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Jenna Steinich

Improving Parent-Teacher Communication Through Technology - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yaho... - 0 views

  • Recently, technology has made parent-teacher communication easier and more time-efficient than ever before. Telephones, voicemail, and internet technology all allow fast communication about such things as homework assignments, behavior problems, and classroom highlights. The internet is the most recent tool being used for school communication. With some training, teachers can set up class websites with information that the parents are able to view at any time. E-mail communication is beneficial because messages can be sent at any time and the other person does not need to be available to respond immediately (Graham-Clay, 2005). However, in 2004, only 74.9% of U.S. households with a phone line had access to the internet (Merkley, Schmidt, Dirksen, & Fuhler, 2006). While the internet has proven useful in parent-teacher communication, schools must keep in mind that not all families have internet access and must offer less technologically advanced forms of communication such as written notes and telephone calls as well (Graham-Clay, 2005). For schools and families with internet access, e-mail messages are quickly beginning to replace traditional written notes. E-mail messages are more immediate and efficient than written notes. Some parents are able to check their e-mail during the day at work and know immediately how their child's day at school is progressing. E-mail messages are also more likely to reach parents because students cannot "accidentally" forget to deliver or misplace them. E-mail can increase the ease and frequency of communication because it allows teachers to write one message and send it simultaneously to all of the parents in the class (Patton, Jayanthi, & Polloway, 2001). Websites have been created to help parents assist their children with their homework assignments. Homework Central (www.homeworkcentral.com) is a popular, comprehensive site that provides students and parents with study skills and homework assistance for a variety of subjects. Some schools have begun to develop similar websites of their own. These websites increase parents' confidence in their homework assisting skills which makes it more likely that they will become involved at homework time (Patton et al., 2001).
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    This article talks about parents communicating effectively with parents through technology.
Nina Echeverria

Using technology in the classroom the right way SmartBlogs - 0 views

  • The absolute wrong way to deal with educational technology is to look at a tool and try to build a lesson around it.
  • The right way to deal with educational technology is to not worry about it until after the lesson is planned.
  • echnology does not belong in every lesson just because there is a tool sitting there. I still have my students
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  • it and write impromptu essays on paper with pen
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    Explains that technology should not be used as a substitute for all traditional ways of teaching. Technology should be used after the lesson is planned out and that the lesson should not be planned around technology.
sidney steinmann

How Technology Enhances Teaching and Learning | Center for Teaching | Vanderbilt Univer... - 0 views

  • Last semester, Tomarken also faced another problem – the lack of a good textbook for teaching structural equation modeling to social science students – that he solved using technology. “There is no book that is perfect, that really is appropriate, for this class. There are either books that tend to be too easy or too hard or just not broad enough in scope.” Tomarken solved this problem using the Prometheus system, by placing his lecture notes on the web. This not only replaced the textbook, it allowed students to spend more time focused on the lecture and less time copying formulas from the board. “I told them, you don’t have to write anything, it’s all on the web, just listen.”
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    using technology in the classroom 
Thomas Amoroso

Digital Storytelling | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC - 0 views

  • It is interesting and motivating for the digital natives. It appeals to the different learning styles of the students. It develops communication and multimedia skills. It is encouraging, self-motivated and self-directed. It engages students in their own learning process. It provides authentic material. It helps students to develop planning skills, their creativity and innovation skills. It honors the writing process first. The products can easily be published online.
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    Talks about the importance of developing storytelling, and different sites that allow different features
Amanda Gray

How Teachers Learn - 0 views

  • As a result of these practices and the use of these new tools, students should be able to . . . read, reason and write more powerfully communicate productively with members of a global community conduct thoughtful research into the important questions, choices and issues of their times make sense of a confusing world and a swelling tide of information perform well on the new, more demanding state tests requiring inferential reasoning
Nathan Karraker

| NAESP - 1 views

  • Creation and Design. Likewise, creation activities provide students the ability to develop creativity and problem-solving skills by displaying their mastery in profound and meaningful ways. Teachers at McKeel Elementary Academy in Lakeland, Florida, integrate the use of technology for student-created digital media into all areas of curriculum: Kindergarteners create image-based movies on recycling and insects; First graders develop PowerPoint presentations for “My Time to Teach” projects to share with the class; Fourth graders prepare for their statewide standardized writing assessment by developing elaborate digital storybooks on free web 2.0 sites such as Storybird (www.storybird.com) or StoryJumper (www.storyjumper.com). Fifth graders collaborate to launch a Web Safety Wiki to teach other students worldwide about digital citizenship (wildcatwebsafety.wikispaces.com). The projects created are excellent tools for formative and summative assessment. Yet more than that, through creation activities, students design products that make them active partners in constructing learning experiences in the classroom and beyond. In demonstrating their skills and knowledge, they become more confident in their own abilities and their own voices.
  • A dramatic shift is sweeping through our schools. The signs are all around us. Third graders texting on their cell phones. Kindergarteners who can navigate an iPod Touch better than we can. Middle schoolers who already have an Internet following on their blog or YouTube channel. These are not the same 21st century learners we came to know over the first decade of the new millennium. For these students, simply watching videos or images during class, playing an Internet multiplication game, or even taking turns at an interactive whiteboard is no longer enough. These new 21st century learners are highly relational and demand quick access to new knowledge. More than that, they are capable of engaging in learning at a whole new level. With the world literally at their fingertips, today’s students need teachers and administrators to re-envision the role of technology in the classroom.
  • Following the joyous moment when educators realize their students are capable, independent technology users who can create inspiring digital masterpieces, the next reaction is often a more solemn, “How do we fit it all in?” In fact, the answer to this question is vital to a successful technology integration transformation. In the former mindset of teaching with technology, the teacher was the focal point of the classroom, creating (often time-consuming) interactive and multimedia presentations to add shock and awe to his or her lessons and capture the attention of the 21st century child. A new mindset of teaching through technology must emerge, which depends on a vital shift in teacher/student roles.
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  • In technology-infused discovery activities, Internet research, virtual manipulatives, and multimedia resources allow students to explore unanswered questions.
  • Ideally, to maximize these opportunities, every student needs direct access to technology on a daily basis
  • The new 21st century learners must master more than the core curriculum to succeed in secondary and postsecondary institutions, as well as in the workplace. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a national organization advocating for 21st century readiness for every student, explains the outcomes of this transformation as fusing the traditional three R’s with four C’s: critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. As students develop the four C’s, we have discovered that effective application of these vital skills in a technology-infused life and workplace requires acquiring them in a technology-infused learning environment. This environment calls for two elements: We must increasingly put technology into the hands of students and must trust them with more progressive technology use. It is no longer sufficient for students to have less access to technological tools than the teacher, nor is it enough for any one suite of software to serve as the zenith for technology mastery. For student performance to approximate student potential, students need access to a constantly evolving array of technological tools and activities that demand problem-solving, decision-making, teamwork, and innovation. The four C’s are at the heart of the International Society for Technology in Education’s National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Students, providing a substantial framework for defining the focus of technology objectives for K-12 students. For example, in implementing these standards we have found that even our youngest 21st century learners are capable of independently creating digital storybooks, artwork, presentations, and movies.
  • The projects created are excellent tools for formative and summative assessment. Yet more than that, through creation activities, students design products that make them active partners in constructing learning experiences in the classroom and beyond. In demonstrating their skills and knowledge, they become more confident in their own abilities and their own voices.
  • The projects created are excellent tools for formative and summative assessment. Yet more than that, through creation activities, students design products that make them active partners in constructing learning experiences in the classroom and beyond. In demonstrating their skills and knowledge, they become more confident in their own abilities and their own voices.
  • Shift in Roles
  • In this configuration, the teacher acts as a learning catalyst, orchestrating and facilitating activities that spark defining moments for students. The most effective activities take two forms— discovery and creation—though they often symbiotically work together. The student then becomes the focal point of the classroom, acting as explorer (e.g., mathematician, scientist, sociologist) and designer (e.g., author, artist, composer).
    • Nathan Karraker
       
      NAESP has useful items on the standards regarding technology and the ways that technology has changed in the classroom. 
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    This site shows teachers why technology is important and how it can effectively be used in the classroom.
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    This website shows why it is important for teachers to integrate technology into the classroom.
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    Technology Integration for the 21st Century Learner
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    This page encourages teaching with technology. The main reason for this is because of how our world has evolved, and is now full of technology.
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    How technology helps creativity. 
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    it talks about the shift of the use of technology in the classrooms. Integrating things that kids will need to be able to successfully use in the future.
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    NAESP has useful items on the standards regarding technology and the ways that technology has changed in the classroom. 
Jackie Melbye

Archived: Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students - 0 views

  • Technology use allows many more students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills than is typical in teacher-led lessons.
  • The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information.
  • The teacher's role changes as well. The teacher is no longer the center of attention as the dispenser of information, but rather plays the role of facilitator, setting project goals and providing guidelines and resources, moving from student to student or group to group, providing suggestions and support for student activity.
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  • Another effect of technology cited by a great majority of teachers is an increased inclination on the part of students to work cooperatively and to provide peer tutoring. While many of the classrooms we observed assigned technology-based projects to small groups of students, as discussed above, there was al
  • so considerable tutoring going on around the use of technology itself.
  • Increased Use of Outside Resources Teachers from 10 out of 17 classrooms observed at length cited increased use of outside resources as a benefit of using technology. This effect was most obvious in classrooms that had incorporated telecommunications activities (see examples), but other classes used technologies such as satellite broadcasts, telefacsimiles, and the telephone to help bring in outside resources.
  • Increased Motivation and Self Esteem
  • The most common--and in fact, nearly universal--teacher-reported effect on students was an increase in motivation. Teachers and students are sometimes surprised at the level of technology-based accomplishment displayed by students who have shown much less initiative or facility with more conventional academic tasks:
  • student self esteem.
  • Change in Student and Teacher Roles
  • Improved Design Skills/Attention to Audience
  • Project-based work (such as the City Building Project and the Student-Run Manufacturing Company) and cooperative learning approaches prompt this change in roles, whether technology is used or not. However, tool uses of technology are highly compatible with this new teacher role, since they stimulate so much active mental work on the part of students. Moreover, when the venue for work is technology, the teacher often finds him or herself joined by many peer coaches--students who are technology savvy and eager to share their knowledge with others.
  • The kids that don't necessarily star can become the stars. [with technology]. My favorite is this boy . . . who had major problems at home. He figured out a way to make music by getting the computer to play certain letters by certain powers and it changed the musical tone of the note and he actually wrote a piece. He stayed in every recess. . . . When I asked him what he was working on, he wouldn't tell me. Then he asked if he could put his HyperCard stack on my computer because it was hooked up to speakers. I said "sure" and at recess. . . he put it on my computer and played his music and literally stopped the room. And for months he had kids begging him at recess, every recess, to teach them how to make music. And for that particular kid it was the world because he really was not successful academically and was having lots of problems. . . . This really changed him for that school year. -Elementary school teacher
  • More Collaboration with Peers
    • Haylee Lininger
       
      Technology benefits a classroom greatly.
  • Increased Motivation and Self Esteem The most common--and in fact, nearly universal--teacher-reported effect on students was an increase in motivation. Teachers and students are sometimes surprised at the level of technology-based accomplishment displayed by students who have shown much less initiative or facility with more conventional academic tasks: The kids that don't necessarily star can become the stars. [with technology]. My favorite is this boy . . . who had major problems at home. He figured out a way to make music by getting the computer to play certain letters by certain powers and it changed the musical tone of the note and he actually wrote a piece. He stayed in every recess. . . . When I asked him what he was working on, he wouldn't tell me. Then he asked if he could put his HyperCard stack on my computer because it was hooked up to speakers. I said "sure" and at recess. . . he put it on my computer and played his music and literally stopped the room. And for months he had kids begging him at recess, every recess, to teach them how to make music. And for that particular kid it was the world because he really was not successful academically and was having lots of problems. . . . This really changed him for that school year. -Elementary school teacher Teachers talked about motivation from a number of different perspectives. Some mentioned motivation with respect to working in a specific subject area, for example, a greater willingness to write or to work on computational skills. Others spoke in terms of more general motivational effects--student satisfaction with the immediate feedback provided by the computer and the sense of accomplishment and power gained in working with technology:
  • . It is possible for students to get so caught up in issues such as type font or audio clips that they pay less attention to the substantive content of their product.
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    This article talks about some of the benefits and effects that technology has on the classroom, students, and teachers.
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    A article describing how technology has changed the teacher/student relationship. Also how technology has helped change learning. 
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    This site is to show how important technology is in the classroom for the students to learn.
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    This site describes the effects that technology has on the students within the classroom.
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    This article shows how technology helps with student motivation.
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    Some downfalls to technology in the classroom. 
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    The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows many more students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills than is typical in teacher-led lessons
Danielle Hucker

100 Classroom Organizing Tricks | Scholastic.com - 0 views

  • RETHINK YOUR ROOM  22. Instant Math CenterSo you don't have the cash for Cuisenaire rods and other math tools, but you do have kitchen cabinets. Pantry staples like pasta shells and lima beans are perfect for hands-on math work and patterning. 23. ReflectionsIs your room gloomy? Hanging  mirrors or even reflective wrapping paper opposite the windows can really brighten things up! -Frankie Frasure  24. Shower Gallery SpaceHave an ugly wall? Hang a couple of sheets of shower paneling from a home store and let the kids write or draw! Invite the kids to be creative on a theme you are studying in class, whether it's oceans or Pilgrims. -Christina Vrba  25. Hide It AwayUgly storage area? Hit the fabric store and look for a bright fabric or remnant. Use safety pins to hang kids' work or to make it into a word wall. -Robin Shaw  26. Color Your WorldEvery interior designer knows the quickest (and the cheapest) way to overhaul a room is a can of paint. You could  ask parents or teens to volunteer to help! -Peggy Collrin  27. That Holiday Glow I repurposed extra Christmas tree lights by running them along the window sill and around the bookcases in my classroom. I don't light them all the time, but it's always a pick-me-up for the kids when I do! -Mary Jo Pick 
  • FREE (OR ALMOST FREE) SUPPLIES 35-37 Too many teachers spend their own hard-earned cash to outfit their rooms. Here are a few websites you can count on.- Freecycle.org: A nonprofit site where you can give (and get) stuff free in your own town. Great for kids' books, extra furniture, even a DVD player. Be sure to let people know you are a teacher!- Donorschoose.org: A well-respected organization connects donors with classrooms in need. Any teacher can sign up!- Bookins.com: Refresh your library with this book swap site. Give away books that aren't working for ones that will!
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    This sites has tons of organizing ideas for the classroom. These could help out in the future
Lindsay Bishop

Teaching Special Education with technolgy tecnhiques - 0 views

  • Educational Technology in the Special Education Classroom In the special education classroom, attention should be given to optimum learning conditions, in the form of accommodations and modifications that will allow the student with learning disabilities to demonstrate his existing skills while learning new ones. In contrast to traditional paper-pencil tasks, interactive technology is providing many alternative methods for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Computers are powerful tools for students with special needs and should be utilized as much as possible.With the use of technology students who have difficulty getting their thoughts on paper because of poor handwriting skills, can write their thoughts with the use of a keyboard. A child whose visual processing disorder makes reading difficult can use his stronger auditory skills to listen to a recording of a book. When the visual book is utilized together with the auditory recording, the child receives the benefit of matching the sound with the words. This has the potential of improving his reading skills.
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    Teaching Special Education with technolgy tecnhiques as well as other concerns. This goes in depth
Casey Chopp

Assistive Technology in the Classroom | Assistive Technology Tools - Understood - 0 views

  • These tools can help them work around their challenges while playing to their strengths.
  • There are AT tools to help students who struggle with listening, math, executive functioning, reading and writing. The variety of available AT tools has grown rapidly in recent years. Despite the word “technology,” not all AT tools are high-tech. AT ranges from simple adaptive tools (like highlighters and organizers) to high-tech tools (like text-to-speech software).
  • IDEA also says the school district is responsible for choosing and purchasing the technology. The school must train its staff and your child to use it.
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  • t’s important to keep in mind that AT’s role is to assist your child’s learning. It doesn’t replace good teaching, but it can be used in addition to well-designed instruction.
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    More information on what assistive technology is to better help parents and teachers understand why a child may be using AT.
gredebl02

Getting Started with Chrome extension - Diigo help - 0 views

  • Use the “Save” option to bookmark a page. Bookmarking saves a link to the page in your online Diigo library, allowing you to easily access it later.
  • Highlighting can also be accomplished from the context pop-up. After the Chrome extension is installed, whenever you select text on a webpage, the context pop-up will appear, allowing you to accomplish text-related annotation. Highlight Pop-up Menu – After you highlight some text, position your mouse cursor over it and the highlight pop-up menu will appear. The highlight pop-up menu allows you to add notes to, share, or delete the highlight.
  • Sticky Note Click the middle icon on the annotation toolbar to add a sticky note to the page. With a sticky note, you can write your thoughts anywhere on a web page.
perrypm19

Getting Started with Chrome extension - Diigo help - 0 views

  • Use the “Save” option to bookmark a page. Bookmarking saves a link to the page in your online Diigo library, allowing you to easily access it later.
  • Highlighting can also be accomplished from the context pop-up. After the Chrome extension is installed, whenever you select text on a webpage, the context pop-up will appear, allowing you to accomplish text-related annotation. Highlight Pop-up Menu – After you highlight some text, position your mouse cursor over it and the highlight pop-up menu will appear. The highlight pop-up menu allows you to add notes to, share, or delete the highlight.
  • Sticky Note Click the middle icon on the annotation toolbar to add a sticky note to the page. With a sticky note, you can write your thoughts anywhere on a web page.
Leslie Jones

Praxis: For Institutions: About the Tests - 0 views

  • About The Praxis Series® Tests The Pra
  • xis Series® tests measure teacher candidates’ knowledge and skills. The tests are used for licensing and certification processes and include:
  • Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators (Core) Tests These tests measure academic skills in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. They were designed to provide comprehensive assessments that measure the skills and content knowledge of candidates entering teacher preparation programs. See Praxis Core information for test takers. Praxis II® Subject Assessments These tests measure subject-specific content knowledge, as well as general and subject-specific teaching skills, that K–12 educators need for beginning teaching. See Praxis II information for test takers.
Marissa Tracy

Innovative Projects & Lessons - 0 views

  • Foreign Films with iPads ETT Creator: Greg Kulowiec (
Garrett Whitehead

Tips on Using Technology in ESL Class - 0 views

  • In today's classroom, teachers find that they often have to compete with technology to keep students interest. It's important to recognize that a) students use this technology b) they will use it in class. Short of taking students' smart phones, tablets, etc. away from them at the beginning of each class, most teachers have to learn to work with technology in the classroom. The struggle to deal with inappropriate technology use in the classroom can be mitigated to some degree by integrating its use into the lesson. Below you will find a number of suggestions. Tip 3: Use Email to Your Advantage It's often useful to send out an email to students with resources that you want to use during the lesson. If you want to use web resources, create a class email list to send out a short update with clickable URLs that students can use to access materials. There is nothing that will slow a class down more than writing a long, unwieldy URL on the board and asking students to type it into their smart phone, iPad, etc. to access. Tip 4: Set Up a Class Blog / Learning Site There are numerous online services that allow teachers to set up an easy to maintain class blog / site. You can use this to post assignments, give homework, keep students informed with resources, etc. Ask students to bookmark the homepage and you can provide a short blog posts with resources students can use during a specific lesson as suggested in using email. This makes using students' gadgets even easier! Tip 5: Revisit Common Software in Terms of Learning Possibilities Take time to find out what software packages students are using on a daily basis. Once you have a short list, spend some time with the packages to find out what tools they provide to help out with English learning. For example, using a text editor such as Word for Windows you can help students set up spell check in English as students type. Instruct learners to try to correct their own spelling mistakes signaled by red underling BEFORE they check the correct spelling. With a few simple instructions these tools can become powerful self-study aids. Tip 6: Keep Technology Use Limited and On Task This principal is similar to any teaching task. The more general an objective or activity is, the easier it becomes to lose focus. For example, imagine that you are using a video in class to work on comprehension. Instead of watching an entire episode of a sitcom, use a service such as Hulu or English Attack! to watch individual scenes. This will help you students keep integrate new vocabulary, improve their comprehension through repetition. Tip 7: Have a Backup Plan Always have a backup plan in place when technology fails. Unfortunately, this still happens and it's a shame to have to change lesson focus entirely just because Windows needs to install the latest version of Flash to play a video. Tip 8: Use an Interactive Whiteboard If you work at a school with deep pockets, I highly recommend working with an interactive whiteboard. Related Teaching ResourcesTips for Classroom ManagementShort Activities for the ESL / EFL TeacherESL Conversation Lesson Plans Focusing on Technology Related ArticlesClassroom Rules for TeachersFive Important Classroom ProceduresNew Teacher Survival GuideTech Tools - Essential Tools for TeachersWelcome to the Elementary Education Site on About.com Kenneth Beare About.com English as 2nd Language Sign up for My Newsletter Headlines Forum if(z336>0){w('Advertisement');adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,280,'1','bb',3);w('')}if(z155>0){w('Advertisement');adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,155,'1','ps',4);w('')}Advertisement if(zp[7].d){Dsp(zp[7],'ip')} if(zp[11].d){Dsp(zp[11],'ip')} if(zSbLAds Training Materialscorporatetrainingmaterials.comPowerpoint training materials to teach MS Office & Soft Skills. How To Speakhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=CMDtLg-OlUqXOO8jzqgGL8oHoD4PQ4JwE85adwlPAjbcBEAcgvKX3ASgJUIaAwI38_____wFgyebnjfykqBOgAaWwjNgDyAEBqAMBqgShAU_QOPpeX9oO5rcJATMuVWIj8d2xQyASm9B8wW8pMcQFv8PSzkCuUmqg4dvpzC9sNJ4rfPjsB
  • Tip 1: Get Students to Help Out
  • Tip 2: Take Advantage of the Gadgets in Your Classroom
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  • Tip 3: Use Email to Your Advantage
  • Tip 4: Set Up a Class Blog / Learning Site
  • Tip 5: Revisit Common Software in Terms of Learning Possibilities
  • Tip 6: Keep Technology Use Limited and On Task
  • Tip 7: Have a Backup Plan
  • Tip 8: Use an Interactive Whiteboard
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    Tips on how to integrate technology into an ESL class
Alie Donnan

Why Technology in Schools? | EdTech Action Network - 0 views

  • Seventh graders with a variety of physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities benefited from the use of laptop computers, provided to students as part of Maine’s Laptop Technology Initiative. “Overall, special education teachers viewed the laptops as highly beneficial to their students with few exceptions,” according to a teacher survey. “The laptops were credited with improving the engagement of students with disabilities with their school work; increasing their motivation and ability to work independently; and improving their class participation, interaction with other students, interaction with teachers, and class preparation. Special education teachers and parents indicated that the laptops also increased students’ personal organization. Another important finding of this study was that special education teachers perceived their special education students to have increased the quality and quantity of their writing.
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    Technology in a Special needs classroom.
Alyssa Kuhl

Training Future Educators to Integrate Technology in the Classroom | College of Educati... - 0 views

  • The main objective of the course is to prepare pre-service teachers to become technology-proficient educators. Technology has the capability to enhance teacher instruction and contribute to student’s overall learning. The course outlines appropriate methods and applications of technology as it relates to K-12 instruction and education. Additionally, there is a focus on current and emerging applications of technology. Toward the end of the semester the course focuses on helping students develop lesson plans to effectively integrate technology into their own classrooms.
  • In 2004, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) adopted standards for educators supporting technology integration instruction to enhance student learning. Their standards highlighted the importance of empowering future educators with the right resources to appropriately teach tomorrow’s technology users.
  • t is important that the integration of technology be carefully implemented at a reasonable pace.
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  •  “The class is very important because it focuses on safe and appropriate use of technology integration strategies. We have found that although education students may be comfortable using technology in their every day lives, they are hesitant to integrate it into their teaching practice,” said Viruru. “Overall, the course provides an environment where future educators can experiment, ask questions and measure outcomes for future practice.”
  • While traditional forms of technology, such as projectors and interactive whiteboards are often standard classroom equipment, students who are unable to attend a traditional classroom can take advantage of new technologies from home. 
  • Schools can also benefit from the use of new technologies during a major illness or outbreak, or to keep students on track during a suspension or long-term illness.
  • “For example, apps like Educreation  in which teachers record lessons and allow students to play them back several times as necessary are great for learning,” said Rackley. “This feature also allows students to record themselves working through a problem enabling the teacher to play back the recording and observe students’ thought processes as they work through the lesson. For an educator, this is priceless because they may be able to alter the instruction to better support student learning,” she said. 
  • Outside the classroom, assistive technologies can increase the number of weekly instruction hours that a student receives from their teacher.
  • Another unique aspect of digital learning is that it can create a more inclusive learning environment. Just as there are diverse types of technology, there is diversity in users as well. For students with special needs, technology can enable them to be more independent and fit in with classroom learning and routines. Students with visual or hearing impairments can utilize voice-over for accessibility on Apple devices. Similarly, the VGo robot has assistive technology like text-to-talk, which may be helpful for homebound students who are verbally impaired.
  • he future of technology in education can be revolutionary and endless. With access to new technologies and services, students no longer need to frantically write answers to pop quizzes with pen and paper. Instead, they can submit answers using instant classroom response polls and complete quizzes that display answers in real time, with online software like polleverywhere.com
  • “The class is very important because it focuses on safe and appropriate use of technology integration strategies. We have found that although education students may be comfortable using technology in their every day lives, they are hesitant to integrate it into their teaching practice,” said Viruru. “Overall, the course provides an environment where future educators can experiment, ask questions and measure outcomes for future practice.”
  • For these students, access to technology and instruction can make a difference in their ability to keep up with assignments or withdrawing from school. 
  • Instead, they can submit answers using instant classroom response polls and complete quizzes that display answers in real time, with online software like polleverywhere.com.
  • “The class is very important because it focuses on safe and appropriate use of technology integration strategies. We have found that although education students may be comfortable using technology in their every day lives, they are hesitant to integrate it into their teaching practice,” said Viruru. “Overall, the course provides an environment where future educators can experiment, ask questions and measure outcomes for future practice.”
  • can submit answers using instant classroom response polls and complete qu
  • The main objective of the course is to prepare pre-service teachers to become technology-proficient educators.
  • Because technology is rapidly changing and affects student’s lives in and out of the classroom, it is important that the integration of technology be carefully implemented at a reasonable pace
  • education students who are exposed to technology before entering the classroom as professionals are better prepared.
  • education students who are exposed to technology before entering the classroom as professionals are better prepared.
  • Students in groups were instructed to use an app like Popplet to produce webgraphs from reading assignments covering the American Revolution. Later, they used the tablets for a science lesson on weather and terrain to collect and organize photos. In this example, the technology was easily adapted for use in varying formats across disciplines.
  • they used the tablets for a science lesson on weather and terrain to collect and organize photos.
  • While traditional forms of technology, such as projectors and interactive whiteboards are often standard classroom equipment, students who are unable to attend a traditional classroom can take advantage of new technologies from home. 
  • students who are unable to attend a traditional classroom can take advantage of new technologies from home. 
  • For these students, access to technology and instruction can make a difference in their ability to keep up with assignments or withdrawing from school. 
  • With all the new technology possibilities, there is still some debate among educators on the appropriate use of technology in the classroom and whether or not it creates an environment for inappropriate use.
  • The VGo is a computer-operated robot with a camera display that can be physically placed in the classroom for students that are homebound. With a Wi-Fi connection from home students can use computer keyboard arrows and webcam to manipulate the robot around the classroom. By having their face displayed on the VGo camera monitor students are able to have social interactions with classmates and virtually raise their hands to answer questions in class by signaling to the teacher with the VGo light. 
  • Technologies like the VGo offer a wide range of possibilities and benefits for all students
  • it becomes an extension of the student and classmates are still able to interact with them
  • For students with special needs, technology can enable them to be more independent and fit in with classroom learning and routines. Students with visual or hearing impairments can utilize voice-over for accessibility on Apple devices. Similarly, the VGo robot has assistive technology like text-to-talk, which may be helpful for homebound students who are verbally impaired.
  • Schools can also benefit from the use of new technologies during a major illness or outbreak, or to keep students on track during a suspension or long-term illness.
  • “Last year we heard from a graduate student in the college. She shared how making podcasts of her lessons impressed parents during a flu epidemic at the school,” said Rackley. “Parents were able to listen to the podcasts with their children to complete the homework assignments before returning to school. In this instance, the podcast turned into a very valuable tool for the teacher, student and parent.”
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    Talks about the types of things educators can and should do in the classroom in regards to technology. Briefly talks about the benefits of incorporating technology into the elementary classroom.
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    This article tells us about how to use technology to record so students can go back and look at information missed, or if they were out with an absence. It also says that now mobile phones can be used as a method to enhance some learning in a way that they are not a distraction. It helps kids be more engaged in the heavily used technology time we live in. 
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    This website is perfect for helping kids in the classroom. One reason is they give great examples on how to help children with disabilities which will help me in my field of teaching.
Alli Grover

Glenda's Assistive Technology Information and more...: iDevices in the Special Educatio... - 0 views

  • Assistive technology is any kind of technology and/or tool that can be used to enhance the functional independence of a person with a disability.
  • can be a challenge
  • iDevices in the Special Education Classroom
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • Students learn in different ways
  • The iPad can provide visual, audio and tactile learning; reaching many students’ learning styles.
  • The iPad is often used as an individual tool in isolation
  • But please, don't put the child in a quiet place and just hand them an iPad without a true purpose. Let's get creative with its use. How to use an iPad in the classroom with a group? A couple of thoughts - Teacher directs, students watch.  Teacher directs, with iPad in the middle of the group and students touch with instruction.   Teacher instructs and iPad is passed between students. Use as part of your lesson, part of your center activity.   Teacher instructs and the students use, independently or in a team situation.    Team learning situations. Hand a group of students an iPad with a purpose. 
  • Most of us will not have enough for all our students for a while.
  • ideas
  • ideas
  • be careful to not have the iPad become what we have seen so many computers become in education: a glorified toy.
  • What are some of the benefits we are seeing? We are seeing that the iPad often encourages interactivity. Students will share a lot of what they're doing, ask each other "How did you do that?" or, "Oh, look what I did!"  They want to problem solve together. It encourages group discussions between the students. They tend to help each other a lot more.  It is affordable, comparatively speaking (see below.)  
  • For special education students, some are saying it is the best tool that has ever been designed. Here are a few reasons why we might prefer an iPad over a desktop computer: Ease of access – no need to be able to operate a mouse, a switch or to need to sit a certain way. The iPad can easily come to the student, be placed where they need it and the touch required is extremely friendly. (Not for all!! Remember, this is very individual.) Simplicity of programs – from very basic to more complex, many apps are design to be user friendly. For the moderate to severe population of students the amount of simple apps is huge, plus they are extremely inexpensive and visually draw students in. Simplicity of use - many who cannot understand how to operate a computer, can understand how to operate an iPad. (Even your grandmother!) Low cost of programs – compared to the cost of software programs for a computer, there really is no comparison (unless you consider the abundant amount of free programs available on the Internet. And yes, please continue using those!). There are apps designed specifically for our population (see other postings to right). Designing apps for education has become quite the market. The amount of apps designed specifically for special education has grown so much that there is now a category for it that stands alone in the iTunes Store. Assistive Technology and Communication Apps are available that help to make this a tool for access support, not just a tool for learning (i.e. audio books, word prediction, visual prompts, etc.) It can be loaded with many adaptive technology gadgets and programs, thereby reducing the need for multiple devices. Talk about UDL (Universal Design for Learning)! This is a tool that can level the playing field for many. There are apps that are inexpensive and exciting to increase vocabulary, sight words, math facts, reading comprehension, organizational skills, and drawing skills, just to name a few.It can be very educational and in the classroom, this is what we want: exciting, fresh, innovative teaching tools. Built-in accessibility tools such as zoom and high contrast display make this a tool to support visually impaired. The built-in VoiceOver screen reader works as well on the iPad as on the iPhone. For our VI population, the options are growing and growing. (However, it may be the iPhone that is the best solution for those with significant vision impairments.) Programs such as Dragon Dictation is free, no paper and pencil needed if one can speak clearly, for writing text messages, e-mail, maybe documents. (Must have Internet/WiFi connection for this to work however and it is not the best option for longer texts.) The brilliant screen of the iPad which creates and supports visual interest - with the ever improving HD colors which are bright and the HD video and/or camera- tools at our fingertips that can be pulled into our educational artillery in so many new and innovative ways.  The right case can make it much less indestructible. More and more tools are being developed to help with access. (Mounts, switch access, adaptive styluses, etc.) Light weight (iPad = 1.5 lbs.) Instant Response/Instant On/Fast Processor. Consider this: Combine the touch screen, ease of use, and cool factor of the iPad and you have a pretty interesting format for communication device
  • AT is intended to enhance performance of an individual with a disability.  It is why we have to carefully match what we recommend to the user's strengths and needs.  The iPad cannot do that on its own, it is the recommendation of the appropriate Apps that ultimately improve the performance of a student.  Thus, the iPad itself is not the Assistive Technology it is the Settings and the Apps, the case, the special stylus, that offer enhanced performance. Improving performance of a student with a disability through AT (Apps or otherwise) means looking at the student, identifying the task that needs to be performed and identifying where the student will use the AT - i.e. the environment, effects of time etc
  • This is a list of iPad pros, from a student’s point of view (wish I knew the student’s name so I could reference her. My apologies!):
  • iPads with Moderate to Severe Students:
  • Videos worth watching:
  • Articles worth reviewing:
  • Now go out and make this tool a wonderful addition to our educational world!
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    This website is a great if you are looking for some fresh tips on how to use the latest iPad tools for students in a Special Education classroom. On this site lists benefits of iPad and has real life SpecEd students' opinions, also this page lists videos and articles for extra guidance and opinion on iPad.
Rachel Gorski

Grammar Bytes! Grammar Instruction with Attitude - 0 views

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    This website is good for those who teach any English classes
Kara Kargard

7 tech tools now available in the classroom, for better or worse | TED Blog - 0 views

  • The tech solutions available to teachers now go far beyond the overhead projector. Below, a look at some tools in this burgeoning category. BetterLesson The Boston-based startup BetterLesson, founded in 2008, is a social media platform that educators can use to organize and share their curricula. Last year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded BetterLesson $3.5 million. “Considering the startup allows teachers to browse a serious repository of documents, presentations, lessons and even complete units and courses, all through a simple search interface, and upload their own lessons onto a dashboard, you can see why teachers will love this kind of resource,” TechCrunch wrote in 2011. “Add the ability to share curricula directly with international educators and receive feedback, and you’ve got yourself a goddamn deal, as Dave Chappelle would say.” . ClassDojo Launched in August 2011, ClassDojo helps teachers with what many call their hardest task: classroom management. The platform, which teachers can use on a smartphone, laptop or tablet, allows them to give students points (or take them away) “in real-time, with just one click,” as the website has it. Students are notified (“Well done Josh! +1 for teamwork!”), and teachers can use the platform to generate analytics and reports to share with parents and administrators. . PowerSchool PowerSchool allows teachers to track attendance, grades, and a lot more for students and parents to view at home. According to Pearson, which sells the system, PowerSchool supports 10 million students in over 65 countries. . SMART Board An “interactive whiteboard,” SMART Board allows teachers to write class notes digitally, so they can be saved for students to access later. (Feel like building your own whiteboard? At TED in 2008, Johnny Lee showed how you can hack a Wii Remote to build a simple interactive whiteboard.) . Remind101 Started by a team of two brothers, Remind101 enables students and parents to sign up to receive teachers’ text-message reminders about assignments. It’s private—these are mass texts, and teachers can’t see students’ phone numbers. It’s also one-way, meaning that teachers can send out texts, but students can’t respond to them. . Educreations Using Educreations, teachers can produce video lessons using a “recordable interactive whiteboard” via an iPad app or the website. There’s a public directory of lessons, available for browsing by students or other teachers (or you).
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    Technology Tools that are being used in the classroom today.
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    It shows what's new. It shows both good and bad aspects of technology.
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