8 Tips and Tricks to Redesign Your Classroom Editor's Note: Author David Bill is a designer and educator who consulted with The Third Teacher+ on the Remake Your Class project highlighted in the videos below. The tips in this post go along with the companion video. We are excited by the simplicity (and low price tag!) of this great redesign. Hope you'll share any of your own tips in the comments area below. If you're thinking of completing your own classroom remake project, good for you. The tips below can be used for smaller scale remakes right way. Whether you are looking to reorganize one corner or redesign the entire room, here are eight tips that may help you throughout the process. 1. Students are your primary users and should be at the center of such a remake process. Create Visual Inspiration Ask parents, colleagues or friends to donate a variety of appropriate magazines. Digitally, you can utilize Pinterest as a way for to create a "board" of inspiration. Students Define Pain Points 10x10x10 Student Helpers 2. Word Association
The 2015 Honor Roll: EdTech’s Must-Read K–12 IT Blogs The world of educational technology can be intimidating. Bloggers help make sense of this ever-changing industry with wit, insight and tactical advice. EdTech is proud to recognize this latest crop of the top K–12 IT bloggers. This year's 50 entries are a mix of veterans from years past, fresh picks by our editorial staff and nominations from readers. One of our goals for this year's list was to highlight blogs from a wide range of educators and experts. If you'd like to check out the Must-Read IT Blogs from previous years, view our lists from 2014, 2013 and 2012. Did your blog make our list? This year, educational technology guru and speaker Michael Gorman led a prolific eight-part series covering more than 70 STEM classroom resources. Follow: @mjgormans | Read the blog: Thousands of educators look to Eric Sheninger and his blog for leadership in technology. Follow: @e_sheninger | Read the blog:
Archived: Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n Change inStudent andTeacherRoles When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The teacher's role changes as well. Project-based work (such as the City Building Project and the Student-Run Manufacturing Company) and cooperative learning approaches prompt this change in roles, whether technology is used or not. IncreasedMotivation andSelfEsteem The most common--and in fact, nearly universal--teacher-reported effect on students was an increase in motivation. The kids that don't necessarily star can become the stars. Teachers talked about motivation from a number of different perspectives. Kids like the immediate results. Technology is the ultimate carrot for students. The computer has been an empowering tool to the students. I see more confidence in the kids here. . . .
8 Exciting Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning Approaches That Teachers are Embracing in 2014 As we head into this new year I'm excited about the many instructional means and methods that educators are using technology to facilitate in 2014's classrooms (both physical and virtual!). As the 2nd decade of the 21st century rolls along, the scales are undoubtedly tilting further in favor of embracing the benefits that technology can bring to instruction, and away from frustration and resistance. Let's explore some of the powerful instructional approaches that technology is helping to make possible, or bring to a new level, in classrooms and schools across the world. In public and private schools of all shapes and sizes the world over, inspired teachers are working with their students using different types of devices, and various methods of access, to use teaching and learning constructs like these. All of these will see expanded use in 2014 and countless students will be engaged, delighted, inspired, and successful as a result. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. How cool is this? 7. 8.
10 Emerging Education Technologies Are you or your students wearing your Apple Watches to school, and if so, are you using them as part of your curriculum? What about the use of digital textbooks, adaptive learning, collaboration with other schools or flipped classrooms? These technologies represent some of the cutting edge tools and trends in education. While some are being implemented now, regular use of others is on the (not to distant) horizon. We’ve scanned the gurus’ lists and found the top technologies that educators need to prepare for in the next one to five years. Image via Flickr by Kārlis Dambrāns As we look at the top new trends in edtech, we notice some common themes: Individualism– much of the new technology is for one person and is customized to that person’s preferences, to be used when convenient. 1. 2. 3. Shared information—collaboration is key, whether it is with increased reliance on social media and an opportunity for more openness. 4. 5. 6. 8. 9. 10. These are exciting times for edtech.
A Place for Learning: The Physical Environment of Classrooms I was supervising a teacher who was enrolled in our program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst that focused on developing student self-knowledge, ego strength, trust and community in classrooms. We had created a manual with over 50 classroom lessons. She was teaching at a high school in an economically depressed district in northern Appalachia. She called me in a state of frustration. "I've used dozens of the exercises you guys developed, and they're not the least bit interested. There's no sense of community, and the trust level is non-existent. Students Take Ownership So I visited the class. I suggested that she ditch the exercises and work with the class to totally change the physical environment. They spent six weeks doing little else. There are at least two lessons from this story. The physical structure of a classroom is a critical variable in affecting student morale and learning. The Custodian’s Favorite Arrangement Here's a related story. More Ideas, More Resources
Top 10 Sites for Educational Games There's no denying the appeal that online games have for kids. Despite the stigma games hold, many online educational games not only enhance the joy of learning, but also strengthen skill sets. The following are my favorite educational gaming sites on the web. Funbrain- One of the most popular educational gaming sites around. Not only does this site cover a variety of subjects, it also caters to K-8th graders, and has nice teacher resources as well.Game Classroom- Excellent, safe, teacher-approved, state-standard-aligned games for grades K-6. David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment.
Using Technology In The Classroom Technology has always been a major focus on EducationWorld.com. This archive compiles many of the features we have done on the subject of using technology in the classroom. Many of these articles have been updated many times or even rewritten as technology changes. That said, due to the ever-changing nature of technology, there will be articles on this list that are a little past their prime period of usefullness. If there are any that you would like us to update or redo, please drop us a line. Social Networking Tips for Teachers Social networking in the classroom? Teaching? Fifth Graders Soar in the Blogosphere Across the curriculum, Gillian Ryan asks her fifth graders to respond in writing to the topics they discuss -- whether in math, science, social studies, or language arts -- and their ideas become posts to classroom blogs. Podcasts Promote Reading Librarian Malissia Bell has challenged students to create 500 podcasts describing their favorite books. Who Is They? Blogging? Quick!
6 Emerging Trends in Education and Mobile Learning « Educational Technology Debate Steve Vosloo At the UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2014 I sat on a panel titled Emerging Trends and New Technology – considered in the context of mobile learning. Below are the notes of the key points that I made. Note: The issue of Emerging Trends and New Technology begs the question: for who? Overlapping of education trends and mobile-enabled opportunities The brief for the panel stated: We keep being told that technology is going to transform centuries-old teaching paradigms, but traditional approaches seem to have real resilience and staying-power. I don’t believe that technology is the single driver of education transformation, although it is certainly a key influencing factor. The think piece highlights that with the increase in access to information, and production of knowledge (both underpinned by technology), there is a questioning of the very notions of the authority of traditional bodies of knowledge controlled by legitimate educational institutions. Pearson Labs explain that
12 Emerging Educational Uses of Technology That are the Most Exciting Right Now Well, it's that time of year again … the start of a new school year. With it often comes the irresistible urge to make another list, or even better … many lists! Lists help us to plan, and they can also help us reflect and assess. One list I really enjoy putting together as we head into a new academic year is an updated look at which educational uses of technology have shown the most promise over the last year. Which tools and techniques most excite me as I look forward to another year of striving for continuous improvement as a teacher, technologist, and #edtech advocate? And as different technology uses take the spotlight, which of them are standing out a little less? So, looking back and thinking forward, here are a dozen instructional uses of technology that are the most compelling right now. Augmented Reality AR is just so much fun and comes in many different flavors. Adaptive Learning & Competency Based Education The Flipped Classroom Student Response Systems Video Collaboration Tools
20 Classroom Setups That Promote Thinking 20 Classroom Setups That Promote Thinking by TeachThought Staff This is part 1 in our #iteachthought campaign. This is our equivalent to “back to school,” and is intended to help you focus in the 2015-2016 school year on taking a thoughtful approach to your craft as a teacher. Among these shifts we’ll talk about is turning our focus from content and teaching to thinkers and thinking. This is a student-centered approach to pedagogy (and heautagogy), and will consist of three parts: Part 1: Classroom Setups That Promote Thinking Part 2: Learning Profiles: What Great Teachers Know About Their Students Part 3: 50 Questions To Ask Your Students On The First Day Of School Learning Is An Ecology Can how you setup your classroom impact how students think? Desks are a staple of the ‘modern’ classroom as we know it. So what can we do? So, the bit about “classroom setups impacting thinking.” Note, we’ve placed an asterisk* beside those approaches that are more strongly suited to “thought” than others.
Bill Gates explains why classroom technology is failing students and teachers « Techno-News Blog by Amy X. Wang, Quartz While technology is “starting to improve education,” he said, it’s not personalized or focused enough to truly help teachers figure out how to improve. And most educational technology thus far has benefited only the most motivated students, he said, not those who need extra encouragement most. Imagining the Classroom of 2016, Empowered by Wearable Technology The next big shift in technology is the growth of wearable tech. We’ve already embraced mobile technology to the point that application vendors and technology support teams are thinking “mobile first”. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops are an increasingly common sight in the classroom, a change that has only come about in just the last few years. The next wave of innovation is likely to come from wearable technology — items like Google Glass, Samsung Galaxy Gear, and smart watches. Image from So what might the growth of wearable technology look like in the world of teaching and learning? Scenarios – Practical Advantages in the Classroom Jennifer is busy working on a project in her chemistry lab. Mr. Helpful applications in and out of the Classroom Professor Hiller decides to forego his usual big lectures and instead has his students interact with wearable devices powered with big data. Mrs. About Rick Delgado