August, 2019

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How Effective Is Your Edtech Tool? Five Questions to Ask

Digital Promise

We all want to help students learn. When it comes to education technology (edtech), school leaders and developers alike want to provide the best tools—ones that truly make a difference. This is especially critical for students who are not being served by current instruction. To support this goal, Digital Promise’s Marketplace initiative is dedicated to identifying “effective, engaging, tech-enabled learning environments.” But what does “effective” really mean?

EdTech 289
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Are Classrooms Becoming Too Dependent On Technology?

EdNews Daily

Many educators have asked the question, “Are today’s classrooms too dependent on technology?” The underlying assumptions involve several complex political and economic challenges. Some of these inquiries include where the money comes from for classroom technology, to using different equipment–and if we even need more technology in schools.

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Assessing Prior Knowledge: What Do Your Students Already Know?

Catlin Tucker

Designing a one-size-fits-all lesson assumes that every student is starting from the same point. The reality is that students enter our classrooms with varied skillsets and prior knowledge. If teachers assess their students’ knowledge before diving into an explanation, lesson, or unit, they might be surprised by the wealth of experience and information that students bring into the classroom.

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AR/VR in K–12: Schools Use Immersive Technology for Assistive Learning

EdTech Magazine

AR/VR in K–12: Schools Use Immersive Technology for Assistive Learning. eli.zimmerman_9856. Thu, 08/22/2019 - 08:25. In K–12, assistive learning can be a tricky beast to tackle. Schools have a duty to attend to all students’ needs, but it can be difficult to create a curriculum that addresses every student, especially as an increasing number of schools experience overcrowding. .

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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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If It's Easy Then it Probably Isn't Learning

A Principal's Reflections

What is the purpose of education? To many, this might seem like a ridiculous question with the answer being quite obvious. Or is it? For this post at least, let’s go with learning. Some might equate this with the successful ability to be able to recall or memorize facts and information. The casual observer might then anoint anyone who is able to do this effectively as smart or intelligent.

Learning 377
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Secrets for Fun, Engaging Computer Science that Changes Kids Lives

The CoolCatTeacher

Alfred Thompson on episode 547 From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Alfred Thompson has secrets that transform Computer Science classrooms. Yet, he shares them openly. Project-based learning. Passion-based learning. Problem-based learning. These three P’s of teaching perfection have been a mainstay in Alfred’s classroom for many years.

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25 beginning of the year activities you can use right away!

Ditch That Textbook

The beginning of the school year is filled with teaching procedures and getting to know you activities. Most of us have our tried and true go-tos that we pull out year after year. But what if we want to shake things up a bit? What if there were tons of different and innovative activities out […].

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Creating Digital Notebooks with Google Slides

Catlin Tucker

In my role as a blended learning coach, I work with a lot of teachers who are intrigued by the idea of digital notebooks. They recognize the value of having student integrate text and media in an online notebook. They also like the idea of housing student work in a central location that is viewable to both the student and the teacher. Teachers working with younger kids or special needs groups may not want their students posting their work online for a global audience.

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Artificial Intelligence, Authentic Impact: How Educational AI is Making the Grade

EdTech Magazine

Artificial Intelligence, Authentic Impact: How Educational AI is Making the Grade. eli.zimmerman_9856. Tue, 08/27/2019 - 11:25. Adoption of artificial intelligence is on the rise: According to research firm Gartner , 37 percent of organizations have now “implemented AI in some form,” and adoption is up 270 percent over the past four years. . Schools are following suit: Technavio’s “ Artificial Intelligence Market in the US Education Sector 2018-2022 ” report predicts a nearly 48 percent growth r

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Buncee and Immersive Reader: A Winning Combination for Assistive Learning

A Principal's Reflections

I am a huge fan of Buncee. The following is a guest post by Rachelle Dene Poth ( @Rdene915 ), Spanish and STEAM Teacher at Riverview High School in PA. For several years, Buncee has been one of my favorite creation tools; both for personal use and for classroom instruction. While there are many digital tools to choose from when it comes to teaching and having our students create, Buncee’s versatility and ease-of-use make it a go-to tool for all creative needs.

Learning 336
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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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Culture will tell you what it needs, but only if you ask it

Dangerously Irrelevant

We had the pleasure of having Zac Chase as a guest facilitator this past week in one of my principal licensure cohorts. Zac was amazing, which is no surprise to anyone who knows him. One of our activities with Zac was using the Question Formulation Technique to unpack teachers’ and students’ beliefs about school culture and climate. For instance, we can take an affirmative statement that represents a desired end goal such as “Nearly all of our students can be successful in a Tier 1 instructional

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How to Build Strong Relationships During the Edtech Purchasing Process

Digital Promise

This blog post is the first of a two-part series discussing relationship building in edtech selection and purchasing. In this first blog post, we’ll address how educators can build and maintain good working relationships with edtech developers. Part two will discuss how edtech vendors can return the favor to develop great working relationships with educators.

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20 activities to “Bloom” with the new Flipgrid camera

Ditch That Textbook

Video is so easy to create in the classroom now. What used to take expensive equipment and advanced know-how can be created in seconds with devices we already have. Video is a rich medium for learning. Students can practice speaking skills, show their passion through their voice, and make learning visible. In summer 2019, Flipgrid […].

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Icebreaker Idea: Fun with the Frayer Model

Catlin Tucker

The Frayer Model is a graphic organizer that many teachers use to support vocabulary development. It can be easily adapted to facilitate fun icebreaker activities at the start of the school year. I created the template below using Google Slides then added a quirky, fun question to each section of the graphic organizer. I use Google Slides for this activity because students can answer the questions a combination of text, images, and videos.

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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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Today's CTE Investments Help Boost Students' Success

EdTech Magazine

Today's CTE Investments Help Boost Students' Success. Andrew.Steger_zKQu. Tue, 08/06/2019 - 12:12. In modern schools, vocational instruction — now career and technical education, or CTE — often takes students beyond the oil-stained floor beneath an automotive hoist or a shower of sparks in a welding lab. Today’s automotive repair classes likely use computers to quickly diagnose problems in vehicles that are fully loaded with cameras, monitors and other technology drivers expect.

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Half of Teachers Have ‘Seriously Considered’ Quitting in Recent Years, Survey Finds

Edsurge

Some U.S. teachers have just about had enough. No, really. A new report from Phi Delta Kappan International, a professional association for educators, finds that half of teachers have “seriously considered” leaving teaching in the last few years. Their reasoning? Many say they’re working longer hours for less pay than ever before. They juggle high-stress classrooms and constant pressure from administrators and state officials to improve students’ standardized test scores.

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Transforming Schools Into Vehicles for Decarceration [On Morris’ Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues]

The Jose Vilson

Recently, Gloria Ladson-Billings was asked whether the interpretation of her works has changed, to which she quipped: “I think that people don’t actually read the work.” In the last few years, people have interpreted culturally responsive education through mostly singular dimensions: implicit bias, diversity trainings, or recruitment and retention of staff and curriculum, all valid.

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Trailblazing the Path to Media Literacy Certification with Micro-credentials

Digital Promise

To thrive as content consumers and creators in an information age, media literacy is an essential skill set for both students and teachers. And the reality is that, from “fake news” to “deepfakes,” keeping up with the latest online apps, trends, and issues is an ongoing, ever-changing challenge. As co-directors of the Elk Grove Unified School District’s digital citizenship program , Kathleen Watt and I are excited to spread the word about the PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification by KQED.

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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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20 ways to Ditch That Textbook in K-2 (with templates!)

Ditch That Textbook

Are you a primary educator? Are you interested in Ditching but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry! This post will walk you through template after template of rich learning experiences you can provide your students today! 20 activities to Ditch that Textbook in K-2 1. CVC Word Builder – Simply pull down either the […].

Learning 277
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Make Your “Summer Resolutions” a Reality This School Year

Catlin Tucker

As another school year approaches, teachers are scrambling to set up classrooms, make photocopies of syllabi, attend mandatory meetings, and prepare their curriculum. Amid the back-to-school frenzy, it is easy to focus on the minutia and lose sight of our “summer resolutions.” I know a lot of teachers who spend the summer reading, reflecting, and refocusing, but it is hard to take those resolutions we make in summer and put them into practice during the chaos of first few weeks of sc

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Is a Backpack the Key to Closing the Homework Gap?

EdTech Magazine

Is a Backpack the Key to Closing the Homework Gap? eli.zimmerman_9856. Thu, 08/15/2019 - 13:15. Millions of students lack the ability to access the internet from home — a problem compounded by increasing expectations from educators that students do so to complete homework and research. . Innovations in next-generation Internet of Things applications are helping to reduce those disparities, which characterize what’s known as the homework gap. .

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New Study Shows Where ‘Growth Mindset’ Training Works (And Where It Doesn’t)

Edsurge

A large nationwide study has found that teaching ninth graders to maintain a “growth mindset” toward learning—stressing that their minds are like muscles that can get stronger with use—can result in higher test scores. The study, published today in the journal Nature, is the largest and most rigorous test of whether mindset trainings can improve student performance.

Training 167
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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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Ten Inspiring Lessons From An Almost Analog Native … Back To School 2019

21st Century Educational Technology and Learning

It is back to school time 2019 for many of us in the United States and beyond… welcome to the future! I dedicate this post to all of you wonderful educators. It is my hope that as many educators as possible read this post as they begin a new year journey… I hope you share and make this happen! (Via school emails and retweet to your friends). Please enjoy this reflective journey and send to others what I hope to be a teaching inspiration.

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Boosting Digital Literacies for a Purpose

Digital Promise

Digital Promise’s Adult Learning initiative recently launched Community Impact Stories, a new series of blog posts to highlight adult learner stories across the nation. The series explores the powerful impact of local nonprofits and community-based organizations that provide adult learning and workforce development opportunities to families and communities.

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3 easy strategies to organize your Google Classroom

Ditch That Textbook

Let’s be honest. Your Google Classroom is a hot mess. If it is, you’re like many, many other teachers. (If it’s not a hot mess, kudos to you. We can learn something from you!) Thankfully, Google Classroom has a feature that helps you keep your classwork page neat and tidy and orderly — topics! Some […].

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Class Size Matters: Understanding The Link Between Class Size And Student Achievement

TeachThought - Learn better.

The discussion about the importance of class size has been ongoing for decades. The post Class Size Matters: Understanding The Link Between Class Size And Student Achievement appeared first on TeachThought.

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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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Digital Storytelling Wheel for Teachers and Students

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here is an updated version of our popular visuals we published last year. Digital storytelling wheel features a number of interesting resources students can.

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Teenage Brains Are Elastic. That’s a Big Opportunity for Social-Emotional Learning.

Edsurge

At Harvest Collegiate High School in Manhattan, students know what to do when they face a mysterious math problem. Take a breath, recognize a “maze moment,” and retrace their steps to find an alternative to their temporary dead end. It’s a simple idea: learning as navigation, choosing among concepts and strategies that either pave a path forward or trap you in the puzzle at hand.

Learning 167
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Weaving SEL Into Our Classroom Questioning

MiddleWeb

Traditional questioning routines can send unintended messages to some students that they are not “smart” enough to engage in classroom conversations, writes author and teaching expert Jackie Walsh. Learn how to weave SEL-friendly questioning into your daily practice.

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To help first-generation students succeed, colleges enlist their parents

The Hechinger Report

Mothers listen to a representative of the Chicago Gear Up program discuss best practices for helping their children apply to college. After decades working with families of high school kids, the federal program extended its model this year to provide support through the first year of college. Photo: Aaron Cantú for The Hechinger Report. Robert Aranda knew it was coming.

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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.