July, 2019

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Tech Access in Schools: Making Edtech Accessible to All

Digital Promise

Access to technology for all students is a major goal for many schools, companies, and organizations—yet access is only part of the equation. Once an educational technology (edtech) tool is in a school, the hard work is just beginning due to a number of potential hurdles and challenges that leadership and educators need to overcome. Research suggests that when technology is effectively used in schools, access may help to bridge educational and social gaps (Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010; Eccl

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How to Leverage Mainstream Technology to Boost Special Education

EdTech Magazine

How to Leverage Mainstream Technology to Boost Special Education. eli.zimmerman_9856. Thu, 07/18/2019 - 11:31. Federal laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) , as well as state allocations and local funding, give schools access to resources to support students with special needs. But while funding opportunities exist, they are limited, which means schools must allocate what money they do receive strategically.

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Can This Be the K-12 Edtech Marketplace That Finally Succeeds?

Edsurge

In 2012, First Book , a nonprofit that provides affordable learning materials to kids in need, approached the publishers of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and asked: Can you make a bilingual version of the popular children’s book? At the time, the publisher sold English and Spanish versions separately. As part of its pitch, First Book made an offer that the publisher couldn’t refuse: It promised to buy 30,000 copies of the bilingual version.

EdTech 151
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Scavenger Hunt: Get Kids Talking on the 1st Day of School

Catlin Tucker

Relationship building needs to start on the first day of school if teachers are going to cultivate a community of learners willing to take risks and engage with one another. That said, building a community can be challenging, especially in those early days of the school year when students are feeling shy, nervous, and unsure of themselves. One of my favorite icebreaker activities is an offline scavenger hunt.

Meeting 416
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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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Understanding the Rising Phenomenon of Esports and Its Embrace by Schools

Ed Tech from the Ground Up

Esports is generating huge revenue worldwide and being adopted as varsity sports by school districts. It's a trend to watch. The post Understanding the Rising Phenomenon of Esports and Its Embrace by Schools appeared first on Market Brief.

Trends 379
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The Right Questions

A Principal's Reflections

“ We get wise by asking questions, and even if these are not answered, we get wise, for a well-packed question carries its answer on its back as a snail carries its shell. ” - James Stephens Questioning techniques are one of the easiest areas of instructional design that can be improved, at least in my opinion. By looking at the question stems, one can determine the level of thinking our learners are expected to demonstrate.

STEM 375

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3 Ways to Overcome High Student-Teacher Ratios and Improve Personalized Learning

EdTech Magazine

3 Ways to Overcome High Student-Teacher Ratios and Improve Personalized Learning. eli.zimmerman_9856. Wed, 07/10/2019 - 12:53. According to the most recent data, student-teacher ratios in public schools currently average 16 to 1 — with some states as high as 24 to 1 — meaning regularly adjusting lessons on an individual basis is, for most teachers, aspirational at best. .

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How Belonging and Productive Struggle Can Motivate Students in Math

Digital Promise

While parts of the education system have incorporated tailored methods to keep students engaged, mathematics is often still taught in traditional, non-differentiated ways. For example, many math lessons focus on teaching the one correct path to reach the one right answer to a problem. Memorizing formulas and drilling in the “proper” approach through repetition too often take precedence over conceptual understanding and experiencing multiple strategies, both of which are important according to re

Strategy 334
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Developing a Community of Inquiry in Your Blended Classroom

Catlin Tucker

A consistent theme in my work on blended learning is shifting students from passive consumers in the classroom to active, engaged members of a learning community. The Community of Inquiry framework can help teachers blending online and offline work to cultivate a blended classroom characterized by respect, dialogue, inquiry, and exploration. Too often classrooms are spaces where kids do not enjoy the flexibility or freedom to ask questions about topics or issues that capture their interest and p

Classroom 374
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Failing our students

Dangerously Irrelevant

If our students get a good grade in government class but leave class as apathetic, uninvolved future citizens… we have failed. If our students pass the state reading test but never voluntarily read a book … we have failed. If our students survive math class but end up hating math … we have failed. And so on… Chris Lehmann and Zac Chase said in their amazing book, Building School 2.0 : With almost everything we teach, we are always faced with two very different challenges.

Course 270
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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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Flexible Spaces Need to Lead to Flexible Learning

A Principal's Reflections

Do you remember the classrooms that you learned in as a child? I sure do and not for many positive reasons. Each room was a carbon copy of one another, where you would have as many uncomfortable desks lined up in cute little neat rows. The exception was science classrooms flush with lab tables. However, there still was the issue of sitting in chairs for long periods of time that killed our backs.

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Exploring 4 types of Flipped Learning

Neo LMS

In spite of all the efforts of countless educators, the passive model of learning persists. Flipped Learning has emerged as the “easy button” to move classes, schools, and districts from passive to active learning. Flipped Learning is not just another teaching strategy, but rather, the meta-strategy that supports all others. Flipped Learning is often thought of as static and fraught with misconceptions.

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Looking for Ways to Improve Data Privacy in Schools? Start Here

EdTech Magazine

Looking for Ways to Improve Data Privacy in Schools? Start Here. eli.zimmerman_9856. Fri, 07/12/2019 - 09:41. The rapid deployment of educational technology, paired with an increase in the number of states passing data privacy laws , leaves many district administrators and technology leaders with a daunting question about protecting student and staff information: Where do we start?

Data 392
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The Future of STEM Education: 5 Innovative Ideas About to Break Through

Educational Technology Guy

The Future of STEM Education: 5 Innovative Ideas About to Break Through by Kate Began With our world becoming increasingly technology-driven, there is growing demand for workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. To meet this demand, there has been ongoing discussion on how to best educate our kids for a STEM-focused future.

STEM 254
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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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What Are My Options After High School?

EdNews Daily

When high school is finally over, what should you do next? Typically, most will respond and say that going to a traditional university is the next logical step, but many students are finding this isn’t the right choice for them. With increasing costs and competitive application processes, you may want another way to achieve your career goals. And, that’s okay!

Course 222
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8 questions that help get at deeper thinking and learning

Dangerously Irrelevant

If your goal for a lesson, unit, or other instructional activity is to drive deeper student thinking and learning, consider these 8 questions from Section A of the 4 Shifts Protocol. If you like your answers, awesome! Keep doing that! If you’re not where you want to be yet, pick a couple of questions and select your desired answers instead (e.g., Yes instead of No or Somewhat ).

Learning 264
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The Ascent to Growth

A Principal's Reflections

I genuinely believe that most people want to get better in their professional role and they find comfort in growth. Who doesn’t want to make a difference while moving up the career ladder? However, I say most because complacency, lack of motivation, or not being passionate about the work or the job can inhibit a drive to seek ways to improve. Since the minority falls in this category, let’s focus on the majority.

System 336
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Guest post: How to Make your eLearning Course More Interactive

EdTech4Beginners

For online students, there’s nothing worse than being subjected to a dull, boring eLearning course. If staying motivated to sit through the course was not tough enough, an uninteresting course makes it even harder. Learning needs to be enjoyable. Being an online instructor, you need to get creative and find exciting ways to make your eLearning course informative and engaging for it to resonate with your students.

Course 220
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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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Sphero, LittleBits and Other Robots Bring Technology to Life

EdTech Magazine

Sphero, LittleBits and Other Robots Bring Technology to Life. eli.zimmerman_9856. Tue, 07/02/2019 - 11:36. Josh Stumpenhorst got hooked on robotics three years ago when his son showed him the Sphero BB-8, a baseball-sized, self-propelled robot based on the Star Wars droid. Now Stumpenhorst, director of the learning commons at Lincoln Junior High in Naperville, Ill., is a certified Sphero Hero.

Robotics 389
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20+ wide-ranging books to check out for educators

Ditch That Textbook

In many ways, we educators live in an exciting time to be in the classroom and work with students. Examples: We have lots of access to research and best practice to inform our teaching. Educators from all over the world share their best ideas and discuss freely via social media. It’s easier than ever for […].

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Reaching the Quiet Kids in Class

Edsurge

As a student, my mindset was that everything needed to be perfect; anything less was unacceptable. Taking the risk to raise my hand in class, when I wanted to contribute my thoughts, was always a challenge for me. But none of my teachers ever seemed to recognize this; or if they did, they never acknowledged it. The thing is, I really wanted to contribute to class discussions.

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8 questions that help get at authentic, real world work

Dangerously Irrelevant

If your goal for a lesson, unit, or other instructional activity is to move toward more authentic, real world work, consider these 8 questions from Section B of the 4 Shifts Protocol. If you like your answers, awesome! Keep doing that! If you’re not where you want to be yet, pick a couple of questions and select your desired answers instead (e.g., Yes instead of No or Somewhat ).

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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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Facilitating Student Owned Inquiry With The Right Question… Deeper Learning

21st Century Educational Technology and Learning

I am convinced that the key to student engagement is the ownership of inquiry. People want to know the answer to questions… especially their own. This can be proven by watching people inquire on their cell phones when questions come up in a conversation. Now the answers and ability to find valid ones is up for debate… we can look at that in a future post.

Learning 143
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How to Get More Students to Finish Your Online Course

Sell Courses Online

The post How to Get More Students to Finish Your Online Course appeared first on Sell Courses Online. Online learning is a rapidly growing industry and it has presented a huge opportunity to those who want to create online courses and monetize their knowledge. While more and more knowledgepreneurs are launching new courses every year, a worrying trend has set in where a majority of the students never finish an online course.

Course 119
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The Do's and Don'ts of Project-Based Learning Technology Integration

EdTech Magazine

The Do's and Don'ts of Project-Based Learning Technology Integration. eli.zimmerman_9856. Thu, 07/11/2019 - 13:52. Educators embracing project-based learning to engage students. In PBL, teachers create assignments rooted in the real world to help students build important skills such as problem-solving, communication and teamwork. At McKissack Middle School in Nashville, Tenn., for example, educators turned another textbook history lesson into an interactive exploration of the story of

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4 Ways Personalized Learning Could Change Teaching

TeachThought - Learn better.

4 Ways Personalized Learning Could Change Teaching contributed by Jennifer Jones PhD, Educational Entrepreneur and Founder of Green Ivy Schools Increasingly, teachers at the high school and middle school levels (and perhaps even elementary school) will be hearing the term ‘personalized learning.’ And as with so many terms in our field of education, it will […].

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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.

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Design Thinking Is a Challenge to Teach — and That’s a Good Thing

Edsurge

In the early 2000s something new appeared on the education scene, adapted from the worlds of innovation and business where it was developed. It was called, simply and descriptively, design thinking. Unlike some education trends, it didn’t catch on overnight. During the first fifteen years or so, implementation of design thinking in K-12 schools was a slow, steady progression.

Outcomes 167
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9 questions that help get at student agency and personalization

Dangerously Irrelevant

If your goal for a lesson, unit, or other instructional activity is to have students drive more of their own learning, consider these 9 questions from Section C of the 4 Shifts Protocol. If you like your answers, awesome! Keep doing that! If you’re not where you want to be yet, pick a couple of questions and select your desired answers instead (e.g., Students instead of Teachers or Both ).

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40+ Useful Google Drive Add-ons for Teachers

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

Here is an updated version of our popular Google Drive add-ons list. More specifically, we added Drive tools for creating educational visual content, tools for working on PDFs, and collaborative mind.

Google 111
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Inside one school’s efforts to bridge the divide between white teachers and students of color

The Hechinger Report

Virginia Forcucci speaks to students in her 10th grade English class at Sussex Tech High School. Photo: Kelly Field for The Hechinger Report. GEORGETOWN, Del. — On a recent Thursday morning, when most of their peers were busy prepping for the day, a dozen teachers and staff at Delaware’s Sussex Tech High School sat down to talk about race. The group was discussing Chapter 2 of scholar Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism.”.

Report 111
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Transform Your Classroom with Apple

Speaker: Aaron Webb, Jamf

Apple empowers educators and students by design. Whether using Macs, iPads, or Apple TV, Apple devices encourage creativity and can simplify teaching with apps to make the classroom more flexible, collaborative and personalized for each student. To unleash the full potential of the technology and create the best learning environment, you need to understand the tools and resources available, and develop an education-focused, comprehensive plan, from equipment purchase to deployment, management an