Group items tagged

"DIY Lake Science is a free app (for iPhones and iPads) that allows families and educators to investigate lakes and other freshwater ecosystems at home, at school, or anywhere you go! Conduct twelve hands-on activities-indoors and outdoors-using everyday items, view fascinating videos, and explore how lakes change in the Under the Lake simulation. Each activity includes material lists, step-by-step instructions, and detailed explanations. The free app is available for iOS 7 and above."

"The UK is on a mission to create a nation of coders. A new GCSE for programming is set to launch and everyone from business leaders to celebrities are getting behind the campaign to boost the country's tech talent. The current trend follows the influential Next Gen report, which warned that the UK was losing out to overseas developers through the lack of technology specialists at home. The move from infrastructure to the cloud and the boom in smartphones and tablets have further increased demand. To meet the challenge, the government is spearheading a push to get more kids coding and to increase vocational skills. Education secretary, Nicky Morgan, recently told teenagers to stay away from the arts and to opt for science and maths if they want access to the widest range of jobs. Every child should learn to program, but not necessarily how to code Read more As an employer of more than 85 staff at a fast-growing UK tech company, I consider Morgan's approach as potentially short-sighted. For Potato, while coding expertise has been essential, employing staff from a variety of backgrounds has also been key to our success."

"Professional and personal development are important to many people. Professional development allows you to stay current in your field, make connections with likeminded professionals, and satisfy any continuing learning requirements your job may have. Personal development allows you to grow as a person, learn new skills, and try new things. In order to grow, professionally or personally, in the past, you had to sign up for college courses, pay a lot of money, and rush to class after work or on weekends. But that set-up as changed. Online courses, many of which are totally free, have revolutionized the way in which many people access professional and personal development. Thanks to the advent of massive open online courses (MOOCs), people can attend free courses offered by Stanford, Harvard, and MIT in the luxury of their own home, taking the courses at their own pace at a time that is convenient."

Ever looked at your favorite painting and wished you could wander inside, to look at it from different perspectives? Spend a single day in one of mine, from early sunrise on a new day, to dusk when lights come on in cosy homes; through a peaceful night, till morning.

"We've written earlier this year how the iPad is replacing the cash register at smaller shops. Now retail giants such as Lowe's and Home Depot are dumping the traditional till for the tablet. "

The recent holiday break has reminded me of a number of things - how organised I am at work and with all things digital, yet my working space at home,

"The Franklin Academy High School implemented a 1:1 iPad deployment a the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. Over the course of the next two school years, the pilot was expanded to include all grades 9-12 in the high school. This deployment has reached 475 high school students and all teaching staff. Our K-8 program deployed iPads across the grade levels in the form of class sets and mobile carts. This study targeted our 1:1 deployment at the high school to investigate the impact the device has had on teaching and learning. The survey used to gather the student data was administered in April of 2014. Students included in the survey used the device anywhere from 1 to 4 years. The students use the iPad while at school and home. Results of the survey hope to shed light on the impact the use of the iPad has had on academic gains as well as the development of the most important non-cognitive skills our program is founded upon."

"It's no secret that state and national assessments continue to indicate that boys lag behind girls in the area of reading. The gap tends to grow larger as students enter adolescence. It's also no secret that many teenage boys dislike reading - in class or at home. Just ask a high school teacher…or a teenage boy. While it's not true that all teenage boys dislike reading, there is a growing trend of many becoming unmotivated readers. Obviously, students who are resistant to reading are unlikely to get better at it. Here are four ideas for motivating adolescent male readers."

"Digital Student Portfolios are becoming more important now than ever! Students are creating and remixing information like never before - and where is all that amazing work going? At my old school it was wiped off the devices at the end of the year - a heart-wrenching idea that I was personally against. This is why we need to publish student work in one place and let it serve as a home of student reflection, and a become a destination to unleash student pride and curiosity. There are many reasons to begin the journey to digital portfolios - here are just a few."

"t didn't take long for Michael Godsey, an English teacher at Morro Bay High School in California, to realize that his decision to use a public radio podcast in the classroom was a wise one. It wasn't any old podcast he was introducing to his classes. It was "Serial," the murder-mystery phenomenon produced by reporter Sarah Koenig of "This American Life," which already was transfixing a wide swath of the adult population. "Even if they weren't into it, I told them it was the most popular podcast of all time, and that was interesting," Godsey says. He needn't have worried. The podcast seized his five classrooms of 10th- and 11th-graders. "I had kids cutting other classes so they could come listen to it again," he says. "Kids who were sick, who never did their homework, were listening at home." Godsey is one of a growing number of educators who are using podcasts like "Serial" to motivate their classrooms and address education requirements set by the Common Core state standards. Improving students' listening skills is one of the essential components of the new education mandates, and using audio in the classroom can be an effective way to promote listening."

" Despite all your planning, hard work, grading at home, housekeeping in the classroom and (physical and virtual) paperwork world, and killer teaching skills, learning isn't going to happen if your students aren't really paying attention. They have to listen and participate in order to learn - at least a little bit. So what do you do with students who just aren't paying attention? Each student and each situation may require a little bit of a different approach - you wouldn't address kindergarteners the same way you'd address and deal with high schoolers."

"A few weeks ago I shared some strategies to prepare for the Hour of Code with those who wanted to get ahead of the game and introduce kids at your local school to the power of programming. Well, the week we've been waiting for is finally here! Code.org's annual initiative Hour of Code is a worldwide event in which newbies can get their first taste of programming by spending an hour doing one of numerous coding activities. So whether you've prepared for a blow-out series of school-wide introductions or you just want to join in the Hour of Code spirit with some playful coding at home, read on to find the perfect activity."

"Each year at the Build Math Minds Virtual Summit, I bring in the nation's top math education experts to discuss issues concerning the teaching of elementary mathematics.  These sessions always give practical tips and thought provoking conversations that will help make decisions about how your students will interact with mathematics this coming year.  But, the BEST part is that it's all online! You don't have to leave the comfort of your home (or your pool) this summer to get some amazing math PD. Plus, did I mention it's FREE?!?!  You will be able to watch all the sessions as many times as you want through August 6, 2018. After that, the sessions all go inside my Build Math Minds PD Community for members to have access to at anytime."

"Joe's teacher, Ms. Watkins, is feeling frustrated. For the fourth time today, the second grader has flatly refused to do as she asks … and it's not even lunchtime yet. The last request, that Joe put away the book he is reading and take out his math assignment, escalated until the he was on the floor screaming and kicking. Ms. Watkins has had meeting after meeting with Joe's parents, but all they can say is that Joe argues like this at home, too. Things seem to be at an impasse until the school counselor suggests Joe might be one of many students with ODD-oppositional defiant disorder."

"In today's world, literacy goes beyond just the basic ability to comprehend text. Today's students will also need to master a new skill-digital literacy. Cornell University defines digital literacy as "the ability to find, evaluate, utilize, share, and create content using information technologies and the Internet." Digital literacy, by this definition, encompasses a wide range of skills, all of which are necessary to succeed in an increasingly digital world. As print mediums begin to die out, the ability to comprehend information found online becomes more and more important. Students who lack digital literacy skills may soon find themselves at just as much of a disadvantage as those who cannot read or write. Because digital literacy is so important, educators are increasingly required to teach students digital literacy in the classroom. In many ways, this is similar to what educators have always done in teaching students to read and write. In other ways, however, digital literacy is a brand new skill. Most students already use digital technology, such as tablets, smartphones, and computers, at home. Many students already know how to navigate the web, share images on social media, and do a Google search to find information. However, true digital literacy goes beyond these basic skills."

"As a parent and educator, I know it is super important that my kids learn how to make smart financial decisions now, before they go off into the real world.  But I know that raising money confident kids isn't always easy. It involves planning. It involves understanding ourselves how to be money confident-and that can be scary, even as adults. So when I was asked by the good people at T. Rowe Price to take a look at the Money Confident Kids® resources they have for school and home, you bet I was ready. The more I learn, the more I can help my children become financially fit. I really love the range and creativity of these resources, and you will, too."

"Billy's history with littleBits started in 2015 when he heard about littleBits at an ISTE conference and won a free kit later that Summer at an education conference. That fall, Billy applied for a Donor's Choose grant and was able to start his small collection of littleBits which he used with his Gifted and Talented students. Billy slowly built his collection the following year with a donation from the Home and School Association. Students loved exploring and learning with the kits. Billy and I were thrilled to as being selected as one of 20 participants in the littleBits Lead Educator program that took place back in May and June of this past school year. As a result, we were one of the very first educators in the world to get the new littleBits Code Kit and had the opportunity to test the kit with their students and create resources and activities to use in the classroom."

"Face it. Like all organizations, schools get locked into routine, impeding change. But all schools need to innovate to prepare kids for a dynamic and uncertain future. The question is, "How?" The Innovation Playlist can help your school make positive, informed change. It represents a teacher-led model, based on small steps leading to big change, that draws on best practices from outstanding educators and non-profits from across the country. The Innovation Playlist consists of albums (the big goals on the left) and tracks (the small steps on the right that help you reach each big goal). Each track can be done quickly - fifteen minutes to a day or two - with minimal downside and lots of upside. The playlist process can be led by a school's principal, by faculty at the school, grade or department level, or even by a family at home. The "Mobilize Your Community" album is the ideal place to start, letting you generate enthusiasm for innovation. Then, focus on a few tracks in coming months. Start with one (e.g., Curiosity Time), find a few eager volunteers to try it (many will!), and have them share their experience with the entire faculty. Over time, encourage the early adopters to go deeper, and others to give it a try. Innovation is contagious. This "small steps leading to big change" model means you don't risk the painfully-visible failure that inevitably comes from a sweeping top-down dictum. Each teacher can innovate as much, or as little, as fits their strengths and styles. Give permission to those itching to innovate, and let them run with it. And if a teacher isn't up for this kind of innovation, that's ok, too… It can be a good thing for students to experience a range of pedagogies."

"Dear Parent: I know. You're worried. Every day, your child comes home with a story about THAT kid. The one who is always hitting shoving pinching scratching maybe even biting other children. The one who always has to hold my hand in the hallway. The one who has a special spot at the carpet, and sometimes sits on a chair rather than the floor. The one who had to leave the block centre because blocks are not for throwing. The one who climbed over the playground fence right exactly as I was telling her to stop. The one who poured his neighbour's milk onto the floor in a fit of anger. On purpose. While I was watching.  And then, when I asked him to clean it up, emptied the ENTIRE paper towel dispenser. On purpose. While I was watching. The one who dropped the REAL ACTUAL F-word in gym class. You're worried that THAT child is detracting from your child's learning experience. You're worried that he takes up too much of my time and energy, and that your child won't get his fair share. You're worried that she is really going to hurt someone some day. You're worried that "someone" might be your child. You're worried that your child is going to start using aggression to get what she wants. You're worried your child is going to fall behind academically because I might not notice that he is struggling to hold a pencil. I know. Your child, this year, in this classroom, at this age, is not THAT child. Your child is not perfect, but she generally follows rules. He is able to share toys peaceably. She does not throw furniture. He raises his hand to speak. She works when it is time to work, and  plays when it is time to play. He can be trusted to go straight to the bathroom and straight back again with no shenanigans. She thinks that the S-word is "stupid" and the C-word is "crap." I know."

"This week (December 4-10), tens of millions of students across the globe will participate in the 2017 Hour of Code Challenge. This global movement, which is now in its fifth year, is an opportunity to introduce students to the ever-growing world of computer science. Whether at school or at home, anyone can participate. No experience is needed! Check out these 7 activities to get your students started:"