Mensagens

A mostrar mensagens de novembro, 2012

Why the Internet Is Making Us Smarter--in One Way - Forbes

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Why the Internet Is Making Us Smarter--in One Way - Forbes : Lots of commentators — like my old friend  Nicholas Carr , for example –  have bemoaned the rise of the Internet, and before that television, arguing that these evil distractions have shortened our attention spans and caused us to become digital idiots, capable of only the briefest moments of focus.  Email, too, has come in for its share of blame and experts have recommended that you schedule it, or ration it, or avoid it altogether. But all of this handwringing is missing the real point.  It’s not that we’re becoming dumber, it’s rather that the object of our focus has changed.  In one way, we’re actually getting smarter – much, much smarter. Here’s what’s going on.  Society – work, entertainment, and the arts – have been shifting from print to visual at a rapidly accelerating rate over the past half-century years.  In the past decade, with the rise of broadband and the Internet, the shift has moved into high gear.

Students Solving Real-World Design Problems - Teaching Now - Education Week Teacher

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Students Solving Real-World Design Problems - Teaching Now - Education Week Teacher : Last month, the Chicago Architecture Foundation launched  DiscoverDesign.org , a free Web-based learning tool aimed at getting students excited about architecture. According to the website, it "empowers teens to gain architectural skills, learn green design principles, engage in problem solving, and connect to an online community of their peers, their teachers and design professionals around the world." The site lists various design projects with step-by-step guides to help students develop and implement their ideas. Students can choose to design anything from a new school locker to a new technology wing for a school. Once their projects are complete, students can upload their work to the site and receive feedback and comments from teachers, architects, design professionals, and other students. This month, the foundation announced that they will be conducting a national  design competit

The Flipped Classroom: Turning the Traditional Classroom on its Head

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The Flipped Classroom: Turning the Traditional Classroom on its Head : The Flipped Classroom Infographic A new method of teaching is turning the traditional classroom on its head.

Indian Government, Tech. Firm Collaborate on Tablet for Education

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After launching what was dubbed the  "world's cheapest tablet"  by the Indian media last year, the national government and a technology company recently released an upgraded model of the low-cost device. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2012/11/tech-company_launches_low-cost_tablet_device_for_indian_students.html 

Can the Digital Generation Do Anything Right?

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Last week, the news media,  including   Education Week , wrote about a new study from the Pew Research Center surveying 2,000 teachers on how their students do research in the digital world. Many of those teachers, 77 percent, believed digital tools have an overall positive impact on research, but 87 percent said the tools were a distraction causing short attention spans. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2012/11/can_the_digital_generation_do_anything_right.html

We All Support the Teacher

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I have noticed a fair amount of vitriol spewing from the education blogosphere (and whatever other forms of media still exist today, if any) in the past few months, most of which has centered on the idea of technology (led for the most part by an energetic private sector) infiltrating the classroom (and to be fair, I can't say  I've helped the matter ). http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/reimagining/2012/11/we_all_support_the_teacher.html

Karen Cator Stepping Down as U.S. Ed-Tech Chief

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Karen Cator, a vocal advocate for the use of technology in education and a familiar face at virtually every major ed-tech conference or event in the past four years, told Education Week  in an email today that she will be stepping down in 2013 from her post as the director of educational technology for the U.S. Department of Education. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2012/11/karen_cator_stepping_down_as_h.html

Teacher Quality: Investing in What Matters

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Spurred by awards of federal funding under the Race to the Top competition, many states are adopting teacher-evaluation systems with student achievement as the ultimate goal. This drive to create robust evaluation systems places far too much emphasis on inspecting and testing. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/11/14/12zimmerman_ep.h32.html?tkn=OVUFB8utN2qafSl3KysfRgoh8hkbz0omJ9gZ&cmp=clp-edweek

Teacher-Leadership Degree Programs Aim to Fill Career Gaps

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Four years ago, Donald Chouinard, a veteran English teacher at Fort Kent Community High School in Maine, was promoted to his district's curriculum-coordinator position. He appreciated the rise in status his move to an administrative job conferred, but he soon felt that something was lacking. "I really, really missed the classroom," he recalled recently. http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/10/17/tl_degree_program.html

Preparing Students for the Real World

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Regardless of whether we are the Teacher of Record (TOR) or their scores on the high stakes test will affect our HEDI score, these students need us every single day that they walk into our classrooms and into our schools . http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2012/11/preparing_students_for_the_real_world.html

Putting Brands to Work for Public Schools

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Public education budgets have always been tight, but today we find ourselves in uncharted territory. Looking back to 2008, when the country slipped into the Great Recession, no aspect of the economy has escaped unscathed. One of the hardest-hit areas has been education, since deep losses in the housing sector sent shock waves that decimated state and local budgets and, consequently, school budgets as well. In many places, schools' rainy-day funds have run dry. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/11/07/11freeman.h32.html

'Soft Skills' Pushed as Part of College Readiness

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To make it in college, students need to be up for the academic rigor. But that's not all. They also must be able to manage their own time, get along with roommates, and deal with setbacks. Resiliency and grit, along with the ability to communicate and advocate, are all crucial life skills. Yet, experts say, many teenagers lack them, and that's hurting college-completion rates. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/11/14/12softskills_ep.h32.html?tkn=SVPFFNFaKqESIfZtFx0pKc%2Bsvl8zPauJioZe&cmp=clp-edweek

Project-based learning assessment tool launched

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CTB/McGraw-Hill  has today announced the launch of the  Acuity® Performance Task System , a new performance assessment authoring system and item bank, which enables teachers to  evaluate project-based learning  across multiple subjects using research-based assessment methods.  http://www.techlearning.com/default.aspx?tabid=67&entryid=5068

How I learned a language in 22 hours

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He's never been good with languages, so can Joshua Foer really hope to learn Lingala in a day? http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/nov/09/learn-language-in-three-months

Google's Open Course Builder: A Giant Leap into 21st-Century Online Learning

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Google is the most powerful nonhuman teacher ever known to actual humans. Implicitly and ceaselessly, Google performs  formative assessments  by collecting the following data: the content, genre and media that interests you most; when and for how long you access your external cloud brain; what your hobbies and routines are; with whom you work and communicate; who will get your November vote; and whether you prefer  invigorating clean mint or enamel renewal  toothpaste.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/googles-open-course-builder-todd-finley

When Students Do The Teaching

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Not every teacher gets to hear these words: the process of making "this video gave me a better understanding of how teachers teacher, so when I am faced with a math problem that I don't understand I can break it down and teach it to myself." This quote came from a ninth-grade student at the culmination of the Upside Down Academy  project. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-learning-students-teach-students-envision-schools

Before We Flip Classrooms, Let's Rethink What We're Flipping To

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We're hearing a lot of talk about education in these back-to-school days, but a few conversations rise above the din. One such is the chatter about " flipped classrooms ," 1  in which students listen to lectures at home and do homework at school.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/rethinking-the-flipped-classroom-idit-harel-caperton

Blended Learning: Behind the Scenes

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It feels like we're on the precipice of a more common, universal implementation for blended learning, but for a while still, blended learning is still dependent on teachers knowing what to teach and how to teach it. It still feels still like a grassroots movement from key teachers who are looking ahead to the future. We know that being able to function online is a 21st-century skill, but for some teachers, it's still as futuristic as Logan's Run. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-learning-behind-scenes-heather-wolpert-gawron

Four Scary Good Ed Tech Sites

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I spent some time trying to come up with a really scary post for Halloween, but I decided I would stay positive instead and share some scary good sites on educational technology. Get it? Scary? Anyway, here are four tried and true sites I always turn to when I need help with a tech tool or when I'm looking for something new. Warning: the puns you are about to read are also terrifying. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/scary-good-ed-tech-sites-nicholas-provenzano 

Practical Tips for Mobile Learning in the PBL Classroom

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Given the number of technology tools being used by educators and students, it's no wonder that mobile technologies and mobile learning are being explored in various implementations. From data collection tools to mobile phones, students are learning at school and on their own. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/mobile-learning-in-pbl-classroom-andrew-miller

Teacher Experience and Expectations for the 1:1 Elementary Classroom

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In my last two posts, I detailed the iPad initiatives at Burlington High School. I talked about what we learned after a year of a 1:1 iPad environment and dispelled some myths surrounding iPads in education. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/one-to-one-elementary-classroom-andrew-marcinek

Grant Funding with Social Media

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Locating Grant Sources The first step in receiving grant funding is to locate potential opportunities. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/grant-funding-with-social-media-brian-dixon

Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferencing

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Last week I spent an afternoon coaching teachers on preparing for parent conferences. That same day, after work, I attended my son's fall parent-teacher conference. Given these different perspectives on this tradition, I figured I could share some thoughts for making these conferences meaningful and rewarding for all. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/parent-teacher-conference-tips-elena-aguilar

A Principal's Perspective: Getting The Most Out of Classroom iPads

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For the first two months of school, "When are the iPads going to be handed out?" was a continual mantra from students and teachers. But finally, when we were able to tell them a day, frustration turned into anticipation. Southside High School's goal was to efficiently assign an iPad to each ninth- and tenth-grader, without seriously impacting the regular instructional day. Boy, was that off target! http://www.edutopia.org/blog/principal-perspective-ipad-rollout-ben-johnson

Code Literacy: A 21st-Century Requirement

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Ask kids what Facebook is for, and they'll tell you it's there to help them make friends. And, on the surface anyway, that's what it looks like. Of course, anyone who has poked a bit deeper or thought a bit longer about it understands that people programming Facebook aren't sitting around wondering how to foster more enduring relationships for little Johnny, Janey and their friends, but rather how to monetize their social graphs -- the trail of data the site is busy accumulating about Johnny and Janey every second of the day and night. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/code-literacy-21st-century-requirement-douglas-rushkoff

Thank a Student

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http://www.edutopia.org/blog/thank-a-student-nicholas-provenzano It is the month of Thanksgiving, and everyone is getting excited about turkey and pumpkin pie. People are also considering the things they should be thankful for. Well, I think this is the perfect month for teachers to stop a student and thank him or her.

Education is a great British export industry

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/9675113/Education-is-a-great-British-export-industry.html Britain's universities are world class and the launch of the new Council for the Defence of British Universities will help them remain so

Failing Public Schools: Should They Learn From Thriving Charters?

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What makes a  charter school  succeed and how exactly can we transfer these ideas to failing  public schools ? These questions are examined in  Roland G. Fryer 's widely talked about  report , “Learning From the Successes and Failures of Charter Schools.” Fryer is the CEO of  EdLabs  and an economics professor at Harvard University, the report was published as part of  The Hamilton Project  (the Brookings Institution). http://news.yahoo.com/failing-public-schools-learn-thriving-charters-234015660.html

Howard Fuller: One of the Most Powerful Educators in America

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Civil rights leader  Kenneth Clark  once said to  Howard Fuller , “Did my work even make a difference?” Like Clark, who was instrumental in the Supreme Court’s decision to desegregate schools in 1954, education advocate Howard Fuller has asked himself this same question. http://news.yahoo.com/howard-fuller-one-most-powerful-educators-america-231600761.html

Driven to distraction: How to help wired students learn to focus

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A recent Pew Internet & American Life Project report surveyed 2,462 middle and high school Advanced Placement and national writing project teachers and concluded that: “Overwhelming majorities agree with the assertions that today’s digital technologies are creating an easily distracted generation with short attention spans, and today’s students are too ‘plugged in’ and need more time away from their digital technologies.” https://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/11/13/driven-to-distraction-how-to-help-wired-students-learn-to-focus/

Why allow ed-tech access? ‘We owe it to our students’

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Technology can be intimidating, and even frightening—but Eric Sheninger, principal of New Jersey’s New Milford High School (NMHS), says that educators must overcome their fear of putting technology into students’ hands. Through efforts to create a paperless environment, a bring-your-own-device initiative, and the use of social media, NMHS teachers and administrators are integrating technology into all aspects of the school day—and these efforts are paying off. For these reasons and others, we’ve chosen NMHS as our “eSchool of the Month” for November/December. https://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/11/12/why-allow-ed-tech-access-we-owe-it-to-our-students/

College credit for open online courses gains momentum

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The American Council on Education, a nonprofit organization that represents most of the nation’s college and university presidents, is preparing to weigh in on massive open online courses—MOOCs, for short—a new way of teaching and learning that has taken higher education by storm in recent months. https://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/11/13/college-credit-for-open-online-courses-gains-momentum/

Beyond the Textbook: Education and Technology Are Paving the Way for Startups to Educate Our Youth

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Back to school is just about over (for those of you that love buying new binders, not the Romney kind) but it's never time to stop learning and evolving. If you grew up in the era before iPads, iPods, iPhones, and laptops, you well know it's a completely different ball game now. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ash-kumra/education-tech-startups_b_2101575.html?utm_hp_ref=education-technology

Parents, Teachers Rate Benefits of Using Tech. for Learning

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A national survey of more than 800 public school parents and teachers found especially strong support for digital learning was among parents.  SOURCE: Parents/Teachers on Technology in Education, August 2012; Hart Research for the Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/10/17/01bits-benefits.h06.html

Thinking About Cursive in a Digital World

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"What does a cursive Q look like?" I asked my wife after dinner one recent night. We were helping our 5-year-old daughter form uppercase letters in manuscript when it occurred to me that I did not remember how to form a cursive capital Q. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/10/17/08polochanin.h32.html

New Tools Seek to Evaluate Ed-Tech Products

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A number of services have cropped up over the years to help schools answer a question that, in an age of information overload, scarce resources, and new technology, is becoming central to how they move forward: What works? http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/10/17/08edustar.h32.html

Blended Learning Models Generating Lessons Learned

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A variety of models for mixing face-to-face education and online instruction are generating lessons learned Since blended learning exploded onto the K-12 scene with promises of personalized and student-centered learning, it has proliferated into dozens of different models, with educators continually tweaking and changing those methods to find the perfect balance of face-to-face and online instruction to meet the needs of their students. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/10/24/09el-overview.h32.html 

Catholic Schools Turn to 'Blended Learning' to Get More Students

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http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/10/24/09catholic.h32.html As Roman Catholic schools aggressively seek solutions to curb tumbling enrollment numbers, they are turning increasingly to an approach that blends online learning and face-to-face instruction as a way to cut expenses and appeal to new students and their families.

Florida Virtual School Incorporates Face-to-Face Learning

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At  Florida's Coral Glades High School , 13 classes of students take an online course in world history through the Florida Virtual School. Though the coursework is online and the instructor virtual, students see their teacher in person during weekly class visits. The students have another face-to-face support as well: a classroom facilitator who keeps them on track, helps with technical problems, and takes attendance. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/10/24/09el-floridavirtual.h32.html

Tips for Tech-Cautious Teachers

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District and school administrators have pushed our faculty to incorporate more technology tools in our classrooms. In particular, at the high school level, we’ve been encouraged to take part in a new bring-your-own-technology initiative to engage students. http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/10/24/tln_crowley_tech.html 

Five Reasons Why Teaching Is Still Great

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http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/10/30/tln_barnwell_5reasons.html I can open up just about any news source and click on yet another manifesto about how teachers are exhausted, schools are failing, or parents don’t parent. But there is no other job I'd rather have than teaching right now.

Teachers Report Mixed Impact of Digital Media

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http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/11/07/11techsurveys.h32.html Educators say digital tools used both inside classrooms and outside schools in students' personal lives are having a mixed impact on students' academic and social development, according to two surveys released last week.

Schools Are Using Social Networking to Involve Parents

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http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/11/07/11techsurveys.h32.html Digital technology is providing a growing variety of methods for school leaders to connect with parents anywhere, anytime—a tactic mirroring how technology is used to engage students.

Five Tips for Supporting iPads in the Classroom

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http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/11/07/tln_magiera_ipads.html# Schools across the globe have begun investing in iPad tablet computers, hoping these devices will magically transform their learning environments. While there are countless examples of schools using iPads to redefine teaching and learning, the true magic in putting tablets in the classroom comes from effective teacher pedagogy and implementation models. 

New Jersey School Takes Mobile Device Management to the Cloud

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http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/11/13/new-jersey-school-takes-mobile-device-management-to-the-cloud.aspx New Providence High School in New Jersey  has selected a cloud-based mobile device management system to support its deployment of 500 iPads for student use. The school selected MaaS360 Mobile Device Management  (MDM) from Fiberlink. The announcement was made at the Educause 2012  conference, which took place this in Denver, CO last week.

Affording the Classroom of the Future

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http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/08/08/affording-the-classroom-of-the-future.aspx?admgarea=pre The new technology being infused into today's classrooms doesn't come cheap; nor is it always easy to install, repair, maintain, and upgrade. Physical facilities take time and money to upgrade and replace, and teachers must be trained on how to use any new equipment and applications that are introduced into the classroom. For the 21st Century classroom to operate at an optimal level all three legs of the stool must be addressed--and that costs money.

Taking Students Where No School Bus Can Go

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http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/09/06/taking-students-where-no-school-bus-can-go.aspx?admgarea=pre Skype connects Virginia elementary students live with research scientists around the world. You don't often find a group of 75 fifth graders from a public school in Virginia interacting directly with scientists based at  Palmer Station, Antarctica , but that's exactly what takes place every year at  Herman L. Horn Elementary  in Vinton, VA. Using  Skype  as a videoconferencing platform--and working together with her school's instruction technology coordinator, Holly Ireland--social studies teacher Amanda Lusk has orchestrated two of these events from the convenience of her own classroom.

Connecting with Students

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http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/11/07/connecting-with-students.aspx It's the little things that can help a teacher connect with every student in the class, according to author Lynell Burmark: A good place to start: Show the image first, then use the words.

Student-run Tech Support Programs Advance at the Speed of Technology

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http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/11/06/student-run-tech-support.aspx As student-run IT initiatives evolve into full curriculum programs, schools find that students aren't just supporting technology--technology is supporting them. It's an age-old adage: Students pick up technology faster than their teachers. So when it comes to troubleshooting technical headaches in the classroom, it's not surprising that schools are turning to their own best resources--the students themselves.

Interactive Whiteboards Enliven Storytelling

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http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2012/06/interactive-whiteboards-enliven-storytelling Students better absorb class content when they create their own books about it using technology. Research has shown that interactive whiteboards make the teaching and learning process far more engaging and often lead to better retention of the material presented. With these and other classroom technologies, students can become their own content publishers.