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"Writing is a scary task for students because it is partly a single-minded activity that calls for a lot of serious thinking and partly due to the overarching focus that has being placed on teaching writing as product and not process. Donald Murray, a writing theorist of grand calbire, is unequivocal on this, in his Write to Learn , Murray emphasizes the importance of teaching writing as a process. For him the problem with teachers of writing is that they are trained as teachers by studying a product and when they are teaching writing to their students, they basically focus their attention on what students have produced and not what they might have done."

"In theory, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs in schools are a great idea; students can use their own tablets, laptops and smartphones in the classroom, and can take advantage of a wider range of apps and programs than they might be able to normally access in school. There is a case to be made that doing so can make schools more cutting edge and capable of engaging students through methods that they're comfortable with. However, there's also a risk that BYOD could lead to bullying and inequality within schools. How, then, can BYOD be successful without causing these kinds of problems? "

"What does it mean to read? What does it mean to think? What does it mean to solve problems? What should you be doing in your head when you translate the Spanish? In sum, what is meant to be going on inside that black box called the mind and what is actually going on in their minds? These are our Essential Questions as teachers. It is the continual addressing of these questions that moves us from the ranks of the naïve and ok teachers to skilled professionals. We move from being "teachers" to coaches of learning."

"Critical thinking is the engine of learning. Within this complex process or so many other relevant themes that contribute to learning: creativity, analysis, evaluation, innovation, application, and scores of other verbs from various learning taxonomies. So the following infographic from Mentoring Minds is immediately relevant to all educators, and students as well. It's a bit of a mash of Habits of Mind, various 21st century learning frameworks, and the aforementioned learning taxonomies, promoting collaboration, problem-solving, and real-world connections (standard "critical thinking fare" with Habits of Mind-sounding phrases such as "Open-Mindedness.""

"Overall the diagram offers a nice framework for the concept not of 21st century learning, but 21st century pedagogy by focusing on several core components of modern learning: metacognition (reflection), critical thinking, technology, and problem and project-based learning."

"Project-based learning (PBL) - an educational approach in which students work together to solve real-world problems - is redefining how many kids learn. Vine, a social video app purchased by Twitter, is growing in popularity - and fast. What happens when the two collide? PBL teachers across the country intend to find out."

"EasyBib, an information literacy platform that provides citation, note taking, and research tools have created this helpful infographic on plagiarism. "Plagiarism, source attribution and critical thinking are among some of the real problems that our educators and students face. We put together this infographic to shed light on the matter, to underscore why librarians are needed more than ever, and to show what EasyBib is doing about it.""

"I took my handicapped dog of 15 years for a walk in the grass. Maddie has gone from not being able to walk on her hind legs (a neurological problem) to gradually being able to walk with an awkward, back-legs-don't-really-know-where-they're-landing gait. Let me relate Maddie's experience to brain-compatible elements that my teachers implement at New Morning School every day. I provide my dog with the choice to engage in walking every day; she loves it. When children engage in activities they view as pleasurable, and when the projects are ones they have chosen, just as Maddie does, dopamine is released in the brain. This neurotransmitter increases attention and helps information to be stored in long-term memory.1"

"There is no end to the uses of the iPad in education. I've discussed that ad nauseum on this blog. As a learning tool, it has the potential to make a great positive change to learning. The only problem is Apple designed it for individual use. Schools are designed for ( or budgeted for) shared use. Conventional wisdom is for iPad use to occur in a 1:1 or BYOD Environment. In the best case scenario, I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately, financial realities will often dictate that sharing is the only viable option if we want our students to enjoy the benefits of the iPad. It can be done effectively - I've shared my thoughts early in the year about the pros and cons of shared iPads - but doesn't happen without some time consuming workarounds. What follows is my take on the pains (and remedies) of sharing iPads in a rather large Primary (elementary) school."

"The internet has revolutionized information collection. The answer to virtually any question or problem is at our fingertips. Google has made this possible. While I am a great admirer of Google and an avid user of its products, in a way, Google has made my life as a teacher a LOT more difficult. Let me explain. In the "old days" (that would be pre-internet) when a teacher assigned a worksheet with a series of questions on it students had a few options to get the answers. 1. Ask mom. 2. If mom doesn't know, ask Dad. 3. If Dad doesn't know look it up in the textbook. 4. If the answer isn't in the textbook, give up."

"Concern for 21st century learning has driven the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by more than 40 states. These new standards recognize that the premium in today's world is not merely on students' acquiring information, but on their being able to analyze, synthesize, and apply what they've learned to address new problems, design solutions, collaborate effectively, and communicate persuasively. Achieving these goals will require a transformation in teaching, learning, and assessment so that all students develop the deeper learning competencies that are necessary for post-secondary success."

"Around this time last year, I wrote a post about the lack of engaging Maths apps on the iPad that went beyond "skill and drill" number activities. Since then, developers have introduced a greater range of apps across all areas of the Maths curriculum that can be used to enhance the Maths teaching and learning in your classroom. Here's a selection of 20 apps that cover Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability ( these are the Content strands (CS) Australia's Mathematics curriculum has been categorized under ). They also cover the proficiency strands (PS) of Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving and Reasoning. I'm sure other countries' curricula are similar in many regards and you will be able to make the connections"

"Educator Jaime McGrath and designer Drew Davies explain how to create a "classroom of imagination" by turning lessons into design problems and giving students space to be creative in this Tedx video. "

"It is easy to see that part of this problem is that the more time in school, the more disconnected it gets from how we learn"

"Today, I finally got an iPad. An iPad mini, to be exact. And now the search for good French apps begins. The choice is vast and while there are many free apps to choose from, it appears that often the better apps cost money. The problem is, one cannot explore an app until it is bought! I therefore created this blog to facilitate the search for appropriate FSL apps. I will be reviewing apps on a regular basis, and rating them so that you can better judge whether to buy them or not. I will only review apps that require a purchase. The free ones you can test out yourself (see some of them below, #1)!"

"One of the best general iOS features is wifi syncing, which, just as the name implies, allows you to sync content, data, pictures, music, whatever, to and from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and a computer running iTunes, without ever connecting the device with a USB cable. Of course, this feature is only useful when it's working, and a wide variety of users are encountering an issue where wi-fi syncing just stops working. Either the device refuses to show up iTunes, or it disappears immediately when attempting to sync content to it. The solution below will resolve either of those problems and is quite simple."

"strong lesson plan. My calculations led me to a solution. Although it won't be the next "E=MC2," it did solve a huge, logistical problem in the assignment details. The equation? Well, it's quite simple. SoundCloud + QR Codes = A Gallery of Students' Voices."

"As news gets faster and the amount of information we consume increases, the idea of information overload is one that is commonly banded about. With there being so many sites and blogs out there posting updates every day, trying to keep on top of it all is a common problem."