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How To Make Students Better Online Researchers

I recently came across an article in Wired Magazine called “ Why Kids Can’t Search “. I’m always interested in this particular topic, because it’s something I struggle with in my middle and high school classes constantly, and I know I’m not alone in my frustrations. Getting kids to really focus on what exactly they are searching for, and then be able to further distill idea into a few key specific search terms is a skill that we must teach students, and we have to do it over and over again. In the past, we spent a lot of time in schools teaching kids how to do library research, and how to use a variety reference materials like dictionaries, encyclopedias, microfiche, card catalogs, public records, anthologies, and other sources too numerous to recall. However, when we made this switch to internet-based resources, we somehow left a gap in education and made no real focus on teaching kids how to find valid, credible, useful resources online. The real answer? 1. 2. 3. 4. Related:  ILInglés

Five-Minute Film Festival: Teaching Digital Citizenship "Digital citizenship" is an umbrella term that covers a whole host of important issues. Broadly, it's the guidelines for responsible, appropriate behavior when one is using technology. But specifically, it can cover anything from "netiquette" to cyberbullying; technology access and the digital divide; online safety and privacy; copyright, plagiarism, and digital law, and more. In fact, some programs that teach digital citizenship have outlined no less than nine elements that intersect to inform a well-equipped digital citizen. But while there is much talk about the importance of teaching digital citizenship in this information society, not many are sure what that really looks like. Video Playlist: Teaching Digital Citizenship Watch the player below to see the whole playlist, or view it on YouTube. What is Digital Citizenship? More Resources for Learning About Digital Citizenship

A Personal Cyberinfrastructure © 2009 Gardner Campbell. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License ( EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 44, no. 5 (September/October 2009): 58–59 Gardner Campbell (Gardner_Campbell@Baylor.edu) is Director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning and an Associate Professor of Literature and Media at Baylor University. Comments on this article can be posted to the web via the link at the bottom of this page. Cyberinfrastructure is something more specific than the network itself, but it is something more general than a tool or a resource developed for a particular project, a range of projects, or, even more broadly, for a particular discipline. — American Council of Learned Societies, Our Cultural Commonwealth, 2006 Sometimes progress is linear. But that wasn't progress. Then the web changed again: Google, Blogger, Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter. Notes

The Nerdy Teacher instaGrok | A new way to learn 7 Essentials for a Great Computing Course If you find yourself in the position of having to set up and run a new Computing course in school, where do you start? Here are seven factors that I consider to be essential. Safety first Everyone should feel safe in the classroom, not just from physical dangers such as trailing wires, but also from being shouted down or drowned out by other students (such as girls sometimes experience from the boys), being shown disrespect, or being subjected to the experience of stumbling upon racist websites or pornography, perhaps because of a lack of appropriate filtering. Because even otherwise civil and civilised adults sometimes become feral when online, keeping safe and being respectful to others are things that have to be taught rather than assumed. The curriculum must be challenging The course should stretch students. I tend to think of the ZPD as a kind of halfway house between too easy and impossible. The course must have perceived value There should be a clear progression pathway

Hack Learning – Solving Big Problems with Simple Ideas How To Get Rid Of Facebook Notifications & Other Annoying Things You Don’t Want To See [Weekly Facebook Tips] It’s funny how sometimes you can use an online service all the time, getting annoyed at little things without realising there’s an easy way to do something about it. Several of my friends who use Facebook almost every day recently told me how they hate always getting Facebook notifications for dumb games people want them to play, or updates about these games in their home feed. Obviously, if these people can be avid Facebook users without knowing there’s a fix, then there’s bound to be a few more of you out there too. As I can’t even begin to imagine the horrors of using Facebook with all those annoyances in my face, I feel I should go back to basics here and make sure everyone knows how to get rid of them. Getting Rid Of Unwanted Notifications To sort out your Facebook notifications settings, head to the arrow in the top right of Facebook and choose Account Settings from the drop-down menu, then “Notifications” from the left hand side. Handy Tip: Filter Notifications Well In Your Email

Education Week —Courtesy of Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action By Anne Jolly If you want to engage students and get them excited about what they are learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes, ask them to tackle a real-world problem. Working on solutions to real-world problems is the heart of any STEM investigation. Perhaps the most important consequence of students working on real problems is that they begin to develop empathy—a sense that there is something worth dedicating their efforts to outside of themselves. Criteria for Selecting Real-World Problems Designing real-world engineering challenges for K-12 students can be tough. Here are some of the criteria I consider when selecting real-world problems: • The problem must be real. • Students must be able to relate to the problem. • The problem should be “doable.” • The problem must allow for multiple acceptable approaches and solutions. Problem Possibilities

4 Essential Rules Of 21st Century Learning 4 Essential Rules Of 21st Century Learning by Jennifer Rita Nichols The term “21st century” has become an integral part of educational thinking and planning for the future. Educators and administrators are actively searching for ways to prepare students for the future, and the educational system has been evolving faster than ever before. Various studies have shown us that rote memorization is not an effective learning strategy, and that teacher-centered classrooms may not be the most efficiently structured ones for student engagement. However, despite learning about the skills that students will need to develop to become successful in the 21st century, as well as what beliefs about education may be worth hanging onto or throwing away, schools and teachers are left trying to figure out what their role needs to be in the education of their 21st century students. Nowadays, we don’t live in the same world. So then, what is the role of education in the 21st century? Society has changed. 1. 2. 3.

Information Literacy - Home What is Information Literacy? Information Literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques. Information literacy is critically important because we are surrounded by a growing ocean of information in all formats. Information literacy skills are used for academic purposes, such as research papers and group presentations.

Texas Educator Amy Storer Takes PBL to a Whole New Level | Tynker Blog Texas has a long history in the pantheon of computing, so it’s no mystery that Texas still creates thousands of computing jobs and will eventually need code-minded students to fill those. Montgomery, TX, educator Amy Storer – also a Tynker Blue Ribbon Educator – makes creativity in the classroom her focus. Along with other dedicated code-minded educators, Amy even moderated Monday’s #Tynkerchat on Twitter! Here’s a little more about Amy: Amy is graduate of Lamar University with a Master’s in Educational Technology Leadership. This week, Amy shared her excitement for a new school year of sharing: 1. My motivation comes from a student that I had in my class when I taught 4th grade math/science. 2. Kids want to code. 3. My favorite project is “Let’s Take a Trip to Mars.” 4. I am learning more and more from the wonderful group of educators that make up #PasstheScopeEDU. 5. Never treat a new school year like any other! Creativity over consumption is crucial in classrooms today.

Is 2016 The Year That Progressive Education Returns? - Is 2016 The Year That Progressive Education Returns? by Robert Sun The 1920’s were a high point in the Progressive Education movement. While Progressive Education had many elements, it essentially followed three teaching strategies. Despite its promise and a number of early successes, Progressive Education eventually lost momentum in the United States. As America comes to grips with the 21st Century world, however, the precepts of Progressive Education are once again finding favor. Progressive Education also mirrors the priorities of contemporary American society—the need to accept diversity—particularly an individual’s skills, preferences, responsibilities and rights. As much as this modern version of Progressive Education owes its existence to innovators of long ago, it has been re-shaped by 21st Century instructional thinking: Finland has been a leader in the neo-progressive movement. Technology is playing a major role in the re-examination of Progressive Education.

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