A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 27, 2015

The Rigor and Relevance Framework —an action ­oriented continuum that describes putting knowledge to use—gives teachers and administrators a way to develop both instruction and assessment while providing students with a way a way to project learning goals. This framework, based on traditional elements of education yet encouraging movement from acquisition of knowledge to application of knowledge, charts learning along the two dimensions of higher standards and student achievement.

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Social Media Assessment Tools Meeting 377

User Generated Education

DECEMBER 26, 2015

One of my guilty pleasures is watching MasterChef Junior, a cooking competition for 8 to 12 year olds, and as an educator, I have been analyzing it as a model for good teaching. My observations include: The challenges are hands-on and naturally engaging for these kids. They are based on the kids’ passion for and interest in cooking. The kids don’t need to be graded about their performances.

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Learning Education 262

EdTech Magazine

DECEMBER 10, 2015

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.

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Technology Education Accessibility Online Learning 305

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 18, 2015

Blogging has become an important part of my teaching practice. Prior to blogging, I frequently neglected the reflection phase of learning. Now, blogging creates a space for me to reflect on what I am doing, what is working, and how I can continue to improve. Writing my blog has also become a vehicle to share my work with other educators and build an invaluable personal learning network.

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Personal Learning Network Personalized Learning Examples Resources 239

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.

Education

Neo LMS

DECEMBER 3, 2015

It’s December, it’s almost the end of the year and it's time to talk about the 2016 e-learning trends. We always love to greet the new year with a bang, both literally and figuratively. So, to get you straight to the point - I’m here to point out, what I deem, will be the ed tech trends for the next year. Just to get things going, here’s a recap of 2015.

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Trends BYOD Gamification Learning 239

Teacher Reboot Camp

DECEMBER 29, 2015

“The hashtag, that ubiquitous pound sign followed by a keyword, are part of the language of social media.”- Neil Patel, Forbes. In August 2007, Chris Messina introduced hashtags (#) into Twitter’s code , which meant anyone using the platform could add a # sign front of any word(s) without spaces to make it a clickable link leading to a page where all tweets with this hashtag were aggregated.

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Social Media Twitter eBook Trends 238

User Generated Education

DECEMBER 5, 2015

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.

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Education Examples Classroom Game-Based Learning 257

EdTech Magazine

DECEMBER 6, 2015

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

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Online Learning STEM Classroom Learning 192

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 13, 2015

“Forcing teachers and students to use tech because you have it will never get the results you want. Integrate when appropriate.” – Eric Sheninger I love technology. Now most of you are not shocked by that statement so let me explain it with some more detail. I love technology for its ability to transform lives and professional practice. The formation of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) has opened my eyes and mind to an array of ideas, strategies, and tools to support and enhance learning throug

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Personal Learning Network Outcomes Assessment Technology 228

Neo LMS

DECEMBER 10, 2015

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.

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How To Learning Social Media Digital Learning 226

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Learning

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 2, 2015

I had the pleasure of delivering the keynote at Mass CUE this year! Creatively Teach the Common Core Literacy Standards with Technology . Available NOW on Amazon ! .

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Common Core Technology Learning 222

Ed Tech from the Ground Up

DECEMBER 17, 2015

A new way to weed through YouTube videos for the ones that illustrate lessons best. Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.

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Video EdTech 219

User Generated Education

DECEMBER 22, 2015

Today, during a podcast interview, I was asked what it takes to be an educational thought leader. My responses was, “courage.” In this test driven, accountability-laden era of education, it takes courage to be an educator driven by authentic, constructivist , and student-centered values and practices. Courage: Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.

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Education Wiki Elementary Student Engagement 254

EdTech Magazine

DECEMBER 29, 2015

By Steve Zurier Innovative districts keep Teachers mobile.

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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.

Personalized Learning

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 6, 2015

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.

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Mobility BYOD Mobile Learning Learning 224

Neo LMS

DECEMBER 8, 2015

Today we’re going back to the beginning to discuss one of the basics tools in e-learning which is the learning management system, LMS, learning platform or whatever you like to call it. Most schools deploy learning platforms to do the heavy lifting of their e-learning. And while there are students and teachers who already know how LMSs works, there are still a handful of people new to the digital world that need some time getting used to using such a platform.

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System LMS Khan Academy Learning 216

The CoolCatTeacher

DECEMBER 17, 2015

What are the best ways for a teacher to engage their classroom in a global conversation? From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Like squirrels in a sack, we can choose to coexist or we can make life miserable for one another. We are all a global citizen whether we realize it or not. Parents and teachers are building the bridges today that tomorrow will walk across. .

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Social Media Twitter Facebook Personal Learning Network 214

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 28, 2015

At the end of each year, it’s fun to reflect on what I’ve written about and what other educators have gravitated to on my blog. This year the following 5 blog posts generated the most activity and conversation! #1 Thesis Statement Throwdown. This activity is a fan favorite and requires zero technology. It transforms thesis statement writing into a fun collaborative task complemented by dance beats and a healthy dose of competition. #2 Word Sneak: Vocabulary Game Inspired by the Tonig

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Company Assessment System Technology 207

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.

Training

Ditch That Textbook

DECEMBER 10, 2015

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 [.].

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Tools Classroom Twitter Education 201

EdTech Magazine

DECEMBER 16, 2015

By D. Frank Smith The federal government has a new education law, and it's giving focus to technical subjects like computer science.

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STEM Education Online Learning Classroom 237

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 20, 2015

Students spend an average of 12,000 hours in the classroom in their lifetime, and these hours are important. Not only does time spent in the classroom impact student learning, but studies show that the physical layout of those classrooms (variables including use of light, color and wall space) have a significant impact on student behavior, motivation and achievement.

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Brilliant or Insane

DECEMBER 20, 2015

Brilliant or Insane. In her new book, Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School, Starr Sackstein suggests an array of ways to give students a voice in the assessment process, while eliminating traditional grades. One way to “hack” assessment, according to Starr, is to teach students to reflect on their own learning. See exactly […].

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Assessment Learning 175

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Classroom

The CoolCatTeacher

DECEMBER 8, 2015

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.

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Smartphone iPhone Mobility Twitter 214

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 7, 2015

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.

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Blended Learning Education Data Personalized Learning 190

Ditch That Textbook

DECEMBER 7, 2015

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 [.].

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Assessment EdTech Technology Education 194

EdTech Magazine

DECEMBER 28, 2015

By D. Frank Smith The technologies of tomorrow are already making headway into education, and others are poised for mass distribution in 2016.

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Trends Education Technology Data 236

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

The Journal

DECEMBER 1, 2015

No question: the future of educational technology is blended learning enacted in 1-to-1 classrooms. But: exactly what instruction will be delivered? In the past, textbooks played the role of providing teachers with the day-by-day, week-by-week, instructional roadmap. Current lesson marketplaces, however, provide supplemental lessons; there is a huge need for basal/comprehensive, blended learning curricula.

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Blended Learning Meeting Learning Technology 186

Teacher Reboot Camp

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Help us inspire teachers worldwide for 2016 by suggesting one of the 30 Goals for Cycle 7 ! We have a grand mission to transform the world and that is overwhelming. We need the support of a community of compassionate and empathetic educators to help drive us. The 30 Goals Challenge began in 2010 to meet this need. We are a community of teachers across the globe accomplishing 1 to 30 goals to improve our instructional practices and keep our learners motivated.

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eBook Facebook Education Twitter 184

The CoolCatTeacher

DECEMBER 3, 2015

Get into Nature to Nurture. “The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” Ralph Waldo Emerson. One of the most beautiful things about living in the country is being able to see all the stars. You can enjoy the sky even more when you ‘ve got the right apps. 9 Super Apps for Stargazers. Augmented Stargazing. Augmented Stargazing is looking at the stars through a cell phone as the phone overlays constellations, stars, planets, satellites and more.

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Software Microsoft Google Data 210

User Generated Education

DECEMBER 17, 2015

One of my end of year rituals is finding and posting the years’ best videos. Given my current interest in maker education , I decided to locate and post 2015 videos related to maker education, STEM, and STEAM. Maker Education: Reaching All Learners. At Albemarle County Public Schools, maker education fosters student autonomy, ignites student interest, and empowers students to embrace their own learning.

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Maker Movement STEM Video Education 166

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