September, 2016

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169 Tips That Easily and Quickly Integrate Tech into Your Class

Ask a Tech Teacher

A decade ago, in an effort to buttress technology prowess in my classes and with colleagues, I started tracking how often I got the same tech questions from students, teachers, and even parents. Turns out, 70% of the time, it was the same finite group of problems. That was a relief because—as you probably know–using technology in the classroom can be frightening, whether you’re a grade-level teacher or in charge of the lab.

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Taking Students to the Laboratory? How to Plan and Execute the Perfect Lab Activity.

Amy Brown Science

Use this teacher checklist when planning ANY lab activity! Recently I had the opportunity to work with a small group of science teachers in an inservice-type situation. The group ranged in their teaching experience. Some were brand new teachers, while others had a few years under their belt. None were what I would call "knowledgeable veterans." As our time together progressed, it quickly became obvious to me that these teachers needed help with "the lab.

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Introducing Design Thinking to Elementary Learners

User Generated Education

Design thinking is an approach to learning that includes considering real-world problems, research, analysis, conceiving original ideas, lots of experimentation, and sometimes building things by hand. The projects teach students how to make a stable product, use tools, think about the needs of another, solve challenges, overcome setbacks and stay motivated on a long-term problem.

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6 Skills Students Today Must Develop

The Innovative Educator

You know the drill. Our job as innovative educators is to prepare students for success in the 21 st century, but what does that really mean? The 21 st Century Learning Design rubric provides a great lens to help you see if you are ensuring students are developing the skills they’ll need for success when they move on to college and careers. Here are the six skills: Collaboration Are students required to share responsibility and make substantive decisions with other people?

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Can Brain Science Actually Help Make Your Training & Teaching Stick?

Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape

The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.

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Crime Scene Protocols

STEM Teacher Inspiration

An introduction to crime scene personnel and procedures. This is the first lesson in my Crime Scene Protocols unit. It takes students through what happens once a first responder has determined that, yes, we have a crime scene here! Then the CSI team gets called in and the process of documenting the scene and properly collecting any evidence must begin.

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How to Teach the Human Body and 16 Sites to Help

Ask a Tech Teacher

For many, study of the human body starts in second grade with an introduction to what’s inside that stretchy, durable skin that coats our bodies. As students progress through school, they dig deeper into concepts of body systems, organs, cells, diseases, and the importance of good health. Whether schools classify these topics as ‘health’ or ‘science’, the importance of understanding the processes that allow us to survive can’t be overstated.

Teaching 253
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Washington school district believes in CS for all

STEMx

Should your school district be teaching computer science? If so, at what grade level should you begin? In the. Bellevue School District. in Washington state, students are learning the subject from kindergarten up. We contacted Greg Bianchi, the district’s STEM curriculum developer as well as a project consultant with. Washington STEM. , for some insight: Q: How are you involved in the effort to incorporate computer science in K-12 classrooms?

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Natural Differentiation and Personalization Through Open Ended Learning Activities

User Generated Education

This past summer I facilitated maker education classes for 5 to 10 year old kids. This school year I am a gifted teacher meeting with 2nd through 6 grades one day per week per group. I like mixed age groups and have no problem designing learning activities for them. I realized that the reason for this is that these activities are open ended permitting each student to naturally and instinctively to work at or slightly above his or her ability level.

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Can Schools #Race2TheTalk Abt Why #BlackLivesMatter?

The Innovative Educator

I have black friends and colleagues disappointed with their non-black friends because they are not speaking up about why #BlackLivesMatter. Some of my white friends say this topic is out of their comfort zone. They are embarrassed by what is going on and don't know how to speak up because it is a touchy subject and they fear sounding, offensive, stupid, or being attacked.

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Harnessing The Power Of Math Manipulatives

Mathematics, a subject steeped in abstract concepts, often poses challenges to students, especially those in grades 5-10. But imagine a bridge that transformed this intricate maze into an interactive adventure.

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WriteReader

Technology Tidbits

WriteReader is an excellent learning tool for grades K-4 to help students w/ their Reading and Writing. This is done through a educational portal where educators can create an account and then share a unique code for students. Also, this portal allows for teachers to manage/monitor student accounts and track progress. Best of all, there are lots of resources for educators such as: tutorials, lesson plans aligned to Common Core Standards, and more.

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UC a-g Approval for Mobile Application Design and Development

CTE Learning

The Regents of the University of California just issued our Mobile Application Design and Development Industry Certification Course their UC a-g approval. The post UC a-g Approval for Mobile Application Design and Development appeared first on CTeLearning.

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14 Websites That Will Excite Students About Tech

Ask a Tech Teacher

Most teachers I know accept that their classes must be technology-infused. Many think that means replacing traditional tools with the tech version (for example, instead of creating a big bulky poster, use a virtual poster like Glogster). Others think using iPads to read the book is homage enough to the 21st Century teaching police. A surprising number of students — and teachers — still consider technology to be the realm of a chosen few endowed with brilliance and math/science skills

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How ESSA will change K-12 STEM education: What state leaders and STEM professionals need to know

STEMx

The newly enacted bipartisan. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). includes a flexible block grant program that will provide more hands-on learning for at-risk students, pay for these students to participate in STEM competitions, and bring other academic subjects, including the arts, into STEM subject programs. Join state leaders, teachers and STEM professionals for a webinar on the new federal education law and its impact on K-12 STEM education, Wednesday, October 5 at 6:30 p.m.

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Downloadable Design Briefs for an Integrative STEM Curriculum

These easy-to-use design briefs outline student objectives, challenges, and materials needed to complete each 30-minute to 4-hour lesson. ITEEA’s Integrative STEM curriculum, Engineering byDesign, includes many more standards driven hands-on activities just like these!

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Eggbert, the Slightly Cracked Egg: A Breakout EDU Game

User Generated Education

There is a new platform for immersive learning games that’s taking classrooms across the world by storm. Based on the same principles as interactive Escape The Room digital games — which challenge players to use their surroundings to escape a prison-like scenario — Breakout EDU is a collaborative learning experience that enhances critical thinking and creativity while fostering a growth mindset in students.

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Discovered Genius In Your Students: The First 30 Days.

The Innovative Educator

If you work in an inner city public school, and even some who don’t, know that one teacher per 30 or more students is difficult at best. Fortunately, innovative educators have figured out that while they may be experts in pedagogy, they have a whole class full of experts in technology. We all enjoy being recognized for our talents. Figuring out who your classroom geniuses are during the first 30 days of school is an inspiring activity for all grade levels.

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Answer Pad

Technology Tidbits

The Answer Pad is a great student response system and mobile learning tool I've covered before in the past. This excellent site/app allows educators to turn their classroom paperless and do all their testing, assessing, etc. on a mobile device (i.e. iPad). Also, Answer Pad is an excellent learning tool that teachers are using to integrate technology into their curriculum as well as differentiate instruction.

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Allen East HS – Allen County OH – Hosts Game Design Course Developers

CTE Learning

One of our new Coding and 3D Video Game Design schools – Allen East HS met with two of our development team today. Bill Mattevi’s two Video Game Design I classes got the chance to chat with CTeL authors about coding, game design and how to succeed on a design team. These Allen East students will be following up their fall semester of Video Game Design with an exciting spring using our iWD Web Design with HTML5/CSS3 industry certification course.

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Mysimpleshow–Online Video Creator for Educators

Ask a Tech Teacher

I love hearing from colleagues about tools they discover that make a difference in their classroom. Last week, I got an email from new efriend, Dr. Robert Cleary, an adjunct instructor for various business courses at several universities. In addition, Dr. Cleary is a key member of the campus learning center at Keiser University, an active member of the Miami-Dade school system STEM advisory board, as well as a member of the Doral Chamber of Commerce.

Education 234
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Is Ag the answer to STEM?

STEMx

This week’s blog post is a piece written by Dr. Kristopher Elliott, Director of STEM for. Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. The original post can be found at. www.agfoundation.org. . Dr. Kristopher Elliott, Director of STEM for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, identifies agriculture to be a connection between STEM learning and students’ lives.

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Tangrams: A Cross Curricular, Experiential Unit

User Generated Education

Now that I am back in the classroom two days a week teaching gifted elementary students, I can do and report on the cross curricular units I plan and implement. There are several guiding factors that I use to design my units: They need to be hands-on and experiential. Learner choice and voice is valued. They need to address cross curricular standards.

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Sentence Diagramming. Who Cares?

The Innovative Educator

I still remember standing at the chalkboard in Mrs. Kopald's fourth grade class diagramming a sentence. I had no idea what I was writing or why. I drew a straight line and all these branches and just wrote stuff on them. I didn't know what I was really doing and still don't know a past participle from a gerund or direct object. I felt similarly about iambic pentameter in high school which looked like this: × / × / × / / × × / (×) To be or not to be, | that is the question These wer

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BoomWriter Virtual Summer Camps

Technology Tidbits

BoomWriter is a site that I’ve written about many times because it lets elementary, middle, and high school teachers conduct engaging nonfiction, fiction, and vocabulary development group-writing activities in almost any subject area. But their new offering is not just another product- it’s a chance for teachers to completely change how they make money (and relax) over the summer!

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Science to Art – KCALSI STEAM Education Video

CTE Learning

Here is a recent STEAM project I worked on with Bret. This video was created for the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI). Listen to the way these scientist describe their work. This is how we want all our learners to speak about their careers. This is why we must expose them to STEAM early and develop their talents so they can have a career they are passionate about.

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New from Turnitin: iPad app for Feedback Studio

Ask a Tech Teacher

With all the time students and teachers are spending with iPads, Turnitin Feedback Studio ‘s new iPad app is a welcome addition to their toolkits. Students can submit papers, analyze similarity reports (to check for originality), and review instructor feedback on the go. Here’s what Jacinta Lujano, attending Naval Postgraduate School, says: “Feedback Studio for iPad makes it really simple to submit my writings and to get on-the-go feedback… It’s really simple and intuitive to u

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What’s next for the billion dollar Perkins Act

STEMx

The Perkins Act. , a major piece of federal legislation that provides more than $1.1 billion in funding annually for America’s career and technical education programs, is up for re-authorization in Congress. To pin down the status of this important measure, we asked Thomas Phillips, a congressional affairs specialist for. Battelle. , about what’s next for the act: Q: What are the main provisions of the Carl D.

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How to Blend DoK into Lesson Plans without a Comprehensive Rewrite

Ask a Tech Teacher

I recently got a question from a reader asking how the lessons in my K-8 curriculum supported Dr. Norman Webb’s Depth of Knowledge philosophy — an integral concept to her school’s mission. It got me thinking about lesson plans in general — how far we’ve come from lecture-test-move on. Now, exemplary teachers focus on blending learning into the student’s life knowledge base with the goal of building happy, productive adults.

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10 Tips About Using Images in the Classroom You Don’t Want to Miss

Ask a Tech Teacher

Here are ten of the top image tips according to Ask a Tech Teacher readers: Photos For Class–Robust, Student-safe with built in citations. Quick Search for Plagiarized Images. What Online Images are Free? Where Can I Find Kid-safe Images? 5 Image Apps for your Classroom. My Picture’s a TIFF and the Program Needs a JPG. Wrap Text Around an Image. How to Move Pics Around in Documents.

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3 Technology Benefits for Homeschoolers

Ask a Tech Teacher

One of the wonderful Ask a Tech Teacher contributers, Jenny Wise, is a busy homeschooler who suggested I publish an article about the benefits of technology for the homeschooler. I asked Jenny if she would share how she came to homeschool her children, how technology contributes to her success, and then share resources. Here are her thoughts: At one time, homeschooling was a religious or moral choice made by families that wanted to guide the education of their children more carefully than a publ

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New Features From Nepris for the New School Year

Ask a Tech Teacher

I’ve written about Nepris before–a transformative cloud-based platform that connects STEAM subject experts with teachers and classes. This month, they’re offering a great group of back-to-school tools that will help you organize your expert presentations and share out the details: Share an update in your activity feed right from your teacher dashboard by typing it into the box at the top of your screen. xx. xx.

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Haiku Deck Classroom Intro Price Ends Soon

Ask a Tech Teacher

Just an update for you on Haiku Deck Deck Classroom. The special introductory price (with access for a teacher and up to 150 students) will soon end. This is different from the traditional Haiku Deck slideshow tool which has become a staple in many lesson plans. Haiku Deck Classroom includes: All the features of Haiku Deck Pro for a teacher and his/her students : Unlimited presentation creation, advanced privacy settings, offline viewing and printing, YouTube video embedding, and more.

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Tech Ed Resources for Your Classroom: PBL

Ask a Tech Teacher

I get a lot of questions from readers about what tech ed resources I use in my classroom so I’m going to take a few days this summer to review them with you. Some are edited and/or written by members of the Ask a Tech Teacher crew. Others, by tech teachers who work with the same publisher I do. All of them, I’ve found well-suited to the task of scaling and differentiating tech skills for age groups, scaffolding learning year-to-year, taking into account the perspectives and norms of