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"Here's a sketchy video I created for my technology pedagogy course. I have mixed feelings about SAMR, because it often implies that "lower levels" are not as good when often substitution works well. Royan Lee picked this apart well. I also think there are times when the best option involves avoiding technology. For example, there are times when sketching something by hand teaches observational skills better than using a camera. However, I still see a real benefit in the SAMR model, in terms of thinking about the transformative power of technology."

"So, you want to increase motivation for reading and writing, improve confidence levels and/or encourage ICT literacy? Well, regardless of the rationale, blogging is a very powerful learning tool that can assist teachers with these goals. Still not convinced that blogging is a meaningful activity? Then check out the nifty sketch note shown below, one that illustrates ten additional reasons you should get your blog on with your students."

"Around the world, there is a new movement to use the new tools and technology of the Maker Movement to give children authentic learning experiences beyond textbooks and tests. The Stanford FabLearn Fellows are a group of 18 educators who are working at the forefront of this new movement in all corners of the globe. They teach in FabLabs, makerspaces, classrooms, libraries, community centers, and museums - all with the goal of making learning more meaningful in the modern world. In this book, the FabLearn Fellows share projects, assessment strategies, lesson planning guides, and ideas from their learning spaces. In over 200 pages illustrated with color photos of real student work, the Fellows take you on a tour of the future of learning, where children make sense of the world by making things that matter to them and their communities. To read this book is to rediscover learning as it could be and should be - a joyous, mindful exploration of the world, where the ultimate discovery is the potential of every child."

"What is it? This rubric describes beginning, developing, and Gold Standard levels for Project Based Teaching Practices for K-12 teachers. Why do we like it? This rubric features detailed, concrete indicators that illustrate what it means to teach in a PBL environment. How can you use it? Teachers and school leaders can use this rubric to reflect on their practice and plan for professional growth."

"It's often easy to get stuck into a narrow view of what a particular field of study entails, but as Dominic Walliman reveals in his impressive science infographics, there's much more than meets the eye when thinking of particular STEM subjects. Walliman demonstrates the diversity and complexity of biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, and mathematics in visual maps that explore the breadth of each field. Walliman, who also created animated videos exploring his science infographics, manages to pack all the shades of each complex field on one page. For instance, the Map of Mathematics travels from the origins and foundations of the field to the differences between pure mathematics and applied mathematics. Likewise, chemistry is divided between rules and different sub-topics like biochemistry and inorganic chemistry, with fun illustrations to clearly show what falls underneath each area. Whether you are a scientist who feels like people never quite get what you do or a student who can't put their finger on how they might use their math or science degree, Walliman's infographics will come in handy. Consider them roadmaps to possible careers or cheat sheets to figuring out how quantum physics is related to the theory of relativity. Best of all, by studying the visual maps, it becomes easy to see how all these scientific fields overlap and fit together like a puzzle."

"Storytelling has been around as long as humankind. It is one of the most effective ways to communicate an important truth to another person. It is a connection point between two people. It gives meaning, context, and understanding in a world that is often filled with chaos and disorder. Because of this, educators must use stories if they hope to reach their students. Stories will stay with people much longer than facts or statistics. If a teacher becomes an excellent storyteller, he or she can ensure that any concept they teach will be remembered for years to come. Stories don't just work well for narratives; they can be used to illustrate scientific or mathematical processes as well. Take for example the difference between learning a formula, and the ability to solve that problem in the context of a real-life example. Stories bring information, knowledge, and truth to life."

"The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's award-winning children's literacy website, Storyline Online, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children's books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more."

"The Hour of Code is coming up at the beginning of December. While there are a number of online activities you can do with your children, there ways you can celebrate offline. This Grouchy Ladybug drawing page features an algorithm for your children to follow. By the time they have drawn what each block asks them to, they will have an illustration based on the book. This Hour of Code activity also gives your children a chance to work telling time. Your children will need to draw the minute and hour hand so they point to the correct places on the clock. While it may not take your children an hour, it is a fun way to celebrate the Hour of Code and explore a book that features clocks."

"This school year we added a new feature to our daily lineup of student activities. Called "Picture Prompts," these short, accessible, image-driven posts feature photographs and illustrations from The Times, and invite a variety of written or spoken responses - from creative storytelling to personal narrative to constructing an argument or analyzing what a work of "op-art" might be saying. Teachers tell us they use these prompts to inspire student writing - whether in their journals, as a timed opportunity or to practice inferring meaning "without worrying about getting the right or wrong answer." They also use them with a variety of learners, from high school to middle or elementary school students to English Language Learners of all ages. As one teacher put it, she uses them "for helping teenagers to start talking to each other." Below, we've categorized the 160+ prompts we published during the 2016-17 school year based on the type of writing they primarily encourage students to do. All are still open for comment. Plus, we have a lesson plan on how to teach with Picture Prompts, along with other Times images, in case you're looking for more inspiration."

"When you're a designer you never stop learning. No matter if you're a UX designer, a graphic designer, or you specialize in illustrations or hand lettering, there's always something new to learn. That's one of the best parts of being in this field. And if you're struggling, it's helpful to know that there is a huge community of designers out there who are going through the same issues as you are. And who are eager to share their stories and impart their wisdom. Listening to them can help you become a better designer. With that in mind, we have compiled a list of the best design podcasts that should help spark your creativity and get you out of any slumps you may be in."

"Your voice launches the immersive audio adventure that is one part Oregon Trail, one part Back to the Future, one part Choose Your Own Adventure, and one part classic radio theater. Guardians of History players become Time Travel Agents to explore historical civilizations and learn about the characters and institutions that influenced them. The free, choice-driven adventure is designed for all ages-both students and enthusiasts. A version is designed for players under 13. Time travel begins when you enable tell your smart speaker-Amazon Echo or Google Home, either "Alexa, open Guardians of History," or "OK Google, open Guardians of History." And, if you are using a screen-enabled device like Echo Show, Echo Spot or Google Home Hub, you will be able to see supporting illustrations to enrich the story."

"Bright Side has prepared illustrations for you that won't test your math skills or ability to think outside the box. Instead, they'll challenge your observation skills. Each of the following pictures has one inaccuracy in them. How quickly can you spot it?"

"What are the kind of things a 21st century teacher needs to know and be able to do? What about 21st century students? What education technology works, and what is a waste of time? What would a checklist for 21st century teaching look like? Does "21st century teaching" even make sense to use as a phrase anymore? If not, do we just say "teaching"? Does that fit our needs to innovate our collective profession to meet a modern circumstance? These are among the questions today's teachers have to face daily-in the classroom, mass media, professional development, and more. These conversations can get complex, opinionated, stuffed with rhetoric, and downright overwhelming at times. In response, Sylvia Duckworth has made consistent contributions to this conversation by creating colorful illustrations that communicate many of these ideas in easy-to-skim, easy-on-the-eyes, tempting to pin and share graphics."

"Released in 2013, the NGSS was created to align science education with how scientists actually work and think. It encourages students to learn science content and concepts deeply by using critical thinking and primary investigation skills. Adopted by 18 states (with as many as 40 interested and in the process), the standards define science education through core concepts (such as wave properties), practices (like analyzing and interpreting data ) and crosscutting concepts (like cause-and-effect). Some of the NGSS guidelines directly overlap with the practices listed in the K-12 Computer Science framework and the new CSTA Computer Science standards. Here's a doodle that illustrates how the two subjects overlap. "

"Making animated videos is a great way for students to bring their written stories to life on screen. Those could be fiction or nonfiction stories. Some nonfiction animated video topics include making a video to illustrate a historical event, making biographies, and explaining complex concepts in simple animations like Common Craft does. In the fiction realm you might have students make an adaptation of a favorite story or an animation of their own creative writing. Whichever direction you choose, the following five tools offer good ways for students of all ages to make their own animated videos."

"Regardless of whether you think every infant needs an iPad, I think we can all agree that technology has changed education for the better. Today's learners now enjoy easier, more efficient access to information; opportunities for extended and mobile learning; the ability to give and receive immediate feedback; and greater motivation to learn and engage. We now have programs and platforms that can transform learners into globally active citizens, opening up countless avenues for communication and impact. Thousands of educational apps have been designed to enhance interest and participation. Course management systems and learning analytics have streamlined the education process and allowed for quality online delivery. But if we had to pick the top ten, most influential ways technology has transformed education, what would the list look like? The following things have been identified by educational researchers and teachers alike as the most powerful uses of technology for learning. Take a look. 1. Critical Thinking In Meaningful Learning With Technology, David H. Jonassen and his co-authors argue that students do not learn from teachers or from technologies. Rather, students learn from thinking-thinking about what they are doing or what they did, thinking about what they believe, thinking about what others have done and believe, thinking about the thinking processes they use-just thinking and reasoning. Thinking mediates learning. Learning results from thinking. So what kinds of thinking are fostered when learning with technologies? Analogical If you distill cognitive psychology into a single principle, it would be to use analogies to convey and understand new ideas. That is, understanding a new idea is best accomplished by comparing and contrasting it to an idea that is already understood. In an analogy, the properties or attributes of one idea (the analogue) are mapped or transferred to another (the source or target). Single analogies are also known as sy

"Photos and illustrations from The New York Times to inspire your spooky stories, poems and memoirs."