The 10 Skills Modern Teachers Must Have The above image is 8.5×11″ so you can print it out. PDF is available here . There’s been a lot of talk about 21st century learners, 21st century teachers, and connected classrooms. Simple. In my experience, I’ve seen teachers attempt to integrate 30 iPads into their classroom by handing them out and then trying to figure out which apps are worth using. In order to do this, you’ll need skills modern teachers must have. 1) Build Your PLN Whether you call it a ‘personal learning network’ or a ‘professional learning network’ is not important. 2) Establish Real Relationships Whether it’s online or offline, the ability to establish real relationships is critical to any modern teacher. 3) Understand Where Technology Fits In Education As mentioned above, we are simply deluged with new tech toys for education on a daily basis. If you can’t figure out how a digital tool helps you in under 15 seconds, you don’t need it. 4) Know How To Find Useful Resources 5) Manage Your Online Reputation 7) Slow Down
7 Reasons Your Students should be Blogging in 2013 One of the best things about blogging in the classroom is that it is a cross-curricular activity that can be used to teach any subject and develop just about any skills, from reading and writing to math, geography and everything in between. If you are still unsure about how blogging can benefit your students, here are seven reasons that might be able to persuade you as a teacher to get on board with blogging in the classroom this year. Blogging motivates students to read and write The best way to get students to read and write is to offer them things that they are interested in reading and writing about – things that relate to them and their peers. Blogging gives students a larger audience As a teacher, it is your duty to grade and critique the work of a student, but getting a second, third or fiftieth opinion never hurts either. Blogging gives students confidence Blogging enables students to create a virtual portfolio Blogging allows teachers to discover a student’s true talents
5 Tools to Help Students Learn How to Learn Helping students learn how to learn: That’s what most educators strive for, and that’s the goal of inquiry learning. That skill transfers to other academic subject areas and even to the workplace where employers have consistently said that they want creative, innovative and adaptive thinkers. Inquiry learning is an integrated approach that includes kinds of learning: content, literacy, information literacy, learning how to learn, and social or collaborative skills. Students think about the choices they make throughout the process and the way they feel as they learn. “We want students thinking about their thinking,” said Leslie Maniotes a teacher effectiveness coach in the Denver Public Schools and one of the authors of Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. “When they are able to see where they came from and where they got to it is very powerful for them.” A good example is a long term research project. During the process, students will go through different stages of emotions.
10 Reasons Why I Want My Students to Blog - Getting Smart by Susan Lucille Davis - DigLN, edchat, EdTech Email Share October 22, 2012 - by Susan Lucille Davis 54 Email Share “ Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” – Rumi, 13 th -Century Mystic Poet First of all, blogging is writing, 21 st -century style, plain and simple. 1. If you are looking for ways to have students write that reach real rather than “pretend” audiences, I can’t think of a better format than blogging. Ask any writer of blogs how it feels to connect with his first mystery readers about what matters to them. 2. Blogs are an immensely versatile, energizing medium. Jeff Dunn celebrates the passionate learning of students in “ 30 Incredible Blogs Written by Students,” featuring posts about sports, pets, traveling and attending museums, raising money for charity, and a host of other topics. In some ways, blogs are the new “show and tell,” allowing students to share their own very infectious love of learning. 3. 4. Except for the blog post and its companion comments. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
The Harsh Reality of the Classroom of the Future In the UK, private schools often use ‘small class sizes’ at 6th form (16-18 years old) as a selling point to entice parents to choose their school over another. I regularly have the opportunity of teaching groups of 10 or less in their final year of study and this certainly has significant benefits. What is fascinating about teaching 6th form students is how 2 significant things change in the classroom: the teacher stops standing at the front of the room, and the use of varied teaching resources stops. Of course this is a horrible generalization, but it is certainly true more often than it is in other lessons. Frustratingly this combination is what stops pedagogical progress, both for the older students I have just described and the younger students who have a teacher at the front of the room, but more access to varied teaching resources. The Current Setup vs Ideal Setup There is no need for a teacher to stand at the front of the room. Observations Via Wired.com
Why Are You Blogging? [Guest Post] You hear that all teachers should blog. You follow the tutorials and set up a blog. Now what? It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the idea of blogging, especially if you are unclear about the purpose of the blog. Is the blog for you or for students and parents? Will it be written as a medium for reflection, a newsletter, or a source of advice for other educators? This post highlights the most prevalent types of education blogs and includes links to blogs that exemplify each of the types. A Blog is Not Just a Blog A single classroom blog may exist for many reasons. personal reflection on teaching and learningcommunication between you, parents, students, and the worldexhibition of student workrecommendation of resources to other teachers Student blogs also vary. ongoing reflection on lessons, work, or projectsportfolios of work for parents, friends, and the worldstudents’ exploration of interests or passions Below are some examples of blogs that illustrate clear purposes. Student Reflection
Beyond Q+A: Six Strategies That Motivate ALL Students to Participate Do you have students who rarely raise their hand when you ask a question? When I think back about kids in my classroom who didn't participate at first, I remember Jared and Maya (whose names I changed). Jared was polite, listened to his classmates, and did his homework. I often visit classrooms where I see teachers employ lots of Q+A. How can we get our shiest students, or even our student with her head down in the back of our class, participating? 1. According to researcher Mary Budd Rowe, the average teacher waits 1.5 seconds between asking a question and calling on a student. Accuracy increases"I don’t know" decreasesStudent responses get longerAchievement on tests increasesMore students participate I literally count at least three Mississippis in my head after asking each question. 2. Pre-plan a few questions that you want to ask (Saphier and Haley, 1993), write them on slips, and hand each student one question at the beginning of class. 3. 4. 5. Have a really debatable question? 6.
5 Rewards of Teaching Young Students to Blog I have been an elementary-school teacher for more than 25 years and I am always on the lookout for meaningful ways to engage and motivate my young students. I started Mrs. Yollis’ Classroom Blog in 2008 with the idea of sharing class activities with parents. 1) Develop quality literacy skills When I first started blogging, I thought the posts would be the primary focus of the blog. My students are highly motivated by their authentic global audience and take great pride in producing top-notch writing for their readers. What has been even more exciting for me is the student participation from home. 2) Parents are included in the learning Parental involvement has strengthened and expanded the learning opportunities for my class. Many parents work but would love to volunteer in some way. 3) Integrate curriculum in creative ways With classroom time at a premium, I look for meaningful ways to integrate curriculum; the blog has been the perfect venue. 4) Build a digital footprint