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"3 Tips on Integrating Technology in the Classroom Former Gov. Bob Wise discusses Digital Learning Day and how high school teachers can embrace technology. By Laura McMullen Jan. 25, 2012 SHARE Integrating technology into a high school classroom isn't a one-step process. "You can't just slap a netbook [computer] on top of a textbook and say, 'Great, now we have technology," says Bob Wise, former governor of West Virginia and president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, an advocacy organization. Wise says that digital learning starts with teachers, whose performance is enhanced by technology-not the other way around. That's also the idea of Digital Learning Day, which the Alliance is spearheading. The first annual Digital Learning Day falls on February 1 and will celebrate innovative K-12 instructors who successfully bring technology into the classroom by assigning online course content, using adaptive software for students with special needs, and utilizing online student assessments and other digital tools. Educators, as well as parents, students, librarians, and community leaders, can learn about classroom innovations and get new ideas by chiming in during the virtual National Town Hall meeting held on Digital Learning Day. [Learn how a new iPad app is revolutionizing textbooks.] "The whole intention of Digital Learning Day is to really celebrate teachers and good instructional learning practices," says Sarah Hall, director of the Alliance's Center for Secondary School Digital Learning and Policy. And good teaching, especially the kind that involves working with evolving technologies, sometimes requires good advice. Hall and Wise shared the following ideas for effectively using technology in the classroom-not just on Digital Learning Day, but anytime. 1. Plan ahead: There has to be a comprehensive strategy in place to implement technology into the school system, Wise says, and the teachers have to be involved in the planning stages. "When a schoo

"Best Practices for Using Technology in the Classroom Technology in the Classroom When using technology for teaching, there are four basic principles to be kept in mind: Alignment: Technology should be used for a purpose-not for the sake of being flashy and not as a distraction from other forms of pedagogy. Carefully consider the ways in which video or other media that you share with your class are aligned with your learning objectives. Consider the technology that is most closely in alignment with your teaching skills and the needs of your students-if you don't like to teach with Power Point, consider giving students a handout outlining the main points of your lecture and listing major concepts to assist them in note-taking. Accessibility: Be sure that the technology that you intend to use is accessible to your students. While computers are virtually ubiquitous, and students living on campus have ready access to computing labs and other technology on campus, do consider whether or not your students have access to technology that you want them to use. Also, consider your own access to technology: make sure that you are familiar with all of the technology that you use and that media technology in your classroom is functioning correctly before the class. Plan ahead. If you are going to show a film, for example, don't wait until you walk into class to find out if the player in your classroom supports your DVD's regional format, or you will find yourself scrambling to come up with a lesson plan that does not include the film. By checking the regional format in advance, you will be able to have a matching-format DVD player delivered to the classroom by Technology Services. Assessment: As with lectures, discussions, and labs, provide your students with guidance when dealing with media technologies. If you are showing them a film, provide them with the learning objectives that you have for them in watching the film. Consider giving them a short assignment to be fil

Website that you can search lessons by common core standards- complete with powerpoint slides, videos and objectives!

"Five Ways Teachers Can Use Technology to Help Students Posted: 05/07/2013 8:34 am Follow éducation , Classroom Technology , Open Source , Public Schools , Teacher Technology , Technology In The Classroom , Technology News SHARE THIS STORY 57 273 34 Submit this story By Darrell M. West and Joshua Bleiberg Thomas Edison once said, "Books will soon be obsolete in the public schools... our school system will be completely changed inside of ten years." Amazingly enough, however, one of our nation's most important inventors was proven quite wrong. The American education system has a remarkable resistance to innovation and the classroom experience has changed very little in the 100 years since Edison's prediction. Advances in information technology have revolutionized how people communicate and learn in nearly every aspect of modern life except for education. The education system operates under the antiquated needs of an agrarian and industrial America. The short school day and the break in the summer were meant to allow children to work on family farms. Schools have an enduring industrial mentality placing students in arbitrary groups based on their age regardless of their competencies. Technology has failed to transform our schools because the education governance system insulates them from the disruptions that technology creates in other organizations. The government regulates schools perhaps more than any other organization. Rules govern where students study, how they will learn, and who will teach them. Education regulation governs the relationships of actors in the system and stymies the impact of innovative technologies. Furthermore the diffuse system of governance creates numerous veto points to limit innovation. To overcome these obstacles, we must persuade teachers that technology will empower them and help their students learn. We argue that there are five strategies for successful teacher adoption of education technology and that these principles will he

free apps for iPad reviewed and sorted by grade level

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Entry from a blog I subscribed to about a new way to assess. I've never tried in but am intrigued by the idea and the rave review by the blogger.

I didn't see it listed by anyone else. A great source for information for your math class room

Here's a textbook assigned in at least one other Gordon class. It presents a model of teaching mathematics that is far more engaging for students than what you and I likely remember. It's free by using your Gordon library number, so this could save you about $40 as it did for me.

All Web site design, text, graphics and the selection and arrangement thereof Copyright © 2000 Discovery.com, Inc. Originally published by Discovery.com, Inc. Clip art images Copyright © 1998 Mark A. Hicks. Originally published by Mark A. Hicks. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

This website has interactive math and reading games that can be played as a class on the smartboard, or individually on the computer. It is very clearly organized by grade, and the games are engaging and fun!

Games and activities for elementary students in grades 1-5. Created by teachers

ABCya is a wonderful website that we use at out centers with Pre-K and K ages. It is loaded with free online educational games. The games are mostly math and ELA based and are fun and interactive.

IXL has hundreds of Math related games, categorized by grade and topic. It is a subscription based site, but allows quite a few free uses, and even once you've used up your free practice for the day it refreshes and let you try again the next day.

I've used this for students to play independently at my classroom computer

IXL is the world's most popular subscription-based learning site for K-12. Used by over 5 million students, IXL provides unlimited practice in more than 4,000 math and English language arts topics. Interactive questions, awards and certificates keep kids motivated as they master skills.

Free  Educational videos organized by subject area and grade level.  

Not necessarily appropriate for students, but very entertaining.

Okay--this is not necessarily appropriate for students, but is valuable for educators who need to handle the demands of the work by acknowledging that sometimes, there is nothing you can do but just laugh. If you run across something worthy of notice among your own classes, you can immortalize your students' writing gems by submitting them to the blog. Educational applications? Well, there are some fine and entertaining mistakes which could provide fodder for exercises in editing, revision, etc. as well as discussion on the importance of choosing the right word. If you check out the site, you'll see what I mean. Enjoy!

This site--English pedagogy guru Jim Burke's ning--is a treasure trove for middle school and secondary English instructors. Joining requires verification of your relationship to a learning institution. The site is well organized, allowing me to browse by general topics and within forums. It's a virtual teacher's lounge, allowing for quick takes on strategies for teaching any number of things, or in depth discussion on the viability of Literature Circles for Shakespeare study. I could easily get lost in the forest of great ideas here.

Wonderful resource for learning how to podcast

created by the founder of wikipedia - free videos that are previewed for students.

This is the Official Site of a Consortium of Educators who research, write, and educate in the field of UDL. Rose and Meyer are the leaders and they are the authors of several UDL Books published by the Harvard Education Press.

The History Engine is a web-based educational tool hosted by University of Richmond. Students use this site to learn history by researching, writing, and publishing specific episodes of American life. The online, searchable database contains works of students from all over the country. Excellent site for teachers, students and anyone interested in history.