Group items tagged

This is a wonderful Video conferencing site which works across many types of devices. There is no sign up or login required. Just start a room and share the link to invite afters. You can have five video participates at once. You can watch videos together from YouTube and other sites. There is a collaborative notepad, text chat, file sharing and you can even share your screen with other 'room mates.' You can sign in for free to customise rooms and schedule sessions. A great resource for staff meetings, training and distance teaching. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Models for blended learning and how it changes the learning environment for students and educators. Discusses what works and what needs to change in our system.

Are you worried about ethical action in the Internet Age? Your students' experience of peer pressure? The Dharun Ravi trial currently underway in NJ casts a stark light on youth culture and the end of privacy. How would your students act if invited to a scheduled video invasion of another student's privacy? The revelations in the trail here are eye-opening.

"A press release is a written statement to the media. It can announce a range of news items, including scheduled events, personnel promotions, awards, new products and services, sales accomplishments, etc. It can also be used to generate a feature story. Reporters are more likely to consider a story idea if they first receive a press release. It is a fundamental tool of PR work, one that anyone who's willing to use the proper format can use. We'll show you how."

WhatsDue - Schedule and Send Reminders to Students.

A grade book, planner, diary, schedule and resource manager all in one app. Its spreadsheet engine will calculate averages as you input your assessment data. You can insert and edit any kind of information for a class, student and semester visually, no more boring spreadsheets. Scroll, expand, filter, export, import and view your information at any time. No internet connection is required. iDoceo will work with any kind of grading system, you can even create your own. You will not miss you old paper grade book again.

Chris uses this site. - SignUpGenius is a FREE online tool for creating and managing group sign up lists.

SignUpGenius is a FREE online tool for creating and managing group sign up lists.

I really don't know how I ever did anything without this program. It is perfect for scheduling student conferences, office hours, volunteer hours, sign-ups for presentations, etc. You set it up and provide the link. Those who want to sign up take over, they are e-mailed a google calendar and they are e-mailed a reminder automatically. EASY One of those "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS FREE!" programs.

A new tablet designed specifically for education. Just became available for pre-sales. Scheduled to ship Dec 20. Looks very interesting. It's being marketed toward a higher ed audience, but it will be interesting to see if interest and development spans to secondary and elementary as well.

In this comprehensive five to ten week unit, late elementary students (grades 5-6) will plan, create and observe three different environments: woodland, desert, and tropical. Each environment provides opportunity for activities studying adaptations of plants and animals, with focused activities on the earthworm and isopod. Humane treatment of organisms is stressed. This resource includes correlations with NY state standards. Each "kit" in the Curriki repository includes a teacher's manual and student activity book. The teacher's manual includes a unit overview, scheduling information, extensive and clear background information materials, preparation instructions, discussion questions, an assessment, cross-curricular extension ideas, a glossary and teacher references. Each student manual includes clear, reproducible student handouts and a glossary. The last section in the "kit" is a wiki, and Curriki members are encouraged to edit and build up the existing curriculum. It may take some time initially to organize and order all the necessary supplies, but these written materials are excellent and can be used immediately in the classroom.

"As part of Edutopia's summer professional development experiences, we are starting a Web Tools Collective to explore and learn with other teachers from around the world. We plan to "study" a variety of web tools and resources, and identify ways that they can be used in the classroom. The Web Tools Collective is a flexible, open-learning experience. We will provide a learning space (Edutopia blogs and groups) and a loose structure for exploration. You are welcome to jump in and out as your schedule and interest allows. You can post daily, weekly, just once or twice, or you can even just lurk. "

"Think of Stixy as your online bulletin board. Create as many Stixyboards as you like, one for each project. Use Stixy to easily organize and share: * Your family's schedule * Projects at work * An upcoming holiday with your friends * Your photos from your last bike trip * Or share a file or two with a friend Only you set the limitations for how you want to use Stixy."

"Think of Stixy as your online bulletin board. Create as many Stixyboards as you like, one for each project. Use Stixy to easily organize and share: * Your family's schedule * Projects at work * An upcoming holiday with your friends * Your photos from your last bike trip * Or share a file or two with a friend Only you set the limitations for how you want to use Stixy."

- How it works - Hassle-free texting for teachers -- ClassParrot. US & Canada. Free texting to students and parents up to 500 messages. For others that join get 200 more. Text out from a computer & schedule texts in advance.

Twitter chats are such a great way to stay connected and informed in your professional circle, and education is no exception. Through education chats, you can find out about new methods for teaching, tech resources, even jobs for teachers. Most chats are held weekly, and offer an opportunity to have a regularly scheduled conversation with like-minded educators. Check out our collection to find a wealth of Twitter chats that are great for all kinds of educators.

Thoughtful post by Pam Moran on the skills and competencies our students need for future success. In it, she argues that the future is now and that we, as educators, need to rethink and redesign how we prepare students for their future. Must read.

An excellent listing of many educational Twitter chats and when they happen in a Google Calendar format. Even lets you change time zones!

Interactive calendars of education chat schedules for Twitter.

"As teachers, we are messing up our schedules and creating added stress because we do not ruthlessly prioritise enough. It's absolutely essential. All marking is important: every student must receive feedback and acknowledgement for their efforts. However, you may have to give your exam-preparation classes greater quality feedback that your younger classes at certain points in the year. You may also have to give it back in a more swift and timely manner too (e.g. when you've just finished the mock exams, or when you've had an end-of-unit test)."

It seems that we never have enough of it and the result is a feeling of constant pressure to do things quickly. As a result, we fall into a pattern of making quick decisions, with incomplete information and then proceed to take hasty action and seek short cuts. Our busy lives, the business of those around us, the schedules we set ourselves and the constant stream of distractions and interruptions ensure we have very little time to do things well and we never seem to get things done. 

To ensure reflective practice is more than an activity added to our schedule, we need to take a reflective stance. Too often, reflection becomes the thing we do at the end of a task or the end of the day. We look back and contemplate what was, and with that in mind, we look forward to what we might do differently next time. It is in this way a very reactionary process. By all means, this form of reflection has its place, and it can be a powerful strategy to deploy as we seek to learn from experience. If we value reflective practice, we will be sure to set aside time for this form of reflection on a routine basis. By engaging in reflection habitually, we ensure that it is a routine part of our day. But adopting a reflective stance can make this more powerful.