Ending the 'tyranny of the lecture' Harvard professor Eric Mazur reveals how he uses peer instruction to make learning more dynamic—and how new software can facilitate this process By Dennis Pierce, Editor Read more by Dennis Pierce July 27th, 2011 Students need to assimilate information before they can apply it to a different context, Mazur said. At an educational technology conference in Boston July 27, Harvard University physics professor Eric Mazur explained how he uses “peer instruction” to help his students engage in deeper learning than traditional lectures can provide—and he unveiled a brand-new ed-tech service that can help educators take this concept to a whole new level. Mazur used a simple experiment to drive home his point that lecturing is an outdated—and largely ineffective—strategy for imparting knowledge. While the responses from the crowd varied—some cited practice or experience, while others said trial and error—no one answered “lecture,” Mazur noted wryly.
50 resources for iPad use in the classroom The transition to the more extensive use of technology in classrooms across the West has resulted in the integration of bring your own device (BYOD) schemes, equipping students with netbooks and tablet computers, and lessons that use social media & online services. Gesture-based technology is on the rise; according to the latest NMC Horizon Report, gesture-based technological models will become more readily integrated as a method of learning within the next few years. The iPhone, iPad, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect technology are examples of these kinds of developments, and in particular, resources for Apple products in education are becoming widely available online. For teachers, some of which are just beginning to use tablets and mobile devices in class, these resources can be invaluable in promoting more interactive classrooms and understanding how best to use and control such products. Tutorials: 1.) iPads for learning: Getting started 2.) 3.) 50 iPad2 tips and tricks 6.)
With A New Educational Platform, TED Gives Teachers The Keys To A Flipped Classroom You may know TED, not as the guy from marketing, but as the nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading” — or as the set of global conferences, Talks, and videos that touch on the many heady, relevant issues surrounding Technology, Entertainment, and Design. As an increasingly powerful medium through which the world’s experts share their hard-won knowledge, TED is also an educator. In March, the organization launched the first phase of its “TED-Ed” initiative, in practice a series of a dozen short animated YouTube videos “created for high school students and lifelong learners,” in the big picture an invitation to teachers to collaborate with TED to create more effective video lessons that can be used in classrooms. Tonight, TED is announcing the second phase of its education initiative — a website that lives on TED.com, which is designed to enable teachers to create unique lesson plans around its video content.
Flipped learning: A response to five common criticisms One of the reasons this debate exists is because there is no true definition of what “flipped learning” is. Over the past few years, the Flipped Learning method has created quite a stir. Some argue that this teaching method will completely transform education, while others say it is simply an opportunity for boring lectures to be viewed in new locations. While the debate goes on, the concept of Flipped Learning is not entirely new. Dr. It’s our opinion that one of the reasons this debate exists is because there is no true definition of what Flipped Learning is. Dr.
Will Free Benefit the Rich? How Free and Open Education Might Widen Digital Divides Tuesday, Janary 17, 12:30 pmBerkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floorThe event is at capacity; this event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after. The explosion of open education content resources and freely available collaboration and media production platforms represents one of the most exciting emerging trends in education. These tools create unprecedented opportunities for teachers to design and personalize curriculum and to give students opportunities to collaborate, publish, and take responsibility for their own learning. About Justin I’m a doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Fellow at the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society. I’m also the co-director of EdTechTeacher, a social venture that provides professional learning services to schools and teachers. Personally, I’m a husband and father and an avid adventurer and traveler. Links
Is This The Next Sal Khan? Ready or not, the classroom is changing forever. Thanks to people like Sal Khan , learning has become easier for anyone around the globe. It’s as simple as watching a YouTube video.Whether you agree or disagree with what Khan is doing, there’s no denying that his videos have played a crucial role in the current renaissance of education. The Educational Renaissance That’s right, we’re in a renaissance. But who is the next person* to continue the evolution of the education world? Paul Andersen One of those innovative people is Paul Andersen . When asked about how he feels about being compared to Khan, Andersen mentioned the following: I love the work of the Khan Academy. Gamification I was lucky enough to get an email from Andersen this morning alerting me to a recent project he’s undertaking: gamification of the classroom. [*Important sidebar: I fully understand that there are tons of amazing teachers out there doing amazing things. About Andersen Reflections on the Flipped Classroom
ABC Science Hot tags Weather Climate Change Planets and Asteroids Archaeology Fossils Editor's choice Sunday, 15 January 2017 RN Offtrack Counting birds to save the Murray-Darling Friday, 18 November 2016 Professor Richard Kingsford has spent much of his life counting birds: a critical body of work that shows Australia's rivers are under threat. Great Moments in Science The earworms you can't get out of your head Tuesday, 29 November 2016If you've ever had a song stuck in your head, you'll know it's annoying. Photos Incredible inner space Venture into the micro world of human anatomy and animals with teeth reinforced with iron, scales that reflect light and velvet 'fingers' on their skin captured by scientists from the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility. More galleries Science Quizzes Aussie birds quiz Can you tell the difference between a cuckoo and a cockatoo, or a peregrine and a penguin? Chemistry quiz Is your chemistry knowledge as light as helium or as heavy as plutonium?
change.mooc.ca TodaysMeet Science Classroom Lessons Microscope Mania Pond Water Survey Hydra Investigation Animal Classification Challenge Incredible Edible Cells - Cell Project Construction Zone - Cell Project Mitosis Flip Books Genetics with a Smile + SpongeBob Genetics DNA Keychains & Replication Protein Power Game Egg-cellent Ideas for Osmosis & Diffusion Human Body Activities (Body Systems, Skeletal System, Muscular System) Also see Silly Science - a dichotomous key activity in General Science section! Internet Lessons • The Organ Trail - Challenge your students to create a "Wanted" poster about an organ. This download provides project guidelines, student information, and project worksheets. Links for students can be found on the Health & Human Body links page of the Kid Zone. • Microscopes Online (pdf) (Internet Lesson) - Use this worksheet to help your students explore the history of the microscope as well as other sites listed on the Cells & Microscopes page of the Kid Zone . Also available ... | Back to top |
Boundless Learning Raises $8 Million to Make Expensive College Textbooks Free Let me get this out of the way: Boundless Learning, a Boston-based startup, just raised $8 million from Venrock, bringing the company's total funding to just under $10 million. Okay, onto the juicy stuff. In our earliest days, Pando went a little crazy covering books. Amid the flurry of posts, I noticed a long-overdue disruption finally creeping its way into the textbook market. Companies like Inkling and Chegg were working to digitize the existing market in ways that seem commercially viable. Then I came across Boundless Learning, which looked downright revolutionary. The company's website declared "100% Free Textbook Replacement," claiming its beta product, essentially a free textbook hacking tool, had helped students at 1000+ universities save almost half a million dollars and perform better in their classes. This is amazing, slightly insane, and totally doomed, I thought. In fact, the Higher Education Opportunities Act was signed in 2008 to make the textbook market fairer to students.
Five Mistakes to Avoid When Flipping Your Class - Turning Learning On Its Head When Aaron Sams and I first started flipping our classes in 2007, we made a lot of mistakes. If you are considering flipping your classroom this fall (or just flipping a few lessons), I want to share with you some of the mistakes we made or have seen others make, so that you don’t have to repeat them. Keep Your Videos Short: Short-short-short! We took our standard lecture and made videos. These videos contained multiple objectives and pieces of content and were way too long. Don’t assume all students have the Internet at home: Or that they have access to the Internet 24-7. Don’t Lecture if Students Don’t Watch Your Videos Rescuing students who don’t do what you ask is never the answer. Hold Each Student Individually Accountable for Work Instead, hold them each individually accountable for watching the videos. Teach Students HOW to watch your videos: Watching one of our instructional videos is not the same thing as watching Batman on DVD. More?