OC Edtech

A screencast is a digital recording of a computer screen with audio narration. Screencasts can include telestrator ('John Madden pen') annotations. Narrated slideshows include audio recordings synchronized to images without hand-drawn annotations.

Mathletics is the next generation in learning, helping students enjoy math and improve their results.  It is the essential curriculm-based resource for students at school and home.

We give you a blank wall. You put anything you want on it, anywhere. Simple, yet powerful.

This website is full of free content designed to help educators understand and implement the Common Core State Standards. It includes practical tools designed to help students and teachers see their hard work deliver results. achievethecore.org was created in the spirit of collaboration. Please steal these tools and share them with others.

Educational standards describe what students should know and be able to do in each subject in each grade. In California, the State Board of Education decides on the standards for all students, from kindergarten through high school. Since 2010, 45 states have adopted the same standards for English and math. These standards are called the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Having the same standards helps all students get a good education, even if they change schools or move to a different state. Teachers, parents, and education experts designed the standards to prepare students for success in college and the workplace.

Thanks for sharing, Randy! What is the general feeling in the OC about "Common Core"? I realize it's a very very polarizing topic.

Teaching staff from Swinburne College have been awarded the 2012 University of Cambridge Award for Action Research in English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS).

LTI™ is a standard way of integrating rich learning applications which are often remotely hosted and provided through third-party services with platforms like learning management systems, portals, or other educational environments

The disappointing results from San Jose State's experiment with online courses shouldn't be interpreted to mean that such courses can't help students. But the classes the university offered in collaboration with online provider Udacity were practically a model of how to do online education badly: rushed into existence and sloppily overseen.

The conventional wisdom in education is that any school reform--be it curriculum, instruction, assessment, or teacher professionalism--is most likely to take hold in schools that have strong leadership. The same holds true for technology. Any educator will tell you the most successful implementation of technology programs takes place in schools where the principal sees him or herself as a technology leader. 

Tech Connect 2.0 is a collection of educational technology resources to assist teachers in implementing the Common Core Standards.

Humorous look at paper not dying.

Chrome Experiments Celebrating creative code for the web.

A Chicago elementary school has gone public with its pilot use of a tablet designed specifically for pre-school students. Hayt Elementary in Chicago has been using iStartSmart Mobile devices since October 2012. At least one pre-school teacher said he believes the use of the technology is an effective way to supplement what's going on in the classroom.

New research released today by the Pew Internet Project found that technology has made significant inroads among Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers. But it also revealed significant disparities in technology access between upper and lower income schools.

It's got a 3.8 inch screen with 4 gazillion pixels! WOW! Oh, but our Z6A chip... well, it blows the competition away! Yeah, yeah, but our wireless services get 16 megabits down and 8 megabits up; incomparable! That type of talk is sure to make a non-techie educator feel sleepy, feel intimidated, feel that technology has no place in his/her classroom.

iPads are a great tool to encourage continual sharing and collaboration in the classroom, says education technology consultant Sam Gliksman. Gliksman runs iPads for Education, a Ning network that has drawn several thousand educators and other people interested in exploring the use of iPads in schools. He has captured much of what he's gleaned from working with schools and teachers on their iPad programs in a new book, iPad in Education for Dummies. Recently, he shared with THE Journal his best advice on what to do before a rollout and how to help an iPad classroom run as smoothly as possible to let teachers focus on the learning, not the technology.

ebook on connecting common core to technology

We often read that there are 4 C's in a true 21st century education: critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation. The iPad is a success at engaging individual students in critical thinking and creativity, but how about collaboration? After all, tablets are consumer products, designed to be used by one person at a time, not by teams of students. It's up to teachers and instructional technologists to figure out how best to deploy them in the classroom in a way that supports project-based learning and fosters teamwork. We asked several teachers involved in iPad initiatives which apps they've had the most success with on the collaboration front. Here is what they told us.

At under $300 a device, Chromebooks are an attractive alternative to pricier laptops and tablets. Learn everything you need to know about deploying them from two districts who have taken the plunge.

Help the carpenter with his job. Think carefully before you cut a plank, because there are no second chances if you make a mistake. So remember the carpenter's saying: "Measure Twice and Cut Once"!