Group items tagged

Website with a good blog with strategies for teachers to make learning fun and for teaching creative and critical thinking skills. "While that is still an important piece, it has blossomed into so much more. At this point, about 3/4 of the posts here are written by guest bloggers in the field of education. This has resulted in Minds in Bloom becoming an amazing resource for teachers, tutors, and homeschoolers, as well as counselors, and other professionals who work with children. In addition to posts about teaching strategies and classroom management, you will also find plenty of freebies and an occasional giveaway."

I have found a number of interesting and useful articles on the blog at Minds in Bloom. In particular, the guest posts by occupational therapist Loren Shlaes offer ideas about things I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. How children sit, affects their brains and abilities to focus. Asking kids to sit still harms, rather than helps learning!

"This course provides teachers with the foundation for understanding the movement towards virtual instruction. It introduces fundamental knowledge needed by teachers to succeed in a technology-dependent, instructional environment."

I just found this nice little collection of resources while looking for project ideas. The site is Canadian and has resources for grades K-12. The subjects are also broken down into science, english, social studies and math (and it's further broken down within each of these). There are a number of activities and lesson plans available for teachers and the topics covered are all very current and I'm sure they would engage today's student. One of the especially nice things on this site is that they also have resources for parents and students. I think this is key, as so much learning takes place outside of the classroom.

Interesting shift in teacher education content. Indeed, harkens back to Randy's comment about use technology if it helps, not as a driver of education. :)

Look no further, this wiki lists sixteen categories of online tools, additional online sites, as well it has a teacher resource section, and if you know of a cool web 2.0 site not listed you can email the creater and she will add it to the site.

You must check out this blog. It presents ideas for efficient and effective tech integration. One tab focuses on professional development options for 21st century educators, each topic relating to using technology in the classroom. There is a page on Digital Literacy Badges, Google Docs; the list goes on as some of the pages have multiple tabs to take you to even more information. I could spend hours exploring. It is amazing the number of different online sites available for teachers to host content and for students to present their understanding. The host of this blog Sue Oxenvad also offers online professional development, which you can register for on the blog.

The CK-12 Foundation is a California-based non-profit organization striving to reduce the cost of, and increase access to, K-12 education in the United States and worldwide. A leading provider of open educational resources, CK-12 provides free and fully customizable K-12 educational materials aligned to state curriculum standards and tailored to meet student and teacher needs.

Not just for higher education (though these aren't the first k-12 MOOCS and the professional development aspect could have some interesting outcomes....

I'm reposting this from VIU Faculty of Education's Facebook page. It contains very useful information about deciding whether you can use materials in your practicum, classroom lessons, presentations, etc. from VIU Professor Julia Hengstler. Evidently, BC Teachers must be aware of the intellectual property clauses in their contracts.

I stumbled upon this website while working on an assignment for another class. The site is self-described as "A comprehensive website and online community that increases knowledge, sharing, and adoption of what works in K-12 education. We emphasize core strategies: project-based learning, comprehensive assessment, integrated studies, social and emotional learning, educational leadership and teacher development, and technology integration." If you click on "Topics," they have some especially interesting material. Earlier I researched classroom management strategies, but there is everything from cross-curricular teaching to apps you might integrate into a classroom setting.

I love this site. It's hosted by the University of Berkeley and has a ton of great information for educators in the sciences. Not only does it have some really great resources for science education from kindergarten through to grade 12 (and actually even into undergraduate), but is also has lessons for teachers who may need a little refreshing on the topic.

Wiki guide Good guideline on how to create wikis and some examples of them.

for flipped classroom teachers to share experiences and resources

Google is amazing...instead of a virtual get-together on Skype, try Google Hangouts and for teachers, you could "hold virtual meetings, hosting guest speakers, or creating a video podcast." Also--it is a free service!

Remind is a tool used to sent students or parents quick updates or reminders to their cell-phones via text (or to email). It allows teachers/facilitators to organize their classes into groups, and send messages without either party ever having to share their phone numbers with the other, therefore limiting privacy concerns. Instructors are able to have different classes or groups, which allows specific communication with individual groups, or even parent groups. Facilitators can also schedule reminders/messages to send on a future date and time, which allows seamless flexibility in when you want to send your reminders. It's a tool use regularly with my f2f classes, and the feedback is extreamly positive.

Although more than 15 years old, some things are timeless and this applies! I think every teacher should have a short version of this tattoed to their arm... So relevant and so easily forgotten.

this paper interviews 16 different teachers that teach online. they all have first hand experience and discuss best practices.

Primary Teacher / Tech Leader