The First Step In EdTech Integration? Connecting With Students -
The First Step In EdTech Integration? Connecting With Students by Rachelle Dene Poth You can always find a lot of discussion about the best ways, tools, and ideas for integrating technology in the classroom. Educating yourself about the tools available and best strategies for integrating technology into the classroom is important to stay up to date with your profession. Teachers may find themselves on varying ends of the spectrum of being technology savvy. I have grown up in the age of computing, and as a result, incorporating technology into my classroom was not something I was afraid to do–nor was it a seamless process either. So where to begin? For my classroom, it came down to what I have referred to as a “disconnect” between my students, our class and their access to vital resources. “Edtech integration,” I wondered to myself “has to start there.” The Need For Communication Resources So how did this impact my classroom? Think connections. The First Step In EdTech Integration?
25 Tips For Teaching With Apps
25 Tips For Teaching With Apps by Terry Heick We’ve done tips in the past for teaching with tablets. 1. If you’re going to use something important, interdependent, and new, you’re going to need some kind of model or framework to contextualize it. “Despite the rhetoric around m-learning virtually guaranteeing contextualised learning, very few of these scenarios rated highly in the scales for authenticity. It is mobility and access that underscores learning through apps, and using this technology without adjusting the design of learning experiences could yield underwhelming results. 2. There are a lot of apps, tools, and platforms out there. They call themselves a “discovery engine,” and that’s exactly how they function. You can create your own app collection, or see other collections created by other teachers, along with comments and feedback, which apps are trending, how many collections certain apps are included in, and so on. 3. You can’t download everything at once. 4. 5. 6. Not magic.
Teaching With YouTube: 197 Digital Channels For Learning
Teaching With YouTube: 197 Digital Channels For Learning If you don’t have a YouTube channel as an education provider, there’s a good chance you’re behind the times. Nearly every major educational institution in the world now hosts its own collection of videos featuring news, lectures, tutorials, and open courseware. Just as many individuals have their own channel, curating their expertise in a series of broadcasted lessons. These channels allow instructors to share information and blend media in unprecedented and exciting new ways. From teaching Mandarin Chinese to busting myths about Astronomy, the educational possibilities are diverse and dynamic. Here are the top channels worth following based on views, subscriptions, and quality of content: General YouTube EDU: Launched in 2009, Youtube EDU centralizes content from over 100 universities and colleges, providing access to lectures, research, and campus tours. Physical Sciences Engineering & Technology Mathematics Mr. The Arts
7 Ways You Can Use Texting to Your Advantage in the Classroom
If you were to take a glance around a classroom in which no smartphone policy has been set, it would be easy to conclude that texting at school is nothing but a distraction. Just look at all of those bent heads and rapidly moving thumbs! Take a look at the caliber of those texts — “wat r u doing l8er” — and it would also be easy to assume texting will one day bring about the end of literacy and analytical thought, if it hasn’t already. This may be true — and it may also not be. The studies in this area are even newer than texting itself, and results are mixed, with one study indicating that texting makes students worse in one academic area while another study finds the opposite. Photo credit: Gordon Mei Why Texting May Not Be As Bad As You Think It Is 1. Texting, just like conversational speech, is loose in structure and lacks any concern for the rules. Considered in this light, texting in itself is its own dialect. 2. What’s behind this? 3. The same goes for texting. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
iTeach with iPads | Innovating learning and literacy with iPads in kindergarten
100 Ways To Use Twitter In Education, By Degree Of Difficulty
Twitter may have started off as a fun social media site for keeping up with friends and sharing updates about daily life, but it’s become much more than that for many users over the past few years as the site has evolved and grown. These days, Twitter is a powerhouse for marketing, communication, business, and even education, letting people from around the world work together, share ideas, and gain exposure. It has become a staple at many online colleges and campuses as well, leaving many academics wondering just how and if they should be using Twitter both in the classroom and in their professional lives. So we’ve revised our our original 2009 list to get you started or up to date. Whether you’re an academic or just interested in building your Twitter profile, keep reading to learn some tips and tricks that can help you take the first steps towards using Twitter for coursework, research, building a professional network, and beyond. The Basics Organize your Twitter. Etiquette Connecting
Anything but PowerPoint: five fresh presentation alternatives
What application springs to mind when you think of creating visual aids to accompany your business presentation? For most people, it’s Microsoft’s PowerPoint. But that’s certainly not the only game in town. Plenty of other tools and services are cooler, faster, easier to use, and—in almost all cases—less expensive. We’ve rounded up five compelling alternatives to PowerPoint, including Web apps that let you dispense with installing software, and mobile apps that allow for presentation-building (and presenting) on the go. Our goal is to showcase presentation options that will help you get your point across a little differently, so your audience’s eyes don’t glaze over in the middle of your pitch. Haiku Deck (iPad) Haiku Deck for iPad is designed to turn your ideas into beautiful presentations in about the time it takes to ride the train to work. Indeed, half the battle in crafting attractive slides is finding appropriate artwork to go with the text. Kingsoft Presentation Free 2013 Prezi
