Educational Resources & Tech Tools 01/01/2016

• Top 10 Health and Physical Education Tech Tools by @CoachKass | Teacher Tech

  tags: health PE physical education tech tools

• The Best Google Drive Add-ons for Creating Flowcharts and Diagrams ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

  tags: add-ons extensions charts flowchart diagrams gafe Google_Drive google apps google docs technology

• Kiddle - visual search engine for kids

  A visual search powered by Google's editors and Safe Search.

  tags: search engine kids web tools tech tools research

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/18/2015

• 24 Teacher Travel Opportunities for Free or Super Cheap: A Great List! - Teaching Traveling!

  tags: travel sabbatical study abroad teach abroad

• When Tech Teaches, What Do Teachers Do? | Tech Learning

  tags: teaching differentiation technology

  • o when tech is doing the things teachers did, what do teachers do? Here are some ideas.
     
     
     
    • Relationships: When technology provides  the on demand lecture and feedback, teachers have more time to develop  relationships with students.  Students  want to be seen, heard, and known. Technology enables teachers to better know  their students for who they are as a whole as well as their talents, interests,  and areas where they want to grow.
     
    • Guidance: Young people need and  want guidance. Teachers can spend more time guiding and supporting students.
     
    • Tutoring: When whole class  instruction can be done using technology, teachers are freed up to do small  group and one-on-one tutoring. 
     
    • Digital Literacy: Teachers can play an important role in helping to support students in being  responsible and respectful digital citizens.
     
    • Learning Network Development: Connections are key and with technology we can help students safely make local  and global connections.  What if we found  a mentor for every student that could support them digitally and/or  face-to-face.
     
    • Cheerleader: Students love knowing  you know their accomplishments.  More  time to notice what students have accomplished. Discuss what that means and  give them support.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/17/2015

• 5 Issues Every ‘Future Ready’ School Leader Must Address | EdSurge News

  • Educators must embrace equity as a fundamental value for students, teachers, parents and other members of the community. A commitment and a dedication to equity is a necessary step in creating a safe culture and learning environment for teachers and all students.
  • five million of the 29 million households with school-aged children lack access to high quality broadband while at home.
  • Coined “The Homework Gap”, (although truly about connectivity and not homework), this disparity means that many of the children sitting in our classrooms lose connectivity the moment they step out of our doors.
  • Future Ready leaders should model high-quality professional learning and create a myriad of opportunities for educators to be empowered to own their learning.
  • The Edcamp “unconference” model works for many educators as personalized professional development, as they are charge of creating discussion topics and choosing which sessions to attend.
  • Collaborative leaders leverage a diverse staff by utilizing the collective strengths of all involved to create authentic learning opportunities for all kids.

• 7 of The Best Books on How to Improve Your Presentation Skills ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

  tags: presenter presentation public speaking oral presentation

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/16/2015

• What Neuroscience Reveals About Bullying by Educators | Edutopia

  • MRI imaging shows the physical harm done by bullying, not to the body, but to the brain. Bruises heal and broken bones mend, but neuroscientific research shows that emotional abuse can leave permanent scars on the brain.
  • When students do report on teacher or coach bullying, parents are instantly in a double bind, because the teacher and coach may still have power over their child. Reporting the harm might make the child more of a target. This is why teachers and coaches need greater oversight if we want children and parents to be confident speaking up about bullying.
  • Teenagers' brains are at a developmental stage that makes them as fragile as a 0- to 3-year-old child.
  • bullying causes a stress response that releases cortisol to the brain. That hormone has been directly linked to depression, a mental illness reaching epidemic proportions in our teen populations.
  • Bullying leaves neurological scars on the brain that can be seen on MRI scanners.

• The Marshall Memo Admin - Issues

  • “MRI imaging shows the physical harm done by bullying, not to the body, but to the brain. Bruises heal and broken bones mend, but neuroscientific research shows that emotional abuse can leave permanent scars on the brain.” Students need to be told to report adult-to-student as well as student-to-student bullying.

  •    <!--[endif]-->Teens are almost adults and need to develop thick skins. Just the opposite is true for adolescents, says Fraser. They’re at a highly vulnerable state of development.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Bullying is actually tough love meant to make kids stronger. In fact, bullying causes a stress response that releases cortisol to the brain – which is linked to depression and other neurological problems. “None of this makes any child stronger, smarter, more artistic, or more athletic,” says Fraser. “It just harms his or her brain permanently.”

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Emotional abuse isn’t as serious as physical or sexual abuse. Nonsense, she says. The damage is just as great and can last a lifetime.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Bullying is just part of growing up. This idea needs to be stamped out, says Fraser.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Students and athletes reach their potential under bullying regimes. Cortisol damages brain structures affecting learning, memory, concentration, and decision making.

• The Marshall Memo Admin - Issues

  • How people perceive the practices, procedures, and behaviors that promote new knowledge and ideas is a key factor in their willingness to take risks and share ideas that improve performance. People won’t go out on a limb with new suggestions if the climate isn’t receptive.
  • People’s belief that they can take actions resulting in successful outcomes is a key factor in their being persistent in the face of obstacles.
  • leaders who aren’t confident in their ability to produce results will drag down the productivity of their colleagues.
  • t appears that high self-confidence is associated with an unwillingness to listen and adapt to change and take others’ views into account, leading to difficult relationships.

• The Marshall Memo Admin - Issues

  • “reading is not seen as a cause worth fighting for. Academics who ought to know better have accepted the idea that students no longer possess the attention span required to read a book. Such claims serve as justifications for adopting a narrow, instrumental attitude toward reading… [but this] merely intensifies the problem that it is meant to avoid: intellectually switched-off students will become seriously distracted.”

  • He lists several qualities that the best teachers possess:

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Enthusiasm – Students often catch this in their classrooms.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Charisma – Teachers can be Pied Pipers for their subject.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->A capacity to clarify and make sense – This quality illuminates any subject.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Humor – It lightens the hard work students need to do.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Kindness – A teacher’s power is enhanced when there’s a human connection.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->A genuine interest in students’ progress – This involves constantly checking for understanding and responding accordingly.

  • Good teachers have these qualities in varying proportions, and the net effect is that students begin to teach themselves. “And that, paradoxical as it may seem, is the best outcome of good teaching,”
  • Good teachers are those who remember being a student,” he concludes. “They hear themselves as their students hear them.
  • They point to clear benefits in having students wrestle with complexity, uncertainty, and difficulty and coming up with their own answers rather than being guided through every step.
  • But Ermeling, Hiebert, and Gallimore worry that “struggle” may become an end in itself, rather than a means to higher levels of student learning.
  • the instructional goals must be richer learning, not just struggle.” The key is getting students engaged with a task that captures the central idea of the lesson or unit.

  • Here are some other key elements in successful “struggle” lessons:

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Determining the timing and placement in a curriculum unit;

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Crafting the problem so it hits students’ zone of proximal development (ZPD) – the level of difficulty that will challenge them without undue frustration;

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Making sure they have the prerequisite knowledge and skills – for example in the problem above, knowing how to add fractions with like denominators before tackling problems with unlike denominators;

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Doing ongoing assessments to gauge students’ current level of understanding and proficiency;

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Providing a safe environment that encourages student thinking, collaboration, and risk-taking;

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Using probing questions to nudge students into their ZPD;

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Providing appropriate help – “Success depends on teachers recognizing when a little timely assistance sustains student persistence but does not prematurely terminate productive struggle and learning,” say the authors.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Following up each struggle episode with carefully structured lessons that build on students’ ideas, address misconceptions, and help them reflect on their new understandings.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/15/2015

• Moving Students From Digital Citizenship To Digital Leadership

  tags: digital citizenship leadership character

• Horizontal Navigation Templates in Google Slides

  This tutorial shows you how to make tabbed decks in Google Slides.

  tags: google slides slides PPT power point templates presentations

• Flippity Random Name Picker

  tags: spreadsheets group maker name picker tech tools differentiation

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/10/2015

• Shop / Stick-lets

  Silicone fasteners for securing pipes and sticks together to make structures.

  tags: STEM STEAM maker Kindergarten building fort

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/09/2015

• The Marshall Memo Admin - Issues

  • “Researchers increasingly recognize,” say the authors, “that promoting mathematical learning requires teachers to engage students in ‘productive struggle,’ where students expend effort to make sense of mathematics and figure out something that is not immediately apparent. One way students can productively struggle with the mathematics is through their communication with others – both through explaining one’s own thought processes (e.g., reasoning about mathematical concepts and how to solve problems) and discussing other students’ reasoning process.”

  • Franke and her colleagues noticed three challenges that teachers faced as they tried to orchestrate good mathematical discussions:

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Students sometimes seemed unable to engage with each others’ ideas.

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->Students sometimes provided little or no detail about others’ thinking;

     

    <!-- [if !supportLists]-->-   <!--[endif]-->At times, students provided details but didn’t address the mathematical ideas underlying other students’ strategies.

  • “just inviting students to engage with others will not guarantee that students will, in fact, engage with each other, nor necessarily engage in ways that are supportive of mathematical learning.”

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/08/2015

• Blackbaud K-12 System Status -

  tags: whipple hill blackbaud

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/05/2015

• Histography - Timeline of History

  tags: history timeline wikipedia social studies

• Recent | Make It @ Your Library

  Maker activities.

  tags: makerspace maker tutorials DIY instructables

• 20 Google Apps activities for classroom innovation | Ditch That Textbook

  tags: apps innovation Google_Drive gafe google

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/04/2015

• K-12 Instruction in Critical Thinking

  PD opportunities provided by the Foundation for Critical Thinking.

  tags: critical thinking pd professional development

• Guide to Creating and Inventing in the Classroom

  Written by Gary Stager with several ideas for projects in LS classrooms.

  tags: maker maker movement innovation tinkering

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/03/2015

• FALL CUE 2015 - Learn with John Eick

  PD presentations on how to use Google forms for evaluations.

  tags: forms google forms admin evaluation cue

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/02/2015

• Sample Maker Rubric | Edutopia

  tags: rubric maker maker movement differentiation edutopia

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 12/01/2015

• Modern Professional Learning: Connecting PLCs With PLNs | Edutopia

  This article gives the benefits and weaknesses of PLNs and PLCs.

  tags: pln plc pd professional development edutopia

  • a Professional Learning Community is "a group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students."
  • A PLC is made up of "a school's professional staff members who continuously seek to find answers through inquiry and act on their learning to improve student learning.
  • Teachers who work in more supportive environments become more effective at raising student achievement on standardized tests over time than do teachers who work in less supportive environments.

  • a PLC is typically:

      
    • Face to face
     
    • High accountability
     
    • Comprised of colleagues from a face-to-face or daily environment
     
    • Comprised of peers with similar professional responsibilities
  • Torrey Trust defines the PLN (PDF) as "a system of interpersonal connections and resources that support informal learning.
  • according to multiple, peer reviewed studies, simply being in an open network instead of a closed one is the best predictor of career success . . . the further . . . you go towards a closed network, the more you repeatedly hear the same ideas, which reaffirm what you already believe. The further you go towards an open network, the more you're exposed to new ideas

  • PLNs are typically:

      
    • Online and open
     
    • More informal
     
    • Open to a free flow of ideas
     
    • Often welcoming to newcomers
     

  • PLNs' weaknesses are:

      
    • Teachers get excited about an idea but meet resistance in their local school.
     
    • Teachers have no way to share and discuss ideas with their local school.
     
    • Some educators use their PLN inconsistently and have no accountability to keep learning.
     
    • PLNs can be overwhelming because it seems like too much, or users can't focus.
     
    • Authentic conversations can become dominated by a few loud voices.
     
    • Some hashtag founders exhibit territorial behavior that limits conversation.
     
    • Trolls and spammers can derail hashtag conversations.
  • "Blend" your school's PLC by creating an online space for it. Make this a simple place to share resources and ideas gleaned from participants' PLNs. Many teachers don't collaborate online because it's just one more thing to do. Make it simple to share. Give the less social-media-savvy educators simple options such as an email subscription to a few blogs.
  • Encourage educators to share ideas. Set specific goals. You can't be everywhere and do everything. Focus can achieve incredible results if you're all searching your PLNs for new ideas to tackle a troubling issue in your PLC

  • 5. Link the online and face-to-face worlds.

      

    Administrators and others should mention the online spaces in staff meetings. Likewise, an online reflection of something said at the PLC helps show continuity. Educators should see both the online and face-to-face spaces as substantial parts of their PLC.

• Self-Assessments » TELL Project

  "Part of the strength of the TELL Project is its built-in ability for teachers to self-determine how well they currently meet the criteria defined in the Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning Framework, relative to the growth they would like to make. To assist teachers in this aspect of reflective practice, TELL makes available self-assessment documents that allows an educator to pause and consider their current practice to identify possible areas of professional growth."

  tags: self-assessment foreign language Spanish

• Service Learning: Growing Action From the Roots of Passion | Edutopia

  "Service Learning: Growing Action From the Roots of Passion"

  tags: service learning service passion projects

• The First Thanksgiving Student Activities for Grades PreK-12 | Scholastic.com

  tags: thanksgiving SocialStudies Pilgrims history

• How to remove related videos from the end of an embedded YouTube video | illuminea

  tags: youtube youtube editing adblock technology tech tools

• 10 Strategies To Make Learning Feel More Like A Game -

  Tips for how to gamify your classroom with small tweaks rather than big changes.

  tags: gamification teaching learning

• 50 Popular iPad Apps For Struggling Readers & Writers

  tags: apps ipad reading writing

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/28/2015

• Welcome to the Virtual Crash Course in Design Thinking

  tags: project based learning DesignThinking design thinking ProjectBasedLearning STEAM STEM maker maker movement

• Tinkering & Making | Learning Is Open

  • Integrating tinkering and making into instruction can also create a differentiated environment that nurtures diverse learning styles.

• The Role of PBL in Making the Shift to Common Core | Edutopia

  • Common Core calls upon teachers to shift away from writing daily lesson plans and toward carefully mapping out long-range units.
  • In PBL, the project is the unit. It requires careful planning from start to finish, as BIE emphasizes in its project planning framework.
  • pose questions, gather and interpret data, ask further questions, and develop and evaluate solutions or build evidence for answers.
  • Students need ongoing access to inquiry experiences that build their understanding of the world through text, and that explicitly teach them how to support arguments with evidence
  • Through balanced assessment in PBL, teachers can assess the critical thinking process as well as products, enabling students to self-assess their critical thinking skills.
  • Revision and reflection, one of BIE's 8 Essential Elements, requires PBL teachers to provide students with regular, structured opportunities to give and receive feedback about the quality of their work-in-progress, demonstrate perseverance, and polish their products until they successfully meet the established criteria for success.
  • Well-crafted Driving Questions are both understandable and inspiring to students, and provide a meaningful, authentic context for learning. Projects motivate students to learn because they genuinely find the project's topic, Driving Question and tasks to be relevant and meaningful.
  • Collaboration is a requirement in PBL.

• Project-Based Learning Through a Maker's Lens | Edutopia

  • A Maker is an individual who communicates, collaborates, tinkers, fixes, breaks, rebuilds, and constructs projects for the world around him or her. A Maker, re-cast into a classroom, has a name that we all love: a learner.
  • A Maker, just like a true learner, values the process of making as much as the product.
  • In the classroom, the act of Making is an avenue for a teacher to unlock the learning potential of her or his students in a way that represents many of the best practices of educational pedagogy. A Makerspace classroom has the potential to create life-long learners through exciting, real-world projects.
  • Collaborate with your students by having them list their queries and send them off to find answers from a myriad of sources. Keep the ones they can't answer yet. In a strong inquiry process, the students reveal their previous knowledge and their needs, allowing the teacher to craft respectful, differentiated learning goals that match.
  • Making is a process, and strong essential questions allow the educator to frame the journey while allowing the learner to make inquiry-driven discoveries.
  • The teacher can break down large units into smaller essential questions ("How does the arm length effect the distance of a catapult shot?"), and use these smaller questions to build to a monster prompt ("Can I make a catapult which shoots a marshmallow over 30 feet using these materials?").
  • Good projects require failure. Great projects can teach a student grit, but you have to model it yourself first. Processing failure with your students turns a moment of fear into an opportunity for learning in a safe place.

  • Teachers new to PBL and Making often make similar mistakes:

      
    • Choosing projects too large for their comfort level and resources
     
    • Focusing on the outcome, not the process of Making
     
    • Thinking the educator must have the answer

  • If you're looking for more about Making, check out these resources:

      
    • Makerspace.com
     
    • Makered.org
     
    • DesignMakeTeach.com
     
    • Makezine.com
     
    • Instructables.com
     
    • #makered & #STEM on Twitter
     
    • Inventtolearn.com

• Katherine Smith School Kindergarten Presentations | Project Based Learning | BIE

  tags: PBL Project Based Learning projectbasedlearning Kindergarten

• Debunking 5 Myths About Project-Based Learning | Edutopia

  • it's not truly PBL if students are simply making a collage about a story, constructing a model of the Egyptian pyramids, or analyzing water samples from a lake.
  • These artifacts and activities could be part of a rigorous project if they help students meet a complex challenge and address a Driving Question.
  • In well-designed projects students gain content knowledge and academic skills as well as learn how to solve problems, work in teams, think creatively, and communicate their ideas.
  • students need something to think critically about -- it cannot be taught independent of content.
  • A project is not meant to "cover" a long list of standards, but to teach selected important standards in greater depth.
  • a teacher does not have to go all-PBL, all the time
  • You can also save planning time by collaborating with other teachers, sharing projects, adapting projects from other sources, and running the same project again in later years.
  • Projects can increase student motivation to read, write, and learn mathematics because they are engaged by the topic and have an immediate, meaningful reason to apply these skills.
  • For students with disabilities, teachers can use the same support strategies during a project as they would use in other situations, such as differentiation, modeling, and providing more time and scaffolding.
  • For teachers only used to direct instruction, it may be challenging at first to manage students working in teams and handle the open-endedness of PBL, but with more experience it gets easier.

• Project-Based Learning vs. Problem-Based Learning vs. X-BL | Edutopia

  This article is a primer describing the different types of (fill in the blank)-based learning.

  tags: PBL Project Based Learning projectbasedlearning problem based learning maker

  • At BIE, we see project-based learning as a broad category which, as long as there is an extended "project" at the heart of it, could take several forms or be a combination of:

      
    • Designing and/or creating a tangible product, performance or event
     
    • Solving a real-world problem (may be simulated or fully authentic)
     
    • Investigating a topic or issue to develop an answer to an open-ended question
  • So according to our "big tent" model of PBL, some of the newer "X-BLs" -- problem-, challenge- and design-based -- are basically modern versions of the same concept.
  • We decided to call problem-based learning a subset of project-based learning -- that is, one of the ways a teacher could frame a project is "to solve a problem."

  • problem-BL is still more often seen in the post-secondary world than in K-12, where project-BL is more common.

      

    Problem-based learning typically follow prescribed steps:

      
    1. Presentation of an "ill-structured" (open-ended, "messy") problem
     
    2. Problem definition or formulation (the problem statement)
     
    3. Generation of a "knowledge inventory" (a list of "what we know about the problem" and "what we need to know")
     
    4. Generation of possible solutions
     
    5. Formulation of learning issues for self-directed and coached learning
     
    6. Sharing of findings and solutions
  • By using problem-BL, these teachers feel they can design single-subject math projects -- aka "problems" -- that effectively teach more math content by being more limited in scope than many typical project-BL units.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/20/2015

• Arduino Tutorial - Lesson 3 - Breadboards and LEDs

  Easy to follow lessons on Arduinos.

  tags: arduino tutorial electronics circuits maker makerspace

• Tinkercad | Create 3D digital designs with online CAD

  tags: 3dprinting 3D printing design makerspace cad 3d-printing 3D tinkercad

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/18/2015

• Molecular Modeling for K-12 -- A STEM Activity

  tags: atom science ips

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/13/2015

• Top 9 Quotes About Teaching | The Literacy Site Blog

  tags: quotes teaching

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/11/2015

• “Who owns the learning?” #DigitalPortfolios

  How digital portfolios add value to learning.

  tags: digital portfolio

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/06/2015

• ChronoCards

  @JillBergeron2 check out Chrono Cards from @Swenyo and @ndef! So cool! #sschat https://t.co/TT61kYER61

  tags: sschat

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/05/2015

• Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many | Edutopia

  This article extolls the benefits of tech integration to both students and teachers.

  tags: technology_integration edutopia technology integration

  • Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts.
  • Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals.
  • Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they've found online.
  • And, as an added benefit, with technology tools and a project-learning approach, students are more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioral problems in the classroom.
  • Technology also changes the way teachers teach, offering educators effective ways to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding through multiple means. It also enhances the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is effectively integrated into subject areas, teachers grow into roles of adviser, content expert, and coach. Technology helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/04/2015

• Mathspace- An Interesting Educational Platform for Math Teachers ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

  tags: math differentiation

• How to Incubate Creativity in School Through Making and Discovery | MindShift | KQED News

  The benefits of maker ed in schools.

  tags: MakerSpace makered making maker MindShift innovation STEAM STEM

  • The Turtle Art project, and the concept of “doing” or “making” before any explicit instruction has been given, is part of the school’s attempt to shake up its teaching. Lighthouse Community Charter has to cover the same standard curriculum as district schools, so teachers have to choose carefully the times when they’ll spend a little more time and creativity on a difficult subject.
  • “The concept of the coaching is that if we help someone with one or two projects, they may do more on their own.”
  • In Lighthouse robotics and making classes, students work on the same project for six months. They naturally encounter obstacles, develop solutions and keep working. The class also gives students some hands-on experience with concepts they’d otherwise only learn about more traditionally.
  • “I would much rather push for this kind of curriculum in schools serving low-income communities than in other schools because I think it will help students to gain their own voice, and a lot of the kind of character-building aspects that are intrinsic in this, but also to be exposed to new possibilities for the future,” Vanderwerff said.

• How To Make The Most Of Your 10 Minutes With The Teacher : NPR Ed : NPR

  What parents should do to prep for parent-teacher conferences.

  tags: parenting parent CATIE parent-teacher conferences

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 11/03/2015

• Brain Re-Energizers

  Verbal and physical activities to get students going again after long periods of work.

  tags: cognition brain

• Portfolios (Authentic Assessment Toolbox)

  Reflection questions and prompts for digital portfolios.

  tags: portfolios digital portfolio reflection meta-cognition assessment differentiation

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 10/30/2015

• Apps That Rise to the Top: Tested and Approved By Teachers | MindShift | KQED News

  Some diverse tech tools sorted by subject and skill.

  tags: tech tools apps app technology

• Tinkering & Making | Learning Is Open

  Article describes what making and tinkering look like and gives an example of a making project.

  tags: making tinkering

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 10/29/2015

• Cyberbullying | iLookBothWays

  Tips for parents about preventing and dealing with cyberbullying.

  tags: cyberbullying

• How to use Google Classroom

  tags: GoogleClassroom GAFE howto

• How to Create a Jeopardy-style Game in Google Spreadsheets

  This post has a video with directions on how to set up this game.

  tags: games google docs jeopardy spreadsheets game_based_learning google GAFE

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 10/28/2015

• 9 Maker Projects for Beginner Maker Ed Teachers | Teach.com

  tags: maker projects makerspaces MakerEd PBL STEAM STEM

• Guide: Using the SAMR Model to Guide Learning | That #EdTech Guy's Blog

  Examples in here of what an assignment would look like at each stage in the SAMR Model for tech integration.

  tags: SAMR technology integration

  • Enhancement (Substitution and Augmentation) – technology is used just to enhance a task
     – Transformation (Modification and Redefinition) – tasks are designed in a way which would not be possible without the use of technology

     

• The Importance of Low-Stakes Student Feedback | ASSESSMENT | MindShift | KQED News

  tags: assessment feedback formative assessment digital portfolio

  • “If a course lacks formative feedback, that’s often a strong drawback,” Bull said

• Free presentation templates

  Lots of great templates in here to use for Google Slides! To access the templates, click on a template and then hit "Use this presentation template". Once it opens in Google Slides, go to File and click on "Make a Copy".

  tags: templates Google*Presentations googleslides google_slides presentation google presentations slides

• 5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback | Edutopia

  tags: edutopia feedback research new teacher assessment learning

• Google Tools for Special Needs - Google Docs

  tags: differentiation tech tools SPED special needs learning comprehension google GAFE specialed

• MAKESHOP

  Pittsburgh Children's Museum Makerspace. The blog has lots of resources to inspire creativity.

  tags: maker pd maker movement makerspace STEAM STEM

• Chandler School- Solar Output

  View Chandler's solar output.

  tags: chandler solar power science STEAM STEM

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 10/26/2015

• Smita's Ed Tech Blog

  Maker ideas for K-5 classrooms.

  tags: maker maker movement STEAM STEM

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Educational Resources & Tech Tools 10/24/2015

• Digital Walks - Learn with John Eick

  tags: pd professional development gafe google forms forms evaluation

• Leaderboard - Ellis English

  Example of a leadership board.

  tags: badges game_based_learning gamification

• Classcraft – Make learning an adventure

  tags: badges motivation gamification game_based_learning

• ClassBadges

  tags: badges motivation classbadges gamification

• Badge List - Digital credentials for organizations

  tags: badges gamification

• The Flippen Group | Education

  Training for social emotional learning.

  tags: SEL kids

• Mindful Schools: Training the World's Educators in Mindfulness

  tags: mindfulness meditation SEL

• Copy of Gamification & GBL- An Overview.pdf - Google Drive

  PD presentation on gameification and game based learning.

  tags: gamification game_based_learning games pd

• What Is the Smithsonian Learning Lab? | Smithsonian Learning Lab

  Coming in Fall 2015, Smithsonian quests with games and badges.

  tags: games game_based_learning

• Teaching Resources - Coding 101: How to Introduce Coding to Your School

  Coding resources.

  tags: coding programming

• Copy of Gamification & GBL- An Overview.pdf - Google Drive

  Gamification and game based learning PD presentation.

  tags: cue pd games game_based_learning gamification

• Mission US | THIRTEEN

  Simulations-games-interactives for teachers of US history.

  tags: games game_based_learning history socialstudies interactive simulation

• Games | Center for Game Science

  Games that focus on the STEM subjects.

  tags: games game_based_learning science

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.