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"After writing about the 14 techy concepts every teacher should know about, Educational Technology and Mobile Learning is providing you with a list of learning methods together with their definitions. Knowing about these methods and employing them in your classroom will definitely make a difference in your teaching practics. Check them out below and share with us what you think of them. Enjoy"

"Conducting an extensive data mining for writing a scholarly academic paper does definitely require using online digital resources. Admittedly, a lot of the resources you want to cite in your paper can be found online and most of them through social media like Twitter. I have been experiencing this myself while working on the literature review of my thesis. I included many tweets in my paper using the APA style. To be sure my citations meet the academic standards I bought Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition . However after reading this guide, I wrote a short post on how to include citations in scholarly papers and today I am sharing with you another great resource on the same topic . This is basically an awesome chart featuring the different ways to cite social media using both MLA and APA style. I knew about this from our wonderful techy specialist Aditi Rao. "

"Recently we have been out and about on the summer professional development circuit.  We've been asked to share a few of our materials that we use during our presentations.  You ask, and we deliver! Today's post shares information that is worthy of all ages, stages, content, and access.  Check out these easy ways to get your students CREATING in the classroom!"

""Hey Siri!" My husband continues to roll his eyes every time he hears me call my girl. However, I have to be honest...I haven't always used Siri. This is more of a recent habit that I have fallen into, quickly. Every day it seems like I learn something new about what Siri can do. She is one smart cookie! Have you ever thought about using Siri in the classroom? I use her occasionally on my iPhone; however, why couldn't we use her on our classroom iPads or iPods?"

"Augmented content is just another tool you can pull out of your teacher toolbox that brings student engagement to a whole new level.  For STEAM the letter "S" is supposed to stand for science, so  I thought how fun it would be to have a space STEAM unit.  As a teacher I would use the Quiver Space Comparison coloring sheet to introduce the unit.  Since I am into Augmented Student Interactive Notebooks I would print the coloring sheet as either a 4x6 or 5x7 size that could be easily attached to a page in the notebooks. I would also have writing prompts posted in an LMS, on Bulletin Board. whiteboard, etc..."

"Few trends in K-12 ed tech are as hot-or as under-researched-as "Maker" education. The term generally refers to using a wide variety of hands-on activities (such as building, computer programming, and sewing) to support academic learning and the development of a mindset that values playfulness and experimentation, growth and iteration, and collaboration and community.  Typically, "Making" involves attempting to solve a particular problem, creating a physical or digital artifact, and sharing that product with a larger audience. Often, such work is guided by the notion that process is more important than results. The Maker Movement has its roots outside of school, in institutions such as science museums and in the informal activities that everyday people have taken part in for generations. It began exploding about a decade ago, thanks in large part to the enthusiastic audience of Make magazine and the popularity of public events such as Maker Faires (the most well-known of which was hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House in 2014.) The rise of cheap digital tools, including microcontroller platforms such as Arduino and rapid-prototyping tools such as 3-D printers, has in recent years lent the movement a decidedly techie flavor. Efforts to bring Making and "Maker spaces" into K-12 schools are still "nascent," said Erica Halverson, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a leading researcher into Maker education. But that's changing fast."

Wonder what the use in Canada is like?

"Augmented reality is fun, but what makes it better than computer programs, online learning or even book reports and flashcards? To find out, we spoke to teacher-turned-techie Drew Minock, co-founder of the educational blog TwoGuysAndSomeiPads.com and a "4D Education Evangelist" for the augmented reality company Daqri. Here are his thoughts on how augmented reality can have an impact on education: "

"This post is not meant to be judgey! Even the best techie teacher started somewhere and most likely made one of these common mistakes. I think I made all five during the same lesson when I first started to integrate iPads. Whether you are just starting out with iPads or are a seasoned iPad integrator, let's look at the 8 mistakes most teachers make when using iPads in the classroom and how to avoid them:"

"I cringe when people ask me, "Are you handy?" Partly because I don't consider myself to be the best with tools, but also because it is asking me to judge whether or not I'm capable of fixing, making, or crafting something. Here's the thing, I didn't know how to put new shower tiles in and patch up my existing dry wall with cement board when we had a leak last year…but I had a friend help get me started, I watched a few DIY Youtube videos, looked at some articles online, and now I know how to do that (although not too well). The same thing happens in high schools all the time. The "handy" kids go to shop class, the "artsy" kids go to art class, the "business" kids go to business classes, the "techy" kids go to web design classes and so on… It's got to stop. We can't continue labeling kids as one thing or another thing. What we know about the future workforce is that creativity, making, and innovating will be at the center of most jobs…and that will require students to be all of the above: 'Experts predict that 50 per cent of occupations today will no longer exist by 2025 as people will take up more creative professions,' said Martin Chen, Chief Operating Officer of Genesis."

"A Dynamic QR code allows you to place a short URL into the QR code and then EDIT/CHANGE it to something different at a later time! For instance, if I had a big QR code hanging on my classroom wall that would take my students to a specific website all about the Water Cycle, I could keep the SAME QR code taped to my wall throughout the year and just change the URL that is linked to that code. So the next day when my students scan the QR code, it could take them to a different website. Save the earth people! Save your ink! Dynamic QR codes can change your world :P"

"School holidays are a great time to get stuck into techie projects! Today I had a play around with MaKey MaKey and Scratch to program two games with links to the science and technology curriculum.The intent is that students could code their own games, providing them an innovative, challenging and engaging way of demonstrating their knowledge of materials and properties."

"Are schools taking advantage of the breadth of career opportunities for young people? Is there a fixed mindset in the structure and organisation of school as if nothing has changed? Who is making the choices for technology? The educators, the techies or the persuasive sales-people?  The key is being open and willing to embrace the opportunities of a changing world. Creativity flourishes within the context of constraints. There are conditions that must be maintained, including: academic rigour, standards, student safety and the joy of learning. So rather than see the world either/or, how do we embrace the both/and to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset? To meet community expectations AND create the context for entrepreneurs to flourish."