Science Toy Box | Because science is fun and full of surprises. Follow me @braveneutrino With the support of my wonderful Team, Working Lunch is underway. After 1 week of operation, I can say that it has potential. To anyone reading this, I would really appreciate your feedback as I work to fine tune this idea to help me create an atmosphere where redos and retakes are not seen by students (an me) a punishment, but an opportunity. (Send me a Tweet @braveneutrino if commenting on the blog isn’t working or is a pain in the neck!) Setting the Stage – Why Now? My TeamI work with three dedicated educators who fully support giving students what they need to succeed. Why Working Lunch? How it Went I assigned between 8 and 10 students to Working lunch each day. I decided that we would take Friday off. Analysis: Twenty assignments were finished. The attitude of the students was interesting. Here’s What I’m Wondering What do I need to change? I plan to compile a more organized list of work completed during Working Lunch to better analyze if it’s a good use of time. Like this:
Twitter for Professional Development: Ultra Beginner Edition, Part 2 Written by Mark Brumley Beyond the Basics In the post Twitter for Professional Development: Ultra Beginner Edition, I offered a simple way to demonstrate the power of Twitter to teachers. If you are introducing Twitter to your colleagues, I highly recommend following that model. This builds awareness of the learning possibilities of social media in a non-threatening way. Sharing The next step is for teachers to share what they learn. A zillion possibilities exist to share content including a shared Google doc, Evernote notebook and, of course, the faculty room bulletin board. With newbies, I suggest using Diigo. Login to Diigo and create a new group. Social Bookmarking Now the most difficult part by far; explain social bookmarking to your teachers and have them create Diigo accounts. Okay, that’s the hard part…now for the fun. I’m not going to lie; this is an exhausting professional development session.
Five Ways Teachers Can Use Technology to Help Students The Huffington Post By: Darrell M. West and Joshua Bleiberg Thomas Edison once said, "Books will soon be obsolete in the public schools...our school system will be completely changed inside of ten years." Amazingly enough, however, one of our nation's most important inventors was proven quite wrong. Advances in information technology have revolutionized how people communicate and learn in nearly every aspect of modern life except for education. Technology has failed to transform our schools because the education governance system insulates them from the disruptions that technology creates in other organizations. To overcome these obstacles, we must persuade teachers that technology will empower them and help their students learn. Schools must use technology that empowers teachers. Teachers should treat the adoption of technology as part of lesson planning. Teachers should not fear open-source technologies. Use online education portfolios to evaluate students.
My Hugely Successful Techology Integration Strategy Written by Mark Brumley Starting Teachers with Technology Integration I have led about a zillion professional development sessions, both formal and informal, throughout the years. I always arrive with high hopes to engage teachers in the latest and greatest web 2.0 technologies and spur never before seen projects. I am always striving to push the envelope. It’s great to have high hopes but the reality is a lot of teachers are fearful of using technology that they view as overly complicated. I also find it counterproductive to introduce a group of nervous teachers to my “Top 10 Web 2.0 Sites” or “20 Cool Sites for School”. Start with a Web 2.0 Digital Book What’s my sure fire site with a huge implementation rate? Several excellent web 2.0 digital book creators are available and most work great. , Blurb , My Publisher , and more. Why Use a Digital Book? Why is this project successful to introduce teachers to technology integration? A bonus is how these books work on an interactive whiteboard.
12 Ways To Integrate (Not Just Use) Technology In Education There are a couple dozen ways to ‘use’ technology in education. There are also a couple dozen ways to integrate technology in education. Think those two things are the same? Situation 1 You’re a school principal and decide to make the Apple iPad a cornerstone of your school’s curriculum. Situation 2 You’re a school principal and decide to make the Apple iPad a cornerstone of your students’ learning. Weigh In Which principal would you want? 100+ Google Tricks That Will Save You Time in School – Eternal Code [via onlinecolleges.net] With classes, homework, and projects–not to mention your social life–time is truly at a premium for you, so why not latch onto the wide world that Google has to offer? From super-effective search tricks to Google hacks specifically for education to tricks and tips for using Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar, these tricks will surely save you some precious time. Search Tricks These search tricks can save you time when researching online for your next project or just to find out what time it is across the world, so start using these right away. Convert units. Google Specifically for Education From Google Scholar that returns only results from scholarly literature to learning more about computer science, these Google items will help you at school. Google Scholar. Google Docs Google Docs is a great replacement for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, so learn how to use this product even more efficiently. Use premade templates. Gmail Use the Tasks as a to-do list.
Free Technology for Teachers Meet your child’s new teacher: the iPad Not long ago, I was horrified to learn children were allowed to use mobile phones in the playground. Now they’re actually being encouraged to bring smartphones out in the classroom, not to mention Kindles, iPads, Wiis and hand-held games consoles such as Nintendo DSs. Even exams are changing out of all recognition. Children will take internet-connected devices into exam halls, meaning no more need for memorisation. “The entire system will change,” writes Sugata Mitra, professor of education technology at Newcastle University. “Teachers are intelligent people; they will teach differently. Is this really a brave new world, or the gateway to indolence, addiction and diminishing social and cognitive skills? Moreover, while introducing technology into schools is expensive in the short term, in the long term educationalists warn it may be used as a cost-cutting device. But my fears, it seems, are those of a Luddite minority. Other countries have taken this message to heart.
iPad Document Camera 11 Jan So many teachers in one iPad classrooms love using Educreations as a SMARTBoard simulator. Another fantastic presentation tool is Stage: Interactive Whiteboard and Document Camera. This app works as a document camera and allows you to switch from a whiteboard, picture background, and camera while leaving text on the screen. It also has a laser pointer feature that allows the user to point out details on the screen without leaving a mark on the image. I’ve heard of teachers creating a document camera using an iPad in place of an ELMO projector, and there are products that do just this for you. Check out one of my Common Core aligned lesson plans for teaching with iPads! Tags: camera, iPad education, presentations, projector iPads for education The nineteen participating schools demonstrated significant improvements in literacy and numeracy in NAPLAN between 2009-2011. This initiative will allow for the creation of new tasks that have previously been inconceivable without the use of tablet technology. The iPad device will be used in literacy and numeracy to enhance and complement existing exemplary teaching strategies already in place. Back to top Research Models The Subsitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition model (SAMR) and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge model (TPACK) are useful when considering how to successfully integrate technology into the classroom. The SAMR model was designed to help educators integrate technology into teaching and learning and was developed by Dr. The TPACK model Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) identifies the nature of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, and addresses the complex nature of teacher knowledge. SAMR Model
50 Fresh Free Fonts of 2010 Though there's a broad variety of fonts available for download online, designers keep on tracing the fresh ones to enhance their design copy, a website, brochure, or even an advertisement in a brand new an' awesome way. Still, the free stuff could not always boast of good quality – premium goodies always demand some kind of money investment. However, now it's possible to find the appropriate font that's free, clear, beautiful, and effective for design purposes. Many great designers are now offering professional quality fonts completely for free. Today's round-up actually goes outside the standard font variety. Geomancy Kilogram Tribbon Quadranta Adec Teardrop St Marie Dekar Code Cube Piron Glide Planer Paranoid Circled St Ryde Danger Pincoyablack New Garden Titillium Text Sylar Scriber Mentone Circula Sansation LT Oksana Font V4.0 Lintel Frgmnt Amsterdam Sol Pro Tenby Zag Real Origami Tenderness Vegur Cash Sertig Junction Blackout Railway League Ghothic Goudy Bookletter 1911 Oval About the Author Lilian Rigo
10 Ways to Optimize Your iPad for Kids With Special Needs When we think about ways the iPad has changed the world, our minds usually shoot to publishing, entertainment, or mobile communication. For the community of people living with disabilities, the iPad may have broken even more ground. The iOS device is not only cool, but provides education, therapy and, of course, entertainment. Last summer, Mashable explored ways iPads are making these changes. Noah began using his iPad when he was two and was assessed to be 12 months behind with language and cognition. SEE ALSO: 4 Ways iPads Are Changing the Lives of People With Disabilities Rahman recently released his book Getting Started: iPads for Special Needs. 1. One of the biggest differences between the iPad 2 and the new iPad is retina display, which can create an incredible visual experience. The iPad 2, however, offers a major advantage over the original iPad — cameras. When it comes to choosing the right size, Rahman says most social needs apps are not too large. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. "Really?" 7.
How the iPad Is Changing Education The iPad may only be two years old, but it's already begun to change many things. Reading is one of them. Work is another. It is selling like crazy, but it will be some time before most of the people you know own a tablet. The market for this type of device may only be in its infancy, but it's already becoming clear how it will revolutionize certain aspects our lives. In January, Apple made good on its late CEO's vision to enter the digital textbook market with the launch of iBooks 2 and the iBooks Author production tool for e-books. The iPad: An Obvious Use Case for Education In a way, Apple didn't enter the education market. Chicago's public school district was one of those early adopters, having brought iPads into a number of its classrooms and even allowing students to take them home. Does It Help Learning? There's also some early evidence that an iPad could provide a more engaging learning experience and might even improve student performance. The Value for Self Education
Top 20 Must-Have Educational iPhone & iPad Apps - List Of Must-Have Educational iPhone & iPad Apps | Tech Holik Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast) With advent of technology, nearly everything has changed. Even the ways with what we learn things have changed a great deal. Mobile technology has become integral part of some educational institutions. There are institutions that provide access of mobile technology, both to teachers and students, and such educational houses have embraced iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches in their educational system. In this way, they are communicating with larger number of students and inspiring their creativity at the same time. Today, we bring you 20 of the best and must-have educational apps for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. List Of Must-Have Educational iPhone & iPad Apps Star Walk Star Walk is an app for kids who have interest in astronomy. The app uses your iPad’s built-in GPS system and shows the celestial bodies at their instantaneous positions. BrainPOP Featured Movie BrainPop is an app that has set of different educational movies. Edmodo Art Mad Libs Frog Dissection