Group items tagged

"After intense reflection, I have decided it is time to change the outlook of staff meetings. I want them to be positive, collaborative learning communities, where ideas are shared and staff walks away energized. I want my staff to look forward to coming together, not dreading the topic or the format. So, the staff meeting focus is now one of instruction, professional learning and sharing, and conversation, centered around topics to help move our school to the next level. As a lead learner in my building, it is important for me to facilitate the meeting, offering opportunities for discussion and idea-sharing."

"Creativity is at the heart of a makerspace. The possibilities are endless and the supplies in a makerspace can spark ideas. One of my favorite creativity-fueling components of our makerspace is a Makey Makey, or as they're known as - an invention kit for everyone. The Makey Makey comes in a simple box with very little instructions. For non-techies, the wires and alligator clips could scare people from exploring. So, let's break this down, because there is no reason to fear the unknown. Picture The Makey Makey comes with a circuit board (your home base), a USB connector to connect to your computer, and alligator clips and wires (these help you connect and create). All of these components allow you to connect back to your computer to control what's happening on screen through the USB cord. You can connect the wires in any combination you'd like to work with different programs on your computer. "

"Technology isn't automatically valuable for teachers. Tech tools, ranging from student community platforms to online reading logs, become integral to classroom instruction when you create a culture around effective and educational use of technology with your students. This requires you and your students to consistently evaluate and adapt while being purposeful with the tools you choose and the lessons you pair them with. Here are three different ways to ensure that you're cultivating an effective EdTech culture in your classroom-one that promotes both education and fun learning opportunities for your students."

"1. In terms of pedagogy, the primary purpose of an assessment is to provide data to revise planned instruction. It should provide an obvious answer to the question, "What next?" What now?""

"Whether teacher, trainer, or instructional designer these are 5 TED talks you need to watch. They all provide insight into the way we learn and what's wrong with how we currently 'deliver' learning. They all think big when envisaging how we might design and create engaging and meaningful learning experiences. My key takeaways: Creativity should have the same status as literacy. Solving problems sparks curiosity and creativity. Conversely giving the learner too much information can kill that buzz. We need creative problem solvers for our future. Learning happens best when it is social, collaborative, has meaning and is on the learners terms."

"A screencast, also known as video screen capture, is a great way for teachers to create and share instructional videos and explanatory step by step tutorials with students. regardless of the purposes for which you are creating a screencast, the quality of your video screen captures can sometimes impede the communicative intent of your message. Therefore, knowing what tools to use to create educational screencasts is as important as the content of the screencasts themselves. To this end, we have curated for you this collection of some of the best screen casting tools out there. We have divided them into four major categories: Mac apps, web tools, Chromebook apps, iPad apps, and Android apps."

``These step-by-step how-to videos walk teachers through Web 2.0 technology, demonstrating how to use Web 2.0 applications like blogs, social networks, podcasts, interactive videos, wikis, slidesharing ...``

Video site dedicated to short instructional tutorials for the technology classroom.  

The apptivities website at  http://www.apptivities.org/ ... a specific learning activity using apps on mobile devices.  A key part of our vision for apptivities is to provide media resources that give a "view" into best practices in the classroom. apptivities: Models for successful instructional practices with mobile devices It's the application of apps for learning.

This rubric may be used for assessing use of Twitter for instructional assignments. "

The K-12 Virtual Library was designed to be a learning tool for teachers and students. It can save precious instructional time by allowing you to visit hundreds of educational sites from a single location. Use this tool to promote literacy skills for the next generation... with online books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, and safe searches to provide students & teachers with rich content to construct new models of learning