Group items tagged

Wireless Mirroring from iPad to PC Now a Reality with AirServer

"Conversation is key . Sawyer succinctly explains this principle: "Conversation leads to flow, and flow leads to creativity." When having students work in groups, consider what will spark rich conversation. The original researcher on flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, found that rich conversation precedes and ignites flow more than any other activity.1 Tasks that require (or force) interaction lead to richer collaborative conceptualization. Set a clear but open-ended goal . Groups produce the richest ideas when they have a goal that will focus their interaction but also has fluid enough boundaries to allow for creativity. This is a challenge we often overlook. As teachers, we often have an idea of what a group's final product should look like (or sound like, or…). If we put students into groups to produce a predetermined outcome, we prevent creative thinking from finding an entry point. Try not announcing time limits. As teachers we often use a time limit as a "motivator" that we hope will keep group work focused. In reality, this may be a major detractor from quality group work. Deadlines, according to Sawyer, tend to impede flow and produce lower quality results. Groups produce their best work in low-pressure situations. Without a need to "keep one eye on the clock," the group's focus can be fully given to the task. Do not appoint a group "leader." In research studies, supervisors, or group leaders, tend to subvert flow unless they participate as an equal, listening and allowing the group's thoughts and decisions to guide the interaction. Keep it small. Groups with the minimum number of members that are needed to accomplish a task are more efficient and effective. Consider weaving together individual and group work. For additive tasks-tasks in whicha group is expectedtoproduce a list, adding one idea to another-research suggests that better results develop

Entri is a free collaborative tool for writing and sharing documents. Say you are writing an article for your blog and you want to share with your readers before you publish it to get feedback and allow changes.

Dr. Barrett's (n.d.) webpage presents an introduction to the types of ePortfolios in a learner-centered approach. The website requires cognitive activity and capitalizes on the use of multimedia to present the essential content; and it does so following instructional design principles as recommended by Mayer (2009). Beginning with an anticipatory set to activate the learner's prior knowledge, the lesson page begins by asking learners to think about their own personal use of portfolios. Immediately following, the essential material elements are presented in a cartoon image, capitalizing on the benefits of dual coding (Mayer, Id.), using both images and key words to help learners pay attention and select appropriate information. The image also relies on spatial contiguity (Mayer, Id.) in its presentation format. This webpage itself would fit into Mayer's (Id.) use of multimedia as "information acquisition." However, coupled with a reflective activity, learners would be able to make more integrated sense of the types of portfolios available and which types would be most suited for their particular needs. References: Barrett, H. (n.d.). ePortfolios and Google Apps. [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://sites.google.com/site/eportfolioapps/overview/blog-entry-eportfolios-and-googleapps Mayer, R. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Barrett's (n.d.) webpage presents an introduction to the types of ePortfolios in a learner-centered approach. The website requires cognitive activity and capitalizes on the use of multimedia to present the essential content; and it does so following instructional design principles as recommended by Mayer (2009). Beginning with an anticipatory set to activate the learner's prior knowledge, the lesson page begins by asking learners to think about their own personal use of portfolios. Immediately following, the essential material elements are presented in a cartoon image, capitalizing on the benefits of dual coding (Mayer, Id.), using both images and key words to help learners pay attention and select appropriate information. The image also relies on spatial contiguity (Mayer, Id.) in its presentation format. This webpage itself would fit into Mayer's (Id.) use of multimedia as "information acquisition." However, coupled with a reflective activity, learners would be able to make more integrated sense of the types of portfolios available and which types would be most suited for their particular needs. References: Barrett, H. (n.d.). ePortfolios and Google Apps. [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://sites.google.com/site/eportfolioapps/overview/blog-entry-eportfolios-and-googleapps Mayer, R. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Engineering lesson plans.  Sort by grade level.  

Geared toward developing good instructional strategies for entry level geo-science courses at the post-secondary setting, the suggestions can easily be applied to 6-12 setting and are just good instructional practices. Well organized and includes different perspectives and connected content.

Mark pencil/pen entry objective tests online.

Good blog entry on importance of goal setting (performance vs. mastery) and effect on motivation.

Not only are our contests a great way to inspire students to use digital media skills in the classroom, but they may also provide students with chances to win great prizes. To enter a contest, simply sign up for a SchoolTube account and login to upload your entries today! In order for your videos to become eligible in any of the contests listed below click on the specific contest title link below and use the "Enter Now" button on that particular contest page.

A comprehensive history site with entries from all over the world and most big events since the big bang. Some content is not suitable for young children. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/History

curating/freezing Wikipedia entries so stable/same for a whole course time period as a student resource (vs. textbook)

"The first blog entries posted by my grade one students are rarely readable. Like pre-writers everywhere, my students type random letters, their name, or text they can see on the walls of the room around them. Despite the fact that they cannot yet write anything that is readable to the general public, I have them post because I want them to begin to define themselves as writers. "

Although this comes from the site "Teaching entry level Geoscience", it offers a wide variety of instructional approaches designed to engage students. The approaches can be [easily] adapted to just about any subject and the links will take you to some amazing resources.

"Social Networking Evaluation Chart This checklist is designed to help review Social Networking Services (SNS). Although services develop continually, Childnet is committed to ensuring that the information provided is accurate at the time of publication (March 2008). We have drawn on publicly available information from service providers' websites (particularly each service's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy), as well as trying out each of the sites reviewed extensively. Additionally, we contacted the service providers included here and invited them to contribute to the project and comment on the chart entry for their service. "

Perhaps the easiest Wiki I've ever scene. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can now create a wiki for use with their students or to share information with colleagues. I wonder what their business model is and how long they will be able to sustain this approach, but until then I plan on using orb.com with teachers as a great entry point tool.