May, 2023

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Why Effective IT Leadership Must Have Inclusive Technology Systems

EdTech Magazine

Cerebral palsy confined Mercy, a third grader at Jenks (Okla.) Public Schools, to a wheelchair and prevented her from speaking or fully participating in learning activities. That was until a team of teachers, therapists and technology staff worked to find a solution. They attached a tablet loaded with text-to-talk software to her chair, and those educational technology tools changed her life.

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3 Things I Wish I Knew About Personalized Learning As a Teacher

Education Elements

Prior to becoming a consultant for Education Elements, I served as a Middle School Math Teacher. It was a tough but rewarding job, and I absolutely loved it. Math is a passion of mine, and I adore the raw, sarcastic, hilarious moments that often come from interacting with middle school students.

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Digital Accessibility Is a Bigger Education Issue Than We Think. Here’s What We Can Do About It.

Edsurge

About a month ago, a colleague forwarded me a newsletter from the school she works with. It was a normal-looking school newsletter: a three-page PDF with information about upcoming events, decorated with colorful clip art of flowers. However, the subject line said: “How do I get them to stop doing this?” I knew exactly what she meant. The newsletter, while pretty, had the gritty look of a document that’s been printed out and scanned back into the computer.

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5 Steps to Involve Students in Transformation Efforts

A Principal's Reflections

In my early days as an administrator, I thought that a positive school culture was one where strict rules were created and consistently enforced to keep students focused on learning. I believed that the more control I could exert over the environment, the better the results. There was not much flexibility in terms of the structure of the day and what students were “allowed” to do.

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Enhancing Higher Education with Generative AI: A Responsible Guide

Generative AI holds tremendous promise for all stakeholders in higher education. But guardrails are needed. Strong governance that empower instructors are at the core of a responsible approach to using generative AI in academia.

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Fantastic Figjam Makes Brainstorming and Collaboration in the Classroom Better

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter What is Figjam? Figjam is a cool, flexible, fun, collaborative space for student projects, presentations, and collaborations. Today's guest, Tom Mullaney, shares how he uses Figjam with students and teachers; he explains why it is useful and gives tips and tricks that will engage students in the collaborative skills they need to be creative collaborators in today's world.

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Shift to Leveraging Formative Assessment for Metacognition

Catlin Tucker

How can formative assessment data help students to develop their metacognitive skills? Formative assessments are ongoing assessments embedded throughout the learning process. These informal assessments provide information to the teacher about students’ understanding of the material being covered and the skills being introduced. This data allows the teacher to identify where students are struggling, where they are excelling, and where they need additional support.

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Do Schools Have the Funding to Manage Third-Party Risk?

EdTech Magazine

The recent government attention on K–12 cybersecurity has, in many ways, benefited school districts by raising awareness of security threats. However, schools can’t take action to meet the government’s recommendations without funding. They don’t have the budgets to implement the cybersecurity solutions the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency deemed necessary.

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Tackling Roadblocks to Change

A Principal's Reflections

Change is hard because it requires us to step outside of our comfort zone and into the unknown. It means letting go of the familiar and embracing something new. This can be a scary and uncertain process, which is why many people resist change. There are many reasons why people resist change. Some people are afraid of the unknown. They may worry about what will happen if they change, and they may not be confident in their ability to adapt to new situations.

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TeachAI.org, a New Organization to Talk about AI in the Classroom

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter These conversations need to happen. An organization called TeachAI.org says it is going to facilitate those conversations. With ISTE, Digital Promise, OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon, the World Economic Forum and many more , these organizations state they are coming together to create policy recommendations, revise the K-12 CS Framework to include AI teaching with AI, and engage diverse stakeholders.

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Inspire Families to Read and Learn This Summer

Teacher Reboot Camp

“Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” – Napoléon Bonaparte As the school year comes to a close and summer approaches, we need to encourage families to read and learn with their children at home. If our students are actively reading and learning at home, then they increase their knowledge, do better in school, and grow empathy and appreciation for lives lived much differently than their own.

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Enhancing School Device Management for Improved Learning

Schools face increasing challenges as technology becomes integral to education. Efficient device management is essential for maximizing technology use and safeguarding investments. Our article discusses the importance of tracking devices, outlines current challenges, and suggests modern solutions that go beyond traditional methods like Excel. Learn how advanced tracking systems can streamline operations, improve maintenance, and offer real-time updates for better resource allocation.

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The Station Rotation Model Tip #3: Practice Rotating for Seamless Transitions

Catlin Tucker

Don’t let transitions steal class time! Some classes understand the expectations of the station rotation model almost immediately. The teacher explains the model, the students understand the expectations, and the class moves into stations smoothly. Other classes need a little more practice before fully implementing the station rotation model. When introducing station rotation, I encourage teachers to embrace a couple of routines to make the experience run more smoothly.

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Summer Reading Online

Ask a Tech Teacher

Thanks to the efforts of many devoted professionals and the financial support of more, there are a wide variety of free/inexpensive sources for books that students can use for classroom activities as well as pleasure. Here are a list of sites that offer digital books for kids to adults: Bookopolis Bookopolis is a large collection of fiction and nonfiction books for ages 7-12.

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Fact or Fallacy: Don’t Fall for These Common Myths About MFA in K–12

EdTech Magazine

Cybercriminals are becoming relentless in their efforts to gain access to critical school networks that hold confidential student and staff data. According to the K12 Security Information eXchange, over the past six years, there have been 1,619 cyber incidents in K–12 schools in the U.S. That’s more than one cybersecurity event every school day. How can we reduce these attacks?

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#EDvice: Entry Points for Change

A Principal's Reflections

As we all know, navigating change is often a tricky process. It requires a clear vision, a sound plan for implementation, and patience. Even with all these elements and many others in place, it is rarely a smooth journey. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is zeroing in on compelling reasons to change that will lead to better outcomes. I refer to these as entry points, which can serve as a catalyst for any initiative or strategic plan.

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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.

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Better Science: 5 Excellent Ways to Examine Authentic Artifacts from the Natural History Museum of Utah

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Students love to examine artifacts and explore. Whether it is dinosaur bones, a phenomenon causing damage to valuable species of trees, or the relationships between predators and prey in the wild, first-hand explorations will engage students. We know this. Authentic experiences are now made possible with the valuable free resource Research Quest , from the Natural History Museum of Utah.

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New Canva updates you’ll love

Ditch That Textbook

If you appreciate great graphic design but aren't much of a designer, you'll love Canva. Canva (canva.com) lets you create graphics, slides, documents, videos, and more -- for your classroom or for whatever. It's packed full of templates to copy and use in class right away. Plus, the best news: Canva is 100 percent free for K-12 teachers […] The post New Canva updates you’ll love appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

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4 Ways Teachers Inspire Digital Promise Staff

Digital Promise

The post 4 Ways Teachers Inspire Digital Promise Staff appeared first on Digital Promise.

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Subscriber Special: K-5 New Teacher Survival Kit

Ask a Tech Teacher

Every month, subscribers to our newsletter get a free/discounted resource to help their tech teaching. This month: K-5 New Teacher Survival Kit 9 ebooks, 65 digital posters May 31-June 3 A new teacher survival kit–for professionals new to teaching tech or expanding their pedagogy. It includes K-5 tech curriculum (including problem solving, productivity software, critical thinking, share/publish, mouse skills, image editing, Google Earth, Photoshop, web tools, and more), keyboarding and digital

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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.

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Why K-12 Schools Must Invest in Teaching Quantum Computing Today

EdTech Magazine

Quantum computers are set to change the world, and K–12 schools have a role to play. These computers can make complex calculations and process and analyze huge amounts of intricate data much faster than classical computers. How fast? Back in 2019, Google celebrated when its quantum computer performed “a computation in 200 seconds that would have taken the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years.

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#EDvice: Less is More

A Principal's Reflections

To say that there is a great deal of pressure on educators today is a gross understatement. It is shared with me during conversations that they feel it is difficult to catch their breath and keep up with all that is expected of them. While this has led to an increase in stress and anxiety, it is always made clear to me that they want to grow and improve.

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Wolfram Alpha + ChatGPT = Amazing Math Teacher Help

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter As part of 80 days of AI and HI, I've been testing ChatGPT to see what I think of it for math teachers. In this post, I'll talk about how math teachers can get totally accurate math problems (and answers) from ChatGPT. I'd like to add that this will also be a benefit to science teachers and other teachers using statistics and data.

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How AI is Changing the Education Landscape

EdNews Daily

By Mark Booker AI is like any other new tool that has entered the arena of learning that enhances a student’s access to data and information to process and consume knowledge more quickly. Whether it be the Internet, the calculator, or even the printing press – all have entered social consciousness as disruptors with some wariness and skepticism, but were ultimately used to change how fast we can learn and share information to enhance the depth of information we pass on to future generations.

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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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Three Questions to Center Equity in Your Edtech Procurement

Digital Promise

This three-part blog series, featuring guest authors from The Learning Accelerator and MA DESE OET , highlights the importance of centering equity in edtech selection. In this second post, the author outlines three questions school and systems leaders should answer before procurement when considering new edtech. The past few years have seen a rapid expansion of technology in schools.

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School and Job Tips for Young Adults

Ask a Tech Teacher

With the school year ending, here are some useful tips from the Ask a Tech Teacher crew for students preparing for college or career: School and Job Tips for Young Adults The marketplace for good jobs has always been highly competitive. In the current economic climate, a solid education can serve as the launching pad for a rewarding career. But how can young adults get the training, schooling, and experience to get a job they enjoy?

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Essential Classroom Technology to Reduce Digital Overload in K–12

EdTech Magazine

Just like periodic assessments can help teachers gauge student mastery of a particular subject, a periodic ed tech review can help teachers and administrators reflect on what works and what doesn’t. One thing that does not appear to be working for many teachers in the classroom is what might be called digital overload. According to PowerSchool’s 2022 Education Focus Report, 46 percent of educators say that juggling multiple digital tools was one of their top challenges.

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Ensuring Equity for English Learners (ELs)

Catlin Tucker

Identifying the Needs of English Learners English learners (ELs) have unique needs requiring targeted instructional approaches to support their language acquisition and academic success. ELs need instruction tailored to their language proficiency level. Because ELs come from diverse linguistic backgrounds, their English language skills may vary widely.

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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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Here’s how I used ChatGPT to assess student writing

Ditch That Textbook

Can AI assistants like ChatGPT help us assess student writing in the classroom? This post shares a series of interactions with ChatGPT to provide feedback on student writing. Deborah Cleveland is an Instructional Designer for AEA Learning Online, where she builds online professional development for educators throughout Iowa. You can find her on Twitter (@Dcleveland00) […] The post Here’s how I used ChatGPT to assess student writing appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

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The benefits of using a web filter for digital learning

Hapara

Listen to an audio version of this post: Some people question why schools install web filters and restrict online content. The bottom line is that a school can’t provide unfiltered internet access to minors. The Children’s Internet Protection Act , a federal law, requires schools to have internet filtering in place to block content that is obscene and harmful to minors.

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What Does District Innovation Look Like in Rural Alabama?

Digital Promise

The post What Does District Innovation Look Like in Rural Alabama? appeared first on Digital Promise.

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Tech Tips to End the School Year

Ask a Tech Teacher

Wrapping up your school technology for the summer is as complicated as setting it up in September. There are endless backups, shares, cleanings, changed settings, and vacation messages that — if not done right — can mean big problems when you return from summer vacation. If you have a school device, a lot of the shutdown steps will be done by the IT folks as they backup, clean, reformat, and maybe re-image your device.

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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.