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5 Great Books On Using Minecraft In Education #edtechbc. September 7, 2015 Since its release in 2009, Minecraft has sold millions of copies worldwide revolutionizing thus the gaming industry and providing game players with an endless world of possibilities. As a sandbox construction game, Minecraft has successfully and distinctively set itself from the crowd by incorporating the ethos of 21st century learning that include: creativity, challenge, problem solving, and strategic thinking all of which are adeptly adapted to the player’s little gaming world. Minecraft provided players with the tools and resources to construct their own gaming reality and test their creative possibilities. In a relatively short time, Minecraft succeeded in marking a strong presence within the education sector and became one of the leading educational learning platforms for students.

Given this growing potential of Minecraft in education, we decided to compile the list below featuring some of the best reads on Minecraft. The State of the iPad in Education in 2015 | Emerging Education Technologies #edtechbc. Creative Commons License Image Source With Competition Slowly Creeping in, How Goes it for the Behemoth of the Classroom Tablet Scene? When Apple released the iPad in 2010, they took the world by storm, adding another jewel to their crown as the world’s leading provider of technology. The iPad suddenly made the until-then-overlooked tablet market something that mattered, and it kicked the mobile revolution into high gear.

The introduction of the iPad also played no small role in Apple becoming the most valuable company in history by August of 2012. Much as education has consistently favored the Mac over the PC, the sector jumped with gusto onto the iPad ‘bandwagon’. And despite the fact that technology manufacturers across the world soon dove into the suddenly relevant tablet market, the iPad continues to own the academic marketplace. So, here we are 5 years down the road. Assessing the Impact of Well Executed Use in the Classroom Here are some quick insights of a few of these studies:

How To Teach Visual Thinking – 5 Strategies From Around The Web | Innovation Design In Education - ASIDE #edtechbc. The misconceptions about visual thinking are alarming. On one hand, this critical skill seems integral for contemporary learning, since almost every modern input is visual in nature. Yet this key proficiency seems almost entirely absent from state standards and daily classroom lessons. Is visual thinking just a polite nod to Howard Gardner's quaint modalities?

Or is it a genuine habit of learning that unites the external codes of pictorial metaphor and digital imagery into a seasoned curriculum of higher-level interpretation? Visual thinking is a close partner to graphicacy, which is a spectrum of analytical tools to decode and encode pictures. Luckily, many educators on the web have shared strategies for reaching children via optical data. Here are five terrific presentations about the power of visuals to craft a layered approach toward teaching with creative design.

Visual Thinking Presentation Visual Thinking And The Writing Process An Introduction To Visual Thinking Visual Thinking Help. 7 Ways Social Media Has a Role in Education #edtechbc. The Americas Society and Council of the Americas invited me to discuss the role of social media in education with experts and leaders dedicated to advancing and shaping the political, economic, social and cultural agendas of the Western Hemisphere. The purpose was to take what works in New York City and bring it to other education systems. To follow are some ideas I shared that global leaders can bring back to their countries.

Why embrace social media for students and staff? If we want to run for office, run a business, or change how things are run where we work, live, or play we must be savvy in the use of social media. It is crucial for college, career, and life success. It can also save time at work for teachers. Here’s how. 1. . * 1/4 of college admissions officers consider digital footprint * 3/4 of human resource managers * 1/3 of employers reject candidates based on something found in profiles 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. So, what do you think? Twitter 101: 5-Step Guide for Social Media in Education | Edudemic #edtechbc. If you aren’t using Twitter, chances are that you’re reluctant to adopt new technology. Or maybe you’ve used Twitter for years to keep up with friends but now want to use it in the classroom.

Either way, you might be hesitant to ask colleagues for help. Fear not. We’ll guide you through the Twitter landscape and show you how to find the best educational resources for both yourself and your students. Step 1: Get Started First, create your Twitter account. If you have a personal account and want to create a separate account for school, consider making your personal account private. Fill out your bio with keywords — teacher, education, etc. — that can help others with shared interests find you. Step 2: Find Your People If you know who or what you’re looking for, you can use the Twitter search page. Let’s learn the Twitter landscape: Notifications: This is at the top of the page and tells you what is happening with your account. Let’s back up a step to explain hastags. Step 3: Learn the Lingo.

Twitter 101: 5-step guide for Social Media in education #edtechbc # How students are using social media in education. Flipped learning is more than just having students do homework during the school day. It’s more than just putting the onus on students to teach themselves. In fact, it’s neither of those things. Don’t be fooled by simple explanations of flipped classrooms that simplify a highly complex undertaking. Flipped learning is a hot trend in most stages of education right now – and for good reason. It’s a way to really shake up the typical classroom and incorporate education technology in a positive way. See Also: 10 barriers to creating flipped classroom video content … and how to overcome them Since some teachers are already incorporating the flipped model but many others are still unsure about the specifics, it might be a good time to research the basics. The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed.

Flipped Learning Enables: Flipped Learning in the Classroom: Flipped Learning with Homework: Using Minecraft in Education : Cross Curricular Ideas | The Whiteboard Blog #edtechbc. Minecraft is an open sandbox game that allows players to construct their own world. They can build structures, farm animals, mine for resources and much more. There are different modes to the game; Survival Mode is a challenging mode where the player needs to fight for survival against other creatures in the world, and Creative Mode provides unlimited resources to build and create without limitations.

I’ve been investigating Creative Mode as it’s easier to build large structures quickly. Minecraft can be played individually, or as a multiplayer environment allowing children to cooperate to build and explore together. In Multiplayer mode they connect to a Minecraft Server on the internet or locally (running on a game hosted by one of the computers).

Minecraft is available in many flavours, including a Raspberry Pi version, a pocket edition for the iPad and a Educational version. Here are a few ways that Minecraft can be used to support different curriculum subjects. Minecraft and Numeracy. Apps in Education: Creating a Quiz or taking a ... The Importance Of Technology In Education Infographic. Educational Technology Infographics Technology in the field of education can be a powerful tool. The Importance Of Technology In Education Infographic presents 5 benefits of technology in education: Future Oriented: The future is all about technology and multi-screening. Education can’t lag behind.Learning Becomes Interesting: It engages and challenges students with brand new and interactive methods.Improves Skills: digital learning, communication, collaboration, building teams, mobile learning, listening, planning, valuing diversity, problem solving, self direction, global awareness, social, presentations, …Increases Collaboration: Students can work and collaborate with people in other locations.

Distance learners can join online communities.Reduces Weight: Instead of carrying lots of books, students just carry a laptop, a tablet or a mouse which contain all their books and projects. Via: www.laurasapiens.com Embed This Education Infographic on your Site or Blog! Will today's generation of toddlers with tablets force a change in education | The Globe and Mail #edtechbc. There doesn’t seem to be a week that doesn’t feature new data indicating the growing presence and ubiquity of tablets and smartphones.

Many voices are turning their attention to these transformative events. Commenting on the need for innovation in Ontario, Premier Kathleen Wynne recently said that reform of the province’s school system is a key priority to ensure good job prospects for future generations. “Helping kids to develop their innovation and entrepreneurial skills – that’s going to make a difference 10 years from now.” To swiftly advance this agenda in our elementary schools, we need look no further than the tablet. The first tablets appeared just over three years ago. Tablets have altered fundamentally the way the youngest learn. Is this something to welcome or to fear? Let’s start with the numbers. Second, we need to recognize the enormous and democratizing power this transformation brings.

Nevertheless, there are some challenges that arise from this ‘tablet revolution.’