Issues and Trends

Gaming in the classroom

I thought that this was an interesting article when it came to evaluating teachers and the difference between teacher who use gaming in the classroom and those who don't I think however it would have been more interesting to hear more about the experiences of the "Barrier Busters" and the "Naturals" . I definitely appreciated the point that was made about how for Naturals gaming is not considered as some innovation and instead as a teaching tool. What would be the significance of having the number of years the teacher has been teaching?

Gives plenty of resources for TESOL teachers including lesson plans, activities, assessments, teaching tips, etc. You can also contribute your own resources for other teachers. Almost like social media for teachers!

A quick little website about the some of the pros and cons of using interactive whiteboards in class and how they worked when researched. 

I think that this may be the content of an article, not a website. Also I question how the results they found have changed, considering that this article was published in 2009. Therefore, I am not sure how relevant the content of this article is, because the technology has undoubtedly changed a lot since it was written. This resource is definitely for teacher use; I think the writers are trying to help teachers see how they can utilize interactive whiteboards more effectively in their classrooms. This article left me questioning what the authors were talking about a little bit: under the "What the Research Found" portion of the article, the authors describe three features "inherent in interactive whiteboards" that have increased student achievement. However, the handheld voting devices and projection of graphics and visuals can be done without an interactive whiteboard. It left me unsure about how useful interactive whiteboards are; I think that if I had my choice of technology in the classroom, an interactive whiteboard would not be high on my list.

Learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more. Khan Academy is a nonprofit with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. I use this site in my math class when we are starting a new unit. My student preview video lessons on this site, and do some practice problems to prepare for the next unit.

We just looked at this the other day in our online class! I definitely think this would be a really beneficial as a supplemental resource. Although I wonder would it be worthy enough to use in a lesson or in a classroom? By this I mean is it mainly working through slides and problems? Does it benefit to problem-based learning as much? To me it seems to be mainly for student use in that the teacher doesn't do much in helping other than giving them the links for it.

I definitely think that if I were to use this resource in my classroom, it would be supplemental to my lessons. If students were not understanding the content of the lesson, I would give them the link to the correct videos from this website and ask them to watch. I also could see myself asking students to get a username and log into the site to work on problems so that I could see their understanding of the concepts. I think this resource could be for both student and teacher use: the students watch the videos and work on the problems, the teachers see how students do on the problems and adjust their lessons as necessary. One thing I found interesting about this website is if you click "Test Prep," the only tests that are listed are SAT, MCAT, NCLEX-RN, GMAT, CAHSEE, IIT JEE, and... AP Art History (along with a couple of others that look to be in a different language than English). Why is AP Art History the only AP test included in the test prep?! I think this is an area that this website could expand upon, but don't get me wrong, I think this is a great resource. (In particular, the math videos and lessons of Khan Academy are very strong.)

Great breakdown of what social media sites can be used for, along with how to set them up.

I actually just sent this to a friend of mine who still lives under the belief that computers are just a fad that will go away in time. So thank you.

I think this is a great tool for teachers; the site teachthought.com has helpful information about teaching, technology and other resources for teachers. I think that the Social Media cheat sheet is very helpful for teachers that are trying to get more technology in their classroom and don't know where to begin. This resource could be used by students as well. It will give an opportunity to talk with students about effective ways to use technology in their learning.

Designing a classroom for 21st century learning

This is a great resource to help teachers in the initiative of creating a leaner-centered classroom. The first week back to work, teachers and administrators in the district watched a video about the power of belief - mindset and success. This resource is mostly for teachers but it can positively affect students and their learning success. A similar resource that should be considered is the mindset works website: http://www.mindsetworks.com/. This site explains the science behind the concept of the growth mindset and explains the role of teachers, administrators, students and parents.

This site provides ideas on how to use app smashing as a learning tool

I've never heard of app smash before! It looks like it would be a pretty useful in the classroom. It definitely sparked my curiosity. I have it bookmarked for later when I have more time to read a little further.

Richard Byrne is a teacher who blogs about different technology tools that are out there for teachers. His tips are usually quick reads and very easy to follow. He posts approximately once daily. Excellent resource!

This site has great resources that can be used in my classroom. One post from this blog is about "How to share videos through Google drive". At times students have an assignment where they have to create a video and it would be easier for them to submit the video to me through Google drive instead of posting it on a public site. This resource could be equally useful for teachers. Teachers can share videos with students or with colleagues through Google drive. Similar resources could be dropbox and learning management systems such as e-learning, Canvas or Blackboard.

This is an awesome blog for teachers! It seems that most of these tools can easily be used for teachers in the classroom. I would definitely like to use some of this technology anyway. It really is geared towards educators and it is nice that they are quick to read for those teachers who don't have much free time.

Using Pinterest to teach technology to Elementary students

Thank you for sharing this! There are some great apps on this page. I am always looking for new apps for kids to use and this is a great resource. I have it bookmarked!

There are a so many of these lists out on pinterest anymore. I think it would be interesting to compare what apps tend to make the lists on more than one? I do love this site though and like that someone has spelled out exactly what can be used for teachers in the future.

50 Web 2.0 sites for use in the classroom 

The main thing that makes this blog post l is the youtube video embedded at the bottom. Sir Ken Robinson, critically evaluates the current school system and shows how it needs to be changed to prepare students for the jobs that do not even exist yet

Sir Ken Robinson is one of my favorite educational speakers. His Ted Talks are all amazing. I like this resource just for its usefulness in making people think. It would make a great tool for teachers to take to administrators who are reluctant to move towards a new teaching style or technology implementation. I am lucky enough to work with an administration that already thinks this way, but I know that there are some districts that do not see a need for a change in our education system. I also think that every parent and student also need to see this video. It is important to understand why your teachers are trying new things and teaching new skills. It helps when everyone is on board. Thanks for sharing this source!

Great find for all teachers. I think many teachers, including college professors are falling behind in this. I think the higher ed people need to replace their training manuals with this.

EdRedi software that allows teachers to track the students use on name brand devices.

cute (and gives you something to think about)-a teen's perspective on technology

By far one of my favorite comments is "If teachers feel like students are judging them, that's because we are. We grew up in an age of immaculately designed websites that were made to be user-friendly." I find myself doing this even in Grad School!

Blog for a class taught by MMO

gaming in social media

classroom tools

Games and interactives

Good resource about App Smashing in the classroom

article discussing different ways in which twitter can be used in the classroom

Sarah, Thank you for sharing this article. Twitter exploded last year in my district, especially at the high school, as a form of communication for everyone. The middle school, where I am primilary at, is slowly catching on. However, I LOVE Twitter as a professional resource. I think it is like a social bookmarker. I can share the websites, and then go back when I have time to explore them more. I agree this can be used in my library to be an effective communication tool for both students and staff. I believe this resource can be used for both students and staff, but they have different purposes. As a professional, using hashtags can be very benefical to find information. It can also be a great way to network, using the Twitter Chats that go on all around the United States and the world. Students can use this to communicate. For example, the students wanted to have a blue out in honor of a student who has cancer at the football game last night. They asked the opposing team to join them in wearing blue to honor a young man who is fighting for his life. They did, and they donated an additional $425 because they found that information on Twitter! I am not aware of other resources that do that same thing. I believe Twitter is unique with their limit of 140 characters and the strong hashtag movement they begun all throughout the internet world.

Emma, are you in Clinton? I heard about the "blue out"! I like to use Twitter for mainly professional use, but that varies from anywhere between retweeting professional articles to reminding the study body to buy their yearbooks. I try to throw in some personal stuff every now and again just to show that their teacher is an actual human, too. :)

Students use this site to practice Spanish words