Group assignment via Excel file (.xls file with programming scripts - need to turn security settings to low); provides diversity within each group based on characterizations of each student; can also generate sequences of up to 10 successive group assignments (e.g., keep students apart who have been together in any group before).
Feed readers
are probably the most important digital tool for today's learner because they
make sifting through the amazing amount of content added to the Internet
easy. Also known as aggregators, feed readers are free tools that can
automatically check nearly any website for new content dozens of times a
day---saving ridiculous amounts of time and customizing learning experiences for
anyone.
Imagine
never having to go hunting for new information from your favorite sources
again. Learning goes from a frustrating search through thousands of
marginal links written by questionable characters to quickly browsing the
thoughts of writers that you trust, respect and enjoy.
Feed readers can
quickly and easily support blogging in the classroom, allowing teachers to
provide students with ready access to age-appropriate sites of interest that are
connected to the curriculum. By collecting sites in advance and organizing
them with a feed reader, teachers can make accessing information manageable for
their students.
Here are several
examples of feed readers in action:
Used specifically as
a part of one classroom project, this feed list contains information related to
global warming that students can use as a starting point for individual
research.
While there are literally dozens of different feed reader
programs to choose from (Bloglines andGoogle Reader are two
biggies), Pageflakes is a favorite of
many educators because it has a visual layout that is easy to read and
interesting to look at. It is also free and web-based. That
means that users can check accounts from any computer with an Internet
connection. Finally, Pageflakes makes it quick and easy to add new
websites to a growing feed list—and to get rid of any websites that users are no
longer interested in.
What's even
better: Pageflakes has been developinga teacher version of their tooljust for us that includes an online grade tracker,
a task list and a built in writing tutor. As Pageflakes works to perfect
its teacher product, this might become one of the first kid-friendly feed
readers on the market. Teacher Pageflakes users can actually blog and create a
discussion forum directly in their feed reader---making an all-in-one digital
home for students.
For more
information about the teacher version of Pageflakes, check out this
review:
Using autocrat Script to help with workflow and avoid handing in work issues like: incorrect header on doc, not naming the file to the class, forgetting to share document with teacher, forgetting to turn assignment in.
Use Google Drive to create a grade book, using your favorite spreadsheet grading rubric and a script contained here that will let your students see their individual grade reports via their Gmail login.
"It was lunchtime but I didn't mind. Neither did my German teacher.
I ran upstairs and entered her room. She was free - success! I pulled out my listening exam script: a set of learned responses to verbal questions that could come up in my GCSE exam.
I'm sure she was hungry and I'm sure she wanted lunch. I didn't think about that when I was 16 years old. I probably should have."
Salman Khan talks about how and why he created the remarkable Khan Academy, a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects. He shows the power of interactive exercises, and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script - give students video lectures to watch at home, and do "homework" in the classroom with the teacher available to help.
"A superb Android and iOS app which teaches beginners how to code in Java Script with micro projects. The task begin simple, but soon become challenging."
A wonderful game for learning Java Script Coding. Battle with coding opponents, either against the computer or friends. The game contains some superb graphics and a manageable learning curve.
"A useful online teleprompt tool for presenting scripts for your pupils' drama productions and presentations, which listens using your device's microphone to move automatically."
Younger grades could create scripts for implied scenes in stories they read or films they watched together.
Other subject areas could benefit from encouraging students to think about what they can show on a screen to demonstrate understanding: from a documentary on rain in environmental science to historical interpretations of events, students can show their learning (reading screenplays is a nice break from reading essays, too).
One of the best decisions our team made last summer was to pre-install Casper (5) profiles on all of our iPads. We pulled
the student IDs from our ASPEN (6) student
information system, logged each student into Casper and installed the four
profiles needed for our plan. The profiles took Safari web browser off the iPad.
As we progressed through the year, we discovered that these tools took a lot of
time to create something we were trying to move away from in the first place.
The reason for moving away from textbooks is that they offer a myopic vision of
a world that is ever-changing. Simply viewing a textbook on an iPad does not
change or innovate learning, nor does it use the iPad to its full potential. If
your plan is to digitize a standard textbook, save your money and renew your
textbook licenses.
This year we are incorporating K-12 digital portfolios along with revised
information and digital literacy standards. Every BPS student will have a Google
Apps for Education account that they will use in conjunction with the Blogger (15) application
to begin creating their Life of Learning portfolio
Begrundelser for anvendelsen af iPads i undervisningen bevæger sig fra en forestilling om at erstatte tekstbøger til en forestilling om at kunne lærerne kan samarbejde med eleverne i skyen ved hjælp af værktøjer, der automatisk synkroniserer med eleverns iPads
The students that make it into help desk are those who not only enjoy working
with technology in an educational context, but have a desire to serve, support
and possibly solve problems in the school on a daily basis.
.
Aside from simply troubleshooting, our
students help their former teachers at the middle and elementary levels as well
as create how-to scripts and videos for students, faculty and the Burlington
community. Our students have not only helped within the BPS community, but have
helped our Tech Team organize two major conferences in the past year:
You can have the most precisely calculated plan in place before you launch, but
if you don't have the right support in place, your launch may stumble. I regard
our IT department as one of the best I have ever worked with. I say this in all
sincerity because I do "work with" this team. These guys not only manage a
robust infrastructure, but they take part in the educational conversation and
give our staff the best tools to create dynamic, engaging classrooms.
Teknisk support er en del af løsningen og de skal deltage i den løbende pædagogisk/didaksike debet
However, we must work to incorporate information and digital literacy standards
into the K-12 curriculum as early as possible. Students in Kindergarten should
understand what it means to be nice to someone and how that will translate to
writing and living on the Web. As students grow up through the educational
pathways, they must be exposed to new and emerging technologies as early as
possible in a safe, responsible manner. By doing so, we are preparing them for a
global economy that requires these skills.
Our middle school is adding character education to the arts and humanities curriculum. Teaching students at a young age to be thoughtful and responsible with technology will make it a much better experience inside the classroom.
BBC World Class helps UK schools to twin with schools around the globe as part of its educational legacy for the 2012 Olympics.
Our mission is to support teachers in developing school-to-school partnerships, encouraging pupils to share creative work inspired by the Olympics.
World Class encourages and helps children and schools get their stories on-air and online across the BBC.
We provide the inspiration and resources to help teachers bring their projects to life through reports, blogs and features.
Schools can also use our wealth of assembly resources - film clips, scripts and discussion ideas - on topics inspired both by the Olympics and international stories.
The Schools World Service provides stories every month for schools to share.
We work in partnership with the British Council and other organisations outside the BBC which facilitate school twinning. BBC World Class offers support and advice to help schools twin successfully.
U.S. schools under the jurisdiction of state and federal governments are now scripted processes that view knowledge as static capital, students as passive and empty vessels, and teachers as compliant conduits for state-approved content.
The accountability paradigm is antithetical to human agency and autonomy and thus to democracy, but it serves the needs of the status quo and the ruling elite; in effect, accountability paradigms driving compulsory education are oppressive:
Re-reading and re-writing the world acknowledges that being as a human is always becoming, and these acts embrace the perpetual cycle of re-reading and re-writing as essential for both human agency and democracy. Teaching and learning are reciprocal and on-going, not hierarchical and ends to attain, possess.