Personal Learning Network
This article lists ten major benefits of using iPads in classrooms, ranging from less waste of paper to better blending in with IT trends. The author claims iPads actually engage students more due to the wide variety of educational apps and because they'd prefer using iPads to books. I also thought it was interesting that he said if students all had iPads bus drivers could account for them and know exactly when they entered and exited the bus.
This video is by Rick Wormeli, an educator of nearly 25 years. He describes a different way of thinking about failure as an educator, and how you shouldn't give your kids the option to take an F. I agree when he says "the punishment for not doing your work in my classroom is doing your work".
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This article focuses on encouraging students to respectfully debate hot button issues in the classroom. It emphasizes ways to make arguments passionate, but not personal, and the ways we may let our own biases affect what information sources we're using to back up our claims. This is a helpful read because I do not tolerate disrespect towards peers in my classroom.
This article introduces different methods of note taking that will engage students more than a regular lecture based note taking session. I especially enjoy the idea that there should be some physical activity during the note taking.
This article introduces ways to assess student knowledge during the instruction of the lesson, not just at the end. I never thought of having students use screencast-o-matic until I read this article, I had previously seen it as a tool for educators. I will be exploring Nearpod as an educational tool as well now.
This article appropriately places the blame on teachers instead of students if the flipped learning approach doesn't work. The reason is mainly due to educators not properly preparing students for formative assessments. Students should know where their attention should be drawn when studying for an assessment, not be left to try and memorize an entire unit and all of the minutia of information within it.
This Pinterest blog compiles five different resources in terms of technology in the classroom. A few of the links specifically focus on mobile apps that enrich learning in the classroom, or ways you can have students use their cell phones as part of class instruction. I also enjoy the section asking "what do you want kids to do with technology?", answered by saying "technology is a tool, not a learning outcome.
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This article describes ways to be an effective leader of a blended learning classroom, for example, by having multiple stations and letting students choose which one they'd prefer learning in for the day. It features Meriden, CT school systems as being one of the best examples of what blended classrooms should be, with administration providing resources for teachers, and teachers picking which resources they want to share with their students. They also stopped spending money on textbooks and started buying students individual technologies (either laptops or iPads) so that they can learn in and out of the classroom.
The four main common characteristics of a personalized learning setting are student ownership of learning process, focus on the learning process rather than "big end-of-the-year tests", competency or mastery-based student progression, and anytime, anywhere learning. I feel that many students will respond better to this learning style opposed to the teacher-centered classroom, where they stay quiet and stationary the whole class while the teacher lectures, and they are expected to memorize content in order to pass a test.
This article addresses a very controversial question- is an increase in technology leading to better test scores? The short answer is no, but it is so much more complicated. Creators of educational technologies say that there isn't yet a test of any kind that is gaging what benefits the exposure to so much technology the students are receiving, because normal standardized testing only focuses on reading, writing, and math. I think it's important to find a balance of educating students on all these topics so that they will be prepared for whatever tests they have to take.
This author of this article asked for advice from hundreds of teachers via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram of how to efficiently manage a classroom full of diverse students. From all the answers, five main themes stuck out- taking care of yourself, focusing on building relationships, setting boundaries and expectation early, taking a strength-based approach, and involving parents and guardians. The overarching theme was focusing on ways to make every student feel important, and like they have the potential to succeed no matter what.
This article lists many different creative ways to integrate technology into teaching social studies. I enjoy the idea of having kids record themselves acting out battle scenes and narrating facts over it, of having them make historical figures Facebook pages complete with a biography and friends list, and of "Global Explorers" where students from all over the world contributed to a larger lesson plan and made it available on their Wiki and on iTunes