Skip to main content

Home/ Issues and Trends/ Group items tagged best practices

Rss Feed Group items tagged

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"
  • ...19 more annotations...
  • 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. (
  •  
    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.
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    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.
  •  
    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!
  •  
    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.
Anne Pudenz

Best Education Blogs to Watch in 2015 | ExamTime - 3 views

  •  
    Provides a list of the 14 best educational blogs to watch in 2015. The blogs range from technology, 21st century skills, eLearning, instructional practices, Web 2.0 tools, and general resources.
  •  
    Thank you for this source. People are always asking who should I follow. This list is a great place to start. Teachers will enjoy looking at these and expanding their PLNs.
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.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • 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.
  •  
    This article lists 9 general strategies to appeal to all students in the English classroom, both in the middle school and the high school.
hannahnolton

Best Instructional Practices - 0 views

  •  
    This article provides you with four different instructional practices to use in your classroom.
Laura H.

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

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

Best Instructional Practices - 0 views

  •  
    This site includes some of the best practices teachers need to live by in order to be productive educators. I do believe that I need to make sure to follow these at all time, including differentiation.
Tyler Schaben

A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom | Edutopia - 4 views

  • 12 Ways Teachers are Using Social Media in the Classroom Right Now Tweet or post status updates as a class. Teacher Karen Lirenman lets students propose nuggets of learning that are posted for parents to read. Write blog posts about what students are learning. Teacher Kevin Jarrett blogs reflections about his Elementary STEM lab for parents to read each week. Let your students write for the world. Linda Yollis' students reflect about learning and classroom happenings. Connect to other classrooms through social media. Joli Barker is fearlessly connecting her classroom through a variety of media. Use Facebook to get feedback for your students' online science fair projects. Teacher Jamie Ewing is doing this now, as he shared recently. Use YouTube for your students to host a show or a podcast. Don Wettrick's students hosted the Focus Show online and now share their work on a podcast. Create Twitter accounts for a special interest projects. My student Morgan spent two years testing and researching the best apps for kids with autism (with the help of three "recruits"), and her work just won her an NCWIT Award for the State of Georgia.
  • Ask questions to engage your students in authentic learning. Tom Barrett did this when his class studied probability by asking about the weather in various locations. Communicate with other classrooms. The Global Read Aloud, Global Classroom Project and Physics of the Future are three examples of how teachers use social media to connect their students as they collaborate and communicate. Create projects with other teachers. (Full disclosure: I co-created Physics of the Future with Aaron Maurer, a fellow educator I first met on Twitter.) Share your learning with the world. My students are creating an Encyclopedia of Learning Games with Dr. Lee Graham's grad students at the University of Alaska Southeast. The educators are testing the games, and the students are testing them, too. Further a cause that you care about. Mrs. Stadler's classes are working to save the rhinos in South Africa, and Angela Maiers has thousands of kids choosing to matter.
  • 12 Ways Teachers are Using Social Media in the Classroom Right Now
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • The myth about social media in the classroom is that if you use it, kids will be Tweeting, Facebooking and Snapchat
  • If you're going to ignore social media in the classroom, then throw out the ISTE Standards for Students and stop pretending that you're 21st century.
  • Tweet or post status updates as a class. Teacher Karen Lirenman lets students propose nuggets of learning that are posted for parents to read.
  • Use YouTube for your students to host a show or a podcast. Don Wettrick's students hosted the Focus Show online and now share their work on a podcast.
  • Communicate with other classrooms. The Global Read Aloud, Global Classroom Project and Physics of the Future are three examples of how teachers use social media to connect their students as they collaborate and communicate.
  • Create projects with other teachers. (Full disclosure: I co-created Physics of the Future with Aaron Maurer, a fellow educator I first met on Twitter.)
  • Further a cause that you care about. Mrs. Stadler's classes are working to save the rhinos in South Africa, and Angela Maiers has thousands of kids choosing to matter.
  • Surely students will post thousands of status updates, pictures, and blogs in their lifetime.
  • If you're going to ignore social media in the classroom, then throw out the ISTE Standards for Students and stop pretending that you're 21st century. Stop pretending that you're helping low-income children overcome the digital divide if you aren't going to teach them how to communicate online.
  • Don't mistake social media for socializing. They're different -- just as kids talking as they work in groups or talking while hanging out are different.
  • Fictional twitter accounts! I just wanted to share something that I have really gotten a kick out of recently. I started a Twitter account for Holden Caulfield @_therealholden_ and "Holden" tweets updates that center on our reading of The Catcher in the Rye. Students can interact and the whole thing has been a lot of fun.
  •  
    This is a great article about integrating social media into the classroom. It offers a short quiz at the beginning of the article.
  • ...10 more comments...
  •  
    A teachers how to incorporate social media in their classroom.
  •  
    A teachers how to incorporate social media in their classroom.
  •  
    This site offers 12 ways teachers are using social media in their classrooms.  It provides links to classroom examples and other teachers.  
  •  
    This article talks about the use of social media in the classroom.  This resource is helpful for wanting to know pointers for using social media in the classroom.
  •  
    Defense of social media in the classroom and ideas for how to use it.
  •  
    This article asserts why it is important for teachers to address social media in the classroom and 12 ways teachers are using it.
  •  
    This is a great article that explains different ways to use social media in the classroom. One idea that I wanted to share, but it was not on there, was this idea about having a Twitter Debate. I heard about it in a webcast that I watched last week. I think this could also be a very effective tool for students who are trying to get their point across. They would have to find an article to support their point, and by using Twitter and limiting them to 140 characters, it would force them to make their point consice. I think this article could be helpful with teachers. Teachers can have a lot of different ideas to help students use social media in their classroom. I think that I could use different ideas for the library, specifically tweeting different things that are going on in the library.
  •  
    I really like the idea of connecting with other classrooms through social media. I think this could work for my writing classes as a very authentic way of getting an audience. Maybe "Share your journal entry on social media and see if you get responses from people other than me and the rest of the kids in this class"? Kids and teachers can take control over this and use it in so many ways: sharing their work, reaching out to other people and classes, connecting with each other outside of class, etc. Plus there are so many different platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest) that allow us to do a variety of things so that you don't have to stick with just one. Thanks for sharing!
  •  
    This was a great article that gave a lot of diverse ideas for using social media in the classroom. One that I found I could use in my class would be a discussion forum for students who are in different periods, but taking the same/similar class, to communicate with each other on a variety of discussion topics. It could also be applied to allow my engineering students to communicate with the physics classroom. I believe this resource would most benefit teachers, administration, and technology integrationalist. It would be a great way to introduce the idea of incorporation social media into the classroom at a PD meeting.
  •  
    This was very informative on how to use social media in the classroom in a fun and appropriate way. There are so many platforms for students to seek or gain information, and I find that some teachers are afraid of allowing their students into the social media world in a classroom setting. Also, I would state that those teachers have not themselves explored social media in an educational format. This could be a great resource for many teachers.
  •  
    This whole website in general is really good. What I decided to focus on specifically was this article about good practices for social media in the classroom. If you have the time I would also check out the comments. There are educators that posted their own uses for social media in the classroom that were not mentioned in the article. This is a good read!
  •  
    I think this is an awesome resource to give teachers ideas of how to integrate social media in the classroom more effectively. Edutopia always has lots of great, reliable information and resources. One of the things that I think is the most effective is how this article has links to other sites where specific real life teachers have used social media in the classroom effectively.
bretthutch

An Examination of the Instructional Practices in Co-Teaching - 0 views

  •  
    This publication takes a deeper look at the best practices in co-teaching in the english classroom to provide meaningful instruction for students will special needs.
Taylor Niewohner

Teaching Students with Special Needs: Advice for Teachers (Grades K-12) - TeacherVision - 1 views

  •  
    talks about different instructional practices that can be used with special needs students
  •  
    This resource is great for beginning teachers and teachers who have not worked with students with different abilities before. I like how it also notes the gifted populations as well as those students with a disability. This resource could be used by both teachers and students. Teachers could use it to learn a brief amount more about students with special needs, while as students can use it to understand what other options/strategies might work best for them if they fall into one of the categories listed. There are many other resources that provide strategies/information about how to work with special populations. One I like to check out as a special ed teacher is ldonline.com.
Ryan

Best Instructional Practices to Use in the classroom. - 0 views

  •  
    Defines some parts to instructional practices
  •  
    When using technology in the classroom, it is important to understand how to use it.
Anna Kron

3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do - 1 views

  • every teacher already has the tools to differentiate in powerful ways for all learners
  • The core of differentiation is a relationship between teachers and students. The teacher's responsibility is connecting content, process, and product. Students respond to learning based on readiness, interests, and learning profile.
  • Content is comprised of the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students need to learn based on the curriculum.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • If we provide a variety of ways to explore the content outcomes, learners find different ways to connect.
  • Process is how students make sense of the content. They need time to reflect and digest the learning activities before moving on to the next segment of a lesson.
  • Processing helps students assess what they do and don't understand.
  • Reflection is a powerful skill that is developed during processing experiences
  • Product differentiation is probably the most common form of differentiation. Teachers give choices where students pick from formats. Students propose their own designs.
  • The key to product options is having clear academic criteria that students understand.
  • When considering your students' needs, reach even higher in your practice -- that extra stretch is inside us all -- and students will benefit.
  •  
    This article describes the teacher's role for effective planning of differentiated instruction. I hope that I can use the three points in this article (differentiating content, process, and product) in order to create the best learning experiences for my students.
Kim McCoy-Parker

Math Coach's Corner - 2 views

  •  
    My personal favorite blog for math ideas for the classroom by Donna Boucher. Every week free links to classroom activities are also included.
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    This looks like a great blog for resources, Kim! This blog seems to be full of math resources and ideas which could be a great asset to teachers! This would obviously be best utilized by teachers to prepare for their math lessons, etc., though the students would benefit from the added preparation and materials this blog provides for their math sessions as well! I know of many other blogs that provide resources and ideas like this one, and they are always so helpful in brainstorming new teaching practices!
  •  
    This looks like a great resource for math teachers! I love that she gives new tips with each entry. I can see where this could be a resource for teacher, but also, how students could benefit from some of resources that she posts about. I could definitely see myself consulting this for different reasons throughout my lesson planning. Another website that also offers some great math resources is www.k-5mathteachingresources.com
  •  
    Amber - Thanks for the addition site suggestion I have marked if for a future lesson planning resource.
tabathaduncan

Supporting English Language Learners - Benchmark Education Storefront - 0 views

  •  
    This module explores ways to address the specific needs of ELL students and how to scaffold their language and literacy development. You will examine observable behaviors that indicate students' progression through stages of language acquisition. English-language learners are students who have acquired their primary listening and speaking skills in a language other than English.
Christa McCaulley

Open Educational Resources - 0 views

  •  
    Open Educational Resources (OER) are high-quality, openly licensed, online educational materials that offer an extraordinary opportunity for people everywhere to share, use, and reuse knowledge. They also demonstrate great potential as a mechanism for instructional innovation as networks of teachers and learners share best practices.
Katrina Lint

5 Unique Uses of Twitter in the Classroom - US News - 0 views

  • Personifying characters on Twitter.
  • "There's a complete shift in how we're doing business," Macy says. "People are now getting their [information] from LinkedIn and Twitter and Facebook."
  • eaches students how to act and react in real time by implementing social media practices.
  •  
    twitter uses
Nicole Heinrichs

Inquiry-Based Learning: Developing Student-Driven Questions | Edutopia - 3 views

  • Inquiry-based learning is more concerned with the process of learning
  • starts with questions.
  • uses student inquiries, questions, interests, and curiosities to drive learning.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Empowering students doesn't mean we're doing less planning,"
  • teachers must be willing to be flexible.
  •  
    This article talks about how develop good inquiries through good questioning and organization. I would use this article to remind me of good questioning for students.
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    Nicole I really enjoyed watching the video on inquiry based learning. I liked the principals quote that "inquiry based learning is really just a fancy phrase for curiousity." I also liked the young man's quote about "inquiry based learning actually makes you think." Memorization is not allowing kids to explore or think for themselves. The teachers did a nice job of explaining how the students curiousity can help guide what they are learning, while still getting the common core standards mastered. I agree that the concept of inquiry based learning can be used effectively in the classroom. I think that it can be used effectively in my library because we provide resources to help students answer questions they wants to know about. I think that inquiry based learning is something both students and teachers can benifit from. Teachers will find it much easier to teacher if their students are engaged. Allowing students to choose what they are learning about will allow them to be more engaged. While I do not know of anything else that is similar to inquiry based learning, I think that it can be very helpful for students at all levels and I believe more teachers should take advantage of it.
  •  
    Nicole, I really enjoyed watching this video as well. When I first started watching the video, there was an opening sentence that just drew my attention right away into the video. The teacher said, "I realized how much more they learn, then when I see that they take action and their applying the skills they learn in here, I feel like I have done my job as a teacher." When I start to begin my teacher's journey, I hope to feel that overwhelming joy of teaching my students, not just viable information, but also how it can be applied to the real world settings. I also was excited to hear that all the coordinator said that group based learning is all about curiosity. Which I believe is what we as future or current teachers try to accomplish everyday that we are in the classroom. I agree that the resource can be used efficiently in my own future classroom because I hope to one day teach my students how they want to be taught material, as well as how to share that material with others around them. I believe that the resource is a use for both teachers and students. The reason why is because teachers can learn from their students developing ways, as well as how the student can teach their teacher how they can best develop and comprehend the material. I am currently not aware of any other similar resources that could be considered at this time, but I am confident that as our class continues on, there will be more resources.
  •  
    "Inquiry is a fancy term for curiosity". I could not agree more. This is such a motivational video to help us as educators encourage our students to dive further in exploring ideas. Curiosity leads to the ability to create strong, driving questions. I look forward to allowing my students to take charge of their learning by encouraging them to bring up real life questions that will allow them to dive into their inquiry and research. As teachers, we must learn to take a step back and allow the students to facilitate their own learning with strong question asking!
Ms. Rebecca Carton

Conrad Wolfram: Teaching kids real math with computers | TED Talk | TED.com - 0 views

  •  
    TED Talk Video - Teaching kids math with computers
Ms. Rebecca Carton

TES - Find and sell teaching resources - 0 views

  •  
    Teaching resources and activities for all subject areas
  •  
    I love YouTube. Anything you want to know more about is likely on YouTube. The information is not always the greatest because anyone can post anything on YouTube but if you want to hear someone else tell you something looking on YouTube is a fantastic way to go. TedTalks are amazing; this type of resource can not ever be over used and is not taken advantage of enough. This TedTalk is 5 years old and is still very powerful. Students and teachers can both benefit from changing the way they consume information and redirecting their interest with the voice of a good speaker is a great way to get things going in that direction.
Mary Kimani

15 Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher | Edutopia - 5 views

  •  
    Here are some major characteristics/ suggestions for a 21st century teacher, which all teachers should strive to be, some of the points could start an interesting conversation
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    I have this same article in my library! I has some good information/points on what teachers should strive for to establish a student centered classroom.
  •  
    This is one of the best lists I have seen for 21st-century teaching! I think that this article could be used in any classroom as ways for teachers to transform their practice. Some of the ideals I think are a little hard to achieve... for example, going completely paperless would be difficult, particularly in the early years when students need to learn handwriting. But this is a great resource for teachers, regardless, to get ideas on how to challenge themselves and adapt their teaching to the needs of their learners in today's age. I am not aware of any other list that is as comprehensive as the one you shared; I like this list!
  •  
    This is a great article, I have many articles from Edutopia bookmarked as well. Any teacher could learn from this list of characteristics and suggestions. Although I do not think that as a future teacher I would be able to follow all of these I believe many are possible.
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.
  • H
  • 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.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • 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.
  •  
    What 21st Century skills look like in the classroom.
  •  
    This helps give you an idea of what a classroom today would look like.
1 - 20 of 20
Showing 20 items per page