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"If you're going to communicate effectively with young people, it helps to do it in a language and format they understand. Like Minecraft, for instance. One hundred million people already play the Swedish-born game, and even those who haven't played can soon appreciate its build-it-with-blocks vernacular. UN-Habitat, the UN's agency for sustainable urban development, has a program to improve public space in developing world cities. It helps build new parks, squares, sports fields, and sidewalks, and promotes the value of public space to local people. Recently, it's used Minecraft to engage young people."

"One way to promote engagement and learning is to consciously create pauses throughout the day. We can create a sense of spaciousness in our classroom by slowing down the pace of our speech and punctuating our lessons with silence. Introduced well, this practice can improve classroom discourse."

"t started my first year of teaching, and although things have improved dramatically over the last two decades, I've never completely overcome Sunday night stress. I deal with it far more often than I'd like to, and I know that many of my teacher friends do too. One of them just happens to be my neighbor, and when I tiptoe downstairs in the wee hours of a Monday morning to read myself back to sleep, I often notice the glow of lights in his living room too. It's good to know I'm not alone, but I'd rather be sleeping. If you're reading this post, I'm thinking you would be too. Perhaps these ideas will help you."

"At the NACTE 2011 conference, I was selected to present on using the iPad and Google Apps in the classroom. The presentation can be viewed here. Since the presentation is mostly graphics and minimal text, I thought that I would use this space to explain my presentation. I use Google Apps and the iPad to solve/improve three issues that I see frequently in classrooms. These three are communication, feedback, and excessive paperwork."

"Your time is limited, and perhaps so are some of your skills. As a teacher, it's important that you improve your abilities regularly, whether you're learning how to better manage your workload or discovering how to use technology in your classroom. It may seem impossible to find a time for this professional development, which is a stress in-and-of itself. However, you don't need much extra time to develop your skills-just one hour a week. Here's how."

"Since its release awhile ago, Google Classroom has been such a hit in the EdTech world with millions of teachers already incorporating it in their daily instruction.With this widespread use of Google Classroom, Google rolled out a host of important updates to improve the functionality of Classroom and to respond to the emerging needs of educators."

"As details about iOS 9 were released by Apple, I realised I was thankful that everything looked the same and then intrigued by the new features. 'Slide Over', 'Picture in Picture' and 'Split View' are very welcome additions. I'd also note how the changes to the keyboard will improve the experience for heavier users of iPad and iPhone. Significant features for schools to consider include (Source) :"

"In some instances I think it's hard for some library staff to articulate the gains that teens make as a result of the making programs we provide. And, as a result it ends up that we talk about the actual printing activity and the printer and not the skills learned and/or improved on. It certainly can be difficult to speak to the learning instead of the "coolness" of the making. But it can be done. For example, think about:"

"The big push for education technology is coming from a handful of sources. There's the teachers, the administrators, the students, and the technology producers. Technology is not the final solution to improving education, though. Far from it. Education technology is a powerful tool in a teacher's toolkit to create effective learning opportunities. It's just a tool - not the entire toolkit. This seems to be the general consensus now that edtech is becoming more ubiquitous and attainable for many schools in developed countries. Sadly, it's still far out of reach for many developing countries."

"There is a certain magic found in rolling up your sleeves and tackling a project head on, an undeniable sense of empowerment that results from solving problems and manifesting big ideas. In essence, that's the soul of the maker movement - creative individuals from all walks of life united by an insatiable desire to improve the world around them. Although synonymous with 3D Printing, it extends far beyond a single technology or buzzword. Truth be told, the maker movement represents the instinctual drive of our species to ascend ever upwards: to innovate, design, and construct a better tomorrow. "

"The next time your students are about to embark on a video project for your class, share a few of these simple tips with them and you'll all be happy with the improved results. Having raw videos and pictures in the right orientation and zoom level will make editing the final project a lot easier for everyone."

"Greater understanding of our brain's functioning, abilities, and limitations allows us to constantly improve our teaching skills and the productivity of our study sessions and working hours (and after-work hours). We've already given you tips on how to keep your brain in shape or how to boost your brain's abilities through exercise. With a different approach to the brain for you, this article originally published by OnlinePHDPrograms.com shares the 10 most significant breakthroughs that recent research has unveiled on the science of learning, giving you valuable insights on how to make the best use of your brain without wasting energy."

"At Albemarle County Public Schools, flexible classrooms empower student choice, increase student engagement, and improve student participation."

"Imagine spending every day in a physical space designed for people much bigger than you. To wash your hands or get a drink of water, you'd have to drag a chair over to the sink or ask a friend for a boost. Your feet would dangle in mid-air when you sat down and you'd have to crane your neck and stand on tiptoe to read the bulletin board. After the novelty wore off, it's likely that you'd end up feeling uncomfortable, insignificant, and out of place. Unfortunately, this is how many children feel every day in their classrooms. Whether it's because the chairs are too big or too small, the aisles too narrow, the tables too low, or the displays too high, the message is clear: "This room was not made for you." The sad fact is that most classroom spaces are far from ideal. Perhaps they were originally designed and built with little or no consultation with the teachers who would be working in them. Or maybe they were designed for another purpose, or with tight budgetary restrictions. And while teachers probably won't be able to transform an inadequate classroom space into an ideal one, they can make dramatic improvements. So, where to begin? The most obvious place is by thinking about the students. Before moving a single piece of furniture or clearing a wall for a display, learn as much as you can about the particular needs of the children you'll be teaching by talking with families and former teachers. Below are some general guidelines to help you create a physical environment that makes children feel comfortable and significant and that best serves their needs."

""Have you seen this video?" The Twitter message from my good friend and fellow thought-instigator Daniel Scibienski pointed me toward If You Build It, a recent PBS documentary about designer/educator/activists Emily Pilloton and Matthew Miller persuading an underfunded school board to create a new kind of design-based program for the students at Windsor High School in Bertie County, North Carolina. What I saw affected me profoundly: students, confused and reluctant at first, gradually developing skills and abilities with tools they'd never used before, designing and building increasingly complex things; failing, trying again, improving, collaborating, and ultimately succeeding and celebrating. I, too, have a vision for a new kind of classroom. I, too, am building something radical, exciting, and even revolutionary. I want to tap the power of design thinking to transform learning in my classroom. We're bringing shop class back to my middle school -- but this time, it's digital."

"An idea that is beginning to gain a lot of favour in educational circles at the moment is the notion of fixed versus growth mindsets, and how they might relate to students and learning. Based on the work of Stanford University psychologist, Carol Dweck, the idea of mindset is related to our understanding of where ability comes from. It has recently been seized upon by educators as a tool to explore our knowledge of student achievement, and ways that such achievement might be improved."

"Schoology is a free web-based learning management system (LMS) built on a social network. "

Learning Management + Social Networking Schoology is a free web-based learning management system (LMS) built on a social network. Schoology leverages the familiarity of popular social media tools to improve communication and collaboration.

Students are introduced to Wikipedia, the user-edited online encyclopedia, and given an overview of its strengths and weaknesses as a research source. They are taught how to evaluate the reliability of a Wikipedia article and then attempt to improve an existing article.