Sat.Aug 22, 2015 - Fri.Aug 28, 2015

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Grading for Mastery and Redesigning My Gradebook

Catlin Tucker

For the last two years, I’ve been increasingly frustrated with the traditional approach to assessing students and reporting grades. I want my students to value learning, not the accumulation of points. Unfortunately, I feel like school is akin to a Pacman game where students are myopically focused on gobbling up points and, as a result, miss the point of learning entirely.

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30 Great Research Websites for Kids

Ask a Tech Teacher

Here are quick, safe spots to send students for research: BrainPop. Citation Machine. CoolKidFacts –kid-friendly videos, pictures, info, and quizzes–all 100% suitable for children. CyberSleuth Kids. Dictionary. Digital Vaults –research a topic, curate resources. Encyclopedia Interactica –visual encyclopedias. Fact Monster. Fun Brain. How Stuff Works.

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Goal: Test the Power of Hashtags

Teacher Reboot Camp

Welcome to Cycle 6 of The 30 Goals Challenge: Inspire Forward ! . “[The hashtag] it served as a way to carry on a conversation with a diverse audience.”- The Huffington Post. Venezuela, Jan. 2015. Goal: Initiate or support a hashtag movement. Accomplish this goal by creating your own hashtag on social media, getting your students to create their own hashtag movements, or working as a class to create a class hashtag movement.

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7 Things Every Educator Needs to Know About Online Learning

The CoolCatTeacher

An Every Classroom Matters Episode. Online learning is growing. How do online classrooms differ from the face to face classroom? What about the student/teacher relationship? Jade Ballek is a principal of an online K12 school in Canada. She tells all: the challenges of online learning and the strengths. Sylvia Duckworth made a sketchnote to go with this show!

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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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Google Classroom Update Gives Teachers New SRS Tool

EdTech Magazine

By D. Frank Smith Google is once again broadening what teachers can do with its Classroom management platform. .

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A Model to Solve a Few Professional Learning Challenges | #digilead

A Principal's Reflections

This past April I was fortunate enough to have been asked to speak at the Moanalua High School Professional Development Conference in Honolulu, HI. It was an incredible opportunity to get back to Hawaii for a professional event as opposed to a vacation. This was the fourteenth time the school had put on the event and it was awesome to see and meet so many passionate educators on a Saturday.

More Trending

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12 ways to use Google Classroom’s newest features

Ditch That Textbook

In fall of 2014, Google released Classroom to anxiously awaiting teachers. In a year’s time, those teachers put Classroom to work, with students turning in more than 70 million assignments. Google released a handful of useful updates to Classroom recently and some others in the last few months that let teachers and students do even [.].

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Expect the Unexpected from Ed Tech’s ‘Next Big Thing’

EdTech Magazine

By Eric Patnoudes It's time to move beyond incremental changes in the classroom.

Classroom 304
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Teaching and Learning with the Future in Mind

Battelle for Kids

August 27, 2015, Volume 2, Issue 9, Number 13. In my recent article in the Future of Education MediaPlanet supplement , I talked about how the 21st century is the time when we have to stop envisioning education as existing exclusively within classroom walls, and instead focus on all the myriad learning experiences a child has throughout life that prepare him or her for the real world.

Learning 218
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10 Things First Year Teachers Need Veteran Teachers to Know

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. The new year is upon us here in New York State, and as is often the case in August, I’m spending much time facilitating orientation sessions for first year teachers. This is always a fantastic opportunity for me to recharge and refocus on my own professional learning goals as well, as I’m meeting some incredible colleagues along the way.

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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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Goal: From the Heart to the Mind

Teacher Reboot Camp

Welcome to Cycle 6 of The 30 Goals Challenge: Inspire Forward ! . “Emotion helps us screen, organize and prioritize the information that bombards us. It influences what information we find salient, relevant, convincing or memorable.” – Bandes & Salerno. Our newest goal for 2015 is from Larissa Albano from Italy ! Goal: From the heart to the mind: Teach through feelings and emotions.

eBook 208
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What Happens When Students Work at Their Own Pace

Digital Promise

Jason is the communications director at Digital Promise. You can reach him on Twitter @jtomassini. We hear a lot about the need for students to “learn at their own pace.” That instead of sitting in rows of desks with a teacher delivering the same information to everyone, students should be able to develop skills and explore knowledge whenever and wherever is best for them.

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Blended Learning in a First Grade Classroom

Battelle for Kids

August 25, 2015, Volume 2, Issue 9, Number 12. Driving Question: How can an experienced teacher reimagine and redesign her teaching by creating her own blended learning model? During this past school year, my first grade students and I entered into a new realm of teaching and learning. We created a 1:1 blended learning environment. I use the word "we" because it was a path that we traveled together.

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The exam sham

Dangerously Irrelevant

Mike Crowley said: Teachers are being judged and schools rated based on test and exam results. How many kids are getting into Yale and Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge, we are perpetually asked. I have yet to be asked, how many of your students go to the college that is right for them? … how many are pursuing their passions? … how many are leading happy, fulfilling lives and believe that the curriculum was relevant to their daily, real-world challenges?

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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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4 Back to School Habits that Cultivate Community

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. The beginning of a new school year is rich with opportunities to cultivate community and build a solid foundation for interdependent learning. Rather than focusing on rules and consequences, why not devote time at the beginning of the year to building these four habits instead? Doing so will help your students turn to one another […].

Learning 194
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Tech Tip #112: How to Open 2 Gmail Accounts at Once

Ask a Tech Teacher

As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy! Q: I have a home Gmail account and a school one. How do I open both at once so I can keep track of what my kids/home business/etc is doing while at my teaching job?

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Some app substitutions for iPad apps to use on a Chromebook

Educational Technology Guy

Chromebooks - apps recommendations and substitutions Many “apps” made for iOS and Android aren’t meant to be used as apps on a Chromebook, anymore than they would be on a Mac or Windows device. You can just use the website. Others have web apps and/or extensions. Google Maps web app Kindle - use website or Kindle Cloud Reader web app Stage - no direct alternative, but there are “whiteboarding apps” PS Express - Pixlr Editor or PicMonkey Dropbox - Dropbox Web App Educreations - (Lensoo) - go to E

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Beyond TPACK and SAMR: Introducing trudacot to teachers

Dangerously Irrelevant

Thanks to Monte Tatom , I am able to share the Twitcast of my presentation to the Administrators PLN at the 2015 ISTE Conference, Beyond TPACK and SAMR: Introducing trudacot to teachers. The video is less than 6 minutes. Happy viewing! Check out all of our other trudacot resources too! Related Posts. Supporting effective technology integration and implementation: 2012 ISTE Leadership Forum #isteLF12. 5 thoughts from ISTE weekend. 3 minutes with the ISTE Board. 3 kinds of ISTE sessions.

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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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5 Ways to Help Students Make a Smooth Transition Back to School

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. My daughter Nina is a night owl. She loves to stay up late, reading, gaming, chatting with her sister and friends, or catching up on her favorite television shows. And I don’t stop her, when she has no reason to rise early the next day. This is what summer and weekends are made for, after all. In […]. The post 5 Ways to Help Students Make a Smooth Transition Back to School appeared first on Brilliant or Insane.

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Subscribe to Ask a Tech Teacher–Get Monthly Gifts

Ask a Tech Teacher

If you subscribe to Ask a Tech Teacher, you are eligible for specials on tech ed books and ebooks every month. Here are some of the specials subscribers have received: 25 lesson plans for $21. Discount on tech ed resources like 98 Tech Tips. Free tech ed resources like 19 Posters. There’s one coming up in a week–be sure to subscribe so you are eligible.

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Education Assessments Drive DaaS Deployments

EdTech Magazine

By Steve Zurier Districts seek a more efficient way to electronically test large groups of students.

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Let kids make informed decisions about real things in the real world

Dangerously Irrelevant

Will Richardson said: Sure, the CCSS wants to promote and measure critical thinking skills. But the CCSS wants that to happen in the context of contrived situations within an increasingly irrelevant curriculum that most kids don’t care about and will forget as soon as the test is over. Applying those “skills” to the complexities of real life situations doesn’t much transfer if you don’t care about what you’re thinking critically about in the first place.

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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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Why Extracurricular Activities Are Crucial to Learning

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. With summer in full swing, many parents are still be looking for ways to keep their child occupied and on the path to success. Extracurricular activities, regardless of the student’s age, are a great way to do this. Rather than just plopping them down in front of the T.V., getting kids involved with a soccer camp, […]. The post Why Extracurricular Activities Are Crucial to Learning appeared first on Brilliant or Insane.

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Rediscovering @CK12Foundation Flexbooks And More!

The Web20Classroom

A while back there was a push to move away from traditional textbooks and move to something more flexible and nimble. (Still true today!) Something that could adapt with the ever changing knowledge base educators and students could pull from along with being more personal. Digital devices ushered in an era where all this (and more) is possible. I can remember many an afternoon spent in high school science and math classrooms talking about CK-12 Flexbooks.

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Goal: From the Heart to the Mind

Teacher Reboot Camp

Welcome to Cycle 6 of The 30 Goals Challenge: Inspire Forward ! . “Emotion helps us screen, organize and prioritize the information that bombards us. It influences what information we find salient, relevant, convincing or memorable.” – Bandes & Salerno. Our newest goal for 2015 is from Larissa Albano from Italy ! Goal: From the heart to the mind: Teach through feelings and emotions.

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It’s not just a poverty issue

Dangerously Irrelevant

Ta-Nehisi Coates said: The lives of black Americans are better than they were half a century ago. The humiliation of Whites Only signs are gone. Rates of black poverty have decreased. Black teen-pregnancy rates are at record lows – and the gap between black and white teen-pregnancy rates has shrunk significantly. But such progress rests on a shaky foundation, and fault lines are everywhere.

Outcomes 161
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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 Awesome Ways to Welcome Students Back to School

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. I remember the welcome letters that arrived in our mailbox during the final weeks of summer when my girls were in primary school. My daughter Laura had a first grade teacher who included a picture of herself attending the same school at the same age. Nina had a kindergarten teacher who encouraged the class to wear funky […].

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Think Before You Flip Your Classroom This Year

The Web20Classroom

For a while now I've been saying something provocative about Flipped Learning. "It's the worst idea in the history of teaching." I own that. I've said it. I say it that way to get educators attention. Because I like to have a conversation about it. While I am not going to walk that statement back like a disgraced politician I am going to do a little explaining (finally) why we need to think before we "flip" learning.

Classroom 174
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Closing the Achievement Gap: Putting Brain Research to Work

Battelle for Kids

August 24, 2015, Volume 2, Issue 9, Number 10. Driving Question: What if Teachers Used Brain Research to Close Achievement Gaps? The achievement gap is not a recent phenomenon; it is decades old. But that doesn't mean it is permanent. It just means that we need to do something different. 
 If the answer isn't to continue the way we have been teaching or new curriculum or higher standards (although, of course, those are necessary), then what is it?

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Goal: Test the Power of Hashtags

Teacher Reboot Camp

Welcome to Cycle 6 of The 30 Goals Challenge: Inspire Forward ! . “[The hashtag] it served as a way to carry on a conversation with a diverse audience.”- The Huffington Post. Venezuela, Jan. 2015. Goal: Initiate or support a hashtag movement. Accomplish this goal by creating your own hashtag on social media, getting your students to create their own hashtag movements, or working as a class to create a class hashtag movement.

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Enhancing HyFlex Education through the PowerTeaching Framework

This whitepaper explores integrating the PowerTeaching pedagogical approach within a HyFlex (Hybrid Flexible) educational model, focusing on employing cooperative learning strategies and efficient classroom management techniques.