Literacy with ICT

"As a school librarian, I always thought of the notion of collection as expansive. Collections might include any of the experiences we discover, as well as any of the people we meet who might enhance learning for our communities.
Among those experiences are virtual field trips. Opportunities now abound for connections to curriculum and student interests. And easier strategies for video conferencing, combined with new types of interactions, make virtual field trips even more affordable and engaging. You don't risk weather conditions or losing any wandering kiddos who can't find their way back to the bus. You can ignore issues of distance relating to both space and time. And these escapes from daily classroom routine can result in very sticky learning."

"Remember the Oregon Trail? Of course you do, it's the game the internet won't let you forget.

Thirty-two years after the first full-color graphic version hit the Apple II, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt-the current owner of the Oregon Trail franchise-is teaming up with Microsoft on a new world that ports many of the landmarks and features of the original game into Minecraft.

Announced this morning in a Microsoft blog post, the new world, called The Oregon Trail Experience, is exclusive to Minecraft: Education Edition, the version that replaced the popular MinecraftEdu late last year. Microsoft acquired Minecraft from Swedish game developer Mojang in 2014."

"The collection of prompts below asks young writers to think through real or imagined events, their emotions, and a few wacky scenarios. Try out the ones you think will resonate most with your students. 

As with all prompts, inform students that their answers should be rated G and that disclosing dangerous or illegal things they're involved in will obligate you to file a report with the administration or school counselors. Finally, give students the option of writing "PERSONAL" above some entries that they don't want anyone to read. We all need to let scraggly emotions run free in our prose sometimes."

"Digital citizenship has stepped into the forefront of a modern-day education. Experts indicate that as schools roll out tech, they also need to be rolling out digital citizenship education.

Tech giant Google heeded that call and partnered with experts to launch Be Internet Awesome, an interactive campaign that educates students on how best to act on the internet.

One part of this Google campaign is Interland, a game that has students travel an imaginary world where they need to fight hackers, phishers, oversharers and bullies with digital citizenship skills. While game-based learning can be effective, educators also need to be armed with skills to teach their students to be citizens of the web.

This month, Google extended its Be Internet Awesome program to include a free online training course to help educators establish foundational skills needed to teach their students to have a safe and positive experience online."

In our busy and highly connected lives it can be difficult to find time to slow down, to deliberately and mindfully engage in reflective contemplation. Taking the time to do so can be significant for success, creativity, mental well-being and learning and yet we seem to struggle to commit time to this valuable practice. Schools, in particular seem to offer little time for students to slow down and think, and with the busy lives students lead such time is often entirely absent.

Using Image Prompts to Inspire Writing & Speaking Activities https://t.co/0bvVFbSezx #writing #esl #tesol #elt #eal… https://t.co/Q4fBENH2WS

RT @SutoriApp: Another write-up of Sutori! Thanks for the review @NikPeachey: https://t.co/FNK624CHZr #edtech #sutori https://t.co/zCR4ML9E…

RT @CambridgeUPELT: How can you use QR codes to create mobile worksheets? @NikPeachey shares his tips and a fun lesson activity too!
https…
RT @CambridgeUPELT: Save time printing and making photocopies by using QR codes instead! @NikPeachey explains how: https://t.co/md4yNUHsz7

"The annual K12 Horizon Report regularly identifies and profiles six key trends, six significant challenges, and six developments in educational technology likely to impact teaching and learning.
This year, especially, you will find many opportunities for connections to our own mission and practice. But while this year's K12 report practically screams school libraries to me, it does so rather quietly in PDF.
This chart from page 9 presents, in summary, the 18 topics selected by the report's expert panel."

"Scratch has become a popular way to introduce coding to young people around the world. Yet many schools are just beginning to realize the potential of Scratch to support project-based learning across subject areas and grade levels.

How can you integrate Scratch into your curriculum to help students learn to think creatively and work collaboratively? Here are three things to know about Scratch - and the opportunities it opens up for learners with diverse interests and backgrounds."

"On June 5th at WWDC, Apple unveiled the new content that is now part of the Swift Playgrounds app. Thanks to our new partnership, you can now program real world robots including Sphero's very own SPRK+."

"Four experienced "makers" and K-12 educators dish their top tools and advice to build a meaningful classroom makerspace from the ground up.
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