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.
10 Apps for Documenting Learning One of the things that really excites me about the iPad is the ability of the students to show their learning. I am not talking about the end product here, I am talking about the act of learning that can be shown by students recording their processes. It is often about the student putting the information they have learnt into a context. This is where we really see the mechanics of a student's learning and how this can be individual for each student and in the case of a tool like the iPad, individualised for each student. Here are a couple of apps that give students the opportunity to showcase, share and then reflect on their learning. ShowMe: FREETurn your iPad into your personal interactive whiteboard! ExplainEverythng: $2.99 AUExplain Everything is an easy-to-use tool that lets you annotate, animate, and narrate explanations and presentations. Educreations: FREEEducreations turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard.
35 Ways To Build Your Personal Learning Network Online Personal learning networks are a great way for educators to get connected with learning opportunities, access professional development resources, and to build camaraderie with other education professionals. Although PLNs have been around for years, in recent years social media has made it possible for these networks to grow exponentially. Now, it’s possible to expand and connect your network around the world anytime, anywhere. But how exactly do you go about doing that? Check out our guide to growing your personal learning network with social media, full of more than 30 different tips, ideas, useful resources, and social media tools that can make it all possible. Tips & Ideas Get started developing your social media PLN with these tips and ideas for great ways to make use of social tools. Actively make ties : It’s not enough to just follow and read, you need to connect. Guides Tools & Resources Want to really make the most of your PLN?
New iPad App May Be The Future Of Collaborative Online Learning One of the biggest problems many people have with Khan Academy and YouTube Edu is simply the format. It’s not the fault of Khan or YouTube … it’s just that the passive video format is just that. It’s passive. A San Francisco-based startup called Net Power & Light Inc. wants to change that. Net’s software is called ‘ Spin ‘ which essentially turns passive video watching into interactive group learning. Right now, Spin lets you remix and interact with content from Harvard, Stanford, TED, and the National Geographic Channel. “Teachers felt web-based learning wasn’t giving them the full experience,” Tara Lemmey, Net Power & Light’s co-founder and chief executive officer, said in an interview. So How’s It Work? The App Screenshot The Spin software lets you, like any video player, fast-forward, rewind, skip chapters, and pause videos. Start the video, get your group to join in, watch a bit, then discuss. Get The App “The global class is the next stage in the experiment,” Sandel said. Prof.
Is Every Single Subject Taught in High School a Mistake? | Education on GOOD Artificial intelligence theorist and education reformer Roger Schank is no fan of the high school curriculum and he bets America's teens aren't either. Indeed, many kids hate school because what they're learning doesn't seem relevant to real life. Schank, author of Teaching Minds: How Cognitive Science Can Save Our Schools, has penned an op-ed for the Washington Post breaking down the uselessness of every single subject taught in high school. Schank calls chemistry "a complete waste of time" and says no one really needs "to know the elements of the periodic table" or the "formula for salt." History doesn't fare much better. Biology and English are worth saving if the way they're taught is changed, he says. Similarly, physics would be worthwhile if it wasn't focused on memorizing formulas. Schank believes the solution is for kids to just learn what matters to them. Photo via (cc) Flickr user Orange42
A List of Great Google Apps for your iPad So you are looking fog Google best apps for iOS ? Well you landed in the right place. I have just finished compiling and reviewing a bunch of Google apps that you can use on your iPad. All of these apps work perfectly well and can have some educational value as well. Of course this list is not exhaustive but we have focused our attention only on the most important ones for us as teachers and educators. 1- Google Search " Search the web faster and easier with the latest Search app from Google. 2- Google+ " Stay connected and share life as it happens with Google+ for iPhone and iPad. " Browse fast with Chrome, now available on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. 4- Google Drive " Google Drive lets you keep all your stuff in one place. 5- Google Play Books " With Google Play Books for iOS start reading today with millions of titles from Google Play on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. 6- Google Offers " From food to fun, Google Offers connects you with great deals every day in your city......"
Kids Go Gaga Over Tablets [INFOGRAPHIC] We know the iPad has become a major hit with adult tech consumers since Steve Jobs first introduced the gadget back in 2010. But did you know tablets have scored big points with kids as well? Humans are becoming familiar with digital technology and devices earlier than ever. The iPad, especially, is becoming prevalent in American education. All this information comes from creative media agency MDG Advertising, which pulled research from sources, including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch and others to produce the following infographic. How old should kids be before they are allowed to use tablets and other digital gadgets? Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, LeicaFoto
The 25 Most Used Mobile Apps In Education Apps, smartphones, and tablets are storming into classrooms around the world. But how do you figure out which apps are being used by teachers, admins, students, and parents ? It’s not an easy task, to be sure. But you can rest assured there are definitely some apps that are being used a bit more than others. Care to add to this list? Dropbox : Thanks to the magic and wonder of cloud computing, professors on the go can access their files from other devices they’ve connected to their personal networks, meaning they never leave an important digital document at home! Honorable Mention: The Edudemic Magazine iPad app!
Investment in K-12 education innovation is soaring, but it’s not all rosy When it comes to public education, it looks like private investors and entrepreneurs are ready to rally like it’s 1999. After several years of relative drought, K-12 education, which has long been seen as a tough nut to crack for private business, is starting to draw investment at nearly record levels, outpacing higher education financing for the first time in several years. According to GSV Advisors, a Chicago-based investment firm that specializes in education, in 2011, transactions in K-12 education climbed to $389 million, which is up from a low point of $13 million in 2005 and more than three times the investment in the sector in 2010. By comparison, even though online education startups like Coursera, Udacity, 2tor and others have attracted big buzz for major funding rounds, higher education as a whole received about $271 million in financing in 2011, a decline of 13 percent since 2010. Policy changes, ed startup accelerators, technological shifts drive growth
True learning is creative! … iPad, please! | IPAD 4 SCHOOLS The iPad empowers students to create products within any subject context, physical space and even on the move. This is why the iPad is so important in transforming education into a genuine learning experience, not a knowledge absorption space. This well known Ken Robinson video has, for a while, indicated the importance of creative process in learning. Creating is important because during the process of creating something new, a student is: the owner of that processfully immersed in the experiencegenuinely engageddriven by and personally connected to the learning objectives Under these four circumstances, you create truly life-long learners, who are intrinsically motivated by their own demands and ideas. (picture via @gcouros) Common misconception 1:“My subject’s not creative” Many teachers do not see creative process as part of their subject. Common misconception 2:“I can’t grade & compare different creative output styles” What exactly does grading do for a student? Like this: