Doug Levin
OCTOBER 25, 2015
Tom Vander Ark of Getting Smart has argued that “ parent-managed learner profiles ” will by key to both enabling and scaling personalization in education. As Tom envisions, these profiles would include all of the elements of traditional school transcripts, supplemented with richer, more nuanced, and actionable information about student learning attainment, achievement, and needs.
Catlin Tucker
NOVEMBER 16, 2015
At the end of Lord of the Flies , there is a section titled “Notes on the Lord of the Flies,” in which William Golding says, “The theme [of the novel] is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable.” I asked students to design a thematic art gallery that explored the truth
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Ask a Tech Teacher
NOVEMBER 9, 2015
Here are ideas of apps and websites that teachers in my PLN used successfully in the past during Hour of Code: Kindergarten. Start kindergartners with problem solving. If they love Legos, they’ll love coding. BotLogic –great for Kindergarten and youngers. Code –learn to code, for students. Daisy the Dinosaur —intro to programming via iPad. How to train your robot –a lesson plan from Dr.
The CoolCatTeacher
OCTOBER 13, 2015
Useful Tools for Teachers Padlet is a versatile, easy to use tool for every teacher’s toolkit. Let’s dive into Padlet and Learn the Basics. At the bottom of this post, I have a Padlet that is temporarily open for you to post and share your favorite edtech tools. Richard Byrne, author of Free Technology for Teachers , spent some time teaching the teachers at my school about Padlet.
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.
EdTech Magazine
OCTOBER 14, 2015
By Sylvia Libow Martinez Introduce the real world and change the conversation.
Ed Tech from the Ground Up
SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
Many teachers find themselves in a bittersweet situation at the start of the new school year. Often, their school has used the summer break to launch new technology initiatives. What can teachers do to make this transition go smoothly? Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.
EdTech Update brings together the best content for education technology professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
A Principal's Reflections
OCTOBER 25, 2015
Technology still gets a bad rap in many education circles. Perception and lack of information influence the decision making process. This ends up resulting in the formation of rules and policies that severely restrict or prohibit student use of mobile technology and social media as tools to support and/or enhance learning. Even with the proliferation of technology across all facets of society, we still see schools moving at a snail’s pace (if at all) to adapt, or better yet evolve, to a digital
Doug Levin
JUNE 17, 2015
If technology doesn’t disrupt the very notion of the textbook first, its future is surely digital. While plenty of folks are touting the affordances of digital textbooks and instructional content and prognosticating about how fast K-12 schools make the switch to digital – including me and Arne Duncan among many others, etc., etc. – I want to focus instead on one aspect of how we are shifting from print to digital: the procurement decision schools make about whether to license d
Doug Levin
JUNE 1, 2015
A chilling, must-read study report just released (May 2015) by the Center for Community Alternatives (CCA), “ Education Suspended: The Use of High School Disciplinary Records in College Admissions ” should serve as a clarion call to advocates and policymakers to broaden their focus on what exactly is at issue with respect to student data privacy and how we must move forward as a sector to address it.
Doug Levin
MAY 1, 2015
A new study conducted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation , the Family Online Safety Institute , and myCollegeOptions (with data collected in March 2015) suggests that the use of technology and the internet is commonplace in the American high school experience: 98.5% of students (across all racial/ethnic backgrounds) report they use the internet in school, with about half reporting daily use for assignments.
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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.
Catlin Tucker
OCTOBER 27, 2015
Last month, I was working on a Google Document and clicked “Tools.” I discovered a new option called “Voice typing.” Just as the name suggests, it allows the user to dictate instead of type. Simply, click on “Voice typing” and a microphone will appear on the left side of your Google Document. Click on the microphone icon and allow Google to access the microphone on your device.
Catlin Tucker
OCTOBER 20, 2015
The word research appears 80 times in the English language arts section of the Common Core Standards. It’s clear the ability to find, evaluate and apply information is a crucial life skill. However, in many classes research is relegated to the research paper–a formidable piece of writing that most students do not enjoy. When I work with teachers, I encourage them to think beyond the research paper.
Catlin Tucker
NOVEMBER 3, 2015
Confessions of a Teaching Parent. I remember when I first began teaching at the age of 22, my mentor teacher told me, “Teaching will make you a better parent and being a parent will make you a better teacher.” The wisdom of these words has stayed with me. When I had my first child, I realized my time in the classroom had armed me with many of the tools I would need as a mother.
The CoolCatTeacher
OCTOBER 12, 2015
The Cellist of the Schoolyard In 1992, thirty-seven-year-old Vedran Smailovic was principal cellist of the Sarajevo Opera. Because of the fighting, Sarajevo was being called “the capital of hell.” On May 27, a long line waited in front of one of the last bakeries in town. Parents wanted to buy bread to feed their families. A mortar landed among them, exploding and killing twenty-two people in line.
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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.
EdTech Magazine
OCTOBER 8, 2015
By Tommy Peterson Many K–12 educators remain enthusiastic about game-based learning despite a report that adoption has stalled.
The CoolCatTeacher
OCTOBER 6, 2015
Make Writing Essays Easier My student cried when I showed her how to voice type in Google. Then, instead of 90 words in one class period, she typed 500. She edited it. She turned it in early. Tears of joy happen when the right tool is taught to the right student. Technology isn’t flashy The right technology makes lives better. Make writing well easier with these four writing tips.
Catlin Tucker
SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
When I volunteer in my children’s elementary classrooms (1st and 3rd grade), I am struck by how frequently the teacher finds time to work directly with small groups of students to offer additional support, review concepts, assess understanding, and practice skills. At the secondary level scenes like this are less frequent. Many middle school and high school teachers feel immense pressure to move quickly through the curriculum.
The CoolCatTeacher
NOVEMBER 2, 2015
Teachers are important! You can do this! We’re not here to teach, we’re here to change lives. We’re here to change minds. We’re here to shout encouragement. But we can’t do those things if we quit. We can’t do those things if we give up and wait for retirement. We can’t do these things with our feet up on our desk or doing time in the teacher’s lounge.
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.
Catlin Tucker
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
Back-to-School Night is the one evening each year when I have the opportunity to connect face-to-face with my students’ parents. Unfortunately, not all parents can attend Back-to-School Night. Some of my parents work at night or they are at home with their other children. So, three years ago I began flipping my Back-to-School Night presentation in the hopes of reaching more of my parents.
Catlin Tucker
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
As many teachers shift to the Common Core Standards, they are attempting to incorporate more complex texts and more informational/nonfiction texts into their curriculum. If you are asking yourself, “What is a complex text for my students?” check out this blog post I wrote explaining text complexity. Many teachers are discovering that there are a range of websites that offer informational texts available at various Lexile levels.
EdTech Magazine
SEPTEMBER 14, 2015
By D. Frank Smith A game born from a teacher's frustration has blossomed into a new way to teach geography and current events.
EdTech Magazine
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
By D. Frank Smith Skype's video chats have developed into an innovative tool for global classroom collaboration.
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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
EdTech Magazine
OCTOBER 8, 2015
By Calvin Hennick Develop an upgrade strategy by learning from districts that have already done it.
Catlin Tucker
AUGUST 24, 2015
For the last two years, I’ve been increasingly frustrated with the traditional approach to assessing students and reporting grades. I want my students to value learning, not the accumulation of points. Unfortunately, I feel like school is akin to a Pacman game where students are myopically focused on gobbling up points and, as a result, miss the point of learning entirely.
Catlin Tucker
AUGUST 18, 2015
The first day of school is an opportunity. It’s a chance to let students know what they can expect from you and your class. Will the class be teacher centered or student centered? Will they work in isolation or in collaborative groups? Will they be challenged or not? Unfortunately, many teachers spend the first day of school reading their syllabus to their students and explaining all of the classroom norms and rules.
Ed Tech from the Ground Up
AUGUST 7, 2015
When it comes to vocabulary instruction, most of the commonly-used instructional techniques, particularly at the middle school and high school levels, tend to favor visual learners. But what about all the auditory and kinesthetic learners? Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.
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.
Catlin Tucker
JULY 31, 2015
In my last post titled “ Create Small Learning Communities with the Station Rotation Model ,” I provided a blended learning strategy that creates more time in the classroom for teachers to work individually with students. This week I was presenting on technology infused reading strategies and resources for K-5 teachers and wanted to share them.
Teacher Reboot Camp
AUGUST 6, 2015
When starting with a new group of learners, I am hardly able to sleep the night before. Next week, I begin a new course and trust me I’m pretty nervous. However, I welcome the excitement, because I know as a teacher, I have the important mission of guiding the learning journeys of many. According to Teachers Count, the average teacher impacts 3000 students within a lifetime.
Teacher Reboot Camp
JULY 28, 2015
Part of the Effective Technology Integration tips category! In a few weeks, school starts again. This is the best time to begin connecting with students and getting them to connect with their peers. Try something new this year! Get students to talk about themselves by presenting selfies they have taken as part of a mission you have sent them on. First, get students to watch the video, Around the World in 360° Degrees , and reflect on it.
Catlin Tucker
JULY 20, 2015
Whenever I’m asked the question, “How do we fix education?” I find myself emphasizing the importance of creating smaller learning communities within the context of the larger classroom. I passionately believe the most effective learning communities are those that allow teachers to spend more time working individually or in small groups with their students to customize and personalize instruction.
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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