15 Inspiring TED Talks Every Freshman Must Watch You've selected your classes and shopped for your dorm room. You've bought some new clothes and packed your favorite things. The new semester is around the corner and you're as ready as you'll ever be. Unless, that is, you want to get a tiny bit ahead. We know you're excited, and probably more than a little nervous, so take some time to listen to these TED talks to get some inspiration before you even have a syllabus to crack. You'll learn some important lessons that may just stick with you throughout college and beyond. The TED speaker series features "ideas worth spreading." Did we miss one that inspires you for the new school year? 1. In need of a motivational pick-me-up? 2. According to Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert, sometimes our notions of what will make us happy and what will make us miserable are way off. 3. There's a strong chance you'll have your fair share of group projects this semester. 4. 5. We humans have an excellent ability to make excuses for ourselves. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Free Technology for Teachers We Don't Like "Projects" So I recently quit my job and started my own school with the support of a local media company, the second largest school district in Iowa, and a groundswell of community interest. Our philosophy boils down to a fairly liberal project-based learning environment. As I began the marketing push to enroll students, I uncovered some frankly stunning assumptions that many students have about learning: The word "project" is not a happy word. When I say project-based learning, most students grimace as they imagine prescribed PowerPoints.If a teacher doesn't plan it, it's not learning.If there isn't a test, it wasn't real.Their personal interests cannot inform their learning. I'm not complaining -- in fact, these assumptions are the reason that I struck out on my own in the first place -- but I was flat-out surprised by their ubiquity. Let’s break each assumption down. 1. In short, we seem to have students who believe that projects are for assessment purposes only. 2. 3. 4.
25 TED Talks Perfect For Classrooms The 50 Best Sources of Free STEM Education Online 12.05K Views 0 Likes Colleges, universities, and other educational forums in your community can be excellent places to learn more about a variety of STEM topics, but there is also a wealth of educational material available on the web for those who prefer to learn at their own pace or take a more individual approach. Teaching Teenagers Personal Boundaries - Parenting Today's Teens Weekend with Mark Gregston Teenagers live in a culture where boundaries seem to be non-existent. So, teaching them about your own personal boundaries will help them think about developing their own boundaries and how to respect other people’s personal space, time and belongings. When I mention boundaries, don’t confuse it with household rules. Boundaries protect us; boundaries define who we are, and who we are not. Think of boundaries as you would your “personal space.” Likewise, teens who haven’t learned to respect personal boundaries can fail to realize that their parents are human beings who need their own space. Reestablishing and communicating your need for personal space once your child reaches the teen years is important. · Privacy (I will decide who to allow in my personal space) · Time (I will decide what will occupy my time...not my teen) · Money (I can give to my teen out of love, but I owe him nothing) · Action (I can say “no” to my teen’s demands, if I want to)
Five Ways Teachers Can Use Technology to Help Students The Huffington Post By: Darrell M. West and Joshua Bleiberg Thomas Edison once said, "Books will soon be obsolete in the public schools...our school system will be completely changed inside of ten years." Advances in information technology have revolutionized how people communicate and learn in nearly every aspect of modern life except for education. Technology has failed to transform our schools because the education governance system insulates them from the disruptions that technology creates in other organizations. To overcome these obstacles, we must persuade teachers that technology will empower them and help their students learn. Schools must use technology that empowers teachers. Teachers should treat the adoption of technology as part of lesson planning. Teachers should not fear open-source technologies. Use online education portfolios to evaluate students. Teachers should embrace the Common Core State Standards.
TeacherTube - Teach the World OER Commons 20 Amazing iPad Apps for Educators When one looks at how technology has changed education over the past decade, one can’t help but be blown away by the sheer number of iPad apps for educators that have absolutely flooded the electronic marketplace. There are so many iPad apps for teachers released every month that even the most plugged-in educator would have a difficult time processing and utilizing them all. Luckily, when teachers are looking to learn how to use iPads in the classroom, they need to look no further than TeachHUB magazine and TeachHUB.com -- an educator’s primary go-to resource when researching iPad apps for teachers and iPads in the classroom. Read on to learn about TeachHUB magazine and TeachHUB.com’s updated list of the hottest iPad apps for teachers and iPad apps for education, destined to forever alter your curriculum landscape, organized here by subject. Scroll down for an index of many of TeachHUB's helpful iPads in the classroom app reviews and more of the best usage of iPads in the classroom. Trello
Over 20 Free Digital Classroom Tools… Customize… Plus No Log In This is a site that you are bound to find useful in your classroom. The tools are incredible and may even include items you have used on paper in the past… but can now bring digitally into the 21st century! Before this informative journey encompassing some engaging resources please take a moment and sign up by email or RSS. What amazed me most about Classtools.net was not the valuable tools provided, but the ability for teachers to easily customize these tools and use them in any subject area. Classtools.net is the work of educator, Russel Tarr, Head of History at the International School of Toulouse, France. The Listing Of Over 20 Digital Tools For Your Classroom The tools that you can even customize are included below. Arcade Game Generator – Allows teachers to create concept builders, practice exercises, and reviews. A must visit is a search page that allows teachers to search by subject area or template/tool for some outstanding sample ideas!
Cool Tools for Schools Super Teacher Tools 39 Sites For Using iPads in the Classroom Pages - Menu This Blog Linked From Here Sites to Follow Friday, October 7, 2011 39 Sites For Using iPads in the Classroom How Much Did Steve Jobs Change the World? 5 Great iPad Apps For Early Childhood Teachers10 iPad Apps Everyone Should Have- from PC Magazine10 Must Have iPad Apps for Students and Teachers10 Ways to Use iPads in Your Classroom40 iPad Apps Librarians Love40 Most Awesome iPad Apps for Science Students50+ iPad Apps By a Geography Teacher62 Interesting Ways to Use an iPad in the Classroom100 Incredibly Useful and Free iPad AppsBest Academic Reference Apps for the iPad- some $$, some freeA Day in the Life of the iPad ClassroomThe Debate Over iPads in EducationDigital Storytelling with the iPad Posted by Julie Greller at 7:24 AM Labels: ipads, ipads in the classroom, using ipads in the classroom Newer PostOlder PostHome
Rubrics for Teachers - Assessment Learn more about our Online Courses, Online Certificate Programs, and Graduate Degree A collection of rubrics for assessing portfolios, group work/cooperative learning, concept map, research process/ report, PowerPoint, oral presentation, web page, blog, wiki, and other social media projects. Quick Links to Rubrics Social Media Project Rubrics Wiki RubricCriteria for assessing individual and group Wiki contributions. Blog RubricAssess individual blog entries, including comments on peers' blogs. Twitter RubricAssess learning during social networking instructional assignments. Discussion, Teamwork, and Group Work Rubrics Online Discussion Board RubricAssessing ability to share perspectives, refine thoughts through the writing process, and participate in meaningful discussionPrimary Grade Self-Evaluation Teamwork Rubric (PDF)Features of a sandwich to graphically show the criteria PowerPoint and Podcast Rubrics A+ PowerPoint Rubric Joan Vandervelde's rubric provides 10 performance categories