Make communication easy so that communicating is motivating. At this stage of development it is most important to make communication easy for your child so that s/he experiences success when communicating. Once your child is successful at communicating, s/he is more likely to understand and develop more sophisticated ways of communicating. Pick a type of communication for your child that is meaningful. If your child needs a lot of concrete visual information to communicate then use objects to help him/her communicate. If your child is able to understand pictures but has trouble using words, then use pictures. Your child will not be able to communicate successfully unless the form of communication that you teach, is a form that s/he can understand. Your child's communication development is likely to be uneven. Your child might start communicating using physical movements such as taking your hand to show you what s/he wants. Then s/he might start to use objects, then pictures, and then words. At any point in this progression, however, your child might use more than one method. Your child might use words some of the time and pictures at others. If your child is using several different levels of communication you should respond to all of them instead of "holding out" for the highest level. You should model the type of communication you want your child to use but still respect his or her initial response so that communication continues to be successful and motivating. The most important form of communication to teach is the form that your child will use spontaneously. If your child will show you a picture but will only do so when you say, "show me cookie," then your child is not communicating spontaneously. If this is the case, use an easier way to communicate and give your child lots of practice using that method. Teaching your child vocabulary words can be helpful. However, if your child doesn't use his vocabulary spontaneously, then the time will not have been useful. You will always need to spend as much if not more time teaching spontaneous communication than vocabulary. It takes more creativity to create an environment in which your child will communicate spontaneously. Your are, however, the best person to do this because you know your child well and are with him/her in many situations so you have many opportunities to encourage communication.

Three advantages have been found regarding technology in the classroom including:  Educators should use technology in the classroom because its wide range of uses and forms has the potential to reach students of all learning styles, as well as be more efficient.  The interest and motivation that technology induces in students makes its usage in schools important.  Educators better prepare students for the future when using technology aimed at addressing each learning style.

"The creative use of these technologies has the potential to engage young people and instill an excitement about learning in ways that few traditional teaching aids and techniques seem capable of doing." They later mention that technological instruction helps students adapt to learning styles by providing a "self-paced... learning environment" that helps all learners to feel less threatened by new material. The simple fact that students exposed to technology will be more comfortable with it later in life is only one of the many reasons to use it in hopes of preparing the for the future.

 Improved attitude  Improved confidence   Improved writing skills when using technology in the classroom (2)

Wisconsin Educator Standards - Teachers Ten Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure To receive a license to teach in Wisconsin, an applicant shall complete an approved program and demonstrate proficient performance under all of the following standards: Teachers know the subjects they are teaching. The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines she or he teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for pupils. Teachers know how children grow. The teacher understands how children with broad ranges of ability learn and provides instruction that supports their intellectual, social, and personal development. Teachers understand that children learn differently. The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities. Teachers know how to teach. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. Teachers know how to manage a classroom. The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. Teachers communicate well. The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom. Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons. The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals. Teachers know how to test for student progress. The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the pupil. Teachers are able to evaluate themselves. The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally. Teachers are connected with other teachers and the community. The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support pupil learning and well-being and acts with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner.

While lectures and lessons can be informative and even “edutaining” when delivered with passion and good materials by knowledgeable experts, sadly many traditional lectures and lessons are boring, and even worse often ineffective.

Even if you don’t have computers or tablets available in your classroom, the fact that an increasing number of High School and college students have smartphones is making it easier than ever to leverage technology to create engaging, active lessons students enjoy working on. For younger grades, if you don’t have access to devices with Web access, perhaps you can access a computer lab by request, or use devices in your library.

1. Incorporate Student Input & Gather Feedback

“Publish” your students’ work.

“Publish” your students’ work.

“Publish” your students’ work.

free technology lesson plans that are perfect for teaching students about a range of cool technology topics.

Movie making is a fun activity that kids will love to learn about. Use Windows Movie Maker to teach students about important movie making techniques before burning their finished work to DVD for them to take home.

Have fun learning about Photoshop as you try a range of fun activities and challenges. Edit digital photos using a range of cool effects that will impress your friends and family.

Blackboard SMU uses the course management system Blackboard.  For help creating Blackboard courses and learning the basics, consult Academic Technology's Blackboard help page, as well as this Blackboard online tutorial. Access your Blackboard courses here. Presentation Software Sometimes it's helpful to provide visual aids to complement teaching, stimulate discussion, or allow out-of-class teaching. Tools designed for this purpose, such as PowerPoint, can be used well or used badly. Click here for resources that provide advice for thoughtful use of PowerPoint, as well as a few additional presentation tools. Classroom Response Systems ("clickers") One way to encourage student engagement is by using electronic devices that allow students to record their answers to multiple choice questions and allow you to instantly display the results. The anonymity encourages participation, and their answers help the teacher know when further discussion is needed.  Use of clickers can also serve as a catalyst for discussion.  Click here to learn more about using response systems effectively.

Converting a Face-to-Face Course to an Online Course Teaching online, whether in a hybrid course or a wholly-online course, requires different techniques and different tools.  Without the F2F contact, professors will need to be even clearer about setting and articulating expectations for digital work and participation.  Encouraging interaction between professor and student and among students is an additional challenge, as is monitoring student learning as the course progresses.  The online environment requires the use of basic technologies to digitize course materials as well as mastery of the university's learning management system.  And various tools like Skype allow synchronous communications, while blogs and Twitter can encourage asynchronous interaction.  Here are some ideas to get you started.

How to teach persuasive writing Have students listen to or read examples of persuasive writing. Together, listen and look for words, phrases and techniques that helped the writer persuade the listener. Brainstorm something that is important to an individual child or the group. Is it extra recess? Another chapter of the read aloud? The potential closing of a library? The more authentic the issue, the more passionately your students will write. Once the important privilege is chosen, have the child (or class) start to list reasons why they should be allowed this privilege. "Just because," and "because I like it" should not be considered valid reasons. Students can work together to generate at least three good reasons to support an argument. This list of persuasive words (44K PDF)* and phrases from the site Teaching Ideas may help get students started. Have students do some research to gather facts or examples that support their reasons. Have students summarize their position.

n a "Flipped Classroom," students' initial exposure to content is shifted outside of the classroom via readings, instructional videos, individual or collaborative activities, or a combination of these. Then during class, rather than lecturing, all or a significant portion of the time is used for practice, application exercises, discussion-based activities, team-based learning, or other active learning techniques. Some preliminary assessment, such as an online quiz or brief assignment, may be used to gauge student understanding and tailor instructional plans prior to class.