Group items tagged

"Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. Today marks what would have been his 134th birthday. Sure there are a lot of different ways to celebrate Einstein's legacy, but we hope you will take a moment to remember this remarkable scientist by checking out an Einstein-themed iPad app or two."

"When we launched Evernote Food a year ago, we had one goal in mind: to create the perfect app for remembering food experiences. And we did just that. Since then, we've updated and improved the app dramatically, but something kept nagging at us. Evernote Food was great at capturing the grand finale of the meal-all the dishes, the people, the ambiance-but what about the inspiration? What about the process of discovering a recipe or choosing the restaurant? So we went back to the drawing board and rethought Evernote Food from scratch. The result is one the most beautiful, fun and complete food applications ever."

"Visual Literacy proponent Lynell Burmark explains why the use of images is so important in the classroom and how it can help teachers meet the challenges of getting through the curriculum and engaging students in skills and content they'll actually remember and apply after the test."

"I remember when I bought my iPad last september; the semester just started, and I was now facing the great task of being productive with an iPad. Everyone can play angry birds for hours but maybe not write a decent paper and print it out afterwards (and no, you do not need a dedicated AirPrint printer for that). I once read an article about this very topic which seemed rather like a list of popular recommended apps. Here, I am instead going to try to present iPad apps for education I like to use together. Each of them is doing a great job, and they sure helped me ever since I installed them"

"Students with learning disabilities often have trouble with study skills like getting and staying organized-a crucial executive function skill-and remembering what needs to happen and when. My daughter (who has dyslexia) and I have researched and/or tested the following apps, and she's found them especially helpful. We know that every person has slightly different needs, but it's worth taking the time to find out which apps work for your child. "

"Technology is all around us. In the ever-expanding digital age, we are inundated with tools, websites, and devices. While it can seem overwhelming, especially when we are used to a traditional way of learning and teaching, technology has made many aspects of a teacher's job easier. Soon we will get to a day where we can't remember how we ever taught without a computer! The latest and greatest technology in the classroom is the iPad. The slim, sleek, shiny tool is not only good for slinging disgruntled birds across the screen, but also for making our jobs as teachers easier. Here's a summary of some of the FREE apps that I can't live without:"

"Do you remember the days of film projectors in schools when the teacher would roll this complicated device in, fumble around with the reels of movie tape trying to load it up. There was only one such device in the school and it was shared amongst all the teachers, well imageat least the ones that could figure out how to use it. "

"Do you have students who rarely raise their hand when you ask a question? When I think back about kids in my classroom who didn't participate at first, I remember Jared and Maya (whose names I changed). Jared was polite, listened to his classmates, and did his homework. But when I asked questions or set up class discussions, Jared remained silent. Maya was really creative and an avid reader. She also didn't participate, frequently had her head down in class, and was reluctant to start work. Some of our students might sit quietly through each lesson or be visibly disengaged. Maybe they don't understand the lesson, are embarrassed, or hesitantly wait for another peer to share. Jared and Maya certainly aren't unique. "

"Today's app review is about Keeper - an app for securely storing and accessing your private information and passwords. Keeper takes the frustration out of having to remember tons of passwords for different websites, and as I've found out, makes quickly accessing different educational and administrative websites a breeze."

"When my grandpa died, my grandma told me that she missed the small stuff. She had plenty of photo albums packed full of memories, but what she missed the most was waking up next to him in the morning. I remember visiting her on a hard afternoon. She had accidentally poured two cups of coffee and brought them into the family room and placed one next to his empty chair. She spent the next hour crying. This moment had me rethinking what it means to live an epic life - which is ultimately why I created the following video:"

"Remember Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) in the movie Forrest Gump? How did Hollywood make his legs disappear? Click here for a short video clip explaining the magic. How can you make your lessons more meaningful? How can your students use Green Screen to demonstrate their learning? Using Green Screen in the classroom is easy, economical and appropriate for all grade levels and subject areas! Green Screen allows you to create a video using an image or video for your background. If your students are studying about the Pyramids of Egypt, they can create a video report with the Pyramids in the background. What about a weather report from the banks of the Nile River or on top of Mt. Everest? The possibilities are endless, so let's get started!"

"One of the most common questions we get is in regards to buying makerspace materials.  There are a ton of products and supplies out there and it can be overwhelming to pick the right ones especially if you are just starting out.  One of the first steps you should do before spending any money is to talk with the people who will be using your makerspace.  Some schools and libraries have done formal or informal surveys to capture this data.  These surveys can help to determine what projects and areas of interest people are most excited about.  But always remember that one of the best parts of maker education is discovery.  It's good to have items that people know they like but always make sure to include projects and products they've never used before.  Makerspaces are a great way to help students discover new interests and potential career paths. The list below contains a lot of great products that are makerspace friendly.  They are ranked in no particular order and are all worth checking out.  Take this post with you and download a printable supply list of makerspace materials and products."

"The oft-shared John Dewey quote "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." is one that resonates with progressive educators around the world. Our education system however, seems to have missed all of those tweets and Pinterest pins. In a recent podcast (listen below) with Getting Smart's Emily Liebtag, I mentioned moving students from consumers to creators to contributors. Justin Tarte had said this in my TeachThought Podcast with him earlier this year and I appreciated that language. It certainly is a great step to shift our teaching and learning from having students just consuming information to the top of Bloom's taxonomy where they are creating. That next step, however, where their creations are at least potentially adding value to their community and perhaps the world at large is powerful. While it's true that our students are indeed the future, there are real reasons why we need to remember that they are also a big part of our today and our teaching and learning should reflect that."

"Remember how you felt when you first looked at the night sky through a telescope? All those stars, those distant planets - celestial bodies that form poetry in the blackness of deep space. A little help from technology can let you rediscover that child-like joy. Now, there are already programs like Stellarium to learn about the night sky from your computer. But we're going to be looking at sites and apps that accompany real-life star-gazers who need to know what to look at up above, and when to head out of town to capture breath-taking vistas."

"I've been using green screen software with students since about 2004. In fact I'll always remember filming a student dressed as a superhero about ten years ago and struggling with the lighting. Luckily a Channel 4 film crew were with us (making a film about us making films!) and used their professional setups to sort us out.  Times have changed though and these days a genuinely decent green screen effect can be accomplished in a school setting without the need for any professional gear. The one thing you will need though is the single best green screen app ever produced:   Green Screen by Do Ink.   Let's take a look at some tips and tricks for getting the most out of your movie making experiences using Do Ink."

"When in Boston, I taught next to a Geometry teacher who would later go on to become Teacher of the Year. Lining the walls of his high school Geometry classroom, from floor to ceiling, were vocabulary words with drawings and examples. At the time I thought it was a bit extreme. I mean, aren't these kids in high school? Over the years since, I have come to realize just how important word walls are and that he was absolutely right in putting it all out there like that. If you think about it, there's a measly 5 year age difference between a 4th grader and a 9th grader. Yes, kids do grow up quick, but what is it about those 5 short years that suddenly allows students to remember and recall everything and no longer need visual reminders?"

"I remember George Couros when he came to our District, asking the question, "If you don't know what a hashtag is are you considered illiterate today?" I thought about that as I read a recent article by CEO of Hootsuite, Social media skills millenials lack.  Ryan Holmes states that using social media effectively is "the most important digital skill for tomorrow's CEOs"  He refers to a "social media gap" which is further supported by Professor William Ward, professor of social media at Syracuse University, who states "Students using digital and social media professionally in an integrated and strategic way have an advantage. [They're] getting better jobs and better internships …"   The fact is, students are good at connecting with people they already know, but don't understand how to network professionally.  I would add they don't often know how it works for learning either. That is a compelling reason to incorporate social media in the context of the classroom and yet there is a real reluctance to do this by many Districts."

"Have you ever considered letting your students listen to hardcore punk while they take their mid-term exam? Decided to do away with Power Point presentations during your lectures? Urged your students to memorize more in order to remember more? If the answer is no, you may want to rethink your notions of psychology and its place in the learning environment. Here are 35 critical thinking strategies, straight from the mind of Sigmund Freud."

"I still focus on fluency with multiplication facts in fourth grade but fluency has a completely different meaning to me now. The way I work on fluency now does not involve timed tests. It does not involve kids being anxious or feeling unsuccessful at math. Instead I focus on developing number sense which helps kids learn and remember strategies that make them fluent with their multiplication facts. To the untrained eye, it often appears as if my fourth graders have memorized their facts when they actually know their facts from memory. "