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It's certainly a challenge to engage today's students. Learning theory shows that one of the keys to successful learning is engagement. Using Philip Schlechty's "Qualities the Affect Engagement" as a framework, Tony Vincent outlines 21 technology tools, strategies, and tips educators can use to increase authentic engagement. Learn ways to motivate learners using online tools that are freely available. Examples include polling students, illustrating concepts with crazy cartoons, creating jazzy slide shows, and touring some of the newest coolest sites the web has to offer.

Just adding some tags. Thanks, Cheryl - I like the reminder about Schlechty's Working On The Work and tech integration links to it!

Using Philip Schlechty's "Qualities the Affect Engagement" as a framework, Tony Vincent outlines 21 technology tools, strategies, and tips educators can use to increase authentic engagement. Learn ways to motivate learners using online tools that are freely available.

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students." /> <!-- body { background-color: #FFFFFF; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 10px; } --> This is a cached version of http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.html. Diigo.com has no relation to the site.x

Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers can use the Count Us In website to play some very engaging Math concept games on their SMART Board interactive whiteboard. Each game is very simple to use and allows students to interact with the information in a fun and engaging manner.

National Survey of Student Engagement

A very interesting article. Lots of good discussion points.

"Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets."

"Innovative Teaching Tool With ThingLink's easy-to-use editor, teachers can create immersive and engaging experiences by adding tags to any image in a few minutes: Create authentic, valuable, and rich interactive stories around historical events using media (video, sound, photos, written words, etc.) found online. Annotate graphs and timelines. Record an instructional message to students inside an image. Embed interactive images into student blogs. Enable students to curate content inside an image to demonstrate understanding of a topic."

Tackk allows you to customize and edit your message the moment you visit the homepage. Simply click and start typing. There is no login required. It's just like tacking a flyer to a telephone pole. Tackk about that bike you have for sale. Tackk about your engagement and your big day. Tackk about your band's upcoming gig. Tackk about your family vacation. You can Tackk about anything. You control the look and feel of your Tackk, who to share it with, and even how long it lives. So what are you waiting for? 

Every teacher who has attempted to integrate technology into the classroom knows that getting parents on board can sometimes be a challenge. It's not uncommon for the parent of a struggling child to be on the phone with you asking questions like: "Why do you need to use technology to teach math/social studies/English/biology?" or "This is an AP history class  - not computer science!" Your efforts to engage students and develop important 21st century skills can become the scapegoat explanation for problems that have nothing to do with tech. So, how do we as educators get these parents into our corner? Here are some strategies I've used successfully to gain parent buy-in.

InfuseLearning provides a platform by which teachers can seamlessly engage every student on any device. Make informed decisions at the point of instruction with real-time, student feedback.

I shared this with one of our elementary schools this morning. However, a support person at InfuseLearning told me this week it most likely will not always be free. Portions of it will remain free, but others will be a cost, although the support person didn't know what would/would not remain free. He also was not able to provide a timeframe as to when a cost would begin to be added to InfuseLearning.

The New Bloom's Taxonomy explained, along with a host of verbs that describe digital applications of the levels. This visual tool will help teachers to determine what behaviors, types of activities, and assignments students might engage in so that they are challenged to reach higher-order thinking and deep, meaningful learning experiences.

"Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix!" Check out the Amazing Fact Generator and The Ultimate Brain Challenge. Fun and engagement for students and adults alike, this site will help you instill a love of learning in your students.

"Practice. Learn. Succeed. ScootPad is the ultimate way to master math and reading skills. Self-paced and personalized practice keeps kids engaged & challenged. Common Core aligned, real-time progress tracking & concept proficiency insigts, paperless homework....Best of all: FREE!"

"PowerMyLearning.com is an acclaimed free online platform for K-12 students, teachers, and parents, developed by the national nonprofit organization, CFY. CFY has unique expertise in selecting the most effective digital learning activities available on the web and making them easily accessible and usable in one trusted place. This expertise comes from more than a decade of experience working directly with more than 50,000 students, along with their teachers and parents, in more than 100 schools across the country. A free account grants access to a world of smart and engaging resources… * 1,000+ thoroughly vetted academic games, interactive simulations, and videos * Easy-to-find activities tagged by subject, grade, and Common Core Standards * "Playlist" feature to sequence activities and individualize learning by student or class * Lesson plans to incorporate activities into instruction * Detailed reports for teachers, parents, and students * Badges and Playpoints to reward student usage * Flexible platform that can be used in school, after-school, at home, or anywhere in between With PowerMyLearning, students and parents can discover fun and stimulating activities to reinforce classroom learning and spark new areas of interest. Teachers can take advantage of the free instructional resources and use this tool to help meet the specific learning needs of their students. "

Maryland Public Television and Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education developed some interactive media that are very engaging and promote critical thinking. You really need to check out this site and find resources that you can use in your classroom. Lure of the Labyrinth is a digital game for middle-school pre-algebra students. It includes a wealth of intriguing math-based puzzles wrapped into an exciting narrative game in which students work to find their lost pet - and save the world from monsters! Linked to both national and state mathematics standards, the game gives students a chance to actually think like mathematicians. I worked on some of the puzzles, and I'm sure this would extend to high school age students as well! Also, students don't have to play the full game. You can choose a puzzle that correlates to what you're teaching and just do that puzzle. Math by Design (MbD) gives students a highly creative experience in seeing geometry and measurement come alive. Under Educator Resources, check out some of the Math In Action videos! I loved the one on cake decorating. Bayville was developed for middle school students studying life sciences, ecology, and the environment. Under school or district, just choose Other States.

Stop Disasters is a collection of disaster simulation games created by the ISDR (International Strategy for Disaster Reduction). As students play the games, they learn about natural disasters and actions that people can take to help protect themselves and others. The student's job is to plan and construct a safer environment for their population. Students must assess the disaster risk and try to limit damage when natural disasters strike. Some advice that students are given within the game will be good and some of it will be bad, it is up to them to discern which is which. Students can choose from 5 different scenarios, Tsunami, Earthquake, Hurricane, Wild Fire, and Flood. Each scenario has 3 levels: easy, medium, and hard. When students enter the simulation, they are greeted by a local who briefs them on the situation. Students are given a budget and time limit to complete the necessary precautions. After 20 min., the natural disaster occurs and tests their solutions. Students develop the land and learn about their choices each step of the way. During the game students can keep track of their budget, the population they are working to keep safe, a map and risk management map, and their remaining time. The game is very engaging, it reminds me of the SIM City games that I played as a kid. This game will put those critical thinking muscles to the test!

""Our research suggests a strong correlation between kids using technology and wider patterns of reading and writing," Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust, told BBC News. "Engagement with online technology drives their enthusiasm for writing short stories, letters, song lyrics or diaries." "

Shared today on Twitter. Article from 2009

"The report found that the use of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, podcasts, wikis, and comics-creating software can heighten students' engagement and enhance their writing and thinking skills in all grade levels and across all subjects."

"Becoming accustomed as a coach to not having your own classroom or your own students was probably challenging. I am sure, however, you quickly engaged in conversations with your colleagues about offering to demonstrate or co-teach some lessons to those teachers willing to share their students with you. Although alien at first, I'll bet it was very rewarding to work with students again and feel that great "high" that a teacher feels when the lesson worked well. "