Group items tagged

"On Thursday, Canada's Chronicle Herald in Halifax, Nova Scotia, published a political cartoon that's being widely praised as "powerful" across the United States and Canada."

"Let's take a look at this vague idea of the 'classroom of the future.' This is all subjective, but it's worth talking about. So let's talk. Below are some ideas that are truly transformational-not that they haven't been said before. It's not this article that's transformational, but the ideas themselves. These ideas aren't just buzzwords or trendy edu-jargon but the kind of substance with the potential for lasting change. And the best part? This is stuff that's available not tomorrow with ten grand in classroom funding and 12 hours of summer PD, but today. Utopian visions of learning are tempting, if for no other reason than they absolve us of accountability to create it right now, leading to nebulous romanticizing about how powerful learning could be if we just did more of X and Y. But therein lies the rub: Tomorrow's learning is already available, and below are seven of the most compelling and powerful trends, concepts, and resources that represent its promise."

"With the prospect of returning to face-to-face instruction or hybrid constructions, what can we learn that works in our digital spaces that can readily transfer to our in-person classrooms? How do teachers motivate students to share ideas and risk "being wrong" in the digital space or the public space of the in-person classroom? How can we catch that lightning in a bottle? Well, there is the chat function built into many of the digital tools we use. There is power in the chat that can be intentionally put to use now and in the future."

"Despite the increasing number of searches we do online, we are not using the power of the search engines very efficiently. There are a variety of tools offered by Google that would help us find what we are searching for, faster with better results. So here are 5 such high powered ways to help you arrive at the answer to your queries."

"The power of the iPad is especially valuable in the classroom as a tool for producing high quality creative output, enabling pupil independence, supporting collaboration and providing a classroom tool which can transform teaching and learning completely. The free app RECCE is a virtual mapping facility which can be used as a powerful starting point for many pupil projects in a range of subject areas."

"Ever wish you could just write on your iPad or iPhone and have it type up your notes for you? Long for the days of the Newton, or just wish you had Android-style handwriting recognition on your iPhone? Well, wait no longer, as MyScript Notes is here, powered by the same tech as what powers the Samsung Note, so you know it's gonna be good."

"During this week's #TEDEdChat, Megan Roberts (@OnPointEdu) co-hosts about the power of creativity and play. At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play - with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't)."

"The Powerful Role of Video Games In Learning"

Wesley Fryer is the author of "Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing" (July 2011) and a contributing author of "What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media" (September 2011). Wesley co-authored Chapter 3 of the book, "Podcasts and Webinars," with Steve Dembo. "Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing" is available in 3 eBook formats and as a paperback! Additional resources are on playingwithmedia.com. See and contribute student media examples on share.playingwithmedia.com. Learn about workshop and videoconference opportunities on learn.playingwithmedia.com.

"Some of these apps illustrate the power of the iPad. These Shakespeare in Bits are the perfect combination of cool graphics and slick infotainment that many teachers are looking for to get their students excited about their subject. The comic feel of these apps doesn't take away from the power of the message or the human tragedy of the Shakespeare texts but what it does do, is to provide an entry point for students that are not familiar with the language or the concepts."

"How to make your iPhone photographs more powerful with negative space"

" Apple has long touted its device's assistive technology as a powerful tool for the educational development of physically and mentally disabled children. The iPad's touch screen makes it easier to manipulate than more traditional educational tools. For children with autism, "the iPad is not a toy, but a tool that works best when there is a 'team effort' between parents and therapists encouraging its proper use," said Marc Reisner, co-founder of Reach for the APPs. "Our goal is to provide schools with iPads so they can reach every child on the autistic spectrum." Reach for the APPs built their site with an initial donation from Managed Digital. Now, they're seeking out donations of money and/or iPads from both individuals and corporations to propel the program forward. According to reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1-in-88 children have some form of autism, up 78 percent from just a decade ago. The demand for augmentative communications devices is growing. But the schools can't meet the demand, so the children are losing valuable time during critical developmental years. Lois Brady, a speech language pathologist and assistive technology specialist, said apps can help develop fine-motor skills, which will in turn make functions like writing and manipulating small objects easier for the students. "I have spent years working with the most challenging students that are considered profoundly disabled," she said. "And I have seen some small miracles when I introduce the iPad into our therapy, as the children have made huge gains in attention, focus, communication, language and literacy skills." Some experts also say that the iPad can lessen symptoms of autistic disorders, helping children deal with life's sensory overload. Brady will be contributing content to the Reach for the APPs website to inform therapists about the latest-and-greatest apps for children all over the autistim spectrum. Apps must be tailor

"Looking for some powerful apps to help your kids and students type fast? The selection below features some of the most popular typing apps in Chrome app store. As usual I only picked what I think are relevant for an educational context such as the classroom. Have a look and share with your colleagues:"

"Today, I am sharing with you this awesome list of important articles on the power of hashtags. These reads have been collected and provided by Twitter Fan Wiki and I recommend them for anyone interested in learning more about how to tap into the potential of hashtags."

"Sometimes it's the little things that can prove to be powerful. The quick and easy action of taking a screenshot can transform how you use technology in your classroom. A screenshot is simply a picture of what is on the screen of your device. On the iPad, users press the home button and power button at the same time, and a snapshot of the screen is sent directly to the Camera Roll. Taking a screenshot is the perfect way to capture student work on mobile devices."

"Editor's note:  Vicki Davis just wrote a new book called, Reinventing Writing. I asked her if she could contribute a post to The Innovative Educator explaining specifically how social media has reinvented writing. This is that post.   As hall of fame baseball player, Babe Ruth said, "Yesterday's home runs won't win tomorrow's games." To level up writing, we need to take advantage of the out-of-the park features and capabilities that social media inspired concepts give writing instruction. Most of us know how it feels to write an exciting Facebook status update or a powerful tweet. Without delay, we know the impact of our words as they are retweeted, commented on, and liked (or ignored.) With this in mind, it stands to reason that students want a response too. Paper essays that are only seen by the teacher with a wastebasket as their final destiny are a needless waste of time and potential. Writing can be so much more exciting and it isn't that hard to do. Notably, social media is impacting writing in the classroom in ten powerful ways. You don't have to be on social media (or even like it)  to feel the lift social media concepts can give writing in your classroom, as I share in my new book  Reinventing Writing released just this month."

"iPads can be powerful devices in education - they are mobile, they are personalized, and they are intuitive. At the same time, sharing content between apps or devices can be a challenge. Fortunately, iPads in conjunction with Google Apps can create a powerful medium by which to input, edit, share, and publish multimedia content."

"Our school is a 1:1 iPad school. We made the decision to go with iPads knowing that there are relative strengths and weaknesses of the device. For our purposes, it was decided that the strengths outweighed the weaknesses. One strength that factored heavily into the discussion was the camera, and putting the power to create multimedia work in the hands of every student. Here are 7 ways the camera can be leveraged for deeper learning in your class."

"In order to see a rise in the proportion of students who class themselves as engaged in school, we must build a better understanding of how they are learning outside school and take account of that in our learning and teaching practice. There are (at least) six powerful motivations fueling learning socially. I call them the Six "Do-Its" and explain them as follows."