May, 2023

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Why Effective IT Leadership Must Have Inclusive Technology Systems

EdTech Magazine

Cerebral palsy confined Mercy, a third grader at Jenks (Okla.) Public Schools, to a wheelchair and prevented her from speaking or fully participating in learning activities. That was until a team of teachers, therapists and technology staff worked to find a solution. They attached a tablet loaded with text-to-talk software to her chair, and those educational technology tools changed her life.

System 522
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3 Things I Wish I Knew About Personalized Learning As a Teacher

Education Elements

Prior to becoming a consultant for Education Elements, I served as a Middle School Math Teacher. It was a tough but rewarding job, and I absolutely loved it. Math is a passion of mine, and I adore the raw, sarcastic, hilarious moments that often come from interacting with middle school students.

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Digital Accessibility Is a Bigger Education Issue Than We Think. Here’s What We Can Do About It.

Edsurge

About a month ago, a colleague forwarded me a newsletter from the school she works with. It was a normal-looking school newsletter: a three-page PDF with information about upcoming events, decorated with colorful clip art of flowers. However, the subject line said: “How do I get them to stop doing this?” I knew exactly what she meant. The newsletter, while pretty, had the gritty look of a document that’s been printed out and scanned back into the computer.

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5 Steps to Involve Students in Transformation Efforts

A Principal's Reflections

In my early days as an administrator, I thought that a positive school culture was one where strict rules were created and consistently enforced to keep students focused on learning. I believed that the more control I could exert over the environment, the better the results. There was not much flexibility in terms of the structure of the day and what students were “allowed” to do.

Policies 456
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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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Fantastic Figjam Makes Brainstorming and Collaboration in the Classroom Better

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter What is Figjam? Figjam is a cool, flexible, fun, collaborative space for student projects, presentations, and collaborations. Today's guest, Tom Mullaney, shares how he uses Figjam with students and teachers; he explains why it is useful and gives tips and tricks that will engage students in the collaborative skills they need to be creative collaborators in today's world.

Classroom 446
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Shift to Leveraging Formative Assessment for Metacognition

Catlin Tucker

How can formative assessment data help students to develop their metacognitive skills? Formative assessments are ongoing assessments embedded throughout the learning process. These informal assessments provide information to the teacher about students’ understanding of the material being covered and the skills being introduced. This data allows the teacher to identify where students are struggling, where they are excelling, and where they need additional support.

More Trending

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Do Schools Have the Funding to Manage Third-Party Risk?

EdTech Magazine

The recent government attention on K–12 cybersecurity has, in many ways, benefited school districts by raising awareness of security threats. However, schools can’t take action to meet the government’s recommendations without funding. They don’t have the budgets to implement the cybersecurity solutions the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency deemed necessary.

Meeting 440
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Tackling Roadblocks to Change

A Principal's Reflections

Change is hard because it requires us to step outside of our comfort zone and into the unknown. It means letting go of the familiar and embracing something new. This can be a scary and uncertain process, which is why many people resist change. There are many reasons why people resist change. Some people are afraid of the unknown. They may worry about what will happen if they change, and they may not be confident in their ability to adapt to new situations.

Training 443
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TeachAI.org, a New Organization to Talk about AI in the Classroom

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter These conversations need to happen. An organization called TeachAI.org says it is going to facilitate those conversations. With ISTE, Digital Promise, OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon, the World Economic Forum and many more , these organizations state they are coming together to create policy recommendations, revise the K-12 CS Framework to include AI teaching with AI, and engage diverse stakeholders.

Classroom 329
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Inspire Families to Read and Learn This Summer

Teacher Reboot Camp

“Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” – Napoléon Bonaparte As the school year comes to a close and summer approaches, we need to encourage families to read and learn with their children at home. If our students are actively reading and learning at home, then they increase their knowledge, do better in school, and grow empathy and appreciation for lives lived much differently than their own.

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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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New Canva updates you’ll love

Ditch That Textbook

If you appreciate great graphic design but aren't much of a designer, you'll love Canva. Canva (canva.com) lets you create graphics, slides, documents, videos, and more -- for your classroom or for whatever. It's packed full of templates to copy and use in class right away. Plus, the best news: Canva is 100 percent free for K-12 teachers […] The post New Canva updates you’ll love appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

Video 351
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Summer Reading Online

Ask a Tech Teacher

Thanks to the efforts of many devoted professionals and the financial support of more, there are a wide variety of free/inexpensive sources for books that students can use for classroom activities as well as pleasure. Here are a list of sites that offer digital books for kids to adults: Bookopolis Bookopolis is a large collection of fiction and nonfiction books for ages 7-12.

eBook 389
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Fact or Fallacy: Don’t Fall for These Common Myths About MFA in K–12

EdTech Magazine

Cybercriminals are becoming relentless in their efforts to gain access to critical school networks that hold confidential student and staff data. According to the K12 Security Information eXchange, over the past six years, there have been 1,619 cyber incidents in K–12 schools in the U.S. That’s more than one cybersecurity event every school day. How can we reduce these attacks?

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#EDvice: Entry Points for Change

A Principal's Reflections

As we all know, navigating change is often a tricky process. It requires a clear vision, a sound plan for implementation, and patience. Even with all these elements and many others in place, it is rarely a smooth journey. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is zeroing in on compelling reasons to change that will lead to better outcomes. I refer to these as entry points, which can serve as a catalyst for any initiative or strategic plan.

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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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Better Science: 5 Excellent Ways to Examine Authentic Artifacts from the Natural History Museum of Utah

The CoolCatTeacher

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Students love to examine artifacts and explore. Whether it is dinosaur bones, a phenomenon causing damage to valuable species of trees, or the relationships between predators and prey in the wild, first-hand explorations will engage students. We know this. Authentic experiences are now made possible with the valuable free resource Research Quest , from the Natural History Museum of Utah.

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Three Questions to Center Equity in Your Edtech Procurement

Digital Promise

This three-part blog series, featuring guest authors from The Learning Accelerator and MA DESE OET , highlights the importance of centering equity in edtech selection. In this second post, the author outlines three questions school and systems leaders should answer before procurement when considering new edtech. The past few years have seen a rapid expansion of technology in schools.

EdTech 305
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How AI is Changing the Education Landscape

EdNews Daily

By Mark Booker AI is like any other new tool that has entered the arena of learning that enhances a student’s access to data and information to process and consume knowledge more quickly. Whether it be the Internet, the calculator, or even the printing press – all have entered social consciousness as disruptors with some wariness and skepticism, but were ultimately used to change how fast we can learn and share information to enhance the depth of information we pass on to future generations.

Education 298
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Subscriber Special: K-5 New Teacher Survival Kit

Ask a Tech Teacher

Every month, subscribers to our newsletter get a free/discounted resource to help their tech teaching. This month: K-5 New Teacher Survival Kit 9 ebooks, 65 digital posters May 31-June 3 A new teacher survival kit–for professionals new to teaching tech or expanding their pedagogy. It includes K-5 tech curriculum (including problem solving, productivity software, critical thinking, share/publish, mouse skills, image editing, Google Earth, Photoshop, web tools, and more), keyboarding and digital

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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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Why K-12 Schools Must Invest in Teaching Quantum Computing Today

EdTech Magazine

Quantum computers are set to change the world, and K–12 schools have a role to play. These computers can make complex calculations and process and analyze huge amounts of intricate data much faster than classical computers. How fast? Back in 2019, Google celebrated when its quantum computer performed “a computation in 200 seconds that would have taken the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years.

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#EDvice: Less is More

A Principal's Reflections

To say that there is a great deal of pressure on educators today is a gross understatement. It is shared with me during conversations that they feel it is difficult to catch their breath and keep up with all that is expected of them. While this has led to an increase in stress and anxiety, it is always made clear to me that they want to grow and improve.

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Here’s how I used ChatGPT to assess student writing

Ditch That Textbook

Can AI assistants like ChatGPT help us assess student writing in the classroom? This post shares a series of interactions with ChatGPT to provide feedback on student writing. Deborah Cleveland is an Instructional Designer for AEA Learning Online, where she builds online professional development for educators throughout Iowa. You can find her on Twitter (@Dcleveland00) […] The post Here’s how I used ChatGPT to assess student writing appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

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15 Ways to Recognize Teachers: Teacher Appreciation Week 2023 & Beyond

Education Elements

Teachers have a tremendous impact on the learning and lives of their students and communities, and planning a unique and powerful teacher appreciation week is one way to celebrate their incredible contributions. School and district leaders can use the strategies below as a starting point to plan meaningful ways to recognize all that they do, every day.

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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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The benefits of using a web filter for digital learning

Hapara

Listen to an audio version of this post: Some people question why schools install web filters and restrict online content. The bottom line is that a school can’t provide unfiltered internet access to minors. The Children’s Internet Protection Act , a federal law, requires schools to have internet filtering in place to block content that is obscene and harmful to minors.

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Tech Tips to End the School Year

Ask a Tech Teacher

Wrapping up your school technology for the summer is as complicated as setting it up in September. There are endless backups, shares, cleanings, changed settings, and vacation messages that — if not done right — can mean big problems when you return from summer vacation. If you have a school device, a lot of the shutdown steps will be done by the IT folks as they backup, clean, reformat, and maybe re-image your device.

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Essential Classroom Technology to Reduce Digital Overload in K–12

EdTech Magazine

Just like periodic assessments can help teachers gauge student mastery of a particular subject, a periodic ed tech review can help teachers and administrators reflect on what works and what doesn’t. One thing that does not appear to be working for many teachers in the classroom is what might be called digital overload. According to PowerSchool’s 2022 Education Focus Report, 46 percent of educators say that juggling multiple digital tools was one of their top challenges.

Classroom 371
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Celebrating Maker Education with the 2022-2023 Infy Maker Award Winners

Digital Promise

The post Celebrating Maker Education with the 2022-2023 Infy Maker Award Winners appeared first on Digital Promise.

Education 296
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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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12 brain breaks to energize your classroom

Ditch That Textbook

In class, our students sit. A LOT. It can be hard on our bodies and our minds. (Want proof? Think of the last full-day professional development you had to sit through!) Building brain breaks into our daily routines can allow our students to recharge and refresh their minds. Research shows that incorporating brain breaks into your classroom routine […] The post 12 brain breaks to energize your classroom appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

Classroom 269
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A Day in the Life of a Teacher: All The Things Teachers Do

Education Elements

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! This time of year is truly special to me. For 7 years, I worked as a classroom teacher. It was the hardest job I ever loved. Supporting my students academically, contributing to a positive school culture and communicating with families and community members, all made teaching such a wonderful professional experience.

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Master the Troubling Tech Tribbles in Space at ISTE 2023

EdNews Daily

From Doug Cauthen Get a Tribble for your Trouble Plan to join the Learning Counsel for an Escape Room Trek! The issues of schools and teachers with lots of apps and outsized network impacts will be addressed at ISTE by Cisco and the Learning Counsel in a fun way that also teaches you about new A.I. technologies. The Trek will give educators a live experience of teaching and learning that uses Hybrid Logistics, networks which use an A.I. for the teaching and learning intersection in school schedu

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10 Online Resources About Geometry

Ask a Tech Teacher

Here are popular online resources to teach about Geometry (for updates to the list, click here ): EquatIO — free for teachers Geoboard –draw angles with rubber bands (web, iOS) Geometry curriculum (pretty thorough but might be dated) T he Geometry of Castles –in Google Earth The Geometry of Sustainable Architecture –in Google Earth Quadrilateral Story–Prezi Quadrilateral Story–video Robocompass –online compass Virtual Manipulatives Virtual Manipulatives

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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.