Tech Blogs

Connected Learning Infographic. There is More to iPads in the Classroom Than Apps In a previous post, Evaluating Apps with Transformative Use of the iPad in Mind, I describe my ambivalence about teacher asking my for the “perfect” app to teach this or that. I have teachers ask me frequently about app recommendations for different subject areas. “What app could I use to teach subtraction?” “What app would you recommend for my students to practice writing?” “I want to use iPads in my Science class. In a recent article, titled ” How the iPad Can Transform Classrooms” by Ben Johnson on Edutopia, raises awareness of the difference between using the iPad as a way to teach students versus the iPad as a tool to learn for students.

The lesson planning questions I hope my teachers will learn to ask will change from “How can I teach this content?” He calls for the paradigm shift in seeing the iPad as a TOOL TO THINK WITH: images used with permission from Andrea Hernandez @edtechworkshop You can download all four images as a pdf. iPad apps and Bloom’s Taxonomy Related 27. 15. 20. Embrace Change in the New Year with Genius Hour - Getting Smart by Susan Oxnevad - #geniushour, badges, edchat, edreform, elearning, eportfolios, Innovation.

Genius Hour is a powerful movement popping up in classrooms everywhere. The idea encourages students to explore and develop their own passions and creativity. The idea is based on a business practice used by Google’s development team. Google allows their designers to spend 20% of their time on projects that interest them, as long as the work might possibly lead to something that could be developed. Gmail was the result of Genius Hour. Watch this video to learn more Genius Hour Genius Hour Rules • Work stems from driving questions • Research must play a big role • Projects must be completed and shared, ideally globally Genius Hour for Real-World Learning In order to develop something truly remarkable, we must first engage in constructive play driven by passion.

Documenting Genius Hour Genius Hour is not casual learning, it’s inspired, experimental, and sometimes spontaneous. Blogging to Document Genius Hour Exploring ePortfolios to Document Genius Hour Embracing Genius Hour ePortfolios. Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners. Tefltecher | "Putting a bit of tech into teach!" About « The Digital Frontline. iLearn Technology.

Moving at the Speed of Creativity | Weblog of Wesley Fryer. Infinite Thinking Machine - The Infinite Thinking Machine. MindShift. MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions. We examine how learning is being impacted by technology, discoveries about how the brain works, poverty and inequities, social and emotional practices, assessments, digital games, design thinking and music, among many other topics. We look at how learning is evolving in the classroom and beyond.We also revisit old ideas that have come full circle in the era of the over scheduled child, such as unschooling, tinkering, playing in the woods, mindfulness, inquiry-based learning and student motivation. We report on shifts in how educators practice their craft as they apply innovative ideas to help students learn, while meeting the rigorous demands of their standards and curriculum.

MindShift has a unique audience of educators, tinkerers, policy makers and life-long learners who engage in meaningful dialogue with one another on our sites. Contact the us by email. The Clever Sheep. Teaching 2 Engage | Inject some technology into your classes! Why K-12 schools are failing by not teaching SEARCH. Some rights reserved by flickr ID: miguelavg This past week I had the opportunity to spend a day with some of the faculty at Western Washington University talking about reverse instruction…or at least my idea of what that means. To get started, we did a little reverse instruction of our own where I had them read the connectivism article by George Siemens before I arrived. Once I got there, we then set up the classroom for discussion with collaborative note taking and a back channel chat…both were new concepts to most present. However, as cool as it was to be talking with faculty at a University, I soon found myself appologizing for the K-12 system and its failure in providing students with the skills they need to be ready for college.

As we were having a great discussion about the connectivism article and what it meant for universities and their classrooms, one faculty member spoke up with this: I just wish they could find information better. Really? OK, this table appears on page 6: B's Life with English. Teaching Tools « tech4teacher. Google Summit South Korea Round One I recently attended the Google Summit in South Korea. After two days of Google Boot Camp training, the conference was a break from the intensity of the boot camp. There have been so many great tools presented. So it’s hard to decide what to share. Ed.ted.com is completely different from ted.com. Docs Story Builder is a great website for creating google docs video.

Have you been using Google Chrome Apps and extensions? The 21st Century Conference in Hong Kong: just a red dot I spent three hours today with Dan Meyer – renown High School Math Teacher and TED talk contributor. Throughout the conference keynotes and speakers have been talking about various technologies that can aid instruction in the classroom. Here I run a blog called tech4teacher – where I describe the many free resources available to teachers and tell about how I use them in my room. Anyway – Dan Meyer introduced our class to a website: click here. The Nerdy Teacher. Learn It In 5 - Home. The 10 Most Useful Learnist Boards Of The Week. We think Learnist is so helpful both in and out of the classroom that each week we will be spotlighting ten boards. This week’s Top Ten features a variety of boards, from boards featuring high-tech apps and their use in the classroom, to good old-fashion children’s lit boards.

In addition, Learnist is celebrating World Teachers Day with a celebratory board that will help you remember the teachers that got you where you are today–and smile. 1. World Teacher’s Day This board is a collaboration to celebrate World Teacher Day. Ranging from teaching strategy, to poetry to famous people paying tribute to the teachers who inspired them, this board pays tribute to those who paved the way for us to achieve our dreams. 2.

This board is a powerhouse collaboration among twenty teachers and tech lovers guaranteed to give every educator ideas to tech-up the classroom. 3. 4. 2012 Summer Camp: The Best of the Common Core Resources 5. 6. This board features Dr. 7. 8. 9. 10. Cooltoolsforschools - home. Kathy’s Katch. 6 Great Note-Taking Tools for Students and Teachers. One of the best things about education technology is that it has allowed students and teachers alike to turn to online annotation and records, making hastily scrawled, illegible scribbles and coffee-stained pages a thing of the past. From university students keeping track of lectures to young students making plans and mind maps, there is an online note-taking tool to suit everyone… 1.

Study Blue A great site that allows students to create online flash cards, study guides and quizzes. These learning resources are stored online, making heavy folders and easily-misplaced notebooks redundant, as students can simply login anywhere anytime and use their notes to revise, or test themselves using their flashcards. 2. A brilliantly simple online interactive whiteboard, Scriblink allows notes to be shared as they’re created. 3. Perfect for individual students, Penzu is the online version of the old-fashioned notebook or journal in which you build up your body of lecture or class notes. 4. 5. 6. Provenzano's GPS Tech Guide. We’re ‘imagineering’ our K-4 Computer Lab into a STEM experience. Join our journey.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to re-invent your classroom? I have. For quite a while. Years, in fact. What would you do? Where would you start? What would your objectives be? The photo above is my lab as it appeared in September 2003, my first year teaching. Fast forward to this school year, nine years later (above). While the hardware has changed over the years (and my lessons have too), my students still sit at fixed stations, working on their own, for 42 minutes, once a week. It’s time for a change. Let’s be honest: some consider fixed labs an anachronism, a throwback to a time when computers were so expensive only a small number could be purchased and they had to be housed in a single location so that as many people as possible could utilize them. We have been talking for months about an exciting new direction for our K-4 Computer Lab. We have seen the future and it is MOBILE, COLLABORATIVE and ALWAYS-ON We will still use Microsoft products, just not exclusively.