Are We Teaching Kids To Be Too Dependent on Technology? Edudemic writer Jeff Dunn recently wrote an article about a technology bus that is making headlines at a middle school in Mississippi. This bus, sponsored by the tech-ed company Promethean, is a vehicle filled with products that enrich the classroom through the latest technology tools, gadgets, and software. While it may be a smart marketing tool for tech companies, is technology bulldozing its way into the classroom? Traditional Schools Are Way Behind to Begin With Technological advancements move at lightning speed, with the average device losing its edge over a new and better device after about two years. It may appear that schools are being barraged with new technologies, but where have they been in the last decade? However, the majority of jobs in the current market require at the very least, a basic understanding of the computer, the Internet, and how to navigate software like Microsoft Word. Technology Does Not Nullify Critical Thinking But What Happens if Technology is Taken Away?
classroom engagement strategies | The LectureTools Blog | LectureTools LectureTools provides an active learning platform that makes it easier for professors to teach more interactively, engaging students with laptops during class. Matt Stearmer, an instructor at Ohio State, however, finds that LectureTools helps engage his students not only during, but also before and after class. Here are the 3 ways Matt uses LectureTools to teach his Introduction to Sociological Theory class: 1. Matt posts the material the class will be covering for the week on LectureTools in advance. Giving students exposure to the concepts for upcoming lectures allows Matt to teach beyond a surface understanding. 2. Matt uses the interactive activities in LectureTools as a way to create times for telling . 3. Because students see changes made to published lectures, Matt also uses activity slides to put practice quizzes online on Friday. Learn How to Improve Engagement in Your Classroom In 2005 Dr. LectureTools: An Active Learning Platform on Vimeo . To a new beginning, Special Features
Reviving Reviews: Refreshing Ideas Students Can't Resist | Review Games Is review time a deadly bore for you and your students? Add a little fun to review time and you might be surprised. Games will spice up reviews, revive interest, and ensure retention! Included: Five activities for use in all subjects, all grades. Stop the yawns. This week Education World offers five lessons (and a sidebar of hundreds of additional ideas) to spice up boring reviews and tedious skill practice sessions. Looking for a place to start? PowerPoint Activities PowerPoint Games Jeopardy PowerPoint Click each of the five lesson headlines below for a complete teaching resource. Four-Corner Fun: A Review Game Multiple choice review questions are center stage in this fun activity that can be used to review any subject matter, any skill. Round Robin Post-It Review This small-group activity is a fun way for students to review new skills or prep for an end-of-unit test. "Concentration" Review Game Adapt the game of Concentration to review hundreds of skills.
Are we too dependent on Technology in the Classroom? Technology And The Classroom Technology has become an increasingly important part of the teaching armory. Children now learn to use computers and other educational technology from a very early age, and most teachers incorporate technology in some form into their learning and teaching resources too. There can be no doubt that technology in the classroom has many benefits. [1] Utilizing different forms of technology in the classroom can help to hold children’s attention and keep their focus for longer periods of time. Too Much Dependency on Technology? Children gravitate towards all forms of technology:[2] they love playing computer games and checking their Facebook statuses. Leaving Underprivileged Children Behind? On a practical note, it’s important to point out that technology is expensive and that this could prove to be a huge hindrance to public schools that are struggling financially. Additional Reading [2] “Technology in the classroom: Helpful or harmful?” About the author
Student Engagement and Optimizing Learning Questing: A Tool to Improve Student Answers, Class Participation All teachers strive to encourage active class participation and learning. What some may not realize is that the way we ask questions and respond to students’ answers in the classroom determines the depth of thinking that follows. If you want to increase class participation and encourage active learning, then you will want to try questing. Here we will take a look at what it is, and how it works. What is Questing? The Thoughtful Education Press defines questing as the process in which students and teachers work together to explore and search for answers. Procedure Here we will take a look beyond textbooks, and see which learning tools are the... If you've been swearing all year to get students online using some amazing... Common Core State Standards: How to Assess Knowledge The exceptional teaching strategy called the Frayer Model is widely popular and... For many teachers, the mentor who supervised their student teaching played a... Here we will take a look at the five steps to “Questing.”
33 Graphic Design Tools To Publish Visual Content 33 Graphic Design Tools To Publish Visual Content by TeachThought Staff Digital literacy is, in part, about digital publishing. Digital publishing is, in part, about the writing process–choosing an audience and purpose, drafting content, revising and editing that content, and then sharing it with the world. But digital publishing is also about the right tools for the right platform and the right device. If you think this isn’t true, sit down to create a book cover with Microsoft Word instead of Adobe InDesign. In an era of digital literacy and digital publishing comes a new genre–visual content. So this list of graphic resources from Kimberly Reynolds for visual content fits right in this context–for you as a teacher, or your students as creators. 33 Graphic Design Tools For Digital Publishing; 33 Graphic Design Tools To Publish Visual Content
4 Ways to use Online Resources to Keep Advanced Students Engaged and Learning Post collaboratively written with Abbas Hussain. Just yesterday morning, there was an article in USA Today discussing how many of today’s students don’t feel particularly challenged by their school work. In this technology-enabled age, it is easier than ever to give advanced students the opportunity to pursue learning outside of the standard curriculum. The wealth of resources available across the Internet is expanding constantly, and there are many ways for the advanced student, who may be outpacing his or her regular academic work, to learn more about topics of interest and keep themselves challenged and engaged. Below are a few different ideas for providing direction and resources to advanced students to keep them engaged and let them pursue a higher level of knowledge about the content you’re covering in class. Khan Academy and similar resources A great resource for learning more about an impressively wide range of topics is the Khan Academy. About Kelly Walsh Print This Post
Teaching With a Mountain View: classroom management Happy Super Bowl Sunday, and welcome to one of the greatest Blog Hops in the history of hopping! I am linking up with 140+ of my near and dear blogging friends to bring you over one hundred great ideas from teachers across the world! The Bright Ideas Blog Hop is being hosted by the talented Shelley Grey over at Teaching in the Early Years. You absolutely MUST click through the links at the bottom of this post to see all of the brilliant ideas my fellow teachers have posted! It's Time to Get Thinking! We all know that our students need time to cultivate their minds for critical and creative thinking. Words related to… For this activity, you simply need to choose a word. This is, of course, a class favorite, and one that I can keep going for quite some time, even days or weeks if I devote the space to it on my board. A Questionable Conversation My students LOVE this one and it always ends in a fit of giggles. A School Without… Analogies in Action Create a pattern with your bodies Easy, easy.
3D Printers in Education Why have 3D printers in the classroom? It is evident that 3D Printing has a place in the classroom and will continue to have a significant impact in education. The question one needs to ask, is how does one determine which printer is best suited to learning and teaching. As with any piece of technology, it is important to consider the ease of setup and operation, reliability and product support. When children use 3D printers, they have a mindset for better learning, one where it was okay to make mistakes. This contributes to their boldness for design, increasing their confidence and imagination. The ability to solve real problems in the physical world is one of the key strengths of 3D printing. Give your students the power to challenge the world Across Australia and New Zealand education institutions depend on our affordable and easy to use 3D printers. 3D printing in education is unique compared to other technologies. Science Technology Engineering Maths (STEM) STEM applications Maths
Engaging Students Through Social Media: Real World Experience, Creativity & Future Employability By Rob James Social media has become an essential part of most people’s everyday lives, from checking Facebook and Twitter to posting blogs, Pinterest listings, and uploading YouTube videos. However, and with smartphones making it easier than ever to spend time on social media networks, in what ways can these networks be leveraged to engage and build a foundation for future student learning? While the potential of distraction is there, the right social media teaching strategies can lead to creative learning, and a productive approach to making social media part of ongoing professional development. There is already evidence that teachers are using social media as part of teaching strategies, with the aim of encouraging students to view social networks as less of a pleasurable distraction, and more as something that can be used in projects and for personal expression in a medium they prefer. Anderson, Steven.
Disruptive Innovation Some examples of disruptive innovation include: As companies tend to innovate faster than their customers’ needs evolve, most organizations eventually end up producing products or services that are actually too sophisticated, too expensive, and too complicated for many customers in their market. Companies pursue these “sustaining innovations” at the higher tiers of their markets because this is what has historically helped them succeed: by charging the highest prices to their most demanding and sophisticated customers at the top of the market, companies will achieve the greatest profitability. However, by doing so, companies unwittingly open the door to “disruptive innovations” at the bottom of the market. An innovation that is disruptive allows a whole new population of consumers at the bottom of a market access to a product or service that was historically only accessible to consumers with a lot of money or a lot of skill.
Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement A while back, I was asked, "What engages students?" Sure, I could respond, sharing anecdotes about what I believed to be engaging, but I thought it would be so much better to lob that question to my own eighth graders. The responses I received from all 220 of them seemed to fall under 10 categories, representing reoccuring themes that appeared again and again. 1. "Middle-school students are growing learners who require and want interaction with other people to fully attain their potential." "Teens find it most interesting and exciting when there is a little bit of talking involved. 2. "I believe that when students participate in "learning by doing" it helps them focus more. "We have entered a digital age of video, Facebook, Twitter, etc., and they [have] become more of a daily thing for teens and students. 3. "I believe that it all boils down to relationships. "If you relate the topic to the students' lives, then it makes the concept easier to grasp." 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Go on.