Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

"In any case, Google+ is simple to use, has some great content being shared, and - with this handy cheat sheet from Eric Welke - it won't be a total time-suck in terms of figuring out how to use it!"

"The internet: Not just for first world countries anymore. While high speed, broadband access may be much more ubiquitous in more developed countries, internet infrastructure and broadband connectivity is much more widespread than you may be aware of. Over the last decade, huge strides have been made, meaning many more students across the globe are being connected to the vast network of students, teachers, and the world. The handy infographic below paints a pretty good picture of what internet connectivity looks like around the world. Take a look, and try to imagine how many more people you could be connecting with around the globe in just a few short years."

"In my last post I shared how presentation platforms/communities contribute to my professional learning, sharing, and growth. Search the Scoop.it community Also in my arsenal are tools that, in the old days, we would have called current awareness services. These curation tools allow you to follow others who share your interests and to push newsfeeds to your inbox after setting up a variety of search/interest parameters. Some push automatically; some allow you to hand-pick and annotate specific items from those feeds. Most also allow you to curate discoveries made on the fly through the use of a handy browser bookmarklet to facilitate clipping, scooping, pinning, bookmarking, etc. when you are not actually on the platform. These curated newspaper/magazine communities allow members to follow other members to facilitate discovery.  Again, it's all about the network.  Your discoveries will be as powerful and the people and organizations you chose to search and follow."

"We haven't talked about learning analytics in awhile (at least not specifically), but that doesn't mean learning analytics have missed the mark (last year, learning analytics were tagged as a 'top trend' in education). We talk quite often about blended learning and personalized learning, often times neglecting to consider that learning analytics are what really drives these concepts: without it, we're just shooting in the dark (or dusk, really, since not everything is data!). The handy infographic below takes a look at exactly how personalized education is being driven by learning analytics, and more specifically, how learning analytics can take us from 'traditional' to 'personalized' education. Keep reading to learn more!"

"Science, Technology, Engineering, Math. Teach coding, get girls interested in all of these subjects. However you slice it, there's a lot of focus on the logical and analytical brain functions these days. Many schools are cutting the 'extras' like art and music. While I firmly believe that students need to be well rounded and really need subjects like those to be considered more than 'extra', and while there are many people fighting to keep these programs in schools, you can't deny that the international economy and jobs outlook is demanding more focus on STEM. But does that mean we should drop all focus on the other stuff? The handy infographic below takes a look at why focusing on the skills of half our brain is not enough. It explores the functions of all parts of the brain (however simplified) and gives some insight into how the creative skills can help you a lot."

"Being a student right now is difficult. There's that nagging feeling that you could always 'just Google it' and know the answer to something. It's an urge many students must fight on a day-to-day basis if they want to actually get some reliable answers. Sure, you could punch in a simple question or keyword and get millions of results. But what happens when you need to do a 'Google A Day' style level of research? An instance where you need to dive into dozens of actual books or figure out how to sort the good resources from the less-than-reliable sources? That's where figuring out some of the best Google tips comes in handy."

"Book Trailers Assessment Rubric is a framework you can use to assess book trailers students create. This assessment rubric contains nine categories and 4 columns. You are to assess students book trailers against each of these categories with a ranking order from low performance to high performance. The major areas to focus on in this assessment are : presentation ( its duration, interest level, persuasion), storyline or plot, audio ( voiceovers, soundtracks), Images, video editing, and audience."

"It's been seven years since I made my first education tweet. So- how much has changed since then? Have we all connected with each other? To illustrate this, I made this handy-dandy chart below. Based on EdSurge's headline from last April, does this seem like dominance to you? "

"Here are some great iPad apps to put the world at your kids fingertips. Using these apps, kids will get to explore the geographical and cultural richness of the world and learn interesting facts and information about different continents and cities. Information includes things such as population, languages spoken, flags, cultural mores, and many more. Some of these apps also provide reference maps and 3D imagery."

"Despite all its making potential, desktop 3D printers have a reputation of being nothing more than toys. Only suitable for creating desktop clutter. To be fair, that reputation isn't completely undeserved, as many users create little more than pot planters and smartphone cases. That's exactly why Ding Zhou, a Chinese industrial design lecturer at the Nanjing University of the Arts, recently hosted a workshop that seeks to inspire users and find handy solutions for everyday problems through 3D printing. And the results are very impressive; from plug removal aids to wire clips that prevent entanglement, this workshop is an excellent reminder of how much simpler our lives can become with a few clever 3D prints."

"I'm a fan of the writing workshop. That means I also write with my students, and I allow plenty of time for students to conference with me and with each other. I also provide models of what good writing looks like -- and lots of them. Here's what the classroom writing process looks like: Brainstorming (Think About It) Drafting (Getting It Down) Revising (Making It Better) Editing (Making It Right) Publishing (Sharing It!) At the beginning of the writing process, I have had students write silently. For it to be successful, in my experience, students need plenty of topics handy (self-generated, or a list of topics, questions, and prompts provided). Silent writing is a wonderful, focused activity for the brainstorming and drafting stage of the writing process. I also think it's important that the teacher write during this time, as well (model, model, model). However, when it comes to revising, and later, editing, I think peer interaction is necessary. Students need to, for example, "rehearse" words, phrases, introductions, and thesis statements with each other during the revision stage."

"I just discovered Orange Slice, a Google Add-on that offers both teacher and student rubrics.  A handy productivity tool, Orange Slice plays nice with Google Classroom and makes it super easy to evaluate student work in Docs. The Orange Slide Teacher Rubric allows teachers to add rubrics to students' assignments for grading.  The Orange Slide Student Rubric is designed for group collaborations or peer reviewing.  Students could add the Orange Slide Student rubric to their own accounts to evaluate their classmates' work, once the teacher or librarian sets up the Teacher Rubric."

"It's often easy to get stuck into a narrow view of what a particular field of study entails, but as Dominic Walliman reveals in his impressive science infographics, there's much more than meets the eye when thinking of particular STEM subjects. Walliman demonstrates the diversity and complexity of biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, and mathematics in visual maps that explore the breadth of each field. Walliman, who also created animated videos exploring his science infographics, manages to pack all the shades of each complex field on one page. For instance, the Map of Mathematics travels from the origins and foundations of the field to the differences between pure mathematics and applied mathematics. Likewise, chemistry is divided between rules and different sub-topics like biochemistry and inorganic chemistry, with fun illustrations to clearly show what falls underneath each area. Whether you are a scientist who feels like people never quite get what you do or a student who can't put their finger on how they might use their math or science degree, Walliman's infographics will come in handy. Consider them roadmaps to possible careers or cheat sheets to figuring out how quantum physics is related to the theory of relativity. Best of all, by studying the visual maps, it becomes easy to see how all these scientific fields overlap and fit together like a puzzle."

"Eating healthy and staying fit can be a challenge. You want to eat right without sacrificing deliciousness or spending a fortune. You want to stay motivated to exercise and stay in shape. Save The good news is that tech can help. Handy apps can help you plan meals that are healthy, delicious and nutritious. Using these apps you can find recipes, check out nutrition information, plan grocery lists, schedule meal plans, track your exercise and more. This infographic shows 11 highly rated apps that can help you eat healthier and stay fit more easily."

"It's summer, which means you're most likely out of the classroom and enjoying the weather and all that comes with it. For many of us, this means either attempting to grow a few things in our own gardens or hitting up the farmer's markets for some awesome fresh produce. Others will start small school gardens with their students in the fall, which offer many learning opportunities extending way beyond just the idea of how to get something to grow. The handy infographic below takes a look at fifty cool facts about plants, many of which you may not have already known. Use them as cocktail party fodder, to get your students interested in plants, or just for fun! "