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Kasey Hutson

Bill Goodwyn: Technology Doesn't Teach, Teachers Teach - 0 views

www.huffingtonpost.com/...n-the-classroom_b_1857369.html

education teaching teachers technology

shared by Kasey Hutson on 08 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • Technology doesn't teach. Teachers teach.
  • All of us involved in education received the same mandate this past winter from President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan: to replace traditional, static textbooks with dynamic, interactive digital textbooks within the next five years. Several organizations have accepted this challenge enthusiastically and are partnering with districts every day to help transform classrooms into the digital learning environments our leaders envision. But the process is complicated.
  • We have seen the power of new technology in practice, especially when used by effectively trained teachers. In an initiative to replace traditional social studies textbooks, those students using digital tools in the Indianapolis Public Schools system, in which 85 percent of students are enrolled in subsidized lunch programs, had a 27 percent higher passing rate on statewide progress tests than students in classrooms that were not plugged in. Students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools who used digital resources achieved a 7 percent increase in their science FCAT (Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test) exams. And students of the Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina increased their performance on state exams by 13 percent over three short years, thanks to digital content and passionate, technology literate teachers
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  • North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) perfectly illustrates both the power of effective teacher training and technology. Since 2008, CMS has provided digital science resources to Title I schools -- schools with a high concentration of students living in poverty. Along with digital content, the district provided teachers with ongoing professional development designed to show them how to build engaging lessons, enhance their current curriculum and inspire students by integrating digital media, hardware and software. The professional development, however, was not mandatory. The results could not have been clearer: The students of teachers who opted into the professional development not only closed the achievement gap between themselves and students from Title I schools that did not have the same technology, they also outperformed the non-Title I schools, amassing a 57 percent passing rate on the state's end-of-year standardized science tests, compared to the 43 percent passing rate of those from wealthier schools. These are some of the most disadvantaged students in the state, remember, and yet they caught up to -- and surpassed -- students from more affluent schools.
  • Kasey Hutson on 08 Sep 12
     
    One of the coolest points - Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools provided technology resources to Title I schools, and made professional development to integrate technology into the classroom optional. Those teachers who participated in the professional development not only closed the achievement gap, but also outperformed non-Title I schools in the area.
Megan Cleary

The achievement gap, by the numbers - The Washington Post - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...1-8253-3f495ae70650_story.html

shared by Megan Cleary on 10 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • virtually nobody disputes that socioeconomic status, cultural identity and the educational level of parents — especially mothers — are linked to the stubborn achievement gap between students of different races and ethnicities.
  • research has shown that outside factors are generally more powerful than any teacher and that it is the exception rather than the rule that students facing myriad social issues can do well at school
  • The persistent gap in the District reflects on the questionable nature of some of the reforms that have been implemented in the city
  • Megan Cleary on 10 Sep 12
     
    This issue is both frustrating and controversial, and there is little to no agreement on how to address it.  It seems educators will be dealing with this issue for a long time to come.
Benjamin Hindman

Let Them Play: Video gaming in education - 0 views

digitaldollar.edublogs.org/...play-video-gaming-in-education

shared by Benjamin Hindman on 03 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • I started my 4th-grade students up on an updated version of Lemonade Stand.
  • The kids all wanted to make money and, within less than an hour, my English-language learning students were appropriately using words like net profit and assets.
  • allow students to play educational games as part of a facilitated lesson have  students create video games for their classmates or younger students use game design principles in curriculum design
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  • the added visual and audio effects, video games deliver information to students’ brains in a much more effective envelope.
  • research has shown that educational video games can increase student achievement, as well as spatial reasoning skills, compared to more traditional instruction.
  • Mission-based video games are about more than just getting students to memorize facts. Video games have been shown to teach literacy, problem-solving, perseverance, and collaboration.
  • Most video games offer students opportunities to both gain knowledge and, more importantly, immediately utilize that knowledge to solve a problem.
  • This immediate application of knowledge, coupled with the inherent fun of video games, engages and motivates students far better than many traditional lessons could. Students become problem solvers who can think through complex missions to find the best possible solution.
  • And because students are so motivated to find a solution, they will often take risks they might otherwise be too scared to take in the classroom.
  • Not only is he gaining valuable collaborative and leadership skills, he’s also becoming a true global citizen.
  • With any in-class activity, our job as teachers is to help students transfer that knowledge so they can use it in scenarios outside of that day’s lesson. The same goes for educational games.
  • Because students were in the lab, they weren’t bored enough to cause trouble during their down-time. Plus, teachers started seeing some intriguing self-regulation habits take form. With a limited number of controllers, students were politely asking and offering to take turns in the game lab, without adult intervention. And the lab attracted a variety of kids — girls, boys, special education students, kids from all socio-economic backgrounds. Students who normally never interacted were playing together.
  • School leaders contend that by building video games that work, students begin to understand complex systems, which will give them valuable knowledge as they enter the workforce.
  • Benjamin Hindman on 03 Oct 12
     
    A very interesting look at gaming in education.  This site also provides ideas and suggestions for integration of games into the classroom.
Stephanie McGuire

Digital Literacy Includes Learning to Unplug - NYTimes.com - 1 views

parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/...cy-includes-learning-to-unplug

shared by Stephanie McGuire on 05 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • The new digital divide isn’t between children who have access to computers and devices and those who do not. It’s between kids whose parents are saying “turn that thing off” and those whose parents don’t limit their access — because they don’t know how, or because they’re not available to do it.
  • Instead of closing the achievement gap,” said the author of the Kaiser study, “they’re widening the time-wasting gap.”
  • The F.C.C. is considering creating a “digital literacy corps” to teach productive uses of the computer and Internet to students, parents and job seekers
  • Stephanie McGuire on 05 Sep 12
     
    A problem lies also in the time wasted on technology. Education needs to include WHEN to use technology for learning purposes.
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  • Madeline Grygiel on 05 Sep 12
  • Madeline Grygiel on 05 Sep 12
     
    "A study published in 2010 by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that children and teenagers whose parents do not have a college degree spent 90 minutes more per day exposed to media than children from higher socioeconomic families"... why is this? Parents busy working? Lack of resources (e.g. books)? Home environment (e.g. no yard to play in outside)?
  • Stephanie McGuire on 06 Sep 12
     
    Thank you for sharing the original article, very interesting and well written! What a difference in time wasted per day. I would agree with your ideas of why that might be. So I certainly think a digital literacy core could be a helpful and useful investment! I also think education for parents is just as important as students to learn to use the Internet to learn new information and be creative.
Emily Wampler

ASCD Express 6.10 - Tips for New Teachers: Goodbye to "Good Job!"-The Power of Specific... - 0 views

www.ascd.org/...610-wilson.aspx

shared by Emily Wampler on 12 Sep 12 - No Cached
    • Emily Wampler
      Emily Wampler on 12 Sep 12
       
      I agree with most of this article, but I wonder if occasionally the use of names (calling on specific children as examples) can still be appropriate?  Why are we so afraid of hurting other kids feelings?  Or is that never acceptable nowadays?
  • Although the intention is good, using general praise on its own does little to help students understand your expectations and recognize their own achievements.
  • Name only behaviors that have actually occurred.
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  • Say what you see, not how you feel.
  • Avoid naming some students as examples for others
  • Use those opportunities to offer specific feedback focused on children's positive behaviors.
  • Each bit of such feedback will help students understand your expectations, build on their strengths, and recognize themselves as competent and independent learners.
smsanders

Tablets, laptops and mobiles in the classroom: top tips from teachers | Teacher Network... - 0 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...le-in-classrooms-teachers-tips

tips classroom tablets

shared by smsanders on 16 Sep 12 - No Cached
  • The device in my opinion should very much depend on what you would like to achieve.
  • The key piece of advice I would give here is use your young people to hel
  • Group work with or without devices goes beyond just the subject knowledge. Being able to work and communicate effectively with others is a key life skil
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  • working with people from other schoo
  • If we are encouraging more use of 1:1 devices, we should also be encouraging more sharing of learning experiences.
  • smsanders on 16 Sep 12
     
    Take a look at some of the advice different educators give. There's even a link that takes you to a live discussion
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