Group items tagged

"Great writers don't rely solely upon their talent. They are characterized with discipline and great focus. If you lack these fundamental skills, your talent won't help you write outstanding posts and articles on schedule. Wait; that doesn't mean you should give up! There are many online tools, apps and websites that will help you achieve your full potential as a blogger or content writer. Start exploring these tools:"

"The Maker Movement has crept into the consciousness of schools in the past few years. For some, it's a wake up call that over-tested, over-scheduled young people are not going to become the creative, enthusiastic learners we all hope to nurture. For others, it's a personal reconnection to our collective, deeply-felt human impulses to create, invent, and shape the world. Makerspaces, genius hour, design thinking, and other frameworks can help make these ideas come to life in classrooms, libraries, museums, and community centers. But are these innovations accessible to everyone, to every child?"

"After-school clubs offer both students and teachers the freedom to explore alternative approaches to learning."

This looks like just the type of program a middle school librarian could love. CS, or Computer Science First is a free Google program designed to increase student exposure to computer science education through after-school, in-school, and summer programs in a club approach run by teachers and/or community volunteers. CS First works towards its goal of developing student courage, confidence and curiosity about computer science by providing a wealth of free training materials targeted at students grades 4 through 12. The resources may be tailored for nearly any schedule. Students learn how to build creative projects using Scratch, learn about the critical role computer science and coding play in today's world, and explore technology-based career options. There's something here every kid could love as well.

"A year and a half ago I decided to implement a job-embedded growth model at the suggestion of some of my teacher leaders. They desperately sought time during the school day to engage in professional growth opportunities, learn how to integrate Web 2.0 tools, and develop their own Personal Learning Networks (PLN's). After some thinking and looking at various options inherent in the current schedule, I decided to cut all non-instructional duties in half to create a Professional Growth Period (PGP). The inspiration for this idea came from Google's 80/20 Innovation Model where engineers are encouraged to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. Duties that we cut are now assumed by me and my administrative team."

"Great writers don't rely solely upon their talent. They are characterized by discipline and great focus. If you lack these fundamental skills, your talent won't help you write outstanding posts and articles on schedule. But wait, that doesn't mean you should give up. Many online tools, apps, and websites will help you achieve your full potential as a blogger or content writer. Start exploring these 10 tools:"

"Let's face it. All teachers talk, but not all teachers listen. I know, I know. You are probably thinking, "Well, students talk all the time, but they don't all listen." Granted, you may have a point there. But perhaps the root of the problem, a lack of honest and transparent conversations between teachers and students, can be discovered when Holmes' famous quotation is crossed with The RSA's animated video covering Daniel Pink's Drive. What results is a dry-erase animated video that took two sophomore students from Studio 113 and East Hall High School six hours to plan, draw, and fully articulate their concerns about the following educational concerns: Teachers' view versus students' view of school schedules. School systems' expectations of students versus students' own expectations of themselves. Purpose, application, and importance of certain curricula. The practice of not asking the most important people of all…the students. Ignoring successful educational models, such as Finland. Care to listen? The wise teachers already know it is the "privilege of wisdom" to click "play.""

"With the announcement today of an Apple Special Event scheduled to take place on September 9th 2015, rumours have been making the rounds on the Internet for months as to what new products we can expect to see unveiled. One thing we can be pretty certain about is the release of iOS 9. It was first unveiled and demoed at WWDC 2015, with a full release touted for fall of this year. I've been playing with with the iOS 9 beta on a secondary iPad Air for a couple of weeks now to get to grips with it ahead of this. It's not radically different in the way iOS 7 was, however what it does is make the operating system feel even more polished and refined. In the main, there are lots of features which have each been made a bit better. However this adds up to make a noticeable difference! Rather than focus on all of them (there are just too many), I'll focus on some of the key new features and improvements and in particular what they may bring to iPad classrooms."

"It's that time again! We're heading back into our classrooms to start another year of learning and growth. I don't know about you, but I love the freedom that summer gives me. I know our students do too. So as we head back into schedules, and structure, here are 5 ways you can boost thinking and productivity with a little movement in your classroom. Movement allows our brains a break from the intense thinking and focus required in schools. It's a chance to reboot, and even burn off a little of that extra fidgety energy. It can be a real struggle for many students to sit and focus. Give them a chance to be successful by adding some purposeful movement to the day."

"For the past couple of weeks, I have been preparing to teach a summer school/camp on maker education (see http://www.makereducation.com/summer-camp-schedule.html). As part of my preparation, I decided compose a list of promises to my learners as a maker educator."

"As teachers and families kick off summer vacation it's important to think about how students will continue to grow their skills over their break from school.  Splash Math offers an online summer program designed to help students maintain their math gains and prepare for the upcoming school year.  Their award winning eight week review program includes a Common Core aligned diagnostic assessment before and during the program and a personalized practice schedule for each student based on the diagnostic assessment."

"Will Technology Kill the Academic Calendar? Online, semesters give way to students who set their own schedules"

This really works. Check out our free, fillable and printable PDF document template planner, organizer, diary and more! It has the features you need to keep your life on track on planner pages that are a fully printable 8.5″ x 11″. Features at a glance: * Customize with your own logo or image * Input your data and save or print * Print the complete planner or specific pages * Schedule has easy date pull down for easy calendar reference * PDF format allows for easy sharing and opening