2016

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Ten Tech Problem-Solving Tips You Don’t Want to Miss

Ask a Tech Teacher

Here are the top ten problem-solving tips according to Ask a Tech Teacher readers: Tech Tip #108: Got a Tech Problem? Google It! What to do when your Computers Don’t Work. 25 Techie Problems Every Student Can Fix–Update. How to Teach Students to Solve Problems. I Can Solve That Problem…. Let Students Learn From Failure. Let’s Talk About Habits of Mind.

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The 4 Biggest K–12 Education Tech Trends in 2016

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez Here’s a look at back at some of the year’s most impactful and buzzworthy ed tech trends.

Trends 459
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5 Ways Teachers Are Opening Up the World to Special Education Through Technology

The Journal

Teachers who work with special needs students are finding that technology can not only broaden their students' experiences but engage them in learning, help them retain information, improve their socialization and boost their self-esteem.

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5 tips for creating a makerspace for less than the cost of an iPad

eSchool News

You don’t need power tools and 3D printers to start a makerspace. Instead, get creative. Where others see trash, I see treasure. Reusing, repurposing, and recycling items that can be found in the kitchen garbage can, on the curb, or collected by friends and families helps educators to save money while protecting the environment. Today, our library makerspace has developed into a 21st century learning laboratory, with funding from grants and through the generosity of individuals and organiz

iPad 402
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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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MyShakespeare

Catlin Tucker

I’ve been in love with Shakespeare since college. However, the very thing I love about Shakespeare’s plays–the language–is the exact thing that alienates so many students. The language is foreign and the humor goes over their heads. I’ve tried a variety of techniques to hook my students from having them complete soundtrack projects for the plays to performing the scenes in class.

Video 330
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Stop the Homework Insanity and Let Kids Be Kids

A Principal's Reflections

I have so many fond memories of my childhood. Growing up in a relatively rural area of Northwestern New Jersey sure had its benefits. As we returned home from school each day, my brothers and I would jump off the bus and diligently make our way about a half-mile back to our house. Once home we would peel off the backpacks, get changed, and play outside for the remainder of the day until dinner was ready.

More Trending

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7 Ways To Remove The Gamification In Your Classroom

TeachThought - Learn better.

The post 7 Ways To Remove The Gamification In Your Classroom appeared first on TeachThought.

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How Librarians Hold the Key to Future Ready Schools

Digital Promise

Do you see librarians as part of the future? Courtesy Mark Ray Mark Ray is the Chief Digital Officer for Vancouver Public Schools. I posed that question in my recent TEDx talk during the 2016 Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools meeting in San Diego. In my district , across the League, and across the U.S., the answer is coming back: “Heck Yeah!”.

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Big Jump in Use of Games, Videos in K-12 Schools, Survey Finds

Marketplace K-12

Cross-posted from the Digital Education blog. The number of American teachers using games in classrooms–particularly with younger students–has doubled over the past six years, according to a large survey released last week that measures national ed-tech use. In 2015, 47 percent of K-12 teachers and almost two-thirds of K-5 teachers reported using game-based learning environments in their classes, up from 23 percent of K-12 teachers in 2010.

Survey 273
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Improve retention, re-teach less with this learning technique

Ditch That Textbook

What if you didn’t have to spend so much time re-teaching material to your students? What if that material was securely saved in their minds, ready for recall whenever necessary? And they could apply that knowledge to whatever they were learning at the moment? Even though there’s no magic bullet to make students remember everything [.].

Learning 279
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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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How to Create a Tech-based Curriculum Using the SAMR Model

Ask a Tech Teacher

This is a question I get often from teachers: How do I teach my state/national/international curriculum using technology? When I first addressed this issue about fifteen years ago, there weren’t any tools to make this happen. In fact, I ended up writing my own project-based technology curriculum (now in its fifth edition). I wanted a curriculum that scaffolded learning year-to-year, blended into the school academic program, could be re-formed to apply to any academic topic, differentiated

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Why Pedagogy First, Tech Second Stance is Key to the Future

EdTech Magazine

By Eric Sheninger As districts across the country purchase technology at a feverish pace, they must ensure they have a solid implementation plan.

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One Nice Thing.

Tom Murray

I’m amazingly blessed. My daughter attends an incredible public school district with dynamic leaders, and is in a first grade classroom with an amazingly talented teacher who truly loves and cares about the kids she serves. As two educators, my wife and I couldn’t ask for more for our own child. Unlike so many underserved children in our nation, our daughter has access and opportunity to whatever she needs.

Education 219
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3 major ways to boost basic data literacy in K-6

eSchool News

A new report outlines the need for K-16 students to develop key data literacy skills. Focusing on three specific areas could be key to boosting K-16 students’ data literacy in a world where big data’s importance grows daily, according to a new report. EDC’s Oceans of Data Institute (ODI) convened an expert panel of data analysts and educators for a workshop on data literacy, and panelists focused on what it means to be data literate in today’s world of big data, as well as what

Data 298
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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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Ditching Traditional Grades & My Online Gradebook

Catlin Tucker

Last year, I began experimenting with standards-based grading and wrote a blog titled “ Grading for Mastery and Redesigning My Gradebook. ” My goal was to shift the conversation away from the accumulation of points and, instead, focus on the development of skills. Although I appreciated the immediate change that took place when I began grading based on my students’ ability to master specific skills, I knew I wanted to go even further this year as I began N.E.W.

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The Process of Change

A Principal's Reflections

There is always a great deal of discussion about change in education in order to better prepare students for success. The stakes have become higher as changes in a globally connected world are far outpacing those in our schools. The proliferation of technology in the world is making it much more difficult to engage our students. This is not to say that meaningful, impactful changes are not evident in schools across the globe.

BYOD 329
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Guest Post: Top Websites To Use When Teaching Writing.

EdTech4Beginners

It’s that time of the year again when I go through my bookmarks and Diigo lists and try to choose websites I like when teaching writing: this prepares me well for the upcoming school year. Most of the time, I end up adding even more sites to the existing lists! The sites listed below are brilliant and children love it when I use them. Image courtesy of Grays Harbor College.

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4 Simple Ways to Help Students Drive Their Own Learning

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. How to Move Teachers to the Passenger Seat and Give Kids the Wheel by Connie Hamilton Education is about creating lifelong learners. Sure, we understand this goal but how to accomplish it is often easier said than done. Teachers and parents alike describe students who go through the motions of school without really learning. […].

Learning 219
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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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Celebrating Five Years of Leadership with the League of Innovative Schools

Digital Promise

This week, as we celebrate Digital Promise’s fifth anniversary , we also welcome the districts who are part of the 2016-2017 cohort of the League of Innovative Schools. Members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools are changing the model of traditional public education and building policies, programs, and practices that demonstrate how forward-thinking leadership, combined with driven, empowered educators and smart technology use, can transform learning.

Education 336
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Schools are supposed to help students master the dominant information landscape of their time

Dangerously Irrelevant

Our new information landscape is digital bits in the ether instead of ink dots on paper. There is no foreseeable future in which we go back to analog. One of schools’ primary tasks is to help students master the dominant information landscape of their time. Schools are knowledge institutions preparing students to do knowledge work. So let’s be clear about what our new information landscape looks like: The characteristics of our new information landscape listed on the right side have seismic impl

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The Magic Automatic Lesson Planner with Google Forms

Ditch That Textbook

Traditional lesson plan books have their limitations. Being paper-based, they’re not searchable and they’re not easily shareable. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to search quickly for a specific lesson plan instead of flipping back page by page? How about being able to share lesson plans with others without making photocopies? You can use [.].

Google 220
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Use the SAMR Model to Spearhead Technology in Your Classroom

Ask a Tech Teacher

This is a question I get often from teachers: Technology is always an extra layer of work in my classroom. How can I blend it into what I already do without taking time I don’t have? When I first addressed this issue fifteen years ago, it was all about replacing traditional classroom tools with one on a computer. For example, book reports were typed on the computer instead of handwritten, or math facts were practiced with a math game instead of flash cards.

Classroom 514
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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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Microsoft ‘Hacks’ the Classroom to Help Teachers Innovate

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez With the help of some new programs, the tech leader is assisting educators with STEM.

Classroom 329
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Every Day…She Ran to You

Tom Murray

At the end of last summer, my wife and I watched our little girl step on a school bus for the very first time. With tears in our eyes, we wrote the post, “ Written With Love On Your First Day of Kindergarten ”, as a piece of our collective heart forever took her first real steps without us by her side. Her smile radiated and her confidence sparkled, but for her mom and dad, letting her grow wings, we’ll admit, was hard.

Education 219
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Expanding technology’s influence

eSchool News

Catch up on the most compelling K-12 news stories you may have missed this week. Every Friday, I’ll recap some of the most interesting and thought-provoking news developments that occurred over the week. I can’t fit all of this week’s news stories here, though, so feel free to visit eSchoolNews.com and read up on other news you may have missed.

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50 Minute Periods Are Killing Teacher Creativity

Catlin Tucker

“I’d love to do [ fill in the blank with some creative idea or activity ], but I just don’t have time. My classes are only 50 minutes.” I hear this lament frequently when I lead professional development. Teachers get super excited about integrating technology or want details about a project, assignment, or routine I do with my own kids.

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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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Moving From an 'Hour of Code' to Districtwide 'Computer Science for All'

Edsurge

This coming week is Computer Science Education Week , an annual event dedicated to inspiring students to take an interest in computer science. It may start with an ‘ Hour of Code ’ in some schools, but the goal is to reach “Computer Science for ALL.” That means planning for more than a couple of programming exercises, and thinking deeper about how to create programs that teach computer science to every student.

Exercises 131
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An AMAZING website to use when teaching character description.

EdTech4Beginners

Buildyourwildself.com is absolutely brilliant. I used it recently as part of a lesson on character description. What is it? To put it simply, you create a fantasy creature from a huge number of options i.e. ears, hair, legs etc. When you are happy with your creation, click ‘I’m Done’ and it will come to life, complete with descriptions of all the features.

EdTech 219
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How Technology Should Have Already Changed Your Teaching

TeachThought - Learn better.

Author information. Terry Heick. Director at TeachThought. Founder & Director of TeachThought, humanist, technologist, futurist, failed philosopher, macro thinker extraordinaire. | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ |. The post How Technology Should Have Already Changed Your Teaching appeared first on TeachThought.

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80% of Students See Grade Rise With New Note Taking Technology

EmergingEdTech

University of Nevada Students Navigate a More Successful Note Taking Strategy The need for more support and time to record and absorb lecture and study information was initially observed in my work. [Please click on the post title to continue reading the full post. Thanks (and thanks for subscribing)!].

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How Formative Assessment Supports the Learning Journey

Speaker: Todd Theobald, Noel Gomez, Marcus Painter

Join educators and assessment experts as they discuss the role of formative assessment in student learning, how formative practices can guide the teaching and learning cycle, and the positive impact assessment can make on your classroom. We’ll cover topics including: Reframing the value of assessments and focusing on learning opportunities. Using assessment data to make informed decisions about instructional strategies.