ICTmagic - home 10 Best Free Educational Games: Online Learning That's Fun and Interactive Part 1 of Online Learning Games for Families These educational games are some of the best learning experiences that can be found on the Internet, but who knew they could also be so much fun! A recent study showed that of our 53 million K–12 students, 51 million of them (or 93%) play video games.1 Wouldn't it be better if a higher percentage of these games were educational? Well, parents and educators looking for the best free educational games online need look no further than the ten great sites on this list. Each site has an educational foundation that makes learning fun for students of all ages, and every teacher will tell you that children learn best when they are having fun. Online Learning Games for Families This series of articles rounds up some of the best online games that will educate everyone in your family.
Twenty Ideas for Engaging Projects The start of the school year offers an ideal time to introduce students to project-based learning. By starting with engaging projects, you'll grab their interest while establishing a solid foundation of important skills, such as knowing how to conduct research, engage experts, and collaborate with peers. In honor of Edutopia's 20th anniversary, here are 20 project ideas to get learning off to a good start. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Please tell us about the projects you are planning for this school year.
social networking with students After being in full time tech integration for nearly seven years, I’ve had the privilege to return to the classroom at such a pivotal time in education. With the use of wonderful Web 2.0 tools and the ability to easily collaborate across the globe, students have opportunities today that weren’t even envisioned three years ago. One of those opportunities involves creating a professional learning community through Edmodo, a teacher moderated social network where students can share ideas, publish their work, and learn how to communicate effectively online. What better place to build on our 21st Century Skills? What can Edmodo do? Let’s take a look at some of the features: Accessing My Personal Library- A new feature that I recently discovered is the teacher personal library. Building a Student/Teacher PLC – The best feature of Edmodo is having the ability to build an online community with my students. Embedding Just About Anything - Can I just say this out loud?
Storming the castle: free courses & college credit Although the sound of the assault is barely perceptible through the thick walls of academia, the besiegers are steady and tireless as ants. How long before they break through? Colorado State University’s Global Campus will now accept credit from Udacity, an online startup whose founders believe that a “university-level education can be both high quality and low cost”. We in public higher education need to begin repositioning ourselves as providers of academic services (mentoring, advising, coaching, etc.) because there is no way we can compete with free content delivery coupled with low-cost assessment. Like this: Like Loading... Khan Academy Free Technology for Teachers Saylor Foundation's Free Courses Offer Path to Credit The Saylor Foundation has nearly finished creating a full suite of free, online courses in a dozen popular undergraduate majors. And the foundation is now offering a path to college credit for its offerings by partnering with two nontraditional players in higher education – Excelsior College and StraighterLine. The project started three years ago, when the foundation began hiring faculty members on a contract basis to build courses within their subject areas. The professors scoured the web for free Open Education Resources (OER), but also created video lectures and tests. “I was able to develop my own material,” said Kevin Moquin, who created a business law course for Saylor. Saylor also tapped its pool of contract faculty members to conduct three-member peer reviews of each course, a process which professors described as rigorous. The foundation currently has more than 240 courses up on its website. Price Wars? Like Excelsior, StraighterLine offers inexpensive courses online.