 of The 30 Goals Challenge: Make it Meaningful ! “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” – Albert Einstein. Goal: Engage your students with pop culture appropriate for their ages. Teach a lesson with a song or share an example or anecdote from a famous celebrity your students respect.

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‘Really Tricky’ Online Maths Resources

EdTech4Beginners

I recently organised and ran the Federation of British Schools In Asia (FOBISIA) maths tournament. It was successful and I got positive feedback from both teachers and students. Well done to the winners: Now that it is finished, I thought I would share some of the resources I created/used. They were described by my students as ‘really tricky’!

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Cybersecurity Is a Shared Responsibility

EdTech Magazine

By Ryan Petersen National Cyber Security Awareness Month demonstrates the power of user education in combating threats.

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Why Schools Shouldn't Go It Alone on Personalized Learning

Education Elements

Principals and teachers trying to personalize their students’ learning are charged with radically reimagining the classroom. It’s a tall order that requires educators to take risks, move outside their comfort zones and essentially overhaul much of their jobs. What we’re seeing in the schools we’ve visited for this project makes it clear that this work shouldn’t—and often can’t—be done alone.

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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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Building Vocabulary to Improve Reading

Digital Promise

Embedding new words into classroom conversations and assignments pegged to topics teens care about. This article originally appeared on Usable Knowledge from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Research shows that many adolescents in the United States struggle with reading, and one key reason is their limited vocabularies. Limited vocabulary, low reading ability, and low investment of time in reading often go hand in hand, since students usually learn more sophisticated words through readi

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Subscriber Special: October

Ask a Tech Teacher

Every month, subscribers to Ask a Tech Teacher get a free/discounted resource to help their tech teaching. October 9th-10th (two days only): K-8 Technology Curriculum UPDATED 6th Edition. Student Workbooks. 10% Discount on Room License–use coupon code STUDENTWKBKSPECIALROOM. 20% Discount on School License–use coupon code STUDENTWKBKSPECIALSCHOOL. 25% Discount on District License–use coupon code STUDENTWKBKSPECIALDISTRICT.

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Education on Air: It Takes a Teacher - free, online conference from Google 12-3-16

Educational Technology Guy

You’re invited to Education on Air, an online conference from Google. Learn with educators from around the world. Join Google for Education on Saturday, December 3rd for Education on Air, a free online conference. Learn from over 100 sessions led by other educators. Learn new approaches & celebrate around that #ItTakesATeacher: Australia & New Zealand sessions: 10am AEST United Kingdom sessions: 10am GMT Americas sessions: 12pm ET / 9am PT Register here Register (it's free) and you’ll ha

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Take A Look At The Maths Mastery Materials I Wrote For The Scholastic Online Resource Bank.

EdTech4Beginners

I recently wrote some content for Scholastic. It was a short article on mastery in mathematics; followed by some open-ended maths challenges to help learners achieve a thorough understanding of a topic. Find the full resource by clicking here. Tagged: education , mastery , math , mathematics , maths , open-ended problem solving , teaching.

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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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Revamped E-Rate Program Is ‘Custom Built’ for Connectivity

EdTech Magazine

By Heather B. Hayes Experts offer tips on how to maximize funds for robust broadband and wireless networks.

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Desperately Seeking: Culturally Relevant Ideas and Innovation in Education

Edsurge

Our cities are growing in diversity at an exponential rate, but our teacher workforce is not. Within the Providence Public School District, nearly 92 percent of students are people of color while the teaching force is almost 80 percent white. Close to 30 percent of Providence students are English Language Learners, and yet most of them are being taught by teachers who don’t speak their native language.

Education 162
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Connecting STEM, PBL, and Tech Integration… What Would Dewey Think?

21st Century Educational Technology and Learning

Welcome to a post where I bring together three of my favorite areas of educational transformation. As I deliver workshops across the country I am reminded of how much we need to prepare STEM educators with regards to a process for delivery. After all, STEM (or STEAM) is so much more than content. As I stated in the last post. it is a way of thinking!

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#ETTChat: App Smashing with Book Creator – an Interview with Tom Daccord & James Daley

EdTechTeacher

This fall, as part of our #ETTchat series , Communications Editor James Daley will be chatting with our EdTechTeacher instructors about some of their favorite tools, apps, and strategies for the classroom. In this first post, he interviews Director, Tom Daccord , about App Smashing with Book Creator. Tom Daccord is Director of EdTech Teacher, a professional learning organization that provides hands-on exploratory edtech workshops for teachers.

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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.