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Ali LP

EDUCATION: Schools look to social media as communication tool - 1 views

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    Brandt discusses how schools in the U.S. are starting to use social media as a means to communicate effectively with the families and community.  She also discusses the regulations and policies that schools are implementing as a result.
laurel Ridley

Jan's blog - 1 views

  • Cools Tools for Schools Wikispace is Inspirational!
  • A colleague of mine found and bookmarked this wiki site and I have spent hours engaged in the multitude of avenues that learning can take place here.  The link is http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Home .  If you have a desire to learn a great deal about Web 2.0 learning tools, you will thoroughly enjoy this wiki.
  • The site is well organized with more than seventeen categories of “tools” ranging from Presentation Tools, Collaboration Tools, Audio Tools, Music Tools, Converting Tools, Image Tools, Research Tools, Mapping Tools, Quiz and Poll Tools, Graphing Tools, Creativity Tools, Video Tools, Slideshow Tools, Drawing Tools, Writing Tools, Widgets, etc.  I did not find one link that did not work and the pages were all very nicely linked for moving from page to page
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  • I was pleasantly surprised that there was a link to a site still under construction but already containing many marvelous finds entitled “Cool Apps for Schools” and the link is http://coolappsforschools.wikispaces.com/home .  I especially liked the list of essentials for ipads, ipods, and iphones and I would highly suggest that you check out this list if you are a mobile device user
  • Web 2.0 Tools support Community and Collaboration Posted on February 21, 2013 by alwaysjan This is a Mind42 Map about Web 2.0 Tools.  These tools are used for collaboration and support of community.
  • “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.” (John Dewey)
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    There are some amazing tools listed on these sites, including a Mind42 map of Web 2.0 Tools. I can see that my map is quite lacking compared to these. But, now I have an idea as to what to aim for. It would be great to set my students loose of some of these tools. "If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." (John Dewey). This has been one of my favourite quotes along with "We need to prepare our students/children for jobs that have not been created yet" (Unknown). For me, they sum up what we as teachers need to strive for and that we need to keep on trying to stretch ourselves and our students...after all, we are 13% of the way through the 21st Century. It's exciting.
Christine Kurucz

The Instructor's Challenge: Moving Students beyond Opinions to Critical Thinking - 0 views

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    In this article, teachers are urged to push students beyond simply providing personal opinions as answers. By offering better prompts and questions, students need to be pushed into "critical reflection and evaluation" of the topic at hand. Having students move beyond simply Q/A formats, they are more engaged in their learning in terms of both the process and the outcome. Teachers need to provide feedback, challenging prompts, and encourage the discovery process (among others) to improve critical thinking skills. In addition, teachers can post open-ended questions, provide models of what synthesis looks like, and refrain from being the authority on the subject. While this article was not specifically related to Web 2.0 tools, the elements of how to increase critical / higher order thinking skills apply to all of the elements of technology use in the classroom.
Julie Doughty

Using a Blog to Enhance Student Participation | Faculty Focus - 0 views

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    This professor uses blogs to have students discuss readings before they are due.  It supports HOTS because they are connecting the readings to current events as well as evaluating perspectives. Plus the prof. felt she was able to better tailor the class discussions after reading the posts to force students to think more deeply.  Students reported that the blogging helped them understand course content and improve their critical thinking and writing skills.  The prof. had students reflect as a part of their final about how their verbal exchanges on the blog shaped their understanding of the events.  In other words, students explored how they were constructing their knowledge through the blog.  Interestingly, this professor had her students post anonymously to the "class blog".  She believed this encouraged honest and open participation.
Cara Whitehead

SpellingCity for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch on the iTunes App Store - 0 views

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    VocabularySpellingCity is a fun way to learn spelling and vocabulary words by playing engaging learning games using any word list. The most popular activities are Spelling TestMe, HangMouse, and our vocabulary games, available to Premium Members. The most popular word lists are Sound Alikes, Compound Words, Hunger Games and SAT Words. This is a free app!
Cheryl Zaino

5 Robust Apps For The Chromebook Classroom - 1 views

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    This news article points out the different ways sound and visual technology can enhance student learning. No longer are students just creating information blogs, but they are able to include sound in their projects and blogs, using Chrome Classroom. Different applications are: BookTrak, BioDigital Human, Pixir, Geddit and MoveNote. All are programs used in the classroom to enhance learning by bring visual and sound into the students learning. Using the BioDigital Human on Chromebook and see the different parts of the body come alive using video and sound can only improve a student's memory. Three different senses experiencing the learning at the same time.
Anne Galeski

My Library - 2 views

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    This article discusses how students can gain real-world experience by blogging and podcasting.. They are able to hone writing skills, learn to take and give criticism and direction, use software in the production of the blogs and podcasts. They are using the essential skills of managing, analyzing, creating and evaluating, etc.
amarinaccio21

Social Media Literacy - 2 views

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    This news article begins by pointing out that "online digital technology has empowered users in ways that were unimaginable twenty years ago." Social media sites, for example, allow the average user to persuade and influence others on a global scale. The author argues that with this power comes the responsibility to apply a media literacy framework that will ensure that we are not perpetuating harmful media messages and ideas. The framework developed in 1987 by the Center for Media Literacy is still relevant in today's media landscape, and its five key concepts should serve as guidelines for all those currently engaged in online social networking.
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    This blog explains about the key concepts in social media and by reading this blog you understand Key Concepts explained further in this article. List of 5 key Concepts: All Media Messages Are "Constructed",Media Messages Shape Our Perceptions of Reality, Different Audience, Different Understanding of the Same Message,Media Messages Have Commercial Implications and Media Messages Embed Points of View
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    This article spells out the five key concepts of media literacy (created in 1987) in order to gain a critical understanding of social media. Now that we are creators and not just consumers of media we need to think more about what we are putting out there and the influence that has.
Vicki Shulman

How Districts Create Community Connections with Social Media -- THE Journal - 1 views

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    This article looks at online communication from a district's point of view. Using tools such as websites, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, online surveys, YouTube, and Pinterest, school districts are getting information out to a variety of constituents, not just parents and students. They are building a connection to the community.
Shelly Landry

Step C… Seven Steps To Website Evaluation For Students… Promoting Digital Cit... - 1 views

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    This blog contains the first 3 steps (out of 7) for website evaluation.  The author is using letters to represent each step.  Thus far, he has A for author; B for bias; and C for currency.  Each step is explained and a poster is included for teachers to print and use in the classroom.  This is very important information for students in order to become responsible digital citizens.  Students need to think about who is writing, why they are writing, and when they are writing.  I am anxious to see what other steps the author will include.
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    Very useful resource for teaching information and digital literacy. The idea of A to G is brilliant and inspirational! I think the break-down steps of each aspect can be truly helpful for students to understand what exactly they're looking for in terms of author, bias, or currency (and soon more). For teachers, each aspect could be introduced and focused in each topic or project, and the posters can serve as visual prompt in classroom.
tdoherty

The Seven Cs of Effective Communication in your Online Course - 7 views

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    This article by Melissa Venable deals with the skills one needs to effectively communicate in an online class. Whether it is between the teacher and the student or student to student communication. This is a skill that needs to be developed especially for the online teacher. The 7 C's are - Clarity, Completeness, Conciseness, Concreteness, Correctness, Courtesy, and Consideration. She further points out that there may even be more C's that need to be part of this equation - Confident, Conversational, Coherent, Creative, Convincing and Check. Her basic message is "More effective communication practices lead to a more effective learning process."
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    While the Cs in the article are associated with online courses, they can also be applied to face-to-face instruction, as well as written and oral communication. In all forms of communication, it is worth striving for these Cs.
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    While online courses bring concerns for underdeveloped face to face skills, these courses help students develop a more effective communication. In this platform students are more aware of what they are saying. Students must present their thoughts in clear, concise, correct sentences. They must also take care to be considerate of their audience. That the written word doesn't allow for tone of voice or body language to help get their ideas across. Students must really think before the "speak."
Kristin Steiner

Ten Steps for Better Media Literacy Skills - 7 views

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    This article discusses research that has been done regarding the needs of people to obtain media and information literacy skills in order to better many of their experiences in 21st century society. The article states that "knowing how to search for, analyze, and interpret information is a skill that will be used for more than just writing a good research paper: People use media literacy skills for applying for jobs online, getting relevant health information, and sifting through online educational opportunities, for example." Ten recommendations for developing stronger media and information literacy skills are given in the article. Legislative efforts from the federal government to provide funding in support of programs that help to develop these 21st century skills are also discussed.
Jason Finley

eSchoolNews.com » Five lessons from the nation's best online teacher » Print - 3 views

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    Not an amazing article. But, it is important to note that four...maybe all five of her "five lessons" are based on communication. "1. Keep the student at the center of every decision that needs to be made. 2. Foster relationships with students and parents, because parents can be a teacher's biggest help. 3. Talk with your students every day by phone. Dove said that the majority of her day is spent talking directly with students to build a one-on-one relationship with each of them. 4. Celebrate every effort and success, no matter how big or small. "Always be positive in your feedback, even if the assignment may not be stellar. The written word is so powerful online, and you always want your students to feel that you are cheering them on and appreciate their hard work," she explained. 5. Build relationships with fellow teachers. Share resources, best practices, and stories to feel less isolated or alone in the home office."
Jessica LaPanne

Why Should Educators Blog? - 4 views

I really enjoyed reading this article because I'm feeling the same excitement as the author did when she first began blogging. While I'm just learning how to "officially" blog, I have been using Ed...

blog

started by Jessica LaPanne on 09 May 11 no follow-up yet
Libby Turpin

Making Online Discussion Boards Work for Skills-Based Courses - Faculty Focus | Faculty... - 10 views

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    This article explores ways to enhance online communication between students.
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    How to make a disucussion board effective. Divide a large group into smaller study sections. Make certain to post application questions, not fact-based or calculation questions. Apply the questions to the students' life/future.
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    The author describes using discussion boards for his accounting course.
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    This article highlights some key points about how to successfully integrate online discussions into core subject content. He does this by pairing down the discussion groups much like we are doing in the Web 2.0 course right now ,"When I did discussions with the class as a whole, the students grumbled about having to read repetitive messages. They were much more willing to participate in the study group if there were relatively few messages". He is also looking for an inital post and a follow up post written with correct grammar and spelling.
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    In this article, Rob Kelly discusses how he uses online discussion boards to enhance the learning in his classroom. Students end up helping one another, and the conversations go beyond accounting so that students really see the applicability of the subject matter to their future lives. Students who really excel in accounting help students who struggle, and the split classroom discussion helps to make it manageable for all students.
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    This article talks about how to make online discussions work for skills-based courses. Using Professor Roger Gee's practice and approach as an example, the author offers examples to guide students in expressing themselves creatively and persuasively, which engages and motivates them. The class is divided into study groups for the discussions. Each discussion begins with a posting by Professor Gee, the discussions are to begin after students have read the material, viewed the PowerPoint, and taken a quiz. Professor Gee encourages students to work within the study groups to help each other.
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    This article shows how to let online discussions allow for higher order thinking skills to flourish in a skills-based classroom.
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    "Making Online Discussion Boards Work for Skills-Based Courses" is an article written by Rob Kelly and posted in a higher education newsletter. The author describes ways on how online discussions can enhance learning in skills-based online courses. He suggests rather than having students resolve math problems for example, steer students to coming up with an opinion supported by facts they have learned. Students should have the opportunity to have read the lesson, PowerPoints and other related resources before a discussion takes place. The discussions should also give students the opportunity to share opinions and how the material may affect their personal life. Like our class, the author suggest each student to post a reply to the instructor's question and reply to at least one other student's reply. The posting should have good spelling and grammar as if they were in the business world. Another way to enhance learning is to have students work collaboratively and help each other out. The suggestions offered by the author are similar to what we have received in this course. Although the article is written for higher education, I would assume, but I have to also wonder if this is valuable information at the secondary level too?
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    This is a first-rate article on how to run an online discussion for a class on a technical subject. The article elucidates the techniques used by an accounting professor at San Diego Messa College. Issues addressed include whether to focus on calculations or opinions, the size of discussion groups, at what point in the lesson plan students should post, and what role the teacher should play in introducing a topic. Professor Gee advocates that posts focus on opinions rather than facts or calculations, since the latter provides an opportunity to spread error. He also discusses dividing a class of 35 into two groups, having students post after they have reviewed a substantial part of the lesson, and the teacher introducing discussion topics and modeling the first comment.
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    As a teacher of a 2 year high school accounting program, I enjoyed reading this article about Professor Roger Gee's use of online discussion boards. I introduce my students to several elements of personal finance as it relates to a service business owner's personal finances and wondered how I could engage my students to delve a bit deeper into their own thoughts on their personal finances now and in the future. I will be using Gee's suggestion as it helps students use some critical thinking to plan for their future. Some of the items mentioned actually are part of the "flipped classroom" concept; students already having read the lesson, watched the PowerPoints, and taken the test. Then comes the discussion using the learned skills. I appreciate this information for a skill-based course be it high school or community college. As we articulate with our neighboring community college, and attempt to make our students college-ready, this concept fits the bill.
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    Rob Kelly discusses how to he used online discussion boards in a skills based course. This concept could be followed for any type of study group. Given students learn best when they not only teach the information but share and collaborate with others, this idea enhances the learning process.
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    I'm the only Accounting teacher and have been teaching for 2 years at the high school level. I feel this article does a great job not just on how discussion boards can help and guide deeper levels of thinking among Accounting students, but provides the opportunity to take baby steps including technology in the classroom and push critical thinking. I can appreciate this article greatly because I believe we all learn through experience and as Gee mentions, some of the students have worked in the field and may be able to offer their peers another insight.
Jeanine Keyes-Plante

Are You a Digital Slowpoke? - 0 views

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    10 Ways Digital Slowpokes Can Catch Up! By Ann Handley Even though this article was written for owners of small businesses, I think it is worth reading to stay up on what is happening out there in the "real world" of marketing and persuading people to choose their business *(using all those wonderful persuasive writing skills learned in school!) It also addresses anxieties of people all over who are overwhelmed with how fast technology is moving and encourages them to just "do something now."
Cheryl Zaino

5 Job Interview Questions that Are Illegal to Ask - 1 views

  • questions that are illegal for employers to ask you
  • Protected classes typically include race, gender, nationality, religion, military status and age (40 and up).
  • Who will take care of your children while you’re at work?
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  • How did you get that scar/mark/other physical abnormality?
  • How often are you deployed for your Army Reserve training exercises?
  • When are you planning on having children?
  • Have you ever been arrested? 
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    This article explains which interview questions you should not be asked and why,
Sister Jacqueline

Higher Order Thinking - 2 views

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    Quick Facts About HOT No one thinks perfectly or poorly all the time. Memorizing something is not the same as thinking about it. You can memorize something without understanding it. Thinking is done in both words and pictures. These are just a few of the HOT qualities identified in this article
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    Sr. Jacqueline, The link in your post took me to this site. http://www.cdl.org/where-we-are-going/Where%20we%20are%20going.html It is an organization that is working with the children of New Orleans. I cannot seem to find the information on HOT. Thanks, Tom
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    Thanks, Tom. I went back to the article after reading your comment. The address is: http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/highorderthinking.php As I was exploring the site I must have copied an incorrect address. Sister
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    Sister Jacqueline, The article was well worth reading. It does a nice job of explaining the importance of higher order thinking and how it relates to problem solving and its importance in a school setting. Tom
Jennifer Weeks

Can Repetitive Exercises Actually Feed the Creative Process? | MindShift - 1 views

    • Jennifer Weeks
       
      This statement is consistent with my own educational experience. I was in the immersion French program as a child in Ontario and half of my day was in French and half of my day was in English. I honestly feel like I spent 6 years of my life from grade 2 to grade 8 copying verb charts and doing worksheets. Clearly, it has paid off as I am a French teacher and I have an excellent vocabulary and understanding of verb conjugations and tenses. 
  • John Kounios, Professor of Psychology at Drexel University and co-author of upcoming book Insight: Aha Moments, Creativity, and the Brain, the connection between creativity and automaticity is complicated.
  • mastered something
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  • thinking about it often becomes locked in and it’s difficult for them to break out of this mental straightjacket.”
  • repeated practice walks side-by-side with the creative process.”
  • This would be the same as memorizing the rules of basketball and shooting endless free throws without ever learning to play the game.”
    • Jennifer Weeks
       
      This is the trouble with foreign language instruction sometimes. We don't let students apply what they learn at a fast enough rate to keep them interested. 
  • Focused practice, Lemov has found in his research training teachers, actually automates a process in one’s body, which then becomes fertile ground for creative breakthroughs and individual variations.
    • Jennifer Weeks
       
      This article talks about the interplay between rote practice/memorization and creativity. It also cites a number of books that are helpful in understanding the nuances of the topic and arguments for and against rote learning. 
  • Can Repetitive Exercises Actually Feed the Creative Process?
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    "Kurt Wootton, co-author of A Reason to Read. "In my view, the repetition must not come before allowing students to participate in the creative tasks, but rather repeated practice walks side-by-side with the creative process."" I find this statement to "hit the nail on the head" as the debate between rote memory and creative "aha" moments continue. The analogy of the musician practicing for hours playing scales as well as note for note renditions of other's work is appropriate to this discussion. The book, "Outliers",by Malcolm Gladwell, addresses the 10,000 hour rule. To paraphrase; To become world class at anything, it takes 10,000 hours of focused practice. The author's examples range from Bill Gates to The Beatles. When two sides are set up as an US vs THEM debate, it misses the oppoprtunity to combine perfect practice with creative inspiration. Putting together a perfect meal is based on proper choices of various food combinations. Putting together a perfect learning environment is very similar in that a combination of repetitive learning and creative opportunity helps the learning as well as creative process.
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    "Kurt Wootton, co-author of A Reason to Read. "In my view, the repetition must not come before allowing students to participate in the creative tasks, but rather repeated practice walks side-by-side with the creative process."" I find this statement to "hit the nail on the head" as the debate between rote memory and creative "aha" moments continue. The analogy of the musician practicing for hours playing scales as well as note for note renditions of other's work is appropriate to this discussion. The book, "Outliers",by Malcolm Gladwell, addresses the 10,000 hour rule. To paraphrase; To become world class at anything, it takes 10,000 hours of focused practice. The author's examples range from Bill Gates to The Beatles. When two sides are set up as an US vs THEM debate, it misses the oppoprtunity to combine perfect practice with creative inspiration. Putting together a perfect meal is based on proper choices of various food combinations. Putting together a perfect learning environment is very similar in that a combination of repetitive learning and creative opportunity helps the learning as well as creative process.
Jasmane Frans

Are we declaring war - would it be for a worthy cause? - 4 views

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    This is a topic that creates a similar feel as the value of neat handwriting on paper for students at school. Is it worth debating and reaching a decision about? Or do we just proceed to use paper as the need arises in the classroom? Students are exposed to the use of paper and digital media and resources on different levels. Where do we start saying less or more paper OR digital devices are the way forward?
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