Learning and understanding mathematics, at every level, requires student
engagement. Mathematics is not, as has been said, a spectator sport. Too
much of current instruction fails to actively involve students. One way
to address the problem is through the use of manipulatives, physical objects
that help students visualize relationships and applications. We can now
use computers to create virtual learning environments to address the same
goals.
There is a need for good computer-based mathematical manipulatives and interactive learning
tools at elementary and middle school levels. Our Utah State University
team is building Java-based mathematical tools and editors that allow
us to create exciting new approaches to interactive mathematical instruction.
The use of Java as a programming language provides platform independence
and web-based accessibility.
6. By now you're probably feeling like there is not enough time to "cover" everything you want your students to learn. As you look at the standards, your school's requirements, etc., think about how each type of content and concept could be learned in the most efficient way. For example, if students need to learn the parts of the cell, can they practice this using an app or software? When they need to experience and discuss how cells are transformed during the process of osmosis, they will most likely need a hands-on experience or a discussion. What content can be delivered and assessed online?
. Get clear about what your community needs and values. What do you want for your graduates (whether they leave you in 5th, 8th or 12th grade)? Try to avoid the trap of doing what's always been done -- this is a different time and world from when you were in school (or likely even in college). What skills do students really need for success in today's (and tomorrow's) world? Their time at school is too valuable to focus on anything that doesn't help them develop those skills and doesn't underscore the value of play, failure and hands-on experiences (activities that are often seen as less "rigorous" or less "college prep"). Once you have determined what you value for your students, it is easy to avoid the trap of products that promise instant results or boxed solutions. For us, having our students engage in real-world learning experiences is a priority, so we utilized technologies like video-conferencing that enabled making those connections.
Pinterest
Create connections, encourage collaboration, ignite discussions, or simply share mutual interests through Pinterest. Uploaded or “pin” images and videos from websites, blogs, or your own computer, smartphone, or tablet to create boards. These boards can be private or public, and others can be invited to pin on any of your boards. Any “pin” can be "repinned", and all pins will link back to their source. Grades 6-12.
Tip: Have students work in groups to create research projects and share their sources visually.
Manage & Organize
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful.
2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use and assess.
edcanvas (Now known as Blendspace )
Edcanvas is a connected space where students and adults can organize, present and share information. Gather, annotate and share presentations easily by dragging and dropping images, movies, maps, audio and text and embedding hyperlinks onto a blank canvas. Use multiple frames on each canvas to pre-teach a topic, provide 1:1 and differentiated instruction, and share pathfinders and explore connections. Use your own content or searching on the Internet, without leaving the Edcanvas page to create collaborative projects. Older elementary and secondary students can create collaborative projects by copying individual canvases to make a complete dynamic canvas. Grades 6-12.
Curriculum Collaboration
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
1.3.4 Contribute to the exchange of ideas within a learning community.
3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess.
4.3.1 Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person
Codecademy
What happens when you combine the knowledge and talent of a handful of techies that want to make a change in education? Visit Codeacademy and participate in the teaching and learning experience of the future! Codeacademy has set out to create an online social instructional experience that teaches programming to people around the world. Learn the fundamentals of various programming languages, participate in online coding language labs, and learn how to start a coding academy at your own school. Grades 6-12.
The 2013 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. They are free, Web-based sites that are user friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover.
inklewriter
Are you searching for technology that will motivate budding and reluctant writers to author the next great story? Inklewriter provides the format for writing interactive branched stories. While students focus on writing, Inklewriter handles the story paths that end and those yet to be developed. Students who love the "choose your own ending" stories will enjoy writing, editing and reading on this dynamic site. Branched stories with the potential for multiple endings will also intrigue those interested in game development. Finished projects can be shared with a limited or global audience at the author's discretion.
Tip: Use Inklewriter to explore decision making and consequences in secondary Health, Social Studies, Science, and English classes.
These are the best websites that should be used for a teacher wanting to combine education and technology. They will be helpful in the class room and outside of the classroom as well.
The Social Media Myth
The myth about social media in the classroom is that if you use it, kids will be Tweeting, Facebooking and Snapchatting while you're trying to teach. We still have to focus on the task at hand. 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.
You don't even have to bring the most popular social media sites into your classroom. You can use Fakebook (1) or FakeTweet (2) as students work on this form of conversation. Edublogs (3), Kidblog (4), Edmodo (5), and more will let you use social media competencies and writing techniques. Some teachers are even doing "tweets" on post-it notes (6) as exit tickets. You can use mainstream social media, too.
Before we talk social media, let's talk about the relevance of social media by taking a quiz. Which of the following is most likely to be true? ☐ Should we teach letter-writing in the classroom? Kids need to write letters and mail them.
This webpage has links that take you to places that provide an example to utilize in the classroom. It also helps with ideas for projects to do in the classroom.
I fee that this would be a great website for teachers to use because they can use it for their students. They can use many books, activities and art ideas.
Ditch the flash cards and stop memorizing definitions. Vocabulary.com teaches you words by systematically exposing you
to a wide array of question types and activities that will help you understand all the meanings and nuances
of every word you’re learning.
It’s as if your favorite teacher were explaining the word to you.
Give your students the ability to attack the texts they
encounter in the classroom, and the gift of a vocabulary that
will open doors for a lifetime.
A site that allows teachers and students to appreciate vocabulary and learn more vocabulary along the way. Also the site uses examples and has a simple way of explaining each word to you.
Get students excited about building their vocabulary skills with our colorful ice-pop game. Create matching pairs by writing synonyms, antonyms, or vocabulary words and their definitions on the solid yellow pops. Mix up the pops and have students place them flavor side up on the floor. Finally, have kids flip the pops to find each matching pair. This activity teachers vocabulary, synonyms, and antonyms.
nts learning technology, it is especially important to focus on effective teaching strategies that are commonly used in other content areas, such as academic language development and meaningful interaction with the content.
Computer tutorials should be organized by tasks: the things most students want to do with the program.
For each task, concise, step-by-step instructions should be provided.
Each step should be illustrated with a computer screen shot that shows exactly what to do. The bigger the illustration, the better.
At the end of each important task, stand-alone exercises should be included to give students an opportunity to practice the tasks. Including multiple exercises will ensure that students who work quickly will remain occupied.
Build vocabulary
Find out what students know:
Review the basics:
Use props and demonstrations:
Check comprehension:
Use handouts
Try giving ELLs handouts with visuals of the computer screen so that they can follow along.
Create simple assignments for beginners
students learning how to use the Word program to create documents should write about something with which they are familiar, rather than having to research a new topic while learning how to use the program.
Extended practice time
need to find ways to extend the practice time for ELLs.
ELL students are making meaning of the instructions given in a second language, while also figuring out how to use the technology.
. This also may be an opportunity to pair a tech-savvy mainstream student with an ELL student who is developing computer skills.
Use pair and group work
If students use the new information, vocabulary, and technology to build something together or to solve a problem, they will learn it and remember it as they discuss different approaches to a problem, activate their knowledge, and learn from each other.
Establish meaningful goals
it is important to introduce the technology with very basic, well-known information so all students can understand it
It is possible to give general guidelines to ensure the quality of the project while still allowing students some options for individuality.
Teach students to consider the source
ELL students may be particularly susceptible to believing information they receive electronically because they may come from a culture where very little information is printed, and so written information is usually considered reliable.
Teachers can also help their students by leading them through a discussion and investigation as to the origin of news, and by teaching them how to determine if information is accurate and relevant to their needs. This also supports the development of good online research skills.
Teaching technology is challenging in any environment, but when teachers are trying to eliminate the gap between ELL and mainstream students, it is even more challenging. I hope these strategies will give you some ideas of where to start and what kind of support will be helpful to your students. While ELL students are often at a disadvantage when it comes to learning technology, they are also extremely motivated and enthusiastic about technology when they have meaningful access to the instruction. By taking a moment to observe and reflect on your ELL students' learning needs, you will be able to help them successfully transition to a "high-tech" society and a successful future.
4Teachers.org works to help you integrate technology into your classroom by offering online tools and resources. This site helps teachers locate and create ready-to-use Web lessons, quizzes, rubrics and classroom calendars. There are also tools for student use. Discover valuable professional development resources addressing issues such as equity, ELL, technology planning, and at-risk or special-needs students.
ALTEC, the umbrella organization for the 4teacher tools, manages the Technology Rich Classroom (TRC),Title II-D initiative in Kansas. Take a look at the powerful 21st Century learning taking place in these classrooms!
Teach with Technology
4Teachers.org works to help you integrate technology into your classroom by offering online tools and resources. This site helps teachers locate and create ready
ALTEC, the umbrella organization for the 4teacher tools, manages the Technology Rich Classroom (TRC),Title II-D initiative in Kansas. Take a look at the powerful 21st Century learning taking place in these classrooms!
Teach with Technology
4Teachers.org works to help you integrate technology into your classroom by offering online tools and resources. This site helps teachers locate and create ready-to-use Web lessons, quizzes, rubrics and classroom calendars. There are also tools for student use. Discover valuable professional development resources addressing issues such as equity, ELL, technology planning, and at-risk or special-needs students.
help you integrate technology into your classroom by offering online tools and resources. This site helps teachers locate and create ready-to-use Web lessons, quizzes, rubrics and classroom calendars. There are also tools for student use. Discover valuable professional development resources addressing issues such as equity, ELL, technology planning, and at-risk or special-needs students.
This site helps teachers locate and create ready-to-use Web lessons, quizzes, rubrics and classroom calendars.
I think that this site would be useful for teachers because it helps other teachers understand different teaching techniques and will hopefully give teachers ideas to be better educators.
This site is useful to teachers by it offers online tools and resources. Teachers can use it for lesson plans, tests, and getting students involved. This site comes with examples and videos to help you learn too.
This would be useful for teachers who are using technology in the classroom because it explains different ways for you to use technology in the classroom. It gives you different online games, quizzes, and activities for you to show your students and have them interact online.
Information on online educational games, resources in Spanish, and technology assessment. Also has technology planning suggestions for students who are at-risk.
This website would be useful for teachers because is helps integrate technology in classrooms through implementing online tools and resources completely practical for teachers.
4teachers is a great website to use technology. There are different links where students can take their quizzes right on the website. There is also web lesson plans to bring to the classroom! Students also do their assignments in the website.
This website would be useful for teachers because it is helping to explain integrating technology into the classroom. It has videos and different assessments that teachers can use. The website also offers many different resources for teachers to use in the future of their classroom.
ALTEC, the umbrella organization for the 4teacher tools, manages the Technology Rich Classroom (TRC),Title II-D initiative in Kansas. Take a look at the powerful 21st Century learning taking place in these classrooms!
You don't need advanced computer skills to design an Internet WebQuest, Treasure Hunt, or Sampler for your class. The interactive Filamentality site will guide you in gathering Web resources and constructing these learning activities. The fill-in-the-blank format and hand-holding advice make the process as easy as possible.
PBS LearningMedia™ is the go-to destination for instant access to tens of thousands of classroom-ready, digital resources including videos, games, audio clips, photos, lesson plans, and more! You can search, save, and share with ease. Best of all, PBS LearningMedia is free for educators.
PBS learning media is a great website for teachers and students it provides several digital media to encourage learning and you can search save and share as well it's also free.
Technology integration is the use of technology resources
in daily classroom practices, and in the management of a school
Successful technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is:
Routine and transparent
Accessible and readily available for the task at hand
Supporting the curricular goals, and helping the students to effectively reach their goals
Seamless integration is when students are not only using technology daily, but have access to a variety of tools that match the task at hand and provide them the opportunity to build a deeper understanding of content
teachers are also exploring blended learning -- a combination of both online and face-to-face education
Many of the most rigorous projects are infused with technology from start to finish
There has been a lot of buzz about the benefits of incorporating simulations and game-based learning activities into classroom instruction
devices like cell phones, mp3 players, and tablet computers are now being used as learning tools in forward-thinking schools
One of the first, and most basic, ways that teachers encouraged kids to use technology was with online research, virtual field trips, and webquests
One of the central ideas of digital or media literacy is that students should be come creators and critics, not just consumers, of media
Connecting with others online can be a powerful experience, both for teachers and for students
Though social media tools are still blocked in many schools, students around the world spend vast amounts of time on social networks outside of school
The ultimate goal of technology integration is to completely redefine how we teach and learn, and to do things that we never could before the technology was in our hands
framework lays out the knowledge that educators need in order to successfully integrate technology into their teaching
