Group items tagged

"I got an email from one of my readers here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning asking me about some good tools for classroom management. I have already posted a list of some web tools teachers can use for this purpose but today I wanted to feature "the urgent" ones. By classroom management I mean anything that has to do with the unfolding of classroom instruction from behaviour controlling to lesson planning. Here are the top 5 you can use this school year. "

"Infographics are everywhere. Some love them. Some hate them. But however you feel, it's fun to learn a little bit in a short period of time. Most are made so you can quickly grasp the key concepts behind them. That's a key thing to keep in mind if you want to make your own infographics. Lucky for you, there are a pantload of free and freemium tools out there to help you out. Some are more robust than others but many are easy enough to try out. That's what Edudemic is all about after all - sharing useful resources that you try out and use to enhance your life."

"The Bard can be daunting for most students, not to mention for many teachers teaching his works in the classroom. Since Shakespeare will always be a part of our curriculum, these online tools and apps can assist teachers prepare lessons and lead their students through an exploration of Shakespeare's canon with enthusiasm."

"Evernote is one of the apps I use on everyday basis. I have already featured it in my "top 10 web tools as a teacher ". I know there are several other tools that can do the same and I have reviewed some of them here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, but the powerful features Evernote exhibits together with its ease of use make out of this app one of the must have for every teacher and student."

"Many teachers are using Twitter as a classroom tool. But a lot of schools still view the communication tool as a "toy" students use in their free time, not a serious platform for learning. As sites like Twitter and Facebook become ever more fundamental to how the world communicates, schools will need to shift their policies to move with the times. An article written by KQED's Education department in collaboration with the Trust and Safety Team at Twitter helps educators understand how to keep themselves and their students safe on Twitter. It also pulls together great resources on digital citizenship, basic Twitter info and ideas on how to use Twitter in the classroom."

"Piktochart is a great tool that I have been personally using to create infographics to share with you. I have reviewed this tool in several instances here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning and am glad to hear that some of you have found it equally useful."

"Reading comprehension is a critical skill for young learners. It is a skill that requires good teachers, teachers like you who care enough to make sure each student is getting the guidance and support they need."

"Need to create a poster for your classroom? There are a number of websites and mobile apps you can use to help you craft something beautiful and informative. You can thank Holly Whitt, librarian for Walnut Grove Elementary School, for curating this collection of proven resources."

"Using tech tools that students are familiar with and already enjoy using is attractive to educators, but getting students focused on the project at hand might be more difficult because of it."

"Google Alerts is one of Google's hidden gems. It's a really powerful tool to keep track of trends, interesting topics, or anything really new that appears on the web. If you're not using it already, here are a few creative ways to get started with it."

"During this first week of school, I wanted to inspire my students to be creative and have fun with their learning. In years past I have always struggled to make my writing lessons fun and engaging, yet productive. This is year I decided to introduce writing with the help of my favorite tech tool: Augmented Reality! "

"We've discovered a seemingly endless collection of smartphone apps that teachers can put to work in the classroom and beyond, creating a powerhouse of back-to-school mobile tools. Read on to discover 50 of the best smartphone apps for teachers, and share any personal favorites we've missed in the comments."

"What if the most underrated skill in school is thinking? I know, that sounds crazy. But how often do we tell kids what they are going to learn, tell them what to make, tell them what tool to use, tell them when to finish, tell them what questions to find the answers to. What if we stopped telling them things? What if we realized that knowing everything as the "teacher" and being the "expert" in the room is overrated. Because thinking? Asking questions? Growing? Developing ideas? Creating? Solving problems by digging in and pushing through the hard stuff that lies between a problem and a solution? That's learning."

"It never ceases to impress me how great teachers consistently find new and innovative educational tools to put in their class toolkit. They do it in a multitude of ways - through sound preparation and in-depth knowledge of the subjects they teach; fresh activities and exercises; engaging resources; and creativity - all to inspire a love of learning and encourage students to think and dream big."

"The role of empathy in learning has to do with the flow of both information and creativity. A dialogic interaction with the world around us requires us to understand ourselves by understanding the needs and condition of those around us. It also encourages us to take collective measurements rather than those singular, forcing us into an intellectual interdependence that catalyzes other subtle but powerful tools of learning."