EdTech for WL

Intro video on how to use Twitter

"I just came across this awesome graphic on Bloom's Taxonomy and thought you might be interested to have a look as well. This graphic is a little bit different from the visuals I have previously shared with you in Bloom's Taxonomy page here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Besides featuring the usual thinking skills found in the revised taxonomy, it also provides a classification of learners along this thinking continuum. In this regard we have : Creative Thinkers Independent Inquirers Effective Participators Self Managers Team Workers Reflective Learners have a look at the visual to learn more."

Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology. Digital citizenship is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use.  Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology but not sure what to do. The issue is more than what the users do not know but what is considered appropriate technology usage. 

"It is often said that leading and teaching in project-based learning schools are like building an airplane while flying it. During the summer, we land the plane and we have a chance to just build. In the spirit of summer, this post is brief and concrete so we have more time for the beach and planning! Here are three ways you can plan for student success this summer"

"What boosts PBL from a fun and engaging exercise to a rigorous and powerful real-world learning experience? Researchers have identified four key components that are critical to teaching successfully with PBL (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008; Ertmer & Simons, 2005; Mergendoller & Thomas, 2005; Hung, 2008). All of these play a role in the curriculum-design process."

Tons of resources collected by our good friend and ACTFL President, Toni Theisen.

From Thomas Sauer's Skydrive - the Jefferson County Public Schools (KY) WL curriculum for levels 1-3, regardless of language, but emphasis on Spanish, French and German

"Over the course of two years, I, along with the Burlington Public Schools tech team, had the opportunity to meet and connect with over one hundred schools. These discussions would usually involve what device works best in the classroom and how the iPad is affecting teaching and learning outcomes. Frequently this conversation focuses on the most effective hardware for teaching and learning. While this is an important decision to make, it should not be the focus. In fact, the best devices a school can employ are great teachers."

Suzie Boss on PBL ideas - good read!

Great article for resources on PBL, links to other articles, project ideas, integration of edtech ideas...

"For some, the technology rich classroom is easy to justify. Once you have made the transition and seen the benefits, it is easy to weigh them against the potential risks and worries about the problems resulting from having a room full of devices."

10 great apps for PBL, FlipClass and EdTech applications