June 16, Education World, Four Ways Schools Will Be Different in 10 Years, Jason Tornaszewski
The article discussed how very little had changed over the last hundred years in schools.Today, the way that schools teach is completely different, there has been a complete switch in the way the classroom looks. This article predicted how different classrooms will be in 10 years. The first prediction was that handwriting will disappear. Out with triple-lined paper and in with technology. This article predicted that email, texting and tablet computers will be the way of handwriting. Typing will become the dominant form of writing and that’s what we will teach instead. The next prediction the article came up with is that summer vacation will be gone. They think the model “New School Year” will become the norm. Some of these schools involve 6 weeks on 1 week off and others run straight through all 12 months and have occasional breaks for major holidays. The article said the reason why they think this is a good thing and will become the norm is because it eliminates the learning loss known as the “summer slide.” The next prediction was no more gym or recess. They claimed that gym and recess are already an “endangered species” and people are working hard to save them. The last prediction that the article made was that there will be a tablet in every hand. Many schools are already well-equipped with iPads. Mobile tech is the wave of the future and schools need to prepare kids to be proficient using these devices.
June 17, THE Journal, 28 Free and Cheap Resources to Help You Teach Common Core, Dian Schaffhauser
This article talked about 28 free or very cheap sites and apps to help teachers teach with the Common Core standards. Here is the list of some of the resources and what it does:
BoomWriter - This is a website that allows students to practice their writing skills. What is really cool is the website will facilitate in-class book-writing contests. The teacher can select a story starter and the students write. Once the books are done, they can be produced as real volumes and put up for sale in the site's bookstore for $9.99 teach. The service is free for teachers but there is a premium membership for $39.99.
World's Worst pet - this is an app for the iPad and is designed to help develop vocabulary in alignment with the Common Core. There are assessments for grade 4-8. The game pushes the player to use their vocabulary skills to keep the troublesome pet out of the trouble.
Activate Instruction - This is a free online database that offers Common Core-aligned materials. The database has activities, videos, projects and book recommendations. The material is also separated by grade level. you can also follow certain teachers or schools.
Howtosmile.org - This is an online tool to search science and math activities. Most of the activities come from children's science museums. There are downloadable lesson plans, videos and online interactive games.
There were many more resources and all they seemed like really good ones to use in the classroom.
June 18th, From Now On - The Educational Technology Journal, The Selfie Goes to School, Jamie McKenzie
The article talked about how schools could use "selfies" to engage students and have the students self reflect. It could capture those students who typically are unable to self reflect. The article suggested selfies could help explore concepts like masks, masking, pretense, persona, projection, front, facade, guise, and exterior. The article also talked about the benefits and what could be gained by staring into a screen. The article talked about how schools can offer projects that challenge students to think about the reasons they take selfies. The article offered sample questions that teachers could use and it also offered lesson ideas using selfies. It was a very interesting article because I never thought a teacher could ever use selfies in the classroom.
June 19th, National Education Association, Can Tweeting Help Your Teaching?, No author listed
This article talked about how various educators use Twitter either in their professional development or in their classroom. It said that newer teachers use Twitter to collaborate and network with other teachers to get ideas on how to teach. Twitter can also help teachers keep up with new trends, what's happening in education, and to keep up with other teachers. In the classroom, Twitter can be used many other ways. It can be used to review lessons, to remind students of assignments and what is happening in the room and teachers could even post review questions that students could respond to.The article said that Twitter is a great way to keep students thinking about what happened in class even after it's over. At the end of the article, it showed examples of how others teachers have used Twitter in the classroom.
June 23rd, Emerging EdTech, Gamifying the Classroom with Minecraft - the Possibilities are Powerful and Endless!, Jessica Marello
This article talked about Minecraft and how it's a very creative app that is very well suited for the classroom. There has been a growing movement of teaching using Minecraft in the classroom. Many teachers are using it as a learning tool and as a supplement to their curriculum. Using Minecraft in the classroom can be pretty easy. Many teachers are using to teach different subjects and skills. Teachers are using the game to give lessons about math, technology, science, history and English. There is a modified version for teachers called MinecraftEdu and the version is offered at a discounted price and is tailored for classroom use. The modified version runs on a custom server in the classroom and has additions like assignments and teacher-only blocks. The article said that so many teachers are using Minecraft to teach because it is a fun way to learn. There have been other games that teachers have used to teach lessons but most of the time, teachers have to tailor their lessons to fit the game. Minecraft allows teachers to change the game to fit the curriculum. At the end of the article it gave ways that teachers have used Minecraft in their lessons and classrooms.
June 16, Education World, Four Ways Schools Will Be Different in 10 Years, Jason Tornaszewski
The article discussed how very little had changed over the last hundred years in schools.Today, the way that schools teach is completely different, there has been a complete switch in the way the classroom looks. This article predicted how different classrooms will be in 10 years. The first prediction was that handwriting will disappear. Out with triple-lined paper and in with technology. This article predicted that email, texting and tablet computers will be the way of handwriting. Typing will become the dominant form of writing and that’s what we will teach instead. The next prediction the article came up with is that summer vacation will be gone. They think the model “New School Year” will become the norm. Some of these schools involve 6 weeks on 1 week off and others run straight through all 12 months and have occasional breaks for major holidays. The article said the reason why they think this is a good thing and will become the norm is because it eliminates the learning loss known as the “summer slide.” The next prediction was no more gym or recess. They claimed that gym and recess are already an “endangered species” and people are working hard to save them. The last prediction that the article made was that there will be a tablet in every hand. Many schools are already well-equipped with iPads. Mobile tech is the wave of the future and schools need to prepare kids to be proficient using these devices.
June 17, THE Journal, 28 Free and Cheap Resources to Help You Teach Common Core, Dian Schaffhauser
This article talked about 28 free or very cheap sites and apps to help teachers teach with the Common Core standards. Here is the list of some of the resources and what it does:
BoomWriter - This is a website that allows students to practice their writing skills. What is really cool is the website will facilitate in-class book-writing contests. The teacher can select a story starter and the students write. Once the books are done, they can be produced as real volumes and put up for sale in the site's bookstore for $9.99 teach. The service is free for teachers but there is a premium membership for $39.99.
World's Worst pet - this is an app for the iPad and is designed to help develop vocabulary in alignment with the Common Core. There are assessments for grade 4-8. The game pushes the player to use their vocabulary skills to keep the troublesome pet out of the trouble.
Activate Instruction - This is a free online database that offers Common Core-aligned materials. The database has activities, videos, projects and book recommendations. The material is also separated by grade level. you can also follow certain teachers or schools.
Howtosmile.org - This is an online tool to search science and math activities. Most of the activities come from children's science museums. There are downloadable lesson plans, videos and online interactive games.
There were many more resources and all they seemed like really good ones to use in the classroom.
June 18th, From Now On - The Educational Technology Journal, The Selfie Goes to School, Jamie McKenzie
The article talked about how schools could use "selfies" to engage students and have the students self reflect. It could capture those students who typically are unable to self reflect. The article suggested selfies could help explore concepts like masks, masking, pretense, persona, projection, front, facade, guise, and exterior. The article also talked about the benefits and what could be gained by staring into a screen. The article talked about how schools can offer projects that challenge students to think about the reasons they take selfies. The article offered sample questions that teachers could use and it also offered lesson ideas using selfies. It was a very interesting article because I never thought a teacher could ever use selfies in the classroom.
June 19th, National Education Association, Can Tweeting Help Your Teaching?, No author listed
This article talked about how various educators use Twitter either in their professional development or in their classroom. It said that newer teachers use Twitter to collaborate and network with other teachers to get ideas on how to teach. Twitter can also help teachers keep up with new trends, what's happening in education, and to keep up with other teachers. In the classroom, Twitter can be used many other ways. It can be used to review lessons, to remind students of assignments and what is happening in the room and teachers could even post review questions that students could respond to.The article said that Twitter is a great way to keep students thinking about what happened in class even after it's over. At the end of the article, it showed examples of how others teachers have used Twitter in the classroom.
June 23rd, Emerging EdTech, Gamifying the Classroom with Minecraft - the Possibilities are Powerful and Endless!, Jessica Marello
This article talked about Minecraft and how it's a very creative app that is very well suited for the classroom. There has been a growing movement of teaching using Minecraft in the classroom. Many teachers are using it as a learning tool and as a supplement to their curriculum. Using Minecraft in the classroom can be pretty easy. Many teachers are using to teach different subjects and skills. Teachers are using the game to give lessons about math, technology, science, history and English. There is a modified version for teachers called MinecraftEdu and the version is offered at a discounted price and is tailored for classroom use. The modified version runs on a custom server in the classroom and has additions like assignments and teacher-only blocks. The article said that so many teachers are using Minecraft to teach because it is a fun way to learn. There have been other games that teachers have used to teach lessons but most of the time, teachers have to tailor their lessons to fit the game. Minecraft allows teachers to change the game to fit the curriculum. At the end of the article it gave ways that teachers have used Minecraft in their lessons and classrooms.