Interactive Textbook Software from Evident Point Web 2.0 Tools in Education: A Quick Guide by Mohamed Amin Embi 10 Techy Icebreakers for The 21st Century Teacher Here are some great icebreakers you can work on using technology : 1- Self PortraitHave your students draw themselves. After they have done this, collect the papers and hang them up for the whole class to see. Now have students try to guess who the artists was for each picture. Here are the web tools to do that : 2- Video/ audio introductions Encourage students to record a short video clip in which they introduce themselves to their peers. The teacher generates a list of words related to a topic to be taught. 5- Prior Knowledge check Giving multiple choice tests or true and false quizzes before introducing a topic or reading engages students, activates a student’s prior knowledge, and will encourage the sharing of information and resources. 6- Personalize it Teacher writes the topic to be taught on the board and then talks about how the topic relates to them by using a personal reference or story.
Google Apps for Education: Tips & Tricks Leveraging Web 2.0 tools like Google Apps is a powerful learning strategy in the 21st Century. But how do you choose the right tool that will enhance classroom learning and not be an afterthought or add on? We’ve put together some best practices for Google Apps for Education. Collaborate Students, colleagues, and professionals can share ideas, give feedback, produce meaningful products and more! Share Documents can be made private, public or shared with just a few peopleGoogle accounts aren’t required for everyone to collaborateInformation is stored in the cloud and can be accessed 24/7 Use the Templates App Free templates include teacher and student planning tools, evaluations, rubrics, newsletters and more! Use the search feature Quickly find current and older docs with the Google Doc search engineSearch for documents by titles, authors, etc. Organize Create folders to organize all of your documentsOrganize folders by topic, class, student, etc.Color code folders Enjoy this?
Next Stories, una nueva manera de descubrir contenido online Descubrimos NextStories como una nueva manera fácil de descubrir el contenido publicado en Internet que nos interesa, evitando que dicha tarea sea dispersa y con el objetivo de poder consultar todos los temas que deseemos desde el mismo sitio y navegando fácilmente de una página a otra. Sin necesidad de realizar ningún registro y de forma gratuita, podremos guardar (arrastrar y soltar) el icono de NextStories a nuestra barra de marcadores para que, al visitar nuestros sitios web favoritos, podamos marcar la página como lectura favorita haciendo clic en el icono. De forma instantánea al hacer clic se nos mostrarán otras páginas de categorías similares, desplegando exclusivamente el contenido que pueda interesar al lector. Quizás en algunas ocasiones las recomendaciones no sean muy exactas, pero la mayoría de las veces sí nos encontramos con resultados bastante acertados.
Great Tech Tools Used wisely, technology empowers students to take responsibility for their own learning. In Leonardo’s Laptop, Ben Shneiderman provides teachers with a powerful framework, Collect-Relate-Create-Donate (CRCD), for designing student-centered learning opportunities using computers. In particular, Shneiderman’s CRCD framework emphasizes the importance of the social aspects of learning in generating creative work. In CRCD projects, students research information, work collaboratively to create a meaningful product that demonstrates their learning, and contribute that project to a larger learning community. Shneiderman designed the Collect-Relate-Create-Donate framework as a vehicle for preparing young people for a 21st century world where innovation, creativity, and collaboration will be more highly prized than retention and repetition. What are your Learning Goals? I want my students to be able to create web based timelines I want my students to create web based mindmaps/graphic organizer
21 Reasons to Stop Saying "21st Century Teacher" This afternoon I saw a blog post titled 27 Ways To Be A 21st Century Teacher. 22 of the 27 items in that list could have been 50 years ago. And 24 of the 27 items are things that I did as a sixth grade student in 1990 (yes, I coded thanks to Logo Writer). Because of this I Tweeted the following in response to seeing the list; A couple of people asked me about this Tweet so please allow me to elaborate on why I'm tired of people saying "21st Century Teacher" as if it means something. 1. We live in the 21st Century. If you're teaching today, you're a 21st Century teacher. 2. Before you jump in with your angry comment, remember this is mostly tongue-in-cheek.
Create a teacher site using Google Sites in five steps Google Sites is possibly the easiest way to quickly share information online. This platform also makes collaboration a simple and natural part of the process of creating a website, making Google Sites an ideal fit for any classroom, PLC, administration team, or grade level partnerships. Getting started with Google Sites is a breeze, and you can have a fully functioning site going in just minutes. I have worked with many teachers on setting up their own classroom portals with Google Sites. Each teacher has different needs and therefore each one created a very different final product, but I think I’ve boiled the basic process down into five easy-to-follow steps. If your district or building does not have an installation of Google Sites, you can create your own page by going to sites.google.com. Step 1: Create your site and set your sharing settings The first step in the process is to create your site. The only setting in the creation process you cannot change later is the URL of your site.
a year of many firsts: summer review websites for kids As the school year starts to come to a close, I’m beginning to receive e-mails and questions from parents wondering what they can do over the summer to ensure continued progress. I made a summer review packet for first graders entering 2nd graders a few weeks ago. I also just recently made one for second graders entering third grade here. In addition to summer review practice pages, I also offer my parents a list of fun and educational websites that their child can cool off with on those hot, summer days. Here are a list of the sites I offer to my parents: Here’s a copy you can give your families. Both of my summer packets are on sale today and tomorrow! Click on the covers below to buy!
What Will Education Look Like in 2020? In December 2009, I made the foolhardy decision to publish one of those “ways the world will change” blog posts that are most commonly passed around the Internet at the end of particularly eventful decades or millennia. Cranking up the volume, I titled it “21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020.” After predicting the demise or obsolescence of everything from homework to paperbacks, I was subjected to a slew of comments ranging from bemusement to verbal battery. Eyes Wide Open Why did this post cause such a stir? When I look at those predictions today, I’m struck by my naiveté. Schools are full of obsolete things: cassette players, Soviet-era political maps, curricula that treat technology as auxiliary to content, the idea that technology will save education (as opposed to the idea that relevance will). In the digital age, technology is the access point to relevance. Forward Thinking This shift presents an opportunity to educators. As for that blog post?
PLN: Your Personal Learning Network Made Easy | Once a Teacher.... What is a PLN? If I had to define what a ‘Personal Learning Network’ is, I would keep it simple and broad: n. – the entire collection of people with whom you engage and exchange information, usually online. Personal Learning Networks, or PLNs, have been around forever. PLNs have immense value! So, why bother thinking about your PLN? Here are some ways that educators are using their PLNs: - Professional development – learn from content-area specialists - Locate resources for your classroom, such as free websites and software - Get lesson plan ideas from master teachers - Learn about new technology and how to integrate it into your teaching - Find collaborative solutions - Find interesting links to education news Students can also reap the benefits of tapping into their PLNs. When you have a large group of people combing through vast amounts of information and collectively identifying the most useful, entertaining, or valuable parts, it only makes sense to tap into this collective knowledge!
Tips Every Teacher should Know about Google Docs in Education ( Great Easy Guide ) Here is a list of some of the best features of Google Docs that teachers need to know about :It is free and very easy to useIt has a user-friendly interfaceIt lets you create Google documents, spreadsheets, and other file types and collectionsIt lets you upload, manage and store files and foldersIt allows you to share Google Docs, files and collectionsYou can preview your docs and files before you open or share themYou can also view images and videos that you have uploaded to your document listIt lets you search for items by name, type and visibility settingIt allows users to collaborate on documents in real timeIt also offers a chat functionality for collaborators to use while working on docs.Google Docs Templates for teachers Many Google Docs users are unaware of the fact that they can breathe life into their documents with templates. Google's new templates for Google Docs make it fast and easy to create all kinds of documents. I- Documents : Click on any title to read the tutorial
Nubes de palabras con enlace Los docentes hablamos mucho de innovación, pero pocas veces concretamos las herramientas que vamos a usar para llevarla a cabo. Sin incorporar las herramientas que las TIC nos ofrecen, se me hace difícil entender un cambio metodológico acorde con los tiempos actuales. Aquí os propongo una simple herramienta como es la construcción de una nube de palabras, a la cual le podemos sacar mucho provecho en nuestra aula ....... En el blog de Estoig Digital, existe en fase de desarrollo un Generador de nubes de palabras, que ademas de la nube de palabras que le indiquemos, genera un mapa de la imagen con enlaces a la pagina web de la Wikipedia, especifica de cada palabra de la nube y a partir del idioma seleccionado, se pueden elegir distintos idiomas para profesores de lenguas. Algunos de los usos didácticos de la nube de palabras que se me ocurren, nos pueden servir para: Espero os resulte interesante y si tenéis nuevas propuestas se pueden intentar incorporar.
40 Google Plus Tips for Newbies Ok, so at this point, we are all newbies at Google Plus, right? At least if you got in recently via a Google Plus invite. At this point I’ve spent a decent amount of time with it and have concluded that Google has finally made a positive mark in social networking. It’s still early, but there is a lot of excitement around Google+ by those who have jumped on early, and for good reason. 40 Google Plus Tips for Newbies Last Updated August 18th, 2011: Replaced tip #22 (old) with a fresh resource on changes on Google plus. July 20, 2011: Added a video in the advanced tips section informing readers how to share a link on Google Plus as their currently isn’t an easy way for website owners to offer that option for readers. *A word about updates to this post. [/unordered_list] [/toggle] Friends First thing you’ll likely want to do is add some friends right? Tip #1: Adding Friends from Suggestions. Tip #2: Adding Friends from Yahoo Mail. Tip #3: Adding Friends from Hotmail. Tip #4: Blocking Friends.