January, 2020

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Mythbusters: Breaking Down 10 Common Misconceptions of Personalized Learning

Education Elements

Since 2003, Discovery’s show Mythbusters has been a smash hit. Though Adam & Jamie stopped hosting in 2016, the reruns and spin-offs continue. Why? Because rumors, myths, and curiosity are a part of what it means to be human. Finding answers to questions we’ve wondered about helps us process and move on with new knowledge. Sometimes the myths they would bust were fun and quirky – like, is there truth behind the 5-second rule for food?

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Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom: A Guide for Educators

Waterford

Technology has done more to change school curriculum and practices than nearly anything else—and in such a short amount of time! While it can be hard to keep up with every trend in educational technology, the mindset you have when it comes to classroom tech matters just as much as which ones you use. By learning to view it as a means of enhancing your lessons and resources, you can provide your students with tools and opportunities they may not otherwise access.

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Building a PBL Environment

EdTechTeacher

by Shawn McCusker. This article will be published in the next edition Digital Learning Magazine. Building a PBL Environment: 5 Tools to Support Project Based Learning and the Future of Work. What Skills and Behaviors Does Your Classroom Environment Value? There are many things that educators are called upon to teach that aren’t in the curriculum. These range from the norms of speaking, to the norms of appropriate dress and basic manners.

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5 Learning Strategies That Make Students Curious

TeachThought - Learn better.

Ambition precedes curiosity. Without wanting to advance, learn, change, or grow, curiosity is simply a biological and neurological reaction to stimulus. The post 5 Learning Strategies That Make Students Curious appeared first on TeachThought.

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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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5 Edtech tools to try out this year

Neo LMS

Each year I like to explore different digital tools in my classroom to see what kind of an impact they will make on students and learning. There are some digital tools that I continue to use every year because they offer more than just one purpose and continue to add new features or they have integrated with other tools that we are using in our classroom.

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What Does Blended Learning Look Like in an AP Class?

Catlin Tucker

Can teachers who are teaching an AP course use blended learning models and cover the extensive curriculum? I get asked this question frequently as a blended learning coach. My answer is a resounding “Yes!” In this guest post, Cori Schwarzrock shares her experience using blended learning models in her AP psychology course. Over the past few years, I have been involved in the implementation of blended learning in my district.

More Trending

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Exploring Coaching Trends in Classrooms

Digital Promise

Teacher quality is one of the most important factors that contributes to student success. There is a growing body of research that points to coaching as a powerful way to support teacher effectiveness. As such, coaching is becoming more prevalent in schools and districts in the U.S., and districts are increasingly using federal, state, and local funds to support coaches and coaching programs.

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#WorldReadAloudDay February 5

Ask a Tech Teacher

On Feb. 5, 2020, World Read Aloud Day celebrates the pure joy of oral reading with kids of all ages. Created by LitWorld , past years have found over 1 million people in 100 countries joining together to enjoy the power and wonder of reading aloud in groups or individually, at school or home, and discovering what it means to listen to a story told through the voice of another.

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Silicon Valley Teacher Spotlight: Mike Messner

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Mike Messner teaches seventh-grade social studies in Silicon Valley. He shares his stories of the tech they use, what Silicon Valley parents like (and don’t like), and how he has joined an online PLN to bring state of the art to his classroom. Sponsor: Adobe I use Adobe Premiere Rush to teach digital filmmaking in my classroom.

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Can you teach K-12 students to become entrepreneurs?

Neo LMS

Quick: What’s the first name that comes to mind when I say: entrepreneur ? I’ll wait. Got it? For an overwhelming majority of us, an entrepreneur is a famous business person who probably has a very compelling story: starting very early, such as Bill Gates, or late like Colonel Sanders. They have reached rockstar status in one way or another. Scratch that, they are the heroes of today, who have become seemingly successful overnight.

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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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Designing a Kinesthetic Station: Get Kids Moving in Math Class

Catlin Tucker

Can the Station Rotation Model work in a math class? I get this question a lot. I’ve coached math teachers who struggle to imagine designing their lessons using this model because the curriculum is so linear. Even though concepts build on one another, the Station Rotation Model can provide students with opportunities to spiral back and review concepts or apply what they are learning to the world beyond the classroom.

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Which is bigger?

Dangerously Irrelevant

I started a new principal licensure cohort this spring. On the second night of class, I had an awesome discussion with a couple of high school teachers about the perpetual issue of forcing students to learn math that they likely will never use again in their life. We make most (all) students take Algebra 2, for instance, even though most of them rarely (if ever) will use that learning later.

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Becoming a Teacher Leader With Micro-credentials

Digital Promise

As a classroom teacher, I have always kept a bright orange poster on display that asks students two critical questions: Do you know it? Can you show it? If a student can answer a resounding YES to both questions, that student is able to make progress as a learner. To KNOW the concept is important, but the two questions are fundamentally linked; it’s just as important to SHOW what you know.

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The Benefits of the Copy Stage of Making

User Generated Education

In Learning in the Making: How to Plan, Execute, and Assess Powerful Makerspace Lessons , I propose a model for the stages of making. I believe that the heart of making is creating new and unique things. I also realize that in order for this type of making to occur, there needs to be some scaffolding so that maker learners can develop a foundation of knowledge and skills.

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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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How to Use Fortnite in the Classroom

The CoolCatTeacher

Mike Washburn shares insight into Fortnite From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Fortnite has a physics engine in the game. Unknown to many educators, Fortnite has three modes of play. While Battle Royale is a first-person shooter, the creative mode is not. Some educators are creating private islands (for free) that their students can make Rube Goldberg machines and other creations.

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How school admins use the LMS to achieve their goals

Neo LMS

The school’s learning management system (LMS) is an indispensable tool for blended learning, personalized learning, and instruction in general. School administrators are the ones in charge of making decisions about which edtech tools to buy, often on a tight budget. It’s no wonder that it’s hard to keep up with the lightspeed changes in the edtech market.

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Simple Exercise: Help Students Analyze Their Growth Over Time

Catlin Tucker

Students rarely recognize how much progress they are making over the course of a semester or school year. Their school days tend to be a blur of information, assignments, and activities. However, if students do not appreciate their growth over time, it may be harder to understand the value of the work they are doing or stay motivated. I encourage teachers to dedicate class time to an exercise that requires students to compare two pieces of work from two different moments in time using the Google

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What You Can Do to Bring Emotional Intelligence Lessons into the Classroom

Waterford

You may be aware of a student’s IQ, but what about their EQ (emotional intelligence quotient)? Emotional intelligence is different from cognitive ability, but it can be just as important.[13] If you can teach your students how to recognize and regulate their emotions, they’ll be better prepared to focus and reach their potential both inside and outside the classroom.

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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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Announcing the 2020 Cohort of HP Teaching Fellows

Digital Promise

We’re excited to announce the 2020 cohort of HP Teaching Fellows! The new cohort includes 26 educators from across the United States and Canada, selected for their excellence in powerful teaching and learning with technology. HP Teaching Fellows Exemplify Powerful Learning. HP Teaching Fellows are part of Reinvent the Classroom , a collaboration between Digital Promise, HP, Microsoft, and Intel.

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The order of the 4 Shifts Protocol is important

Dangerously Irrelevant

Julie Graber and I often get asked if the order of the 4 Shifts Protocol is important. Our answer? Absolutely. Note that the protocol begins with Deeper Thinking and Learning (Section A), followed by Authentic Work (Section B). We have found that starting with one or both of those dimensions tends to raise the level of learning for students much more than starting with Student Agency and Personalization (Section C) or Technology Infusion (Section D).

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What’s Hot (and Not) in Google Classroom with Alice Keeler

The CoolCatTeacher

Dig into teaching practices with Google Classroom From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Google Classroom is a tool that can help build relationships between students and teachers. But not everything is perfect. Google Classroom Guru Alice Keeler talks about what is hot and not in Google Classroom and how teachers are using it to teach.

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The Decade for Innovation in Education

Education Elements

What is the definition of innovation? It turns out that most people can’t agree. I’m not surprised! It’s one of those words we use so much, but we rarely pause to think about what it really means.

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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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New Year Resolution: Trim the Fat on Your Lessons

Catlin Tucker

For many, the new year inspires new resolve to move more, eat better, and shed excess weight. I have never been a big fan of drastic new year resolutions, but this year I began to think about how teachers can trim the metaphorical fat on their lessons. What changes could educators make this year that would improve their lessons and maximize their time with students?

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How to Promote Additive Bilingualism over Subtractive Bilingualism in the Classroom

Waterford

What’s the difference between additive and subtractive bilingualism? If you work with bilingual and English-language learning (ELL) children, the answer to this question could make a world of difference for your students. Teaching your ELL students additive bilingualism is one of the surest ways to help them gain strong reading skills in English, and in their first language too.

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New Resource Highlights Micro-credential Policies Across States

Digital Promise

Micro-credentials are gaining ground as a form of professional learning for educators. Interest in micro-credentials continues to increase as more schools, districts, and states launch pilots to learn more about successful micro-credential implementation. Digital Promise has fielded a high volume of questions about how micro-credentials are being adopted, recognized, and valued across the education landscape.

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10 social media-inspired learning activities: no accounts necessary

Ditch That Textbook

Social media grabs many students' attention. You can capture some of that excitement without using the social media apps in these templates and sites! If your students aren't using social media yet, they probably know all about it! Certain aspects of social media could make for great learning activities and assessments. But there's all of that […].

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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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Why These Educators Meet Regularly to Align Instruction with Mind, Brain, and Education Research

Edsurge

Nina Radcliffe’s teaching practice was changing. The “Getting to Know and Love Your Brain” poster on her wall, which read “breathe deep into your belly to stay calm and help your PFC (prefrontal cortex) think clearly,” prompted her first graders to get their brains ready for learning. The chime she rang to remind students to take a calm breath before focusing their attention signaled that this breathing practice had become embedded into classroom culture.

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Designing School for Human Flourishing & Thriving Democracy

Education Elements

After interviewing hundreds of parents, teachers, and students across the country, we’ve found almost everyone wants the same things for the kids they care about. We want “our” kids to flourish – to have productive work, meaningful relationships, creative self-expression, good health, and to participate civically in their communities.

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The Balance with Catlin Tucker: Featuring Lisa Highfill

Catlin Tucker

In this episode of The Balance , I talk with Lisa Highfill , a mother, educator, instructional coach, and co-author of The HyperDoc Handbook. Lisa describes herself as a thinker, philosopher, debater, and geek. She was a classroom teacher for over twenty years and is currently a technology integration coach in the Pleasanton Unified School District.

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A Teacher’s Guide to Toxic Stress in the Classroom

Waterford

Most students feel stressed at times in class, but some might be more vulnerable to stress than others. When stress builds up to severe levels for a child, they may be at risk to develop toxic stress—which can have lasting effects on their social-emotional, behavioral, and physical health. But if you can recognize signs of stress in your students, you can provide them with support to help them manage it before it overwhelms them.

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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