20 Places to Educate Yourself Online for Free It seems like these days you can learn just about anything online for free, but of course some of that information is better than others. The good news is there are plenty of reputable places to educate yourself online for free, and here’s a good 20 of them to get you started. 1. The coolest thing about Internet learning is that you can take college courses which in the past were only available to people who forked over immense sums of money to attend elite colleges. Courses typically include videos and certain coursework (such as online quizzes) that must be completed in a certain amount of time, as these courses are monitored by a professor. 2. Home to more than 3,000 videos on subjects ranging from SAT prep to cosmology, art history to calculus, Khan Academy is a great place to learn. You can also leave comments or ask questions if you want more information or if something isn’t clear in the lessons. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. iTunes U Love videos by experts on all sorts of topics? 13. 14.
Formative Assessment A Position of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Question: What is the role of formative assessments in mathematics education? Formative assessment is an essential process that supports students in developing the reasoning and sense-making skills that they need to reach specific learning targets and move toward mastery of the mathematical practices set out in the Common Core State Standards. The provision of effective feedback to studentsThe active involvement of students in their own learningThe adjustment of teaching, taking into account the results of the assessmentThe recognition of the profound influence that assessment has on the motivation and self-esteem of students, both of which are crucial influences on learningThe need for students to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve Linking assessment to everyday classroom instruction requires teachers to make a shift in both their thinking and their practice. Black, P. Collins, A. Hattie, J. (2012).
5 Keys to Inspiring Leadership, No Matter Your Style Forget the stereotypical leadership image of a buttoned-up person in a gray suit hauling around a hefty briefcase. Today, standout leaders come in all shapes and sizes. She could be a blue jeans-clad marketing student, running a major ecommerce company out of her dorm room. He might be the next salt-and-pepper-haired, barefoot Steve Jobs, presenting a groundbreaking new device at a major industry conference. "Our research indicates that what really matters is that leaders are able to create enthusiasm, empower their people, instill confidence and be inspiring to the people around them," says Peter Handal, chief executive of New York City-based Dale Carnegie Training, a leadership-training company. That's a tall order. 1. Great leaders are brave enough to face up to challenging situations and deal with them honestly. "The gossip at the coffee machine is usually 10 times worse than reality," Handal says. 2. 3. If you're not a suit, don't try to be one. 4. 5. The 5 Keys Series
Assessment For Learning: Making Classroom Assessment Work with Anne Davies, Ph.D. Digital Is At Rose High School, located in eastern North Carolina and populated by students on extreme ends of the socioeconomic spectrum, we have students who are passionate and active about everything from establishing a witty presence on social media to saving orphans in Darfur, but these are often extracurricular activities that don't show up in the actual classroom. Students might spend hours posting selfies on Facebook or hours planning a benefit concert, but when they feel like they have to put on their academic persona, they tend to forget those parts of themselves. I wanted students to be able to funnel their interests into a more authentic academic experience so that they could learn about what they want to learn about and become empowered as researchers, both casually and formally. To do that, I needed to remix their idea of what research is, transform it from something boring and arbitrary into something rich and useful. When I don't know something, I look it up.
Video: “The Future Will Not be Multiple Choice” Teaching Strategies Educator Jaime McGrath and designer Drew Davies explain how to create a “classroom of imagination” by turning lessons into design problems and giving students space to be creative in this Tedx video. In a New York Times op-ed The MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning Competition’s co-director Cathy Davidson said she thinks it’s possible that 65 percent of students today will end up doing jobs that haven’t been created yet. McGrath and Davies argue that school needs to keep up with the times by promoting creativity, entrepreneurship, design thinking and hands on skills. McGrath’s experience teaching design problems has convinced him that the approach includes all learning styles, brings the best of project-based learning, encourages cooperation and integrates subject matter horizontally. But mostly, McGrath and Davies are impressed at the cool stuff kids design. Related Explore: design thinking, project-based-learning, TED talk
The Role Of Empathy In Learning The Role Of Empathy In Learning Learning has to starts and end with the self: What do I know, and how can I relate to the world around me? If successful it should, by design, result in personal and social change through a combination of self-direction, reflection, and collaboration with ideas and the people who have them. Which brings us to empathy. The role of empathy in learning has to do with the flow of both information and creativity. Empathy and outrospection are tools not simply of emotional interdependence, but “radical social change.” How might you frame tomorrow’s lesson or your next project-based learning unit if you want the student to seamlessly transition between other perspectives and their own? The Role Of Empathy In Learning
What should teacher walk-throughs measure? Teacher walk-throughs are formative data collection opportunities for teachers and leaders to learn about general trends in a school. They are NOT designed to evaluate or judge the performance of a single teacher. This is a common misconception about walk-throughs across our nation. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been closely examining the research on teacher walk-through tools. I even downloaded and read the new book entitled “Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs.” Save a few exceptions, the walk-through tools I discovered focused heavily on one set of behaviors: what the teacher is doing. If I’m being honest, when I enter a classroom, I rarely notice what the teacher is doing. When I walk into a classroom, I focus on one thing: the students. I ask myself: What are the students doing? Then, I ask the students: “Why are you doing that?” Over the years, students have provided a variety of answers to the question, ranging from thoughtful to comical to whimsical.
Connected Education Might Not Mean What You Think - Finding Common Ground This month has been designated "Connected Educator" Month by the U.S Department of Education. Most of us who considered ourselves connected educators write about technology and social networking frequently, or at least during months other than one designated for connected learning. That kind of speaks to how we all feel about technology. Not because technology is the flavor of the month but because it literally has enhanced every aspect of our job. For the past few years I have expanded my professional learning network (PLN) through Twitter. Social networking has numerous chat sessions where we engage in debate or collaborate on ideas. The Downside I'm not going to lie, there are parts that I dislike about technology. I have actually asked my staff not to read e-mails after a certain time at night. I still like to pick up the phone or walk down the hall to have a real conversation. Mid-Life Career Change Blogging has been a life changing experience for some people. In the End
The Complete Visual Guide To Technology For Children Technology in education isn’t just for older students. There are a ton of resources out there for early childhood educators and their students, and many young children are already able to use the technology available to them. They’re even calling today’s preschoolers “Generation C”, aka the connected generation. In years past, parents were supposed to prepare their young students for kindergarten so that they would be well equipped to start their formal education. The handy infographic below takes a look at all of the issues surrounding technology for children. Technology For Children Today’s youngest students are expected to already have some technical know-how. Stats On Technology Use By Young Children Technology Addiction Is Real Children as young as four have been treated for technology addiction. Guidelines For Healthy Technology Use How can parents and teachers help children unplug?
Finding Students' Hidden Strengths and Passions Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is the President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership and he has spent a lot of time thinking about how to inspire both. He has some ideas about how we can inspire our students by helping them find their hidden strengths and passions. To use the word "hidden" may not be quite accurate because often, strengths are hidden by lack of opportunity to display them. Too often, when students are in school, they are not looked at in terms of their strengths; rather, there is a focus on remediating their deficits. So what can educators do? Second, ask students to talk about times when they found out something surprising and good about someone else. Third, have students talk to their parents or guardians about "hidden talents"-- you may want to use this exact term. You may have your own ideas. Brad Hirschfield reminds us that miraculous discoveries must be discovered.