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The Window: Thinking in the Seams: Engaging Interdisciplinary Thinking - 1 views

clerestorylearning.blogspot.com/...hinking-in-seams-engaging.html interdisciplinary_learning teaching education learning
shared by Tony Baldasaro on 31 Jul 09 - Cached
  • “thinking in the seams,” thinking that merges ideas from different disciplines to generate something novel and beneficial
  • “points of departure for discovering or confirming similar structures and relations in other disciplines.”
  • It stitches together perspectives or modes of inquiry from two or more disciplines to explore ideas. It is thinking “in the seams.”
    • Tony Baldasaro
      Tony Baldasaro on 31 Jul 09
       
      I like this visual of "stitching" together ideas.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Patterns play a critical role in enabling interdisciplinary thinking.
  • According to researchers, interdisciplinary thinking often follows a sequence of mental actions: relationships between ideas within a discipline are recognized→the relationships are recognized as forming pattern(s)→the pattern(s) are decontextualized/generalized→examples of the same pattern(s) are recognized in other disciplines→ideas from one discipline “overlay” with another, generating new ideas.3
  • “usable knowledge”—knowledge that “is connected and organized around important concepts” and “supports transfer (to other contexts) rather than only the ability to remember.”
  • Tony Baldasaro on 31 Jul 09
     
    Creativity, innovation, and deepened understanding can result from interdisciplinary thinking. Despite these potential benefits, schools rarely cultivate the "mental dexterity" required for thinking in the seams
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wizer.me - 81 views

app.wizer.me interactive worksheet assessment tools wizer formative writing education
shared by Deborah Baillesderr on 21 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • Deborah Baillesderr on 21 Mar 16
     
    This has probably been featured already, but I love this site. You can create any kind of assessment your heart desires. Truly worth checking out.
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5 Reasons Why Origami Improves Students' Skills | Edutopia - 59 views

www.edutopia.org/...tudents-skills-ainissa-ramirez origami STEAM edutopia skills STEM math makerspace
shared by H DeWaard on 22 Aug 15 - No Cached
  • origami
  • This art form engages students and sneakily enhances their skills -- including improved spatial perception and logical and sequential thinking.
  • Here are some ways that origami can be used in your classroom to improve a range of skills:
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • Geometry
  • According to the National Center for Education Statistics in 2003, geometry was one area of weakness among American students.
  • Origami has been found to strengthen an understanding of geometric concepts, formulas, and labels, making them come alive.
  • Thinking Skills
  • Origami excites other modalities of learning. It has been shown to improve spatial visualization skills using hands-on learning.
  • Fractions
  • Folding paper can demonstrate the fractions in a tactile way.
  • Problem Solving
  • Often in assignments, there is one set answer and one way to get there. Origami provides children an opportunity to solve something that isn't prescribed and gives them a chance to make friends with failure (i.e. trial and error).
  • Origami is a fun way to explain physics concepts. A thin piece of paper is not very strong, but if you fold it like an accordion it will be.
  • Researchers have found that students who use origami in math perform better.
  • STEAM
  • While schools are still catching up to the idea of origami as a STEAM engine (the merging of these disciplines), origami is already being used to solve tough problems in technology.
  • Additionally, the National Science Foundation, one of the government's largest funding agencies, has supported a few programs that link engineers with artists to use origami in designs. The ideas range from medical forceps to foldable plastic solar panels.
  • H DeWaard on 26 Aug 15
     
    Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, has applications in the modern-day classroom for teaching geometry, thinking skills, fractions, problem solving, and fun science.
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4 Steps to Empower Student Voice | The Remind Blog - 39 views

blog.remind.com/empower-student-voice voice student instructional personalizedlearning personalized
shared by Sharin Tebo on 05 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • The term “student voice” refers to the input and perspectives of students, and describes how their voices and actions affect what happens in the classroom. Through developing their own questions, seeking out their interests, and driving their own learning, students become more involved in their education. With this involvement comes empowerment, as students are able to use their knowledge to contribute to the greater community.
  • 1. Inclusion When students feel that they matter and are included in the classroom community, they are much more likely to open up and share their perspectives.
  • 2. Integration Begin to integrate student voice into your daily lessons by creating more opportunities for students to contribute. This can come in the form of whole classroom discussion, small group activities, input on writing activities, and more
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • At the transformational level, teachers can draw on student input to shape curricular goals for the class.
  • Student empowerment enables students to use their knowledge to contribute to the classroom and greater outside community. When students feel comfortable sharing their voices, they grow into positions of leadership.
  • Resources Encourage student voice in your classroom and school community with some of these helpful resources: Student Voice: Student Voice has toolkit filled with classroom resources, student voice stories, and more that will allow you to transform your classroom into one where students can thrive. Edutopia: Check out some of these great articles and resources for highlighting student voice in your classroom. Students at the Center: Motivation, engagement, and student voice activities. MindShift KQED: From student voices, learn what students say about being trusted partners in learning.
  • Sharin Tebo on 05 Nov 14
     
    Voice and Choice--Encouraging it in 4 steps to personalize the learning experience.
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Professional blog | 21st Century Educator - 89 views

davidwees.com/...your-own-adventure-style-story
shared by Trevor Cunningham on 22 Jul 12 - Cached
Kate Pok liked it
  • Trevor Cunningham on 22 Jul 12
     
    Make a choose your own adventure book out of a GoogleForm
  • Kate Pok on 23 Jul 12
     
    Can also do this with wikis, no? But I like this, too- thanks!
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Seven Tips for Maximizing the Impact of PD - Houston, TX, United States, ASCD EDge Blog... - 50 views

edge.ascd.org/...127586.html
shared by BalancEd Tech on 02 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • Current research indicates that teacher expertise is the most significant school-based influence on student learning.
    • BalancEd Tech
      BalancEd Tech on 02 Aug 12
       
      Expertise in what? Content, pedagogy, technology integration, child psychology, empathizing, formative assessment, ...
  • Model what you expect teachers to do.
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Resource: Reading Assessments | UKEdChat.com - Supporting the #UKEdChat Education Commu... - 14 views

ukedchat.com/...resource-reading-assessments reading resource assessments formative
shared by C CC on 15 Mar 14 - No Cached
  • C CC on 15 Mar 14
     
    In England, levels are being removed from schools. This is a great resource which might support teachers assessing reading, applicable for teachers in other countries.
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50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom | Smart Teaching - 129 views

www.smartteaching.org/...tive-and-interactive-classroom collaboration wikis education technology web2.0
shared by Nancy White on 04 May 10 - Cached
  • Track participation: Assign a wiki page to a group project, and then individual pages for each student to show their participation.
    • Nancy White
      Nancy White on 09 Nov 10
       
      I like this idea. Moves towards student ownership of learning. This is an easy formative assessment piece to put in place.
  • Solving wiki: Post difficult math problems, such as calculus, so that the class can collaboratively solve them.
  • Nancy White on 09 Nov 10
     
    great ideas for multiple uses of wikis - with examples of each, however some of these links don't work.
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Why Online Programs Fail, and 5 Things We Can Do About It - Hybrid Pedagogy - 76 views

www.hybridpedagogy.com/...nd-5-things-we-can-do-about-it
shared by Ryan Ingersoll on 31 Jul 14 - No Cached
  • More and different types of learning and teaching are available in the digital environment. We must convince ourselves that we don’t yet understand digital education so we may open the doors more broadly to innovation and creativity
  • we shouldn’t set off on a cruise, and build the ship as we go
    • Rafael Morales_Gamboa
      Rafael Morales_Gamboa on 31 Jul 14
       
      Why not? I might not be possible in the physical world, but that does not mean it cannot be done in the digital one.
  • Few institutions pay much attention to re-creating these spaces online
    • Rafael Morales_Gamboa
      Rafael Morales_Gamboa on 31 Jul 14
       
      They do not need to. The digital learning space does not have to be like the physical one.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • What spaces can we build online that aren’t quantified, tracked, scored, graded, assessed, and accredited?
    • Rafael Morales_Gamboa
      Rafael Morales_Gamboa on 31 Jul 14
       
      Are social networking applications you are talking about?
  • What we have is a series of online classes with no real infrastructure to support the work that students do on college campuses outside and between those classes
    • Rafael Morales_Gamboa
      Rafael Morales_Gamboa on 31 Jul 14
       
      In physical schools that work have to be done on campus, because when students leave they become distant from each other. But that does not happen online: students are close together both inside and outside the "campus"; actually, they are simultaneously inside and outside campus.
  • Up to now, online learning has taken little notice of the web upon which it’s suspended
  • Today, the road to access doesn’t necessarily detour through the university, and anyone, of just about any age, can travel it.
    • Rafael Morales_Gamboa
      Rafael Morales_Gamboa on 31 Jul 14
       
      This is, of course, an overstatement, as not everyone is prepared, given their development and living conditions, to take advantage of Internet.
  • We’ve created happy little caskets inside which learning fits too neatly and tidily (like forums, learning management systems, and web conferencing platforms). We’ve timed learning down to the second, developed draconian quality assurance measures, built analytics to track every bit of minutiae, and we’ve championed the stalest, most banal forms of interaction — interaction buried beneath rubrics and quantitative assessment — interaction that looks the same every time in every course with every new set of students.
  • Rafael Morales_Gamboa on 31 Jul 14
     
    A critical view about e-learning as it mostly happens today.
  • Ryan Ingersoll on 22 Jul 15
     
    A critical view about e-learning as it mostly happens today.
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Always Write: Cobett's "7 Elements of a Differentiated Writing Lesson" Resources - 10 views

www.corbettharrison.com/seven_elements.htm
shared by Has Slone on 09 Apr 12 - No Cached
    • Has Slone
      Has Slone on 09 Apr 12
       
      This is a neat way to start a writing class with the creating plot ideas....
  • One of the goals I ask teachers to set after my training is to find new ways to push students to analyze and evaluate as they learn to write.
  • As part of my teacher workshop on the writing process, we investigate multiple uses of student samples. One of my favorite techniques involves having student compare and contrast finished pieces of writing. During both pre-writing and and revision, this push for deeper student thinking both educates and inspires your students.
  • ...30 more annotations...
  • The handout has student writers analyze two fifth graders' published writing with a compare and contrast Venn diagram.
  • Revision is hard, and most teachers recognize it as an area of deficiency; the truth is, a lot of really great writing teachers I know still freely admit that revision is where they struggle the most.
  • revision shouldn't be the first of the seven elements to work on
  • When students like what they've written in rough draft form, they're ready to move to revision. My other six elements aim at helping students increase their pre-writing time so they both like and see more potential in their rough drafts
  • I believe in the power of collaboration and study teams,
  • Professional development research clearly cites the study team model as the most effective way to have learners not only understand new ideas but also implement them enough times so they become regular tools in a teacher's classroom.
  • Below, find three examples created by study teams during past workshops. I use them as models/exemplars when I set the study teams off to work.
  • My students learn to appreciate the act of writing, and they see it as a valuable life-skill.
  • In a perfect world, following my workshop,
  • follow-up tools.
  • I also use variations of these Post-its during my Critical Thinking Using the Writing Traits Workshop.
  • By far, the best success I've ever had while teaching revision was the one I experienced with the revision Post-its I created for my students
  • During my teacher workshop on the writing process, we practice with tools like the Revision Sprint (at right), which I designed to push students to use analysis and evaluation skills as they looked at their own drafts
  • I used to throw my kids into writing response groups way too fast. They weren't ready to provide critical thought for one another
  • The most important trick learned was this: be a writer too. During my first five years of teaching, I had assigned a lot of writing but never once had I written something I intended to show my students.
  • I have the following interactive plot element generator (which can be replicated with three coffee cans and index cards) to help my students feel in control of their options:
  • If you want to hear my take on graphic organizers in detail, you're going to have to hire me to come to present to you. If you can't do that, then I'll throw you a challenge that was thrown once at me, and completing the challenge helped me become a smarter designer of graphic organizers. The challenge came in two parts: 1) learn how to use tables and text boxes in Microsoft Word; 2) for practice, design a graphic organizer that would help students be successfully with the following trait-based skills:
  • "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, etc," which is an interesting structure that students can borrow from to write about other topics, be they fiction or non-fiction.
  • Asking students to create daily journals from the perspective of other animals or even inanimate objects is a great way to borrow this book's idea.
  • it challenges students to analyze the author's word choice & voice skills: specifically his use of verbs, subtle alliteration, and dialogue.
  • Mentor Text Resource Page here at my website, because this topic has become such a big piece of learning to me. It deserved its own webpage.
  • Here are seven skills I can easily list for the organization trait. Organization is: 1) using a strong lead or hook, 2) using a variety of transition words correctly, 3) paragraphing correctly, 4) pacing the writing, 5) sequencing events/ideas logically, 6) concluding the writing in a satisfying way, 7) titling the writing interestingly and so that the title stands for the whole idea. Over the years, I have developed or found and adapted mini-lessons that have students practice these skills during my "Organization Month."
  • Now, let's talk differentiation:
  • The problem with focusing students on a product--instead of the writing process--is that the majority of the instructional time is spent teaching students to adhere to a formula.
  • the goal of writing instruction absolutely should be the helping students practice the three Bloom's levels above apply: analyze, evaluate, and create.
  • Click here to access the PowerPoint I use during the goal-setting portion of my workshop.
  • Improving one's ability to teach writing to all students is a long-term professional development goal; sticking with it requires diligence, and it requires having a more specific goal than "I want to improve writing
  • "Trying to get better at all seven elements at once doesn't work;
  • strive to make my workshops more about "make and take,
  • Robert Marzano's research convinced me years ago of the importance of having learners set personal goals as they learn to take responsibility for their own learning.
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Digital Age Damaging Learning | Nicholas Carr - 72 views

www.smh.com.au/...-something-20101012-16hhd.html learning dumb google computer criticalthinking faustianbargain
shared by Steve Ransom on 13 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • excessive use of the internet and other forms of technology diminishes our capacity for deep, meditative thinking, "the brighter the software, the dimmer the user", a counter-revolution may be required.
  • curricula must be developed not only with the potential benefits of technology linked to every learning outcome in mind, but also the costs.
    • Steve Ransom
      Steve Ransom on 13 Oct 10
       
      The Faustian bargain that Postman so often wrote about
  • available where there is clear utility, to remove it when there is not
    • Steve Ransom
      Steve Ransom on 13 Oct 10
       
      And who do we leave this decision up to? The individual? If so, we are in big trouble.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • we must be mindful of any cost associated with allowing ourselves to devolve to a more machine-like state.
    • Steve Ransom
      Steve Ransom on 13 Oct 10
       
      NO ONE is striving for this. Just the opposite.
  • Of greatest importance, however, is the status of our thinking, understanding how we think and the effect new technologies have on our cognitive processes. This debate extends beyond the neuroscience to questions relating to what is worth knowing and what mental functions are worth preserving at their present level of development
  • As a senior high school teacher, one of my greatest bugbears is the reluctance of students to reflect on the information they have collected and plan their essays. Rather, some expect to Google their entire essay, often skipping from one hyperlink to the next until they find something that appears to be relevant, then pasting it into their essay, frequently oblivious to academic honesty and coherence of argument. The ability to discern reliability of sources is also severely lacking
    • Steve Ransom
      Steve Ransom on 13 Oct 10
       
      This is a by-product of failing to address and teach good research methods in a digital world and assigning work that can simply be cut and pasted. We must move beyond "reporting" in a digital, information-rich, and connected world.
  • A primary role of educators is to foster qualities that are distinctly human: our ability to reflect, reason and imagine
    • Steve Ransom
      Steve Ransom on 13 Oct 10
       
      Exactly... and this must happen, regardless of the types of information that we have access to. To say that technology impedes this is laughable.
  • In the curricula of tomorrow this may entail identifying topics and tasks that begin with an instruction to turn all electronic devices off.
    • Steve Ransom
      Steve Ransom on 13 Oct 10
       
      No- it should begin with teachers establishing and negotiating meaningful, interesting, and powerful learning opportunities with access to all available tools. The computer as a learning tool is meant to extend physical human capabilities, not weaken them. It is the low-level, rote tasks that we require that weaken them. It's time to recognize this and wake up. Blaming the technology does little more than preserve the status quo.
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Students tap into technology - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - 1 views

www.pittsburghlive.com/...s_612698.html
shared by Gregory Louie on 23 Feb 09 - Cached
  • use their laptops to read "Don Quixote" and Dante's "Divine Comedy" on the Internet
  • Technology is the wave of the future
  • a computer program
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • "Most jobs require computers," noted Brittnee Stephen, 16, as she assembled a slideshow on her HP Mini laptop. "It's good that we're learning it now."
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 23 Feb 09
       
      The technology is still very visible, if students are talking in terms of 'computers' rather than the skills involved. We don't talk about 'paper' but writing, critical reading etc. Yet here the platform itself is emphasized. Early days, I guess.
  • has just begun incorporating technology
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 23 Feb 09
       
      Uh, no. They have been using 'technology' forever, in the form of, say, books.
  • students seem far more interested in learning via interactive technology than they had been with a chalkboard and an overhead projector
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 23 Feb 09
       
      Well, the problem here is that some of that can be ascribed to novelty. Once every class uses 'interactive technology' (yuk) then how much difference will there be? The tools are great. All tools can be useful. But focus on the pedagogy, people!
    • Scott Merrick
      Scott Merrick on 25 Feb 09
       
      I'm for focusing on understanding. I love the word "pedagogy" because most lay people don't really know what it entails--theory (which can be anything institutional or community deems effective or correct), practice (which, as we know, can be summed up with the phrase "mileage will vary"), and some third thing which if I could come up with it I'd have the magic 3 elements in an effective argument. I think effective tools used effectively by effective teachers (there! 3 uses of one adjective!) will remain effective as long as they are used to promote understanding. No argument here, Ed, just sayin'...
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 26 Feb 09
       
      Perhaps the magic third thing would be 'attitude' or 'state of mind'? Alternatively, perhaps another of those non-transparent terms, 'praxis'. The point I was trying to make, of course, was that it ain't what you use, it's the way that you use it.
  • "I think the kids that have turned school off because it's boring to them will come here and see something familiar,"
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 23 Feb 09
       
      Boring and familiar seem to me to be closely related, not opposites. I suspect that often when students say their learning environment is 'boring' they mean 'challenging'.
  • Educational technology does not come cheaply
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 23 Feb 09
       
      The cost of books is astronomical!
  • "Learning is changing,"
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 23 Feb 09
       
      Was it EVER the case that we could "just deliver a lecture and expect all the kids to get it"?
    • Gregory Louie
      Gregory Louie on 26 Feb 09
       
      Computer technology in my classroom has revolutionized my teaching of biology. Instead of static images on a printed page, or talk and chalk, my students can manipulate 3-D images of DNA, RNA and proteins. These have even been embedded in a research-based learning progression that leads the students to a robust understanding of the foundational elements of molecular literacy. 1. Atoms and molecules are constantly in motion. (A visualization is not possible on a 2-3 printed page.) 2. All atoms and molecules have a 3-D structure that determines how they interact with other particles. 3. Charges and other intermolecular forces play a role in atomic and molecular interactions. My students can see these for themselves, change the number of particles in a box, or the distribution of charge on a large particle or the temperature of the box and other thought experiments which they can follow in real-time. There is no way, I could do that without the computer!
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How to Wake Up Slumbering Minds - WSJ.com - 2 views

online.wsj.com/...SB124079001063757515.html bestpractices review cognition styles learning education
shared by Ed Webb on 27 Jul 09 - Cached
  • what school requires students to do -- think abstractly -- is in fact not something our brains are designed to be good at or to enjoy
  • it is critical that the task be just difficult enough to hold our interest but not so difficult that we give up in frustration. When this balance is struck, it is actually pleasurable to focus the mind for long periods of time
  • Students are ready to understand knowledge but not create it. For most, that is enough. Attempting a great leap forward is likely to fail.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • students cannot apply generic "critical thinking skills" (another voguish concept) to new material unless they first understand that material
  • Trying to use "reading strategies" -- like searching for the main idea in a passage -- will be futile if you don't know enough facts to fill in what the author has left unsaid.
  • what is being taught in most of the curriculum -- at all levels of schooling -- is information about meaning, and meaning is independent of form
  • At some point, no amount of dancing will help you learn more algebra
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 27 Jul 09
       
      But if you learn dancing AND algebra, you may be better at both, or at least approach each in a more interesting way.
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Internet Safety Resources | SimpleK12 - 6 views

www.simplek12.com/internetsafety internetsafety technology education
shared by Colleen FitzGerald on 27 Sep 09 - Cached
  • To spread the word about Internet Safety, SimpleK12 has compiled a list of FREE resources on all the hottest topics regarding internet saftey. Please enjoy this free resource. If you're looking for a full internet safety solution (whether to meet new eRate requirements, or just keep your students and staff safe) be sure to check out our Protecting Students in the 21st Century online curriculum with online lessons for teens, teachers, and parents. To learn more about SimpleK12's online internet safety program, visit the product page or fill out the form to the right.
  • Kimberly LaPrairie on 27 Sep 09
     
    Check out the best collection of resources available on the web to keep your students and children (and yourself!) safe: http://www.simplek12.com/internetsafety
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Educational Leadership:Reading to Learn:Can't Get Kids to Read? Make It Social - 85 views

www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/mar10/vol67/num06/Can't_Get_Kids_to_Read¢_Make_It_Social.aspx diigo research
shared by Tamara Connors on 19 Mar 10 - No Cached
  • Can't Get Kids to Read? Make It Social William M. Ferriter
  • One great tool for creating social reading experiences is Diigo (www.diigo.com), a free online application that allows users to add highlights and comments onscreen to any Web-based text. These comments can be seen by anyone using Diigo and are identified with the commenter's user name. Diigo also enables users to bookmark and "tag" with keywords any online articles that they find fascinating. Classes studying topics together can share their reading. Articles tagged by one user become instantly available to another, providing a source for continued study and ongoing conversations. The best news is that creating secure student accounts in Diigo is easy. Teachers can form a classroom group that enables students to see only the articles bookmarked and the annotations shared by their teachers and peers—instead of the comments of the entire Diigo community.
  • ttp://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/Social-Bookmarking-and-Annotating
  • Steve Ransom on 19 Mar 10
     
    Explains how Diigo is used in the classroom to make solitary text-based reading social.
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e-Portfolios: An overview : JISC - 69 views

www.jisc.ac.uk/...eportfolios portfolios eportfolio overview
shared by Clint Hamada on 10 May 10 - Cached
  • But most importantly we are interesed in e-portfolios because there is emerging, often powerful evidence from practitioners  and learners of how e-portfolios can promote more profound forms of learning, as well their further potential in supporting for example transition between institutions and stages of education, and in supporting professional development and applications for professional accreditation.
  • An e-portfolio is a purposeful aggregation of digital items - ideas, evidence, reflections, feedback etc. which 'presents' a selected audience with evidence of a person's learning and/or ability
  • Behind any product, or presentation, lie rich and complex processes of planning, synthesising, sharing, discussing, reflecting, giving, receifing and responding to feedback.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Descriptions of e-portfolio processes also tend to include the concepts of learners drawing from both informal and and formal learning activities to create their e-portfolios
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Changing Rules of the Literacy Club | Angela Maiers Educational Services, Inc. - 68 views

www.angelamaiers.com/...-in-the-literacy-club-now.html literacy transliteracy learning
shared by Nancy White on 27 Jul 11 - Cached
  • Aren't we all emergent readers when we encounter new texts and mediums that push the boundaries of genre, form, format, and mode;on and offline? 
  • Nancy White on 27 Jul 11
     
    Great description of literacy and learning.
  • Dianne Hugdahl on 28 Jul 11
     
    Global digital learners. We are all emerging into new ways in learning and literacy.
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The Elusive Big Idea - NYTimes.com - 51 views

www.nytimes.com/...the-elusive-big-idea.html GablerNeal education ed_methods technology media corporate philosophy
shared by Maughn Gregory on 22 Aug 11 - No Cached
  • If our ideas seem smaller nowadays, it’s not because we are dumber than our forebears but because we just don’t care as much about ideas as they did. In effect, we are living in an increasingly post-idea world — a world in which big, thought-provoking ideas that can’t instantly be monetized are of so little intrinsic value that fewer people are generating them and fewer outlets are disseminating them, the Internet notwithstanding. Bold ideas are almost passé.
  • we live in a post-Enlightenment age in which rationality, science, evidence, logical argument and debate have lost the battle in many sectors, and perhaps even in society generally, to superstition, faith, opinion and orthodoxy. While we continue to make giant technological advances, we may be the first generation to have turned back the epochal clock — to have gone backward intellectually from advanced modes of thinking into old modes of belief.
  • Post-Enlightenment refers to a style of thinking that no longer deploys the techniques of rational thought. Post-idea refers to thinking that is no longer done, regardless of the style.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • In the past, we collected information not simply to know things. That was only the beginning. We also collected information to convert it into something larger than facts and ultimately more useful — into ideas that made sense of the information. We sought not just to apprehend the world but to truly comprehend it, which is the primary function of ideas. Great ideas explain the world and one another to us.
  • These ideas enabled us to get our minds around our existence and attempt to answer the big, daunting questions of our lives.
  • But if information was once grist for ideas, over the last decade it has become competition for them.
  • In effect, we are living within the nimbus of an informational Gresham’s law in which trivial information pushes out significant information, but it is also an ideational Gresham’s law in which information, trivial or not, pushes out ideas.
  • We prefer knowing to thinking because knowing has more immediate value. It keeps us in the loop
  • For one thing, social networking sites are the primary form of communication among young people, and they are supplanting print, which is where ideas have typically gestated. For another, social networking sites engender habits of mind that are inimical to the kind of deliberate discourse that gives rise to ideas.
  • Indeed, the gab of social networking tends to shrink one’s universe to oneself and one’s friends, while thoughts organized in words, whether online or on the page, enlarge one’s focus.
  • But because they are scientists and empiricists rather than generalists in the humanities, the place from which ideas were customarily popularized, they suffer a double whammy: not only the whammy against ideas generally but the whammy against science, which is typically regarded in the media as mystifying at best, incomprehensible at worst. A generation ago, these men would have made their way into popular magazines and onto television screens.
  • there is a vast difference between profit-making inventions and intellectually challenging thoughts.
  • There won’t be anything we won’t know. But there will be no one thinking about it.
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Technology + mentoring helps failing schools achieve - 50 views

www.techlearning.com/...25282 academic programs technology
shared by Mr. Loftus on 07 Nov 09 - No Cached
  • Amid growing pressure on public school districts to improve performance of chronically struggling schools, two nationally recognized education organizations have formed a consortium to offer a research-based approach for transforming  these schools into successful learning environments without requiring mass dismissals of staff, school closures or turnover to charters or outside management organizations.
  • The new initiative, called SetPoint, pairs classroom technology with intensive coaching to build capacity for sustained change within the local district.
  • With the SetPoint process, most staff members remain in their positions and receive intensive coaching and modeling in best instructional practices from experienced principals and school leaders.
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