Sat.Dec 05, 2015 - Fri.Dec 11, 2015

article thumbnail

6 Ways the New National Education Technology Plan Could Help Close Achievement Gap

EdTech Magazine

By D. Frank Smith The latest update to the U.S. National Education Technology Plan has big plans for addressing unequal access to the powerful technology changing schools today.

article thumbnail

Maker Education Card Game

User Generated Education

I like and have always used games in my classrooms. One of my current educational interests is maker education. As such, I have begun creating games for maker education – see my first one, a board game, at Reflecting on the Making Process. The game I am presenting here is a card game that ends with the makers making something based on selected cards.

Education 254
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

How to deal with students resistant to e-learning

Neo LMS

We are in the realm of 21st century learning, where most students are digital natives and expect their teachers to be the same and deliver all class content online, through an interactive e-learning platform. It’s always been a challenge for teachers, who are digital immigrants, to blend with these students because they have more know-how in the new advances of technology and perhaps, maximizing these technology advances in the classroom.

How To 226
article thumbnail

Smartphone Photography Tips and Apps

The CoolCatTeacher

Every Classroom Matters episode 197 From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Smartphones are everywhere. Our students have them. We have them. Teachers are starting to use smartphones for photography, video and art. Meri Walker, the iPhone Art Girl, gives us the essential smartphone photography tips and smartphone photography apps that we need.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

9 digital tools for your classroom toolbelt

Ditch That Textbook

The digital tool doesn’t make the class, but it does help to have some good ones handy. Sometimes, just finding a new digital tool can open up new opportunities for you and your students. I collect new tools from interactions on Twitter, from reading blog posts and from face-to-face interactions with other educators. When I [.].

Tools 205
article thumbnail

Implementing Mobile Devices With a Focus on Learning

A Principal's Reflections

The following post is a modified excerpt from Uncommon Learning. “ Mobile learning provides enhanced collaboration among learners, access to information, and a deeper contextualization of learning. Hypothetically, effective mobile learning can empower learners by enabling them to better assess and select relevant information, redefine their goals, and reconsider their understanding of concepts within a shifting and growing frame of reference (the information context).” — Marguerite L.

Mobility 193

More Trending

article thumbnail

Love Song to My Readers: Cool Cat Teacher’s 10th blog birthday

The CoolCatTeacher

Cool Cat Teacher, established December 9, 2005 From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. After 10 years of blogging, this blog birthday has me grateful for the several million teachers who have dropped by and given my work a read. On this day in 2005, I started blogging. It took me a week to write my first post.

Wiki 187
article thumbnail

20 ways to use Formative for awesome assessment

Ditch That Textbook

When I return graded homework to students, I sort of cringe on the inside. I’m never sure where all that hard work and meaningful feedback is going to end up. Sometimes it’s in the trash (or recycle bin). Sometimes it’s on the floor of the hallway. The worst for me: half-torn and sticking out of the [.].

article thumbnail

“Techy Teacher” Column in Educational Leadership

Catlin Tucker

This year, I’ve been invited to write my own column for ASCD’s Educational Leadership magazine. My column is called “The Techy Teacher” and explores issues ranging from questioning for learning to promoting emotional health to using data in the classroom. I’ve infused each column with my thoughts on the role of technology in relation to these larger issues and incorporated examples from my own practice to demonstrate how I’m using technology with students.

article thumbnail

180,000 Schools Prepare for Hour of Code 2015

EdTech Magazine

By D. Frank Smith This year's worldwide coding event brings a new, Minecraft themed challenge to the table.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Modern Professional Learning: Connecting PLCs With PLNs

The CoolCatTeacher

A Post written for Edutopia From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Modern professional learning links the Professional Learning Community (PLC) with the Professional Learning Network (PLN). Help teachers improve teaching by using both together in powerful ways. In this post on Edutopia, I work hard to connect the research on two methods that have been shown to improve a teacher’s teaching ability: the PLC and the PLN.

article thumbnail

Get Ready for the New Year!

Ask a Tech Teacher

Next week, I’ll share three holiday activities that will get your computers, technology, and social media ready for the new year. Here’s what you’ll get: Is Your Online Presence Up to Date? Back up and Image your computer. 15 Ways to Speed Up Your Computer. Join me! You’ll come away feeling ready, re-energized, and geeky. Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-8 technology for 15 years.

article thumbnail

Why a Startup Business Plan Is Still Worth Writing

Ed Tech from the Ground Up

It used to be the case that every startup needed a business plan, but recently the value of the business plan has been hotly debated. Here's why it's still valuable. Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.

Learning 150
article thumbnail

Coding and Bots

User Generated Education

I have been asked to return to teach summer enrichment classes on maker education for elementary-aged learners at a local school during the summer of 2016. One of the new classes I am designing is called Coding and Bots. The description is: Learn how to code first by playing games and then by coding some bots including Sphero, OZOBOT, and Dash and Dot.

Robotics 147
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Rethinking Professional Learning: The Role of Technology

Battelle for Kids

Volume 2, Issue 14, Number 3. Driving Question: How Can Schools Rethink Professional Learning to Improve School Success? Twenty-four years ago, I stepped through the doors of my first fourth grade classroom. I was a young, dedicated, new teacher ready, I thought, for the opportunities and challenges of my new classroom and hoping to bring some of my experiences and interests to my students.

article thumbnail

End of Year Tips: Update Your Online Presence

Ask a Tech Teacher

This week, I’m providing tips for end-of-year technology maintenance. These are activities that could (or should) be done once a month if you’re active on your computer, but AT LEAST do them yearly. Like today. For most teachers I know, life zooms by, filled with lesson planning, meetings, classes, collaborations with their grade-level team, parent meetings, and thinking.

article thumbnail

Taking a Safe Approach to Online Activity

Securly

By Tom Walker. A piece of advice I always give people in regard to their online activity is to be mindful of the sites they visit. This is especially true in the K-12 space, where we need to be careful of the content that our students can access. Here are some tools and suggestions to stay safe while living online. 1) Safe Searching. Google SafeSearch.

Microsoft 126
article thumbnail

MISSION: LITERACY. Empowering and Engaging Students As Agents

Voyager Sopris Learning

Year after year, I struggled with students who claimed to hate reading. They didn’t like to read. They told me so, over and over again. I have a stock response: “You know, every time you say that an English teacher cries.”. Handing out reading assignment packets or calling for volunteers to read aloud was consistently met with gut-wrenching groans. I am an unusually peppy person, but I was deflating.

article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

Taking Time To Transfer In Professional Development

Battelle for Kids

Volume 2, Issue 14, Number 5. Driving Question: How do we promote deeper learning in professional development? What is good for the goose is good for the gander." -- Proverb. My dear spouse often quotes this proverb to me, especially if I put up my nose about taking out the garbage. A friend tells me that this saw applies equally well to professional learning experiences.

article thumbnail

End-of-Year Tips: 18 Steps To A Speedier Computer

Ask a Tech Teacher

This week, I’m providing tips for end-of-year technology maintenance. These are activities that could (or should) be done once a month if you’re active on your computer, but AT LEAST do them yearly. Like this week. There are two ‘speed’ problems that arise when using computers: the computer itself is slow, for lots of reasons. you are slow–meaning: You have too much to do.

Adobe 152
article thumbnail

Improve Math Skills With a 5 Minute Daily Edit

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. There’s a lot we can learn about teaching math skills from language arts teachers. For example, think about how we build writing fluency and grammar skills in language arts. Among other things, we certainly do these: Explicitly teach important skills and rules. Provide students with “mentor texts” and many examples of excellent prose to read […].

Examples 118
article thumbnail

The Challenge of Differentiated Instruction

Ascend Math

I was recently asked for a good source on differentiated instruction. I replied that ASCD put out some exceptional publications. You can find them at: [link]. My concern with differentiated instruction has always been classroom management, simply put one teacher trying to see to the needs of numerous students. When each of these students has individual skill gaps, that challenge becomes even more daunting.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Tweeting Our Way to Collaboration and Personalization

Education Elements

Go to twitter and search #warrenbl. Go ahead, do it. What do you see? We see evidence of an amazing effort by school and district leaders to share learnings, ask questions, and build excitement about blended and personalized learning.

article thumbnail

21 Holiday Websites For Your Students (copy)

Ask a Tech Teacher

Need a few websites to fill in sponge time? Here are Holiday websites that will keep students busy while teaching them: 12 Days of Christmas. Christmas—history—fun video. Gift Hunt –updated version of 12 Days of Christmas–just as much fun. Holiday collection. Holiday Crossword. Holiday Elf Games. Holiday hangman. Holiday Hangman II. Holiday music. Holiday music II –sing along with the music–the site provides the words.

article thumbnail

Adoption and implementation of K-12 core instructional materials – final report

K12 Open Ed

As many of you know, I’ve spent much of this year working on a project to explore the adoption and implementation of K-12 core instructional materials and to explore business models for the successful and sustainable publishing of such open educational resource (OER) materials. I’ve written about some of this work as it’s progressed, and now the final report on this is available.

article thumbnail

Should Learning Be Personalized or Individualized?

Ascend Math

There has been a lot of discussion lately regarding Personalized Learning. What is Personalized Learning? Is it really any different from Individualized Learning? Some people think so. I read an interesting article on the subject of “personalized learning.” For today’s students … “The approach, called personalized learning, differs from the traditional classroom their parents probably experienced, when teachers gave unifying lectures and told all students to work on the same proble

Learning 113
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Professional Learning PBL: An Open Letter To George Bernard Shaw

Battelle for Kids

Volume 2, Issue 14, Number 6. Driving Question: Why Is George Bernard Shaw All Wet? We have all heard the disparaging idiom by George Bernard Shaw: " Those who can, do ; those who can't, teach." At every Advanced Reasoning In Education Global PBL Academy , we are proud to pour a bucket of water over his head and prove him all-wrong.

article thumbnail

End-of-year Tech Tips: Image and Back-up Computer

Ask a Tech Teacher

This week, I’m providing tips for end-of-year technology maintenance. These are activities that could (or should) be done once a month if you’re active on your computer, but AT LEAST do them yearly. Like today. Two critical maintenance tasks that lots of people skip are: image your computer. back up your documents. Image your computer. Every computer must be reformatted eventually.

article thumbnail

#Relate2016 – Learning & Development Series

Fidelis Education

If you’ve started to think about your New Year’s Resolution, you might want to add one more to your list. Do not miss out on Relate 2016, a progressive new Learning & Development Series that showcases expert guest speakers giving insights into the hottest topics in education. There’s a world of expertise out there and we plan on giving you the best of it.

Learning 100
article thumbnail

Ten Reasons Why Teachers Must Be Magic… A Special Letter From Santa!

21st Century Educational Technology and Learning

Welcome to a very magical entry… one that has been a traditional post each holiday season. It is a time of year that I wish to express my gratitude to those wonderful educators that have welcomed me at their schools, webinars, and conferences and also join me at this blog and on twitter through out the year. I would like to share with all of you a very special letter I found under my Christmas Tree many Christmas Eves ago.

article thumbnail

Enhancing HyFlex Education through the PowerTeaching Framework

This whitepaper explores integrating the PowerTeaching pedagogical approach within a HyFlex (Hybrid Flexible) educational model, focusing on employing cooperative learning strategies and efficient classroom management techniques.