June, 2011

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Learning Shouldn't Stop When the Last Bell Rings

A Principal's Reflections

'A few months back Verizon Wireless visited New Milford High School and we had a fantastic meeting. The end result was the formation of a pilot program where students and a teacher would be given a tablet device and then be tasked with developing a plan to extend learning beyond the school day. About a week later the devices arrived at my office. Each of the ten tablets (5 iPads and 5 Samsung Galaxy tabs) came with 3G access for the duration of the pilot program.

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Twitter In Schools-A Getting Started Guide

The Web20Classroom

'The end of the school year is upon us however many are looking forward to next year. You may be thinking what can you do differently next year? How can you stand out above the crowd? How can your school become a larger part of the school community? While Twitter is beginning to catch on with many educators, schools are lagging in their adoption of the platform.

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NC House Speaker Tillis Gives 27% Pay Raises to His Staff: Cuts Education Severely

The 21st Century Principal

'An article today on the News & Observer''s web site , states that North Carolina Speaker of the House Thom Tillis gave his staff fat raises. He tries to justify it by saying overall he''s spending less, but I''m not sure that argument flies with all the North Carolina state employees who have seen their own pay frozen for the past three years. Also. tell that to the thousands of teacher assistant and other school employees who will receive pink slips this week or next.

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An exciting week in Mac vocabulary

SpeechTechie

'Apple is having its annual developers'' conference this week, and this always brings about some exciting announcements. While we wait to hear what''s really coming up in MacLand, I thought I would cover some vocabulary that will help you stay up to date (more later this week when we find out the actual announcements). WWDC -Apple Worldwide Developers'' Conference is held each year in California (this year at the Moscone Center in San Francisco), and features workshops for developers and a keyno

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Quickly Create Personalized Learning Experiences that Work

How can we actively engage learners 24/7, on their level and according to their interests, while respecting their learning styles? It’s not impossible. In this guide: Explore how to transform traditional, one-way videos into two-way interactive learning experiences Understand different types of artificial intelligence (AI), including - Generative vs.

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Crowdsourcing Knowledge with Students

Nik Peachey

Over the last few weeks I have been playing with a very simple brainstorming and voting website called tricider. The great thing about tricider is that it is incredibly quick and simple to use, and yet it enables users to collect information and opinions from all over the web in a very easily digestible and powerful way. It's very easy to create a tricider topic or question and you don't even need to register, just type your topic or question into the field.

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WebQuest 2.0 Using Google Sites

The Electric Educator

'When I was a pre-service teacher at Spring Arbor University, one of the projects I had to complete in my educational technology class was a webquest. At the time it was pretty complicated and challenging to create this type of a project. Many of my classmates opted to use PowerPoint to create their Webquest, a program ill-suited for the task. The basic premise of a webquest is to create a scenario to capture the imagination of students while they embark on a "quest" that involves research and d

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More Trending

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Making Connections

The Web20Classroom

'Take a look at this short video. So I saw this video on Twitter yesterday (thanks to Alec Couros and Steve Ransom ). It really spoke to me. Connections are so important. Watch the video again and look at the different emotions on the faces of the folks. Some think it''s a joke. Some are just happy-go-lucky. Others genuinely needed the connection and were glad to make it.

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My Top 8 Google Apps for Administrators

The 21st Century Principal

'This post actually started out as a post of my favorite Web 2.0 applications, but once I started examining my list of Google Apps, I knew I could devote one entire post to those apps alone. Google offers so many useful applications to school administrators, I would find it hard to live without those apps now. Here is my most useful Google Apps list.

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Social Thinking Providers' Conference Links

SpeechTechie

'Hey Folks, Just finished presenting at the Social Thinking Provider''s Conference in San Francisco. Thanks so much to Michelle Garcia Winner and the Social Thinking team for having me. I''d like to share with you my presentation (so click here for that) and a few people had some difficulty accessing my links page (a little glitch- I guess we have to get used to glitches when using technology) so I thought I would simply publish those below.

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Lady GaGa Librarians Unite!

The Daring Librarian

'I was asked recently for a quote by a N.Y. Times editor for their opinion page : Here''s the question: "School librarians are on the chopping block as states and cities seek to cut their education budgets. Do superintendents and principals see librarians as more expendable than other school employees? If so, why?" Here''s my response: "From the Daring Librarian to Teacher Librarians everywhere with love, albeit tough love - but full on love!

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Can Brain Science Actually Help Make Your Training & Teaching Stick?

Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape

The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.

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Thursday, June 9th - Live with Troy Hicks on Digital Writing

The Learning Revolution Has Begun

'Join me Thursday, June 9th, for a live and interactive Future of Education with Troy Hicks, co-author of Because Digital Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Online and Multimedia Environments and author of The Digital Writing Workshop. We''ll talk about how to apply digital writing skills effectively in the classroom, since many students may be adept at text messaging and communicating online but do not know how to craft a basic essay.

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Curriculum 2.0

A Principal's Reflections

'I came across this interesting video this morning entitled "Curriculum 2.0". Check it out below: This video, as well as the information found at the Curriculum 2.0 wiki , reinforces what I and many others believe, that technology is just one of many tools to assist in engaging students in the 21st Century. As technology and access to information continue to evolve at a rapid pace my question is when will we see curricula in schools shift accordingly?

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A Livebinders Contest

The Web20Classroom

'In celebration of 100,000 binders created, Livebinders is having a contest to find the most popular. So shameless plug time again. I have 2 that were nominated. The first was my Twitter binder and the other is my QR Code binder. Wanna show some love and vote for them? Click the binder below and check the box for my 2 and any others you want. (Mike Fisher''s iPad binder is pretty awesome too.

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Steps Toward Becoming a Technology Leader: Advice to School Administrators

The 21st Century Principal

'“Change is a subtle thing. Change is sneaky. Although most of us are aware that something has changed in our lives, it is often very difficult to put our finger on exactly what has happened, how things have changed, or why things are different.” Ted McCain and Ian Jukes, Windows on the Future McCain and Jukes wrote that statement ten years ago, and the change they spoke of then is still raging today.

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Reimagining Chickering & Gamson's Principles Post-Pandemic: Technology's Central Role in Modern Edu

This white paper examines and proposes revisions to the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" introduced by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson in 1987 for today's technology-driven world.

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Resources and Links from Social Thinking™ Providers' Convention

SpeechTechie

'I am sitting at San Jose International Airport in the Jet Blue Terminal as I write this (Sunday), exhausted yet also energized and inspired from my experience at the Social Thinking ™ Providers'' Convention in San Francisco. I first learned about Social Thinking in probably 2003 (?) when I was struggling to figure out what to do with all my "pragmatics" groups of students with Asperger''s, High-Functioning Autism, and related issues, and found my practice totally revolutionized by the concepts

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Are Technology Trainers No Longer a Need in Education?

EdTechSandyK

'I have to start this post with a disclaimer. Please note that in this post I am referencing "second-hand" information from a meeting/workshop I did not attend. I was conversing with a colleague today and he shared that at a recent gathering of K-12 Chief Technology Officers, the topic of training educators on new technology came up. There seemed to a prevailing tendency reported among the CTOs to roll out new technologies without setting up formalized training for the end users.

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Is Apple's iCloud a Google Apps Killer?

The Electric Educator

'Image: Flickr Via Dakiny In a word, no. Here''s why. 1. Collaboration While it is nice to be able to edit iWork projects from any of iOS/OS X device, there is no collaborative editing feature. Six people on an assortment of iDevices can''t work together. 2. Browser vs. Desktop Apple continues to develop software that is dependent upon the hardware on which it runs. iLife and iWork will become increasingly more complex and require increasingly more powerful Apple hardware (desktops, laptops, and

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Edscape 2011: Innovation Now

A Principal's Reflections

'Last fall I hosted a conference at my school that turned out to be a great success. The idea was to create an event at a high school like no other in the area where passionate presenters and a major conference feel would have attendees leave inspired to initiate innovative change in their instructional practices. Building upon last year''s event I am proud to officially announce Edscape 2011 will be taking place at New Milford High School on Saturday October 15, 2011.

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Behind the Bell: The Underlying Impact of Tardiness in K-12 Schools

Managing a K-12 campus with constant pressure to meet performance metrics is challenging. And tardiness can significantly limit a school from reaching these goals. Learn more about why chronic lateness matters, and key strategies to address the following impacts: Data errors caused by manual processes Low attendance and graduation rates that affect a school’s reputation Classroom disruption, which leads to poor academic performance High staff attrition and “The Teacher Exodus” Unmet LCAP goals t

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From The Shamelss Promotion Department

The Web20Classroom

'I don''t often promote my own stuff but in this case I am going to do a little shameless promoting. Tomorrow I am doing a free webinar for Simple K12 entitled, Navigating Social Media Policies, One Schools'' Journey. I get asked a lot about what policies schools should have about social media and what guidelines they should have to teach their students about social media.

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4 Reasons Google Docs Is a Good Idea for Educators

The 21st Century Principal

'In a time of tight budgets and few resources, administrators need to find as many ways to save money as possible. In an earlier post , I suggest Google Docs as an alternative to purchasing Microsoft Office as an office suite. Google Docs does provide users many useful features that extend far beyond what can be obtained from a locally installed office suite like Open Office or Microsoft Office.

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Hyperbole And A Half

SpeechTechie

'Hyperbole and a Half is a narrative/comic blog created by Allie Brosh that will likely make you giggle quite a bit. Allie relates her experiences in her own unique way, and draws very funny pictures.that I can relate to. I first thought of posting about Allie''s blog because she has a few terrific posts on social interactions that could be great for a teenage group: The Four Levels of Social Entrapment humorously details various situations in life where we have to "fake it" socially, and could

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Please Share Your Favorite Web Search Tools, Techniques, or Lessons

EdTechSandyK

'Search Engine Roundtable Wordle used under a Creative Commons License courtesy of Flikr user toprankonlinemarketing. I am putting together a three hour staff development session for K-12 teachers entitled Google Search and Beyond. I get kind of excited about search tools and digital literacy, so I''m having fun working with this theme. I know many in my PLN have excellent ideas for teaching teachers about effective search strategies and ways to pass them on to our students.

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The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

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First Glimpse: Google+

The Electric Educator

'I was fortunate enough to be granted an early invitation to the new Google social media experiment called Google+ today. I would recommend that you take a quick look at the Google Blog for a quick overview I approached Google+ with great skepticism. And for good reason: Orkut : Fail (in the US anyway). Google Knol : Fail Google Wiki Search : Fail Google Wave : Fail Google Buzz : meeeh.

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Perspectives - Looking Back.Thinking Forward

A Principal's Reflections

'The following is a summary by New Milford High School teacher Colleen Tambuscio on this year''s Holocaust Study Tour. The post speaks for itself in terms of the impact this authentic learning experience has on our students as well as people all over the world. The Holocaust Study Tour always provides new and exciting learning opportunities because, although there is an itinerary, the schedule flexes as new educational experiences arise.

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New Posted Resources 06/10/2011

The Web20Classroom

'Technology Tools to Get Teachers Started | Edutopia tags: technology web2.0 favorite When Wikipedia Is the Assignment tags: wikipedia favorite What About That Twitter Thing? tags: twitter favorite Digital Storytelling with the iPad tags: ipad digital storytelling digitalstorytelling favorite Online Math Help & Learning Resources tags: math favorite Here Be Dragons: An Introduction to Critical Thinking tags: criticalthinking favorite livebinders4teachers Wiki tags: LiveBinders favorite Ten Best

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Pay attention at the front!

Learning with 'e's

"Miss, where does Pooh come from?" asks the little boy. The teacher raises her eyebrows, takes a deep breath and then proceeds to explain all about nutrition, eating food, the digestive system, and how waste products are eliminated from the body. The little boy nods, but looks unimpressed, and then asks a follow up question: "So where does Tigger come from?

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The Roses and Thorns of an LMS Strategy: How to Flourish with the Right LMS

Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions

The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.

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10 Peer Coaching Tips in 10 Minutes at ISTE

wwwatanabe

'I was asked to present ten coaching tips in ten minutes at ISTE. Here are the ten I presented today: 1. Building relationships is key. It takes time and energy to build those relationships, but it''s the key in coaching. 2. Work with the willing. It is more effective to work with those who are willing, and forcing someone won''t get the results the students deserve.

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Do You Make Your Learning Transparent to Others?

EdTechSandyK

'Life-Long Learner Wordle by EdTechSandyK Feel free to re-use, but please give credit. To be a good educator is to be a life-long learner. I''ll never forget hearing over and over in my first few years as a teacher that it was important to be a life-long learner. There I was, believing that with a B.A. under my belt I had arrived at a destination, only to discover that a journey encompassing the rest of my time on the planet had just begun.

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Google on the iPad

The Electric Educator

'This past week I had the privilege of training the middle and high school staff at Southfield Christian School on how to integrate Apple''s iPad with Google Apps. As part of my training I put together a Google site containing instructions, handouts, and resources. You are welcome to browse and borrow as well! <p><br /> <p>Your browser does not support iframes.

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How Are You Changing the Culture of Teaching and Learning?

A Principal's Reflections

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Building the Foundation for a Modern K-12 Classroom

K-12 looks different these days. But one thing remains the same: you need a reliable learning platform that serves as the foundation for teaching and learning––for all students, in a variety of learning experiences. Discover how the Instructure Learning Platform supports today's K-12 classroom through: A central, consistent, connected hub of the digital learning environment.