20 Ideas You're Using Video Meetings With Students —Infographic
? https://t.co/jQBkibc1Qq#videomeeting #studentengagement pic.twitter.com/U7wNrnUpj0
— eLearning Industry (@elearnindustry) July 13, 2022
On 07/18/2022,
in homeschooling/homeschoolers, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, Learning Experience Design, more voice more choice more control, motivation, parents/guardians, pedagogy, real-world assignments, teachers, teaching & learning, vendors, youth,
by Daniel Christian
Encourage Learning Over the Summer with Buncee & PebbleGo Create — from rdene915.com by Rachelle Dene Poth
Excerpts:
In each of these, there are opportunities for students to take a close look at the world around them and become curious about learning. Students can connect with things that are happening in the real world.
Another item from Rachelle:
From DSC:
In my last position, we used IPEVO devices as well. I purchased one for my sister last year as well. They do the job quite well — at a very decent price.
On 07/14/2022,
in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), communications, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, curriculum, digital storytelling, education, education technology, ideas, journalism, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Microsoft, pedagogy, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, project-based learning, story, storytelling, teachers, tools, youth,
by Daniel Christian
Best Sites and Apps for Digital Storytelling — from techlearning.com by Diana Restifo
Digital storytelling can help boost communication and presentation skills
Excerpt:
…storytelling is a great way for kids to learn to love reading and writing. But almost any school subject can be considered through a dramatic frame, from history to geography to science. Even math can be taught through narrative (word problems, anyone?). Most importantly, storytelling gives kids the opportunity to be inventive with language, graphics, and design, and to share their creations with others.
The following sites and apps for storytelling range from basic to advanced. Many are designed for educators or include guides for use in education. And while most are paid products, the prices are generally reasonable and nearly every platform offers a free trial or free basic account.
6 best classroom noise meters for teachers — from educatorstechnology.com by Med Kharbach
Excerpt:
One of the effective ways to monitor and reduce noise levels in classrooms is by making noise visible. Enabling students to visualize their noise raises awareness to their sound levels and makes them noise conscious. There are several noise meter tools and apps to use in your classroom to bring down students noise and therefore help in creating optimal learning experiences. Below is a collection of some of the best noise meters for classroom use. They are simple, easy to use, and cost-effective.
Digital age classroom projects — from thetechedvocate.org by Matthew Lynch
Excerpt:
Classroom learning today has left the era of flipping through textbooks trying to be on the same page with the teacher, though not for every class lesson. Educators today are seizing the opportunities of digital devices and media to expand learning opportunities beyond pencil and paper homework. Also, assessment is not just a multiple-choice test.
Consider trying one of these projects:
The Education of Incarcerated Youth with Disabilities Ep.14 — from edcircuit.com
Excerpt:
The School Justice Project (SJP) champions an extremely vulnerable population: incarcerated youth with disabilities. The SJP’s mission is to ensure every learner, in or out of prison facilities, receives the education they were promised and deserve. Their current class action lawsuit against the DC prison system underscores the impact of their efforts. Featured guest, Claire Blumenson, pulls no punches as she forces us to look, and not to look away, in this pivotal moment.
Newsela — from newsela.com
We are educators, parents, siblings, and friends who aren’t satisfied with the quality of the content our students are exposed to. We know they deserve better, and are committed to bringing authentic, engaging, diverse and accessible content to all learners.
Business Leaders Say Computer Science Needs to Be A Core Subject — from edsurge.com by Daniel Mollenkamp
Excerpt:
[On July 12], a collection of more than 500 prominent business, education and nonprofit leaders called on states to update their K-12 curriculum to make computer science a core subject.
In a letter sent to governors from all fifty states, they write, “computer science provides an essential foundation—not only for careers in technology, but for every career in today’s world,” and call upon state leaders to update curriculum to ensure that all students have an opportunity to learn computer science in school.
What is Microsoft Sway and How Can it Be Used to Teach? Tips & Tricks — from techlearning.com by Luke Edwards
Microsoft Sway is a presentation tool that works really well for teaching
Excerpt:
Microsoft Sway is the company’s alternative to PowerPoint as a presentation tool that embraces collaborative working. As such, this is a powerful system for teachers and students to use in the classroom and beyond.
The idea behind Sway is to offer a super simple setup that allows anybody to create presentation slideshows. This makes it good for both younger students and teachers for in-class or online-based presenting.
For a somewhat related item, see:
- [Teacher Tips] The Pros and Cons of Popular Instructional Strategies — from blog.edmentum.com
Exploring some different instructional strategies and discovering how to incorporate them into the classroom process can rekindle a love affair with teaching. Finding the right instructional strategy to fit your classroom can make a world of difference to your students by allowing them to make meaningful connections with what they are learning. Take a look at a few different strategies, and see which one might suit your students this academic year.
On 07/14/2022,
in adjunct faculty, adult learning, collaboration, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate universities / corporate training, culture, Daniel S. Christian, education, education reform, face-to-face, faculty, higher education, ideas, instructional design, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, learning theories, library / librarians, lifelong learning, love of learning, metacognition / metacognitive skills, more voice more choice more control, motivation, online learning, parents/guardians, pedagogy, research, social media, society, strategy, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, traditional / tradition, training / L&D, United States, universities, using teams, vision/possibilities, youth,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Below are several observations re: our learning ecosystems — and some ideas on how we can continue to improve them.
It takes years to build up the knowledge and skills in order to be a solid teacher, faculty member, instructional designer, and/or trainer. It takes a lot of studying to effectively research how the brain works and how we learn. Then we retire…and the knowledge is often lost or not passed along. And the wheel gets reinvented all over again. And again. And again.
Along these lines — and though we’re making progress in this area — too often we separate the research from the practical application of that research. So we have folks working primarily in learning science, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and related fields. But their research doesn’t always get practically applied within our learning spaces. We have researchers…and then we have practitioners. So I greatly appreciate the likes of Pooja Agarwal and Patrice Bain out at RetrievalPractice.org, Daniel Willingham, Eva Keiffenheim, The Learning Scientists, James Lang, and several others who bridge this gap.
Perhaps more researchers, faculty members, teachers, trainers, instructional designers, principals, provosts, etc. could blog or be active out on social media.
***
Along these lines, we need to spend more time helping people know how best to study and to learn.
If that type of thing is ever to be learned, it seems like it’s often learned or discussed in the mid- to later years of one’s life…often after one’s primary and secondary days are long gone.
Instead, we should consider putting these easy-to-understand posters from the Learning Scientists in every K-12 school, college, and university in the nation — or something like them.
***
To provide the most effective engaging learning experiences, we should consider using more team-based approaches. As appropriate, that could include the students themselves.
***
We put way too much emphasis on grades — which produces gameplayers who seek only to do the minimum amount of work necessary to get the A’s. Doing so creates systems whereby learning is not the goal — getting a 4.0+ is.
***
As we are now required to be lifelong learners, our quality of life as a whole goes waaaay up if we actually enjoy learning. Many people discover later in life that they like to learn…they just didn’t like school. Perhaps we could place greater emphasis within K-16 on whether students enjoyed their learning experiences or not. And if not, what might have made that topic more enjoyable to them? Or what other topics would they like to dive into (that weren’t’ on the original learning menu)?
This could also apply in the corporate training/L&D space as well. Such efforts could go a long way in helping establish stronger learning cultures.
***
We don’t provide enough choice to our students. We need to do a better job of turning over more control to them in their learning journey. We turn students off to learning because we try to cram information that they don’t care about down their throats. So then we have to use the currency of grades to force them into doing the work that they could care less about doing. Their experience with learning/school can easily get soured.
We need to be more responsive with our curricula. And we need to explain how the information we’re trying to relay is relevant in the real world and will be relevant in their futures.
***
So those are some ideas that I wanted to relay. Thanks for your time and for your shared interests here!
On 07/09/2022,
in career development, change, dangers of the status quo, education, education reform, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, teachers, United States, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt:
The struggle to keep classrooms fully staffed is getting increasingly desperate and it shows in this week’s top stories. A dozen states are amending—or considering amending—their teacher certification rules to expand their teacher pipelines. Districts are using 4-day school weeks as a carrot to draw job applicants. And then there’s emergency certification. In some states, the last-resort practice is becoming business as usual. Some educators wonder if that’s a good idea.
Across the country, policymakers are taking steps to relax their states’ certification requirements to get more teachers in the classroom and circumvent shortages.
Reviews by Education Week and the Education Commission of the States found about a dozen states that have recently amended—or are considering amending—teacher certification rules. Some are changing the criteria for licensure, others are expanding the qualifying score on state licensing tests, and some are dropping licensure tests altogether.
Those changes reflect a teacher pipeline in flux.
Also relevant/see:
- Principals Are on the Brink of a Breakdown — from edsurge.com by Emily Tate Sullivan
A recent survey found 85 percent of school principals are experiencing job-related stress and 48 percent are dealing with burnout. What can be done to keep them in their roles?
On 06/30/2022,
in assessment, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), blended learning, Canvas - and other Instructure-related items, change, CMS/LMS, digital learning, education, education reform, education technology, engagement / engaging students, future, hybrid learning, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, pace of change, pedagogy, research, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, trends, United States,
by Daniel Christian
The state of teaching and learning in K12 — from Instructure
What began as an unplanned shift to remote learning two years ago has grown into a movement—a transformation, really—that has given way to a more measured approach to intentionally designed digital learning. The adoption of new educational technologies and instructional strategies has evolved teaching and learning as we know it at an unprecedented pace.
On 06/29/2022,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Adobe, business, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, online learning, online media, online tutoring, streams of content, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, training / L&D, vendors, web-based collaboration, Web3, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
It seems to me that this is one of the types of learning experiences that we will have in the future — i.e., where you can tap into a variety of live/virtual streams of content whereby you can peer over the shoulder of experts using products and/or services.
On 06/29/2022,
in career development, education, education reform, K-12 related, society, teachers, trends, United States,
by Daniel Christian
How Many Job Openings Are There in Public Schools? — from edweek.org by Maya Riser-Kositsky
Excerpt:
While teacher shortages have been reported in different regions and different teaching subjects on and off for years, a very large number of open positions in school jobs overall have been reported in recent months.
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data on the state and local government education sector, in February 2022 there were 380,000 open jobs in schools, the highest number of openings in the past decade.
Addendums on 7/3/22:
- Can Four-Day School Weeks Keep Teachers From Leaving? — from edsurge.com by Nadia Tamez-Robledo
- What Recruiters Can Learn From Companies That Hire Former Teachers — from recruitement.com by Sara Lyle
The reasons teachers are quitting education are manifold. But one thing is clear: They are leaving in droves.