Group items tagged

"For nearly 30 years, personal computers as we have known them have been the drivers of the technology engine. From Intel to Microsoft to Dell to HP to Micron Technology - many fortunes were made on the back of the PC. But the rise of mobile computing is upending the technology business and is simultaneously redefining what is a personal computer and how we use it. On Thursday Hewlett-Packard, one of the oldest companies in Silicon Valley with deep connections to the PC ecosystem (they paid $25 billion for Compaq in 2002) and the world's largest seller of PCs, confirmed it is looking to sell off its personal computing business. "

From the Shore to the Deep Blue Sea Explore ten shark species found in the waters off of southern California and northern Baja California.

"Technology offers a myriad of ways to learn, practice, and understand math. Math manipulatives, videos, games, interactive simulations, physical activities - all can help reinforce a deep conceptual understanding."

"Gas-powered Roman chariots, singing greeting cards, play dough circuit boards, and homemade voltage detectors are just a few of the science projects you might see when you apply a maker approach to STEM education. The maker movement celebrates creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship through the design and construction of physical objects. Maker activities may come across as playful, even slightly wacky, explosions of inventiveness. But in education contexts like schools, museums, libraries, and after-school programs, research shows that if the invitation to creativity is accompanied by intentional structure and guidance, maker activities can be channeled to support deep student learning (Blikstein, 2013; Vossoughi, Escudé, Kong, & Hooper, 2013)."

"As someone who has to wear two hats all the time: those of English teacher and Director of Digital Learning, I'm constantly challenging myself to make sure that what I recommend to other members of staff actually rings true and never is that more the case than in trying to ensure that there is genuine rigour in the work I'm doing with iPads.  Nothing is more important to me than ensuring that the use of the iPad creates a deep learning experience.  So here is a workflow that I think really works and hits the R of the SAMR model whilst also sticking with some of the tried and rested things we know work as teachers."

"Wow, what can we say! This past summer we decided to start a learning space design challenge on ClassroomCribs.com to highlight all of the amazing "cribs" that you have designed for students. Instead of just "aesthetics" we focused this challenge on brain-friendly learning spaces that promoted deep learning and engagement through design. And we were blown away by the response! Over 4,000 educators have joined our Classroom Cribs learning community and many of you sent in videos of your learning space as part of the challenge."

"Pushing students to go beyond what they think they can do is at the core of good teaching. This Teaching Channel video follows students and educators at Springfield Renaissance School, part of the Expeditionary Learning network. Students at the school understand that struggling with a particular task is part of learning. Teachers have high expectations of students, expect a positive classroom culture and are willing to gently prod students to dig deeper and reveal more. Teachers embed Common Core standards like the ability to use textual evidence to back up arguments, into the culture of class. They also understand that the love of learning takes ownership and self-awareness."

"I have always believed that teachers (and people in general) MUST have an open midset; one that tolerates and celebrates mistakes and errors; one that looks at failure as an opportunity for a better beginning. It is through falling down that we stand up robust and it is through misfortunes that we gather our strength to live the life we want and pursue our dreams. If we want to raise up socially and  emotionally strong students who can face up and overcome  the hardships of life, an important key in this is to teach (and model) them about failure. We need to show them that failure is a healthy sign and a good omen for a healthy life experience. They need to view failure as an attempt for deep reflection and meditation about what work or did not work. They also need to be reminded that failure has been a common denominator behind most of the historical achievements and invention in the history of humankind."

"Our PYP evaluation went really well and it was gratifying to hear the evaluators' positive observations of our school. They talked about our dynamic learning spaces, the energy of our teachers and learners and the respect that is evident between staff and students. They were impressed by how articulate our students are and the openness of our teachers. It was clear to them that the entire school community has a deep understanding of the PYP philosophy and that we have a strong culture of learning. Almost all their recommendations are things on which we are either working already or have identified for action through the self study. There's only one thing I found jarring in their feedback and it relates to my beliefs about inquiry learning. They noted that neither students nor teachers seem able to identify what particular inquiry cycles we follow. They said the children to whom they spoke didn't seem to be aware of the specific 'stages' of inquiry and that most teachers couldn't articulate how an inquiry cycle directs our planning. To be honest, I'm glad."

"Technology has not always been my strong point. In fact, for six years I was so terrified of it that when given a SMART board for my classroom I politely turned it away. Technology cannot be forced upon teachers. They have to have their A-HA moment. Mine was spring of 2013. I begrudgingly checked my Twitter account one night (did not like Twitter) and ran across a teacher named Erin Klein. She was doing something called Augmented Reality with her 2nd graders, and I was amazed. I started looking at all of the other engaging activities that teachers were doing with students via technology, and I knew that I needed to get my tail in gear. My students deserved the same type of education. The type of education that fosters life long learners. The type of education that provokes children to question and really use those deep critical thinking skills. So late that night I taught myself how to make images come to life in my classroom using Aurasma. Aurasma is an app that creates Augmented Reality. It absolutely changed my classroom. Flipped it upside down."

"The longer I blog, the more I realize something. It's really not about trying to say something. In fact it's not about trying at all. It's not even about crafting a powerful message. It's just about sharing. Whatever is in your mind, on your heart, and running through the veins of your soul. That which drives you to keep going. Because when you reach thatpoint, that is who you are. When we share that with each other? That's when messages grow into ideas. Thoughts become actions. Connections are authentic. Passions run deep. It's as real as reality can get."

"I hate the phrase "student voice." I'll tell you why. People are starting to throw this phrase around a lot in discussions about education reform. "We need to give students a voice." "More student voice!" "A place for students at the education reform table!" But I think it's a mask. When people talk about giving students a voice, what they're really doing - whether they realize or not (and to their credit, I suspect they don't) -  is finding a band-aid solution to a big problem that really needs surgery. "Student voice" is cushy and comfortable because it doesn't actually require serious, deep-rooted change. We do need to give students something, but it's not a voice. I know, because I'm a student."

"As an advocate for leveraging technology in the classroom where appropriate, I am also an advocate for ensuring students know that turning the screen off is a healthy necessity. This video really goes deep to ensure children, teenagers, and adults are aware of the negative effects of "too much" screen time."

"'ve been reading a powerful new resource titled Beyond Pizzas & Pies, by Julie McNamara and Meghan M. Shaughnessy.  They describe fraction sense this way: Fraction sense implies a deep and flexible understanding of fractions that is not dependent on any one context or type of problem.  Fraction sense is tied to common sense: Students with fraction sense can reason about fractions and don't apply rules and procedures blindly; nor do they give nonsensical answers to problems involving fractions."

"News that Microsoft is buying MinecraftEdu and beefing up the classroom version of the insanely popular game got us thinking about all the great ways educators use Minecraft to teach everything from math and social studies to team building and cell biology. "As an educational tool, Minecraft is a wonderful platform for learning," says Pam Simon who runs an after-school program called Fidgets2Widgets that has incorporated Minecraft since 2013. "You have to have mathematical understanding to build sound structures. Architecture and design features allow for innovation. Redstone in the game acts as the electrical circuitry system, so you can run minecarts, light torches, and create pressure plates." Read these six articles to get ideas for using Minecraft to engage students in deep leaning in your classroom, school or program."

"Project-based learning is not some new-fangled teaching method just coming into vogue. In fact, use of the PBL approach can be tracked back to the big thinkers, including Confucius, Aristotle and Socrates. Its longevity is due to one of the key outcomes it provides: keeping students happily engaged in rigorous learning. Of course, the ancient philosophers didn't foresee PBL's connection to ed tech, but they did seem to comprehend the benefits students derive from the approach, including a deep understanding of content, the ability to transfer knowledge to new contexts, improved ability to collaborate and better content retention, to name a few. "

"Unfortunately, the way computer science is currently taught in high school tends to throw students into the programming deep end, reinforcing the notion that code is just for coders, not artists or doctors or librarians. But there is good news: Researchers have been experimenting with new ways of teaching computer science, with intriguing results. For one thing, they've seen that leading with computational thinking instead of code itself, and helping students imagine how being computer savvy could help them in any career, boosts the number of girls and kids of color taking-and sticking with-computer science. Upending our notions of what it means to interface with computers could help democratize the biggest engine of wealth since the Industrial Revolution."