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New tech tools for visualizing and modeling, especially

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in the science

experiment and observe phenomenon and to view results in graphic ways that aid in understanding.

technology tools and a project-learning approach, students are more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioral problems in the classroom.

anges the way teachers teac

Technology also

nderstanding through multiple mean

schools lag far behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning.

Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they've found online.

3. Create Interactive Timelines

5. Map and Brainstorm Ideas

4. Design Interactive Presentations

3. Create Interactive Timelines Tech Tools: Xtimeline, Time Glider or Timetoast Timelines, of course, organize information and events that have developed over time, often in historical eras, cultural movements or personal biographies. They display order and sequence as well as relationships and, sometimes, causality between events. Why go online to create this traditional graphic organizer? Interactive versions are not only visually engaging, but also easily incorporate multimedia such as video and audio clips and link directly to source material.

4. Design Interactive Presentations Tech Tools: Glogster.edu and Museum Box PowerPoint is not the only tool students can use to present concepts and ideas visually. Two classroom mainstays – the poster presentation and the diorama – have digital counterparts that students can use for class projects (and that you can use to present course material in engaging ways). With Glogster.edu students can create posters enhanced with multimedia. The interface walks you through the creation and gives students a wide range of scrapbook-inspired templates. The finished projects (such as this one on the causes of the American Revolution) can be presented with a projector or whiteboard, saved and/or printed. (Note: be sure you go to the .edu edition of Glogster. The regular site contains some content that is inappropriate for a classroom setting.) Museum Box takes the old standbys – dioramas and presentation cubes – and kicks them up a notch by enabling the creation of 3-D dioramas with a series of interactive cubes.

5. Map and Brainstorm Ideas Tech Tools: Bubbl.us, CoSketch.com and Cacoo Mind Maps are idea-processing tools, made popular by the British IQ specialist Tony Buzan starting in the 1960s. Many schools have invested in popular mind-mapping software like Inspiration, but there are also many free online programs that help students develop colorful idea webs.

Hold an introductory session with your students when introducing a new tool. Use the tool yourself first before putting your students in front of it. Have a plan for collecting student work. Communicate with other colleagues that may want to use the resources as well. Manage time with the resources wisely. Set goals for work completion with your students. Communicate with

your administration about how and when you will be using shared technology.

This article contains the following sections: Getting Started Integrating Technology Across the Access Spectrum Getting to "Seamless" Integration Tips for Shared Hardware Creating a Professional-Development Plan Hardware and Equipment Using Technology for Feedback and Assessment The Role of Digital Citizenship

If your class has an interactive whiteboard and projector: Try interactive websites such as BrainPOP. Dig in to Scholastic's whiteboard activities page. Show online videos related to the lessons. Explore virtual math manipulatives. Check out the native software that came with the board. Use the videoconferencing tool Skype to connect beyond the classroom.

Getting to "Seamless" Integration To begin to move your tech integration to the point where it is "seamless," consider these questions: What skills are applied to nearly all tools (e.g., saving a file, naming a file, finding a file, logging in and out of accounts)? Have your students mastered these basic skills? How many different tools will you introduce this year? How many is too many? How will technology help your students better understand content -- will it push them to a deeper understanding that could not have been achieved without technology? What level of integration do you want in your classroom by the end of the school year? What specific steps must you take to achieve that goal? What is a realistic goal based on time and resources? For more on levels of technology access and what that means for tech integration, read this blog post: "What Does 'Technology Integration' Mean?" You can also check out the outstanding Technology Integration Matrix produced by the Arizona K12 Center. It provides guidance on different levels of tech integration based on readiness and current practice, and offers links to sample lessons.

Using Technology for Feedback and Assessment One of the most exciting aspects of bringing technology into your classroom -- and into your students' hands -- is the enhanced opportunity for timely and meaningful feedback. Quick Checks: If you want to know if your students grasp enough of a particular concept before you move on, you can use tools such as Poll Everywhere, Socrative, or Mentimeter to get a quick snapshot of the class. By creating a short quiz or open-ended response question using one of these tools and having your students use an internet-enabled device to answer, you can get quick and easy feedback that will help inform your instruction. Personalized Feedback: Through the use of course-management tools such as Edmodo, Schoology, or Moodle, it is now possible for teachers to provide personalized feedback quickly and efficiently to their students. All three tools provide the ability for teachers to leave personalized comments and notes on student work, and they provide a messaging service for students who may want to send emails with questions or concerns about the course.

Using Technology for Feedback and Assessment

If you have access to a handful of mobile devices: Have students create videos using the Animoto app Record group discussions using a voice recording app. Have students record themselves reading aloud for fluency checks. Assign student-created comics using the Puppet Pals app. Offer e-books for required readings. Upload and access course content using the Edmodo or Schoology apps. Conduct research. Foster skills practice using apps specific to subject area. Collaborate using apps like Whiteboard.

I recommend performing a search for "Google Sites digital portfolio." What you'll find is a great starting point and a host of examples for how this tool can help you.

Integrating technology doesn't have to consume your life as an educator. In fact, if a little time is spent on, say, Google Drive, teachers can eventually save time and paper, while collaborating more effectively with students.

Google Drive

The applications listed above present a myriad of options for teaching and learning far beyond what I shared.

hen students have ownership in the curriculum, they are motivated to work hard and master the skills necessary to reach their goals.

In setting fair and consistent rules initially and stating the importance of every activity, students are shown respect for their presence and time. In turn they learn to respect themselves, others, and their environment.

Teaching is a lifelong learning process of learning about new philosophies and new strategies, learning from the parents and community, learning from colleagues, and especially learning from the children. Children have taught me to open my mind and my heart to the joys, the innocence, and the diversity of ideas in the world. Because of this, I will never forget how to smile with the new, cherish the old, and laugh with the children.

My role as a teacher is to give children the tools with which to cultivate their own gardens of knowledge.

I will help children to develop their potential by believing in them as capable individuals. I will assist children in discovering who they are, so they can express their own opinions and nurture their own ideas.

ntegrating technology into a high school classroom isn't a one-step process. "You can't just slap a netbook [computer] on top of a textbook and say, 'Great, now we have technology,"

digital learning starts with teachers,

performance is enhanced by technology

he first annual Digital Learning Day falls on February 1 and will celebrate innovative K-12 instructors who successfully bring technology into the classroom by assigning online course content,

When a school says, 'OK, we want to use technology better,' you have to develop your goals and what learning outcomes you're trying to reach,"

As technology evolves, so must the teachers. "For the last 100 years, teachers have essentially been the sage on the stage," Wise says. "They're the only access point of knowledge."

Login Welcome, {{name}} Logout Rankings & Advice Education Health Money Travel Cars Law Firms News U.S. News Home education Facebook Twitter Education Rankings & Advice Home Colleges Grad Schools High Schools National Rankings State Rankings High School Notes Blog (function ($) { "use strict"; $(function () { var $metaCurrentState = $('meta[name=current_state_abbreviation]'), $headerSearch = $('#headerSearch-highSchools'), $headerState = $('select[name=bhs-school-state]', $headerSearch), $headerStates = $('option', $headerStates), currentStateAbbreviation = ''; if ($metaCurrentState.length > 0) { currentStateAbbreviation = $metaCurrentState.attr('content'); $headerStates.each(function () { var $state = $(this), text = $state.text(), value = $state.val(); if (text === currentStateAbbreviation) { $headerState.val(value); } }); } }); }(jQuery)); (function($) { $(document).ready(function() { function autocomplete_school_name_widget() { var state = $("#bhs-header-state option:selected").val(), url = 'http://' + window.location.hostname + '/education/best-high-schools/' + state + '/name-autocomplete?timestamp=0&limit=10', redirect_url = 'http://' + window.location.hostname + '/education/best-high-schools/search-bounce'; if ($.fn.usnAutocomplete) { $('#bhs-header-school').usnAutocomplete({ responseFormat: 'newlineList', autocompleteOptions: { serviceUrl: url, paramName: 'q', onSelect: function() { window.location.href = r

3. Become an educational designer: As technology evolves, so must the teachers. "For the last 100 years, teachers have essentially been the sage on the stage," Wise says. "They're the only access point of knowledge."But now, Wise says, teachers are more like designers, who get to choose and develop what kinds of content their students access and which technologies they use. Wise says that with new content technologies, too, teachers can quickly see assessment results of their students."They have tools so that instead of seeing 25 students sitting in front of them looking the same," Wise says, "they now know that this student needs this particular assistance, and this student needs that something else."

make sure teachers and students are trained on the proper use and etiquette of the resources

understand how and why each piece of technology is

Teachers should

monitor student activities

Quick, easy Polling Applications

are two of many applications that make it quick and easy to create simple polls that can let you gather feedback from students – determine if they are struggling with a topic, if they know the correct answers to questions you ask, and so on. They can often participate in these polls using a smartphone.

You can also gather feedback by creating a “back channel” using Twitter.

2. Gamify It

Leveraging gaming mechanics can make learning more fun is probably easier than you think. For example, any time you bring competition or levels of achievement to a classroom exercise, you’re gamifying your classroom.

Here’s a variety of resources and ideas for using gaming in the classroom:

3. Let Students Create

4. Get Interactive

Here’s a few tools and ideas to consider.

Online Interactive White Boards

Bounceapp

Interactive apps that work with Smartphones

5. Have Students Collaborate

Here are a number of tools and techniques for classroom collaborations.

6. Project Based Learning

7. Simulations

Economics

Marketing

Medical:

Business

8. Bring in a Guest or Two

With the power of video conferencing apps like Skype, Google Hangout, Facetime, and others, our ability to connect with people all across the world has never been better or less costly. Teachers have been using Skype and similar tools to being guest lecturers, experts, students, and others into the classroom for years

Embrace Connected Learning - The concept of "Connected Learning" is at the center of a new theory that champions say "is a model of learning that holds out the possibility of re-imagining the experience of education in the Information Age" that draws on "the power of today's technology to fuse young people's interests, friendships and academic achievement." According to Dr. Mizuko Ito, a leader in the field of Connected Learning and a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and cultural anthropologist of technology use, examples of Connected Learning are when a teacher may ask a student to do a report on their favorite video game, or if a kid who likes to draw on the computer creates the signs and banners for a classroom party.

ducation portfolios to evaluate students. Educators have known about the benefits of paper based portfolios for generations. Portfolios allow students to express creativity for difficult to assess subjects. Teachers can choose from a variety of online portfolio providers tailored to the needs of their classroom. They also serve as a platform for students to demonstrate growth. Online portfolios have many advantages over paper based options because they cost less and allow for more robust outreach. Online portfolios are also amenable to a wider variety of formats including video, music or other interactive features.

Use online e

To overcome these obstacles, we must persuade teachers that technology will empower them and help their students learn.

Many businesses use open-source servers for their efficiency and costs savings. They often have large communities that provide high quality customer support. Best of all, open-source technologies often cost less than proprietary products.

In fact, many technologies designed for mainstream use can be successfully repurposed to teach students with disabilities.

access to assistive capabilities on technologies that are smaller, more mobile, more ­integrated and inexpensive

"We're no longer limited to helping one particular student with a single specialized technology,"

allow the school to better and more easily integrate special-needs students into general education classes,

interactive whiteboards

helps motivate and engage ­students in the subject they're studying.

helps her determine their level of understanding.

academic improvement

keep up with their peers.

achieve greater levels of independence; gain confidence; more willingly reach out to their teachers and peers to ask questions and collaborate; self-advocate; challenge themselves; and seek out new opportunities.