Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

" Because of pressure to teach bell-to-bell -- the pedagogical equivalent of force-feeding geese to make foie gras -- many classrooms now start with bell work, short exercises that students complete while the instructor attends to attendance and other administrative chores. Journal prompts and concept questions can focus students on nutritious academic content and initiate a positive tempo for the next 90 minutes of class. With the help of graduate student David Fictum, I collected several creative, practical and entertaining exercises that can function as bell ringers or sponge activities. Here they are: "

"As teachers, the pull of social media on your students attention will already be well known to you. The online world exerts a magnetic lure on the attention of young people today, offering community and information sharing, entertainment and gossip in ways that often pull students away from the blackboard. Understanding this dynamic, some educators are now bringing social media into the classroom in surprising ways. By working with something your students already enjoy and don't, perhaps, associate with learning, there are opportunities for creative teaching, as well as making genuine connection with your students."

Take a few minutes to watch Pogue's presentation. It's entertaining as well as informative. Then, take some time to leave a comment. What's something you learned from this video that you didn't already know? What's your favorite tech time-saver that you think more people should know about? Please share, so we can all learn together!

"STEMbite is a YouTube Channel developed by Andrew Vanden Heuvel, one of the original Google Glass Explorers. On this channel, you can find over 60 informative and entertaining brief clips sharing how math and science relate to our everyday life. Though the segments are brief in nature, you will find they are extremeley helpful. My favorite part about each of Andrew's videos is that he makes science and math seem easy and fun. Before you know it, the video is over and you're craving for another bite size video. "

"Express your musicality! Between creation and entertainment, Incredibox invite you to become the conductor of a group of human beatbox."

"The iPad has been a great tool for education since it debuted in 2010, thanks in large part to an abundance of apps and games that blend information with entertainment. It's portable enough to use around the house or on the road, and it's simple enough that kids can use it without getting lost. It's also been a great tool for teaching children to become better readers. There are many apps available that parents can use to help their kids improve their reading skills significantly, whether they're just starting out or brushing up on some basics. Here are some of the best:"

"Whether you are looking for a toy that provides educational value, a gift that gives a little bit more or a digital companion that can teach logic and programming, these robots for kids are some of the most cutting edge gadgets around. With companion smartphone apps, voice control, advanced mechatronics and even xylophones, these amazing pieces of electronic kit will keep your kids entertained, engaged and educated for years to come."

"My objective with this wide-ranging set of skills, and involving the community so closely in their development, is to give kids the chance to practice whatever makes them passionate now and feel encouraged -- even if they're obsessed with making stuff exclusively with duct tape. It's crucial that kids learn how to be passionate for the rest of their lives. To start, they must first learn what it feels like to be simultaneously challenged and confident. It's my instinct that we should not try to introduce these experiences through skills we value as much as look for opportunities to develop them, as well as creativity and literacy, in the skills they already love. MAGICIANS CRAFT ILLUSIONS THAT BAFFLE THE SENSES AND CONFUSE OUR REASONING. THEY PLAN LIKE SCIENTISTS, BUT PERFORM AS ARTISTS. ONLY THROUGH LONG AND DISCIPLINED PREPARATION DO THEY SUCCEED. It's difficult to predict which skills will be valuable in the future, and even more challenging to see the connection between our children's interests and these skills. Nothing illustrates this better than Minecraft, a popular game that might be best described as virtual LEGOs. Calling it a game belies the transformation it has sparked: An entire generation is learning how to create 3D models using a computer. Now, I wonder, what sort of businesses, communication, entertainment or art will be possible? Cathy Davidson, a scholar of learning technology, concluded that 65% of children entering grade school this year will end up working in careers that haven't even been invented yet. I bet today's kids will eventually explore outcomes and create jobs only made possible by the influence of Minecraft in their lives. Why take any chances and build your dream house with blueprints alone? The Minecraft kid could easily make a realistic 3D model of one for you to walk through before you build. That's why DIY treats Minecraft as a tool, not a game, and encourages our members to use it to pursue art, architect

"Below is a collection of some of the best iPad math games for young learners. These apps involve strategic use of mathematical skills in working on simulated challenges. While an entertaining source of fun, these games are also ideal for providing kids with a solid math practice to enhance their overall mathematical thinking. Check them out and share with your students."

When you look at your kids playing video games, you might worry they're wasting time and energy passively staring at a screen and pressing buttons. But what if their play time was actually a creative outlet that fostered their imaginations? More and more games, apps, and websites are letting kids as young as kindergartners create anything they can think of -- and it doesn't have to take a ton of time. Even better, most of these tools don't require kids to be skilled programmers or computer experts to design and build creative, entertaining experiences. Whether your kids enjoy creating fun new game elements, editing existing game content, or fully designing their own games from scratch, these programs can help bring their ideas to the screen.

"The image-heavy social media platform Pinterest isn't just for making pretty digital tack boards filled with DIY projects and delicious food recipes. Pinterest is a great educational tool for teachers, homeschool parents, and other educators around the world. And the best thing is, it's free! With links to virtually millions of ideas, Pinterest offers a wealth of great information and learning ideas that can be applied to almost any educational environment. Everything is keyword searchable and Pinterest "pins" can be commented on and liked, similar to Facebook. Here we feature 9 great Pinterest classroom ideas that will engage and entertain both teachers and students alike."

"E.A.K. teaches code using 'stealth learning' - our goal is to provide learners with their first steps towards digital literacy in the most entertaining way possible. By changing the source code of the levels - written in HTML and CSS, just like a web page - players must rescue kittens to complete the game."

"Welcome to your new classroom. I am sure you are going to explain and teach in a way that I might never understand. You see, I come from a day of filmstrip projectors that beeped, ditto paper that left my fingers blue and the students enjoying the scent, bells that really did ring out a mechanical melody, 16 millimeter films that, if in color, amazed the kids. In fact, if these films were shown backwards it provided bonus entertainment. In recent years I have heard words that are so strange to me. These words include foreign terms such as twitter, blog, wiki, Skype, web 2.0, clickers, and interactive whiteboards. I have heard all this talk about 21st century skills and I am not even sure if I can tell you what they are. So there you have it. I am not one of those digital natives, nor am I a digital immigrant! I may not even be an analog native or immigrant. So, even though I do not know all the new terms, I thought that I might give you a list of ten items I feel just might ensure success no matter what century it is."

"3 words to describe education today? Transitional, Experimental, Experiential "

Pixel Heads Network is dedicated to providing the best shows for digital media creators to entertain you, inform you and teach you in the areas of web, video, digital photography, podcasting, blogging and eMarketing!

With so many good teachers out there, it's fortunate they can share their knowledge via video on the Internet. From the funny to the poignant, these glimpses into the lives of teachers and their students will keep you entertained while learning a little something as well. Whether you are a new teacher storing up tips and tricks or an experienced teacher who could just use a fresh perspective, you are sure to find something helpful among these videos.

The easiest and most entertaining way to collect feedback from your audience: Project polls or message boards on a large screen, have everyone send their input via their cell phones and see results instantly!

MyJugaad.in is a slideshow for webpages, which are sourced either from popular websites such as del.icio.us (for best webpages), digg (for most entertaining stories), google news (for latest news), yahoo, flickr, youtube, etc. or from a list provided by you or from your RSS feed(s).

Whether you're new to the teaching field yourself or a seasoned veteran, you can find inspiration, advice and shared experiences by reading the blogs of other teachers. Both established bloggers and those new to the game like the bloggers listed here can offer some interesting and sometimes entertaining reading material for anyone involved in the education field. Check these new bloggers out the next time you're looking for something educational to read.

Flipz TV is a really useful piece of free software for creating entertaining audio-visual materials