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trina79

Social Media for Middle Level Classrooms - 1 views

  • Thus, many teachers are integrating technology with instruction especially since young adolescents are frequent computer users and find technology very engaging
  • teachers and students feel strongly that technology is an essential learning component because it assists with engagement, makes education relevant to students' lives, and serves as an inspiring force (p. 31).
  • "Additionally, learning experiences are greatly enhanced when all students have the technology to access rich content, communicate with others, write for authentic audiences, and collaborate with other learners next door or across the globe"
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  • Integration of social media has the engagement factor teachers and students seek while enabling students to gain a variety of academic and social skills
  • Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) identify seven types of social media: collaborative projects (e.g., Wikipedia) blogs and microblogs (e.g., Twitter, Kidblog.org) social news networking sites (e.g., Digg and Leakernet) content communities (e.g., YouTube and DailyMotion) social networking sites (e.g., Facebook) virtual game-worlds (e.g., Minecraft, World of Warcraft) virtual social worlds (e.g., Second Life)
  • ncreased student engagement and learning and citizenship education are benefits related to social media use in school.
  • For example, middle grades students can discover how technology-assisted writing can foster innovation, global communication and participation, and creative problem solving with a broader communit
  • Further, Ramsay purports that technology-assisted writing can nurture student creativity, communication, and problem solving skills while developing digital citizens.
  • Additionally, social media helps facilitate differentiation by allowing the needs of creative learners to be met through a cooperative learning environment. Students are better able to balance their individualism with the need for contact with others, allowing new ideas to flourish
  • Social media can help adolescents develop and strengthen collaboration skills as they share knowledge, learn with and from others, and are active in the learning process
  • Therefore, inclusion of social media in education activities is necessary to help increase equity among students of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds by increasing access to information and information technology (Darling-Hammond, Zielezinski, & Goldman, 2014; Grinager, 2006).
  • Darling-Hammond et al. (2014) recommend the following practices to promote optimal learning opportunities for all students: (a) technology access policies should aim for 1:1 computer access and ensure that speedy internet connections are available, (b) policies and practices should favor technology that promotes high levels of interactivity and engagement and that allows for varying learning choices and opportunities, (c) instructional opportunities should enable students to use technology to create content as well as learn material, and (d) learning environments that provide significant and varied levels of teacher support and opportunities for interactions among students as companions to technology use
  • The first issue many educators currently face is equitable access for students and teachers. Further, uncertainty exists on the type and frequency of professional development for middle level educators that addresses ethical and appropriate use of social networking. Additionally, educators must learn how best to help students navigate safely and monitor students in a virtual environment. Lastly, educators must recognize the possibility for distractions and overstimulation that is often linked to certain types of social media and networking activities (Chen & Bryer, 2012).
  • Educators and policymakers need to provide the appropriate technology funding and related professional development so students and teachers have the equipment, knowledge, and skills necessary for taking full advantage of what technology can offer.
  • It is imperative for educators to have professional development opportunities that enable them to learn developmentally appropriate best practices for preparing students
  • AMLE (NMSA, 2010) believes that middle schools must provide adult advocates to middle school students to guide academic and personal development in an inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive school environment
  • Students need to learn how to make great choices about what they share and what are appropriate actions with others, and always review and manage their online reputations in light of others' ability to contribute to that reputation either positively or negatively with a few clicks of the mouse
  • Edutopia.com, a website published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation and highly regarded by the educational community, provides thoughtful resources on creating social media guidelines for schools.
  • In tandem, teachers must continue to address the issue of plagiarism including how to determine if sources are credible and having clear and consistent plagiarism policies regularly disseminated to students and parents.
  • Research suggests that discussions and collaborations are the most common social media classroom strategies (Chen & Bryer, 2012). Frye, Trathen, and Koppenhaver (2010) proclaim that blogs offer students the ability to publish work and comment on others' writing, which increases motivation.
  • Research shows that social media can increase student learning and engage students who otherwise may be disinterested in the classroom
  • Social media afford[s] the opportunity for all children with online access to contribute to the world in meaningful ways, do real work for real audiences for real purposes, find great teachers and collaborators from around the world, and become great teachers in their own right. (
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    The information in this article supports one of the things that my school tech integrationist is trying to get teachers to do with social media. He is asking teachers to do Penpal Schools, which will connect students with other students from around the world. I am going to be having my class do Penpal schools. I also want to try out having my students blog about books we are reading in 7th grade language arts after reading about the benefits of blogging in this article.
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    How is your school liking PenPals Schools? I started using it in my classroom but found it to be too time consuming and the questions were a bit overwhelming in the project that we chose. My students were also not getting responses in the way that I expected them to. A lot of them were just getting a lot of "hi" from their Pen pals instead of anything useful.
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    Very cool! I really wish I had students at an older age level. Though I can do something like this for 2nd graders it is more difficult with their reading and writing skill levels. Still a pretty cool tool to use for students and teachers alike. Thank you for sharing!
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    Social Media is important. When I was in middle school and high school we didn't learn about social media or how to be safe on the internet. It was more of a foot note than a subject in class that we learned about. Blogging was foreign to me until now. I feel like I have missed a lot because of this.
mrsstacycampbell

How Do You Define 21st-Century Learning? - Education Week - 1 views

  • The term "21st-century skills" is generally used to refer to certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that advocates believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today's world.
  • The research, to date, has provided no evidence that having either computers or whiteboards in schools has any positive effect on students’ reading and writing proficiencies.
  • Twenty-first-century learning means that students master content while producing, synthesizing, and evaluating information from a wide variety of subjects and sources with an understanding of and respect for diverse cultures. Students demonstrate the three Rs, but also the three Cs: creativity, communication, and collaboration.
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  • Embracing a 21st-century learning model requires consideration of those elements that could comprise such a shift: creating learners who take intellectual risks, fostering learning dispositions, and nurturing school communities where everyone is a learner.
  • Twenty-first-century technology should be seen as an opportunity to acquire more knowledge, not an excuse to know less.
  • We need classroom leaders setting an ambitious vision, rallying others to work hard to achieve it, planning and executing to ensure student learning, and defining the very notion of teaching as changing the life paths of students.
  • Twenty-first-century learning will ultimately be “learner-driven.”
  • But being able to Google is no substitute for true understanding. Students still need to know and deeply understand the history that brought them and our nation to where we are today.
  • Technology allows for 24/7 access to information, constant social interaction, and easily created and shared digital content. In this setting, educators can leverage technology to create an engaging and personalized environment to meet the emerging educational needs of this generation.
  • he term "21st-century skills" is generally used to refer to certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that advocates believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today's world.
  • Twenty-first-century learning embodies an approach to teaching that marries content to skill. Without skills, students are left to memorize facts, recall details for worksheets, and relegate their educational experience to passivity. Without content, students may engage in problem-solving or team-working experiences that fall into triviality, into relevance without rigor
  • Twenty-first-century learning will ultimately be “learner-driven.”
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    This article showcases 11 different education experts and their definitions of 21st-century learning.
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    Takes many view points on how to define 21st-Century Learning and Skills
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    This is a nice tool for teachers to use. I know that I can definitely take a look at it for my own classroom. Learning definitely changes with the use of technology and how accessibly it can be for students to learn facts.
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    I think this resource is very applicable to my classroom because one of my main goals to to have my students evaluate and create which is what a lot of the article discussed. Overall this is more for teacher use as it is discussing 21st century skills and what they look like. Also it comes from the Teacher PD source book. I shared an article that was very similar to this that covered 10 signs of a 21st century classroom.
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    I really like the way that this article breaks down 21st Century learning and dispels the myth that 21st Century Learning is the same as learning with technology. I especially like the quote that you highlighted that states "Twenty-first-century learning means that students master content while producing, synthesizing, and evaluating information from a wide variety of subjects and sources with an understanding of and respect for diverse cultures." I think this is a useful article that helps us focus on what will truly help students become 21st Century thinkers, instead of just figuring out ways to have them do their work on the computer.
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    This is a great article and gives me a great definition to wrap my head around. One item I feel is really applicable to learning in no matter the date is "...students master content while producing, synthesizing, and evaluating information from a wide variety of subjects and sources with an understanding of and respect for diverse cultures." Otherwise really good information! Thanks for sharing this.
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    I think this website is a great start when it comes to thinking about teaching 21st century skills. Before you can understand something, you must understand the definition of it. I think it is important to note that 21st century learning is not the same as teaching/learning with technology. This website would be especially useful for teachers, because they need to understand 21st century learning before they can teach it. Great article, thanks for sharing!
Nicole Heinrichs

Blended Learning: Combining Face-to-Face and Online Education | Edutopia - 4 views

  • Blended Learning: Combining Face-to-Face and Online Education
  • we are dooming distance learning to mere correspondence course status
  • What was missing was my own interaction with the students.
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  • create a collaborative space online for students to meet with teachers
  • Your first class should always be Face-to-Face (
  • Assessments should be real-time and the choice of F2F or online should be made available.
  • Online Learning is not differentiated unless teachers specifically utilize the various ways to provide the material
  • Online learning is here and we teachers as experts in education must embrace it.
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    This article was very helpful in how to execute online and blended learning. It had great points that would be good to reference in the future.
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    Some very good points for the teacher to consider when implementing and blended learning environment. I am still researching the idea of blended learning in my higher education classes, but have saved this with some of the other articles I have. I shared an article called "7 Things You Should Know About the Flipped Classroom" It too has some good ideas.
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    This website has great points on blended learning. Blended learning, when done effectively, is very beneficial for the teacher and student. Teachers are able to differentiate their teaching and students are able to pause/review videos and receive extra help during the class period. Another similar resource I found was also on Edutopia. This website provides a video of how to make blended learning work in your classroom and also provides resource links. http://www.edutopia.org/practice/blended-learning-making-it-work-your-classroom
akmuni

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USE AS A LEARNING MECHANISM: THE IMPACT OF IT USE ON...: OneSearch! - 1 views

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    This study contributes to research and practice through the theoretical development and empirical investigation of the role of IT use in organizational learning. We empirically examined the relationship between internal IT use, knowledge transfer effectiveness, absorptive capacity, and franchisee performance on a sample of 783 independently owned franchisees using a comprehensive dataset comprised of both primary and secondary data. The overall results indicate support for the argument that IT use impacts knowledge transfer effectiveness, and absorptive capacity, and that the influence of IT use on firm performance is completely mediated by absorptive capacity. The results are stable across the choice of statistical method and the operationalization of financial performance. Our findings suggest that IT use is an important learning mechanism that enables knowledge outcomes and dynamic capabilities within franchisees. Firms need to recognize these impacts of IT use in order to leverage IT to its fullest extent. This might be more important than ever before, given the rapidly changing business environments and investments in IT-based systems to manage knowledge resources. We hope that the findings of this study encourage the continued examination of the role that IT plays in organizational learning, and the outcomes of such learning.
bretthutch

Innovative Learning Environments: about traditional and new patterns of learning - 1 views

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    This paper discusses what an innovative learning environment is and how it differs from a traditional learning environment. It discusses the hardships of changing learning environments in with resistant staff.
Katie Upah

Life in a 21st-Century English Class - 3 views

  • To begin with, I don’t lecture. My students don’t take notes, at least not in the traditional sense, and we don’t read a novel and simply answer the questions.
  • It also means my students don’t acquire knowledge just for the sake of acquiring it. They need to do something with it — that’s where “project-based” comes into play.
  • Finally, technology is embedded into the structure of all we do. It’s part of how we research, how we capture information, and how we display our learning. It’s never an accessory tacked on at the end.
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  • One of the most important things we can do is teach our students how to use social media wisely, and how social media can be used for social good.
  • Instead, inquiry and technology are a natural part of our English classes. It’s what my students have come to expect and have started to design themselves.  Instead, of saying, “hand in your assignments,” I say, “publish your assignments and send me the link.” They think about connecting and sharing their learning in the larger world.
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    This teacher describes how she transformed her classroom into a 21st century learning environment for her students.
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    I have this saved to read later. I am interested in how she transformed her classroom.
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    I found this post very interesting. It is easy to see how PBL may work in a science or math classroom, but I have always wondered how it would look for English. It seems like this teacher has truly grasped PBL, and her students are enjoying the learning process. I think this resource could be utilized by any teacher who instructs about English content, but depending on the age of the learners, the students may not reach full autonomy as those in this article did. I particularly enjoyed one quote from the teacher, "Finally technology is embedded into the structure of all we do... It's never an accessory tacked on at the end." As we have learned about in other EdTech courses, technology needs to truly transform the learning experience. I believe the teacher is doing that in this classroom.
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    This Blog is one that I have bookmarked and will coming back to. This teacher's description of her class is how I want to work to make my class to look like. She had her premise but she had been able to create a class based on inquiry, openness and trust. This empowers students to create a social media campaign, create their own curriculum, and at the same time become more advanced in the content. Ms. Barseghian, I'm gushing, but your class sounds inspirational and worth the gushing.
Anne Pudenz

13 Keys to Successful Blended Learning -- THE Journal - 1 views

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    13 Keys to Successful Blended Learning. Utilizing technology to create an effective blended learning environment for students.
Nikki Lyons

mooc.org - 1 views

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    Moocs are great for learning about different topics within online learning environments.
Krista Garvin

Designing the 21st Century K-12 Classroom -- THE Journal - 0 views

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    The articles gives teachers some points on how to support a 21st century learning environment.
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    The articles gives teachers some points on how to support a 21st century learning environment.
Dave Brahn

A science classroom that' s more than a game - 1 views

  • appropriate use of technology in the learning environment can serve to motivate some students, significant problems surrounding student motivation and engagem ent remain.
  • As a result of the gamification, 17% of students com pleted some extension material and two students com pleted significant amounts of extra work to achieve the highest level possible in the gam e.
  • For example, ‘badges' are an intrinsic component of our classrooms. Teachers award points for completing assignments; over the course of the semester these points add up and get converted into ‘badges' (commonly referred to as grades);
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  • By awarding these points, educators are extrinsically motivating students to perform whether they like it or not. In fact, students can be observed ‘gaming the system’ regularly to increase their points scored with questions such as: "Is this going to be on the test?”
  • our education system is already a game, to a degree, then why not try to amplify the motivational aspects of the game by increasing the amount of gamified elements? As the gaming industry and the gamification of other aspects of life (shopping reward cards, personal fitness badges, etc.) continues to grow, perhaps educators will need to gamify their instruction to engage and motivate the next generation of students.
  • Do you think that the ‘gamified’ way we have learnt science this year with the videos, interactive electronic book and stars is a better way to learn than more traditional classes that have more lectures? Yes No Number of student responses 14 3
  • 82%, of students responded that they preferred the gamified classroom to a more traditional classroom.
  • Despife the attempt to motivate with the stars, some students still struggled to be motivated (Student G). Student H struggled to come to terms with the teacher being less prominent out the front of the classroom and directing the passage of learning. They valued the lecture-based component of learning.
  • y engaging students with a fun and authentic experience that challenges the participant to take control and explore their understandings, while providing meaningful feedback to aid the learning process in a social and collaborative way, we have seen students more excited and motivated to learn.
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    Case study concerning the gamification of a science class
Anna Kron

21 Definitions for a 21st-Century Education - 0 views

  • I recently asked thousands of educatorswhat “21st-century skills and tools” means to them, and how one might integrate such technologies and skills into today’s classrooms
  • A teacher possessing 21st-century skills fearlessly seeks out methods and tools—technology—that will enhance not only their students’ learning—but their own personal growth as well.
  • utilize technology to deliver curriculum content in a manner that is both rigorous and relevant
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  • A fully integrated curriculum that includes technology tools that deliver, enhance and create passionate, accountable individuals who use problem-solving skills and resources to transition from a learning environment to a working environment, seamlessly
  • Twenty-first century learning is a remix of multiple literacies which fuse with the tools of technology—and the skills of critical thinking—to stimulate authentic, relevant learning opportunities for all learners, anywhere, anytime.
  • skills in communication, collaboration, and information analysis
  • 21st-century skills require a high level of socio-emotional competence and sophistication
  • Don’t make the mistake of seeing technology as itself and get afraid of it—see it as a tool, as transparent
  • Technology is enabling us to connect to each other in remote areas of the world, share ideas, identify and solve problems—it’s a new, global classroom. Embracing and mastering new 21st-century skills and tools is an essential part of this revolution to ‘C’ the future: Connect. Communicate. Collaborate. Change.
  • skills students will need to be competitive in their future careers
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    This post is a set of responses from educators who attempt to define 21st-century skills and tools. It is useful to remember that this means many different things to different people, yet there are running trends through the comments as well!
Laura H.

10 Signs of a 21st Century Classroom | Edutopia - 1 views

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    signs of best practice in classrooms
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    A list of ways to know if you have successfully created a 21st century learning environment.
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    Best practices for teachers to evaluate and gear their instruction towards 21st century learning skills.
Ping Gao

"Flipping" a class | Learning Sciences - 2 views

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    This is a good website about using Flipped instruction for science learning.
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    Teaching in sonography is primarily the sciences so I was interested in this resource. I have saved it to my own library to reference in the future.
Katie Upah

Nine Strategies for Reaching All Learners in English - 0 views

  • Readers and Writers Workshop is an instructional model that focuses on students as learners, as well as readers and writers in practice. As readers and writers, students are mentored, working in a supportive and collaborative environment with their mentor on touchstone texts.
  • As a middle school ELA teacher, I continue to collaborate with my peers in the building and across the school district. I participate in planning and designing instruction, inquiry-based studies, and collaborative coaching and learning. These activities have provided me with a repertoire of research-based best practices to engage the readers and writers in my ELA classroom.
  • From the first day of school, we encourage students to choose the books they read. We model how to choose and review a book for reading. We also encourage students to choose books at their independent reading level rather than at their frustration or difficult level. Students read for 30 minutes daily and complete an entry on the reading.
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  • Provide instruction in basic reading strategies using reciprocal teaching practice that includes predicting, visualizing, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing.
  • Teach students to mark or highlight text for main ideas and also for answers to specific questions. Text annotation is an excellent method to make meaning and provide evidence to support answers.
  • Use t-chart graphic organizers to have them identify specific lines from a text and explain their thoughts about the lines.
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    This article lists 9 general strategies to appeal to all students in the English classroom, both in the middle school and the high school.
Ryan

10 Signs of a 21st Century Learning Classroom - 1 views

  • ollaborative Environment Many students prefer to work alone.  However, this is an option not often granted in careers.  In addition, collaboration fosters the development of new ideas and exposes students to opposing viewpoints.
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  • ands-on Learning Long a staple of science courses, labs provide a wonderful opportunity to provide students with another anchor for learning.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Any opportunity to connect to the outside world is a chance to enhance student achievement.
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  • eacher as Facilitator Modern realization of best practice in education no longer supports the idea of the teacher as an authoritarian figure standing in the front of the room scrawling on a chalkboard.  As educators, our role can be reshaped so that we work beside students providing support and encouragement for their personal journey.
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    What 21st Century skills look like in the classroom.
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    This helps give you an idea of what a classroom today would look like.
Nicole Heinrichs

New Teacher Support - 1 views

  • We’ll help you find the resources, support, ideas, and advice you need to make your classroom the rewarding, positive learning environment you want it to be. We won’t pretend that it will be easy
  • LEARN NC is here to help
  • Keep this in mind
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  • help you take advantage of mentoring, l
  • these articles give you the perspectives of real teachers who have faced problems like yours and overcome them.
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    This website offers many resources for teachers. It is important, especially as a first year teachers, to know were you can go for help.
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    I agree that I could use this resource efficiently in my own future classroom but probably only for the first couple of years that I teach because it simply provides tips to keep in mind and resources for first year teachers. I like how the article tells teachers to keep in mind 4 key points: teaching is hard, you can't do it alone, every classroom is different, and classroom management means solving problems before they occur. This resource is definitely meant for teacher use because it is meant to help teachers as they first begin their careers, and students would not have a reason to utilize resources for first year teachers. Here is another resource that could be considered for first-year teachers entitled "10 First-Year Teacher Myths and How to Avoid Them": http://plpnetwork.com/2014/05/14/10-first-year-teacher-myths-avoid/
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    Having resources ready for us when we first start teaching will be nice, because after all we know it will not be the easiest thing in the world.
bredvick

10 Tools To Teach Kids The Basics Of Programming - 1 views

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    I am sharing an educational resource many should look into. I think in todays every growing technology world, it is a good idea for all students to get the basics of programming. I like this 10 tools you can use to support yourself in teaching children the basics of programming. If I find this is interesting to students, I will use more of these tools.
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    They talked about this at ITEC. I think that it is really important for students to learn about programming because there are so many things that are being digitized. As a whole, we all are doing a lot of interacting in virtual environments. If students learn how to program, they won't just have an online presence, they will be able to CREATE an online presence for themselves. I want to become more familiar with programming myself.
bredvick

CNN Student News - 0 views

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    This is a great website for 21st Century Learning. There is a large possibility in the future the students are going to be getting the news and updates about their society through online news sources. This is a great way to start the students on reading the news and educating them about the world. We can teach them strategies on how to filter through news in the online environment. I also like this website is kid friendly language.
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