The CoolCatTeacher
APRIL 20, 2015
There is a short, three letter hop from leading to misleading. Having a position of leadership is a paramount calling in life. You have a lot of responsibilities. It is hard to be a leader. The truth is, as flawed humans, most of us who lead in anything have a very short step to being a misleader. Teachers are also leaders of their classrooms. Here are ten ways leaders become misleaders: First published May 16, 2012.
Ed Tech from the Ground Up
APRIL 23, 2015
'Let''s face it, ed folks and tech folks don''t always speak the same language. But is it important to learn to speak ''tech''? Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.
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Catlin Tucker
APRIL 20, 2015
In my last blog post “Don’t Just Read Shakespeare, Perform It!” , I encouraged other teachers to have students perform Shakespeare’s plays instead of simply reading them. I want students to enjoy Shakespeare, but I also want them to think about why the situations, themes, and characters in his plays have remained popular for hundreds of years.
A Principal's Reflections
APRIL 23, 2015
'In education we are sometimes our worst enemy when it comes to sharing our successes. Our profession is much too humble. As a result, a narrative has evolved that does not shine a positive light on the noble, innovative, and impactful work that is taking place in classrooms and schools across the globe. If we do not tell our story, someone else will.
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The CoolCatTeacher
APRIL 23, 2015
I’ll admit something, I dread April and May. With every fiber of my being. Can I admit this to you? Will you judge me? Why can’t we all just skip the last two months of the year? It is easy to see why so many people jump at the chance to leave the classroom when they can. It is sooooooo hard to stay here. It isn’t your students that drive you to despair; it is the other stuff – or “schtuff” as my husband calls it.
Tom Murray
APRIL 23, 2015
Much of the great work being done in our schools every day by teachers, administrators, school staff, parents and students is unknown to the general public. The exceptional commitment, extraordinary contributions and innovative collaborations among educators around the nation are generally hidden and unrecognized. Yet, every day, educators are doing great things for the children they serve.
EdTech Update brings together the best content for education technology professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Ditch That Textbook
APRIL 20, 2015
'College football coach Lou Holtz once said, “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” In the classroom, the same is true. How well we create learning experiences for our students is largely determined by our mindset. The following quote by Haim Ginott hung [.].
The CoolCatTeacher
APRIL 21, 2015
An edWeb Webinar from the Amazing Resources Community will feature Vicki Davis presenting on April 23, 2015 at 4:00pm EST. This free webinar will include: Tips for making technology use routine and transparent. Ensuring technology is accessible for the task at hand. Strategies for using technology to support curricular goals. Strategies for using technology to help your students effectively reach their goals.
Tom Murray
APRIL 20, 2015
' Each year, billions of dollars are spent on educational technology in the United States. With stagnant budgets forcing districts to evaluate each line item on a year over year basis, school officials are often forced to make difficult choices on what to purchase, what to cut, and ultimately, where to invest money in the smartest possible fashion.
Dangerously Irrelevant
APRIL 18, 2015
'I just left this comment at Tony Tepedino’s blog in response to his statement that we have to stop pretending that academic rigor can only occur in a traditional classroom setting: I have seen innovative, project-based learning environments killed – by OTHER TEACHERS IN THE SCHOOL!!!! – because kids liked those learning spaces better than what their more traditional teachers were offering.
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.
Ask a Tech Teacher
APRIL 24, 2015
Space units are always exciting. Part of it’s the history, but a lot is that space is our final frontier, a wild untamed land that man knows so little about. I have a list of over 20 websites I use to support this theme for K-8. Here are 10 of my favorites: 100,000 Stars. 100,000 Stars is an interactive visualization of the stellar neighborhood showing the real location of over 100,000 nearby stars.
The CoolCatTeacher
APRIL 24, 2015
Some of you are living on the edge of financial ruin. Not because you’re not a good money manager – you are. Not because you’re bad with people – you’re good with them too. No, some of you are living on the edge of financial ruin because you are not backing up your computer. Only 7% of people back up their data daily and 23% back up at least once a month.
User Generated Education
APRIL 21, 2015
'Those who follow my blog know that I have jumped into and am loving the current emphasis on the Maker Movement and Maker Education. As I was flying back from a recent conference, I noticed a film on the screen embedded in the plane seat in front of me. I was immediately intrigued by the animated film and watch the 10 minute short animation in awe of its brilliance.
EdTech Magazine
APRIL 21, 2015
'By D. Frank Smith A new robot-powered app exemplifies learning through teaching.
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.
Battelle for Kids
APRIL 22, 2015
'April 23, 2015, Volume 2, Issue 5, Number 12. Driving Question: Can Writing and Film Making Enrich Students'' Common Core Math Learning? I remember early in my teaching career William Zinnser''s Writing to Learn: How to Write-and Think-Clearly about Any Subject at All. I remember distinctly the section encouraging teachers to encourage students to write about math.
The CoolCatTeacher
APRIL 22, 2015
20 Top Pinterest Tips. Vicki Davis on Edutopia. February 23, 2015. Are you Pinteresting? Well, lots of educators are. The PEW Research Center has found that 28 percent of online users are using Pinterest (compared to only 23 percent using Twitter). Women dominate Pinterest with 42 percent of women online using the site. With over 80 percent of teachers being women (PDF, 1.5MB), it makes sense that teachers are all over Pinterest sharing ideas for lesson plans, centers, and resources.
Dangerously Irrelevant
APRIL 23, 2015
Hey guys (and gals!) As the day began, we did A LOT of exciting things. But…before we begin, lets talk about the bad things that happened first: 1. We lost two of our matches today due to physical problems/changes on the robot and just because we were against a better alliance team. That’s okay though, because we have plenty of matches to go tomorrow to make up for it!
Brilliant or Insane
APRIL 21, 2015
'Brilliant or Insane. I was fortunate to have incredible mentors as a pre-service teacher, and as I was finishing my final student teaching placement, one of them taught something no one else ever has: the importance of student feedback. As I recall, we were wrapping up our study of J.R.R. Tolkien in 8th grade, and I was exhausted. [.]. The post Invite Your Students to Give You Feedback by Asking These 7 Questions appeared first on Brilliant or Insane.
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Educational Technology Guy
APRIL 23, 2015
'Here is some info about the Chromebooks and steps to take for issues/errors encountered. NOTE: Java does not work on Chromebooks. Java is a major security hazard and Chromebooks are very secure. Most of the Java based sites are moving to HTML5 which works on Chromebooks. 1. Remember, if this is the first time you are using that Chromebook, you have to click "add user" and add your user account info. 2.
The CoolCatTeacher
APRIL 21, 2015
Global Teacher Prize finalists Nancie Atwell, Stephen Ritz, Jacque Kahura, and Naomi Volain sat down with Vicki at The Global Education & Skills Forum to talk about their passions in education. Nancie Atwell is the winner of this prestigious prize. Listen now to find out what inspires them to offer world-class education to their students. Listen now to Part 1 special from Dubai.
Dangerously Irrelevant
APRIL 22, 2015
'As the day continued, they started matches. If you were watching on the live stream, you would have seen us in action! If not: You will see photos at the bottom and I will start to explain. The pit area is set up and ready to go! We will take some video tomorrow of what will be happening and why. It will you guys a more “behinds the scene” look of how much work it actually takes!
Brilliant or Insane
APRIL 22, 2015
'Brilliant or Insane. Wait just a second, Time Magazine. Maybe you thought the dust had settled. Perhaps you believe six months is enough time served. Maybe you think educators will simply forgive and forget how you called them “Rotten Apples” and that you confused the general public with your lazy reporting and elementary writing (apologies to the many [.].
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.
Educational Technology Guy
APRIL 22, 2015
'Google Classroom is Google''s learning management system, allowing teachers and students to share assignments and communicate online. It is easy to use and works great, but there were some features teachers were asking for. Well, Google listened! Google has just announced some new features: 1. Invite another teacher to your class- teachers who co-teach, or want special ed teachers to have access to course work, etc can be invited to join the class as a teacher.
The CoolCatTeacher
APRIL 20, 2015
8 Top Tips for Highly Effective Professional Development. Vicki Davis on Edutopia. April 15, 2015. Highly effective classrooms can result from highly effective professional development. Recent research ( Butler et al., 2004 ) has shown that effective professional development includes creating classroom content, modeling techniques for teachers to use in their classrooms, and feedback on lessons ( Harris, Graham, and Adkins, 2015 ).
Dangerously Irrelevant
APRIL 21, 2015
'Just a heads-up that Team 4443, The Sock Monkeys ( @4443sockmonkeys ), from Oskaloosa, Iowa will be returning to this blog to share its experiences at the First Robotics Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. Molly Bleything will be sharing out this year’s challenge, photos and videos of the team in action, and other items of note. Hope you’ll leave her and the team some positive encouragement!
Brilliant or Insane
APRIL 22, 2015
'Brilliant or Insane. Technology cannot replace teachers, but teachers who use technology and cloud-based learning will replace those who do not. The entire education system has changed immensely in the past decade, moving from spiral bound notebooks and pencils to touchscreens and math apps; school has become a place that is driven by cloud-based learning.
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.
Ditch That Textbook
APRIL 23, 2015
'Jia Jiang had big plans. Growing up in China, he wanted to be the next Bill Gates — an entrepreneur who changed the world. As a 14-year-old, he saw Bill Gates speak live in Beijing and was inspired. So he eventually moved to the United States and pursued the American dream. Jia started to pursue [.].
EdTech Magazine
APRIL 20, 2015
'By Linda Rosencrance Tailored platforms can bring organizations useful analytics and economies of scale.
Dangerously Irrelevant
APRIL 21, 2015
'Peggy Drexler said: The problem with social media, and our dependence on it, is that it allows people to present and receive whatever angle they want, biased or not, fair or not. It’s the “power of the press” without the objectivity or accountability demanded of the actual press. And it has enabled a dangerous vigilantism that makes those who use that power no different from the ones they are supposedly rallying against.
Brilliant or Insane
APRIL 24, 2015
Brilliant or Insane. This week, my husband stumbled upon an app that turns audio recorded speech into rap music. Then, he went about the business of sharing it with my teenage daughters, who have taken to recording me without my knowledge. I was last victimized this evening, when they flipped a conversation I was having with a colleague [.]. The post 7 Ways to AutoRap: The App That Turns Speech into a Fresh New Beat appeared first on Brilliant or Insane.
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