Technology integration for elementary schools — from Edutopia.org by Grace Rubenstein
High-tech teaching tips for little tykes.

The digital-technology revolution was slow to infiltrate the ranks of America’s public high schools and slower still to trickle down to the ranks of our elementary institutions. But the good news is that high-tech teaching is finally providing a potent shot in the arm to the elementary learning process. Exhibit A is Forest Lake Elementary School, in Columbia, South Carolina. Its classrooms hum with energy as the young students tap out blog posts, operate interactive whiteboards, and take part in other tech-enabled lessons.

Here are tips from Paulette Williams, technology-integration specialist and veteran teacher, on how to make the most of digital tools in elementary schools.

131 tips for new teachers

Tagged with:  

VoiceThread:

Rethinking How Students Learn - a Voicethread from June 2010

.

21st Century Skills Rethinking How Students Learn

The book’s table of contents

Foreword: 21st Century Skills: Why They Matter, What They Are, and How We Get There (Ken Kay)
Introduction (James Bellanca and Ron Brandt)
Chapter 1: Five Minds for the Future (Howard Gardner)
Chapter 2: New Policies for 21st Century Demands (Linda Darling-Hammond, Interviewed by James Bellanca)
Chapter 3: Comparing Frameworks for 21st Century Skills (Chris Dede)
Chapter 4: The Role of Professional Learning Communities in Advancing 21st Century Skills (Richard DuFour and Rebecca DuFour)
Chapter 5: The Singapore Vision: Teach Less, Learn More (Robin Fogarty and Brian M. Pete)
Chapter 6: Designing New Learning Environments to Support 21st Century Skills (Bob Pearlman)
Chapter 7: An Implementation Framework to Support 21st Century Skills (Jay McTighe and Elliott Seif)
Chapter 8: Problem-Based Learning: The Foundation for 21st Century Skills (John Barell)
Chapter 9: Cooperative Learning and Conflict Resolution: Essential 21st Century Skills (David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson)
Chapter 10: Preparing Students for Mastery of 21st Century Skills (Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey)
Chapter 11: Innovation Through Technology (Cheryl Lemke)
Chapter 12: Technology Rich, Information Poor (Alan November)
Chapter 13: Navigating Social Networks as Learning Tools (Will Richardson)
Chapter 14: A Framework for Assessing 21st Century Skills (Douglas Reeves)
Afterword: Leadership, Change, and Beyond the 21st Century Skills Agenda (Andy Hargreaves)

Tagged with:  

Back to school: Podcasts & apps for learning – Plus, what’s in your backpack? — from spotlight.macfound.org

There’s no more pretending about ever-lasting summer, but there are plenty of inspiring tools and technologies that make returning to the classroom easier for teachers and students alike.

image
Photo by Wesley Fryer

.

Writing at Mashable, Alexander Holtz, a multimedia journalist who teaches digital media at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, shares a sampling of “some of the exceptional podcasts that both teach and entertain.”

Example/excerpt:

The Math Dude

West Michigan schools catch up to ‘digital kids’ with new technology– from mlive.com by Kym Reinstadler |  The Grand Rapids Press

Related articles:

    Analysis notes virtual ed. priorities in RTT winners – from edweek.org by Ian Quillen

    While public education experts have for weeks debated which priorities weighed most heavily in the second round of the federal Race to the Top grant competition applications, a review by an online education organization shows most of the 10 winning states submitted strong online learning proposals.

    Susan D. Patrick, president of the Vienna, Va.-based International Association for K-12 Online Learning, or iNACOL, said a wiki document released by the organization highlighting the virtual learning components in all 19 finalists’ applications shows the winning states were ready to use RTT funds to offer more online opportunities and make needed state policy revisions.

    Tagged with:  

    Reimagining education and learning in America – from spotlight.macfound.org
    The MacArthur Foundation’s director of education says we don’t have to wait to create a new vision of learning for America’s schools. The time is now.

    “The case for rethinking and reimagining learning in America for 21st century schoolchildren is as compelling as it gets,” writes Connie Yowell, MacArthur Foundation’s director of education, at The Huffington Post.

    Yowell identifies four ways kids learn that sets them apart from pre-digital era students:

    1. They can pursue interest-driven learning at a tantalizing pace and to fascinating degrees;
    2. They readily collaborate and learn from their peers, across geography and cultures;
    3. They are participating and producing in learning, skill-building, and knowledge-sharing, as opposed to just being receptacles for information;
    4. They can communicate directly with knowledge-giving institutions and individuals all over the world.

    Report: PreK-12 Mobile learning hindered but growing — from The Journal by David Nagel
    Overall growth in handheld learning technologies is forecast at 18.3 percent annually through 2014.

    Susan Patrick: Why online learning is a smart solution

    Ten tips for personalized learning via technology — from Edutopia.org by Grace Rubenstein
    To challenge and support each child at his or her own level, the educators of Forest Lake Elementary deploy a powerful array of digital-technology tools. Discover what your school can learn.

    From DSC:
    Their first tip got my attention and I agree wholeheartedly; the following graphic relays my viewpoint/hope here:

    Looking for something?

    Use the form below to search the site:

    Still not finding what you're looking for? Drop a comment on a post or contact us so we can take care of it!

    © 2010 Learning Ecosystems