Learning Technology

As teachers, when we assign a research project, we often focus on the end product: the research essay, presentation, etc. However, students (especially young students) do not automatically know how to conduct meaningful research. Our modern students are used to Googling answers. They have grown accustomed to information being readily available. However, as academics, we know that research isn’t a  fast process. It’s slow and deliberate. As a teacher, I need to intentionally slow my students down during this exercise. I do this by breaking down a larger project into more manageable chunks and focusing on the process.

The National Literary Trust studied almost 35,000 eight- to 16-year-olds.

Its findings suggest a picture of young people who are now immersed in a screen-based culture.

As well as social networking and browsing websites, the study indicates almost a third of youngsters read fiction on online devices.

The problem is that Wikipedia in the classroom has gotten a bad reputation in the K-12 world, undeservedly so I think. I would suggest that Wikipedia can be used for a multitude of educational purposes at a wide variety of grade levels. Too many teachers are still afraid to use it in class, so I’m here to right that wrong and show our educators how they can responsibly integrate Wikipedia into their lessons.

I developed this quiz with members of my personal learning network (found at end of post) to get students thinking about their digital footprint. The quiz was created at the request of high school students I spoke with who thought the creation of a such a quiz could lead to a smart conversation about ways students can update their digital footprint so that it is one that leads to college and career success.

Mob mentality can take over all too easily online. Your social stream has likely been flooded with status updates about breaking news. While it's important to stay current, establish a strong personal brand that doesn't waver based on what's trending. After all, the root of mom's lesson is to stay true to yourself.

Sure, some kids will ignore the video. “The same kids who don’t currently do their homework will not watch the lecture,” says McCammon. “But as you start making your class more engaging, kids who don’t usually do their homework will start doing it because they want to participate in the class.” Kids write questions down while they’re watching the video, and then the first 10 minutes of class is for discussion of what they’ve seen. Then kids spend the remaining 50 minutes working in teams of four to solve problems.

Rolling out a 1-to-1 technology program can be a daunting task for any school or district. After talking to some of the most forward-thinking 1-to-1 administrators and teachers, we've got the inside scoop ... and we're here to share it with you!

Games, in contrast, depend on failure to teach. They literally push players to the edge of their ability and knowledge; then the best games change or adapt when a level is reached to push players further. In order to succeed, players must encounter and overcome obstacles both large and small along the way. These disappointments teach students to persevere and foster creativity and adaptability – invaluable skills in our hyper-connected, fast-paced, global economy. Here is a look at some of the ways failure helps students and how games support this valuable learning opportunity.

My point is that if we use social bookmarking frequently, it becomes a mechanic process. Every time you see something interesting, we press the “share button”, add as many tags, keywords as we can think of, and that’s it. We’ll filter the information later on, no need to deal with it right now. Even if this process doesn’t save time right now. In the future, when you need to retrieve information for any kind of project, and if you have bookmarked it before, the whole process could be a time saver.

The continual connectivity and direct communication made possible through social media tools is what has essentially changed communication forever. Therefore, while I may have a specifically guided professional site, that site is present in the digital world and, as such, can be searched, linked, commented on, and posted–it can be “webbed” and that is precisely why new tools of communication are so powerful and also why their implications for teaching and learning are so amazing.

Teach a man to fish, eh? Give a kid an app and you inspire her for a day; teach a kid to make apps and you inspire her for a lifetime.

E-readers and tablets are becoming more popular as such technologies improve, but research suggests that reading on paper still boasts unique advantages

Duncan McCue looks at the MOOC, otherwise known as, the Massive Open Online Course. They are changing the way teachers teach and the way students learn because they can fill a classroom with a billion brains.

If you haven’t heard of 20% time in the classroom, the premise is simple: Give your students 20% of their class time to learn what they want. Yes, that’s it. Below is a list of the 10 reasons you should consider 20% time in your school, and you will not regret making that choice!

iPads have certainly become a highly desired commodity in education. Apple is reporting that schools are purchasing iPads by a ratio of 2:1 over MacBooks. However, that rush to purchase the latest technologies often precedes the careful planning and preparation that’s crucial to their success as educational tools.

Stated simply, technology alone doesn’t have the capacity to improve education. It needs to be woven into a holistic approach to education that encompasses thorough planning and ongoing review of the skills and competencies required by the rapidly changing society that characterizes life in the 21st century.

Brain scans taken during Poldrack’s experiment revealed that different regions of the brain were active under the two conditions, indicating that the brain engages in a different form of memory when forced to pay attention to two streams of information at once. The results suggest, the scientists wrote, that “even if distraction does not decrease the overall level of learning, it can result in the acquisition of knowledge that can be applied less flexibly in new situations.”