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This is a great article called "A Parent's Guide to 21st Century Learning" by Edutopia.org. In summary, it is a parent's guide that is intended to bring more parents into the conversation about improving education. It is organized into different grade levels. There is a page with 10 tips for parents to help them bring 21st century skills home. For example, they recommend that parents help their child discover their potential through community arts programs. They also recommend parents build on their kid's interest in gaming by getting them connected with Massively Minecraft. I had never heard of this before reading this article. It is a digital media learning community created by parents and teachers for students ages 4-16. You can check it out at massivelyminecraft.org. This article also lists organizations that offer more in depth info about project based learning and social/emotional learning. I found it helpful as a teacher too because it provides links to a lot of projects and activities for the classroom. Lastly, this article gives examples of what teachers do in the classroom and matching ideas for how parents can get more involved. For example, teachers are using Skype in the classroom to extend projects and learning beyond the school building, so they recommend that parents who travel a lot for work can further support what is going on in the classroom by Skyping with the class and doing a "parent on the street report" or tour of wherever they are in the world. Most of all, this article just has so many suggested links that you can learn so much from it.

This video sends a powerful message to all educators on the importance of letting our students use technology. The message that kept being sent throughout this video is "We are digital learners". Throughout the video they had students write messages on different white boards and a lot of the messages being displayed were powerful and made me think twice. Our job as educators is to motivate and engage our students in their learning, which was seen in the multiple message from students that said "engage me". The use of technology and other digital equipment is used all around us today. Students of all ages are exposed to this technology at home and it is our job to bring it into the classroom. The video begins with statistics showing that students of all ages are spending more time playing video games, watching tv, playing on the computer/ipads, rather than reading a book. It also points out how students spend their time using the computers/ipads to have stories read to them or read books on different apps. Something that was important to me was a statistic that said 14% of teachers will allow their students once a week to create something using technology and that 63% of teachers never do this. The need for teachers to become more comfortable and integrate the use of technology is essential for our students to learn. A powerful message that I took away from this video is "If we learn by doing, what do we learn by sitting here". It is so true, we know that students learn best by doing, that they are most engaged by learning this way, yet so many teachers still lecture to their students. Another powerful message was when a student held up a spelling assignment where they had to write their spelling words three times each and the message was "How will this help me?" and then they held up a digital camera, computer/laptop, and ipad and the message was "How could this help me?". This video was enlightening as to the importance of helping all students from K-12 learn

1. Summarize your article or video. This video describes the 4 skills in 21st century learning: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity that are embedded in games. Even though students utilize these skills while they are playing games, but they do not realize it. As teachers, we have to do something to point to them that they have been using these skills all along and help students to transfer these skills that they have learned while playing games to real life application. 2. How does your article or video relate to Module Two content and using iPads in the classroom? IPad offers many functions and apps that allow students to play games. In addition, view and explore certain lessons such as cell function on iPad using the apps is much clearer than reading on a conventional textbook. 3. What additional benefits/challenges do you see in using iPads/mobile devices? My students do their online homework on their iPad while they are at their jobs. iPad is small to carry around, and Apple makes it durable enough than conventional laptops. The challenges are still the price and learning the technology 4. What impacted you most about the article or video? One of my students once said if all lessons are like playing games, he will be the smartest student. The time has changed to teach lessons using chalk board, book, and pencil. The new generation of students grows up with technology, and therefore we, as teachers, have to learn to adapt to students' method of learning.

Common Sense Media editors help you choose Math Apps and Learning Tools for Kids. These engaging apps can help kids learn a variety of math concepts.

This website includes both apps and web-based tools that introduce programming/coding to elementary students.

The article titled Learning 21st- Century Skills Requires 21st Century Teaching summarizes nine points that educators need to incorporate into their teaching to ensure that students build their 21st century skills. Traditional teaching methods that include the transmission of content from books and notes do not foster 21st century skills. Rather, the article outlines "9 lessons" that teachers should adopt to promote the 21st century skills.

Brief blog post on how technology is not just one more thing to learn or cover but a means to creating a learning atmosphere built on the four C's. Check it out!

This is an article which explains that the 21st century classroom is not about teaching technology, but rather learning in a new way and using technology as a tool.

Mobile digital devices like smartphones, tablets, and even laptops have made it much easier for learners of English as a second language to immerse themselves in constant practice and speed up their learning process. ESL and TESOL teachers and learners can find a world of useful apps for every platform to help with such crucial language learning processes as: Vocabulary building Reading comprehension Pronunciation ...and more!

skip to content - skip to menu It's in our power to change everything, from individual lives to the wider community. The iPad is a device that many lust after as a shiny new toy, but many people with disabilities can benefit from what it has to offer as a functional tool.

Power Up: Common Sense Media's guide to nearly 100 great apps for kids ages 2-17 who have special needs and learning differences.

FROM SITE: Students with learning disabilities often have trouble with study skills like getting and staying organized- a crucial executive function skill -and remembering what needs to happen and when. My daughter (who has dyslexia) and I have researched and/or tested the following apps, and she's found them especially helpful.

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has recently started featuring posts containing lists of iPad apps specific to each content area.

"Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who don't use technology will be replaced by teachers who do." Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach I selected this article because this quote spoke to me. It's the primary reason why I opted to take this course this summer. The first part of the quote really registered that it's imperative to realize that teachers can not be replaced. The iPads, computers and tablets do not replace good teaching, they enhance it. Technology can't stand alone, the success depends on how well me, the teacher, is utilizing that technology. The second part of this quote impacted me most. I am far from the most tech savvy teacher in the school. As part of this profession we all chose, I always want to learn more and improve my teaching. I want my students to have every advantage and to excel. I am open to learning and integrating new, inventive ideas and lessons into my teaching.

This video summarizes the importance of integrating technology into our classrooms to help prepare our students for today's world. Though children have access to technology every day, they are not always equipped with the right tools to use it effectively. Bringing technology into the classroom in a relevant, challenging, and engaging way will stimulate our students and allow them to be challenged in new ways, collaborate with their peers, create and grow. Though the task can seem daunting, the video stresses to start small and collaborate to simplify the process. I found that this video follows the SAMR model in that it encourages the use of technology to enhance student learning and to use it to transform student learning in ways that were never thought possible.

The iPad creates a lot of excitement for learning in many classrooms. Yet, many literacy teachers struggle with how best to integrate technology into teaching traditional literacy skills within a confined curriculum and with limited time.

See how one 4th grade teacher uses technology in Math. Tracking the Iditarod, students use computers to learn about elapsed time. This helps them see Math in the real world. Covers Common Core Standards for Math.

This video was made from a first grade classroom in Florida that utilizes iPads in the classroom on a daily basis. I really enjoyed how the video not only explained the importance and benefits of using iPads in the classroom but showed how they used them. They were able to show the different apps that they use within the classroom and how that directly relates to the students learning. The message was clear throughout the video that if you are able to use technology like iPads in the classroom that the students are going to be more engaged. I was impressed with how her classroom attendance rate is the highest in the school. The video explains how iPads enables students to use the 5 C's- Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Curiosity, and Critical Thinking which leads to high achieving scores. I liked that they had not only the teacher of the classroom narrating but also the principal who gave her opinion of the value of using this technology in the classroom.