21st Century Learning: Will Richardson: Connective Teaching: How the Read/Write Web Challenges Traditional Practice Voice for the VoicelessIn keeping with my context filter (Homeless Children and Children of Poverty) for the Connectivism conference I re-listened to Will's presentation. Will says that networks are crucial and the best way to stay current is to network with other passionate learners who want to learn the things you do. As educators we must have a willingness to share and be transparent. He tells us that recognizing patterns is huge. As educators we should look at the distributed conversations that are out there -- which are not linear-- and synthesize ideas, pick out patterns of ideas and connect them. Why should we be doing this? This is so true for students of poverty or even for students whose parents (regardless of socio-economic status) are not connected at home. Ask YourselfAsk yourself- are the current methods and curriculum being used at your school going to equip a high poverty student to climb out of the circumstance that has been forced upon them?
Learning Standards & Program Guidelines Review and Revision For the first time in decades AASL will be using a multi-layered survey, data, and research approach to revise and rewrite its learning standards and program guidelines for your profession. To ensure the standards meet the needs of the entire community it is critical that we hear from you! Visit the FAQ section for more information on how you can get involved. Overview | Project Plan Milestones | Frequently Asked Questions While the launch of new standards and guidelines is scheduled for fall 2017, the current AASL standards will not “go away” with the release of new standards. Learning Standards AASL's learning standards offer a vision for teaching and learning to both guide and beckon the school library profession as education leaders. Program Guidelines AASL's newest set of program guidelines defines the future direction of school library programs. Learning4Life
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - Communication and Collaboration Communicate Clearly Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentions Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade) Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual)Collaborate with Others Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member Additional resources are listed below: 1. Online index of many communication related topics and resources 2. 3. 4. 5.
Illinois School Library Media Association Game-Based Learning Units for the Everyday Teacher Game-based learning (GBL) is getting a lot press. It is an innovative practice that is working to engage kids in learning important 21st century skills and content. Dr. Myths About Game-Based Learning First, let's clarify a couple things. Gee refers to teachers as "learning designers," and I couldn't agree more. Inspired by the work I've seen, here is an overview of components and structure for the everyday teacher to implement game-based learning Overall Structure: Individual Quests and Boss Levels A game-based learning unit should consist of both smaller quests and more robust boss levels. Boss levels are more rigorous missions that require students to synthesize the content and skills learned in the quests. Overall Theme You may have already noticed that all the quests are related under a thematic idea of question. Need to Know Game-Based Learning demands a "need to know" the content. Trial and Error, Timely Feedback and then Success Incentives Avatar Part of gaming is role-playing.
K-12 Technology News -- THE Journal Report: Collection of Ed Data Useful but Challenging The burgeoning collection of data in education poses "infrastructure challenges" related to creation and storage that reduce the usefulness of data and presents "data privacy implications" that haven't been resolved, even with the current crop of regulations. By Dian Schaffhauser11/05/18 Detailed Picture of 'Inequality of Opportunity' Emerges Where kids grow up has a big impact on how well they'll do as adults.
100 Awesome Classroom Videos to Learn New Teaching Techniques With so many good teachers out there, it’s fortunate they can share their knowledge via video on the Internet. From the funny to the poignant, these glimpses into the lives of teachers and their students will keep you entertained while learning a little something as well. Whether you are a new teacher storing up tips and tricks or an experienced teacher who could just use a fresh perspective, you are sure to find something helpful among these videos. The Basics Reading, storytelling, math, and science all get coverage with these videos that show how some Teaching Storytelling in the Classroom. Myst ‘Exile’ in the Classroom. The Arts From visual arts to music to drama, these videos will offer suggestions and stimulate creativity when teaching art to your students. Footprint dancing at the Nest. Getting Physical Movement doesn’t have to be reserved just for PE class. Student Body: Classroom Exercises Make Learning Lively. Education and Technology Turning on Technology: Ferryway School.
K-12 2 Resources Ed Tech Leaders Can Use to Plan for Emerging Tech, Trends and Challenges The 2016 K-12 Horizon Report and toolkit provide an opportunity for communities to strategically plan for the future. Howard County, Md. The county is leasing laptops in a multi-year initiative designed to give every student a device to use at school. Winning School Idea Would Serve Homeless, Foster Youth Laurene Powell Jobs funded a high school redesign competition whose winner plans to combine physical spaces, a bus-based resource center and online learning. Oklahoma Plans Statewide Broadband Initiative for Schools The state is working with EducationSuperHighway to assess high-speed Internet requirements in schools and increase connectivity accordingly. ConnectED Day Continues Conversation About High-Speed Broadband for Students Education leaders mark the third anniversary of President Obama's ConnectED initiative with a renewed focus on connecting students with high-speed broadband outside of school.
Getting to Know a Digital Textbook by Terence W. Cavanaugh When I switched to open source digital textbooks, I created a series of activities to help students better learn how to use the textbook in digital form. I added a textbook item to the course menu. Then I adapted the textbook to be available in a few formats, providing access to the book not only online, but also so that it would be available to them in downloadable versions in ePub and AZW so that they could be read offline and on ebook readers and smart phones. The students learn more about digital textbooks through an activity I call, "getting to know your textbook" (see lesson below). As an online option for text-to-speech, students are shown how to use University of Washington’s WebAnywhere ( Students are shown how they can use note-taking software as an option to collect information from a book. Lesson/Activity: Getting To Know Your Digital Textbook OBJECTIVE(s): 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. a. b. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Online video lessons flipping classrooms left and right In soothing tones, he explains everything from chemistry to credit default swaps, from algebra to economics, to about 2 million students a month, imparting roughly 200,000 lessons a day. And Salman Khan never loses his voice. As an educator, he's just now finding it, as the improbable creator of a free, Web-based video library whose pitch-perfect approach to bedeviling concepts has vaulted him into the education reform conversation — in Colorado and worldwide. "It's weird for me," says the 34-year-old Khan. That task has expanded a bit since he first lashed together an online algebra lesson to help a cousin. Using technology to reach schools and homes around the world as either a stand-alone curriculum or a supplemental tool, the nonprofit Khan Academy (khanacademy.org) has doubled its users from over just three months ago and increased its audience 10-fold over last fall. Actually, the celebrity part is coming — and quickly. He also recently appeared on "The Colbert Report."