December, 2016

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How to Teach With Videos

Ask a Tech Teacher

A topic I get a lot of questions on lately is videos. I reviewed mysimpleshow , a new tool that is getting a lot of buzz, and then asked them to share how their digital tool addresses this burgeoning interest in video. Here are some ideas: Educators – as you know, we’re in a digital world, and using technology in the classroom such as video as a means of communicating messages is taking over.

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A Day of Giving Back 2016

Amy Brown Science

Help support these wonderful charities! Please join us on TeachersPayTeachers.com this Sunday, December 11, for a "Day of Giving Back." I absolutely love this event because the sellers who are participating will be donating a percentage of their sales to really amazing charities! Last year 120 TpT sellers participated. Just think how many charities benefited!!

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educators

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Games or Worksheets: Is there really a question about the choice?

User Generated Education

I work part time with gifted elementary students at two Title 1 schools where most of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches; and where they and/or their parents are learning English as a second language. What I quickly discovered about my students was that many were lacking in foundational skills in ELA and in math. Sadly, the instructional method used by way too many schools, especially those considered low performing like mine, is to give students lots of worksheets to teach such sk

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#EdTech vs #TechEd. Media Literacy vs Digital Literacy: Know the Difference?

The Innovative Educator

You may have noticed the conversation about ed tech vs tech ed and the confusion about what each is or if there is even a difference. This is understandable. The International Society for “ Technology Education” calls themselves the largest teacher-based organization in the field of “ educational technology.” Wait? They’re the society for “tech ed” but they are an “ed tech” organization with “ed tech” standards.

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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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Looking to 2017 after STEMxchange

STEMx

Last week, we gathered more than sixty STEMx leaders in Dallas for the 2016 STEMxchange conference. Each year, this is the extended meeting for STEMx members to sit down, chat, and plan collective action. STEMxchange moves around the country each year. This year, Educate Texas, a founding member, played host. Coming from DC, it was easy to appreciate the warmer weather.

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End-of-Year Tips: 22 Steps To A Speedier Computer

Ask a Tech Teacher

This week, I’ll share three holiday activities that will get your computers, technology, and social media ready for the new year. Here’s what you’ll get: Update Your Online Presence. Backup and Image your computer. 22 Ways to Speed Up Your Computer. A note: The links won’t work until the articles publish! Today: 22 Steps to a Speedier Computer.

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Have Santa Call Your Kids

Ask a Tech Teacher

DialMyCalls (an AATT sponsor) has a special Christmas offer for kids: Free Santa Calls To Your Family This Christmas. This Christmas we have a great gift for everyone! Whether you’re an existing DialMyCalls user or not, you can take advantage of our completely free phone call from Santa. Imagine the look on your child’s face when they receive a personalized phone call from Santa with his or her name on it!

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A Shout Out for My Donate Button

Ask a Tech Teacher

Ask a Tech Teacher is a small group of tech-ed teachers with a big goal: provide free and affordable resources to anyone, anywhere that integrate technology into education. It’s an ambitious goal and we rely on donations from readers like you to make that happen. About this time of each year, when several of our larger bills come due, we give a shout out for help.

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18 Holiday Websites and 14 Projects For Your Students

Ask a Tech Teacher

Need a few websites to fill in sponge time? Here are Holiday websites that will keep students busy while teaching them: 12 Days of Christmas. Christmas puzzles and games. Christmas—history—fun video. Gift Hunt –updated version of 12 Days of Christmas–just as much fun. Holiday collection. Holiday Crossword. Holiday Elf Games. Holiday Hangman II.

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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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Subscriber Special: December

Ask a Tech Teacher

Every month, subscribers to Ask a Tech Teacher get a free/discounted resource to help their tech teaching. December 1st-December 15th (ten days only): K-8 Technology Curriculum 6th Edition. get 10% off with coupon code TECHCURRICULUM6THED. get 25% off if you’re upgrading from the 4th or 5th edition (contact zeke dot rowe at structuredlearn.net for coupon code).

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Where did Christmas Come From?

Ask a Tech Teacher

Watch this video and come away educated: Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-8 technology for 15 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum , K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, CSG Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to Te

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End of Year Tips: Update Your Online Presence

Ask a Tech Teacher

This week, I’ll share three holiday activities that will get your computers, technology, and social media ready for the new year. Here’s what you’ll get: Update Your Online Presence. Backup and Image your computer. 22 Ways to Speed Up Your Computer. A note: The links won’t work until the articles publish! Today: Update Your Online Presence.

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End-of-year Tips: Image and Back-up Digital Devices

Ask a Tech Teacher

This week, I’ll share three holiday activities that will get your computers, technology, and social media ready for the new year. Here’s what you’ll get: Update Your Online Presence. Backup and Image your computer. 22 Ways to Speed Up Your Computer. A note: The links won’t work until the articles publish! Today: Image and Backup Your Digital Devices.

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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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How to Use Google Forms in the Classroom

Ask a Tech Teacher

There are lots of free survey and polling sites (two popular options are PollDaddy and Survey Monkey ), but often they limit the number of surveys you can create or how many questions you can include without ‘leveling up’ to a premium version. Among the teachers I know who are always looking for ways to save their limited pennies, Google Forms is a run-away favorite.

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Your Feedback Needed on ISTE 2017 Standards for Teachers

Ask a Tech Teacher

As many of you know, I am one of the group of ISTE/CAEP reviewers. ISTE is working on revisions for the Standards for Teachers and would like your assistance reviewing and commenting on the draft v1 of the 2017 ISTE Standards for Teachers. “Between now and Feb 28, when the public comment period ends, we will release one or two more drafts. I encourage you to share far and wide with colleagues in teacher preparation and with candidates aspiring to become our future educators so that they ha

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Happy Holiday!

Ask a Tech Teacher

I’ll be taking a week (or so) off–until after the New Year–to edit/format my website, work on writing projects with a deadline, prioritize life, and wish my two adult military children could come home to visit. I may drop in on you-all as you enjoy your holidays, but mostly I’ll be regenerating. I wish you a wonderful season, safe and filled with family.

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The Imperative of Experiential and Hands-On Learning

User Generated Education

For the past several decades, I have had my feet in both elementary education and teacher training and development. Regardless of age, grade level, and setting, I include hands-on and experiential learning as a integral part of my instruction. It is learning by doing with a reflective element which, in turn, creates conditions for deeply engaged learning.

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She’s Gone: The Innovative Educator Leaves Us & Other Fake News

The Innovative Educator

JK. I’m still here and by now, you’ve probably heard a lot about fake news and the role that played in our presidential election. Innovative educators realize the time has come to connect with students around literacy and how to determine what’s real from fake. A study from the Stanford History Education group indicates that “Our ‘digital natives’ may be able to fit between Facebook and Twitter while simultaneously uploading a selfie to Instagram and texting a friend.

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Choosing the Right #EdTech Resources: Consideration 4

The Innovative Educator

Platforms, and standards, and subjects, oh my! Choosing the right digital resources to meet your goals used to be a daunting task. Fortunately, those days are in the past. Today, there is a whole army of people out there figuring out the best tools to meet learning needs with the resources you have available to your students. You can access that army by visiting Common Sense Education’s Ratings & Reviews.

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12 Steps to Creating a Comprehensive Approach to #EdTech Integration

The Innovative Educator

Effective technology integration doesn’t happen organically. It takes intentional planning. There are twelve steps schools can take to get the ball rolling. It starts by looking at the district’s overall approach and seeing how your school can build upon what is in place and customize to the needs of your community. In New York City we have a “ Strategic Technology Plan ” which is designed to help readers: Understand connections between technology and the strategic goals of the NYCDOE Discover o

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3 Gifts of Tech Learning "with" Educators & Families

The Innovative Educator

What benefits might we see if time was set aside for teachers to learn "with" their students/children and parents? How could that even happen easily? I mean when do teachers, parents, and young people even want to learn the same thing. How could there be time for all these audiences to join together? #NYCSchoolsTech Leader, Lori Stahl-VonBrackle brought this idea to life over the winter break at her learning center in Manhattan.

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The 3 Hottest Posts Innovative Educators Are Reading

The Innovative Educator

If you haven’t been keeping up with The Innovative Educator, don’t worry. That’s what this wrap up is for. Here are the three hottest posts that you don’t want to miss! Taking the top spot for the first time is a post explaining how to determine if you are preparing students to become digital age learners. It looks at ISTE standards to help teachers think about this.

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Discuss Tolerant & Inclusive Classrooms w/ #NYCSchoolsPride. Today's #NYCSchoolsTechChat

The Innovative Educator

Note: Twitter won't let you Tweet my blog url. Please use this shortened url instead [link] Want to know how educators can create an inclusive and tolerant school and classroom environment? Today you will have the opportunity to learn from one of the nation’s leading advocates for students in this area, Jared Fox ( @eduGAYtional ) who is the LGBTQ Community Liaison for New York City Schools.

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The 3 Hottest Posts Innovative Educators Are Reading

The Innovative Educator

If you haven’t been keeping up with The Innovative Educator, don’t worry. That’s what this wrap up is for. Here are the three hottest posts that you don’t want to miss! Taking the top spot for the first time is a post explaining how to Choose the Right #EdTech Resources. The post highlights a great tool from Common Sense Education and points to some other important resources that innovative educators use to choose what is best for teaching and learning.

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Are Your Students Digital Age Learners? ISTE Can Help.

The Innovative Educator

This year the International Society of Tech Ed (ISTE) released its new standards for students. They provide a clear framework for how you can help our students think about if they are a digital age learner. Here are the seven standards. You can visit this link to download them. Want something to hang in your classroom? You can sign up to get a free download of the poster here.

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Looking Back & Remembering @Joe_Bower @DevenKBlack @BobSprankle

The Innovative Educator

Over the course of the past year, we have lost three innovative educators. Each of whom has influenced my practice in meaningful ways. Joe Bower, Deven Black, and Bob Sprankle. While I am deeply saddened that our live conversations and interactions have come to an end, social media has provided an outlet for their ideas to live on. Because each educator was generous with sharing their thoughts and ideas, they leave behind a digital legacy that can live on to inspire others.

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Avoiding Ineffective #EdTech: Consideration 3

The Innovative Educator

There are some technologies that are said to support effective practices with tech in learning, but they’re really not. The worst technology that I’ve taken to mat time and time again is interactive whiteboards. Please! Step away from board. Resist the urge to use them. Don’t install their software. Don’t fool yourself into believing that good teaching or interactive means having one person (or even two or three) standing at the front of the room dragging things around a board.

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Welcome the U.S. Virgin Islands to STEMx

STEMx

STEMx is branching out again — this time into the Caribbean. The STEM network of the U.S. Virgin Islands, whose main islands are St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas, is joining STEMx. To find out more about the. Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE). and its efforts to promote STEM, we contacted Shamika Williams-Henley, state STEM director: We spoke with Shamika Williams-Henley, STEM director for the Virgin Islands, about the implementation of STEM education in the islands.