2021

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Pixar’s 10 rules for teaching and lesson planning

Ditch That Textbook

Looking for some creative rules for teaching? These Pixar storytelling rules can help us unlock our creativity in the classroom. Pixar is one of the best at telling stories. It started with the groundbreaking Toy Story, the first entirely computer-animated feature film. What followed are some of my favorite animated films -- and my children's favorites, […].

Classroom 363
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11 Ways to Update Your Online Presence (copy)

Ask a Tech Teacher

This week, I’ll post my updated suggestions for three holiday activities that will get your computers and technology ready for the blitz of teaching that starts after the New Year. Here’s what you’ll get (the links won’t be active until the post goes live ): For regular readers of Ask a Tech Teacher, these are yearly reminders. For new readers, these are like body armor in the tech battle.

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Blended Learning: What It Is and What It Is Not

Catlin Tucker

The pandemic has elevated the phrase “blended learning.” When schools closed or shifted to hybrid schedules, many institutions turned to blended learning to navigate the new demands placed on teachers and educational institutions. As an outspoken advocate for blended learning over the last 10 years, I was initially excited to see so much momentum in this area.

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How Companies Can Support Bilingual and Multilingual Children

Ed Tech from the Ground Up

There are steps that organizations can take to build their cultural awareness in helping bilingual and multilingual students, explains Emily Guo, who is working with Cognitive ToyBox. The post How Companies Can Support Bilingual and Multilingual Children appeared first on Market Brief.

Company 545
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Meeting the Evolving Financial Needs of K-12 Private Schools

Private and independent schools rely on tuition to provide excellent learning experiences for all students, so it’s important to have a tuition and billing management solution that fits the unique needs of your school and families. Learn how the right technology provides the following benefits: Automated invoicing and PCI-compliant payment processing Integrations into financial aid solutions and student information systems Reporting and analytics to provide up-to-date financial insights Read thi

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Slow Pivots — What’s Driving the Change to Reimagine School Schedules?

Education Elements

School schedules and use of time are one of the few remaining relics of the industrialized learning model. Even when most schools moved to virtual learning in March 2020, many organizations replicated the existing bell schedule and instructed teachers to move their onsite instruction online. The school leaders believed it would hold teachers and students more accountable and create more predictability to help families plan their own schedules.

Industry 359

More Trending

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How Does Artificial Intelligence Fit into the Future of Education?

Digital Promise

The term “artificial intelligence” (AI) is increasingly more familiar as we encounter it in our daily lives. (Have you asked Siri or Alexa a question lately?) As technology becomes a bigger part of teaching and learning, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are likely to encounter AI more frequently in our schools. How do we see AI in the classroom?

Education 436
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Pedagogical Leadership

A Principal's Reflections

Leadership is leadership. The same essential qualities and characteristics that exemplify what great leaders do have pretty much stayed the same. What has changed are the tools, research, and societal shifts that impact the work. Leadership is both an art and science with the goal of moving the masses towards achieving a common goal. Leading is not easy , and being effective at it is easier said than done.

Outcomes 545
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Teach Students To Treat Their Learning Like They’re Making a Documentary

Catlin Tucker

Learning is a dynamic process that requires active engagement. Unfortunately, many students have gotten comfortable in their roles as passive observers or consumers in the classroom. Yes, that is a less cognitively and socially taxing role, but it is not nearly as interesting or engaging. This passive position also does not require that students think intentionally about their learning.

Schoology 545
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How to Make Classroom Games with Easy, Awesome Educaplay

The CoolCatTeacher

Sixteen types of games, Google Classroom and LMS compatibility and auto-grading From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter. This week, I began using Educaplay to make fun classroom learning games for my students. In addition to easy game creation, sending the games to Google Classroom was easy, as was student work, automatic grading, and engagement.

How To 540
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The Case for Game Design as an Innovative STEAM Teaching Tool

Speaker: Speakers:

Searching for innovative ways to deliver integrated STEAM education that also help students attain industry-ready skills? Then this punchy 30-minute thought leadership webinar is for you. Join fellow education leaders as we share: National data on STEAM performance and student engagement that indicates post-pandemic learners are craving inspired intervention 10 research-backed reasons why game design is the leading method for practically teaching integrated STEAM education An inside look at live

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Roundtable: Is Digital Equity Attainable in K–12 Education?

EdTech Magazine

Families throughout the nation faced digital inequities before the pandemic became a factor in the spring of 2020. However, with the shift to remote learning, the conversation around the digital divide became impossible to ignore. There was a push, in tandem with these conversations, to bring connectivity and the meaningful integration of technology to students who lacked it.

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6 Classroom resources that help students become digital citizens

Neo LMS

October has become the month where educators participate in events focused on digital citizenship. From October 1-31, activities are available to join in, whether for a day like during the DigCitSummit held last year, or an entire Digital Citizenship Week event, or Twitter chats and webinars focused on digital citizenship. The focus on digital citizenship is not only relevant during October — it’s important throughout the entire year.

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Book Review–My Secret EdTech diary

Ask a Tech Teacher

My Secret EdTech Diary. by Al Kingsley. 4/5. Al Kingsley’s My Secret EdTech Diary (John Cott Educational 2021) is a big-goaled, meandering overview of edtech (educational technology) available and pertinent to teachers and students. It is almost stream of consciousness told in a friendly, affable voice, where the author starts with a specific topic and then addresses that and many tangential ideas, showing how they are related and interconnect.

EdTech 543
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12 Ways to Use Videos for Learning in the Classroom

ViewSonic Education

Using video for learning in the classroom has been around for decades, but with the growth of digital technology in recent years, the range of opportunities is now greater than ever before. Thirty years ago, a teacher might have occasionally wheeled out a television and VHS recorder during class once or twice a term. These days, video resources are readily available online, and teachers can make use of them in a much more integrated way.

Video 488
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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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3 AI Trends to Watch in K–12 Educational Technology for 2022

EdTech Magazine

Editor’s note: To help IT leaders prepare for the year ahead, EdTech is pulling together the biggest tech trends for K–12 districts in 2022. You can find our overall top trends here, and be sure to check out our trends in cloud technology and asynchronous learning. There’s no question the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to everyday life.

Trends 545
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5 K–12 Ed Tech Trends to Watch in 2022

EdTech Magazine

Educational technology trends for 2022 look a bit different. In 2020 and 2021, educators pioneered ed tech tools for their classrooms at an overwhelming pace. Districts with more than 1,000 students accessed an average 1,449 ed tech products online each month during the 2020-2021 school year, according to research conducted by LearnPlatform. In response, they are now seeing an increase in teachers and students who are burned out on technology.

Trends 546
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Security Tools for K–12 Districts in Today’s Cloud Environments

EdTech Magazine

Before the cloud, schools hosted everything on-premises. Servers, files, data — it all existed where users resided and where district IT teams could manage and secure it: locally. Cloud users, conversely, rent space on a computer system that exists outside of the district’s walls. Because of this, IT leaders need to take a closer look at the security protections offered by the cloud providers with which they work.

Microsoft 545
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How K–12 Schools Can Use Artificial Intelligence in Education

EdTech Magazine

What role will artificial intelligence play in the future of education? For educators, AI can feel like an exciting development — or a terrifying unknown. AI technology is advancing quickly and creating solutions once thought impossible. It’s widely available in various technologies and, in many places, already being integrated into the classroom. The pandemic spurred the development of educational technology out of necessity, including the development of AI.

Education 545
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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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New Digital Assistant for Education Supports Teachers in the Classroom

EdTech Magazine

Teachers in K–12 education face increasingly high rates of burnout, and many have chosen to leave the profession altogether. While there are many reasons for this, the struggle to balance new technologies and multiple teaching modalities amid an ongoing pandemic unquestionably contribute. Pandemic-inspired technology will continue to permeate classrooms.

Classroom 545
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IoT in Education: Tech Makes Gains in K–12 Schools

EdTech Magazine

The Internet of Things is the connection of devices — beyond tools such as computers — to the internet. IoT refers to technology, such as fitness wearables and smart home devices, that have sensors and software for exchanging data with other devices or systems via a network connection. Schools increasingly are using IoT technologies to support classroom learning, as well as on- and offsite operations, says Michael Flood, senior vice president and general manager of Kajeet.

Software 544
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Building a Culture of Digital Innovation in Education with Student Devices

EdTech Magazine

In a world where digital natives are now sending their own children to school, technology in the classroom should no longer be optional. I’ve spent the past few years as an instructional coach showing teachers how to integrate technology into the curriculum. During that time, I’ve learned that for teachers to truly embrace digital innovation in the classroom, they will need to be supported by a culture that fully embraces educational technology.

Education 544
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The 6 Dimensions of Disruptive Thinkers

A Principal's Reflections

What is really needed for success in the world today? I think this might be the million-dollar question. Even though it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict the future, we can examine current trends and societal forces to determine the competencies that learners need to thrive. While some will remain the same, others will evolve or change completely depending on the disruption at the moment.

Outcomes 545
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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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No Act of Kindness is a Wasted Effort

A Principal's Reflections

I fly a lot. Even during the heart of the pandemic, I was on the road coaching in numerous school districts as part of long-term projects. Now things are absolutely crazy but in a good way. Job-embedded and ongoing professional learning is being prioritized in schools, which means my travel is back to pre-pandemic levels. As much as I love what I do, being away from the comforts of home is stressful.

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Choice Boards: Benefits, Design Tips & Differentiation

Catlin Tucker

Student agency, or a students’ ability to make key decisions about their learning experience, is an essential aspect of blended learning. Student agency requires that we design our lessons to offer students meaningful choices. These choices can help us universally design learning experiences that strive to remove barriers and invite students to decide how to engage with information, make meaning, and demonstrate their learning.

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Disruptive Thinking: Making it a Reality

A Principal's Reflections

It has been a wild and bumpy ride during the pandemic, but through it all, we have witnessed firsthand the resilience of educators across the world. While COVID-19 represented the most disruptive force ever to impact the field of education, educators did what they always do – go above and beyond for kids and each other. They have and continue to make lemonade out of a never-ending supply of lemons.

Strategy 545
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Why Digital Equity Still Matters for Students in Online Environments

EdTech Magazine

Educators, administrators and K–12 leaders realized technology’s full potential when the COVID-19 pandemic first swept the nation. Since the initial shift to remote learning, educational technology has advanced in leaps and bounds. With the expansion of virtual-only schools, many students won’t be returning to the classroom this year. Some are choosing to learn online because they’ve found their niche, while others are taking a virtual option for safety or scheduling reasons.

Classroom 545
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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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Playing with Ed Tech: Using Digital Tools in Kindergarten Classrooms

EdTech Magazine

Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey, the duo behind Innovating Play, face unique challenges when it comes to integrating technology into their classrooms. “They’re just learning their letters, and capitals usually come first. So, with lowercase letters on Chromebooks, they’re all over the place,” says Pinto, who teaches kindergarten at Arcadia Unified School District in Southern California.

Classroom 543
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RTI and Personalization: A Dynamic Duo

A Principal's Reflections

Recently I was working with the leadership team at Moanalua Middle School (MMS) in Hawaii. One of the coaching topics that came up was how to improve the Response to Intervention (RTI) process as a means to support learners. It represents a multi-tiered process to identify the behavior and learning needs of struggling students early on and then provide specific support in the form of interventions.

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Why You Should Upgrade Your School Esports Teams

EdTech Magazine

The competitive video gaming industry has taken off in recent years, and more high schools are tapping that enthusiasm to engage students in esports. This team sport is quashing the image of the lone video gamer. Instead, like a traditional athletic team, students work together to form strategies for particular games, such as the popular Fortnite, and practice to improve their skills.

Industry 544