Group items tagged

"Developing systems and strategies that will help educators use assessment data to improve student learning;"

From the summary: " The NETP presents a model of 21st century learning powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The plan also identifies far-reaching "grand challenge problems" that should be funded and coordinated at a national level."

Outstanding stuff, Dan! Thanks for sharing this with us.

This was a thought-provoking article with a lot of interesting ideas around how to use the "back-channel" in the classroom. I was especially taken aback by all of the comments that essentially lambasted these teachers for integrating 21c learning experiences into the classroom. One commenter said: "It needs to be explained to teacher Erin Olson that teachers should be encouraging students to extricate themselves from all the electronic gadgetry and to pay attention." Ah yes, wouldn't it be nice if all of students sat quietly in their desks and listened attentively with their hands folded, ready to take in the sage wisdom of the instructor standing in front of the room. Unreal.

Project Foundry is an online learning management and student portfolio system that allows innovative educators to scale authentic, integrated, individualized learning.

protocols for collaborative assessment.

A big resource from today's Whole School Change PD session by Liz Irwin, with videos and samples of student work that we can share with teachers.

According to the report,"On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction."

Two of the most powerful apps on the iPad may be completely invisible: iBooks and the Camera Roll. However, when used together, they have the potential to create powerful learning experiences and dynamic projects.

Two schools TMS has worked with were profiled by the Teaching Channel in this video that unpacks the Common Core Standards for elementary schools. Funny that they mention "technology" being integrated throughout the standards, but their example is of teachers watching videos of each other. I happen to know that both schools are doing much more sophisticated work that blends digital media into students' ELA and Math units, but it's not yet on the radar of CCSS evaluators (at least at the time this video was made).

How Quizlet works Quizlet has no pre-determined curriculum. Students define what they need to learn, and we provide the tools. We help Art History majors learn paintings, Spanish students learn their verbs, 5th graders learn their spelling words, and new waiters learn the menus of their restaurants. Our aim is to build software that any learner can use, so we make most of our stuff free.

How should schools handle the tidal wave of emotion, euphoria and what some criticize as "clicktivism" that has consumed the interest and attention of students?

Ad free interactive touch typing program that can track student progress. 

This looks to be a robust assessment tool that allows teachers to track student progress. Some of the features include: a learning map that displays progres towards mastery of standards (CCLS aligned) and tools to support teachers in interpreting data. It also item analysis, grade-level stats and support tools that teachers can use to design interim assessments and more.

Effective Professional Development, PD standards, 21st-century student achievement

Two business men who are creating education apps and supporting students who are creating education apps have begun "The App Evaluation Program for Schools" which allows teachers to test educational apps for kids for free. "The apps, which cover everything from math, spelling, and reading to language learning, storyboard building, and puzzles, are provided by developers around the world and sent to teachers two or three times per month. Teachers receive a questionnaire after testing the app as a way to help developers improve, but Larsson stresses they are not required to fill it out."

Seems like a nice way for teachers to get new iPad educational apps free to evaluate and then use if they find them valuable

Excellent video to show educators as they prepare to use copyrighted materials with students in the classroom.

Re-thinking the Dewey Decimal System goes digital. As the site says, "just clickety-click." MS/HS teachers will like to share this with students.