Inspiring New Futures

Best of 2012: The Five Most Extraordinary Things to Happen in Education | Education on GOOD : "Best of 2012: The Five Most Extraordinary Things to Happen in Education" 'via Blog this'

What Do Teachers Think of Game-Based Learning? : In recent years, game-based learning has received increased attention as a way to motivate students and engage them with the material. But what do teachers think of the trend? To find out, we conducted a survey of 309 K–12 classroom teachers from public, private and religious schools across the country. Here's what they had to say:

The 12 Most Popular Ways College Students Use Smartphones : College students love their smartphones. They use them in a myriad of ways and there’s the data to prove it. A new infographic visualizes the current state of smartphone usage by college students and it’s a sight to see. The infographic below from Online Degrees shows the 12 most popular ways students are using smartphones as well as the types of news they’re reading, and more. The standout statistic to me, though, is that nearly half of college students are using feature phones. In other words, not smartphones. You’d think from all the buzz around smartphones (Apple and Android sell a bajillion phones a second it seems) that there would be a higher number of smartphone users on campus. What stats most surprise you?

My daily PLN reading seems to be full of stories about how to use iPads in the classroom. While this is certainly important information, I believe our Twitter feeds could use a few more stories about the positive impact the introduction of iPads are having in schools.  http://edudemic.com/2012/11/the-early-results-of-an-ipad-classroom-are-in/

Looking for a few simple ways to reach distracted students? This handy infographic is worth printing out and it’s cute to boot! Hey that rhymes! http://edudemic.com/2012/12/10-ways-to-effectively-reach-your-students/

No matter the grade you teach, the school district you oversee, or the children you have in school, motivation is never an easy thing. From coaches to teachers, we all have to do it and it’s worth taking the time to figure out what works and what, well, doesn’t. http://edudemic.com/2012/12/21-simple-ways-to-motivate-your-students/

Blogs on Social and Emotional Learning | Edutopia : Words fail. Our hearts are broken. Only deeds matter after tragedy takes away our children and the adults who teach and care for them. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. President Obama spoke to the nation about this morning's heartbreaking events. Below are resources we've gathered that may help you and your children in this wrenching time.

Below are 15 lesson plans courtesy of Google designed to make students better online researchers. They’re organized by difficulty and meant to help students (and everyone) become better online searchers. Check out the useful Lesson Plan Map  too to see how all these lessons fit together and what skills they teach. Worth a look! http://edudemic.com/2012/11/students-better-online-researchers/

Most high schools in the United States offer some sort of media opportunity, but only about a third have an online component, according to a study co-written by a University of Kansas researcher. http://edudemic.com/2012/10/3-reasons-many-high-schools-dont-have-online-learning-components/

School performance data is too often associated with failure, but it is a powerful tool that can improve teaching and outcomes for students. “Accountability” should be synonymous with opportunity – the opportunity to build a positive culture of performance in our schools. http://edudemic.com/2012/12/how-important-is-accountability-in-your-classroom/

Have you ever wanted to try out Skype in the classroom but didn’t know where to start? We’ve published  numerous guides filled with tips and tricks but there’s a glaring problem: how do you find a partner classroom to Skype with? http://edudemic.com/2012/12/how-to-find-a-classroom-to-skype-with/

Even for the most dedicated of students, books and lectures get boring. Keeping lessons fresh and challenging means keeping them interactive, and given it is almost 2013, incorporating this task is actually much easier than ignoring it. http://edudemic.com/2012/12/the-4-newest-ways-to-make-education-more-interactive/

We’ve heard about  Learnist, Lore, Edmodo, and the many other educational social networks . But what else is out there? If you’re an early adopter or simply like being the ‘cool’ teacher in the lounge … then make sure you know about these relatively new offerings. http://edudemic.com/2012/12/educational-social-networks/

As we look ahead to 2013, educators are developing ways for their schools to adapt in our rapidly-changing technological world to ensure the best skill sets and success for their students. Beaver Country Day School , a leading, independent school for grades 6-12 just outside of Boston, lists the top 3 ways the school utilizes technology to improve student learning experiences. http://edudemic.com/2012/12/the-top-3-ways-schools-are-integrating-technology/

How To Know If You're Correctly Integrating Technology - Edudemic : A common question that we hear from teachers about integrating technology into their classrooms is, “how do I know if I’m doing it right?” We love to hear this question because that tells us that the teacher is starting to analyze and evaluate how they are integrating technology and are looking for a way to gauge their effectiveness. We feel that the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) best addresses the question of “doing it right.” According to the  Arizona K-12 Center at Northern Arizona University , “the TIM is designed to assist schools and districts in evaluating the level of technology integration in classrooms and to provide teachers with models of how technology can be integrated throughout instruction in meaningful ways.” There is more than one version of the TIM but the one that we most commonly refer to with our staff was produced by the Arizona K12 Center at NAU.

Why educators, students and schools will want and love Windows 8 - Microsoft in Education blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs : At Microsoft, our commitment to education starts with students and teachers. After all, they innovate in education every day.  However, putting teachers and students first means partnering with schools to ensure the fast changing-world of technology is relevant and helpful to the instruction in the classroom. Accessing and utilizing digital content is on the rise around the world and many schools have already begun adopting 1-to-1 environments, whether schools are providing devices or students are bringing their own.  We envision modern learning experiences where each student will have a personal learning device because of the promise – and cost-effectiveness of going digital.   Learning is increasingly becoming unbound. It is independent of space and time, socio-economic barriers, and physical constraints. In fact, student and teachers ar...

What Schools Will Look Like In The Year 2020 - Edudemic : What does the school of the future look like? We’ve chatted with, at this point, hundreds of teachers online and they pretty much all agree that the school of the future will have no walls, be highly tech-infused, and available to more people than ever before. All good things, in my opinion.

For the Future Student, Higher Education Will Be Redefined | MindShift : Not too far in the future, students may be faced with an entirely different set of choices than they do today. No longer might college  or  career straight after high school graduation be the two only and divergent paths in front of them. No longer may a four-to-six-year commitment to a highly esteemed institution be the fastest way to a fruitful career or a rich network. With online education quickly gaining momentum, the emergence of  massive open online courses (MOOCs)  is not only shaking up higher education to the core — its value, its status, its cost — the movement is also changing how  young people envision their education  and their future.

The History Of Education Timeline - Edudemic : We heard about an innovative new tool that’s perfect for anyone who wants to explore the history of education. From the first known school (in the year 2000 BC) to the Apple iPad and beyond, it’s all in this interactive history of education timeline. The new interactive timeline is available at  edhistory.com  and is worth checking out!