What a 21st-century science classroom should look like By Tim Magner, Special to CNN Editor’s note: Tim Magner is the executive director of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), a national organization that advocates for 21st-century readiness for every student. He has had an extensive career in education, serving most recently as the vice president of Keystone for KC Distance Learning (KCDL) as well as the director of the Office of Educational Technology for the U.S. Department of Education. (CNN) – Whether it’s technology, the global economy or the changing nature of work itself, we are tasked with preparing our children for success in college, career and citizenship in a world that looks very different from the one we grew up in. 21st-century readiness – having the knowledge and skills to pursue further education, compete in the global economy and contribute to society – demands much more of all of our students, and our education system must change to meet these demands. And it comes not a moment too soon.
The best free cultural & educational media on the web - Open Culture What Is Successful Technology Integration? Technology integration is the use of technology resources -- computers, mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, digital cameras, social media platforms and networks, software applications, the Internet, etc. -- in daily classroom practices, and in the management of a school. Successful technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is: Routine and transparent Accessible and readily available for the task at hand Supporting the curricular goals, and helping the students to effectively reach their goals When technology integration is at its best, a child or a teacher doesn't stop to think that he or she is using a technology tool -- it is second nature. And students are often more actively engaged in projects when technology tools are a seamless part of the learning process. Defining Technology Integration Willingness to embrace change is also a major requirement for successful technology integration. Types of Technology Integration Online Learning and Blended Classrooms
Teaching In a Global World Hip-Hip Hooray for Summer! Three Tips to Spark Your Learning When I was a kid, some of the things I enjoyed most about summer were swimming and banana splits! Yes . . . you heard right. Banana splits! In my opinion, if we decide to do summer learning at all, it should be fun, meaningful and engaging. So today, I offer you three tips on how to do some summer learning and still keep those banana splits coming! 1) Attend Free Webinars Professional Development can take many shapes. 2) Join a Summer Book Club We frequently talk about the importance of summer book clubs for our students, but don't often enough choose to do one for ourselves. 3) Jump into a Month-Long Article Read Last week Doug Rice, a blogging buddy from the business world, shared a post called Small Business Article Reading Schedule. Summer learning can be as much fun as a tasty banana split with a cherry on top, or as dreary as a rained out ball game. Now it's time to share yours!
Class Blogging as a Classroom Window to the World So you want to look at creating a class blog? Do you have an idea about what to do with a blog, but perhaps not sure where to start? Or perhaps you want to start a blog but are not sure how to make it sustainable with your class? Why blog? If you are looking at why you might consider class blogging you might find it helpful to see what others have said. John Johnston of North Lanarkshire Council has created a blog post which sets out advice to consider when starting a class blog: Starting Blogging in the Classroom. David Mitchell has produced a blogging policy for use in a primary school, which can be adapted to the needs of your own school situation. Margaret Vass at Carronshore Primary School in Falkirk Council has made available her Masters Dissertation: Children’s Online Voices – A Case Study “Can Weblogs, Wikis and other associated emerging social software tools be used to create an effective on-line learning community?” Before You Start Blogging Class blogs Which Blogging Tool to Use?
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. Contact the us by email.
Education and Gamification Words, images, sound. All teach me, all sway me into new worlds, where each syllable creates new shades of meaning. Images breathe through my skin, calling me into dimensions where all is possible. I tread into these worlds with delight, playing with colours, shapes and sounds. But has this to do with education? Despite constraints such as lack of tech hardware, institutional firewalls, lack of teacher training and sometimes, even lack of managerial vision, undoubtedly today's educational scenario is a blend of digital learning and more traditional approaches in the classroom. Nevertheless, educators who refuse incorporating a digital ecosystem in their practices, are facing a losing battle. It is not so much that students expect or want to take responsibility for their learning process, but given the opportunity, they will. From involving learners with M-learning to gaming, there are myriads of options that educators have today. How else can you entice learners today?
10 Things in School That Should Be Obsolete Flickr: Corey Leopold By Greg Stack So much about how and where kids learn has changed over the years, but the physical structure of schools has not. Looking around most school facilities — even those that aren’t old and crumbling — it’s obvious that so much of it is obsolete today, and yet still in wide use. 1. COMPUTER LABS. At Northern Beaches Christian School students learn everywhere. 2. 3. 4. 5. Corridors at Machias Elementary are used for informal learning 6. 7. 8. Learner Centered Classroom at Riverview Elementary School. 9. 10. Greg Stack is an architect for NAC Architecture and specializes in developing best practices for the planning and design of educational environments.
3 Technology and Learning Strategies to Steal As technology becomes more entwined with curriculum and instruction, school districts are looking to each other for models that work. For their technology and learning initiatives, three school districts were recognized as first-place winners in their respective student population categories in the 2012 Digital School Districts Survey from the Center for Digital Education. Keep reading to find out their major strategies for integrating technology into the curriculum in a meaningful way. 1. While large districts such as the Clark County School District in Las Vegas may start a pilot with a million tablets, the smaller Springville-Griffith Institute Central Schools in New York tests devices with pilots of a thousand or less. Because the Springville-Griffith school district has limited funds, it started a competitive grant program for technology. Then support staff, educators and administrators who didn't apply or supply the technology review the blind submissions. 2. 3.
What’s the Best Way to Practice Project Based Learning? By Peter Skillen Project Based Learning can mean different things to different people, and can be practiced in a variety of ways. For educators who want to dive in, the good news is that a rich trove of resources are available. In order to create your own definition and practice, here are some parameters to consider. We like to think with the frame of continua rather than dichotomies simply because things are rarely on or off, black or white, ones or zeroes. You could likely add other dimensions to consider as you build your own understandings and beliefs. Who is in control? Who is asking the question to be investigated in the project? If the projects are collaborative in nature, you may wish to consider the amount of interdependence that students have with one another. Is the content a rich, deep problem space or is it a more narrowly focused content area? How authentic is the problem under investigation? This post originally appeared on Voices from the Learning Revolution. Related