Group items tagged

"A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser. Wikis allow content to be easily created and updated. They also allow previous versions of documents to be accessible. PBWorks is a Website that allows the creation of wikis. These wikis can be used for educational purposes, for work or in community organisations. This free online course shows you how to create a wiki with PBWorks in an easy, step-by-step manner. This course is ideal for learners who want to learn how to set up a wiki and lack the skills or knowledge to do it. "

Some major computer science programs at top universities are seeing a slight uptick in the number of women going into the programs. Citing statistics from Harvard (up from 13% to 25%) and MIT (a 28% jump in 3 years), and Carnegie Mellon (from 1/5 in 2007 to 1/4 last year.) Most think it is the economy although some attribute programs to get more women interested in the programs.

"The most recent annual poll of the public's attitudes toward public schools conducted by Gallup indicates nearly two-thirds of American school parents (64 percent) believe there is too much emphasis on standardized tests. According to additional Gallup research performed in 2014, less than half of students in the United States agree with the following statement "I get to do what I do best every day." This is the very heart of one of the key ingredients of education: engaging students in learning."

I put this brief list together as a starting point to improve education. Difficult as the battle is with politicians and parents. http://www.textbooksfree.org/Education%20Axioms%20and%20Postulates.htm I am looking for suggestions.

"Ainsworth, Prain and Tyler  (2011) in a paper in Science argue that  drawing  can play a number of  important roles in learning:, namely: Drawing to enhance engagement - surveys have shown than when students draw to explain they are more motivated to learn compared to traditional teaching of science. Drawing to learn to represent in science - the process of producing visual representations  helps learners understand how scientific representations work. Drawing to reason in science - student learn to reason like scientists as they select specific features to focus on in their drawings, aligning it with observation, measurement and/or emerging ideas Drawing as a learning strategy - if learners read a text and then draw it, the process of making their understanding visible and explicit helps them to overcome limitations in presented material, organise and integrate their knowledge and ultimately can be transformative. Drawing to communicate - discussing their drawings with their students provides teachers with windows into students' thinking as well being a way that the peers can share knowledge, discovery and understanding."

"dTech tools themselves are simple to use, the real challenge is knowing where to start. I don't know about you, but I get completely overwhelmed by the number of EdTech tools out there. I'm bombarded constantly by emails and tweets telling me I *have* to sign up to the latest app or website. I'm no technophobe and I know it can save me time, or help me create more engaging lessons, but where do I even begin?"

"A maths website with a vast number of maths videos and resource to use in your classroom. Topics include counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and many more."

"A superb collection of maths questions on number, ratio and algebra aimed at secondary schools and designed for display on the class whiteboard."

"This is a useful Apple and Android app which lets you work out maths calculations using handwritten numbers and symbols."

"Let me introduce you to Brian. Brian is a (fictional) primary school head teacher in England, UK. Well, maybe not fictional, as many working in schools will relate to the story created by Will Ryan in his 'Dare to be Different' book. Following the internal dialogues, reflections and incidents that Brian is faced with on a daily basis, the story unfolds telling how an individual can strive to take back ownership of what happens in the classroom and build vibrant curriculum with which to hook the imaginations of pupils. How? Will has cleverly inserted over 100 tips based on exciting primary practice, along with nearly fifty significant ideas to strengthen leadership, and accompanied a similar number of inspiring quotations throughout the story that encourages head-teachers to be brave and follow their own rules for what is best for that school community."

"You can tell someone is playing the game pretty easily, as they will have cuts on their hands with either the number 57 and/or 40 on them. You can check their social media accounts (the game says to use VKontakte, but users are using whatever social media they are currently on) and see if they've posted anything similar to #i_am_whale, a hashtag used in one of the steps of the game. The game is easily defeated by talking to your teen, child, or young adult about their suicidal feelings, and encouraging them to reach out to get help for them through psychotherapy or counseling. It's not an easy conversation to have, but it may be a life-saving talk."

"You may be aware that in May 2018, the regulations regarding data protection in the United Kingdom will change, becoming the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This means the way you manage all data and information within your school will also be changing. Once the new regulations come into force, schools will have a number of objectives to meet regarding the accuracy and security of the data held on their pupils, parents and staff."

"As a headteacher, I had become quite used to doing things in my own way. Over a number of years I had developed my own style, grown comfortable and confident about my personal convictions and educational philosophy and had found, I thought, an effective way to deliver my kind of leadership and make my school my kind of school."

"Of course, I have always held the opinion that we are all still scientists in our own unique manner.  In light of that, I have chosen to write about how I think on this blog post.  There are two main types of blog posts on this site to 'demystify the life of a scientist'.  The first deals with large numbers or various statistics reported in the popular news with no real context provided."

"A number of challenges stand between schools and effective, valuable engagement with parents Schools can improve parental engagement by revolutionising the way they communicate with families via a cost effective app."

"The development of mindfulness has, at its heart, the reduction of stress hormone levels. Teaching children a number of Mindfulness strategies allow children to find the ones that best meet their needs and successfully reduces their stress and anxiety. Massage and the power of touch are naturally relaxing and are ways to reduce these stress hormones. Maria Hernandez-Reid is a researcher at the Touch Research Institute. She says that the lowering of stress hormones not only reduces the feelings of anxiety but also supports a healthier immune system."

Working out on the weekend is better than not working out at all -- 150 minutes a week - that is the number. "The researchers discovered that both the active regular and weekend warrior groups had a lower risk of death from all causes (up to 32 percent), as well as a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer. "Engaging in physical activity concentrated within one to two days was related with a similar reduction in mortality risk as more evenly spread activity," the researchers concluded. Basically, you shouldn't sweat it if all you can manage is to crank out your workouts on weekends-it's still better for your health than being less active."

A balanced overview of this debate from CoSN's conference. in Edtech Magazine. "In reality, Lapus shared, kids check their phones 52 times per day on average and spend an average of 43 minutes on their phones at school, according to research from Common Sense Media. These numbers don't paint a complete picture, however. There are the subsequent effects of children's cellphone use to consider, as well as the ramifications of taking devices away."

A fun maths addition game. Shoot an acrobat out of a cannon on to the correct answer. Play full screen at http://funschool.kaboose.com/gamesFiles/flash/kaboose/cannonMath/cannon.swf http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths

A good maths activity from the BBC about the 4 basic operations. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths