June, 2015

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Does Ownership of Instructional Materials Matter?

Doug Levin

If technology doesn’t disrupt the very notion of the textbook first, its future is surely digital. While plenty of folks are touting the affordances of digital textbooks and instructional content and prognosticating about how fast K-12 schools make the switch to digital – including me and Arne Duncan among many others, etc., etc. – I want to focus instead on one aspect of how we are shifting from print to digital: the procurement decision schools make about whether to license d

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A Brief Critique of Mastery/Competency Learning

The Journal

The mastery/competency learning movement is picking up massive amounts of momentum in K-12, but its reliance on an old method of instruction will, in the end, not result in creating students who can solve “uncharted problems” and learn how to learn.

Learning 170
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ISTE 2015: Soledad O'Brien on How Technology Can Change Students' Lives

EdTech Magazine

By D. Frank Smith Technology in the right hands can be a powerful tool for showing students their limitless potential, says Soledad O’Brien, ISTE 2015’s opening keynote speaker.

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What Can the “Simpsons” Teach Us about Educational Technology?

More Verbs

Audrey Armitage at EdWeek draws a comparison between an episode of the Simpsons where the elementary school disastrously implements educational technology and Education Week’s recent Technology Counts 2015 report. Not surprisingly, the fictional school’s ed-tech effort fails spectacularly and comedically. A massive power surge destroys the new devices and leaves Springfield’s educators at a loss for effective instruction ideas.

Education 150
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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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Go on an Epic Selfie Conference Adventure

Teacher Reboot Camp

Recently added to the Survival Tips for Teachers and Goal: Go on an Epic Selfie Adventure. Selfie- a picture taken of oneself shared via social media. Each year, I present at various face-to-face and virtual conferences around the world. I remember to take tons of pictures of the memories and magical moments shared with teachers I consider friends and even like family.

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How to Build Your PLN

Ask a Tech Teacher

When a colleague tells you she heard about a new tech tool from someone in her PLN, do you first wonder what she’s talking about–not the tool but the three-letter acronym? Or maybe you think, ‘Of course [Amanda] has a PLN. She’s a geek.’ You might even understand the purpose of a PLN–to provide educators with a collaborative learning environment–but think you don’t need one, or staff development provided by your school is all you can handle.

How To 264

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Flipped Classroom: Engaging Students with EdPuzzle

Catlin Tucker

The flipped classroom model is a blended learning strategy I use to present my vocabulary , writing, and grammar instruction online. Students watch videos at home where they can control the pace of their learning, then they come to class prepared to apply that information in collaborative student-centered activities. One thing I emphasize when I lead professional development for teachers is the importance of flipping and engaging.

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ISTE 2015: 15 Inspirational Quotes from Educational Technology Leaders

EdTech Magazine

By D. Frank Smith Follow an active Twitter chat with seven education leaders who give advice on implementing technology in the classroom and predict the future of professional development.

Education 277
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How Does a Teacher Receive an Award from the County Soil and Water Conservation District?

More Verbs

They do with they lead an engaging Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture course! Foxcroft Academy’s Julie Willcott was recognized by the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District as the 2015 Outstanding Conservation Educator of the Year. Julie’s Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture course provided a dynamic opportunity for FA students to gain direct, hands-on experiences working in and learning about agriculture.

Classroom 150
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Many Education Games Are Worksheets with Points. 6 ways to find better learning games.

The CoolCatTeacher

ECM 155: EdGaming expert Kae Novak tells us how to find good learning games for kids. Stop telling kids that every game is fun. They’re not. Some stink. Some rock. The word “game” doesn’t make learning great. Games shouldn’t be worksheets with points. There’s research behind good games. Learn to tell the difference.

Education 302
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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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Otus–Exciting Free LMS You Want to Meet

Ask a Tech Teacher

I’ve been on the hunt for a good– scratch that : excellent –Learning Management System for several months. There are a lot of options out there, but none had enough of the characteristics that most teachers I know look for with an LMS, namely: delivers content to students in a variety of formats. tracks student progress on assigned activities. assesses student learning (both formative and summative). provides for teacher-student and student-student communication. intuitive to u

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Three Questions for Every School District About Their Student Data Security Practices

Doug Levin

For those who care about the privacy of student information, it is equally important to address issues of IT security – for even the best privacy policies and laws are meaningless if student data is left exposed to unauthorized personnel on school computers or out on the internet. As I’ve noted previously, I think there is an abundance of evidence to suggest that school district practice represents the weakest link in protecting student data privacy and that we need to do more to bui

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The Philosophy Behind Maker Success

A Principal's Reflections

For many students school has become an irritating experience grounded in boring lessons and learning activities. A national focus on standardized testing and accountability has only made the experience worse for kids who only crave relevance, meaning, and value out of the hours of time spent in classrooms each school year. To make matters worse many states, districts, and schools made knee-jerk reactions when the budget ax came down a few years and cut traditional hands-on courses such as wood s

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Teacher Zen with Google: 50+ Tips, Tools, & Apps

Teacher Reboot Camp

Recently added to the Survival Tips for Teachers ! “Learn with great passion. Learn with great enthusiasm.” – Lailah Gifty Akita. Google has many free incredible apps and tools that work on any device to bring you Teacher Zen. You can accomplish so many time consuming tasks, such as grading, assessment, providing feedback, research, creating spreadsheets, and more with Google Apps for Education (GAFE) , Google mobile apps, extensions, add-ons, and scripts.

Google 265
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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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21st Century Students Crave Deeper Learning

EdTech Magazine

By Chris Dede Harvard professor says authentic, immersive simulations achieve greater outcomes, including critical thinking, reasoning and responsibility.

Learning 286
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How to Actually Use Your 3D Printer: 17 Tips I learned my first year [Link]

The CoolCatTeacher

How to Actually Use Your 3D Printer: 17 Tips I learned my first year. Vicki Davis’ Edutopia Blog. June 29, 2015. I named my 3D printer Bob Marley. He just jammed and smoked at first. But after persistence, we jammed in a good way. In this blog post, I share 17 tips for using a 3D printer. I learned these tips the hard way. If you read this post, you can save time.

Learning 270
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3 Websites to Gamify Your Math Class

Ask a Tech Teacher

Most elementary age kids I know love math, but that changes when they matriculate to middle school. If you ask seventh and eighth graders what their hardest subject is, they’ll hands down tell you it’s math. And that opinion doesn’t improve in high school. In fact, Forbes reported that 82% of public high schoolers in the well-to-do Montgomery County Maryland failed Algebra.

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3 Strategies to Make Students Future Ready

Digital Promise

Melissa is the League community manager at Digital Promise. You can reach her on Twitter at @melissaged. Highline Public Schools in Highline, WA is a member of the League of Innovative Schools. The League team visited Highline in February, 2015. Here is what they learned.

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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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3 minutes with the ISTE Board

Dangerously Irrelevant

Yesterday I gave a 3-minute video presentation to the ISTE Board on What’s the next big thing in educational technology? Happy viewing! Related Posts. 5 thoughts from ISTE weekend. Connected Educator Month launches today. The one question I’m asking at ISTE 2013. Van Meter High and North High: Two Iowa schools that are rockin’ it. The future of learning [VIDEO].

Video 214
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Realize Your Professional Vision with Reflective Journaling

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane Do you remember why you became a teacher? What vision guided your dreams back then, and when was the last time you stopped teaching long enough to look back on the road you’ve traveled? Are you on the right path? Have you lost your way? Summer is the perfect time to begin realizing your professional vision, […] The post Realize Your Professional Vision with Reflective Journaling appeared first on Brilliant or Insane.

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7 Steps for a Successful Google Play for Education Rollout

EdTech Magazine

By Meg Conlan Two experts from Boulder Valley School District describe how their school system integrated Google Play for Education with their lessons.

Google 226
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Why I hired a brand manager

The CoolCatTeacher

A Peek Into the Business Model of an Education Influencer with 100,000 Twitter Followers Teaching all day is exhausting. Could you imagine coming home and having hundreds of emails to handle? Well, that is what happened to me. My friends always ask me how I do it all! Teachers around the world have been kind to me. I want to be generous and helpful to them.

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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.

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Teaching and Learning Digital: No More Same Old, Same Old.

Battelle for Kids

June 30, 2015, Volume 2, Issue 8, Number 2. Driving Question: What if we rethink teacher's professional preparation? 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.

Classroom 172
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YouTube Offers Free Music for your Classroom Videos

Class Tech Integrate

One of the things that teachers and students often want to add to a video presentation is background music. Of course, this can become difficult when you want to post these videos to YouTube or any social media site. Do to copyright issues, you are not allowed to post videos with just any music added to them. YouTube actually gives you a solution to this problem!

Video 106
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5 thoughts from ISTE weekend

Dangerously Irrelevant

Five thoughts from the first couple of days here at the 2015 ISTE Conference… If “it’s not about the technology, it’s about the learning,” then why are we centering so many of our sessions on the tools? Are there uses of technology with students that would offend the majority of us so much that we would stand up and shout, ‘No! We should never do that!’?

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A Teaching Miracle in English 12

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane A Teaching Miracle in English 12 By Matt Biers-Ariel I teach high school English. On the last day of the semester, a student asked about his grade. For someone doing well, I love to be the bearer of good news. But there was nothing happy to report to this young man. Though I knew his […] The post A Teaching Miracle in English 12 appeared first on Brilliant or Insane.

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Transform Your Classroom with Apple

Speaker: Aaron Webb, Jamf

Apple empowers educators and students by design. Whether using Macs, iPads, or Apple TV, Apple devices encourage creativity and can simplify teaching with apps to make the classroom more flexible, collaborative and personalized for each student. To unleash the full potential of the technology and create the best learning environment, you need to understand the tools and resources available, and develop an education-focused, comprehensive plan, from equipment purchase to deployment, management an

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Review: MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer Excels at Enhancing Classrooms

EdTech Magazine

By John Breeden II K–12 users will find numerous resources for integrating the MakerBot in the classroom, practically right out of the box.

Classroom 248
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@PodcastingToday Launches a NEW APP Designed to Teach You #PodcastPD and #WordPress | @crescerance

TeacherCast

Dear Podcasters and Web Designers. TeacherCast is PROUD and EXCITED to announce the launching of our second mobile app. Available today across all platforms, the official Educational Podcasting Today app is your one stop shop for all things Educational Podcasting and WordPress. Educational Podcasting Today is the best place for teachers to learn how to create their own podcasts.

iPad 113
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New Teachers in 21st Century Classrooms

Battelle for Kids

July 2015, Volume 2, Issue 8. New Teachers in 21st Century Classrooms. This Month's Essential Question: What readies a novice teacher for high quality instruction in a 21st Century Classroom? "This is all a good idea," the teacher tells me. "But what are the university programs to get the new teachers ready. Will they do their job?". Those questions seem to pop up in every professional learning program when my colleagues and I are readying teachers with PBL and other 21st Century instructional m

Classroom 109
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Chrome Extensions for Students and Teachers

Class Tech Integrate

Last week, I had the privilege of presenting several sessions at the Innovation Institute held at Lakeside Jr. High in Springdale, Arkansas. The following presentation was from my last session there. It consists of just a handful of Chrome Extensions that would be great for classroom use. This is not a top 5 list , because I have found extensions to be a very individualized thing.

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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.