7 Habits Of Highly-Effective Teachers Who Effectively Use Technology 7 Characteristics Of Teachers Who Effectively Use Technology by TeachThought Staff Ed note: This post has been updated with an updated visual from Sylvia Duckworth, who took our graphic from alwaysprepped.com (now getalma) post and created the above visual. It is also sporting a new title, as the “habits of” is a trademarked term. As such, the new graphic and phrasing appears below. In most ways, teachers that use technology in the classroom aren’t much different than those that don’t. Any teacher worth their salt assesses, and then revises planned instruction based on data from those assessments. They manage their classroom in a way that works for them, create a positive learning environment, and (great teachers especially) collaborate with a variety of stakeholders to make sure every humanly possible attempt is made to meet all students need. They care about learning more than tools, people more than curriculum, and questions more than answers. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
What is a 21st century teacher? People toss around terms in education and attach the words “21st century” to appear cutting edge or on the front end of trending ideas. As a teacher in the 21st century, I find it amazing to see some of the things that are so-called 21st century and yet are no different from ideas from the 20th or even the 19th century. With that in mind, I reflected on what it takes to be a teacher in the 21st century and what such a teacher looks like. Obviously, a 21st-century teacher should be tall, handsome and have a sweet spot for superheroes. Be a connected educator. Be a master of technology. Interactive whiteboards are being used as chalkboards once were, computers are being used to make flash cards and tablets are being used to do word searches. Be a reflective practitioner. Be an advocate. None of these ideas is radical or groundbreaking. Josh Stumpenhorst is a sixth-grade language arts and social science teacher at Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville, Ill.
Flipped Classroom A New Learning Revolution There has been a growing buzz around a recently coined phrase " Flipped Classroom". This term starts to take root in education as more and more educators are discovering it. So what is this all about and what are its advantages in learning and teaching? Flipped Classroom is an inverted method of instruction where teaching and learning take place online outside of the class while homework is done in the classroom. Flipped Classroom shifts the learning responsibility and ownership from the teacher's hands into the students'. Flipped Classroom depends a lot on educational technology and web 2.0 tools such as podcasting and screencasting applications. "In most Flipped Classrooms, there is an active and intentional transfer of some of the information delivery to outside of the classroom with the goal of freeing up time to make better use of the face-to-face interaction in school. A direct and concrete example of Flipped Classroom concept is the popular Khan Academy.
Teachers And Social Media: Finding Your Comfort Zone by Dawn Casey-Rowe, Social Studies & Educational Technology Teacher Teachers And Social Media: Finding Your Comfort Zone “You’re a teacher. My friend was serious–and concerned. Social media has the potential to strike fear in the hearts of many educators. As more and more teachers reach out in the public sphere, they wonder if this leaves them overexposed, and if so, the best practices that they should use. “Well,” I reply, “I want them to use my Learnist boards, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t say in public on my blog, though I’m not sure the topics are of interest to them. The payoffs are huge. I now have a PLN, (Professional Learning Network) of national experts in education, tech, writing, blogging, social media, sustainability–any interest I develop. If you’re just jumping into social media, you might appreciate the following Learnist resources. Teachers & Social Media: 6 Resources For Finding Your Comfort Zone 1. These blogs are by teachers on the subject of teaching. 2. 3. 5. 6.
MindShift | How we will learn MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions. We examine how learning is being impacted by technology, discoveries about how the brain works, poverty and inequities, social and emotional practices, assessments, digital games, design thinking and music, among many other topics. We look at how learning is evolving in the classroom and beyond.We also revisit old ideas that have come full circle in the era of the over scheduled child, such as unschooling, tinkering, playing in the woods, mindfulness, inquiry-based learning and student motivation. We report on shifts in how educators practice their craft as they apply innovative ideas to help students learn, while meeting the rigorous demands of their standards and curriculum. MindShift has a unique audience of educators, tinkerers, policy makers and life-long learners who engage in meaningful dialogue with one another on our sites. Contact the us by email.
21st Century Skills are so last century! The new mantra, the next big thing, among educators who need a serious sounding phrase to rattle around in reports is ‘21st Century Skills’. I hear it often, almost always in some overlong, text-heavy, Powerpoint presentation at an educational conference, where collaboration, creativity and communication skills are in short supply. Thank god for wifi! But does this idee fixe bear scrutiny? Collaboration & sharing Young people communicate and collaborate every few minutes – it’s an obsession. Communication Again, we live in the age of abundant communication. Problem solving Problem solving is a complex skill and there are serious techniques that you can learn to problem solve such as breakdown, root-cause analysis etc. Creativity Beware of big, abstract nouns. Critical thinking Digital literacy Across the Arab world young people have collaborated on Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to bring down entire regimes. Conclusion
Google Forms for Teachers- A Must Read Guide In today's post, we are sharing with you one of the best and simplest guides I have ever read on Google Forms. This visual tutorial is created by Eric Curts and covers a wide range of tips and tricks on anything you need to know about Google Forms. Check it out and, as usual, your feedback is most welcome. Enjoy Here is a cursory look on the table of content of this guide : What is Google Forms? What Will The Internet Look Like In 5 Years? We're living in the Smartphone Era. (Image via CrunchBase) Five years ago, Twitter and the iPhone – now central to most professionals’ lives – were just launching. To understand our current relationship to technology, he says, it pays to look back at the revolutions that have shaped modern digital life. The next key phase came in 1995 with the rise of the Internet browser and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The third phase, which we’re currently in, is the Smartphone Era. With its Android operating system, Google has been trying to open up the field, he says. He draws a parallel with nature. So what will we see instead? As individuals become more empowered in their relationships with corporations (Searls argues for Vendor Relationship Management, rather than the current model of Customer Relationship Management), we’ll eventually see an end to the pervasive monitoring of our online behavior, which many consumers aren’t even fully aware of.
What does it mean to be literate in 2012? | Teacher Network Blog | Guardian Professional As it currently stands, the school ICT and computing curriculum does little, if anything, to stimulate an interest in these key subject areas. From key stage 3 upwards, the focus tends to be on spreadsheets and databases, and an overuse of Word and PowerPoint, geared as it is to enabling pupils to pass the national curriculum and coursework requirements. You would have to be a very keen enthusiast to get to the end of your key stage 4 course and still want to learn more about computers and technology as the curriculum currently defines it. Even if you did, the key stage 5 qualifications are unlikely to help you study a very technical degree in university as they are no longer "fit for purpose", covering much less complicated areas such as programming, but requiring mountains of coursework to complete the course. One of the main problems facing teachers in these subject areas, is the gap between what pupils know and do at home, compared with what they know and do at school.
S.O.S. for Information Literacy 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. There’s a daily influx of new technology into your inbox and your classroom feels woefully behind the times even if you’re flipping your 1:1 iPad classroom that’s already online and part of a MOOC . What are modern teachers to do with all this jargon and techno-babble being thrown at them all day long? 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. 7) Slow Down
A Project-Based Learning Cheat Sheet For Authentic Learning A Project-Based Learning Cheat Sheet by TeachThought Staff Like most buzzwords in education, “authenticity” isn’t a new idea. For decades, teachers have sought to make student learning “authentic” by looking to the “real world”–the challenges, technology, and communities that students care about and connect with daily. We’re going to take a closer look at progressive approaches to teacher planning whenever Terry Heick can be convinced to finish that series. The function of this image is to act as a kind of brainstorm–to help you get your own creative juices going to decide what’s most important when designing an authentic project-based learning unit–audiences, technology, habits, purposes, and so on. You obviously don’t even have to use these categories; they are just a sampling of the kinds of thinking that can help you make the shift from academic to authentic learning. 3 Questions To Guide Authentic Project-Based Learning What role is the learner taking on?
The 7 Most Powerful Ideas In Learning Available Right Now Tomorrow’s Learning Today: 7 Shifts To Create A Classroom Of The Future by Terry Heick For professional development around this idea or others you read about on TeachThought, contact us. Let’s take a look at the nebulous idea of the “classroom of the future.” This is all subjective, but it’s worth talking about. So let’s talk. Below are some ideas that are truly transformational–not that they haven’t been said before. And the best part? But therein lies the rub: Tomorrow’s learning is already available, and below are 7 of the most compelling and powerful trends, concepts, and resources that represent its promise. The Challenge of Implementation It’s challenging enough to manage a traditional learning environment where the curriculum is handed to you, and meetings are set, and you’re simply there to manage; adding more ingredients to the mix seems like asking for trouble. None of it is really complicated—it just requires new thinking. Tomorrow’s Learning Today: 7 Shifts Of Future Learning 1.