21k12 in 2012: My Year in Blogging, including Two Top Ten Lists My fifth year in blogging is now coming to an end. My blog began with in the fall of 2008 over at blogspot, and then I migrated it here to wordpress in late January 2009. Once a year– and only once a year, I like to share some reflections and statistics upon my year here at 21k12. 2012 sadly saw a small dip in the number of postings: down to 120 posts this year, compared to 150 last year, 165 the year prior. My aim continues to be an average of 3 times weekly, 12-15 times monthly, and I say this because blogging is best practiced as a habit, as a regular discipline such as exercise, and when I fall off my routines and slow my pace, I feel a faltering and a fading that doesn’t serve me. But, I do allow myself vacations– and as I completed my third and final year as St. As for total page views, growth continued. But I did double again, for the third year in a row, taking 2012 views to 142,000. Let me be clear here: there is no possibility that 2013 will see a fourth “doubling” in views.
For Low-Income Kids, Is More Time in School the Answer? To help disadvantaged kids who are struggling to keep up in school, some education advocates believe that extending the school day could give them the extra boost they need. They argue that many parents can’t afford to send their kids to the varied extracurricular activities that wealthier children enjoy – leaving poorer kids with a sparse education that focuses primarily on testing. On that premise, five states recently announced that select school districts will participate in a three-year extended time pilot project funded with a mix of federal, state and district funds, along with private philanthropy from the Ford Foundation and National Center on Time and Learning. Extended-time advocates cite studies showing a gap in childhood opportunity that mirrors the widening income gap. But simply tacking on hours at the end of a school day is not the solution, according to some. “The goal is to use the extra time to change the entire school day. Related
Videos Suggested for Back to School Faculty Meetings and other educational audiences This post could be almost infinite: there is most certainly an extraordinary array of options for videos which expand educators’ understandings and inspire advances in 21st century learning. But curation is about choice and selection, and while I know I will leave out many, I thought I’d offer up a set of 15 of my favorites for your consideration for video screening at at back-to-school or beginning-of-the-year faculty meetings (and/or parent and board meetings). I’ve starred those that might also serve as useful and engaging videos to share with students at back to school or other assemblies. I am sure every reader will have their own opinions about the videos I’ve left off this list, and please: add them below using the comment box, or, post yourself your own set and share the link from this post to your own. 21st century learning generally: 1. 1b. 2. 3. 4. 5. * 5b. 6. 6b. 7. * 8. Innovation * 9. * 9b. * 10. * 11. Project-Based Learning 12. What PBL Isn’t. What PBL Is. 13. * 14. 15. 16.
Good Read: MOOCs Take on the 1 Percent From Clay Shirky’s blog: “The fight over MOOCs is really about the story we tell ourselves about higher education: what it is, who it’s for, how it’s delivered, who delivers it. The most widely told story about college focuses obsessively on elite schools and answers a crazy mix of questions: How will we teach complex thinking and skills? How will we turn adolescents into well-rounded members of the middle class? “That’s because in the US, an undergraduate education used to be an option, one way to get into the middle class. Fifteen years ago, a research group called The Fraunhofer Institute announced a new digital format for compressing movie files. Read more at: www.shirky.com
Top 7 Guides on how to Use iPad in your Classroom iPad is definitely a gadget of huge potential in education. Many schools in the States and Canada are adopting it as a learning tool within their curriculum. Developers have already started creating e-textbooks with enhanced mobile compatibility. Given this growing important of iPad in education, Educational Technology and Mobile Learning deemed it crucial to provide its readers with some of its best guides and posts we have published here during this year. 1- 12 Questions to Ask before Using iPad with your Students 2- 62 Ways to Use iPad with your Students 3- 100+ Tips on how to Integrate iPad into your Classroom 4- Excellent Slides on The Use of iPad in Education 5- iPad in The Classroom A Great Free eBook 6- 29 iPad Resources, Tutorials, and Guides Every Teacher should Know about 7- 8 Free Resources on The Use of iPad in Education
What we SHOULD have been taught in our senior year of high school All artwork and content on this site is Copyright © 2015 Matthew Inman. Please don't steal. TheOatmeal.com was lovingly built using CakePHP All artwork and content on this site is Copyright © 2015 Matthew Inman. TheOatmeal.com was lovingly built using CakePHP My 35 Favorite Free Apps for Teaching Schools around the country are undergoing a digital transformation. With iPads and tablets showing up in classrooms with greater frequency, trying to figure out which apps to use can leave a teacher’s head spinning. Last year, when my school debuted an iPad lab, I was thrilled, but as it turned out, I barely used it. I shied away from this new technology (which is definitely not like me!) because I honestly had no idea how to make the most of the iPads in my daily lessons. Over the past year, I have found several great educational apps that I integrate into my teaching on a regular basis. Please note that since the publication of this blog post, two of the apps, Shake-a-Phrase and Stack the States, are no longer free, but are low cost and still useful tools. With nearly a million apps available, I know there are other great ones out there.
White Parents Outraged by Course That Teaches Students About Systematic Racism In yet another attempt to pretend as if systemic racism does not exist, white parents of children attending a high school within the Delavan-Darien School District in Wisconsin are outraged by a course that teaches their children that minorities had been historically oppressed by white people. One parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the course teaches her child to feel guilty. “It’s meant to divide and victimize non-whites and condition whites to feel guilty and to be more passive,” the parent said. The Delavan-Darien School District superintendent Robert Crist, received a slew of complaints from parents about the course, which entailed an assignment that had students go to the local WalMart and count the number of dolls representative of blacks versus whites. Young America’s Foundation, which also overlooked the curriculum with the parent, called the course race-baiting. The parent believes Jensen’s ideology is politically driven.
Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom Is Key What's ideal when it comes to collaboration in our classrooms? Here's one coveted scenario: several children gathered at a table engaged in a high-level task, discussing, possibly debating an issue, making shared decisions, and designing a product that demonstrates all this deeper learning. As teachers, we'd love to see this right out the gate, but this sort of sophisticated teamwork takes scaffolding. It won't just happen by placing students together with a piece of provocative text or an engaging task. In preparing our students for college and careers, 21st century skills call on us to develop highly collaborative citizens -- it's one of the 4 Cs, after all. So how do we begin this scaffolded journey? Establish Group Agreements Deciding on group norms, or agreements, right at the get go will give each student a voice and provide accountability for all. Accountability is an important factor in group working agreements. Teach Them How to Listen Teach Them the Art of Asking Good Questions
Why Nikola Tesla was the greatest geek who ever lived Additional notes from the author: If you want to learn more about Tesla, I highly recommend reading Tesla: Man Out of Time Also, this Badass of the week by Ben Thompson is what originally inspired me to write a comic about Tesla. Ben's also got a book out which is packed full of awesome. There's an old movie from the 80s on Netflix Instant Queue right now about Tesla: The Secret of Nikola Tesla. It's corny and full of bad acting, but it paints a fairly accurate depiction of his life.
Good Schools Start With Good Goals - Getting Smart by Tom Vander Ark Good schools start with good goals. I really like the goal statements from Danville Schools, a small district south of Lexington: I love the fact that this starts with learning experiences. I don’t talk about curriculum anymore because there are so many dated mental models associated with that word. I prefer to think about a linked sequence of experiences — increasingly a combination of a standards-aligned customized playlist and hands on, community connected, team based projects that culminate in quality multimedia products. Superintendent Carmen Coleman said, “Project-based learning immerses students in meaningful experiences that teach them to think critically, problem-solve and adapt, just to name a few of those most essential skills.” I love the global preparedness in this statement and exhibited by, her team, and her board. I appreciate their focus on growth–for all students. I love the focus on writing and communication–it’s the right college and career focus.
20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network Networking is a prime form of 21st century learning. The world is much smaller thanks to technology. Learning is transforming into a globally collaborative enterprise. Just this month, a tech news article showcased how Harvard scientists are considering that “sharing discoveries is more efficient and honorable than patenting them.” As educators, we aim to be connected to advance our craft. Learning networks are based on the theory of connectivism, or learning from diverse social webs. What are some ways to grow your PLN and improve the quality of your interactions? 10 Tips For Using PLN’s Keep the spirit of collaboration as your driving force. 10 Tools & Strategies for Establishing a Productive PLN Use Diigo, Evernote, Pocket, or Delicious to bookmark links. PLNs are a powerful change agent. Source: Open Colleges Read more:
An Introduction to Technology Integration Edutopia have just released the video above to illustrate how effective technology integration is achieved when its use supports curricular goals. I'm always on the lookout for clips like this that may be helpful in my work with teachers, and like so many I've watched, this reminds me of how difficult it is for us as educators to constructively and effectively find the words to explain and describe what's being acheived with technology for a broad audience. All too often, however, our thinking about transformation is limited by the existing practices, structures and expectations of our schooling system, so that what actually occurs is more of a 'veneer' over what we currently do. So, when I hear discussion of 'integration' of technology in education, I often observe the objective is limited by the expectation that the new technology will simply be used to support, enhance or expand existing practices. e.g. and the second… (please excuse the liberties taken in the transcription).
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning: Teacher's Comprehensive List of Great Educational Technology Resources Coming to you from the Canadian Maritimes ( Halifax), Educational Technology and Mobile Learning is an educational blog dedicated to curating, reviewing and sharing EdTech tools and mobile apps. The purpose is to help teachers and educators effectively integrate digital technologies into their day-to-day teaching, learning and professional development. For any questions regarding our website or the content we publish, please contact EdTech admin, editor and blog owner, Med Kharbach at: info@educatorstechnology.com. Med Kharbach is a doctoral researcher and a former teacher with 10 years of classroom teaching experience. Med's research interests include: language learning, linguistics, Internet linguistics, critical linguistics, discourse analysis, new (emerging) literacies, and educational technology. Kharbach, M. Example: Kharbach, M. (2016, December 30). 9 Fundamental digital skills for 21st century teachers [Blog post].