Group items tagged

"Project-based learning (PBL) is a method used to cultivate learning and teach students 21st century skills. The idea is "built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation," and "generally reflect the types of learning and work people do in everyday world outside the classroom" (pbl-online.org). During project-based learning, students are approached with a complex question, problem, or challenge, which they respond to through a lengthy process of analysis and reflection. These projects are carefully planned, managed, and evaluated-and in the end students have created a high-quality, meaningful product."

"In order to make this program grow, students will have to take a role in terms of creating and managing their badges. Of course, we will be there to guide the students, but it will require students to be a little more creative with their time in the library. We feel this will be a positive program to help student learn time management skills, as well as increase their reading throughout the school year."

"Diigo is one of the most useful Web 2.0 tools I've discovered in the last year. It's a virtual filing cabinet where I store all my useful links. A few months ago, I introduced this valuable tool to my grade 7/8 students. In a previous post I wrote, "Diigo is an excellent tool that enables students to bookmark, tag, highlight and annotate their online text, which can be accessed anywhere, anytime. This annotated text can be privately or publically shared with other students or groups, depending on their settings.""

"As a school leader who recently sold my community on the importance of moving to a one-to-one environment where every student has access to a web-based device, I believe strongly that our students will be more literate than students in other schools who do not have access to web-enabled devices. A look at the world outside of our schools and the technological resources being accessed in so many professions that allow people to work "smarter" is a clear indication of the track that our students need to be on in order to be able to function in the "real world." The biggest stumbling block in schools even if we can get the devices is the proficiency level of the adults in the building in utilizing the technology resources effectively. This is not meant to be an indictment of educators, but it is a critical question that we all have to look at, assess, and then move forward. Technological tools/resources can assist educators in some of our biggest undertakings (i.e. common core standards integration, teacher evaluation, providing relevant professional development, etc.). However, because so many educators in schools are not comfortable with the most modern literacy skills we are not able to make better progress."

"Margaret Kristin Merga outlines her compelling research into this area. Of particular interest is the role of librarians in schools in supporting struggling readers, as these students may be increasingly disadvantaged as they move through the years of schooling. Teacher librarians provided support by identifying struggling readers, providing them with age and skill-appropriate materials, undertaking skill scaffolding supporting choice, supporting students with special needs, providing one-to-one matching, promoting access to books, enhancing the social position of books and reading, reading aloud to students, facilitating silent reading, and preparing students for high-stakes literacy testing."

"At a boys' secondary school in New South Wales, an annual student reading survey revealed many students say they don't like reading because 'reading is something girls do'. Linda Roden, Head of Library at St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill, knew she needed to come up with some initiatives to change these attitudes and engage students in reading."

25 - 27 AUGUST 2013: Bialik College, in collaboration with the Harvard School of Education, is delighted to invite you to the 4th Cultures of Thinking Conference. The conference theme is: Telling Our Stories of Learning: Who are our students becoming as thinkers and learners as a result of their time with us? * How we can leverage the cultural forces that exist in our classrooms to constantly create an ever more powerful culture of thinking? * What are we doing as educators to provide rich opportunities for our students to develop as thinkers? * Who are our students becoming as a result of their time spent in this thoughtful learning environment? * Who are we, the teachers, becoming as a result of our time spent in this culture? How has it changed our role as teachers? * How can a culture of thinking be created, nurtured and retained across our classrooms, schools, and nation? The conference will commence with breakfast and a plenary session on the morning of Sunday 25 August. It will continue until Monday afternoon with plenary sessions with the Harvard educators each day and concurrent presentations and workshops with practising educators throughout the conference. Registration includes all plenary and concurrent sessions, breakfast Sunday morning, lunch and refreshment breaks on Sunday and Monday and a social function on Sunday evening. All sessions of the conference will be held at: Bialik College, 429 Auburn Road, East Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

"Using games as a learning tool is not new--research abounds to demonstrate the use of video games enhancing problem-solving skills and creativity. Pioneer educational games, like Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail, have given birth to online, multiuser, digital simulations that would make their forebears blush. Now, in what seems to be a natural evolution, a growing number of schools are taking the concept one step further and asking students to design the games themselves. Game creation as a learning tool is really just a digital-age take on the old learning-by-doing approach to teaching: Students pick up concepts easier and retain more information when they are hands on with their subject matter. In game creation, students are presented with the task of building a digital learning activity that focuses on a particular topic, such as ecology, mathematics, or social studies. Using a framework and the fundamentals of game design, they create a game that demonstrates their knowledge of the topic."

One of a number of interesting science activities that could be offered in a makerspace. In this two-part activity, students design and build Rube Goldberg machines. This open-ended challenge employs the engineering design process and may have a pre-determined purpose, such as rolling a marble into a cup from a distance, or let students decide the purposes.

One of a number of interesting activities that could be offered in a makerspace. In this two-part activity, students design and build Rube Goldberg machines. This open-ended challenge employs the engineering design process and may have a pre-determined purpose, such as rolling a marble into a cup from a distance, or let students decide the purposes.

"For quick sharing of content, including pictures, text and music, there's no better free tool than Animoto. Students can register for Animoto for free and add their own pictures and videos or those provided by Animoto. They can add music from Animoto's library; then Animoto will mix it all together into a spectacular video. Animoto is excellent for starting a school year. Have students introduce themselves with pictures, words and music. They are sure to love Animoto. "

"Mind maps or graphic organizers can be invaluable tools for visual thinkers and visual learners. The process of creating a mind map can help students gain an overview perspective on complex, multifaceted concepts. Mind maps can also help students outline an essay or story they're planning to write. The following list contains nine tools that can be used by students to create mind maps independently or collaboratively."

Students at almost 500 Australian schools are running Facebook pages dedicated to humiliating their peers.

"Creativity is all about ideas, not software. The software you use in your classroom should amplify your students' creativity, not inhibit it. Our easy-to-use, yet powerful, scrapbooks will unleash your students' creativity like you couldn't imagine. There are no limits to what they can create on Beeclip EDU. "

portal to learning modules on library research, taking notes, etc useful for senior secondary students. great model for screencasting with their 3 minute videos.

"Improve engagement, comprehension, and critical thinking by teaching students the process of asking insightful questions."

"One of the reasons that some teachers like to create their custom search engines is so that they can control which websites appear when their students search. You can also control how many sites appear in a search result by building a custom search engine. This can be useful with young students who are just learning to search and can be overwhelmed by the number of results or confused by content that is far above their reading levels. "

In a world of information overload, it is vital for students to be able to find information on the Web, as well as to determine its validity and appropriateness. Our information literacy materials demystify the process Web so you can impart the vital skills students need to be safe, successful 21st century learners.

"My holiday reading has been Jason Puckett's book on Zotero, " Zotero: a guide for librarians, researchers and educators". Jason is an American Academic Librarian that works with students and is an advocate for Zotero. "

"Mission 1) To engage millions of students in digital learning for mastering the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school, college and careers in the global innovation economy. 2) To empower educators and school systems by enhancing their 21st-century capabilities and STEM learning and teaching opportunities. 3) To power up classrooms and turn them into networked design studios that motivate students to work harder and dig deeper into content and complex projects. Support for Globaloria is provided by forward-thinking government leaders, school systems, public, private, and corporate foundations."

"Project-based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying. "