Sat.Oct 17, 2015 - Fri.Oct 23, 2015

article thumbnail

Why Minecraft in Schools is the Modern Marvel: 5 Epic Ideas

The CoolCatTeacher

Every Classroom Matters Episode #180 History, literature, and math teachers are desperate for easy ideas to engage kids. We want kids to be excited about our subject, and we want to use technology. But we don’t want anything really hard. What can we do? Well, today’s guest Lucas Gillispie has something you can do that might be much easier than you think.

Facebook 327
article thumbnail

Robots That Teach: Using Sphero in Class

EdTech Magazine

By Sam Patterson The company that inspired Star Wars' BB-8 droid has already won the hearts and minds of K–12 students with a similar ball-shaped robot namedSphero.

Robotics 321
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Ed-Tech is Important, but People Are a Key Ingredient to Startup Success

Ed Tech from the Ground Up

When it comes to innovation, much attention is paid to the latest start-up to get funding or the hottest technology. But the human element is crticical to making innovation a success. Startups need to keep that in mind. Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.

article thumbnail

In Support of Teachers: First State Micro-credential Initiative

More Verbs

The iLearnMaine Educator Micro-credential Program was announced Thursday, Oct. 15, by ACTEM and the Maine’s Learning Through Technology Team. What if schools and teachers had support for professional learning that met their needs and was on their own terms? This is the kind of support iLearnMaine Educator Micro-credential Program is designed to provide.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Social Media in Schools

The CoolCatTeacher

The Tool We Should All Be Using to Improve Education In the 1970’s the parking lot would be full of parents ready to see the school play. Or Christmas pageant. Or spelling bee. Students performed, and parents came. The school auditorium was the place where students showed off their work. The halls showed artwork that parents came by to see as they attended events.

article thumbnail

The Will and Courage to Lead

A Principal's Reflections

Over the past couple of weeks I have been either keynoting conferences or facilitating workshops focusing on digital leadership and learning. I relish the fact of being able to talk about creating schools that work for kids and leadership in the digital age. The main goal is to inspire current and future leaders to reflect on professional practice in order to become more effective and efficient.

Policies 265

More Trending

article thumbnail

Using Technology to Teach Common Core

EdTech Magazine

By Catlin Tucker Getting students to engage with common core doesn't have to be such a challenge. Technology can light the path.

article thumbnail

Secrets for Coping with Stress at Work

The CoolCatTeacher

Inspiration for People Working in High Stress Environments Stress at work is real. Particularly in high-stress jobs like teaching. While study brain research, four E’s jump out. Our secret for coping with stress at work will lie in understanding executive functions and emotions. To cope, we must make the most of encouragement and enrichment to make it through.

Libraries 302
article thumbnail

The 7 C’s of Meaningful Learning Begin with Citizenship

Teacher Reboot Camp

ICEIndiana 2015 Keynote Selfie Shelly Sanchez Terrell. “Literacy has always been defined by the technology. Before the printing press, your ability to orally recite something meant [you were] literate.” – Nichole Pinkard. Thousands of years ago we communicated with images, drawings, and symbols. Before we had an alphabet we drew on walls to communicate with others in our community.

article thumbnail

26 Halloween Sites for your Students

Ask a Tech Teacher

Here’s a short list of fun Halloween websites for your students. Enjoy! Websites: Ben & Jerry. Billy Bear’s. Carving Pumpkins. Enchanted Learning. Halloween games, puzzles –clean, easy to understand website and few ads! Halloween ghost stories. Meddybemps Spooky. Pumpkin Toss. Signing Halloween–a video. Skelton Park. The Kidz Page. Apps: Ace Math Halloween Games Free Lite.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Google Education Gains Momentum: 50M App Users, 10M Chromebook Users

EdTech Magazine

By D. Frank Smith Chromebooks and Google Apps are on a winning streak within the K–12 sector.

article thumbnail

How to Use Diigo’s New Outlining Tool: Social Bookmarking Made Easy

The CoolCatTeacher

Productivity Tools for Students and Researchers Social bookmarking is the modern student’s research tool. As I share in Reinventing Writing , research and pre-writing helps a student start strong. But how? Here’s your answer: Diigo has a fantastic new outlining tool! Before students write, have them turn in their outlines to you. Also, require that they rephrase their research sources at the point they bookmark it.

How To 274
article thumbnail

Renowned Mathematicians Want You to Reinvent Math Education

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. I’ve never been a fan of math education. In fact, I never liked math very much as a kid–mainly because I didn’t comprehend it enough to connect it to anything important. Over time, while contemplating amazing technologies, like smartphones, autonomous cars, and the Internet of things, I’ve come to appreciate the beauty of math. This is not […].

article thumbnail

Keyboarding Success Requires More than Drills

Ask a Tech Teacher

Drills have backstopped keyboarding since I was in high school. I still remember. rtyu. fghj. vbnm. Over and over I typed those until my fingers could find the keys with no help from my brain. It worked for thousands of us. So why don’t drills work for the new generation of typists. There are a few reasons: Kids are learning keyboarding at a younger age.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Agency in My Diverse Classroom: Part I

Battelle for Kids

Volume 2, Issue 11, Number 7. Driving Question: How do I create an environment to promote personal student agency in a class of diverse learners? This school year is shaping up to be an interesting one. I studied my class on paper before the school year started. I looked at assessment data gathered from the previous year's teachers. I've spent the first weeks getting to know my 5th grade kids face-to-face.

Classroom 196
article thumbnail

Kid President: Kids Inspiring Kids to Change the World

The CoolCatTeacher

Every Classroom Matters episode 181 Kid President is a cute kid. His short videos pack a powerful message. His brother-in-law Brad Montague helps craft his message. Take a behind the scenes look at the viral sensation sweeping through classrooms today. Important Takeaways. Brad gives a behind the scenes look at how he and Robby Novak started Kid President.

Facebook 266
article thumbnail

10 Questions Student Teachers Must Ask Their Mentors

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. When I was student teaching, my supervising professor and mentor teacher were truly invested in my success. They expected me to arrive with thoughtful questions each day, and they also expected me to tolerate the frustration that bubbled up each time they offered uncertain responses. There are few absolutes in the field of education, after all.

Education 198
article thumbnail

Personalized Learning 3.0 — Creating Personalized 'Bicycles for the Mind'

The Journal

On the way to Personalized Learning 3.0, we may well need to “pass through” Personalized Learning 1.0. But we mustn’t tarry! Educational automation is not an interesting goal! The vision of a personalized “bicycle for the mind” for each and every child must drive us to "informate" – to create Personalized Learning 3.0 environments!!

article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

Everything Schools Should Know About Windows 10 Education Edition

Ask a Tech Teacher

For the first time ever, Windows is upgrading the existing Windows platform for free. If you use a current version of Windows, you’ll notice a little icon in the lower right tooltray that encourages you to upgrade. There’s a time limit to how long you can wait and still get it for free, but it’s long enough for you to research the upgrades and decide if they work for you.

Tablets 188
article thumbnail

How to Pick the Perfect Color and Use it Anywhere

The CoolCatTeacher

Practical Graphic Design Tips Anyone Can Use Graphic designers need to understand color. But there are some basics we all need to know. We should remember: a little bit of color theory, how to pick colors, and how to use them. This three-part video series will help you learn the basic color theory and tricks you’ll need to use great colors together in Microsoft Office.

How To 258
article thumbnail

4 Ways to Prepare for a Successful Student Teaching Experience

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. Student teaching is one of the most exciting and unnerving undergraduate experiences. After years of dedicated study and day dreaming about the temporary inheritance of an actual classroom, you’re suddenly there amid a room full of students you don’t know very well, with the eyes of more experienced educators upon you. No pressure, right?

Study 190
article thumbnail

Reaching The Community With Periscope

The Web20Classroom

This post is sponsored by Samsung Business. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am on the road a lot. Traveling the country, working with teachers and districts to improve the way they use technology and bridge the gaps in the way they communicate with their communities. And while I have the best job in the world, that means I miss many opportunities to be involved with my first grader and what's happening in her school.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Dear Otto: Evaluating Faculty Websites

Ask a Tech Teacher

Dear Otto is an occasional column where I answer questions I get from readers about teaching tech. If you have a question, please contact me at askatechteacher at gmail dot com and I’ll answer it here. For your privacy, I use only first names. Here’s a great question I got from Melissa: I have heard repeatedly from many of my high school social studies students that they rarely use teacher websites.

article thumbnail

Incredible FREE PD! K12Online Conference 2015

The CoolCatTeacher

Connected Educator Month! The K12Online Conference 2015 is a fantastic resource. You’ve got another week to experience it LIVE. Even afterwards, all of the work is still there. You don’t want to miss out! Join in! K12Online is never really over … it’s all online and archived. If you look really hard, you might even find one about integrating on a shoestring….

article thumbnail

The power in finding common ground with students

Ditch That Textbook

I met “Cole”, a student in my Spanish classes, a little over two years ago. He was a rambunctious ninth grader when he first stepped in my class, and I could tell something was different about him. He was focused, determined and motivated. Just not about school. Cole owned a gecko and bought a few [.].

Strategy 162
article thumbnail

Yikes, You’ve Got a Co-Teacher; 5 Tips for Making It Work

Brilliant or Insane

Brilliant or Insane. It was the first day of school, and I arrived early, eager to meet my students and catch up with colleagues I hadn’t had a chance to see during opening days. My plans were prepared, my room was set, and I was feeling relaxed and ready to ring in a brand new year. There was only […]. The post Yikes, You’ve Got a Co-Teacher; 5 Tips for Making It Work appeared first on Brilliant or Insane.

Meeting 162
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Agency in My Diverse Classroom: Part II

Battelle for Kids

Volume 2, Issue 11, Number 8. Driving Question: How Can Teachers Design Opportunities for Student Agency to Grow? I'm a strong advocate for project-based learning (PBL). It saturates my classroom work. It is the heart of making sure that I continue to design opportunities for my students' agency to grow. Moving to a PBL model of teaching takes purposeful planning.

Classroom 161
article thumbnail

Creating a Buzz with Social Media

The CoolCatTeacher

21 Money-Making Strategies for Social Media Newbies with Dr. Cheri Toledo My friend, Dr. Cheri Toledo has pulled together 21 social media experts to share the basics of getting started with social media. This free video series is for beginners! Do you ever ask yourself, “Could I be growing my business with social media?” Have you ever thought, “What are some effective strategies for using social media tools for my business?

article thumbnail

The 7 C’s of Meaningful Learning Begin with Citizenship

Teacher Reboot Camp

ICEIndiana 2015 Keynote Selfie Shelly Sanchez Terrell. “Literacy has always been defined by the technology. Before the printing press, your ability to orally recite something meant [you were] literate.” – Nichole Pinkard. Thousands of years ago we communicated with images, drawings, and symbols. Before we had an alphabet we drew on walls to communicate with others in our community.

article thumbnail

This Is What Has To Be Done [#WhyIWrite]

The Jose Vilson

I had the honor and pleasure of having my superintendent visit my classroom today. The first time didn’t go so well. The students were wrapping up group project business, but, to the naked eye, it might have looked like the kids were winding down the school year leisurely. Since then, I’ve had a phrase brewing in my mind, intentionally, but I hadn’t gotten the chance to speak it.

Report 113
article thumbnail

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.