2014

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Universal Skills All Learners Should Know How to Do

User Generated Education

'This morning I was thinking about the things that all young people should know how to do regardless of income, geographical location, life goals, etc. I started a list – see below. Some have “always” been true – some are unique to this century of learning. Let me know of any other universal skills you believe young people should know how to do.

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Bored? Explore it!

The Innovative Educator

'Guest post by Michelle Loucas No one enjoys boredom. It is an uncomfortable state, leaving one to cast about for relief. If you Google "boredom" and "school," you will find numerous entries about the boredom "epidemic" in our schools and oodles of "boredom-busting strategies" to eradicate this outbreak. The essence of these cures is to "surround them with wonder"-- make schooling more entertaining so that kids will stop fidgeting and absorb wha

Energy 111
educators

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Top 100 Sites/Apps of 2014

Technology Tidbits

'Well, it''s that time of year again for my favorite and most robust list on the top 100 Sites/Apps of the year. As w/ the previous year''s list, more and more mobile apps are making the list as mobile learning continues to be the rising trend in education. However, that''s not to say that there isn''t a good amount of websites and Learning Management Systems showing up as well.

Math 74
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Is boredom the real epidemic in our schools?

The Innovative Educator

'Me and my mother I was at a large conference in the fall when the presenter asked the audience of more than 1000 educators to say the first word that comes to mind when thinking of high school. As if rehearsed for church choir, the audience responded. Their answer? BORED! I was thinking, wow! We all know this truth yet seem to accept it as just the way things are.

Schooling 111
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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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Experiences in Self-Determined Learning: Moving from Education 1.0 Through Education 2.0 Towards Education 3.0

User Generated Education

'Mrs. Lisa Marie Blaschke, Mr. Chris Kenyon, and Dr. Stewart Hase contacted a group of us due to our interest in heutagogy for the purpose of writing a chapter in an edited book. This past week, because of their hard work, this book has been published through Amazon. It is titled Experiences in Self-Determined Learning and can be found at [link].

Education 107

More Trending

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Stop saying "balance is key" when discussing technology

The Innovative Educator

'@InnovativeEdu Balance is key. — Herman Miller EDU (@HermanMillerEDU) May 28, 2014 The above tweet was sent to me in response to my post explaining why innovative educators should look down on upon a new video called, "Look Up." But I disagreed with this balance-seeking Tweeter. "Balance is key" is a common refrain heard by innovative educators and their students.

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10 Ways Social Media Can Improve Writing in Your Classroom

The Innovative Educator

'Guest Post by Vicki Davis Editor’s note: Vicki Davis just wrote a new book called, Reinventing Writing. I asked her if she could contribute a post to The Innovative Educator explaining specifically how social media has reinvented writing. This is that post. As hall of fame baseball player, Babe Ruth said, “Yesterday’s home runs won’t win tomorrow’s games.

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5 Ways to use social media to spice up your next museum trip

The Innovative Educator

'It’s not uncommon for today’s children, brought up in a fast-paced, digital world, to become bored and uninterested when visiting cultural institutions. It doesn’t have to be that way though. Sometimes the first step to enjoying art is to look forward to a museum visit as something that is fun. Social media can provide a great way to engage young people during a trip to museum, landmark, or other cultural institution.

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When tech teaches, what do teachers do?

The Innovative Educator

'When I talk to students these days they tell me that when they want to learn something they're interested in, it usually is not teachers or parents they turn to. It’s Google , YouTube, or to others they find online ( aka their PLN ) who engage in their activities of interest. These kids aren’t just playing on the computer either. They mean serious business.

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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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Stop Letting Good Students Do Bad Presentations

The Innovative Educator

'The good news is that more and more often students are presenting at education conferences. The bad news is that they’re doing a poor job and it’s their teacher’s fault. Don’t be a teacher who let’s your students give a bad presentation. Before you have your students present make sure you’ve prepared them with these tips. I want more ».

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How obsolete is your school? Take this quiz to find out.

The Innovative Educator

'In his recent article, " 14 things that are obsolete in 21st century schools ," Ingvi Hrannar Ómarsson, gives innovative educators, students, and parents some food for thought in their own schools. When I read the article, I couldn''t help but think that an excellent activity would be to turn the article into a quiz for school staff, students, and parents.

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One mistake presenters should never make and 8 strategies to avoid it

The Innovative Educator

'Whether workshops, panels, keynotes, or classes there is one mistake presenters should never make. It is a mistake I learned to never ever do from a wise lady early in my career. I've heeded this advice and seen the negative ramifications of those who do not. Ramifications such as a frustrated, unsatisfied, and anxious audience as well as less than favorable reviews and feedback.

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Showcasing artifacts & evidence to demonstrate #TeacherEffectiveness with #Danielson Domains

The Innovative Educator

'Crossposted at Smartblogs Districts across the nation are determining teacher effectiveness in part using a rubric created by Charlotte Danielson. The rubric contains four domains and 22 components. You can download the full evaluation instrument here. The framework below outlines exactly what administrators will look for when evaluating teacher practice.

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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 showcase #TeacherEffectiveness using digital portfolios

The Innovative Educator

'Districts across the nation are asking teachers to provide artifacts and evidence of effectiveness aligned to the four domains of the Charlotte Danielson framework. ( You can download the full evaluation instrument here.) This model provides an incredible opportunity to do something that is rare in the teaching profession. It provides an opportunity for teachers to release the great work they are doing from the classroom and share it with the world.

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Practical examples of social media in elementary school

The Innovative Educator

'Guest post by Computer Teacher & Tech Coordinator, Chris Casal | Cross posted at The Casal Operating System Editor''s note: Chris Casal is a member of the NYC DOE Social Media Advisory Team. His insights have helped inspire and guide teachers in the effective use of social media in the classroom. Here''s how he does it. I am often asked about how we use "social media" here at PS 10.

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Social media advice for career-minded students. 10 things to consider.

The Innovative Educator

'This week I had the pleasure to speak on a panel to career-minded students at the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation's annual conference. Our panel consisted of four experts familiar with social media who shared advice about what to do when it comes to how to best use Facebook, Twitter and other digital platforms. The main message as reported in the Staten Island Advance : Think before you post, tweet. and curse.

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16 Conference picks for innovative educators in the upcoming school year

The Innovative Educator

'The Innovative Educator in the Social Media Booth at NYSCATE 13 As the 13/14 school year comes to a close, it's time to think about what events and conferences to attend for the next year. While I certainly won't be attending all these conferences below are my top picks listed in chronological order. They include a link to the conference, brief description, approximate dates (if they are not yet scheduled) based on previous years and non-member, full costs (some are estimates based on

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Don't blame social media if your students are distracted

The Innovative Educator

'Editor’s note: This guest post from Chris Casal started as a comment on “ Filtering social media in schools because it’s a ‘distraction’ ” which appeared on Scott McCleod’s Dangerously Irrelevant blog. Social media is no different than pencil and paper. I doodled a lot in the margins of my physics book. It wasn’t Twitter and Facebook that made me doodle but I doodled nonetheless.

Physics 89
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Learn to teach web literacy with free classes from Mozilla Firefox

The Innovative Educator

'Mozilla, the non-profit that created Firefox, has created tools and resources to educate and empower people to understand the architecture, culture and citizenship of the web. The effort stems from a framework of skills and competencies–known as the web literacy map that addresses everything from basic web navigation and writing code to understanding the consequences of sharing data online and collaborating with others.

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Don't Follow the Lead of @cshirky in Banning Technology

The Innovative Educator

'Clay Shirky author and professor of media studies at New York University, recently penned a guest article for the Washington Post sharing why he decided to ban technology in his class. He explains how it was challenging to be more interesting than the devices. The following quote captures some of his thinking: “The practical effects of my decision to allow technology use in class grew worse over time.

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Educator Ann S. Michaelsen explains the power of student PLNs

The Innovative Educator

'While it is no longer unusual for teachers to embrace and understand the value of personal learning networks, few are supporting their students in doing the same. I went on a search for educators involved in this work a s part of a chapter I am writing for a book on the topic of student liberation being released by Steve Hargadon later this year, In the below Q&A you will get a look at the insights from one of these educators.

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Fear is not an option when it comes to social media in schools

The Innovative Educator

'By Chris Casal + Lisa Nielsen Cross posted at [link] Innovative educators know first hand that social media like Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Instagram can be a powerful tool for teaching, learning, leading, and strengthening the home-school connection. In many cases though, others may need to be brought on board. Especially when parents are expressing concerns and unsure of how a platform can be used successfully.

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6 Ways To Access @YouTube Videos Even If They're Blocked at School

The Innovative Educator

'It's hard to believe that one of the top tools for learning as recognized by the Center for Learning &Performance Technologies is blocked in many schools today. Fortunately, innovative educators are resilient souls. If they can't get the learning to their students, the old fashioned way, they'll find another. In this case, the tool we're talking about is YouTube.

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NYC DOE paves the way to embrace social media for learning

The Innovative Educator

'While places like New Jersey, who the New York Daily News recently reported , have passed a bill requiring schools to teach acceptable use of social media, cyber safety, cyber security, ethics, and cyberbullying, the NYC Department of Education goes even further. As evidenced in their newly released student social media guidelines , they recognize the importance of social media beyond just using social media responsibly.

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Got Chromebooks? Now what? Enlist the help of your learning network

The Innovative Educator

'More and more schools are realizing that Google Chromebooks are the answer to updating outdated schools. Unfortunately though, in many cases they are making purchases for large scale deployment with little investment toward preparation for implementation issues or knowledge of where to turn to connect with others who have had experience in Chromebooks (and Google Apps for Ed) deployment.

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Interactive whiteboards: A Comparison + Some Alternatives

The Innovative Educator

'Guest Post By Matt Shufro Editor's Note: Too many schools are not smart when it comes to interactive whiteboards and other projection devices. This is a smart and insightful look into what projection device might make the most sense classrooms. Over the last ten years, smart boards have become mainstays in K-12 classrooms. Many educators believe this interactive whiteboard technology enhances classroom learning with increased student engagement and focus.

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Another reason responsible social media use must be taught to students AND adults

The Innovative Educator

'In case you missed it, a 15-year-old student from Staten Island created a Facebook page called Close NYC Schools During Snow Emergencies expressing discontent over the DOE's decision to keep schools open Thursday. The high school student employed some smart strategies to help his page gain popularity. Namely sharing his page on the walls of elected officials.

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Conversation topics for educators in the age of social media

The Innovative Educator

'Used effectively, social media can provide one of the most meaningful and powerful learning platforms available. Yet, in many cases, we don't have conversations about recommended practices and practices that teachers may want to reconsider. These conversations are important if we want to support others in dipping their toes (or diving) into these waters.

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It's #SoMe - Great #BacktoSchool Activity for Digital Citizenship

The Innovative Educator

'Like it or not, today's students are not just citizens. They are "digital" citizens. This means that educators need to spend time with students on ensuring they know how to be responsible online. In NYC schools we have social media guidelines created by students and teachers to guide this work. You can see them at schools.nyc.gov/socialmedia.

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5 Ways to Encourage Child Creativity

The Innovative Educator

'Schools don’t have to kill the creativity Sir Ken Robinson laments in his popular video. To follow are a few ideas that can teachers can share with parents, or use in their classrooms, to provide young people with the inspiration to be creative. 1) Create safe havens Julia Cameron , author of The Artist’s Way tells the guardian that by “Creating safe havens where our children are allowed to dream, play, make a mess and, yes, clean it up, we teach them respect for themselves and others.” 2) In

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5 Ideas to Make Lectures and Presentations Interactive

The Innovative Educator

'When I was a student, I had a problem staying awake in class. I felt bad and teachers were mad. Today, as a teacher myself, I discovered the blame was misplaced. I was sleeping because of boring lesson delivery. When I teach a class or an auditorium with hundreds, there is never any sleeping going on because I have an interactive and engaging delivery.