I use this site to create an online textbook for my students. I also use many of the simulations and other resources the site has to offer. Great resource especially if you teach math or science.
This is a simulation software that I use mostly with my physics students. We don't utilize all of these, but when the topic perfectly aligns with one I create a simulation lab in order for them to utilize the technology and not be bored in a typical lab setting.
This website is a resource that I like to use for my 7th grade Physical Science class. The students enjoy the simulations and I can use it for things that I either don't have the resources for or that they can't be trusted to use. #EdTechSN
Here is a very complex study. Fortunately, the highlights tell us some important findings. This study went with the understanding that teachers have organically formed professional learning networks using the Internet, and report that they like them. This study focused on putting some data behind that, which it has provided. As a teacher, I found this quote very refreshing, about a researcher that "argued that top-down teacher PD in schools often aligns with hierarchical structures that de-skill teachers from their intellectual work by treating them as passive recipients of mandates. Even the term "professional development" conveys that teachers are "deficient and in need of developing and directing." In my own PLN, I have learned much more about teaching and learning from an 8th grade math teacher than I have in any of my administration-mandated social studies PD sessions.
I'll be honest, I did not read the entire study, but the highlights from this article and the abstract once again confirmed what I'm starting to realize. We are teaching in a way that is behind the times when it comes to the current ways students learn naturally. We are fighting their expectations trying to bottle them into the box that is traditional education.
"Imagine if kids poured their time and passion into a video game that taught them math concepts while they barely noticed, because it was so enjoyable," Bill Gates said. This article talks about what role games should play in the classroom.
We are adopting a 1-1 initiative next year and my math team and I are looking for an online data base to help us differentiate. This is the best option that we have found and I like how individualized the learning can be!
This is my class website! Here you will be able to find a calendar of the assignments as well as resources and other materials that are helpful for my students. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have!