Students Map Real-World Issues with (Free) Geospatial Tools Imagine being an emergency responder in a small town that hasn't mapped its fire hydrants, labeled rural roads with street signs, or identified evacuation points in the event of natural disaster. Now imagine being part of a high school team that addresses those issues by thinking critically and using sophisticated geospatial tools to communicate findings. Until recently, only a small number of schools have had access to the high-powered geographical information system (GIS) software that enables detailed, layered mapping and analysis of data. Thanks to a recent $1 billion pledge from software developer Esri, free access to cloud-based mapping software is coming to 100,000 K-12 schools across the country. This sets the stage for students to take learning and problem solving in new directions by developing their geospatial literacy. Joseph Kerski, education manager for Esri, points to three global trends that make GIS a powerful tool for learning: Pioneers Lead the Way
Flip Your Classroom How flipping works for you Save time; stop repeating yourself Record re-usable video lessons, so you don't have to do it again next year. It's easy to make minor updates to perfect lessons over time once the initial recording is done. Let students take control of their learning Not all students learn at the same pace. Spend more time with students Build stronger student-teacher relationships, and promote higher level thinking. Other teachers are doing it, you can too Stacey Roshan found that the traditional classroom model wasn't cutting it for her AP students, so she flipped her class. Watch Stacey's Story Crystal Kirch started using videos as instructional tools in her class but soon realized the real value of flipping lectures was being able to spend more face-to-face time with students. Read Crystal's Story Tools You Can Use
TED Image by DavidErickson via Flickr There are some really great blogs out there written by maths teachers who really care about their practice. I enjoy reading their posts as they share their insight and ideas and think about how it could improve my own teaching. There is wheat and there is chaff out there. To save you time in separating the two, I have compiled this list of the best blogs I have found so far: f(t) Written by the highly witty and entertaining Kate Nowak, I love this blog for lots of reasons. I find her blog a useful way of ‘keeping the big picture in mind’ rather than becoming obsessed with the details all the time. Keeping Math Simple One of the best blogs I have found discussing pedagogy in maths teaching. “This blog isn’t about making math easy because it isn’t. There are regular blogs about using Geogebra effectively in teaching maths. Typical of the quality and thought provoking posts on this blog is “Teaching algebraic thinking without the x’s“. Math for Primates dy/dan
MY FLIPPED CLASSROOM by Crystal Kirch on Prezi The Flipped Classroom Model: A Full Picture Due to Khan Academy’s popularity, the idea of the flipped classroom has gained press and credibility within education circles. Briefly, the Flipped Classroom as described by Jonathan Martin is: Flip your instruction so that students watch and listen to your lectures… for homework, and then use your precious class-time for what previously, often, was done in homework: tackling difficult problems, working in groups, researching, collaborating, crafting and creating. Classrooms become laboratories or studios, and yet content delivery is preserved. Flip your instruction so that students watch and listen to your lectures… for homework, and then use your precious class-time for what previously, often, was done in homework: tackling difficult problems, working in groups, researching, collaborating, crafting and creating. A compiled resource page of the Flipped Classroom (with videos and links) can be found at The Flipped Classroom Model Summary
Experiential Learning Games...Maximise learning through fun experiences The Flipped Classroom - Instructional Module What type of hardware do I need? Depending on the type of instruction you selected, the hardware requirements will vary. However, regardless of the variation, two major components are required: a COMPUTER and BROADBAND INTERNET CONNECTION. Online Videos Computer (PC or Mac) Broadband Internet Narrated Screencasts Microphone (internal or external) Web cam - Optional Interactive Tablet - Optional Computer (PC or Mac) Broadband Internet Videotaped Lectures Digital Video Camera Tripod - Optional Computer (PC or Mac) Broadband Internet Can I use an Ipad to create an online instructional video? What type of software do I need? Online Video (Free) Using online video to deliver lessons does not require any additional software other than a standard internet browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc.) which should already be installed on your computer. Narrated Screencasts (Basic - Free; Advanced - $99+) Compare Screenr.com Compare Camtasia Is Screencasting the same as Vodcasting? Finding an Online Video
25 Best Sites for Free Educational Videos RefSeek's guide to the 25 best online resources for finding free educational videos. With the exception of BrainPOP and Cosmeo, all listed sites offer their extensive video libraries for free and without registration. Academic Earth Thousands of video lectures from the world's top scholars. academicearth.org Big Think Video interviews with 600+ thought leaders in a range of fields. bigthink.com Brightstorm Short-form online video lessons by professional educators. brightstorm.com CosmoLearning Aggregator of free, online video lessons and documentaries. cosmolearning.com Coursera Lectures taught by world-class professors and reinforced through interactive exercises. coursera.org EdX Courses designed specifically for interactive study via the web. edx.org Futures Channel High quality multimedia content ideal for use in the classroom. thefutureschannel.com Howcast Professional and user-generated how-to videos. www.howcast.com Internet Archive archive.org iTunes U Apple iTunes - Apple iTunes Software Khan Academy Hulu
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What a great motivational video! I firmly believe those three rules are the key to real instruction. by quijote17 Nov 13
"Students' questions are the seeds of real learning" yes I completely agree! Each questions is taking the content to different levels and, suddenly we realize that we have given a great lesson! Great rules to illustrate how we can achieve learning. by quijote17 Nov 12
Musallam, Ramsey. 3 Rules to Spark Learning. TED Talk
2013
A 7 minute video about the importance of engaging learners through cultivating curiosity. Students questions can be your most valuable tool in teaching your class. Student questions are the seeds to real learning. He speaks to 3 guidelines he has built into every lesson within his classroom: Curiosity comes first (questions), embrace the messiness of trial and error, practice reflection (revision). Ted Talks prove to be reliable resources to engage thinking and reflection on best practices. These 3 rules could be used within any content of our curriculum. Cultivating inquiry creates life-long learners. by maryannebs Apr 3