Maple Links

"I love TED talks and I always look forward for their new releases. You can learn as deep and profound insights from these talks as when reading a non-fiction book. I know we all have our time constraints that would not allow us to sit in front of an iPad or computer for 20 minutes watching a talk but there is always snatches of time to do it particularly in the weekends. Create a list of what to watch , as I do, and bookmark the talks that interest you and watch them later when you have time."

"Educational author and former teacher, Dr. Michael Schmoker shares in his book, Results Now, a study that found of 1,500 classrooms visited, 85 percent of them had engaged less than 50 percent of the students. In other words, only 15 percent of the classrooms had more than half of the class at least paying attention to the lesson. So, how do they know if a student is engaged? What do "engaged" students look like? In my many observations, here's some evidence to look for:"

"Ideally, teaching kids how to think critically becomes an integral part of your approach, no matter what subject you teach. But if you're just getting started, here are some concrete ways you can begin leveraging your students' critical-thinking skills in the classroom and beyond. "

"Being a boy can be a serious liability in today's classroom. As a group, boys are noisy, rowdy and hard to manage. Many are messy, disorganized and won't sit still. Young male rambunctiousness, according to a recent study, leads teachers to underestimate their intellectual and academic abilities. "Girl behavior is the gold standard in schools," says psychologist Michael Thompson. "Boys are treated like defective girls.""

"The video consists of three sections. It starts introducing Gardner and the main problem of education versus different individual skills. Then it turns to present the eight intelligences as proposed by Howard Gardner, including a suggested learning strategy for each of these intelligences. Then in the third and final part it presents the concepts of personalization and pluralization, defined in respect of the multiple intelligences theory, as the guiding principle for a more including and developing educational strategy. Regardless of what type of student, their age, level, or subject you're teaching, awareness and understanding of the theory of multiple intelligences will help reach more and deeper in the teaching effort. Even for people not directly involved in education, this theory will help in getting a more nuanced and deeper picture of human skills and personalities."

"Curating new and relevant content and tailoring it to their own, unique needs will become a key skill required by future teachers. Why? Professional development becomes attractively cost effective in such a process, and money and budgets are powerful influencers for change."

"Submit the Documentary exposes the most epic struggle in the digital, Internet age: cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying by means of electronic technology committed through email, instant messaging, mobile applications, social media, chat rooms, and blogs or through messages and images sent through a cell phone. Because of the anonymity, kids who never thought of being a bully are becoming harassers. By exploring the complicated dynamics behind cyberbullying, Submit the Documentary describes the impact and outcomes of advanced technology and human nature in a lawless, new, social frontier."

"I am revisiting this topic of enhancing students creativity using iPad apps for the second time this year. Almost 10 months ago I featured here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning a selection of some great apps that can be used in class to boost students creative thinking; and today and after having reviewed hundred of new educational apps since that post, I decided to compile an updated version of that list and include some newly featured apps in the category of creativity. Of course by creativity I mean giving students the chance to take their learning to the next step, one in which they are active producers and participators in knowledge building. Creativity is all about creation and iPad is an ideal device to support this creative thinking. Check out the apps I have handpicked for you today and share with us if you have other suggestions :"

"Never been part of an online professional community or network? Already part of a community or network, but want to be more connected? The CEM Starter Kit can help you on both fronts. Written by The Connected Educator author Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Powerful Learning Practice in collaboration with the Connected Educators initiative, and loaded with helpful links and embedded videos, the kit takes a 31 days approach for this special month, giving you one simple way to get more connected every day. Please feel free to pass it along to any friend or colleague you think could benefit from getting more connected!"

"Hear the word "unconference," and you may frown your face in confusion at the meaning of the word. Conferences themselves are quite familiar for most K-12 teachers. Conferences are essentially professional development where you go sit in a room somewhere, follow a moderator's directions, and get lectured at for a bit - whether or not it relates to your subject or grade level. But what part does the participant play? Most often that of a tacit observer."