Report: Middle School Students Using Smartphones More Interested in STEM Mobile Computing | News Report: Middle School Students Using Smartphones More Interested in STEM Middle school students who use mobile devices for school work are more likely to express an interest in STEM subjects, yet there's a large gap in the number of students using the devices at home and those using them in school, according to a new survey from MIT's Center for Mobile Learning at the Media Lab and the Verizon Foundation. The "Verizon Foundation Survey on Middle School Students' Use of Mobile Technology," comprising online interviews with 1,000 students in grades 6-8 and conducted by TRU, found that 39 percent of respondents reported using smartphones to do homework and 31 percent said they used tablets for the same purpose. Among students who reported using laptops and tablets in class, 67 percent and 55 percent, respectively, told interviewers that the devices helped them learn math and science better. Other findings of the survey include: About the Author
50 Education Technology Tools Every Teacher Should Know About Technology and education are pretty intertwined these days and nearly every teacher has a few favorite tech tools that make doing his or her job and connecting with students a little bit easier and more fun for all involved. Yet as with anything related to technology, new tools are hitting the market constantly and older ones rising to prominence, broadening their scope, or just adding new features that make them better matches for education, which can make it hard to keep up with the newest and most useful tools even for the most tech-savvy teachers. Here, we’ve compiled a list of some of the tech tools, including some that are becoming increasingly popular and widely used, that should be part of any teacher’s tech tool arsenal this year, whether for their own personal use or as educational aids in the classroom. Social Learning These tools use the power of social media to help students learn and teachers connect. Learning Lesson Planning and Tools Useful Tools
Most Memorable Blog Posts of the Year With it being Thanksgiving weekend, I thought it appropriate to share my appreciation for some of the posts I remember most from the past year. About a year ago, I began my own blog. My first post was a simple copy and paste of an email exchange I had with an author. They aren’t listed in any kind of order. Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do by Larry Ferlazzo When I shared this article (not technically a blog post but again, my rules) with my staff via Pinterest, they responded very positively. Reflecting on My iPad Grant Thus Far…A Story of Celebrating Failure by Jenny Magiera I like this phrase, “celebrating failure”. Reducing Instruction, Increasing Engagement by Peter Johnston Alright, if I had to pick one post and say, “You must read this”, I would have to go with Peter Johnston’s entry on Stenhouse’s Blogstitute this past summer. The Power of the Principal by Peter DeWitt Peter is an elementary principal and a regular blogger for Education Week. Why Blog? Like this:
Get Organized With the Latest Smartphone Apps Who says organization has to be boring? With the latest smartphone applications, your child can keep track of school assignments and have fun along the way. With stunning graphics and state of the art design, the newest apps will keep even the most reluctant students on track. The truth is that the more organized a student is, the better grades they tend to receive. For Younger Kids EpicWin — EpicWin is a fun digital organizer your kids will love. iReward Chart — Perfect for younger children, iReward Chart tracks chores or behavior goals and monitors your child’s progress over the course of the week. Task Timer — Once a task and completion time are chosen, Task Timer will show the time elapsed and time remaining, to keep even the most unorganized student on track. Apps Teens Will Love In Class — This is one of the hottest apps right now. Choices for the Entire Family Cozi Family Organizer (for all phones): This is a great app for busy families. Ann K. Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)
A Great app for developing spelling I've been a fan of SpellingCity.com for quite some time now and I was fascinated when I heard they had produced a free app. For those of you who don't know about SpellingCity, the website enables learners or teachers to enter a word list and then automatically generate a range of interactive multimedia activities based around the words. The site automatically adds audio recordings of the words and example sentences to the activities it generates. There is a great range of activities that students can do within the site and they can generate certificates for their teacher or parent to prove they have done their homework. The app is in many ways very similar to the site. Spelling TestMe - In the activity students have to spell out the words from the word list. If they got any of the words wrong they can go to the 'Teach ME' activity which spells the word for them using audio and text and gives them an example sentence containing the word. Related links: Best Nik Peachey
50+Ways - home 10 Sites to use with Mobile Phones in Education The use of mobile technology has opened up a whole new world in education. Terms like BYOD (bring your own device) is a common place occurrence. These devices has allowed educators and students to learn, teach, and study in a whole new way. Learning is no longer limited to the classroom and can occur in real-time almost anywhere. I've decided to list my favorite sites that can be used w/ mobile phones for educational purposes. This list is in alphabetical order. 10 Sites to use w/ Mobile Phones in EducationAudioboo - A great site w/ mobile apps for all platforms, for recording one's voice and then embedding it into a site/blog.
5 Innovative Mind-Mapping Tools For Education What do you do when you have an elaborate project, assignment, or paper that needs to be quickly organized? Do you fire up Microsoft Word and whip up an outline? Do you pull out a pen and paper and start sketching? What if you could have the best of both options with a free online tool? It’s called ‘mind mapping’ (“Mind Map” is a trademark of the Buzan Organization .) and it’s basically a fun and intuitive way to visually organize your thoughts. Thanks to a recent article , I received an influx of mind-mapping web tools that I wanted to pass along to the Edudemic audience. XMind Definitely one of the easiest ways to embed a mind map into your blog or website. The biggest feature to me is the ‘Pro’ feature which lets you record what an audience (or your classroom) says directly into the mind map as an .mp3. MindMeister MindMeister is a powerful tool that is great for mind-mapping on the go. The killer tool is far and away the ability to collaborate, though. iMindMap Sample From ThinkBuzan
QR codes in education SmartBlogs Senior education editor Melissa Greenwood is blogging this week from ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2012 conference in Atlanta, Ga. Here is a blog inspired by a recent conference session on student engagement. Does school have to be fun? Dwyer recently presented the session “Sharing Creative Ways to Engage Students” at CareerTech Vision 2012 where he offered innovative ideas for increasing student engagement and success. Dwyer assigns students a specific car part and asks them to explain in a video how the part operates. “I like watching them make a movie. Melissa Greenwood is SmartBrief’s senior education editor, with responsibility for the content in a variety of SmartBrief’s education e-news briefs.
From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning Learnist: A Helpful Tool on the Road to Inquiry The meaningful and careful use of technology is one of the most significant conversations in education today. When educators offer students greater access to knowledge through technology, and encourage them to use that knowledge to inquire about the world around them and beyond, they are providing students a chance to succeed in even the toughest conditions. I teach eighth- and tenth-grade English and sixth-grade Speech/Drama for Stockton Collegiate International Schools. Although our school is only in its third year, we are already making a mark on the community. A Pinterest-Like Tool for Educators This summer I discovered the website Learnist. I gathered infographics for my mass media unit, study guides for documentaries, articles to demonstrate themes from 1984, and TED Talks to model speaking skills to sixth graders. Now, I hope to start uploading my own curriculum in order to inspire and support others in the teaching community and fully represent the depth of my units.
How to set up a QR Code Treasure Hunt 1. The Background For several lessons, the students had been slowly piecing together the Mystery of the Franklin Expedition in History lessons. Through pictures, snippets of evidence, and a roleplay exercise, the students formulated their own questions for investigation, framed provisional answers, and then reframed their assumptions as more evidence was progressively provided to them. At the end of the research phase, students were required to produce an essay introducing the mystery and answering the five key questions they settled upon as being the most important to solve. 2. With students just about to start their essay assignment, a series of 20 codes were hidden in random locations around the school. Students were put into small teams: each of these teams contained at least one person owned a mobile device (e.g. phone, IPod Touch) which could decode the QR codes (note: an internet connection is not required - the QR codes decode as text files). 3.