Doug Levin

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

While I’d be the first to admit that there are both benefits and challenges to the fact that increasingly powerful technology tools are becoming ever more commonplace in our lives (in and out of schools), by and large I am decidedly optimistic about the long-term impact these new tools will have for individuals and society. For that reason, I am excited that this coming week the White House is set to shine a deserved light on one domain where the benefits of abundant access to powerful tec

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Gamification Wiki EdTech Android 322

The Journal

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development just released a detailed study of the use of computers in the classrooms in 70 countries. It was no surprise that he study did not find improvement in student achievement due to computer use. It was a surprise, though, that OECD Director Andreas Schleicher named what he saw as the root cause of that failure!

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Classroom Report Learning Study 273

The CoolCatTeacher

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Useful Pedagogies and Tools for Educators Sketchnoting is not just an attractive way to take notes, it can improve retention and learning. These sketchnoting resources will get you started with your students. You don’t have to have a ton of talent, just a little know-how. I’ll update these sketchnoting resources, so tweet me or leave a comment to add your favorites.

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Resources How To Handbook Video 312

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Mark your calendars! On Wednesday, October 14th I’ll be doing an extended Q&A about blended learning and my bestselling book Blended Learning in Grades 4-12. I’ll share my journey shifting from a traditional approach to teaching in a low-tech classroom to a blended learning model by capitalizing on my students’ connectivity and devices.

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Blended Learning Learning Common Core Classroom 210

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.

Technology

Ed Tech from the Ground Up

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Research shows an adult needs to know 65,000 to 75,000 words to read and write well. That can be pretty overwhelming for a teacher of vocabulary. Ed-tech startups can also get overwhelmed when thinking about their future markets. Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.

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Learning 268

Ask a Tech Teacher

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

I’ve taught Preschool-8th grade for thirty years. Throughout, one factor stood out as the most reliable barometer of student achievement: Parent involvement. It didn’t mean parents as tutors, homework helpers, or classroom volunteers–although it could be those. It meant parents showing they cared about their child’s success. Today’s education model is catching up with the fundamental part parents play in student achievement.

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Edmodo Classroom Digital Citizenship LMS 214

The Journal

SEPTEMBER 8, 2015

Charter schools, vouchers and now venture capital! Uber is the model: Squeeze out cost relentlessly, use software and everything will be wonderful! Where do teachers fit into this model?

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Software 170

The CoolCatTeacher

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Hot Research, Trends, and Teacher Resources Today I’m going to be experimenting again with a news feature that I ran a few years back. I’ll summarize some of interesting research, trends, and helpful resources. Let me know in the comments if you like me bringing back this feature and if you find it useful. I plan to try this for a while and measure the response.

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Education Classroom Differentiated Instruction Trends 239

A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

I remember back to my days as an elementary student. Boy did I have a warped sense of what leadership really was. Back then at recess leaders (on the playground that is) were perceived as those who had the most athletic ability. It was these individuals who were always in a position to select the kickball teams or control the organization of literally every activity.

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Elementary Education Learning Examples 284

EdTech Magazine

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

By D. Frank Smith The company wants to reach 30,000 students across 33 states with its new computer science outreach plan.

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Education Company STEM Classroom 250

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Classroom

Ask a Tech Teacher

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

If you are using the SL K-5 Technology Curriculum , you’ll love this new free service. Starting Sunday, Structured Learning will offer online, virtual Office Hours. Any questions you have about how to unpack lessons, teach a skill, or tie into class inquiry can be asked at this weekly real-time Google Hangout: Sundays, 2pm PDT. Just like your college professor, doors are open to whoever shows up.

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Wiki Digital Citizenship Google Resources 199

Digital Promise

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Jennifer is the Director of Educator Micro-credentials. You can reach her on Twitter: @JenCohKab. According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, states and school systems spend $18 billion annually on professional development for educators in the United States, and almost all teachers participate in some form of professional development. Educators want and need this development for themselves and for their students.

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Professional Learning Learning Classroom Education 234

K12 Open Ed

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Credit: Kayla Galway. As I’ve mentioned, I’m in the midst of a series of interviews with states and districts to explore how they adopt core curriculum and what factors might be especially relevant to those looking to have OER adopted as core curriculum. I’ve now talked to several state curriculum and instruction leaders, as well as a few districts.

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OER Instructional Materials Resources Meeting 113

The CoolCatTeacher

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

An Every Classroom Matters Episode. Beth Kanter is a leading social media expert for nonprofits. She gives advice on how schools should manage their Facebook, Twitter, and social media efforts. Most schools need more volunteers and donors (or at least positive press). Schools can even motivate students to share positive things. Social media can help if you know how.

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Social Media How To Classroom Facebook 253

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.

Comparison

Voyager Sopris Learning

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

Being a technology teacher, I am always looking for new projects for my students. I’m all over anything that can both engage them and teach them new content. For this blog post, I’ve come up with my Top 5 favorite technology projects that my students have done. These projects aren’t tied to a specific content area and can be used across a wide range of grade levels.

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Technology Examples Education 109

EdTech Magazine

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

By Steve Zurier Districts recognize that DRaaS costs less than building and maintaining redundant facilities.

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Data 188

Ask a Tech Teacher

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

Here’s along list of websites that focus on math automaticity for the K-5 classroom. I’ve broken it down by grade level, but you can decide if your second graders are precocious enough to try the websites for grades 3-5: K. K Math Skills. Math Videos (not practice, but fun to watch). Money flashcards. Numbers. 1 st. First Grade math skills.

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Digital Citizenship Elementary Classroom Resources 298

Battelle for Kids

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Volume 2, Issue 10, Number 16. The power of educators is that they take on learners from every walk of life, and every challenge imaginable. The promise of 21st century learning is that it can give students the skills they need to succeed in life. This month's posts brought some powerful stories of educators immersing special needs students in the same kinds of personalized, engaging learning experiences as their classmates.

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Learning Education 195

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.

LMS

Dangerously Irrelevant

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Jen LaMaster said: I’ve been reading this post … from EdTech Magazine about how millennials use technology. Not the usual “how to make a millennial happy” stuff… but data on their use of mobile technology to create, consume, and collect information. The article claims that cellphones are the most popular device but that “computers” are a close second for productivity.

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EdTech Mobility Classroom Education 197

The CoolCatTeacher

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

Technology Research and News A recent Wall Street Journal Article is attracting attention. It found (gasp) using computers doesn’t give you better test scores. Technology in classrooms means little. Here’s why: “The report suggested that “we have not yet become good enough at the kind of pedagogues that make the most of technology; that adding 21st century technologies to 20th century teaching practices will just dilute the effectiveness of teaching.”.

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Classroom Education Technology EdTech 307

Brilliant or Insane

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Brilliant or Insane. You know you’ve made it, when other people create apps that enhance ways people can use the original application that you created. Twitter tools are popular and plentiful these days. If you’re using Twitter in the classroom, why not help your students become power users with help from some 3rd-party applications? 8 Twitter tools for […].

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Twitter Tools Classroom Social Media 168

EdTech Magazine

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

By D. Frank Smith The competition for cloud-based notebooks in the classroom is heating up.

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Classroom 252

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Classroom

Ditch That Textbook

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Today, I was stuck. Being Monday, it was time for a new blog post. Many days, I have ideas ready to go. I keep a list of them and add to it whenever I get a new one. Today was not one of those days. Nothing on my blog post ideas list was speaking to [.].

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Learning 175

Battelle for Kids

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Volume 2, Issue 10, Number 16. Driving Question: How can teachers think about learning that benefits all learners? As a special education teacher, I have dedicated my career to making inclusion for all a reality for as many of my students as possible. Firstly, inclusion is a central part of the more recent reauthorizations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

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Classroom Education Learning 100

Nik Peachey

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

In my first post in this series - Getting students' attention - I mentioned the use of backchannels. This post should give you more information about the use of backchannels within the classroom. If you are working in a classroom where your students have internet connected devices, either through wifi or their mobile phone, using a backchannel can have a transformative impact on the way you can use technology with your students.

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Classroom Tools Video eBook 111

Class Tech Integrate

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

As we continue to go 1:1 in our district in Springdale, AR, one of our biggest challenges is finding great apps for our Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade classrooms to use. Here is a short list of just a few FREE apps to get you started: ABC - Magnetic Alphabet Lite for Kids - Learn to write! By Dot Next Just as the title of the app suggests, this is simply a magnetic letter board for your students to use.

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iPad Classroom Mobility Education 87

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

Classroom

Brilliant or Insane

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Brilliant or Insane. I’ve been a strong proponent of grade reform, but as I discard traditional grades, many have accused me of being soft. I frequently hear, “This is a competitive world and we’re falling behind,” or “We need to stop coddling kids, telling them everyone is a winner and everyone gets a trophy.” But grade reform is not simply about […].

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Assessment 173

EdTech Magazine

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

By Karen J. Bannan Learn what areas workers must be adept in to navigate this shift.

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Learning Training 241

TeacherCast

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

The Setup. One of the first tasks I was asked to accomplish upon starting my new positing of Technology Integration Coordinator was to create a series of PD courses for the new school year. My mission was simple. Teacher takes a PD course, and then they need to have a customizable certificate generated for them … they also needed to have a survey at the end of this process.

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Survey Google Video Course 111

Battelle for Kids

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Volume 2, Issue 10, Number 15. Driving Question: What if a school taught all students as mindful learners? When I was discussing posts for this issue, I heard over and over a recurring theme from the exemplar classroom teachers and principals who were writing to this month's theme. When asked what had been their biggest challenge in introducing 21st Century practices such as project-based learning, it was "worrying that my special needs students" could participate.

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Classroom Learning 180

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.

Education