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Learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge. Learning style is an individual's natural pattern of acquiring something that is new and knowledegable. Different people have different learning styles. Some learn by reading, some by hearing, some by writing while many others do so by watching. Learning may

"Reading well requires much more than just decoding textual input, it is rather a process of making meaning of text using a wide range of critical and intellectual skills and drawing on different cues . Close reading is one example of a theory that explicates the intricacies surrounding effective reading. In close reading, readers need to consider a set of criteria for a better comprehension of the text. Some of the these criteria include: Language, Narrative, Syntax, and Context."

"Using the iPad for collaborative learning isn't the most seamless thing in the world. For one, you have to define what you mean by collaborative learning, and here we can loosely define it was "a kind of learning where collaboration is an integral part of the learning process." This means not just publishing ideas, but publishing them in ways where writers can receive feedback, reflect, and revise their writing or thinking."

"Curating new and relevant content and tailoring it to their own, unique needs will become a key skill required by future teachers. Why? Professional development becomes attractively cost effective in such a process, and money and budgets are powerful influencers for change."

"Recently we took at look at the phases of inquiry-based learning through a framework, and even apps that were conducive to inquiry-based learning on the iPad. During our research for the phases framework, we stumbled across the following breakdown of the inquiry process for learning on 21stcenturyhsie.weebly.com (who offer the references that appear below the graphic). Most helpfully, it offers 20 questions that can guide student research at any stage, including:"

"If there is one thing teachers lack, it's time. And while using technology to automate learning has been frowned upon by many, using it to automate time-consuming processes or aggregate data automatically is among the many seamless fits technology can make into any classroom. Which is where the following collections of apps and tools comes in."

"As our 1:1 initiative moves forward, I see that there are three kinds of teachers that are part of the process: 1. The teachers who are ready for change (!!) 2. The teachers who are willing to change 3. The teachers who just want to get by I wish someone would have told me about this! But, I'm glad I had the chance to be a teacher before becoming an Instructional Technologist. That background has led me to approach the teachers as students first & teachers second. I pondered and pondered how 1:1 should be implemented (after I had also read some literature on it). I came up with the idea that because I target three different groups of teachers, my sessions need to be differentiated to meet their needs."

"For years, it has been no secret that many students who start post-secondary education programs drop out early. To address this issue, many schools and institutions decide to redesign their courses with the hope that students might gain a greater feeling of success, continue with their chosen program and graduate. When considering courses for redesign, many questions are asked but the most important is this: "What data should be considered to ensure our course redesign efforts are successful?" Data metrics like grades, attendance or participation rates are obvious considerations. These can be reliable metrics in driving decision-making. However, I recommend also considering student feedback, faculty load, student experience, and assessment performance as additional data points which can better inform decisions that directly impact the course redesign process."

"Learning how to evaluate online content is an essential step in the process of developing digitally literate students. I have already featured several materials on strategies and skills for students to evaluate web content and today I am adding a great resource from Lisa Hartman. The presentation below features the 5 elements ( CRAAP ) students should look for when evaluating online content. These elements according to Lisa are : Currency Relevance Authority Accuracy Purpose Watch this short introduction to CRAAP:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDGKsT7QHNs#t=24

"As of late it seems that I have been blogging a great deal about our makerspace here at New Milford High School and with good reason. Not only is the space being overrun with students during their lunch periods, but teachers here have begun to explore how the process of making can enhance the learning experience for the students in their classes. Just last week I shared on my blog how physics classes were exploring concepts related to circuitry in a more hands-on, authentic fashion in our constantly evolving space through a collaboration between Mr. Fowler and Mrs. Fleming. It seems that this might have been a catalyst for even more collaborations in order to fully take advantage of what a well-designed makerspace can provide."

"Last Friday I was asked if I could share instructions for teachers and students using the latest version of the Google Drive for iPad app. I'm in the process of organizing all of my screenshots into a PDF. In the meantime, I have the following video overview of how to use the basic features of Google Drive iPad. At the end of the video I offer a tip about using multiple sign-in on shared iPads. "

"Feedback is an inevitable part of teaching. Naturally, you're in a position where you're giving a whole lot of feedback, but you're likely on the receiving end of feedback as well. We've all been on the receiving end of feedback in various aspects of our lives, and I'm sure we've all experienced some feedback that was less than desirable - for a variety of reasons. Even if the feedback itself is inherently negative, the delivery and process of the feedback doesn't have to be. The handy infographic below (from ASCD) offers 7 important things to remember about feedback. These are important items to remember both when you're giving and getting feedback. Keep reading to learn more."

"The educator's role has or should change in this age of information abundance or Education 2.0-3.0. The educator's role has always been to model and demonstrate effective learning, but somewhere along the line, the major role of the educator became that of content and knowledge disseminater. Now in this information age content is freely and abundantly available, it is more important than ever to assist learners in the process of how to learn."

"App Smashing is the process of combining content in one or more apps together for a creative and effective outcome. App smashing can make the iPad a powerful aid in sports coaching and other mediums. As any cricket geek knows, the season is about to start. I've been playing, and more specifically, bowling, for about 25 years (the less said about my batting the better) and I have a fairly well grooved bowling action. As any sportsperson will know, there is always room for improvement and this pre-season, I turned to my iPad to help me tweek my bowling technique."

"Both project-based learning and STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, art and math) are growing rapidly in our schools. Some schools are doing STEAM, some are doing PBL, and some are leveraging the strengths of both to do STEAM PBL. With a push for deeper learning, teaching and assessment of 21st-century skills, both PBL and STEAM help schools target rigorous learning and problem solving. They are not exactly the same, but teachers can easily connect to them to teach not only STEAM content and design challenges, but also authentic learning and public, high-quality work. In fact, many know that STEAM education isn't just the content, but the process of being scientists, mathematicians, engineers, artists and technological entrepreneurs. Here are some ways that PBL and STEAM can complement each other as you deliver instruction"

"When we made the decision to equip our students with iPads, either for class use for our younger users or 1:1 for students in the senior school and sixth form, we knew we were unlocking a host of opportunities. Some were easily identified, others have gradually revealed themselves through an iterative process. An illustrative list in no order of priority includes the benefits of instant access to the Internet without the hassle of booking IT rooms; enriched digital communication; a range of handy apps; a virtual multimedia studio; and the creation of our own iBooks and iTunesU resources tailored to the learning needs of our students. What we did not perhaps appreciate was the impact digital devices could have on the physical learning environment. "

"Have you made digital vessels on your iPad? Yes, you can create clay vases on iPad! 'Let's Create Pottery HD' is a wonderful tool to support teaching and learning in your classroom. Firstly, let me assure you that using the iPad in a creative workflow in my classroom is not about 'getting rid of clay'. Art teachers know how valuable those 'hands-on making' experiences can be for our students as they grapple with this challenging medium and the multi-step process of building a large-scale object from the ground up. The Pottery app has immense value in the classroom for other reasons."

"The MIT Admissions Dept is making it possible for young makers to share their projects as part of the application process, starting this year. Dr. Dawn Wendell, Assistant Director of Admissions at MIT, said that a new Maker Portfolio supplement on the MIT Admissions web site will provide a structured way for students to submit information about a diverse set of projects that they have participated in."

"There is a staggering amount of free video available online that makes great fodder for teaching students, particularly in flipped classroom settings. Instead of giving students YouTube links or telling them to search for a video on a particular subject, with EDpuzzle teachers can select videos, edit them down, assign them to students, and quiz them as they watch. EDpuzzle is a very simple tool that walks teachers through the video lesson creation process, with only a few limitations. With this solution a teacher can make the most of the video assets he or she has access to, plus everything the Internet has to offer. It is also an easy enough experience that you can quickly create individualized video lessons for different students and their particular needs or areas of interest."