N4L | Pond Pond is designed to act as a central hub for digital discovery and participation, where educational resources can be accessed and shared more easily and effectively. It combines the best parts of existing online tools and platforms to create a new, yet familiar, environment. Pond is independent of N4L’s Managed Network and can be accessed using any internet connection. Access to Pond is free for all school users. How Pond works Pond is a place where educators can discover content and services, share knowledge and engage with their peers. Pond’s comprehensive search function makes it easier for educators to find what they need. Through the ability to recommend, rate and comment on content and services found in Pond, educators can ensure the most suitable resources can be discovered by other users within Pond and used in the most beneficial manner possible.
The Teacher's Guide To Flipped Classrooms Since Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams first experimented with the idea in their Colorado classrooms in 2004, flipped learning has exploded onto the larger educational scene. It’s been one of the hottest topics in education for several years running and doesn’t seem to be losing steam. Basically, it all started when Bergman and Sams first came across a technology that makes it easy to record videos. They had a lot of students that regularly missed class and saw an opportunity to make sure that missing class didn’t mean missing out on the lessons. And voila: a movement began. A 2014 survey from the Flipped Learning network found that 78% of teachers said they’d flipped a lesson, and 96% of those that tried it said they’d recommend it. What is a flipped classroom? Once a new idea becomes a buzzword, pinning down the definition can become a tad more challenging. That gets the idea across, but it’s a bit of a mouthful. The Benefits of Flipping Your Classroom 1. 2. 3. The Backwards Classroom 1.
Inventive Games That Teach Kids About Empathy and Social Skills By Tanner Higgin, Graphite Play is nothing if not social. Games organize play, allowing us to wrangle and experiment with the world. Video games, however, have been a bit of an aberration in the history of play and games. 1. This app features a series of appealing animated episodes that model real world social situations. 2. Billed as an “indie minimalist platformer,” Thomas Was Alone’s characters are just colorful shapes, yet they all have distinct personalities. Thomas Was Alone 3. The most experimental and perhaps most irresistibly interesting game on this list, Way makes collaboration and communication crucial to success. Way 4. Developed by learning and behavior experts, Social Adventures offers a treasure trove of resources for caregivers or educators looking for ways to help kids –particularly those with learning difficulties or special needs – learn about and practice basic social strategies, skills, and routines. Social Adventures Click here for more reviews of games and apps.
Selecting Technologies This page helps you choose among various technologies (not just LMSs) using two approaches: examples of learning outcomes, the kinds of learning activities that could achieve those outcomes, and how those activities could be supported by various learning technologies examples of the tools you may be interested in using and the types of activities and learning outcomes that are likely to be relevant. Table 1: Sample learning outcomes, rationales and activities The following table provides examples of learning outcomes, the kinds of learning activities that promote those outcomes, and how the activities could be supported by learning technologies. Table 2: Tools related to activities, and their contribution to learning outcomes The following table provides examples of the tools you may be interested in using and looks at the types of activities and learning outcomes that are likely to be relevant. See also on this section of the website:
Beyond Minecraft: Games That Inspire Building and Exploration By Tanner Higgin, Graphite The success and popularity of Minecraft in and out of classrooms is no surprise. It’s one of the best examples of the potential of learning with games because it embraces exploration, discovery, creation, collaboration, and problem-solving while allowing teachers to shepherd play toward any subject area. But Minecraft is not the only game of this kind. 1. Garry’s Mod (GMod) is a sandbox game like Minecraft but instead of building and exploring, students use a fun physics engine that simulates things like gravity and mass. 2. Kerbal Space Program has a robust physics engine too, but it’s more focused than Garry’s Mod. 3. Sound Shapes is a visually stunning platform puzzle game set to a rich musical soundscape. For creative kids who want to get their hands dirty, check out DIY, a site where students can find things to build, instructions for how to build them, and ways to share their creations with others. Related
Search Engines | TryEngineering Lesson Focus Lesson focuses on exploring how the development of search engines has revolutionized Internet. Students work in teams to understand the technology behind search engines and explore how they can retrieve useful information using search engines. Age Levels: Objectives Learn about basics of a search engineLearn how to query search enginesLearn how to find relevant material using advanced search optionsLearn about teamwork and problem solving Anticipated Learner Outcomes As a result of this activity, students should develop an understanding of: teamworkimpact of search engines on world wide web (www)techniques to build efficient search queries Lesson Activities Students build search queries. Resources/Materials Teacher Resource DocumentsStudent WorksheetsStudent Resource SheetsComputers with Internet access Alignment to Curriculum Frameworks Curriculum alignment sheet is included in PDF.
Integrate iPads Into Bloom's Digital Taxonomy With This 'Padagogy Wheel' You’re going to want to turn on your printer and fire up a PDF viewer. This is just that good. It’s called the Padagogy Wheel and it offers a fantastically useful perspecitve on how to figure out which iPad apps work with Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy. The Padagogy Wheel takes an expanded approach Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy and offers 62 iPad apps that fit into the organized chaos that is Bloom’s. See Also: 35 Digital Tools That Work With Bloom’s Taxonomy What do you think of some of the apps and where they’re placed on the wheel? The Padagogy Wheel by Allan Carrington is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
The 5 Steps of Effective Technology Integration - Getting Smart by Dave Guymon - edchat, EdTech, education In schools, districts, and departments of education alike, a trend toward integrating technology into the education process is on the rise. One could argue that it always has been. But with the proliferation of Internet access in school buildings and the ubiquity of mobile computing devices, educators are taking note and beginning to consider new ways they can include these tools into their classroom instruction. The formalized field of educational technology is still in its infancy. As a result, professional development and training practices are still being refined. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. That a shift toward technology in education is on the rise isn’t what excites many educators in the profession.
GIFGIFs.com | Free GIF animations, animated GIFs online 15 Sites That Show You The World in Real Time What if you could see the whole world as it is right this moment? It would certainly put things in perspective. Once you see the world through the lenses of these web sites you’ll realize just how vibrant and alive it is every single nanosecond. The statistics of it are amazing, and seeing them actually happen is even more amazing. The following 15 web sites allow you to experience the entire world as it happens, through multiple perspectives. What happens on the internet in just one measly second? It counts how many reddit votes are cast, instagram photos uploaded, tumblr posts posted, skype calls made, tweets tweeted, dropbox files uploaded, google searches made, youtube videos viewed, and Facebook likes. Lastly you can click to load the most humongous visualization of all.. emails sent this second.