February, 2013

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With Students Lagging Globally in Science, the U.S. Looks to Inspire an Untapped Resource

A Principal's Reflections

'The following is a guest post by Westfield Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Paul Pineiro. Underlying the lagging performance of U.S. students in global assessments in math and science is another troubling statistic: According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, fifteen-year-old girls in 65 countries generally outperformed boys worldwide, but in the United States, boys outperformed girls in quantitative studies.

STEM 289
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Simplify Project Based Learning With Biteslide - guest post

Educational Technology Guy

'Simplify Project Based Learning With Biteslide Introduction What is Project Based Learning? What is Biteslide? Planning the project The Entry Event Researching the project Creating the project Presenting the project Conclusion Introduction In this article I shall give you a brief introduction to Project Based Learning (PBL) and show you how Biteslide can be used as an end-to-end technology solution for PBL projects.

Learning 217
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The Administrator PR Machine

The Web20Classroom

'It seems like everywhere we turn, education is under the microscope. From members of Congress to the mother next door, everyone has an opinion on education. What we should do and how we should do it. And, to me at least, the focus is on the negative. "This is what''s wrong." "Why aren''t these test scores better?" "What was that teacher thinking?" But as someone who spends a lot of time walking the hallways and seeing kids in the classroom, there is so much good out there.

Facebook 208
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It is Not a Project to Get Students Talking: Two Tools

Baker's B.Y.O.D.

'Teaching 150 high school students, there are bound to be some who get lost in the crowd, lack confidence, or distracted by personal technology usage, but with the following tools and techniques, the quiet students can have their voices heard, the text-ers can be academically occupied, and all learners can be engaged by using technology that taps into students'' behavior and aligns with Maslow''s Hierarchy of Needs , Humanism , and Social Learning Theories.

Tools 122
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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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7 Steps to Optimize Your Social Media Presence as an Educator

The 21st Century Principal

'In his book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR , David Meerman Scott perhaps captures why a number of us so heavily engage in using social media: “ It’s fun to blog and tweet, and it makes you feel good to get your ideas out into the world.” It is fun to blog and tweet, and there is satisfaction that comes from “getting your ideas out there.” But for me real satisfaction comes from making “connections” with other educators and growing my personal learning network.

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Finally! Research-based proof that students use cell phones for LEARNING

The Innovative Educator

'A new study conducted by TRU provides a body of research which supports the idea that students use cell phones to learn, and also that schools are not acknowledging or supporting them fully, yet. This research supports the work of innovative educators who are guiding today’s generation text and will help in the effort of getting more schools to stop fighting and start embracing student use of mobile devices for learning in school.

Mobility 111

More Trending

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iPad Apps 4 Schools - great site with info and resources for iPads in Education

Educational Technology Guy

'iPad Apps for School is another site from Richard Byrne, author of Free Technology for Teachers and Android 4 Schools. In this site, Richard and his guest authors will be sharing resources and reviews of apps (mostly free) that can be used in K-12 schools, along with ways that those apps can be used in the educational setting by teachers, students, and administrators.

iPad 217
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Communicate Differently With Tackk

The Web20Classroom

'Finding ways for kids to communicate information can be a bit of a challenge. Its easy to fall into the Power Point or Prezi track. Or even easier to not offer up any technology opportunities at all. There are loads of great creation/presentation tools out there. Voicethread, Google Sites, Animoto just to name a few are some of the creative ways in the past I''ve covered.

Twitter 199
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The Digital Citizenship Survival Kit

Comfortably 2.0

'It''s a simple little prop I use when teaching Digital Citizenship to our K-8 #aurorahuskies students. I love utilizing props to try to get my point across to students. To me, it helps a student retain the lesson better. Let me introduce you to Mr. Badura''s "Digital Citizenship Survival Kit." Each of the items has a purpose.

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Standardized Tests & Comparing Student Scores: Relics of 20th Century Ed Systems

The 21st Century Principal

'“Developing better tests of student learning in the 21st century is as futile as attempting to find a faster horse and buggy would have been in the 20th century.” Douglas Reeves, “A Framework for Assessing 21st Century Skills” After last night’s #ncadmin chat about “21st Century Teaching and Learning” I could not stop thinking about questions regarding 21st century skills and assessment.

System 106
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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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3rd Birthday and New FIVES Booklet!

SpeechTechie

'SpeechTechie is 3 years old today! I am always amazed that this blog I started kind of on a whim has changed my life so much. Thank you all for sticking with me! I was telling my other half that my blogoversary was coming up and asked, "How long do you think it has been?" The answer I received: "10 years." LOL! Photo licensed for reuse by Soapylovedeb on Flickr To celebrate, today I am releasing an update on my original FIVES Criteria booklet.

Laptops 102
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Just Another Typical Day

A Principal's Reflections

'This past Wednesday (February 6) was the second annual Digital Learning Day. New Milford High School joined thousands of other schools and educators across the country to showcase how digital learning is changing education. The only thing though is that this day was just like any other typical day at my school as digital learning has become an embedded component of our school''s culture.

Edmodo 260
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Dropbox adds new features - document preview and photo sharing

Educational Technology Guy

'Dropbox , the very popular cloud file/sync/backup/sharing service , has announced some new features, including document preview and photo sharing and sorting. You can preview PDF, DOC, DOCX, and PPT files by double-clicking on them. This way, you can see if that is the file you want, or even view what you need, without downloading it. Dropbox has also added some features for photos.

Facebook 199
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Finally, Something Good On The Radio

The Web20Classroom

'It was said long ago that video killed the radio star. I dunno anything about that. But, radio (ok, podcasts) are alive and well. And lucky for you there are several good ones out there to listen to online or download on the go. I want to highlight 2 new ones. It is a little self-serving as I am the host of one and a commentator on another but I hope you will look at the content and see some value there.

EdTech 185
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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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Five Ways to Build Lifelong Readers

The Innovative Educator

'Guest post by Maddie Witter The new Common Core State Standards list skills to prepare American young people on the path toward the college and careers of their choice. Yet as students are on their journey to and through college, and ultimately through life, I also hope they are lifelong learners with an insatiable thirst for knowledge driven by their unique passions.

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4 Immediate Steps Teachers Can Take to Re-engage the Dis-engaged Student

The 21st Century Principal

'“If tomorrow, every teacher in America spent 20 minutes of class time asking each student what her or his passion was, and then later used that information to understand each student more deeply and differentiate their instruction accordingly, education would take giant positive steps forward overnight.” Marc Prensky, From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom: Hopeful Essays for 21st Century Learning Sometimes the solutions that have the biggest impact on the most difficult issues our schools face

iPhone 104
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Digital Storytelling and Stories with the iPad

wwwatanabe

'Digital storytelling is a first person story, where the narrator is digitally sharing his or her story; while a digital story is narrated in third person and shared digitally. Both can include imagery, background music, or motion. They also incorporate storyboarding, writing a script, revising, and publishing (the elements of writing). Benefits Here are some of the many benefits of digital storytelling and digital stories: The 21st century skills and ISTE''s NETS applied are critical and creati

iPad 96
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Leadership Ignited

A Principal's Reflections

'I have tweeted over the past couple weeks my excitement for the new structure of the NASSP Annual Conference. The leadership of NASSP is well aware of trends in and the value of connected learning and have created a learning experience that will meet the needs of all attendees. The revamped event, appropriately named " Ignite ", is a great example of a national organization breaking away from traditional conference constructs to create a relevant and meaningful learning experience for it''s mem

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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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TotSplash - organize and present ideas

Educational Technology Guy

'TotSplash is a new site that combines online mind mapping and "Prezi-like" presentations. Users can focus on organizing their thoughts and ideas and then the app transforms them into a "Prezi-like" presentation. You can share and embed your TotSplashes also. There is a free version with no login required. It''s easy to use and could be a great alternative for students and teachers.

Twitter 184
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Why Tiny.cc is My New Favorite Link Shortener

EdTechSandyK

'One of my favorite things about attending the TCEA conference every year is the incidental learning that takes place. Incidental learning happens for me when I''m in a presentation or having a conversation with someone, and I discover a tool I didn''t know about before. It usually isn''t the focus of the particular presentation or conversation; it''s just something the presenter or person I''m talking with uses without a second thought.

BYOD 93
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5 reasons less is more when it comes to STEM

The Innovative Educator

'This post was original featured on Smartblogs on Education in Inspiring Others , Public Policy Schools are missing the boat when it comes to addressing the problem of preparing students to recapture America’s leadership in producing scientists, inventors, engineers, programmers and more through STEM initiatives. The answer has little to do with more teachers, more common graduation requirements, more tests or more school as our policymakers and corporations who stand to profit off this have su

STEM 94
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5 Baby-Steps for Using Twitter to Begin a Personal Learning Network

The 21st Century Principal

'“Social media has offered us a platform where we can learn from and with the smartest people we ‘meet’ from around the world, whenever we need to or are ready to go.” Scott McLeod & Chris Lehman The School Leader’s Guide to Social Media Personal Learning Networks existed long before there was an Internet. I am perhaps showing my age, but my first “Personal Learning Network” used very little of the technologies we use now.

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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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Empires of the mind

Learning with 'e's

In a speech given at Harvard University in 1943, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill famously declared: 'The empires of the future will be empires of the mind.' 70 years on, futurist and physicist Michio Kaku echoes Churchill's sentiments, arguing that intellectual capital is rapidly replacing commodity capital as the most desirable and lucrative means of commerce.

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The Meaning of Valentine's Day

A Principal's Reflections

'I know I have said this before, but I really love my job. I love my job mainly because of the students and staff that I am blessed to work side by side with each day at New Milford High School. This morning Doreen Zacher, my Student Assistance Counselor (S.A.C.) demanded that I stop what I was doing to listen to an example of how great our students are.

Examples 219
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LibreOffice 4.0 released - better performance and greater interoperability

Educational Technology Guy

'LibreOffice is a free, open-source, powerful office suite software that is a great alternative to Microsoft Office. I use it on my home computers. It is available for Windows, Mac and Linux and has six applications: Write (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentation), Draw, Math and Base (database). It works great and the menu functions are similar to Office 97, so the learning curve is easy.

Microsoft 166
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Twitter for Professional Learning - #TCEA13 #Twitter4PL

EdTechSandyK

'Today @MagisterWarren and I ( @EdTechSandyK ) are presenting a workshop on Twitter for Professional Learning at the TCEA 2013 Convention and Exposition. Below is a link to the LiveBinder with all of our presentation resources. If you are in the workshop with us, we hope you enjoy it! If you are just stopping by this blog, I hope the resources in the LiveBinder will be useful to you.

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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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8 ways to use social media to connect and coordinate with parents

The Innovative Educator

'Social media can be a powerful tool to coordinate and connect with parents. At the school level, this is important work for everyone, from the classroom teacher to the principal. Some districts even have paid school employees called parent coordinators who are responsible for engaging with and involving parents in the school community. It is their job to create a welcoming environment for parents as well as to identify and address parent and related school/community issues.

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Let’s End the Administrator War on Mobile Devices

The 21st Century Principal

'“Mobile phones enable anytime, anyplace, anywhere engagement.” Scott McLeod & Chris Lehmann, What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies We’ve all worked with them, educators who have made it their mission to rid the classrooms and schools of this world of those infernal, disruptive devices called “cell phones.” Those on the front lines in this battle collect cell phones from students as badges of honor.

Mobility 100
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Learning is changing

Learning with 'e's

Learning is changing. In some ways learning has no need to change. In other ways, it is vital. The human race still has an innate desire to discover, to survive, to innovate, to explore. As we get older, we consolidate what we have learnt, modifying our knowledge and skills as new information and techniques become known to us. What we learn in formalised settings such as school, college and university is merely the foundation of our knowledge and the rudimentary skill sets that enable us to buil

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E-learning and Canned Instruction: A Contradiction in Terms?

A Principal's Reflections

'The following is a guest post by Laura DeSena. Not all online education programs are the same. Currently, most conversations on the topic on online education are oversimplified. Complexities must be addressed on this topic for a true critical assessment of online education to actually happen. Image credit: [link] The first significant distinction that must be considered for the conversation about online learning to be valid is that between synchronous and asynchronous instruction.

Learning 219
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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.