Group items tagged

This textbook provides a solid foundation on integrating technology into the classroom. It provides, research-based methods, case studies, and additional resources (websites & tools) to guide educators.

This is the textbook for the course EdTech541. The goal of this textbook is to describe how to integrate technology to it's fullest advantage using learning theory, tested teaching practices, matched learning and teaching needs, old and new strategies, and a combination of technology, pedagogy and content knowledge.

Discovery Education Techbook™ is a digital textbook replacement that provides unrivaled content that helps teachers transition to the exciting world of digital resources. Techbook™ ignites curiosity and enhances learning via a powerful, simple-to-use program that substantially lowers district costs and can be used across any device or platform.

This open textbook chapter defines and illustrates the concepts of connectivism. Additionally, it covers the learning principles behind it and explores how it applies to teaching and learning.

Interesting. The role of the teacher has vastly changed in this learning theory. We've gone from the "sage on the stage" to "a facilitator of learning" to "a person that helps kids connect to learning networks," and then learning just happens.

This resource is found in an online textbook called Teaching in a Digital Age. The section explains what connectivism is and applications it has to teaching and learning. The author explains that connectivism is still being developed and controversial compared to the other learning theories. This is another good resource to checkout to learn what connectivism is.

A new chapter in Tony Bates' open source textbook, this one dealing with COPs - what they are, designing effective ones and learning through them.

@Terrence. I too liked the comments section which is ironically appropriate seeing that the article was about communities of practice. I think that Downes is viewed as a kind of expert in connectivism and social learning. I have read a few things on his blog through the process of this research and they are quite good. He also co-teaches an MOOC on connectivism with Siemens through the University of Manitoba.

I found this interesting at the end when the questions were posted. It made me think of things that I hadn't yet....Can we force these communities or do they just happen naturally and do I think they can replace other forms of education. I have not sorted those out in my own mind yet but I like that they stopped me to think about.

A brief article with three tips on how to integrate technology for ELL students

This article takes a look at how videos have changed the modern classroom. Flipped classrooms, combining textbooks with videos, and free resources are covered in the article.

This article discusses how LMSs have become the norm for higher education, but identified limitations of the LMS and how learners are demanding a modification that gives students more control and interaction using web tools such as social networking sites to create PLNs to support their learning. Students want to create their own PLNs to manage information, create content, and connect with others. These approaches "represent a shift away from the model in which students consume information through independent channels such as the library, a textbook, or an LMS, moving instead to a model where students draw connections from a growing matrix of resources that they select and organize", emphasizing the personal aspect of PLNs.

Smith, M. K. (2003) 'Communities of practice', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm . In this article, author, mike smith explains the beginning concepts that Jean Lave and Entienne Wenger developed for communities of practice. What I liked most about this article is it was the first reading I had that took communities of practice and put a learning centered spin on the theory. "Suppose learning is social and comes largely from our experience of participating in daily life. Their model of situated learning proposed that learning involves a process of engagement in a community of practice" (Smith, 2003). Mr. Smith defines and reiterates what Lave and Wenger argued, structure communities of practice. I also appreciated the time Mr. Smith took note the weaknesses that could be potential downfalls within their own research, such as "romanticizing communities of practice" as Mr. Smith puts it. "In their eagerness to debunk testing, formal education and formal accreditation, they do not analyze how their omission [of a range of questions and issues] affects power relations, access, public knowledge and public accountability" (Tennant 1997:79). He goes on to discuss organizational development and follows up with a conclusion that included the below phrase I really enjoyed. "Learning is in the relationships between people."(Smith, 2003) If you think about the history textbook version of what the authors and historians assumed thanksgiving was like and the weeks and days leading up to the day of thanks, you can see a great example of learning as a relationship between people.

The link in the textbook is out of date, so thought I'd share the correct one. I've been using this template for a couple years and my students LOVE it. I give each group a small whiteboard and a marker to put their answers on and the built-in scoreboard makes running the game easy.

The edtech 541 textbook mentions CIESE collaborative projects, but they also have some neat options where students work with real-time data, mostly focused on earth science topics

This last year I got tasked with teaching Psychology for the first time. I was without any textbook or real resources to use, so I looked to the web and found a couple of great blogs that really helped me out. It showed to me the power of great teachers sharing amazing resources, lesson plans, and ideas with one another to generate the best learning outcomes for our students!