Group items tagged

Video shows different ways that tech is integrated in an elementary school classroom. Plans and rubrics that are linked on this page are good resources.

Good for adding content to videos. Useful for flipped classroom or home bound instruction.

Good ideas for teaching research to middle school students. Includes relative advantage talking points for video instruction.

Authors discuss advantages of personal learning environments in facilitating collaboration and fostering learner control. PLEs are facilitated by technology, networking, and self-regulation by learners. Open network learning environments from instructors allow PLEs to form. Focus of PLE is not information consumption, but information creation and participation. Authors relate PLE and ONLE to the theory of connectivism and discuss various applications and limitations.

Fantastic quote: "Educators perceive the instructional value of integrating Web 2.0 tools include autonomy, diversity, openness, and connectedness (van Harmelen, 2006); yet, they find multiple technologies daunting, which may affect their attitudes toward online learning. The integration of multiple Web 2.0 tools has created frustration among educators and students because they lack knowledge of the tools (Lee, Miller, & Newnham, 2008), difficulty learn- ing different tools (Weller, 2007), conducting multiple authentications (Suess & Morooney, 2009), visiting multiple sites for different tools, etc. This phenomenon results from a lack of understanding of the social networking learning paradigm and inappropriate integration." This article describes the role of Personalized Learning Environments (PLEs) and how Open Network Learning Environments (ONLEs) are instrumental for creating a PLE. The authors indicate that connectivism is a key underlying principle for developing such a PLE--seeking connections to learners and sources of information. They cite Siemens ("the pipe is more important than the content in the pipe"), which surprised me, as I read that comment from Siemens as hyperbolic. Practical advice for creating your own PLE are also incorporated, as well as examples of how to work and learn within a PLE. The authors suggest that PLEs (operating through ONLEs) disrupt LMSs in the same way that technology disrupts learning in general. Interesting analogy.

This article is the best description I have seen on designing a way to evaluate instructional software. It breaks it down clearly and gives several resources to help guide you on your way to making a decision.

Check list for evaluating instructional software

Tip sheet with step by step instructions for accessibility features. Handy to keep bookmarked for a quick reminder.

This article explores three different types of learning theories as applied to distance education or learning, a non-traiditonal means of learning where students are not physically present in the classroom for instruction. While the paper discusses the cognitive-behaviourist and social constructivist theories in this learning model, it also highlights the connectivism approach. It is made known in the text that the connectivism theory caters to the constant evolvement of the act of learning as it functions on the premise of building understanding by making meaningful connections between networks of information. It is to be appreciated that this text points out the strengths and weaknesses of the theory. When applied, this theory can be a struggle for students as the theory is extremely individualized and relies on the student to act as the "central connector" in their own learning, often leaving students weary from the energy exerted and sometimes confused by a lack of structured guidance and the responsibility to take control of their own learning.

This website has links to many different instructional games for kids. It's broken up into different categories based on content. I tried a few games and kids would like them and, of the ones I tried, there definitely was educational value in them. Though the games are geared toward elementary students, it would be nice if they were also sorted (or sortable) by grade-level.

This site contains articles that relate to issues affecting developers of educational systems and the educators who implement and manage these systems. The articles contain information related to the perspectives of both of these communities and how they relate to each other.

"Peggy Benton, an assistant professor in San Francisco State University's Department of Instructional Technologies, discusses the importance of integrating technology in both elementary schools and secondary schools."

YouTube has grown to become the largest and most highly visited online video-sharing service, and interest in the educational use of YouTube has become apparent. Paralleling the rise of academic interest in YouTube is the emergence of YouTube scholarship. This article presents the results of a review of 188 peer reviewed journal articles and conference papers with "YouTube" in the title that were published between 2006 and 2009. Four questions were answered through the review of YouTube literature : (1) What is the overall distribution of publication activity for refereed journal articles and conference papers with "YouTube" in the title? (2) How are publications with "YouTube" in the title distributed across academic disciplines? (3) What have scholars writ ten about instructional methodologies involving YouTube in a sample of literature containing "YouTube" in the title ? (4) What have scholars reported about the results of studies involving YouTube in a sample of literature containing "YouTube" in the title ? An analysis of the publications revealed that the literature emerged from multiple academic disciplines. The sample of literature included 39 articles and papers describing methods for teaching with YouTube. A total of 99 articles and papers containing the results of research studies were identified and categorized. This literature review is particularly relevant to those online educators who are interested in learning what scholars from their own academic disciplines are writing about YouTube . An emphasis is placed on trends in teaching and research discussed in the sampled literature .

Some of this article seemed a bit outdated for me. I realize that it was written in 2002 but it dated itself in the writing. What I did like was how they acknowledge that Instructional and Educational technology are slightly different. I did not know the difference until 541.

Excellent detailed list of instructional software evaluation factors.

This is drill and practice instructional software. If focuses on Grammar and Writing

Great instructional games in math, ELA, and social studies.

This is a great one, I use it a lot with my Kindergarteners :)

A toolkit that provides multiple guides and resources to teachers looking to integrate digital tools into the classroom. The "Instructional Delivery" guide provides a pre-screened list of software that can be used as solutions to classroom instructional issues and needs.