CSMFall2014

From holding a kindergartner back a year to lengthening the school day, here are the education trends grabbing headlines and prompting debate: Academic "Redshirting, student-led conferences, K-8 schools replacing middle schools, laptops for all. The author brings up each subject and points our the pros and cons of each. DISCUSSION: Is "academic redshirting," or starting your child in Kindergarten later so they are older, a good idea? Is lengthening the school day the answer to many academic problems? Should all students have a laptop?

I like the list of topics, but be sure to add more to make this a summary of what you read. Good questions!

Public School or Home School, Which is Right for You? This is a comparison of public school versus home school that aims to help parents decide the best option for their child. This article examines the pros and cons of both school options. 1. What are your thoughts on homeschooling? 2. Do you think parents without college educations should be permitted to homeschool their children?

Add a little more to your summary. Give an example of something the article presents on this topic. You need 3 questions.

Studies are finding that when teachers and parents agree with kids that STEM subjects are not their best, students do not pursue those subjects. IT also says we should focus our praise on the process and not necessarily what comes natural. This encourages our children to embrace the process of learning instead of only the things that come natural. What are some other reasons you think kids quit STEM subjects? Do you think we validate our students/children too often? Why or why not? How else can we engage or encourage our students without the typical element of praise?

This article is TOTALLY speaking to me :) Wish I could re-do science in high school and believe more in myself. (Got good grades, but never "got" it.)

How exciting to see art teachers embracing technology to open new avenues of creativity for students. This article is an interview with two art teachers using ipads in the art classroom. Students can learn traditional elements of art plus things like layers and transparency plus undo mistakes, while gaining valuable technology skills. 1. How much technology is too much? 2. How do teachers keep up with advances in technology in art? Specialized art programs can be incredibly in-depth. 3. Can teachers who don't have access to ipads in the classroom, stay on the cutting edge of art ed?

Good questions!

This article provides 10 suggested guidelines to follow for schools seeking to implement a student centered learning environment. This begins with the definition of student centered learning to mean learning which is student driven. The suggestions range in content from changing the teacher role to be one of coach / facilitator to redefining student success so as to not be overly reliant on grades and test scores. Discussion Questions: 1. The article uses student centered learning and student driven learning to be synonymous. Is this truly the case, or is student driven learning merely one iteration of student centered learning? 2. The article is careful to clarify that student centered learning is not a one size fits all nor equally applicable to all subjects. Which subjects are less amenable to the student centered / driven learning as portrayed in the article? 3. How realistic is it for a school to transition away from grades as a measurement of student learning given that grades and class rank are two of the main criteria colleges look at in making admission determinations?

Love the concept of student centered learning :)

Founded in 1943, ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is an educational leadership organization dedicated to advancing best practices and policies for the success of each learner. Our 175,000 members in 119 countries are professional educators from all levels and subject areas--superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of education, and school board members. This article discusses the advantages to using mobile devices classroom; it is stated that laptops create a wall while kids enjoy working together on their cell phones. In survery teachers and admininstrators use at home or classroom argue should be used in the 21st century classroom.

This is a great find. Glad someone is sharing this as a resource for other to check out. ASCD is a great resource and always offers great curriculum and technology resources as well.

TB Today is Digital Learning Day, a national promotional effort by the Alliance for Excellence in Education to call attention to using technology in schools. More than 10,000 teachers and 1.5 million students have signed up in support to "celebrate innovative teachers and highlight instructional practices that strengthen teaching and personalize learning for all students," according to the AEE.

Teachers are at the forefront of kids' educational experiences, and it's now incumbent on them, as well as parents and school administrators, to provide children with the guidance and technical skills they need to succeed in their connected future. This article explains how to incorporate some great sites in your classroom to include technology to learning.

Edudemic is a website that posts research, news, and reviews for teachers and students. "How Technology is Being Used in Special Ed" gives statistics regarding funding, services, types of disabilities, tools, and resources available to Special Education programs in schools. A very detailed and colorful Infographic is given.

Learning about how technology is being used and what tools are used the most in special education was fascinating!

This site shows different ways a teacher can incorporate technology in the classroom. It's aimed at teachers who are not tech savvy. Ideas include: using Webquest, creating a Class Webpage, having the students create Podcasts, having the students create blogs or wikis, having students do an email exchange and more ideas are discussed.

Teachers just need a few simple ideas to get them started with technology.

This is a 2012 article from the Journal of Technology Education and was found on eric.ed.gov/. It is a peer reviewed study that was conducted for the purpose of identifying the research needs for technology in education. Their goal was to provide a concise list of topics that could be used to better oneself within the community.

This was interesting as they looked at technology research and the fact that more people are needed for this,

This article highlights the affects of poverty and the implications it has on elementary children. In this longitudinal study grade levels kindergarten through third were observed on their level of technology use and understanding. The study found, that in high poverty schools the technology levels were significantly lower than that of low level poverty schools.

Closing the digital divide continues to be a topic that many discuss and worry about.

Discussing and explaining about resistance of using technology in the classroom by teachers young and old. thsi article focuses on the benefits of using technology in the classroom, we cannot get away from it. It also explores what the future holds for technology, classrooms, teachers, and students. If the above link doesn't work, try: http://libraryproxy.csm.edu:2917/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=bb181698-f83e-4bdc-85bf-c41fc8411cf2%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=106

I was not able to read the article, but it sounds interesting.

This article discusses what factors influence whether or not a teacher uses technology in the classroom. The article also determines whether the amount of experience a teacher has impacts the use of technology. The authors found six factors that influenced a teacher's decision making process.

I wish I could have read the entire article as it sounds interesting.

This article shows the possible technology that can be introduced to physical education classrooms. Motion sensors are explained to be a productive tool inside the classroom. They help students know how active they are and it shows the teachers a better idea of how much physical activity the students are actually getting.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of development on the level of technology integration within the elementary classroom. The study asked three separate questions. They are How the amount of professional development impacted the level of technology integration in the elementary classroom? What type of professional development produced the highest level of technology integration in the elementary classroom? What other types of barriers prevented elementary teachers from integrating technology in their classrooms? The study is to determine if there is a correlation between the amount of professional development in a teacher with the amount of technology they use in their elementary classroom

This is one I will be sharing with the other technology staff developers I work with. Thanks for sharing!

This article discusses how students combine multiple apps to create projects to cross disciplines and encourage higher level thinking, collaboration and innovation. This was a great activity for the students to learn how to work with apps and create projects. They also learn to work together and think as a team.

This is a good article. I really liked the concept of smashing apps. Good Job!

This article looks at how exemplary science teachers use technology in their classrooms. It also looks at how often they required their students to use technology as part of their assignments. What I like about this article is that it looks at quote unquote, "good teachers," so one can see how a successful teacher uses technology.

The authors discussed the impact of technology with a specific emphasis on teaching mathematics. Pedagogy, content, and technology all interact with each other in a math classroom in unique ways as certain content itself relies on the technology for its existence, whereas pedagogy can be enhanced by technology. The key to a teacher's effective use of technology lies in the intersection of technical knowledge, pedagogical enhancement and content supplementation incorporated in thoughtful, non-routine ways.

I enjoyed learning about TPACK (content specific technological pedagogical content knowledge).

Using Global Positioning Systems devices as mobile devices to engage children in mathematics learning. They can use Ipads, Ipods, for finding positioning on a map. They can use Geocaching to make an outdoor treasure hunt. The children can use devices to measure distance between cities and countries, weather, speed, and distance traveled. They can also use hand held devices to measure temperatures in the classroom, and on the playground. Many ways to use mobile devices to support student learning.