On the apparent horrors of requiring high school students to take chemistry. | Doing Good Science There’s a guest post on the Washington Post “Answer Sheet” blog by David Bernstein entitled “Why are you forcing my son to take chemistry?” in which the author argues against his 15-year-old son’s school’s requirement that all its students take a year of chemistry. Derek Lowe provides a concise summary of the gist: My son will not be a chemist. Bernstein’s post is a slurry of claims about chemistry, secondary education, and the goals of education more generally with respect to human flourishing — in other words, the kind of thing I need to take apart for close examination before responding. So, that’s what I’m going to do here. Let’s start with Bernstein’s account of the dawning of the horror: I discovered that my 15-year-old son must suffer through a year of chemistry because a “Committee of Ten” academics was assembled in 1892 in order to standardize the curriculum (how’s that for a bad idea?) [M]y son is not going to be a scientist. Mr. There’s quite a bit to unpack in this response.
Free Technology for Teachers Gamine Expedition Technology Is Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say Nancy Palmieri for The New York Times Lisa Baldwin, a chemistry teacher, works with her students to fight through academic challenges. Monica Almeida/The New York Times Hope Molina-Porter, an English teacher in Fullerton, Calif., worries that technology is deeply altering how students learn. The researchers note that their findings represent the subjective views of teachers and should not be seen as definitive proof that widespread use of computers, phones and video games affects students’ capability to focus. Even so, the researchers who performed the studies, as well as scholars who study technology’s impact on behavior and the brain, say the studies are significant because of the vantage points of teachers, who spend hours a day observing students. The timing of the studies, from two well-regarded research organizations, appears to be coincidental. One was conducted by the Pew Internet Project, a division of the that focuses on technology-related research. “I’m an entertainer.
Early Connections: A Parent Education Toolkit for Early Childhood Providers We've all heard stories of 2-year-olds toddling up to the TV and swiping it like a smartphone. Some parents are amazed; some worry it's too early. Many parents wonder: Is media OK at such a young age? If so, which media are best? As an early childhood provider, you're in a perfect position to help guide parents and kids. The toolkit includes handouts, family workshop outlines, media recommendations and more, focused on 6 topics related to media and technology: Created with a strong research base and reviewed by expert teachers, academics, and specialists in the field, Early Connections echoes the guidelines put forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center. Acknowledgments Special thanks to Dr.
The Magazine - The Siege of Academe September/October 2012The Siege of Academe For years, Silicon Valley has failed to breach the walls of higher education with disruptive technology. But the tide of battle is changing. A report from the front lines. By Kevin Carey It’s three o’clock in the afternoon on Easter, and I’m standing on a wooden deck in the Corona Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, looking out toward Nob Hill. Some of them are the kinds of hackers a college dean could love: folks who have come up with ingenious but polite ways to make campus life work better. But many of the people here are engaged in business pursuits far more revolutionary in their intentions. Last August, Marc Andreessen, the man whose Netscape Web browser ignited the original dot-com boom and who is now one of Silicon Valley’s most influential venture capitalists, wrote a much-discussed op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. This hype has happened before, of course.
Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning Deadline: February 1 Overview AASL’s Best Digital Tools are recognized for fostering qualities of: Innovation/Creativity Active Participation Collaboration User-Friendly Encourages Exploration Information/Reference As well as their display of one or more of the AASL Standards Shared Foundations: Inquire Include Collaborate Curate Explore Engage Eligibility Nominations may be submitted by developers, school librarians, or the general public. * Please note: The downloadable version of the application is for informational purposes only. Questions Allison Cline Deputy Executive Director Best Apps and Best Websites Recipients Apps Chatterpix Kids, EarthViewer, Equity Maps, Figment AR, Green Screen by Do Ink, iCell, iCivics - Suite, Khan Academy Kids, Mixerpiece, Nearpod, Novel Effect, Object Viewer for Merge Cube, PBS Kids Scratch Jr., Quizlet, Sites in VR, Sora App, Stop Motion Studio, Tynker, Wakelet, and Wolfram Alpha Websites Epic! Bats! Best Websites Landmark Sites
Projects The educational graphic adventure game we produced for The Centre for Skills Development & Training, Summer in Smallywood, has gone mobile! Now you can work at Canada’s most lacklustre amusement park while learning about essential workplace skills, all on a device that fits in your pocket! (provided you have a very big pocket). The iPad release of Summer in Smallywood was developed with Adobe AIR, from the all-new “talkie” web version that launched weeks earlier at summerinsmallywood.ca. Smallywood is powered by UGAGS, the Untold Graphic Adventure Game System, which runs our most popular and anticipated adventure games, including Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure and the upcoming Spellirium. TVOntario asked us to execute their concept for a game for early elementary school-aged children to help them follow instructions, and to learn certain art terminology (colour, texture, shade/value). Give us a call and tell us about your next project!
Children's Technology Review | News and reviews of children's interactive media The 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen By You 100 Web 2.0 Tools Every Teacher Should Know About 44.24K Views 0 Likes We're always trying to figure out the best tools for teachers, trends in the education technology industry, and generally doing our darnedest to bring you new and exciting ways to enhance the classroom. But I wanted t... 20 Free and Fun Ways To Curate Web Content 23.98K Views 0 Likes What's the best way to organize it all into at least some reasonable manner? It’s Time To Crowdsource Your School’s Social Media Policy 12.53K Views 0 Likes Every school has a different policy when it comes to social media.
Bloomin' Apps This page gathers all of the Bloomin' Apps projects in one place.Each image has clickable hotspots and includes suggestions for iPad, Android, Google and online tools and applications to support each of the levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.I have created a page to allow you to share your favorite online tool, iOS, or Android app with others. Cogs of the Cognitive Processes I began to think about the triangular shape of Bloom's Taxonomy and realized I thought of it a bit differently.Since the cognitive processes are meant to be used when necessary, and any learner goes in and out of the each level as they acquire new content and turn it into knowledge, I created a different type of image that showcased my thoughts about Bloom's more meaningfully.Here is my visual which showcases the interlocking nature of the cognitive processes or, simply, the "Cogs of the Cognitive Processes". IPAD APPS TO SUPPORT BLOOM'S REVISED TAXONOMYassembled by Kathy Schrock Bloom's and SAMR: My thoughts