5 Smart (And Fun!) Uses for Student Blogs Some would argue that the 21st classroom isn’t complete without a classroom blog. Students can use it to hand in assignments, explore the more creative side of assignments, and learn how to be a good digital citizen. The best part: there are many blog platforms to choose from—WordPress, Blogger, Edublogs—and most of them are free. Use these five ideas to take full advantage of this simple tool, making homework and in-class assignments more exciting and educational. 1. Encourage students to demonstrate their knowledge of a subject by teaching another student instead of turning in a homework sheet or report. Break the class into two groups, giving each one a different reading assignment.Further split the students into groups of two, each one with a different reading assignment.After finishing the reading, each student has to write a blog post to their partner explaining the main points or exploring a topic that you suggest. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Does Class Size Matter in Online Courses? Three Perspectives: The Economist, Instructor & Student #edtechbc What is the ideal class size in an online, for-credit course? Fifteen, twenty students? How about forty? A group of researchers at Stanford University set out to answer this question by conducting a study with over 100,000 students across 102 undergraduate and graduate courses. Why Class Size Matters There’s a need for educators and administrators to address the size of online classes. Consensus? Three Perspectives on Online Class Size 1) Economist Perspective of Online Class Size There is significant literature on the economics of class size and student achievement for K-12, though research on cost-benefit analysis of class size for face-to-face and online in higher education is scant. The study used data from a research partnership between DeVry Education group and Stanford University (also reported in the New York Times in 2014) over a two-year period that tracked over 100,000 students from DeVry University and focused online, for-credit college-level courses. Closing Thoughts
Optimal Video Length for Student Engagement | edX #edtechbc Anant, Rob, and the rest of the edX leadership team have been wonderfully supportive of my research efforts. In addition, Anant and Rob have personally contributed to framing some of the questions that I investigated in my work. I plan to blog about my findings in the coming months. In this first post, I’ll share some preliminary results about video usage, obtained from initial analyses of a few edX math and science courses. Unsurprisingly, students engaged more with shorter videos. The optimal video length is 6 minutes or shorter — students watched most of the way through these short videos. The take-home message for instructors is that, to maximize student engagement, they should work with instructional designers and video producers to break up their lectures into small, bite-sized pieces. Stay tuned for more detailed posts in the coming months, and visit www.pgbovine.net to learn more about my research and education projects! By Philip Guo
7 Best Practices for Building a Multimodal Online Elementary Curriculum #edtechbc Distance Learning 7 Best Practices for Building a Multimodal Online Elementary Curriculum A course designer shares the process that her virtual school uses to decide how to teach STEAM and the humanities. By Jennifer Hart01/21/15 With many states requiring students to complete one or more online courses to be eligible for high school graduation, virtual schooling has taken off in K-12 education. There are several reasons for such low enrollment at the lower grade levels: 1) Not as many full-time virtual programs exist for these age groups; 2) parents or learning guides must commit to facilitating daily student learning; and 3) standards-aligned, interactive, engaging curriculum is difficult — if not impossible — to find. Build a Committed Team It is critical to assemble a team consisting of both teachers and administrators who understand the project goals, work well together and are committed to the curriculum process.
Online permission slips service | Educational Technology Guy #edtechbc Permission Click is a new, free, online resource that allows teachers to create and send digital permission slips directly to a parent's email instead of using paper permission slips for trips and events. Parents give approval through the cloud-based app, and can even send payment if needed. It's easy to setup and use and can save teachers, parents, and students a lot of time and aggravation. Teachers can also use it for fundraising events, registration, yearbook sales and more. Parents just click the link in their email and they are taken to the form. Here is a video overview of Permission Click: PER 1408 Promo Video FIN H264 from Permission Click on Vimeo. There is also a Premium, fee based service with it that integrates with your Student Information System and integrates across an entire district.
The 5 Most Effective Educational Technology Interventions | ICT Works #edtechbc There is enormous interest and investment in the potential of educational technology (edtech) to improve the quality of teaching and learning in low and lower-middle income countries. The primary aim of the DfID-funded Educational Technology Topic Guide is to contribute to what we know about the relationship between edtech and educational outcomes. Taking evidence from over 80 studies, the guide addresses the overarching question: What is the evidence that the use of edtech, by teachers or students, impacts teaching and learning practices, or learning outcomes? Educational technology was defined as the use of digital or electronic technologies and materials to support teaching and learning. And while the Millennium Development Goals prompted improvements in access to education, quality remains a challenge. Educational Technology for Students Educational Technology for Teachers 4 Recommendations Edtech programmes should focus on enabling educational change, not delivering technology.
5 Big Ways Education Will Change By 2020 #edtechbc We asked the world’s most innovative companies in education to school us on the future of the classroom, with predictions for the next five years. Here's what we found out: Students Will Interact With Others Remotely Why do classrooms today look nearly identical to those 30 years ago—minus a few upgrades to the modern chalkboard, and sneaking texts in class instead of notes? "With some exciting exceptions, public schools are one of the few institutions in modern life that have not seen radical changes spurred by technology," says Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform. "I’m not talking about having computers in classrooms, but rather a lack of any seismic shift in the way things are done because technology is making the work easier or more efficient." Williams predicts that education tech will continue the push towards individualized instruction for students. The Success Of Tech Will Still Rely On Skilled Teachers We’ll Think Differently About The Diploma
Top 5 Student Response Systems that Work on Multiple Platforms #edtechbc Image Source If there are two things that students crave, they are convenience and connectivity. These are the reasons why students love student response systems that work on their devices. Student response systems have morphed over the years from simple ‘clicker’ systems to web based apps that work with a multitude of devices and operating systems. 5. Kahoot is a utility that allows teachers to create quizzes and surveys, and then send them to students. 4. Socrative works excellently both for students working on their own or for students who are collaborating with one another. 3. [Sorry, we just learned that Infuse Learning stopped doing business a few months back! 2. Quiz socket is an excellent student response tool for in classroom use. 1. This is a free utility that teachers can use to create virtual classrooms. Print This Post
Digital Literacy Curriculum, Free From Microsoft #edtechbc Basic Curriculum The Basic curriculum features a course called A First Course Toward Digital Literacy. This course teaches the value of computers in society and introduces you to using a mouse and the keyboard. Standard Curriculum Features five courses that cover computer basics; using the internet and productivity programs; security and privacy; and digital lifestyles. Version 4 uses examples and simulations from Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2013. Version 3 uses examples and simulations from Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010. Version 2 uses examples and simulations from Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007. Advanced Curriculum The Advanced curriculum features five courses that cover building your first app, creating an e-mail account, creating a great resume, searching for content on the World Wide Web and social networking.
Developing Digital Literacies: UK Education Resource | Jisc #edtechbc Digital literacies are those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society. Digital literacy looks beyond functional IT skills to describe a richer set of digital behaviours, practices and identities. What it means to be digitally literate changes over time and across contexts, so digital literacies are essentially a set of academic and professional situated practices supported by diverse and changing technologies. Digital literacies encompasses a range of other capabilities represented here in a seven elements model: Digital literacy as a developmental process Literacy is about development so understanding digital literacy in this way is important; we acquire language and become increasingly proficient over time and eventually reach a level of fluency. Defining digital literacy in your context Background About this resource This detailed guide draws on this to provide a set of practical guidance, tools and approaches.