December, 2017

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Rethink Your Grading Practices

Catlin Tucker

This year I have posted several blogs about grading and assessment. I encouraged teachers to stop taking grading home for two simple reasons: Grading in isolation robs us of the opportunity to have conversations with students as we assess their work and, ultimately, makes feedback one-sided and less effective. Grading at home robs us of precious time with our families, time to relax, and time to create dynamic learning experiences for students.

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Cross-Curricular Critical Thinking Is Integral to STEM Success

EdTech Magazine

By Amy Brown No matter the acronym, allow students to hone critical thinking and literacy skills.

STEM 412
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Blended Instruction vs Blended Learning

A Principal's Reflections

Schools continue to make investments in technology to engage students better, improve outcomes, and prepare all learners for the new world of work. We are beginning to see more and more innovative uses of technology not just to personalize, but also to make the learning process more personal. When a solid pedagogical foundation is in place, the stage is set to challenge students to demonstrate thinking and learning in ways that we could never have imagined a few short years ago.

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8 Ways to Annotate Readings, Websites and Online Articles with Examples

Teacher Reboot Camp

“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.” – John Locke. One of the most important skills for our digital learners is inspecting the information they consume with a critical eye. The challenge is to turn this into a habit students do outside the classroom. One idea is to get students to annotate their readings regularly.

Examples 402
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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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Unleashing the Potential of Every Child

The CoolCatTeacher

Tom Loud on episode 212 [A special encore episode] of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Tom Loud dropped out of high school because he didn’t connect with his teachers. Somehow, he connected with books though and became a high school and college graduate. Now, Tom is a 10-year classroom veteran who is working to make his classroom (and help others) connect with kids in new ways.

Twitter 305
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Advancing Computational Thinking Across K-12 Education

Digital Promise

Thanks to the successes of campaigns like the Hour of Code and this week’s Computer Science Education Week, educators, policymakers, and families around the country are realizing the value of coding and computer science in K-12 education. But how do “code,” “computer science,” and, “computational thinking,” fit together? What is motivating their introduction into schools, and how might they change education?

Education 283

More Trending

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The Top 3 K–12 Trends of 2017

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez From a strong network infrastructure to better teacher support, districts made sure to have everything in place to use technology to boost learning outcomes this year.

Trends 412
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To Move Forward We Need to Let Go

A Principal's Reflections

“ We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.” ― C. JoyBell C. There is nothing easy about change. The process is fraught with many obstacles and challenges.

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17 Web Tools and Apps to Create Interactive Video Lessons and Quizzes

Teacher Reboot Camp

“Videos provide greater engagement than text or images for the simple reason that it combines audio, video and text.” – Amit Garg. YouTube is one of the most popular social networks, because students love learning by video. DIY ( Do It Yourself ) videos, How-To videos, Tutorials, game walkthroughs and TED Talks are some of the most viewed videos.

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Thinking Routines in the Classroom

The CoolCatTeacher

Karen Voglesang on episode 209 [A special encore episode] of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Today Karen Voglesang @NBCTchr teaches children to use thinking routines in her classroom. After participating in Harvard’s Project Zero , she is applying and using the methods in classrooms and with teachers.

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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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7 Ways to Build Trust with Your School Community #LT8keys

Tom Murray

If serving is below you, leadership is beyond you. – Unknown. In many schools, the community,—particularly parents—feels left in the dark. Within their own walls, schools often work diligently to communicate the latest initiatives, results, and grading practices, or they discuss things such as the Common Core State Standards. However, the community is often unaware of such important topics until they hit a friend’s Facebook wall, an online gossip forum, or become part of the conversation

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Focusing on the Process: Letting Go of Product Expectations

User Generated Education

I am a process-oriented educator. I focus on how to learn rather than what to learn. I’ve addressed this in Freedom to Learn : In order to facilitate these desired elements of learning, I believe it is important to focus on the process of learning rather than the products of learning. When learning is viewed as a product, and the same performance measure applies to all students, learning facilitation can be reduced to cookie-cutter teaching: same pieces of information and instruction are s

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Turning High School Students into Hackers Can Benefit Cybersecurity Field

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez Ethical hacking in high schools introduces valuable cybersecurity skills in fun and interesting ways.

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Ten Skills Teachers Need to Support English Learners

Digital Promise

As more schools and districts explore curriculum focused on college and career readiness, expectations on what learners should be able to do across content areas are rapidly changing. While older curriculum standards were typically concerned with curricular breadth, current standards prioritize depth, focusing on deep understanding of underlying disciplinary concepts and the multiple ways they lend themselves to problem-solving.

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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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9 Ways to Find the Right Edtech Tool

Teacher Reboot Camp

“Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event.” – Heidi-Hayes Jacobs. The message of my education technology keynotes is to get students to show students the possibilities of technology, test their potential , give them a meaningful purpose for using technology, and have them take on the responsibility of bettering their world with their technology use.

EdTech 381
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5 Lies I Used to Believe About Teaching But I Don’t Anymore

The CoolCatTeacher

Vicki Davis on episode 205 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. When I first started teaching, I used to believe some things about the profession that I just don’t believe any more. In today’s final episode of season 2, I reflect on those lies and how I’ve grown in my practice.

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20 great podcasts for educators (and how to get them)

Ditch That Textbook

Podcasts are learning on the go: in the car, while working out or as you garden. Here are some great ones for educators. (Icons via TheNounProject.com) Podcasts are my lifeblood for generating new ideas, processing the ideas I already have and entertainment. They’re like radio shows on virtually any topic under the sun. Actually, they’re […].

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Learning Walks

A Principal's Reflections

Successful change and consistent improvement rely on many interconnected factors. I mention this, as it is important to note that it isn’t one particular action or person that ultimately moves an idea or initiative into something that positively impacts school culture. This applies to the success that my staff and I were able to be a part of during our digital transformation a few years back.

Learning 249
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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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Q&A: Vince Bertram Leads the Way Toward STEM in Schools

EdTech Magazine

By Jena Passut Project Lead The Way's president and CEO says students should be engaged and excited about their futures and careers.

STEM 359
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A Look at What’s to Come for the League of Innovative Schools in 2018

Digital Promise

In a year when public education faced many challenges, superintendents and district leaders in the League of Innovative Schools persisted in creating cutting-edge, transformative educational opportunities for their students. In 2017, we welcomed 13 new districts to the League. Working with 11 districts, we launched the Competency-based Education Toolkit.

STEM 235
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10 Web Tools and Apps for Creating Screencast Videos

Teacher Reboot Camp

“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” – David Warlick. Creating a video of one’s screen (screencasting) is a powerful way to demonstrate knowledge. Our students can create how-to videos to teach others how to use favorite web tools or to demonstrate a process.

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5 Ways to Be a Change Leader in Your School

The CoolCatTeacher

Rebecca Wattleworth on episode 200 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. We can be change leaders and help our school improve and grow. Rebecca Wattleworth, an award-winning teacher from Illinois, talks about lessons she’s learned about being a change leader. Today’s Sponsor: Bloomz is the tool I chose for parent/teacher communication.

STEM 286
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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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Crash! Bang! Boom! How to add Google Drawings comic strips to your class

Ditch That Textbook

We (Cori and Matt) are betting that comics are a memorable part of your childhood, whether they were the color comic strips in the Sunday newspaper or comic books. If not, then it was probably animated comics — cartoons! They’re visual. They’re colorful. Adults and children alike flock to animated movies at theaters when they’re […].

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A great lesson to teach children about #FAKENEWS

EdTech4Beginners

Fake news has recently been a popular topic, and teachers need to deal with this important issue in schools. How could you teach it? Start by asking children to visit this fantastic (completely made-up) website about a ‘tree octopus’! Give the children about 10 minutes to explore the website. You could ask them to find specific information if you wish.

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4 Tips to Instill Basic Keyboarding Habits in Young Learners

EdTech Magazine

By Meghan Bogardus Cortez Educators help students become better at typing with these best practices.

Education 341
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Before you start bashing the Millennials…

Dangerously Irrelevant

Older generations love to bash the Millennials. But in many ways we are the problem. Here are a few quotes from Huffington Post’s recent article, Generation Screwed : Mention “millennial” to anyone over 40 and the word “entitlement” will come back at you within seconds, our own intergenerational game of Marco Polo. This is what it feels like to be young now.

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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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15 Free Web Tools and Apps to Amplify Your Audio Projects

Teacher Reboot Camp

“Thoughts need words. Words need a voice.” – Sharon M. Draper. In my new book, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions , I share several tips for integrating technology to allow every student to share their ideas and creativity. Student voice is important, but when you teach several students, then the logistics get tricky.

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How to Teach Coding in the Elementary Grades with Sam Patterson

The CoolCatTeacher

Sam Patterson on episode 201 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. Teachers don’t have to be experts or “geeks” to use coding to improve literacy, use higher order thinking skills, and excite students in their classrooms. Elementary and primary students can learn to code. For Hour of Code week this week, learn how you can go past the Hour of Code and use coding all year long!

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Using Kahoot! and others the way your brain craves

Ditch That Textbook

We use tech tools like Kahoot! in the classroom all the time. When we pair them with brain science strategies, they can be even more powerful. (Sketch by Matt Miller)Sure, you might think. I use Kahoot! and G Suite and others in the classroom all the time. They're great.But are you using them the way […].

Strategy 249
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How to use Padlet as a collaborative edtech tool

EdTech4Beginners

I love using Padlet with my class – completely free and easy to set up / use. It is basically an online ‘wall’ which all of the class can simultaneously contribute to. Have a look at my video walk-through: Have a go! Let me know what you think Tagged: collaborative technology , edtech , education , padlet , teaching ideas , teaching with technology , tutorial.

EdTech 227
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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.