teachers

Blogging in the classroom: How to get started [Banner]

On 01/20/2016, in blogs / blogging / vlogging, collaboration, communications, digital learning, education technology, ideas, K-12 related, pedagogy, student-related, teachers, by Daniel Christian

Blogging in the classroom: How to get started — from onblastblog.com by Matt Banner

Excerpt:

Here’s what we’ll discuss today:

Ways to bring blogging into your classroom and daily lesson plans
The litany of benefits blogging brings to education
Deciding the purpose and goals of your blog
Setting up your classroom’s blog
Easy ways to promote and grow your classroom blog

…
Blogging about a subject turns novices into experts.
There’s no other choice. When you write thousands upon thousands of words about something, doing research all the while, you become an expert in that subject. It’s unavoidable, and possibly the best way to learn in my opinion. Instead of having the information fed to them, students are taking it and putting it down on paper in their own words.

They live the information instead of simply seeing it. This is huge in terms of learning something for the long-term. Hands-on experience will always leave more of a lasting impression than something that is simply boiled down to a few questions on a test.

Michelle Lampinen, a high school English teacher in New Jersey wrote a great article on this here.

Also see:
How blogging is being used in the classroom today: Research results — from emergingtech.com by Mike Wallagher

Excerpt:

The 2015 survey has yet to be reported on, but 2014 research findings have something to say about the state of blogging in the classroom today.

Benefits of Blogging in the Classroom
Blogging in the classroom can have numerous benefits depending on how you use your blog. Just some include that:

Instructors can create a blog about class happenings so parents can stay up-to-date and students can access announcements from anywhere
Teachers can use their blogs to store lessons online or provide supplemental learning materials to students
Instructors can use blogs to organize assignments, such as posting them online for absent students or listing due dates so all students have access to the course materials from anywhere
Teachers can post previous students’ work as examples or publish current students’ work so they can show parents and family who live far away
Educators can open the comment sections on blog posts to get feedback from parents and the community as well as to create discussion between students
Student blogs teach children about writing techniques, online publishing, and proper Internet etiquette, which most students will use in future careers

How Blogs Are Being Used
“Blogging in the classroom” may bring up this idea that there’s one way to present blogging to your students, but there are a myriad of ways educators can use blogs. Just some options include:

Personal blogs for teachers
Student blogs
ePortfolios
Platforms for assignments, homework, and announcements
Classroom blogs for collaboration and discussion

From DSC:
Whether your school, university, or college has a web hosting service or whether you need to go out and find a web hosting service yourself — or use a free service/solution — blogging is a great way to create streams of content and to “think out loud.” It offers benefits for students, teachers, professors, staff, and administrators.

Report from Davos: 5 million jobs to be lost by 2020 because of tech advances — from siliconbeat.com by Levi Sumagaysay

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

A new report predicts a loss of 5 million jobs in the next five years because of technological advances, but don’t blame it all on the robots.

The other culprits: artificial intelligence, 3-D printers and advances in genetics, biotech and more.

The World Economic Forum, which is holding its annual meeting in Davos this week, in its report details the effects of modern technology on the labor market, for better or for worse. It says “the fourth industrial revolution” will be “more comprehensive and all-encompassing than anything we have ever seen.”

The report actually estimates a loss of 7 million jobs in 15 economies that today have 1.86 billion workers, or about 65 percent of the world’s workforce, but it also expects 2 million new jobs to be created.

From DSC:
If this turns out to be true, how should this affect our curricula? What should we be emphasizing and seeking to build within our students?

PBS’ School Sleuth: The Case of the Wired Classroom <-- A well done, creative, objective, solid discussion of technology in the classroom

On 01/16/2016, in 21st century, active learning, Apple, blended learning, Bring your own device (BYOD), change, collaboration, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, education, education reform, education technology, elearning, game-changing environment, generational differences, Google, hybrid learning, internet, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning theories, media/film, Microsoft, multimedia, online learning, organizational change, parents/guardians, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, research, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, tablets, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technology (general), the downsides of how people use tech, tools, trends, United States, web-based collaboration, youth, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
If you can clear up just short of an hour of your time, this piece from PBS entitled, “School Sleuth: The Case of the Wired Classroom” is very well done and worth your time. It’s creative and objective; it offers us some solid research, some stories, and some examples of the positives and negatives of technology in the classroom. It weaves different modes of learning into the discussion — including blended learning, online learning, personalized learning and more. Though it aired back in October of 2015, I just found out about it.

Check it out if you can!

Also see:

Schools push personalized learning to new heights — from edweek.org
Excerpt:
For most schools, reaching the next level of digitally driven, personalized learning is far from reality. Still, some schools are extending their digital reach in significant and sometimes groundbreaking ways, as the stories in this special report illustrate. They are making moves to integrate a variety of technologies to track how students learn and to use the resulting data to expand the use of hands-on, project-based learning. The goal is to build never-ending feedback loops that ultimately inform the development of curriculum and assessment. Plus, big data and analytics are gradually making their marks in K-12 education. This special report outlines the progress schools are making to use digital tools to personalize learning, but also raises the question: Are they reaching far enough?
.
A Pedagogical Model for the use of iPads for Learning — from higheru.org

“Microlearning: The e-Learning method taking off around the world” [Knowles]; also, podcasting for professors

On 01/16/2016, in A/V -- audio/visual, adjunct faculty, Adobe, Apple, Asia, Australia, blogs / blogging / vlogging, Canada, colleges, communications, community colleges, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, educational games / serious games, elearning, Europe, faculty/staff, flipping -- inverted learning, global / globalization, higher education, ideas, India, learning ecosystem, microlearning, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, multi-touch, online learning, podcasting, social media, streams of content, teachers, tools, training / L&D, UK, United States, universities, vendors, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Microlearning: The e-Learning method taking off around the world — from educators.co.nz by Catherine Knowles

Excerpt:

Technology is disrupting traditional learning bringing new methods and tools into educational institutions and businesses.

Microlearning, for instance, has displayed great potential for growth, according to Association Learning + Technology 2016 – a report published by Tagoras and sponsored by YM Learning.

The report looks at the use of technology to enable and enhance learning in the continuing education and professional development market and provides insight into how the role technology plays in learning has and will evolve.

In fact, among five emerging types of learning (microlearning, massive open online courses (MOOCs), flipped classes, gamified learning, and microcredentials), microlearning shows the highest rate of adoption – and arguably the greatest potential for growth.

Podcasting is perfect for people with big ideas. Here’s how to do it — from by Todd Landman
Surprisingly few academics have learned how to podcast – but it’s a great way to reach a wider audience

Excerpt:

In the face of conflict in the Middle East, the flow of refugees to Europe and the violence associated with Islamic State and other militants, there has never been a more important time to talk about human rights. And talk about them is what I do – not in a lecture hall or at conferences with academics, but in a podcast series. Let me explain why.

I have worked as a political scientist for 25 years, focusing on human rights problems such as the struggle for citizenship rights in Latin America and the relationship between inequality and human rights violations.

I am part of a wide network of people dedicated to producing sound evidence on human rights, and my work has been communicated through articles, books and reports. But I am limited in my ability to reach the people I would most like to engage and influence – those who do not have an academic understanding of human rights but might benefit from finding out about it.

There is a new breed of academic who understands this and is committed to bridging the gap between academia and the real world. Many blog, actively seek media coverage of their research and appear on radio and television to shed light on the issues of the day.

From DSC:
Some of the tools that Landman mentioned were:

Skype and ecamm Skype Call Recorder:

A MacBook Pro and its free audio editing software GarageBand (for Mac OS X and for iOS)
A lapel mic used with his iPhone

Some other tools to consider:

From DSC:
The above articles point to the idea — and the need — of creating “streams of content” — something that I wish more professors, teachers, staff, administrators, trainers, and instructional designers would create. Blogs, podcasts, and the use of Twitter come to my mind. Such channels could really help build others’ learning ecosystems.

Many professors and academics — folks who have so much information to share with the world — often produce works just for other academics in their discipline to review/check out. Such bubbles don’t have the impact that would occur if professors created streams of content for members of society to check out and learn from. Such mechanisms would also hopefully strip away some of the more academic sounding language and would get to the point.

Also see:

By the numbers: MOOCS in 2015 — from class-central.com by
How has the MOOC space grown this year? Get the facts, figures, and pie charts

Excerpt:

The MOOC space essentially doubled this year. More people signed up for MOOCs in 2015 than they did in the first three years of the “modern” MOOC movement (which started in late 2011—when the first Stanford MOOCs took off). According to data collected by Class Central, the total number of students who signed up for at least one course has crossed 35 million—up from an estimated 16-18 million last year.

Coursera, the largest online course provider in the world (MOOC or otherwise), added 7 million new students to its userbase (and so it now has 17 million students in total).

This is the first time that the MOOC market has grown faster than Coursera. Last year, Coursera was bigger than all other MOOC providers combined, but in 2015 it accounts for slightly less than 50% of all MOOC students.

…

Currently there are 100+ Specializations, Nanodegrees, and XSeries credentials, most of which were created in 2015, and we can expect that number to more than double in 2016. The projections for 2017 and beyond could be exponential. We tracked this trend early, and this enabled us at Class Central to introduce a free credential exploration and rating service called Credentialing the Credentials.

500+ Universities, 4200 courses, 35 Million Students

Stanford runs MOOC for science teachers on helping students read — from thejournal.com by Dian Schaffhauser

Excerpt:

Next week a new massive open online course will begin for K-12 science teachers who want to learn how to help their students read and understand scientific texts. The course, delivered by Stanford University faculty, is free to participants. Four course sessions will run for 12 weeks and will deliver the equivalent of about 20 hours of professional development. The MOOC begins on January 13 and will be hosted on the NovoEd platform.

“Reading To Learn in Science” is being taught by Jonathan Osborne, a professor of science education in Stanford’s Graduate School of Education. In a previous career, Osborne spent nine years teaching physics in inner city London schools.

This free online course will look at the life and works of William Shakespeare and take you from his Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon to the Globe Theatre in London, from where he secured his central place in English literature.We will look at five of Shakespeare’s plays with the help of actors and experts from around the world. They will explain and explore the universal themes Shakespeare addressed in his work. The plays are: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest and Macbeth. Our video tutor will guide you through the course and look at some of the words and expressions that Shakespeare introduced to the English language. Short quizzes will check your understanding and you’ll be asked to share your ideas and opinions on the topics Shakespeare raises.

Massive Open Online Course market by platform, course, service & region – global forecast to 2020 — from researchandmarkets.com

Excerpt:

The growing demand of reliable online learning technologies is the driving force of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) market.
The market is estimated to grow from USD 1.83 billion in 2015 to USD 8.50 billion by 2020, at an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.0%. Adoption of device-based computing, increased connectivity of platform, and emergence of online and collaborative learning and personalization of technology are some of the prominent factors driving the adoption of MOOC platform and services.
Asia-Pacific (APAC) expected to be grow at the highest CAGR for MOOC platform.

The report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market in the following ways:

This report segments the MOOC market comprehensively and provides the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall market and the subsegments across end-users and regions.
The report will help stakeholders to understand the pulse of the market and provide them information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.
This report will help in understanding the competitors better and gain more insights to strengthen their position in the business. The competitive landscape section includes competitor ecosystem, new product developments, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions.

Companies Profiled:

Blackboard, Inc.
Coursera, Inc.
Edx, Inc.
Futurelearn
Instructure, Inc.
Iversity, Org.
Miriada X
Novoed, Inc.
Open2Study
Udacity, Inc.

Small changes in teaching: The first 5 minutes of class [Lang]

On 01/14/2016, in adjunct faculty, attention, colleges, community colleges, engagement / engaging students, faculty/staff, higher education, ideas, pedagogy, teachers, teaching & learning, universities, by Daniel Christian

Small changes in teaching: The first 5 minutes of class — from chronicle.com by James Lang
4 quick ways to shift students’ attention from life’s distractions to your course content

Excerpts:

Open with a question or two.
What did we learn last time?
Reactivate what they learned in previous courses.
Write it down.

Reflections on “Gen Z is about to take over higher education—here’s what to expect” [Malat]

On 01/14/2016, in 21st century, active learning, blended learning, Bring your own device (BYOD), career development, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, education technology, engagement / engaging students, expectations, experimentation, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, ideas, K-12 related, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, learning preferences, learning spaces, mobile learning, more voice more choice more control, online learning, participation, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, smart classrooms, strategy, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, technology (general), trends, universities, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, workplace, youth, by Daniel Christian

Gen Z is about to take over higher education—here’s what to expect — from ecampusnews.com by Lisa Malat
Survey finds digital natives “Gen Z” set to reshape higher ed landscape with focus on careers, dependence on technology.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Educators take note: it’s time to make way for Generation Z (Gen Z).

In a recent study by Barnes & Noble College, 1,300 middle-school and high school students ages 13-18 from 49 different states shared their attitudes, preferences and expectations regarding their educational and learning experiences. The findings from the study are clear: Gen Z is significantly different than previous generations, and these students will bring both challenges and opportunities for the future of higher education.
…

With Gen Z being a generation of “digital natives,” it stands to reason that the future of educational technology is now. Technology is embraced almost universally by Gen Z. In fact, the students surveyed shared that they are apt to regularly use five different computer tools for their social and educational purposes: laptops, desktops, tablets, smartphones and video game consoles.

Unlike Millennials, who have broadly adopted technology, Gen Z has adopted a technology-centric lifestyle. They define themselves in online, digital terms. Gen Z doesn’t distinguish between devices or online territories. It is one continuous, multi-faceted, completely integrated experience – connecting social, academic and professional interests.
…
Gen Z also has different learning style preferences from past generations. While they are very into DIYL (do-it-yourself-learning), these students also embrace peer-to-peer learning, with 80 percent reporting that they study with their friends and classmates. Fifty percent said they enjoy the element of leadership it presents, and 60 percent reported that it gives them the perfect way to exchange ideas and consider new perspectives.

From DSC:
The article/report above prompted me to reflect…

Many throughout higher education are responding to change. But many are not. We aren’t nearly as nimble as we need to be.

I hope that the faculty, staff, boards, administrations, and the heavy-hitting donors at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. appreciate how important it is to be aware of — and respond to — changes within the K-12 world, changes in today’s students, changes within the higher ed landscape, and to changes within the corporate/business world.

We operate in a continuum.

With all of those changes, maintaining the status quo seems to be a dangerous experiment to me. We are not in control. Rather, we all need to adapt and to respond.

DanielChristian-MonitoringTrends

DanielChristian-what-should-our-learning-environments-look-and-act-like

Along these lines, maintaining the status quo shows a blatant disregard of our customers’ preferences — an unwise strategy to take. (And for those of you who don’t like the word customer here, bear with me…because in my mind, any person who pays anywhere near the price of a house to obtain their education has earned the right to be called a customer. Today’s students are paying a heck of a lot more than we did.)

Also, maintaining the status quo seems like a dangerous strategy when we’re talking about recruitment and retention. Remember, we are talking about depending upon the decisions of 18 year olds here.

So as I:

Read the above article and the report that it refers to
Consider the higher ed landscape that continues to encounter new alternatives
Observe that different pathways that are cropping up all the time
See that the federal government is moving towards funding such alternative methods

…I am forced to ask myself, “Given all of this, will maintaining the status quo suffice? Really?“

This report should encourage us to:

Seek to do a better job of pulse checking the K-12 world and the students’ learning preferences coming out of that world — and to develop our responses to those changing preferences.
Pursue more instances of blended/hybrid learning and active learning-based classrooms
Provide a variety of delivery mechanisms to meet our students’ needs — including a solid line up of online-based courses and programs. Students are often having to work in order to get through college, and they need flexible solutions.
Better address our physical learning spaces, which should offer strong/secure wireless networks and means of quickly collaborating via BYOD-based devices.
Continue to invest in selecting and investigating how best to use a variety of educationally-related technologies (something which, in my mind, invites the use of teams of specialists).
(I could, and probably should, think bigger here, but I’ll stop at these reflections.)

I’ll leave you with the following graphic, relaying that often times members of Gen Z tend to prefer active learning-based classrooms:

Maker-related postings

On 01/08/2016, in active learning, attention, creativity, engagement / engaging students, entrepreneurship, experimentation, learning spaces, maker movement, project-based learning, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

5 steps for creating a custom makerspace — from eschoolnews.com by Laura Fleming

Excerpt:

The maker movement has created opportunities for all educators to give students authentic learning opportunities that go beyond the typical classroom experiences and to rethink traditional learning environments to include those that nurture the kinds of creativity and innovation that will benefit our students both in school and beyond. We know children learn by exploring and playing and doing and making and that these kinds of things lead to deeper engagement. The maker movement embodies opportunities for experimentation and innovation to occur across all grade levels and all content areas.

Physical makerspaces have allowed us the opportunity to pull some of this excitement of the maker movement into our schools. Makerspaces can help set the stage for meaningful student learning, as well as help cultivate a culture of innovation within a school. My makerspace inspires innovation, passion, and personal motivation and interests, and has encouraged students to pursue STEM subjects and careers.

Top ten makerspace favorites of 2015 — from worlds-of-learning.com by Laura Fleming

Excerpt:

The most successful makerspaces include tools, materials and resources that inspire and allow for an environment rich with possibilities, allowing all students the opportunity for open-ended exploration. In addition to tried-and-true favorites such as Spheros, Makey-Makey kits, littleBits, and Legos, there is now such a vast array of makerspace-related products available.

As this year draws to a close, we can’t help but reflect upon some of our favorite makerspace things. Upon doing so, Travis Lape and I, have compiled a list of our ‘Top Ten Favorite Makerspace Items of 2015’. In this post, we have provided links to all of the products, as well as a brief description of each. It is our hope, that this versatile and fun list will get you thinking about things you have never thought of before and help your makerspaces to continue to grow and evolve.

Resources for youth makerspaces — from makered.org

6 Back to the Future projects as cool as the movie — from makezine.com by Lisa Martin

U.S. Department of Education Releases 2016 National Education Technology Plan [ed.gov]

On 12/20/2015, in assessment, education, education reform, education technology, K-12 related, leadership, legislatures / government / legal, open courseware and systems, student teaching/teacher education, teachers, United States, by Daniel Christian

U.S. Department of Education Releases 2016 National Education Technology Plan — from ed.gov

Excerpts:

The U.S. Department of Education announced [on 12/10/15] the release of the 2016 National Education Technology Plan and new commitments to support personalized professional learning for district leaders across the country working to improve teaching and student achievement through the effective use of technology.

Updated every five years, the plan is the flagship educational technology policy document for the United States. The 2016 plan outlines a vision of equity, active use, and collaborative leadership to make everywhere, all-the-time learning possible. While acknowledging the continuing need to provide greater equity of access to technology itself, the plan goes further to call upon all involved in American education to ensure equity of access to transformational learning experiences enabled by technology.

“Technology has the potential to bring remarkable new possibilities to teaching and learning by providing teachers with opportunities to share best practices, and offer parents platforms for engaging more deeply and immediately in their children’s learning,” said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. “It can change the experiences of students in the most challenging circumstances by helping educators to personalize the learning experience based on students’ needs and interests—meeting our students where they are and challenging them to reach even higher. This year’s update to the National Education Technology Plan includes a strong focus on equity because every student deserves an equal chance to engage in educational experiences powered by technology that can support and accelerate learning.”

The plan calls for schools and districts to:

Redesign teacher preparation programs to shift from a single technology course to thoughtful use of technology throughout a teacher’s preparation and minimum standards for higher education instructors’ tech proficiency.
Set an expectation of equitable access to technology and connectivity inside and outside of school regardless of students’ backgrounds.
Adopt high-quality openly licensed educational materials in place of staid, traditional textbooks.
Implement universal design principles for accessibility across all educational institutions and include these principles within teacher preparation programs.
Improve technology-based assessments to allow for embedded delivery within instruction and making near real-time feedback for educators possible.
Establish a robust technology infrastructure that meets current connectivity goals and can be augmented to meet future demand.

If students re-imagined school, this is what it could look like [Kenkel]

On 12/17/2015, in assessment, career development, education, education reform, education technology, personalized/customized learning, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

If students re-imagined school, this is what it could look like — from knowledgeworks.org by Mary Kenkel

Excerpt of 5 of the 11 ideas mentioned:

Cater to all types of learning. INTERalliance students recognized that not all of them learn in the same way. If they were to create a new system, they would consider all learning styles so everyone can thrive.
Measure mastery in other ways, besides high-stakes testing. Team members wanted choice in proving their mastery. Rather than only testing, their systems would give learners the chance to show mastery through presentations, portfolios, essays or projects.
Expose students to career opportunities. By creating partnerships with professionals from Silicon Valley to New York City, team members wondered if they could schedule video calls to allow learners to explore different fields and think more about future professional careers.
Put students in charge of their own learning. While the teams recognized the importance of teachers, guidance counselors, parents and guardians, they wanted to offer learners more control over their education experience. In their new systems, learners would have the opportunity to build individual schedules and explore interests.
Use technology as a tool to enhance learning. The teams suggested technological ideas beyond individual devices. They suggested using video calls to talk with students in other countries to learn about different cultures or study languages. They talked about an online platform to track subjects mastered, learn ways to improve learning, and choose classes.

Also, a quote from this posting:

The real scary idea is that our system of education – and the politics surrounding it – is not innovating even close to quickly enough to keep up with the reality of today, let alone the reality of 2025.

Reflections on “The teacher is not the most important factor when it comes to learning” [Nielsen]

On 12/04/2015, in education, education reform, engagement / engaging students, ideas, learning, learning ecosystem, lifelong learning, love of learning, participation, passions, society, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

The teacher is not the most important factor when it comes to learning — from theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.ch by Lisa Nielsen

Excerpt:

If we were honest about the reality — that the student is the most important factor when it comes to learning — we could actually improve student learning. Here’s how.

From DSC:
There are some solid, insightful comments here — especially when one agrees with Daniel Willingham that “memory is the residue of thought” (i.e., we remember what we think about.)

Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m a big fan of providing students with “more choice, more control.” Giving students more choice so that they can pursue items of interest to them will likely invite deeper levels of thought and ultimately better, more lasting learning. That said, I realize that some base layers of knowledge need to be built. I’d just like to see us really question when we can begin turning over more choice, more control to the students. I would like us to apply more scrutiny and justification for the courses/subjects that we require. Do most students really need to take this course? Why? And are there other courses that students might like to take in light of the workplace that they will be dealing with?

Finally, I’d vote for including a new ingredient of how we assess our own courses; and that is, “Did the students enjoy their learning? Were they engaged in the learning?” Why do I say this? Because we all need to be lifelong learners now. It’s easier to do that if we like to learn and have a positive perspective on it.

MoreChoiceMoreControl-DSC2

In teaching, “You can’t do the Bloom stuff until you take care of the Maslow stuff.” [Beck]

On 11/23/2015, in global / globalization, higher education, ideas, K-12 related, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, learning theories, legislatures / government / legal, relationships, society, student-related, teachers, UK, vision/possibilities, youth, by Daniel Christian

It’s so important the reason we teach! It’s not just about filling their heads for the test! pic.twitter.com/kaPhWwjHET

— carl jarvis (@carljarvis_eos) November 22, 2015

The Epic BYOD Toolchest (51 Tools You Can Use Now) [Davis]

On 10/30/2015, in Bring your own device (BYOD), education technology, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, mobile learning, tablets, teachers, teaching & learning, technology (general), tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

The Epic BYOD Toolchest (51 Tools You Can Use Now) — from edutopia.org by Vicki Davis

Excerpt:

You’ve got every device under the sun in front of you. Now what apps are you going to use? Here are the apps or app categories that I recommend you test for your school. There are lots of apps, and these are just my opinion based on what I’ve used with my students or successfully tested.
…
Screencasting and Capturing What Happens in Class
If you’re going to share and interact with your students in the electronic and physical spaces (as you should), you must learn how to screencast.

Screencastomatic: This is my go-to app. It’s free, but I pay a few dollars for the pro service because I love it, it gives advanced editing features, and I can download to Dropbox. You can see that my YouTube tutorials are recorded with this.
Camtasia: This app is high quality, and the price shows it. But I highly recommend Camtasia if you can afford it.
Explain Everything: This app, available from iTunes and Google Play, remains a top tablet app in the U.S. It’s perfect for math screencasting.
Swivl: It’s a robotic stand for your iPad, iPhone, or Droid. When you use the iOS app, Swivl will film and capture everything. It can also follow you without an app, so you could set another device on record and then just put it in the stand. Swivl lets you record speeches, or helps you evaluate your own teaching. Having a Swivl in your classroom changes everything. You just put the controller in your pocket or around your neck, and it follows and records you (mic in controller). I’ve been demoing this for two weeks and can focus on teaching rather than recording.

Reflections on “Being a healthier teacher: Focus on your strengths” by Ian Byrd

On 10/14/2015, in Daniel S. Christian, K-12 related, psychology, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Being a healthier teacher: Focus on your strengths — from byrdseed.com by Ian Byrd

Excerpt:

The Core Problem
Why is teaching so stressful? Teaching isn’t a job, it’s at least three jobs:

Lesson planner: design and deliver creative, meaningful learning experiences
Student caretaker: you can listen to, interact with, and inspire kids of all types (not just the ones you like)
Organizer: Your files are labeled, grades are up to date, and desk is cleared

You’re probably really good at (and really enjoy) one of these jobs. You might even have two bright spots. But I’ve never met someone who excels in all three roles. As a result, you always have that nagging feeling that you’re not doing your job well.

Reflections from DSC:
As we’re talking about stress and change here, the topic of resilience comes to my mind. (This is also most likely due to my currently teaching a First Year Seminar (FYS) course at Calvin College, where we recently covered this very topic.) From that FYS course, I wanted to mention that PBS.org offers some further thoughts and resources on resilience. I also want to pass along some of the (healthier) coping strategies that folks can use:

Active coping – doing something active to alleviate stress such as talking to the person causing the stress, or problem solving for solutions
Emotional support – seeking a way to balance emotions primarily through sharing emotions with others
Instrumental support – seeking out professional or expert advise on the situation
Positive reframing – seeing the glass as half full (vs. half empty)
Planning – reprioritizing responsibilities to keep stress more manageable
Humor – laughter at the situation if appropriate, but more effective when combined with more action-based coping
Acceptance – if a situation is unchangeable, being able to accept it allows you to move forward in a positive direction to take appropriate action to help cope
Religion – prayer, scripture, reassurance from God’s promises

Also, for further information re: focusing on your strengths and obtaining maximum impact from them, see the work of Marcus Buckingham.

Also see Ian Byrd’s related articles to being a healthier teacher:

Nine Ways to Improve Class Discussions [Weimer]

On 09/30/2015, in adjunct faculty, attention, collaboration, engagement / engaging students, faculty/staff, pedagogy, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

Nine Ways to Improve Class Discussions — from facultyfocus.com by Maryellen Weimer

Excerpt:

So this post offers some simple suggestions for increasing the impact of the discussions that occur in our courses.

Be more focused and for less time
Use better hooks to launch the discussion
Pause
Have note takers
Talk less or not at all
End with something definitive
Use the discussion – Keep referring to it!
Invite students to suggest discussion topics
Discuss discussions – Briefly is fine.

From DSC:
From my teaching time yesterday, I wished that I had done a better job with the transitions into and out of our class discussions. I wish that I had better prepped them for the discussion that we were about to have and to better summarize some of the key points from the class discussions. I ended up emailing them the key points that I wanted to emphasize…so there are other ways to recover from those times that we aren’t on our best game in any particular class. Also, I would add to the above list, have different students be in charge of leading the discussions — and then see if the discussions/participation rates pick up.

Learning Ecosystems

Small changes in teaching: The first 5 minutes of class [Lang]

Nine Ways to Improve Class Discussions [Weimer]

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