Group items tagged

This is an article, or link to an article about the effects of laptops in schools

Jim O'Loughlin's (of the UNI Department of Languages and Literatures) Electronic Literature class homepage. Electronic literature seems to combine technology with traditional literature and reading. This type of literature could be very revolutionary in terms of bringing new interactions into the reading experience. It also has the potential for use in a 1:1 classroom.

This is a link to the program for "Flat Classroom teacher certification" (2 credits through UNI).

This link is more about providing information on training that is available for teachers that want to become flat classroom certified rather than direct information that could be used by a teacher in the classroom. This makes the information contained in this resource exclusively for teacher use for possible teacher development. I know that the AEA 267 website http://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/pd/ has listings of teacher development courses but I did not see one anywhere else on flat classrooms. This course is one that I might consider taking in the future.

This article highlights some of the topics discussed during a virtual meeting (UNI - INSTTEC4131/5131) on 11/16/11.  "Rich Environments for Active Learning, or REALs, are comprehensive instructional systems that evolve from and are consistent with constructivist philosophies and theories. REALs provide learning activities that engage students in a continuous collaborative process of building and reshaping understanding as a natural consequence of their experiences and interactions within learning environments that authentically reflect the world around them."

A step-by-step video tutorial website. Great for familiarizing yourself with new programs or websites! UNI has just worked out a deal with the site, details are still in the air, but shortcuts to access all videos are on computers in all of UNI's labs!

Leigh Zeitz, instructional technology professor at UNI discusses the latest technology news for pre-service teachers and educators.

Dr. Z reflects upon technology, education, Web 2.0 and how these all work together to provide opportunities for students in today's classrooms.

Resources for the classrooms

I agree that this website is a great resource that can be efficiently used in my own classroom. The website breaks down information and resources by grade bands, so that teachers can focus specifically on their grade without having to filter through a lot of other irrelevant information. This site can use used to help teachers link learning objectives, goals, and state standards to activities and lesson plans. Teachers could also give this website to students as a way to help their improve their learning by watching videos that interest them. Another website that has similar resources is: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/.

PBS resources are really great! I have not had a chance to use them in the classroom yet but have explored what the site has to offer. I first found that they were providing resources to teachers here at UNI and at a technology conference. They mentioned how they link the standards to their activities and lesson plans which is great for teachers to quickly find what they need. I would recommend this to the younger elementary grades.