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Christopher Twomey

Woman Teaches Class While Stuck on Pa. Turnpike | NBC 10 Philadelphia - 4 views

www.nbcphiladelphia.com/...o-New-Classroom-245755301.html

Education

shared by Christopher Twomey on 21 Feb 14 - No Cached
  • Christopher Twomey on 21 Feb 14
     
    I heard about this story last weekend when I was in PA. It explains how technology combined with creativity and quick thinking can make the seemingly impossible possible.
annemariecory

The Balance of Screen Time - 0 views

www.edutopia.org/...ce-of-screen-time-beth-holland

ebtl2 Education technology

shared by annemariecory on 25 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • annemariecory on 25 Oct 13
     
    Beth Holland is an insightful, creative educator who I saw at MassCUE yesterday so I decided to follow her and see what else she had to say. This is an interesting and insightful discussion of the potential positives and negatives of screen time. A good reminder to keep it meaningful, and as we have all said, avoid "technology for the sake of technology." "Television rots your brain." In a similar vein, video games turn your mind to mush, and staring at a screen for too long potentially makes you a zombie. In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a report suggesting that children under two should not have any screen time.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • R Ferrazzani on 26 Oct 13
     
    I also saw Beth Holland at MassCUE. What surprised me about her was that despite having limited classroom experience, she has brilliant ideas about how to help make teaching better for our students. Her backchanneling idea to help give all kids a voice in or outside of class was powerful. In one class period it is impossible to hear what all of the kids are thinking. I agree that she is someone to follow.
  • Kelly Strob on 26 Oct 13
     
    The three questions this article asks are something I think a lot about when using the iPads in my classroom. Last year when I first started using them in my classroom they were mostly being used as mobile educational gaming devices. The kids were using apps that reinforced the phonics and math concepts we were learning, but they weren't really going anything further than that. They certainly were engaged and learning so I don't feel that it was time wasted, however I always knew there was more they could be doing with the devices. The third piece, is it empowering, was the piece I was missing last year and am trying to incorporate more this year.
  • Kathy Santilli on 27 Oct 13
     
    Great article. I agree there needs to be a balance with screen time and how we should use that time. The 3 questions of screen time being appropriate, meaningful, and empowering are key to allowing students take charge of their learning. The article states "… teachers had found educational apps to reinforce math and reading concepts, the students passively interacted with content rather than constructing understanding. The interaction primarily consisted of students just tapping on a screen." I feel it is important for us to limit these types of apps and find the few that are going to allow students to "construct understanding" and apply content they learn outside of screen time. To me, this strikes a good balance. At MassCUE this past Thursday, I attended a session by a district that made the decision to use apps that allowed for creativity. They recognized that there were many apps for gaming and skill drills, but they wanted their students to be able to use their devices to apply learning in a meaningful way. This was music to my ears. I applaud their efforts, and based on the examples of student work that were shown, it's working.
JDeeatRMHS

Google For Doodle Sponsored by Discovery Education - 1 views

www.discoveryeducation.com/doodle4google

art google creativity

shared by JDeeatRMHS on 07 Feb 14 - No Cached
  • JDeeatRMHS on 07 Feb 14
     
    The Google for Doodle Competition has been transformed in to activities and virtual field trips for all grade levels.
  • Kerry Gallagher on 07 Feb 14
     
    I saw this in my Twitter feed a few times today. Definitely intriguing.
Steve Olivo

Blizzard bags are a...mixed bag - 2 views

www.sanduskyregister.com/...5308731

technology Education ebtl2 teaching

shared by Steve Olivo on 26 Feb 14 - No Cached
  • Steve Olivo on 26 Feb 14
     
    It seems as if Ohio has come up with a creative solution to snow days, or as they call them, "Calamity Days." It seems like something we could do very easily to preserve the school calendar.
  • Kelly Strob on 01 Mar 14
     
    It seems like the Flipped Classroom model could be very beneficial for something like this. Teachers could post lessons and and an assignment for students to complete at home. The obvious challenge would be accessibility, especially when child care arrangements are made.
  • Kerry Mullen on 14 Mar 14
     
    New Hampshire uses blizzard bags. SNHU is also using a flipped model when their classes are cancelled. They post assignments to Blackboard for students to watch, etc. and complete classwork as well.
Kerry Mullen

image - 1 views

shared by Kerry Mullen on 29 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • Kerry Mullen on 29 Sep 13
     
    We used pic collage along with Creative Commons.
Kerry Gallagher

A Teacher's Defense of Homework - 6 views

www.theatlantic.com/...279967

shared by Kerry Gallagher on 26 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • Kerry Gallagher on 26 Sep 13
     
    This is a real and current issue. I assign homework. I believe it helps me assess that students have mentally digested what happened in class through their reflections, and helps my students prepare for class when we are operating in a flipped capacity. Tough issue with people who feel strongly on all sides. This is one teacher's perspective.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Laura Warren on 26 Sep 13
     
    I give homework too, Kerry. for some of the same reasons that you do. I think the issue of homework is often simplified in the media (I don't think elementary kids need much-certainly not all of these "creative" projects that kids can't do without Mom and/Dad helping them and believe me, I've often been angry at my children's teachers for the fifty math problems when ten would have sufficed!), But I get also tired of all of these "kids need the time to unwind and play" arguments that seem to come out of affluent parent's mouths. Many (not all!) kids when they are not in school (especially in our community!) have lives that make me exhausted. Kids are on millions of teams and seem to spend lots of their lives in structured activities. When I ask kids if they enjoy these activities, many (not all) seem very unenthusiastic about them. So I don't think they are doing a lot of "unwinding: or play. I have never done anything in my life that was worthwhile that didn't involve of lot of hard and sometimes routine work. I don't want to see young kids stressed and burned out-but I think the debate over homework sometimes is so intense because it is a diversion from the larger issue how we are raising our children today which is more nuanced and painful debate.
  • Sharon Burke on 27 Sep 13
     
    I like to think of Homework as "enrichment." What could be more interesting than an inspiring or provocative or beautiful lecture, reading, podcast, data set, etc., to inform the subject matter being taught in class. History has so much to teach us and we are unbelievably privileged to live in a time where information is plentiful and accessible in whatever format appeals to us. I had the best experience this summer reading Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies on my iPad. Being able to tap on a word for a definition (hello etymology!!) and Googling English royalty and the schism between the Catholic church, Henry VIII, and Thomas Cromwell role, i.e., the rise of the middle class, was a total blast. And completely self-directed. Who owns the learning, yup.
  • Jan Rhein on 29 Sep 13
     
    I was going to stay out of this because it is such a hot button issue, but in the end, I decided to comment. I think we all know there is no easy answer. I have a daughter in high school here in Reading who does 7-8 hours of homework per night and spends at least half her weekend, every weekend, studying and doing more homework. It has become a real issue for my daughter and my family. It is September, and to say she is burnt out is an understatement. More balance is needed. An hour and a half to two hours of homework in each class per night equals 7 or so hours minimum every night after attending school for 6 1/2 hours each day. This normally means getting to bed well after midnight each night, and up again by six the next morning to do it all again. She is exhausted. It's not mentally or physically healthy for anyone, let alone an adolescent. This is just my perspective as a teacher and the parent of a high schooler. I am not against homework, and have always instilled a strong work ethic in my kids, but the time and stamina needed to complete the pure volume of homework, study for tests, complete individual and group projects, day in and day out, is not sustainable.
  • Kerry Gallagher on 29 Sep 13
     
    Thanks for posting your perspective, Jan. Indeed, 7 hours of homework after a full day of school sounds staggering. There are other articles at the Atlantics website in which teachers argue against assigning any homework at all (see http://m.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/should-i-stop-assigning-homework/279803/). Both perspectives are interesting and both talk about what their research shows. I think 7 hours a night is too much. I think assigning mere "worksheets" is not helpful. I posted this because I have been considering my own practice. I don't think it has to be 2 hours a night or nothing, though. There is no easy answer.
Gary d'Entremont

London Calling - American Flag - 4 views

To create this photo collage, we used a creative commons licensed image from Flickr for the American flag. The photo of the both of us was taken by Gary. The actual app to create this collage was c...

London Calling - Pic Collage

started by Gary d'Entremont on 24 Sep 13 no follow-up yet
Kerry Gallagher

Vine & Instagram Video in the Classroom - 3 views

www.edutopia.org/...vine-instagram-video-education

vine instagram

shared by Kerry Gallagher on 01 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • Kerry Gallagher on 01 Oct 13
     
    I started using Vine late last year to post videos of our students doing great things. (Reading to first graders, working together at field day, encouraging one another during a Smart Board review game, etc.) This Edutopia blog post gives TONS of links to really great ideas for using Vine with kids as a way to assess their understanding. Some of them are really funny and insightful. I know there is some nasty stuff out there on Vine and Instagram, but if we teachers don't show kids how to use these social media outlets in a positive way, who will? Right? I think I might give some of these ideas a shot.
  • Julie Merrill on 04 Oct 13
     
    Thanks, Kerry. I haven't used Vine before, though I've seen it used. I'm definitely interested in trying it out this year. It's amazing how creative some people can be in six seconds! Taylor and I recently started using Instagram to post what's going on in our classrooms. We are loving it so far. It's something that the kids are on anyway, so the interest is there. They love going on to "like" pictures of themselves and their peers, and even "like" the picture Taylor posts of the homework board! It's also a fast and easy way to keep parents informed about what's going on in the classroom on a daily basis. I also love that even though we're only in October, it's a photo log of the many things that we've done already this year. I look forward to giving the video capabilities a try.
Christopher Twomey

'Hour of Code' highlights need for better computer education - Opinion - The Boston Globe - 1 views

www.bostonglobe.com/...story.html

Education

shared by Christopher Twomey on 15 Dec 13 - No Cached
  • Christopher Twomey on 15 Dec 13
     
    I agree that students should know how computers work and that the "Hour of Code" was a good experience for many students, but I think the focus of schools should begin with web literacy, typing, and how to use basic programs such as Word.
  • JDeeatRMHS on 15 Dec 13
     
    If we look at computer programming/coding as a replacement of the skills you mentioned we will not serve the students of today or the future. The skills you mention are valuable in and of themselves but many of these block based coding applications offer a platform for students to express creativity, develop problem solving and collaboration skills, as well as expose kids to an expanding field of study and career.
  • Sharon Burke on 16 Dec 13
     
    Why pit those skills against each other? I don't think you can have one without the other.
Steve Olivo

Is Music the Key to Success? Via NYTimes - 0 views

nyti.ms/1bmgIhl

ebtl2 Education Music

shared by Steve Olivo on 16 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • Steve Olivo on 16 Oct 13
     
    This makes the case that music helps "collaboration, creativity, discipline and the capacity to reconcile conflicting ideas." Interesting. I'm thinking you could say the same thing about sports.
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