Eclectic Technology
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Eclectic Technology
Tech tools that assist all students to be independent learners & teachers to become better teachers
Curated by Beth Dichter
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15 Questions To Help Students Respond To New Ideas

15 Questions To Help Students Respond To New Ideas | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"It just might be that in a society where information is abundant, thinking habits are more important than knowledge. Somewhere beneath wisdom and above the “things” a student knows.

Laws of economics say that scarcity increases value. It’s no longer information that’s scarce, but rather meaningful response to that information. Thought.

And thought has a source–a complex set of processes, background knowledge, and schema that we can, as educators think of as cognitive habits. And if they’re habits, well, that means they’re probably something we can practice at, doesn’t it?"

Beth Dichter's insight:

We want our students to demonstrate that they know how to think, to understand that they have the ability to ask questions and find answers, answers that may not be available through Google (esp. if we are asking them to research). In short, we want them to use metacognitive skills.

But how do we teach them these skils? The image above, from teachthought, provides 15 questions that may help students create the habits that students need to learn. Below are three of the questions. Click through to the post for the entire list, as well as some great discussion.

* Is this idea important to me? To others? Why or why not?

* Is there a “part” of this new idea I can take and “pivot”? Create something new and fresh?

* What real-world models–examples–relate to this that can help me understand this further?

Consider posting these questions in your classroom and using them when appropriate with students.

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How To Inspire the Next Generation of Creative Thinkers and Innovators

How To Inspire the Next Generation of Creative Thinkers and Innovators | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"What insights would you gain if you asked 13 innovators (architects, artists, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs and a media savvy baker) what they would urge educators and parents to do to best develop the next generation of innovators and creative thinkers?"

Beth Dichter's insight:

This post shares 12 insights from a variety of innovators. What are some of their ideas? (Ideas below quoted from the post)

* Realize that Out of School time tends to be more inspiring and powerful ...

* Provide unique Experiences that surprise and allow children to see things from new perspectives...

* Refining the skill of Asking Questions is the fuel that ignites innovators...

The post includes some sharing of how innovators explored in their own unique ways as children. You will also find one short video of an innovator sharing their story as well as a link to eleven videos from the conference Innovators to Educators. This post may bring some fresh ideas to use with students of all ages.

Dr Pam Hill's curator insight, March 13, 2014 8:54 AM

Race to the Top demands that we prepare learners to be innovative creators. Wouldn't it be fabulous to have this type of training happening in PD and classrooms?

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Why It's Time To Start Teaching Students How To Think - Edudemic

Why It's Time To Start Teaching Students How To Think - Edudemic | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
As an elementary teacher, I can’t help but notice that children today want quick answers and do not take the time to think things through.
Beth Dichter's insight:

As teachers how can we help out students learn to think. Their world outside of school is filled with technology that often provides "instant gratification."
This post is split into four sections.
* We must teach our children to think.

* We must not underestimate modeling thinking.

*As we teach students how to think, we must include questioning as an integral part of the thinking process.

* Collaboration contributes greatly to learning.

Teaching students to think should begin at an early age and think-alouds are one tool to use. "Think-alouds are essential if we want our students to know the discourse that must take place in their brains when they are processing information. When students observe others performing an action it predisposes them to that activity on a subconscious level."

Additional information is available in the post.

Carolyn Williams's curator insight, August 26, 2013 4:57 AM

Making it Fun!

Kymberley Pelky's curator insight, August 26, 2013 3:12 PM

In an age where children expect everything to be instant, their responses become the same without taking time to process the information first.

Becky Mowat's comment, August 26, 2013 9:48 PM
Analysis and synthesis take time...and are critical to problem solving, as we all know. How to teach these higher level thinking processes is key to helping students become successful independent learners.
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The Internet May Not Be Doing Our Brains Much Good [Video]

The Internet May Not Be Doing Our Brains Much Good [Video] | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"Working on the Internet every day, you start to have certain suspicions about how it affects the way you think and process information. Turns out, there's something to that."

Beth Dichter's insight:

A short (~4 minutes) is embedded in this post that looks at how the Internet affects our brain. The video is based on the book "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brain" and this video presents an overview of the topics in the book. This is a video you may choose to share with students.

Rachel Hall's curator insight, May 9, 2013 12:00 AM

the good and the bad....

Tracy Shaw's curator insight, May 9, 2013 4:27 PM

Thought provoking book ------ taking time to 'unplug' is really a necessity we need to model for students.

Ken Morrison's comment, May 12, 2013 9:44 PM
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing. Also, congrats on your scoop.it score of 92!
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Thinking About A Lack Of Thinking

Thinking About A Lack Of Thinking | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

Thinking..is there enough thinking by students, teachers, administrators and policy makers in education? Grant Wiggins states "We know more but are oddly increasingly? - thoughtless. Why?"

The post makes it clear that how we understand definitions of a number of terms is critical. After a discussion on words thoughtful and thoughtless the post is split into the following sections:

* What is Thoughtfulness?

* A Common Thoughtless Comment

* Thinking About Our Continued Thoughtlessness

This article was the first of three posts. The second post can be found at

http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/thoughtlessness-part-2/. The third post in the series may be accessed at Wiggins website. It is called Grit, character and academic success: thoughtlessness, part 3.

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How Thinking in 3D Can Improve Math and Science Skills

How Thinking in 3D Can Improve Math and Science Skills | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"All of us, children included, live in a three-dimensional universe—but too often parents and teachers act as if the physical world is as flat as a worksheet or the page of a book. We call kids’ attention to numbers and letters, but we neglect to remark upon the spatial properties of the objects around us: how tall or short they are, how round or pointy, how close or far. Growing evidence suggests that a focus on these characteristics of the material world can help children hone their spatial thinking skills—and that such skills, in turn, support achievement in subjects like science and math."

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Gymnasium for the Brain: Remember 'Sky is the limit for those who try'

Gymnasium for the Brain: Remember 'Sky is the limit for those who try' | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

Welcome to Gymnasium for brain!
What is this site about? This site has been developed to help people to sharpen their mind and improve their ability to think outside the box.

In short this site is a gym dedicated to the wellness of the mind.

What this site contains?

* Puzzles with step by step solution: hones analytical and logical skills
* Patterns: sharpens the creative skills
* Speed Math: improves speed and makes math fun
*Kids' corner: contains activities, moral stories and answers to frequently asked questions by the kids

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How Beginner's Luck Works and How You Can Reproduce It Anytime (Even If You're Not a Beginner)

How Beginner's Luck Works and How You Can Reproduce It Anytime (Even If You're Not a Beginner) | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"At some point in your life you've won a game you've never played before or witnessed a young child say or create something with worldly depth."

How about this quote from Shunryu Suzuki (a Buddhist monk) "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."

Perhaps we need to try to see the world through the eyes of a child, be more open to trying ideas that we think are completely off the wall, to think like a child. Much more information is found in this article.

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Inside Out: How Creative People Play : NPR

Inside Out: How Creative People Play  : NPR | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
What happens when you turn convention on its head and look a the world from a totally different perspective? It's an exercise in opening the mind by turning expectations upside down.
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Why Doodling Matters (draft 1) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Why Doodling Matters (draft 1) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

As Temple Grandin says, "the world needs all kinds of minds." and some of those minds "think in pictures". Doodling is a form of external thought that allows you to visualize the connections you are making while thinking. Scroll down to see Draft 2.

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30 Ways to Inspire Divergent Thinking - InformED

30 Ways to Inspire Divergent Thinking - InformED | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"When we stop talking about creativity and innovation in abstract terms and start thinking about how they originate, we get divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is more than thinking outside the box; it’s thinking without the box, and imposing structure later."

Beth Dichter's insight:

Why is divergent thinking important in education, and how can we inspire our students to become divergent thinkers? This post explores this idea, beginning with a definition of divergent thinking and providing a look at current research on divergent thinking.

Did you know that divergent thinking "stems from logical, unbiased thinking" or that divergent thinking "leads to positive mood swings while convergent thinking leads to negative mood swings." After this discussion (and there is much more in the post) you will find 30 tips on how to teach your students to become divergent thinkers. A few of the tips are below.

* Fast, frequent failures (with the suggestion that students quickly lay out all possible solutions). Identifying mistakes helps to lead to the students to the correct solution.

* Google - Today students like to Google the answer...but what if you create questions that require deeper thinking, where Google will not supply an answer quickly.

Many more ideas are available in the post. Click through to read more.

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S.A.S.S.Y. SAMR: Toolkit for Educators to Transform Instruction

S.A.S.S.Y. SAMR: Toolkit for Educators to Transform Instruction | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
  • S: STUDENTS and Storytelling
  • A: Awesome ASSESSMENT (Teacher-Driven and Student-Driven)
  • S: SOCIAL (Voice and Collaboration)
  • S: SEEK: Research and Visualization (Finding it, Citing it, and Displaying it)
  • Y: YOU: Think about Your Own Thinking…
Beth Dichter's insight:

This infographic has many ThingLinked activities and resources. To get to them click through to the post. The infographic includes five pieces of support material, including over 60 SAMR examples and resources. There are also four questions that may help you determine if the technology is an enhancement or transformative. One is below.

* Does the technology/tool allow for collaboration (e.g. within a school, district, state, nation, globe, experts, PLN)?

This post is chock full of information as well as introducing the new acronym SASSY (see infographic above).

Ruby Day's curator insight, February 14, 2014 3:54 PM

Useful resources for programme design

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Exactly What The Common Core Standards Say About Technology

Exactly What The Common Core Standards Say About Technology | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"The Common Core Standards, the national academic standards for K-12 schools in the United States, have now been adopted by 47 of the 50 states in the U.S. This makes them the pre-eminent source of what is being taught in the vast majority of public schools in America."

Beth Dichter's insight:

When you read the Common Core Standards the use of technology is embedded in writing, reading (informational) and speaking and listening. This post looks at "four sample standards from elementary, middle, and high school English-Language Arts" and provides a number of ways you might address them.

It suggests looking at the "thinking verbs" - publishing, collaboration, evaluation and integration, describing each and sharing how you might bring them into your classroom and address the Common Core Standards.

The post also looks at "Takeaways for Teachers". It states "...the takeaway is simple: technology is no longer a feel-good way to develop buzz and honor authenticity, but rather a matter of academic merit and fidelity–which is awesome for several reasons." Four reasons are provided, with the first stating "No longer must progressive educators defend the reasoning behind twitter, YouTube, iPads, or blogging in their classroom."

One question this post raises for me is that not all teachers have access to the technology needed on a consistent basis to help their students meet these standars.The Common Core has been adopted but will our students be ready to demonstrate their knowledge in these areas when the time comes.


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Have You Tried TED ED? Here Are 6 Sample Videos

Have You Tried TED ED? Here Are 6 Sample Videos | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

TEd-Ed is a great resource to find videos. This post provides a look at six of their videos. Each video has a multiple choice quiz as well as some questions with short answers. They also include additional resources. You also have the ability to flip the lesson on your own. A tour of TED-Ed is available at http://ed.ted.com/tour.

This post shares six videos in six subject categories (out of 11 categories). Click through to see videos on:

* How inventions change history?

* How breathing works?

* Logarithms, Explained

* Rethinking thinking

* How do nerves work?

* Why do Americans vote on Tuesday?

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Creativity and IQ, Part I: What Is Divergent Thinking? How Is It Helped by...

Creativity and IQ, Part I: What Is Divergent Thinking? How Is It Helped by... | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

The first of a two part series, this post explores "the creative prociess and how your IQ level is critical in this process." Sections include "left brain vs right brain and creativity...convergent thinking and divergent thinking...free association theory of creativity...left brain right brain re-visited: convergent and divergent...what is creative inspriation? Unfocused and unconscious...sleep and creativity...humor and creativity..." and more.

The second post will look at "IQ level and working memory capacity."

Miranda Harper's curator insight, September 29, 2014 12:20 PM

Discussion: How can educator's foster divergent thinking in the classroom? What strategies and activities can be used to activate the right brain? 

Gary N Cypress Jr's curator insight, October 7, 2015 8:46 PM

Creativity goes as deep as the study of the brain. Creativity is not taught just enhanced

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5 Ways Teachers Can Evaluate Educational Games

5 Ways Teachers Can Evaluate Educational Games | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
Every wondered what an educational video game has to have in order to be successful? Here's a list.

* Define the learning objective

* Describe the learning mechanic

* Imagine what students are thinking

* Pick a game mechanic

* Create a theme where the mechanic can exist

Read the article for more detail and information.

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The 8 Types Of Imagination | Edudemic

The 8 Types Of Imagination | Edudemic | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"It has been said that imagination is more important than knowledge, and for any experienced classroom teacher it is easy to see daily evidence of this...

Dr. Murray Hunter of the University of Malaysia Perlis has listed the 8 types of imagination we use on a daily basis, with explanations for each." His definition "Imagination is a manifestation of our memory and enables us to scrutinize our past and construct hypothetical future scenarios that do not yet, but could exist. Imagination also gives us the ability to see things from other points of view and empathize with others."

Read on to learn the 8 types of imagination and links to additional resources.

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'How Creativity Works': It's All In Your Imagination : NPR

In his new book, Imagine, Jonah Lehrer explores the art and science of original thinking — from Shakespearean tragedies to the invention of masking tape to Nike's "Just Do It" campaign.  And when you get stuck?
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How Exercise Fuels the Brain

How Exercise Fuels the Brain | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
The increase in brain activity that occurs with exercise appears to have implications not only for how well the brain functions during exercise, but also for how well our thinking and memory work the rest of the time.
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What is Visual Thinking? | The Mindjet Blog

What is Visual Thinking? | The Mindjet Blog | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
I recently came across a blog post from the Visual Leap that I wanted to share with everybody. Visual thinking, aka.
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