background preloader

Teaching

Facebook Twitter

Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents | Multicultural Children's Book Day. 1000+ images about Coding Resources on Pinterest | Ios app, Code for and Programming. 21 Things Every 21st Century Teacher Should Do This Year. The Past mixing with the Future #selfie A new school year always brings about new ideas and hopeful ambition for teachers. However, it’s almost 2015. Gone are the days when we can use the excuse that “we don’t do technology”. Part of being a teacher in the 21st century is being creative in integrating academics and learning into student’s digital lives.

While some of the ideas that follow may seem a bit trendy, it’s never hurts to model ways to interact with all this new media as a covert way of teaching digital literacy and citizenship. And so, I present the 21 things every 21st century teacher should try in their classroom this year: 1. One of the best ways to engage student (and family) interaction with your classroom is to have a class blog. 2. Just like a blog only smaller. 3.

The ultimate form of flattery is imitation. 4. Those clever little graphics are appearing everywhere from Popular Mechanics to Cosmopolitan. 5. 6. And then have your students blog about the experience. 7. 8. @Techieteaching Yes all teachers. Go to and choose the 'Teachers' school, then use your AD login. #granitetechchat. 21 Creative Digital Essays You Can Use In Your Classroom. Prezi is not new, and by now you’ve heard about it and have already decided whether or not you like it. (Of course when you say you don’t like it, you mean you don’t think it’s an effective learning tool, right?) The draw is simple enough: novel presentations that tell stories or relay arguments and ideas. It is marketed as the “non-PowerPoint”–the software that allows you to “jazz up” presentations (while making you seasick in the process).

But focusing on its novelty misses the power of a digital essay: multimodal (and multimedia), non-linear narrative and argument sequences that can support text, images, voiceovers, YouTube videos, music and more while using the background and pathways themselves as layers of additional meaning. As Simple Or Complex As You’d Like Digital essays on prezi can be used as very simply–to copy/paste typed pencil/paper essays, or in far more creative and interesting ways.

They’re all embedded below–hopefully it doesn’t crash your browser. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Teacher Spotlight: Dennis Hummer, Cottonwood High School. Teaching Writing With Technology? Blogging, Blogging, Blogging. Epic! presents a gift for educators. The New Teachers' Aides: Superman and Iron Man - The Atlantic. Edutopia on Pinterest. Good read. Storytelling in the Classroom as a Teaching Strategy. 8 Weeks of Free Teacher Resources for Back to School. Become a Transformational Teacher Classroom Download: What Does Transformational Teaching Look Like? Download this tip list with details on six steps to transformational teaching. Read more about these strategies in the associated post: "4 Big Things Transformational Teachers Do. " Back to Top Plan Inspiring Lessons Classroom Downloads: 9 Ways to Plan Transformational Lessons Download this poster with nine great lesson-planning tips. Unit Plan Download this unit-planning checklist for step-by-step guidance on tweaking or overhauling the big elements of a unit plan.

Sponge Activities Sometimes even well-planned lessons fail. Implement Assessment Strategies 53 Ways to Check for Understanding Download a big, printable list of assessment strategies. Formative Assessment Rubric for Social and Emotional Learning Using this SEL progression chart, track student progress on SEL skills. Student Feedback Survey Use a short survey to help students provide feedback on their classes. Redesign Your Classroom Space. AASL announces 2014 list of Best Apps for Teaching & Learning #alaac14. CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced its 2014 list of Best Apps for Teaching & Learning at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

The list of 25 apps provides new technology resources for school librarians and their teacher collaborators. Now in its second year, the list is considered the "best of the best" by AASL. The selection committee developed an evaluation criterion for vetting apps in five distinct categories connected to pedagogy – books; science technology engineering and math (STEM); organization and management; social sciences; and content creation. Chosen for their embodiment of AASL’s learning standards and support of the school librarian’s role in implementing career and college readiness standards, the apps honored in 2014 include: Descriptions and tips for the 2014 Best Apps can be found at www.ala.org/aasl/bestapps. How (And Why) To Get Started With 3D Printing In The Classroom. This past week, I introduced 3D printing into my classroom. Next week, we will receive 3D pens from Dim3printing, an Austin-based 3D printing distributor.

This technology has brought about an excitement for learning I have never experienced in my classroom before. Revolutionize Learning 3D printing will revolutionize learning because it lends itself to low-risk, low-cost innovation. Since ideas can materialize within minutes, students can see their work as tangible products. When students have access to 3D printing, abstract concepts in science and mathematics have the potential to be transformed into concrete (plastic) visuals. Students will begin to see objects differently — “That’s cool! Students Want Hands-on Applicable Technology 3D printing has opened the door to serious conversations about education.

They showed interest in real-life applications for investing, banking, loans, and the financial aspects of business, such as credit, buying a house, and financial responsibility. Amazing Utah educator, Amber Palmer, uses Minecraft to teach U.S. History. @Minecraft. Minecraft’s virtual worlds can teach real U.S. history Taylorsville » Minecraft explorers worldwide excavate sand to smelt into glass, diamonds to hone into swords and redstone to power millions of digital creations.

Amber Palmer’s fifth-graders visit the Minecraft universe to dig into U.S. history. Airing Thursday o Five Utah teachers have been selected for KUED-The Salt Lake Tribune Teacher Innovation Awards, which celebrate their creative use of technology in classrooms. The awards were given in the categories of arts, math, language arts, science and social studies.

The winners are being profiled in a continuing Tribune series this week and in a half-hour documentary airing Thursday at 7 p.m. on KUED-Channel 7. TribTalk: Celebrating innovation As digital devices increasingly appear in Utah classrooms, the challenge is using them effectively in teaching. You can join the discussion by sending questions and comments to the hashtag #TribTalk on Twitter and Google+. story continues below. Chrome Smashing: Creating the Inconceivable. Despite what Apple and Microsoft would like for us to believe, there isn't always "an app for that. " Sometimes, it takes multiple tools to complete a process, and this idea becomes abundantly clear when working with mobile devices. As Greg Kulowiec says in his blog: While many apps slightly overlap in terms of functionality, there tends to be a few black holes in each app that require the use of another app to complete the process.

This leads us to App Smashing. . . the process of using multiple apps in conjunction with one another to complete a final task or project. Smashing Defined Creating with mobile devices can be a lot like baking. Though cookies, cakes and pies all begin with flour and eggs, the final products vary wildly. As teachers, we should look to incorporate smashes because we want our students to demonstrate their understanding, to reflect on a process and to envision creating a learning artifact that was previously inconceivable.

Video Reflection Chrome Smash. Teachers As Artists. Whenever hear the question, “Is teaching a science or an art?” Invariably the answer is both. That seems reasonable. But what if you ask a musician “Is music a science or an art?” Most people would lean heavily toward it being an art. So why do we consider teaching more of a hybrid? Taking music and musicians as the example, we view them as artists because we tend to focus on what they do that’s unique and personal. Artists are also usually seen as performers. It seems lately there has been more emphasis in education on the science of teaching.

What if we starting thinking of teachers as artists? What leadership should do is support the diversity among our students and our teachers. My issue with the emphasis on the science of teaching is that it can turn teachers into machines. We should study our craft, discuss the scientific nature of our work but understanding that no amount of data or research will make you a great teacher. Related Posts November 11, 2011 -- Does it Poo? Bringing Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014) to the Classroom. 8 Tips For Updating Your Teaching. Updating Your Teaching To Something Messier by Mike Fisher In the first week of April, I participated in a Twitter chat for the ASCD Leader to Leader initiative, hashtag #ASCDL2L, on the role of the modern teacher.

As the conversation unfolded, it caused me to think more deeply than I have before about what elements teachers might consider on their path to developing a more modern version of their current role. In Digital Learning Strategies: How Do I Assign and Assess Digital Work, I challenge teachers to think about several questions as they seek to modernize instruction, though this is just a slice of what being a modern educator means. Using digital tools is essential, certainly, but I want to extend the message of the book to include other aspects of modern learning. 8 Tips For Updating Your Teaching To Something “Messier” 1.

It is inevitable that the world will change. 2. Your students will benefit from what you model. 3. Don’t limit yourself to what you’ve always known. 4. 5. 6. 7. 15+ Ways of Teaching Every Student to Code (Even Without a Computer) According to Code.org, 90 percent of parents in the U.S. want their children to learn computer science—it will be crucial for many jobs in the near future—but only 40 percent of schools teach it. Critics claim that it is mainly the more affluent schools that offer computer science courses, thus denying those who attend poorer schools the chance to learn necessary skills. A focus on STEM is not enough: Code.org also reports that while 70 percent of new STEM jobs are in computing, only 7 percent of STEM graduates are in computer science.

It is imperative that savvy schools begin to focus some STEM resources on computer science and programming. In my opinion, parents of every student in every school at every level should demand that all students be taught how to code. They need this skill not because they’ll all go into it as a career—that isn’t realistic—but because it impacts every career in the 21st-century world.

Any country recognizing that will benefit in the long term. Free Guides to Teaching and Learning With Primary Sources. Last month Common Craft released a great video explanation of the differences between primary and secondary sources. After sharing that video with your students, extend the lesson by using the primary source evaluation guides from the Library of Congress. A central part of the Teacher's Page on the LOC's website is the primary source center. The primary source center walks teachers through the process of locating documents on the Library of Congress' site. The primary source center also provides guides for using various types of primary sources including political cartoons, photographs, and oral histories. Applications for Education When I was just starting out as a history teacher I knew that I should include primary source use in my classroom, but I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Why teaching poetry is so important #engchat.

Five Great Online Resources Available to Educators. A Psychedelic Anti-Marijuana PSA for Kids (1988) How to Search Twitter for Educational Content. The 25 Best Pinterest Boards in Educational Technology. Thanks to OnlineUniversities for this list of the Best Pinterest Boards in Educational Technology. Blogs and Twitter aren’t the only social tools out there that can help you keep up with the latest and greatest developments in educational technology. Pinterest is rapidly becoming a favorite tool of educators all over the nation, and many have amassed some pretty great collections of edtech-related pins that teachers and students alike can use to explore new ways to learn, share, teach, and grow. While it would be nearly impossible to highlight every edtech pinboard out there, we’ve shared some of the boards we think stand out among the crowd here. Many are maintained by major educational websites, key figures in edtech, and well-known bloggers, but others were created by teachers just like you who simply want to share resources and tips with others in education.

- Top 40 Web 2.0 Sites With Educational Portal. Many sites that are beneficial for education require that a student has an email account to login. This is very frustrating for educators that have to worry about district policy and CIPA/COPPA compliance to maintain student safety/privacy. So I compiled a list that had a educational portal that allowed an educator to create a student account or that is safe for use in education. Since then, a number of new sites have been released that accomplish this as well, persuading me to create an updated list. This list is in alphabetical order. Animoto Plus - One of the most popular web tools/apps for creating slideshows with free educational portal for schools. Answer Pad - A fantastic Student Response and Assessment System that uses an innovative graphical interface to help turn a teacher's classroom paperless (by doing testing on mobile devices) and assess students on any number of subjects in real-time using a free mobile app with digital portfolio capabilities.

Educational Web Sites Twitter.