The Innovative Educator

OCTOBER 30, 2013

'Brian Finke for The New York Times You may have read the recent New York Times story No Child Left Untableted. Like others before it ( Seeing no progress, some schools drop laptops ), these stories have the wrong focus. They narrow in on the tool itself, and draw apocalyptic conclusions -- Technology May Be Destroying Children! -- rather than drawing attention to the goal of the learning experience, and how the tool may best help achieve it.

Achievement 111

Achievement Research Research Technology 111

Technology Tidbits

APRIL 10, 2013

Digital Storytelling is the process of telling a story through the use of digital means. Also, it happens to be one the easiest ways to integrate technology into the classroom. Educators can use digital storytelling w/ almost any subject and can even "flip" their classroom by using mobile apps. Below is my comprehensive list of sites/apps that can be used for digital storytelling.

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Mobile Learning Innovation Education Education 40

The Innovative Educator

FEBRUARY 16, 2013

'A new study conducted by TRU provides a body of research which supports the idea that students use cell phones to learn, and also that schools are not acknowledging or supporting them fully, yet. This research supports the work of innovative educators who are guiding today’s generation text and will help in the effort of getting more schools to stop fighting and start embracing student use of mobile devices for learning in school.

Research 111

Research Research Learning Innovation 111

The Innovative Educator

MAY 23, 2013

'Guest post by Jaime R. Wood In his most recent TED Talk , Sir Ken Robinson says, “There are 3 principles on which human life flourishes, and they are contradicted by the culture of education under which most teachers have to labor and most students have to endure.diversity.curiosity.creativity.” What does it take to infuse these principles into the education systems we build?

Education 110

Education Education Research Research 110

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.

Teaching

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 24, 2013

'By Rylie VanOrsdol In my fourteen years of life, I have been public schooled, online schooled, charter schooled, private schooled, Montessori schooled, and homeschooled. I’ve skipped a grade and completed a grade in three months online. After all the learning options I have experienced, what I have found is that the traditional path was unable to meet my needs.

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Schooling Online Schooling Publication Education 107

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 10, 2013

'In case you missed it, last week, John Stossel did a segment on unschooling as part of his “ Education Blob ” special. In the segment he pointed out that the number of homeschoolers is on the rise nationally, a whopping 75% since 1999. This puts the number of homeschoolers in the nation about equal to those attending charter schools. He shares that the number of families that homeschool today for religious purposes is on the decline as the choice today is more likely to be the result of dissat

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Schooling Government Equality Publication 104

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 27, 2013

'Most educators are familiar with student response systems (SRS) a.k.a. clickers. Common brands are eInstruction, Sentio, TurningPoint, Activote. Those who use the systems know they run about $2,500 - $4,000 (depending on various options selected) for a class set and allow educators to track student learning, engage an entire class as they collect real-time responses from students, and enable them to quickly assess understanding and achievement.

Achievement 103

Achievement Innovation Education Education 103

The Innovative Educator

JANUARY 13, 2013

'The Seattle Times reports the teachers union shares concerns the faculty at Garfield High has raised about district-required standardized tests. As a result, the Garfield teachers announced that no teachers at the school would be giving the tests this winter, even though the district requires them to do so. Nearly all the faculty signed a letter to the district saying they’re not against testing, but they think their standardized exams (MAP) is a flawed test that fails to help them or their

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Innovation Schooling Education Education 103

The Innovative Educator

JANUARY 6, 2013

'You may have read the post from an overbearing mom who was trying to control her kid because she purchased a phone for him. The level of contempt this mom shows for her son is disheartening. Fortunately, this mom’s whole desire to impose lessons upon him falls short if he rejects her gift. Teaching your child that money equals control is a shameful and dangerous lesson.

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Equality Teaching Technology Education 103

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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.

Math

The Innovative Educator

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

'You may have heard of the Badass Teachers group. Back in June they started a recruiting campaign and used questionable practices to put 25,000 members in their group very quickly. The group had promising beginnings. It was started by Mark Naison a progressive college professor and a homeschooling mom who connected in a group that explores alternatives to traditional public school education.

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Publication Professor Teaching Education 102

The Innovative Educator

MAY 12, 2013

'By now, you''ve probably seen the video of high school student Jeff Bliss demanding an end to what he calls "packet teaching." Instead he puts out a call to action for teachers to work to touch the hearts of kids to open their minds. The interaction was ignited when his teacher told him to stop his b g about the test and kicked him out of class. A student flipped open the cell phone, caught his reaction on tape, and published it.

Education 102

Education Education Publication Teaching 102

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 20, 2013

'Picture a half-full classroom with nearly-comatose students descending into the slow death that takes place while listening to a lecture that is as interesting as the buzzing of a mosquito that one cannot find in order to squash. It’s no secret that some teachers, even doctorates who work as college professors, suck when it comes to lecturing. Don’t let that be you!

Equality 101

Equality Professor Education Education 101

The Innovative Educator

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

'Guest post by Maddie Witter The new Common Core State Standards list skills to prepare American young people on the path toward the college and careers of their choice. Yet as students are on their journey to and through college, and ultimately through life, I also hope they are lifelong learners with an insatiable thirst for knowledge driven by their unique passions.

Technology 101

Technology Learning 101

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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!

STEM

The Innovative Educator

OCTOBER 13, 2013

'Technology provides teachers with a great way to provide evidence with artifacts of their effective practice. Across the country this has been a priority for schools that are incorporating a teacher evaluation based on the Danielson Framework for Teacher Evaluation. The model contains various components organized into the following four domains. Domain 1: Planning and Preparation Domain 2: The Classroom Environment Domain 3: Instruction Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities This is part of a

EdTech 100

EdTech Technology Schooling 100

The Innovative Educator

MAY 26, 2013

'The Leaving to Learn movement, started by Elliot Washor and Charles Mojkowski is built on the idea that a great way to learn to find success in the world is to be in the world. The first step is taking down the barriers between school and the outside world and letting students leave, to learn. Washor and Mojokowski recently published a book on the topic.

Schooling 100

Schooling Learning 100

The Innovative Educator

OCTOBER 27, 2013

'Editor's note: October is National Bullying Prevention Month. It was created to raise awareness about bullying prevention. This post brings attention to a problem that we sometimes forget or are too uncomfortable to discuss. Bullying does not discriminate based on age. If you know better, you can do better. Don't sit by and watch on, stand up and speak out when you notice someone is the target of bullying.

Schooling 99

Schooling Education Education 99

The Innovative Educator

JANUARY 23, 2013

'David Karp began learning HTML at 11 and soon after was designing websites for local businesses. Unlike Nick Perez who spent years being drugged and tortured in a school that didn’t understand his particular passion, Karp attended high school for one year before dropping out. This allowed him to focus on doing projects that enabled him to pursue his passions.

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Schooling Education Education Learning 99

The Innovative Educator

JULY 28, 2013

'This post was original featured on Smartblogs on Education Innovative educators realize that to run for office, run a business, or change the way things are run where you work or play, being savvy with the use of social media is important. Now you are ready to take the plunge with your students to help them change their lives and the world for the better.

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Innovation Education Education Schooling 99

The Innovative Educator

DECEMBER 29, 2013

'While some school districts have banned the use of social media because of fears of inappropriate use and distracting students, in an unprecedented move, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) has reached out to students, teachers, and parents as partners to create guidelines for the appropriate use of social media for personal and academic purposes.

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Schooling Education Education 97

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 4, 2013

'The following post is excerpted with permission from Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life , by Peter Gray. Available from Basic Books, a member of The Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2013. Purchase your copy at this link. "GO TO HELL.” The words hit me hard.

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Argumentation Elementary Publication Schooling 97

The Innovative Educator

APRIL 9, 2013

'I developed this quiz with members of my personal learning network (found at end of post) to get students thinking about their digital footprint. The quiz was created at the request of high school students I spoke with who thought the creation of a such a quiz could lead to a smart conversation about ways students can update their digital footprint so that it is one that leads to college and career success.

Personalized Learning 97

Personalized Learning Schooling Education Education 97

The Innovative Educator

APRIL 22, 2013

'Remind101 provides a safe, one-way, mass text messaging system created specifically for use in Education. It keeps your phone number, and the phone number's of your subscribers completely private, stores all of your sent messages, and it's completely free to use. Just sign up and create a list for others to join via a simple text or email. Because of the convenience of sending messages directly to phones, Remind101 is a perfect tool for announcements and reminders such as school holiday

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Teaching Learning Schooling Education 96

The Innovative Educator

APRIL 7, 2013

'Educator''s make their way to the red carpet. I''m in the purple dress with my boyfriend, back right. Envision a world that values education like it values entertainment. That is the goal of The Bammy Awards. It’s time for The Bammy nominations, a cross-discipline honor that identifies and acknowledges the extraordinary work being done across the education field every day-- from teachers, principals and superintendents, to advocates, researchers, education journalists and parents.

Education 95

Education Education Publication Innovation 95

The Innovative Educator

MARCH 1, 2013

'Guest post by Kris L. Nielsen There are innovative educators in thousands of classrooms all across America. I have talked to many of them. They are frustrated because the policies put in place by Race to the Top are strangling their drive and desire to be the innovative class leaders they grew to be. Even worse, the Common Core State Standards, by design, have squelched the ability to allow students to be creative and innovative themselves.

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Critical Thinking Government Innovation Achievement 94

The Innovative Educator

FEBRUARY 24, 2013

'This post was original featured on Smartblogs on Education in Inspiring Others , Public Policy Schools are missing the boat when it comes to addressing the problem of preparing students to recapture America’s leadership in producing scientists, inventors, engineers, programmers and more through STEM initiatives. The answer has little to do with more teachers, more common graduation requirements, more tests or more school as our policymakers and corporations who stand to profit off this have su

STEM 94

STEM Publication Math Engineering 94

The Innovative Educator

MAY 19, 2013

'Jeff Bliss got our attention when he shared his frustration with his teacher, classmates, and the world about his learning environment. The now viral video captures a room of passionless students, some with their heads down, some with a facepalm, some staring into space, all silently sitting at their empty desks seemingly disconnected not only from each other, but also from their behind-a-desk-fortress teacher.

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Teaching Learning 94

The Innovative Educator

NOVEMBER 8, 2013

'What if we let students design their own schools? That''s exactly the question that was explored with The Independent Project. The program provides a model that empowers students to design and learn in their own school. The project was proposed by students. Their principal agreed to allow students to create and attend this school within a school located Monument Mountain Regional High School, a public school in Massachusetts.

Schooling 93

Schooling Publication Education Education 93

The Innovative Educator

JANUARY 27, 2013

'Parents and educators agree that in the age of “ Generation Text ” it is important to be prepared to help children become responsible citizens of the digital world. What they don't agree on is how to go about this. While some flocked to follow the advice of the overbearing mom whose iPhone gift came with contractual strings, other parents, educators, and teens alike were appalled by the disrespect and contempt conveyed by such an approach.

Education 93

Education Education 93