Wissahickon Staff Developers

""Adults vote with their feet," a favorite adage of adult educators, is frequently used to describe a characteristic of adult learners. In most circumstances, adults are not captive learners and, if the learning situation does not suit their needs and interests, they will simply stop coming. In discussing adult education, Knowles (1980, 1984) distinguished between teacher-centered and learner-centered instruction. He promoted the latter because it viewed learners as mutual partners in the learning endeavor (Merriam and Caffarella 1991). Known as the andragogical model, the use of learner-centered instruction--which supports addressing the needs and interests of learners--is regularly championed in the literature as the most effective way to teach adults. However, Merriam and Caffarella (ibid.) assert that "adult learning in formal settings, for the most part, is still instructor designed and directed" (p. 26). Given the wide support for learner involvement, the discrepancy between adult education theory and practice is perplexing. How can instructors of adults become more learner centered in their practice? This ERIC Digest suggests guidelines and strategies that can be used in formal settings by instructors of adults to involve learners more effectively. "

"View Dozens of Kid-Friendly Educational Videos or Submit Your Own MEET ME AT THE CORNER, Virtual Field Trips for Kids takes you to meet fascinating people from all over the world. New educational, kid-friendly episodes are uploaded every two weeks. Included are links to fun websites and our Learning Corner with follow-up questions. "

"Chris Dede, a professor of learning technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is a leading authority on online teacher professional development. For 16 years, beginning in the early 1990s, Dede taught a course at HGSE called "Learning Media That Bridge Distance and Time." The rapid changes in interactive technology during that period brought the potential of online teacher learning into sharp focus for Dede. "I saw it as an important way of scaling up quality instructional practice, and an important lever for education reform, but also I saw that it wasn't going far very fast," he explains. Dede's investigations into online professional development led him to gather a group of researchers, distance-learning experts, and professional development providers at a conference at Harvard in 2005, and subsequently to publish, as editor, Online Professional Development for Teachers: Emerging Models and Methods (2006). The book, which explores the strengths and tensions of online teacher training, has become a key resource in the field."

"Need a pentagonal pyramid that's six inches tall? Or a number line that goes from ‑18 to 32 by 5's? Or a set of pattern blocks where all shapes have one-inch sides? You can create all those things and more with the Dynamic Paper tool. Place the images you want, then export it as a PDF activity sheet for your students or as a JPEG image for use in other applications or on the web."

"Welcome to the Siemens STEM Academy site: A premier online community designed exclusively to foster achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) through the collaboration of STEM educators, and sharing of "best practices"."

a wonderful resource that is interactive and easy to use.

Flash "tutorials" for "Bloom's Taxonomy - An Overview" and "Bloom's Taxonomy - Designing Activities". These are GREAT interactive flash elements! The first one just gives an overview of each step of Bloom's and the second one gives you ideas for activities at each level. LOVE IT!

Fotobabble lets you create talking photos in two clicks. Simply upload a photo and then record your voice directly through your computer to create a talking photo. You can easily share it by e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or embed it into a blog or website. It's free and all completely web-based. No software to download, just register and get started in seconds.

clever interactive activities that work on the smart board across the curiculum

this site provides information and strategies for instruction

a plethora of organized web 2.0 tools

how and what to use of WEB 2.0 tools

"This Online Program will help you create an acrostic poem for your name. The program will help you decide on descriptive words for your acrostic poem. It will then turn your acrostic poem into a beautiful looking poem. Be sure to start each word with a capital letter. "

A nice resource for K-5 mathematics. Links and resources for Angles, Length, Money, Perimeter-Area, Temperature, Time, Volume, and Weight, all for use with the Smartboard!

A great resource for K-5 students with an iconic interface. Browse by subject and click through to some great websites.

"Professional Development is the most vital element and the key to success of any 1:1 program. Learning and teaching practices don't automatically change because computers arrive in a classroom, or students are equipped with them. Most teachers and administrators have not learned in a 1:1 environment, and have little to fall back on with regard to strategies and activities to use in their classrooms or, the necessary support for continuous reflection upon and incorporation of effective changes in instructional practice. "

Better Nova site;TV, radio, everything NOVA cool resources

from Pete and C a game plan for engaging teachers to participate

What school district is this? Can we take the courses?

Master Teachers Article

very cool data for discussions