Module List: BioQUEST Library OnLine. The Visual Datasets text module discusses the concept of visual learning and presents some suggestions for ways to design learning environments that support students in developing visual literacy skills. Three visual datasets that can be used for problem solving activities in evolution, classification, development, and botany are included: Caminacules A dataset of imaginary animals that can be used as the basis for a variety of problem-posing and problem-solving activities in evolution, classification, development, and others. Originally generated by J. H. Camin and described by Robert Sokal in an article in the 1983 Journal of Systematic Zoology, 32 (2) 161-163. Dendrogrammaceae A dataset of imaginary plants that can also be used for problem-posing and problem solving activities in evolution and classification.
Oh Phlox! The Phases of Inquiry-Based Teaching. A central goal of education is teaching critical-thinking skills. Inquiry-based teaching is an excellent path to this goal. Based partly on the philosophy that “humans are born inquirers,” the method focuses on student discovery over pushing information from the instructor. Along the way, the students explore multiple sources and contexts, ask questions and pursue hypotheses, and work to apply their theories to new and diverse situations. In doing this, they actively discover the interrelatedness among concepts, topics, and theories.
In general, all inquiry-based teaching follows three phases. Phase 1: Formulating Questions and Initial Understandings First, students are oriented to a problem, phenomena, or goal. For instance, I teach an inquiry-based online world religions course in which we begin by exploring the core question “what is religion, spirituality, or faith?” There are also a number of aids that can help in the synthesizing process. Beyond Data: Building Empathy in Adults Through Student Shadow Days. Data are increasingly at the core of efforts to improve instructional quality, but often the data available to school leaders and educators are limited to specific academic points.
Many teachers report classroom data have become too overwhelming to be of much use and are often represented in granular, siloed ways that make it difficult for teachers to get a sense of how students are doing overall. And much of the data are divorced from the qualitative experience of learners every day. In an effort to build empathy for the student experience — to see school through their eyes — some school and district leaders are shadowing students through a whole day, adding a new data point to the ever-growing pile.
Recently nearly 1,400 school and district leaders nationwide participated in Shadow a Student Challenge created by the Stanford d.school and IDEO to better understand what goes on at the classroom level where the policies and practices they’ve mandated take effect. Kycrbrochurebw.pdf. 40 Android Apps for Teaching and Learning. A few weeks ago I invited readers to share their favorite iPad apps for the classroom, and the comments section features several good suggestions. Last week I asked readers to share their favorite Android apps for the classroom, and… well… we didn’t end up with nearly as many suggestions. I do not own an Android device, but I spent some time searching for apps that might prove useful for pedagogical purposes, and the list below is the result.
(I’ve also made this information available as a spreadsheet on GoogleDrive, which you are free to copy and re-use however you like.) In the comments section below, please share any additional suggestions you have of Android apps for the classroom. 1Password Price: FreeDownload from Google PlayDeveloper: AgileBits“Have you ever forgotten a password? Attendance Blackboard Mobile Learn Blogger Price: FreeDownload from Google PlayDeveloper: Google“With the Blogger app for Android, you can quickly and easily publish posts to your blog wherever you are.”
Deck. The 5 Best Free Rubric Making Tools for Teachers. Rubrics are generally something that makes the life of an educator easier. Rather than adding an arbitrary grade to an assignment, with rubrics educators are able to determine exactly where a student’s work excelled beyond expectations and exactly where it lacked quality.
Although they are highly valuable tools, creating rubrics can be a difficult and time consuming process. That is, it used to be a difficult and time consuming process until you found out about these 5 best free Rubric making tools for teachers. Editor's note: We have originally written and published this article in January 2014. Thanks to your useful suggestions and our own following of the latest developments in the fast paced field of technology, we have updated this piece in November 2015 in the hope that you will keep finding it useful. Free Educational Technology Get 2 Free eBooks Get the eLearning Industry's Articles in your inbox.
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