Free resource of educational web tools, 21st century skills, tips and tutorials on how teachers and students integrate technology into education

By James Logan. Click here to visit the author's website.

What stood out most to me from the survey results was the stark difference between the attitudes of the students who used social media daily and were given the opportunity to use social media in the classroom more than 5 times in a school year, versus what students who use social media daily, but who had never been given the opportunity to use it in class had to say. You see, those students only look that their own social use, their tendency to be distracted by their friends’ posts. They are also likely the students who have been taught nothing about social media beyond how bad it is, so it is no wonder that they could not see any educational value.

Free resource of educational web tools, 21st century skills, tips and tutorials on how teachers and students integrate technology into education

Recently, my school district formed a committee to explore the idea of making our libraries relevant again. With drastic budget cuts a few years ago, our elementary had more or less been reduced to book circulation with a part-time librarian that shares three elementary schools. Relevancy is not a word that I would use to

[Cross-posted from the global blog ] Today’s digital devices and tools offer amazing opportunities for kids to imagine, invent an

Taking traditional training materials online is akin to substituting baking soda for baking powder. It can be done, but it’s not a straight one-to-one translation. Adjustments must be made: content, learner situation, format, and more. Here are five best practices for making those adjustments!

Technology surrounds us, and so do questions about the readiness of our students to step into future job markets that have ever-increasing demands for technical competencies — and application proficiencies — in emerging technologies like augmented reality. One faculty member at Bentley University in Waltham, MA, considered ways that his students might best learn to create and use augmented reality. He designed a bold experiment with a partner school, Politehnica University of Timisoara, in Romania — the students would create AR artifacts to examine and learn from each other. In this learning collaboration, students from these two schools, on separate continents, learn about augmented reality and how it is used in industry.

Here, Mark Frydenberg, a senior lecturer of computer and information systems and director of the CIS Sandbox at Bentley University in Waltham, MA, details the project and the thinking behind it.

As augmented reality’s classroom potential grows, apps are becoming more relevant and targeted for educational purposes.

With video, teachers can get feedback from their colleagues during non-school hours. They can also share short snippets, rather than having colleagues review a whole lesson. For instance, if a teacher is having trouble with transitions, she can tape only the transitions for another teacher to review. This leads to specific, actionable feedback, turning occasional opportunities to observe into a formative process.

Looking for a clip to send home to students or want to connect a video link for a QR code scavenger hunt? Educational 360 videos are worth exploring!

At the Learning Counsel’s Annual Gathering and National Awards event, twelve leading districts were recognized for their vision and innovation in integrating digital curriculum and technology into their teaching and learning process. Attendees at the event included top education executives from around the U.S., who gathered to acknowledge exemplary progress and discuss how innovation, technology, and school and classroom remodeling is pushing the education envelope—all in the name of better outcomes for our youth.

“The Learning Counsel is helping education leaders chart a course that includes actionable data and current trends,” said Janell McClure, the director of Digital & Multimedia Learning from Cobb County School District. “These awards share incredible examples of innovative thinking. The knowledge we’ve gained at this Gathering event will guide our work as we continue to strive for excellence in teaching and learning through digital platforms, tools, and practices.”

Miguel Guhlin

By Paula Hicks