October, 2019

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October is Dyslexia Awareness Month

Ask a Tech Teacher

Surprisingly, 15-20% of the population has a language-based learning disability and over 65% of those are deficits in reading. Often, these go undiagnosed as students, parents, and teachers simply think the child is not a good reader, is lazy, or is disinterested. Thankfully, the International Dyslexia Association sponsors an annual Dyslexia Awareness Month in October aimed to expand comprehension of this little-understood language-based learning condition.

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A New School Makerspace

User Generated Education

I am beyond elated – our PreK-6 elementary school received monies, through our district’s Computer Science Resolution 2025, to create a STEAM (science, technology, arts, math) makerspace. I never thought our Title 1 school would get the opportunity to create such a space. I never thought I would get the opportunity to help create a fully equipped makerspace.

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Top 10 Benefits of Hiring an Offshore Development Team

Magic EdTech

“If you deprive yourself of offshore development and your competitors do not, you’re putting yourself out of business.”. These are the famous words spoken by the late Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore in the 1990s. Back then, offshore hiring was an absurd concept. Today, however, it is a significant strategy adopted by businesses to drive down operating costs while gaining access to quality talent from around the world.

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Fixing One of the Biggest Accessibility Issues: Color Contrast

The Innovative Educator

Part of making content accessible includes ensuring that the contrast ratio is set to be fully accessible to anyone. Inaccessible color contrast is the top issue for digital content, but fixing it, or having it right from the start, is easy. In this article you'll learn why this is important, what the standard is for color contrast, and how to make content with accessible color contrast.

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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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51: How Teachers Survive Halloween!

Trina Deboree Teaching and Learning

Halloween is one of the major celebrations that kids love! I mean what kid doesn’t love candy and to dress up as their favorite character or person?! But man can it be rough on the teacher! I recently posed a question in a few Facebook groups I am in for elementary school teachers. I asked them how they survive Halloween. The results were pretty funny and some were quite brilliant!

More Trending

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October is National Bullying Prevention Month

Ask a Tech Teacher

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Any adult knows that bullying is no longer relegated to the playground or the neighborhood. It now regularly happens in the cyberworld. Kids don’t expect that and often don’t know how to handle it. In October 2006, thirteen-year-old Megan Meier hung herself in her bedroom closet after suffering months of cyberbullying.

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All About Black Holes-Celebrating World Space Week, October 4-10 Vol. 6 #5

Bright and Smart

Our Posterity = Our Children Posterity comes from Middle English posterite, from Anglo-French pusterite, from Latin posterus ("coming after"). This month we talked about a lot of things Space related. From the Apollo and Artemis Missions to the moon and stars! Since it's almost Halloween, we wanted to end the month with one of the universe's most mysterious objects, Black Holes.

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The Growth of Robotics Careers in the Modern Economy

CTE Learning

**This post is derived from recently updated content in our AI and Mobile Robotics Course** Growth Sophia, an intelligent humanoid robot, has been granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia. It’s the first country in the world to give a bot the same status reserved for humans. The explosive growth of technology in our society and economy has shifted how we work, and it has created jobs that didn’t exist just a few years ago.

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Cross-Curricular Lesson: Communicating with Parents

User Generated Education

As someone who has been in teacher education for several decades, I often think about – teach about how to make curriculum engaging, fun, effective, authentic, and relevant for learners. I believe interdisciplinary or cross-curricular lessons have the potential to do so. I also add, when I am working with pre- and inservice teachers, that there is not enough time in a day to teach-learn everything that is desirable.

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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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50: 7 Sensational Halloween Books Kids Will Love

Trina Deboree Teaching and Learning

It’s that time of year! Time for spooky and silly, candy and dressing up. Halloween can be super fun in the elementary classroom or it can be a hot mess. Either way, here are some great books and Makerspace Moments in Literature to get your spook on! It’s that time of year! Time for spooky and silly, candy and dressing up. Halloween can be super fun in the elementary classroom or it can be a hot mess.

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Customize your textbook

The Tech Savvy Science Teacher

I have not found a textbook that includes all of the information that I want and leaves out the information that I don't. I started using CK12 Flexbooks a while ago and love it because I can make the textbook my own. Plus there are videos that can be added in, Take a look at the video below on how to customize these online textbooks. This post originally appeared on The Tech Savvy Science Teacher [link].

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Resources for Digital Citizenship Week

Ask a Tech Teacher

October 14-18, 2019 is Digital Citizenship Week. Here are resources from Ask a Tech Teacher and Structured Learning that will help you learn how to teach digital citizenship to your students. Below, you’ll find everything from a full year-long curriculum to professional development for teachers: Resources: Digital Citizenship: What to Teach When (a video).

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All About the Stars- Celebrating World Space Week, October 4-10 Vol. 6 #4

Bright and Smart

Our Posterity = Our Children Posterity comes from Middle English posterite, from Anglo-French pusterite, from Latin posterus ("coming after"). What would talking about Space be if we left out talking about the stars! These twinkling little objects have been written about, sung about and wished upon, but do children understand what a star is? When we look up into the night sky, stars and planets appear to look alike, but besides their illuminating presence, they do not have anything in common.

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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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A Balanced Approach to 21st Century Learning

Magic EdTech

Critics of contemporary education complain that school systems no longer meet the needs of the 21st century. One of their biggest criticisms is that the paradigm needs to change from teacher-directed instruction to student-centered instruction. Think deeper and it reveals that the demands of this century require not just the rise of progressive reform but a refitting of the roles of teachers and students.

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Digital FIRST: Your New Acronym for Accessible Content

The Innovative Educator

There may be times when you think it is okay to provide a print/paper only version of content for a student. The reality as is you should do this never, ever, never, never, ever. Lisa Nielsen sharing when we should use only a print version of content. Answer: Print only should be used never, ever, ever, ever, never ever. That's because, if you’re thinking paper first, you’re not thinking accessible first.

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49: Should Teachers Consider Shifting Their Mindset Around Behavior?

Trina Deboree Teaching and Learning

Being a teacher can be so difficult, especially when it comes to behavior problems. Kids throwing tables and chairs and acting aggressively has increased significantly in the past five years. Sadly, we are seeing a dramatic increase in younger children who exhibit these behaviors, as well. So what is a teacher to do? That is the question. How can teachers teach when they are continually being interrupted by one behavior issue after another?

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Five states win STEMx Challenge Grants to expand and share innovations

STEMx

To address the most important challenges in STEM education, the STEMx network brings together leading organizations. Today, we’re announcing the winners of our latest STEMx Challenge Grants. Read the detailed press release from Battelle for more information about the grant and the commitments made by each state. STEMx network invests in state innovations, including rural STEM education.

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Digital Assistants in the Classroom

Ask a Tech Teacher

It’s been a couple of years since my tech teacher advice column “Dear Otto” got its first question about classroom digital assistants like Google Home and Amazon Alexa. At that time, no one had much experience with these devices so discussion was limited to anecdotal evidence and speculation. That has changed dramatically. Now, an estimated 20% of U.S. adults own about 100 million of these AI-powered speakers with close to fifteen percent of sales going to education.

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All About the Moon - Celebrating World Space Week, October 4-10 Vol. 6 #3

Bright and Smart

Our Posterity = Our Children Posterity comes from Middle English posterite, from Anglo-French pusterite, from Latin posterus ("coming after"). Last week, we spoke about , World Space Week and the Apollo missions. Now let's take a look into the future of Moon exploration! NASA's next lunar exploration assignment is called Artemis. Just as the Apollo missions were responsible for putting the first men on the Moon , the Artemis program seeks to send a man back and send a woman for the first time!

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How AI is Making Assistive Technologies More Powerful

Magic EdTech

You might be surprised to learn that the telephone, invented by Alexander Graham Bell, was a result of his work with the deaf community. Bell’s mother was deaf. . If we are to believe the statistics published by the World Bank , almost a billion people around the world suffer from some type of significant disability. How can we help such a huge number of people live a more fulfilling life?

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Accessibility Isn't A Nice to Have. It's A Must Have.

The Innovative Educator

In her book , Haben Girma, the first deafblind student to graduate Harvard Law, explains her frustration with not being able to access the cafeteria menu at her college. Like most humans, Haben loves delicious food. Fighting for this access was part of her inspiration for later pursuing her law degree. It's surprising that large food chain like Domino's pizza, doesn't get that everyone, including those with disabilities, want access to the food they find delicious.

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48: How to Avoid Behavior Issues with a Soft Opener

Trina Deboree Teaching and Learning

How to Avoid Behavior Behavior Issues with a Soft Opener What is a soft opener? A soft opener is an easy transition into the school day. This unique start to the day allows kids to come in and make some choices about how they want to start their school day. The choices range from reading to drawing, to STEM activities, and more. Talk about an eliminator of behavior issues!

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Battelle NEON STEM Grant offers educators a chance to work with national environmental data

STEMx

In 2016, Battelle began . operating. the . National Ecological Observatory Network. (NEON) under an agreement with the National Science Foundation. NEON provides open, standardized ecological data from across the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Now, to challenge educators to use NEON data in their K-12 STEM programming, Battelle has announced the .

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How teachers address cell phones in class

Ask a Tech Teacher

I teach online grad school classes in how to integrate tech into education. One topic I always ask students is how they manage cell phone usage in their classes. Protocols for these mobile devices have little in common today with how they were addressed a decade ago. In 2009, a National Center for Education Statistics survey showed that about 90% of schools prohibited cell phones during school hours.

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All About Apollo - Celebrating World Space Week, October 4-10 Vol. 6 #2

Bright and Smart

Our Posterity = Our Children Posterity comes from Middle English posterite, from Anglo-French pusterite, from Latin posterus ("coming after"). Though Fall has been upon us now for a few weeks, it sure doesn't feel like it in South Florida! No worries though, there are other things that we can be excited about. One being , World Space Week. According to the , website , the week is defined as "an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the h

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Teachers Need the Right Tools for Students of the Digital Era

Magic EdTech

Dedicated and enthusiastic teachers play a significant role in shaping the lives of our future generations. They have done so through the years, despite significant challenges. Although technology has disrupted practically every sphere of our lives, it has been late to make its mark on the education sector , leaving teachers at the mercy of antiquated instruction methods.

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Face Off - Microsoft or Adobe for #Accessibility

The Innovative Educator

As accessibility consciousness increases, more and more people are wondering what provider to use to make accessible content? WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind)* surveyed preferences of screen reader users comparing Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF. Creating accessible content is not only important because it is the right thing to do. It is also important because not doing so leaves institutions and businesses at risk for lawsuits and loss of funding.

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47 How to Handle Behavior Issues in the Classroom

Trina Deboree Teaching and Learning

How to Handle Behavior Issues in the Classroom On today’s show, I have expert ESE resource teacher, Nichole Maas talking all about behavior and how to proactively manage the classroom and provide tools for ALL children to learn and co-exist. Nichole is a wealth of information and has the most incredible heart for children. I hope you will join us as we talk about behavior, classroom management, building rapport, and helping children find their best selves.

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NBC Learn

Technology Tidbits

NBC Learn is the educational division of NBC News and delivers award winning educational content for grades K-12. This media contains, news archives, interviews, live broadcasts and more. Best of all, NBC Learn provides detailed educational resources, lesson plans, and professional development to help integrate their technology into the classroom. I highly recommend checking out NBC Learn by clicking here !!!

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Help Students Select the Right Summer School

Ask a Tech Teacher

Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Alex Briggs, has an interesting take on summer school, why you should start thinking about it now–in the Fall–and how to do that. I think you’ll find this interesting: Helping students to select the right summer school. School has just gotten back into session so it seems like an odd time of year to talk about summer school, right?

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A Brain Science Hyperdoc Activity

User Generated Education

Judy Willis, a neuroscientist turned teacher, in How to Teach Students About the Brain writes: If we want to empower students, we must show them how they can control their own cognitive and emotional health and their own learning. Teaching students how the brain operates is a huge step. Teaching students the mechanism behind how the brain operates and teaching them approaches they can use to work that mechanism more effectively helps students believe they can create a more intelligent, creative,

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