UWSSLECInfoTech

The NMC Horizon Report > 2014 K-12 Edition identifies "Rethinking the Role of Teachers" and the "Shift to Deeper Learning Approaches" as fast trends accelerating the adoption of educational technology in K-12 education over the next one to two years. The "Increasing Focus on Open Educational Resources" and the "Increasing Use of Hybrid Learning Designs" are mid-range trends expected to accelerate technology use in the next three to five years; and the "Rapid Acceleration of Intuitive Technology" and "Rethinking of How Schools Work" are long-range trends, positioned at more than five years away.

This is a TED Talk that could be used with educators at a professional development session or as media in an online professional development course. How can we create an education system that works for kids, instead of against them? Watch eight inspiring talks (and one beautiful performance) from TED's May 2013 PBS special, given in their entirety.

This comes from MERLOT and has a video and printed material for planning your online class. Download the supporting PDF file for this episode http://bit.ly/gFPzbN from the Learning to Teach Online project website.This Learning to Teach Online http://bit.ly/d18ac5 episode explores some of the key considerations when planning your online or blended (face-to-face and online) class. It examines the importance of considering pedagogy before technology; constructively aligning assessment with learning outcomes; and the integration of digital literacy skills.

This page invites school media specialists to try 23 explorations and activities online. It looks like a good way for those feeling a little behind the times to get familiar with a nice variety of online tools.

This is a tidy little package explaining what Diigo is and how it can be used to further student learning. It includes ideas for using Diigo with students, instructions on getting started, and even some Diigo groups teachers might consider joining. It looks to be a nice length to be the basis for a 20-30 minutes staff development session -- long enough to have some meat, but short enough not to overwhelm busy teachers.

I wish I'd known about this collection of OERs during the last school year! They feature clear navigation, plenty of graphics, and sub-collegiate reading levels. Some lessons include interactives and quizzes as well. GCFLearnFree offers many topics, but this will link you to its page of technology-related items. Some, like "Typing Tutorial" or "Using Information Correctly" would be perfect for students to work through independently. Others, like "Google Drive and Docs" would be appropriate for students or staff development.

This is a very useful link on how to read a scholarly article. I would use this with HS seniors and college students. Journal articles can be very intimidating at first but this OER source offers very helpful and easy to understand advice on the best way to approach an article.

What should you look at when you evaluate websites? A simple, to the point Prezi, with fun images, on how to evaluate websites. I would use this when teaching information literacy with upper elementary to high school students. After viewing, students could create a checklist to use when evaluating websites.

This story maker would be great to use with elementary students who are learning about how words come together to create sentences and stories. The tool would be an excellent resource for students who struggle with writing and need a visual to help them see the relationship between text and pictures. It works kind of like a game, allowing students to select characters, backgrounds, plots, and items so that they can create their own stories. Students are allowed to see the images they create and, as they create these images, the story maker builds the text to tell the story so that students can see how writing comes together. Students are also given the ability to change the text and incorporate animations. Finally, students are given a code that lets them share the story they created with others.

I've used this many times in my classroom. The students love it!

This little simulation illustrates how atoms act due to friction. The activity is simple, as it tries to show what happens microscopically between a chemistry and a physics textbook when they are rubbed together. When students rub the cutaway atoms together, they are able to see how they start to speed up and the thermometer on the side shows them how the faster they move, the hotter they become. When they let them sit for a while, the thermometer cools down and the atoms slow down. This would be a great way to provide a more concrete depiction of what happens with friction for those students who have a hard time grasping the concept through written description or static images in a textbook or handout.

I was looking through the resources and also stumbled upon this one, since I enjoy music, I decided to include it. Well, that and the fact that one of the last inquiry units I worked on with some elementary students last year focused on the Depression and one group looked at its culture in California with migrant workers, etc. This would have been a great resource for them! The resource comes from the LOC and allows students to explore the culture and ethnicities of folk music during the 30s. There are audio clips to explore, sketches for instrument design and a lot of other cool things here.  I could see students easily using this resource for a history unit or a music class to better understand what life was like during the 30s. In a history class, students might investigate the outlook on life through the lyrics in some of the songs. In a music class, students might trace the development of the music and its instruments. With other resources, students could look at the way the music here has had an influence on what we listen to today. Just some thoughts.

"The Wisconsin Digital Learning Plan, aligned with Agenda 2017, outlines a vision of digital education in Wisconsin including the integration of Open Education Resources (OER) to increase equity and access to high-quality K-12 instructional resources." Since Educator Effectiveness has hit Wisconsin head on, here are some OER that will help us all. These resources will be especially helpful when planning the staff development which will be required for EE.

This resource is going to continue to grow. DPI is seeking good OER to include.

"altering the original with new expression, meaning, or message"

After seeing Adam Saenz at the QE Annual Convention last week in Madison, and hearing his inspirational story our district's leadership team decided that this is someone our staff should hear. He is extremely charismatic and understands the importance of being a positive role model to your students. This is the kind of person we should all aspire to become.

The 6th graders study social issues and many tend to choose environmental issues. The National Science Foundation OER would provide a source of information for students to narrow their topics during the research process. It provides current, up-to-date articles surrounding issues and discoveries scientists and researchers have recently discovered about various environmental issues of concern. Students are also required to write their opinion about their topic at the end of the research unit. I feel this OER resource would help students gain critical thinking and problem-solving skills they need to write an opinion on an environmental topic.

I really like this site. I collaborate with the 5th grade teacher in my district to teach a similar lesson. This OER resource you found is something I will probably refer to in the future. Thanks!