Free, multimedia Internet safety presentations

We live in a digital age and our children are exposed to so much. NetSmartz offers free, multimedia Internet safety presentations tailored for specific audiences – parents and communities, tweens, teens, and younger children. Visit their site - there's some great material posted there.

Kahoot - a game-based platform for learning

Kahoot is one of the fastest growing learning brands and we are using this tool to great effect in our classrooms. "It engages the heart, hand and mind for deeper pedagogical impact and supports connected learning and stimulates social learning and collaboration."
(Kahoot: https://getkahoot.com/)

https://getkahoot.com/

The learners just love being able to answer quiz-based questions in an engaging and fun way where they are challenged by their peers and within limited time frames. The results are immediate and real-time. Kahoot is therefore a great tool for testing learning. 

It works on any device with an internet connection and for teachers there is no setup time and involves simple one-click game play.

Writeable surfaces

I love our new desks! And Idea Paint walls!

Our boys are enjoying write-able surfaces in Biology laboratories and our resource centre. They find it much easier and more productive being able to make quick and easy changes and then use their phones / tablets to photograph the final product. They also enjoy making notes while the teacher is talking, or using the surfaces in collaborative work. Another class used the desks to jot down answers during a discussion.

I asked the boys what they enjoyed about working this way and why it was 'way cooler' and 'free-er' than writing on good old fashioned paper. They loved that it wasn't permanent and that mistakes could be easily corrected. 

Flipping the classroom

Flipping the classroom is the new buzz word in education but I prefer rather to use a combination of electronic material to create a blended approach that maximizes the value of teacher contact time. In this way we use technology to support the learning and teaching process. We try to articulate the course content in a uniform way so that pupils have a one stop shop - web pages that clearly lay out the content to be covered, the activities they will be engaged in, all rubric, instructions and supporting resources.

Using a blog to support communication

I'm a great fan of blogging and as this very busy educational year draws to a close (and not a moment too soon), I thought I would share one really simple and effective blogging idea.

Every year a number of staff take our grade 10s to the Cederberg where they hike with staff and on their own; they cycle along country roads; challenge themselves on the banks of the Clanwilliam Dam and work with school children at Elizabethfontein in the Northern Cederberg . At Sanddrift and Jamaka they learn a range of skills and contribute to the upgrading of the environment in which they find themselves. We have named this journey the Bishops Epic. The boys experience a wide range of activities which test them physically and mentally and allow them to appreciate the landscape as well as the people and the history of the area.

Obviously the boys' families want to follow the journey and so we use this blog to communicate. Internet access is not always possible and the staff have limited access to technology. They do, however, have their cell phones and so we set up the blog so that it will automatically upload an email (with photo attachment) as a post on the blog. We chose to have a proof reader supervise the posts before accepting publication. Making possible a simple posting process worked really well. 16500 hits!

Internet and technology concerns

Last night many of us attended the presentation on cyber safety at the Prep. There are many perspectives on how to deal with technology access and loads of wonderful tools to help younger children from accidentally stumbling upon unsuitable and harmful material. 

One example is Youtube Safety. Another example is K9 Browser, a safe way for your sons to browse the Internet. Mobiflock is another tool that parents may want to use. We have put together a site that addresses some of the issues around online safety and offers tips on digital citizenship. 

Parents often share with me their concerns regarding their son’s technology usage at home. My advice is always that you talk to your sons and build a trust relationship. Set the parameters - up front - about what reasonable and appropriate technology usage means in your home. One parent told me that before he gave his son his phone they had agreed that he, as the parent and technology sponsor, had the right to ask his son to make his phone / iPad / laptop available for a spot check that they would do together. It worked both for the parent who was comfortable that he had retained some control and for the son, whose privacy was respected and sense of responsibility and independence acknowledged. Do not forget that you control the Internet connection in your home! I came across the image above. Perhaps give that a try?

8 Classroom Apps to Use - from The Edtech Roundup - written by Michael Karlin

http://www.edtechroundup.org/1/post/2013/08/8-classroom-apps-to-try-this-fall.html

EduClipper - Clip Everything, Share Anything

EduClipper, also known as the "pinterest for education," is an absolutely awesome tool for collecting, sharing, and organizing digital information.  It's great for students and teachers and it can be used to create a digital bulletin board of useful links, articles, pages, and you can even upload your own documents to share.  It's incredibly easy to use and to top it all off, it's free!

    [ The Complete Roundup Review of EduClipper ]

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Class Dojo - Digital Classroom Management

Class Dojo is a free classroom management app that can be used on the web, iOS, and Android devices. Within the app, you can store all of your student information and with the click of a mouse, you can easily award students negative or positive points for their behavior in class.  The app records and tracks all that behavior data so that you can view, graph, and analyze it whenever you want!  

      [ The Complete Roundup Review of Class Dojo ]

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TouchCast - The Web Inside a Video

TouchCast is an awesome new iPad app that allows you to create videos with interactive web content inside of the video.  Within the videos you can integrate maps, images, links, polls, questions, and even live Twitter feeds.  Plus, it's free, fun, and incredibly simple to use.  If you've got iPads you can use in your classroom, definitely give it a try!

      [ The Complete Roundup Review of TouchCast ]

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Metta - Flip Web Content into Video Lessons

Metta (formerly Soo Meta) is a web-based tool for creating flipped video lessons.  Teachers can use the tool to take images, audio, and video from their computers (or the web) and easily mix it all into a video lesson that can be sent out to students.  You even have the option to create interactive polls and questions that students can answer while they're watching the lesson!

         [ The Complete Roundup Review of Metta ]

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Brickflow - Hashtag Based Slideshows

Brickflow is a web-based tool that instantly builds slideshows based on hashtags (#).  You can easily integrate content from YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter to create a slideshow in seconds.  And if you need to, you can also upload your own content as well, so you don't have to be connected to the social media sites.  It's a great, free tool that I think students will enjoy using!

       [ The Complete Roundup Review of Brickflow ]

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Moby Max - Online Math & Language Curriculum

The only reason Moby Max isn't at the top of this list is because I don't teach English anymore, so I won't be able to use this app this fall.  But, for the Language and Math instructors out there, you should absolutely check out the site.  Moby Max is a completely free, standards-based, online curriculum that even determines exactly what indicators your students have trouble with.  It's awesome.

      [ The Complete Roundup Review of Moby Max ]

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EduCade - Find, Create, and Share Lesson Plans

Despite being a relatively new resource, EduCade has a ton of free, standards-based, lesson plans to try out.  You can easily search by grade-level or subject-area to find any lesson you might need.  All the lessons come with the resources you need, a step-by-step lesson plan, and even reviews from other teachers who have tried it out.

       [ The Complete Roundup Review of Educade ]

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Answer Pad - The Free Student Response System

And last, but certainly not least, The Answer Pad a free web, iOS and Android app that is perfect for the BYOD environment.  Remember "clickers," where a question would appear on the board and then the students would press their answer on a remote?  The Answer Pad takes that idea and improves on it a million times over.  If you have a BYOD policy at your school, definitely check it out.

[ The Complete Roundup Review of The Answer Pad ]

Guardian Data - GSCE results - Girls vs Boys

Here is a Guardian data vine. You may wonder what this means. In laymen's terms a data vine is a data rich 6 second video that is shared normally via Twitter.

A picture speaks a thousand words - the power of Infographics

Infographics are visual representations of ideas, concepts and data. Representing data in a visual way has the power of changing one's perspective. One can often get clarity or an answer to a simple question very quickly.

Infographics can be simple or complex, but it allows kids to demonstrate deeper meaning while teaching aspects of design thinking at the same time. It helps reinforce the idea that facts are fine, but placing them in context creates meaning and learning.

WHAT IS AN INFOGRAPHIC?


1. It's a visual explanation that helps you more easily understand, find or do something.
2. It's visual, and when necessary, integrates words and pictures in a fluid, dynamic way.
3. It stands alone and is completely self-explanatory.
4. It reveals information that was formerly hidden or submerged.
5. It makes possible faster, more consistent understanding.
6. It's universally understandable.


http://communicationnation.blogspot.com/2007/04/what-is-infographic.html

http://ivancash.com/

Learning, Visualized
By DIANA LAUFENBERG

"It feels like we’re all suffering from information overload or data glut. And the good news is there might be an easy solution to that, and that’s using our eyes more. So, visualizing information, so that we can see the patterns and connections that matter and then designing that information so it makes more sense, or it tells a story, or allows us to focus only on the information that’s important. Failing that, visualized information can just look really cool."

The Beauty of Data Visualisation

Watch this TD talk video by David McCandless on The Beauty of Data Visualisation

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/david-mccandless-the-beauty-of-data-visualization

10 Tips for designing Infographics by Randy Krum

http://digitalnewsgathering.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/10-tips-for-designing-infographics/

20 Must-Have Educational Resources For All Teachers

Here is an extract from a blog post by Heather Eddick posted on 6th February 2012.

http://www.edudemic.com/2012/02/20-ed-resources/


I divided my resources into categories, based on my interests as a teacher. These are not all Internet-based resources, but all of them take advantage of the information available via that medium.
Devices

• iPad – The iPad provides access to e-texts and incredible educational apps. Attach a Bluetooth keyboard, and students can easily create documents with this device.
• Kindle – In a recent conversation with the Principal of my son’s school, I learned that she wants all of her students to receive a Kindle so they will have access to their texts without having to break their back carrying them all home.
• Nook – The Nook is a good alternative to the Kindle. Some people prefer it to the Kindle, but, personally, I think they might be about even at this point.
• Android Tablets – I like the Android tablets, but I found them to be a bit slow.

Resources for Lesson Planning

• TeacherVision offers many resources for teachers: lesson plans, printables, an event calendar, graphic organizers, tips for classroom management, and more. I love this site and visit it often. *Note: This site requires you to pay for membership after a free trial.
• EdHelper is another site that offers printables and ideas for teachers, but it also allows teachers to create their own printables – even printable books. For elementary or middle school teachers who like to give morning work or bell ringers, this site is great. *Note: This site requires you to pay for membership.
• Readwritethink offers classroom, professional development, and parent resources by grade level and learning objective.
• PBS Teachers offers teachers numerous videos to use in the classroom, professional development resources, lesson plans, and interactive activities. The topics are timely and help students find relevance by connecting concepts to their lives.
• Education World is a great alternative to sites that require members to pay a fee. It offers many of the same things as the members-only sites and has a section for administrators as well.

Classroom Resources

• Audible.com – Although this site is fee-based, I have been a member for many years and recommend it highly for high-quality recordings of texts many teachers use in the classroom. For free audio files, check out http://librivox.org/.
• Animoto.com – My cooperating teacher introduced me to this site. She asked her students to do a project using this site to create a video capturing the character of Holden Caulfield. The results were pretty amazing. Students can create 30 second videos for free.
• Wordle.net – I love this site! I used it first when I wanted to start a poetry for social justice unit, to activate students’ background knowledge on poetry and social justice. I asked the students, “What comes to your mind when you hear…?” Then, I typed the keywords into the text box, clicked the Create button, and we watched a beautiful word cloud appear. The kids enjoyed it. This site is also free.
• Michael Cummings Study Guides – Need a study guide for a great work of literature? Michael’s site probably has it. If not, try enotes.com or shmoop.com. They all have free resources for students; teachers have to pay for things like lesson plans on enotes and shmoop.
• Project Gutenberg – This site offers access to works in the public domain in a variety of formats, including Kindle and ePUB. Project Gutenberg volunteers diligently proofread each work they digitize. They also contribute recordings to librivox.org.

Learning Management Systems

• Schoology is a site I reviewed recently after the Palo Alto SD decided change to its platform. For more information on Schoology, click here.
• LearnBoost.com is another amazing LMS and its free features are quite attractive. What I liked best was the ability to create lesson plans within the site AND reference Common Core standards in the lesson plan. This site also offers a grade book, a teacher-student-parent communication platform, and the ability to integrate with Google Apps.
• Edmodo is similar to Schoology, but Schoology allows you to create courses and Edmodo only allows you to create groups. Still, it’s free, robust, harnesses the power of social media, and makes classroom management a lot easier.

Cloud Resources

• Google Docs – Enough said, I think.
• Evernote - I just started using this and think it’s a great way to store things to read later.
• Diigo - I like the social aspect of diigo, a resource for storing bookmarks and then sharing them with those in your network.

What about you? What resources do you love? Since I am an English teacher, many of my resources are skewed toward that subject, so I would love to hear from other subject-area teachers.

The Pros and Cons of Social Media in Education

By Justin Marquis Ph.D.


http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/02/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-education/

How to learn from mistakes - TED Video Diana Laufenberg

Diana Laufenberg shares 3 surprising things she has learned about teaching -- including a key insight about learning from mistakes. (Filmed at TEDxMidAtlantic.)

Diana Laufenberg teaches 11th-grade American History at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.

"This TED talk made some good points about a shift from mere information to informed, dynamic action, and this shift seems like a good goal for education reform. " John Gusty

Diana Laufenberg talks about the educational merits of:
Experiential Learning
Empowering Student Voice
Embracing failure

What is Digital Citizenship?

The Definition of Digital Citizenship

Read this article from TeachThought

5 Great Tools for Creating your own Educational Infographics

Infographics is a way of communicating visually with your students. Many students tend to be more visual learners and this is an effective way to explain and communicate complex concepts in a graphical way.

Here are 5 useful on-line tools that teachers can use to create their own infographic and transform the learning process for their students.
Emerging Edtech Article on Inforgraphics Tools

The 100 Best Video Sites For Educators

There are some useful links on this page.

QR Codes: an interest in reading

On World Book Day our library chose a variety of popular books that they felt teenage boys would like to read. They wanted to give the boys the opportunity to democratically choose which of the suggested books the library should buy. They used technology to do this! Our library staff created QR codes of reviews of the books and then published these on posters and on the website. Boys use QR scanners on their smart phones to vote for books that appeal to them by simply scanning the QR code and thereafter voting for particular book(s). It’s created a buzz about reading and about the resource centre. The boys feel that they have been included in the process and are excited about our new centre.

The Sources Students use in Research

Infographic authored by Turnitin. Download the full study.

Blogs and other ICT in Bio

Our Bio teachers have just done a section on eco columns and we love how they went about this. Firstly, instead of typing the instructions out, Jacky made a short video which she linked off the academic Intranet site. Instructions on how to Blog and examples of what a good blog should contain were also posted there. She then used Stixy as a pin board to upload further resources / instructions and Blogger as a platform for the pupils to blog the process. In this way she was able to connect pupils to the subject content in a meaningful and fun way. The boys worked together and could communicate with each other anytime / anywhere and also get real-time feedback from their teachers. In this way the teachers could monitor the process, rather than mark an end product. The pupils enjoyed the authenticity and excitement of being able to engage with the various parties –and parents were invited to see the work too. 

What Teens get about the Internet that parents don't

This is an article that was published in The Atlantic on 8th March 2013 that I thought

was worth putting onto our blog for you to read. Mimi Ito makes some relevant 

and poignant observations about the kids of today and the world that they are 

growing up in and the type of world that they wil be exposed to when they leave school. 

There are some important points for us as parents and teachers to consider in this article.

By Mimi Ito

MIMI ITO - Mimi Ito is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digital Media and Learning at the University of California, Irvine.

Parents more often than not have a negative view of the role of the Internet in
 learning, and young people almost always have a positive one.

My 15-year-old daughter has been playing the viola since the fourth grade at school 
and she's been encouraged by her teachers to keep at it since, among other things,
 it's marketable for college. She has been contemplating a new instrument, guitar, 
more in line with her interests and what she listens to with her peers. GuitarLessons365Song/YouTube

This is how the conversation goes about the guitar. Me: "Do you really want to add
a new activity?" Her: "We already have a guitar. I can learn on my own and with my
friends." Me: "It seems like you should get lessons for the basics." Her: "Mom,
that's what the Internet is for." It turns out she's already been practicing with
the help of YouTube tutorials.

My daughter's comment is ironic: She knows I've spent the past decade researching
how young people are learning differently because of the abundance of knowledge
and social connections in today's networked world. But in certain ways, our interactions
are also typical of struggles that many families are facing in balancing the competitive
pressures of college-readiness, the need for unstructured learning and socializing, and
 the role of the Internet in all of that.

Today's young people are more stressed than ever. They are facing a dismal job market.
Tuition is soaring and student loan debt is at an all-time high. As Phillip Brown, Hugh Lauder,
and David Ashton argue in The Global Auction, globalization means greater competition
for jobs, but also greater competition for good schools. We can no longer rely on the
common wisdom that if kids work hard at school, get good grades, and go to college
they will be set for life. A college degree is a requirement for most good jobs, but no
longer a guarantee of one.

Consequently, kids feel pressure to not only do well on tests and in school, but in their
out-of-school activities as well. Trends indicate that families with the means to do so
are investing more and more in enrichment activities to give their kids a leg up.
Whether it is the robotics club, violin lessons or athletics, too often it is less about
genuine interest and more about padding resumes for college.

It's an arms race in achievement -- and the cost isn't just a financial one. Studies
have documented how it used to be the struggling student who was more likely to cheat,
but today college bound students are just as likely to do so when it comes to high-stakes
tests and exams. Other research shows that wealthy teens suffer higher rates of
depression, anxiety, and substance abuse than teens in other socioeconomic groups.
The pressure to succeed along narrow paths is exacting a staggering cost on the values
and well being of our children.

It is no wonder my daughter wants to mess around with the guitar and the Internet
and pursue some interests at a pace that doesn't feel like the relentlessly scheduled
pressure of school and structured activities. For her, the Internet has been a lifeline
for self-directed learning and connection to peers. In our research, we found that
parents more often than not have a negative view of the role of the Internet in learning,
but young people almost always have a positive one.

When we interview young people, they will talk about how the Internet makes it easy
for them to look around and surf for information in low risk and unstructured ways.
Some kids immerse themselves in online tutorials, forums, and expert communities
where they dive deep into topics and areas of interest, whether it is fandom, creative
writing, making online videos, or gaming communities. They also, of course, talk about
spending time hanging out with their peers, but this too is a lifeline that is sorely lacking
in many of today's teen's schedules.

In his state of the union address, President Obama took universities and colleges to task
for rising tuition costs and their failure to foster skills that connect young people to job
opportunity. Obama's remarks reflect our economic realities, as well as our longstanding
assumption that college is where career-relevant learning will happen. We are also seeing
a growing push for universities to put their offerings online, in the form of "massive
open online courses" in addition to long standing online, distance, and extension offerings.
While I would be the last one to argue against getting more good educational material
online and accessible, I do question whether our focus should be exclusively on classroom
instruction.

Young people are desperate for learning that is relevant and part of the fabric of their
social lives, where they are making choices about how, when, and what to learn, without
it all being mapped for them in advance. Learning on the Internet is about posting a
 burning question on a forum like Quora or Stack Exchange, searching for a how to video
on YouTube or Vimeo, or browsing a site like Instructables, Skillshare, and Mentormob
for a new project to pick up. It's not just professors who have something to share, but
everyone who has knowledge and skills.

When my daughter graduates from college, I want her to be able to ask interesting questions,
make wise choices in where to direct her time and attention, and find a career that is about
contributing to a purpose that's more than her own self-advancement. I am proud of her
for managing a rigorous course of study both in school and out of school, but I'm also
delighted that she finds the time to cultivate interests in a self-directed way that is about
contributing to her community of peers. The Internet and her friends have offered my
daughter a lifeline to explore new interests that are not just about the resume and getting
 ahead of everyone else. In today's high-pressure climate for teens, the Internet is feeling
more and more like one of the few havens they can find for the lessons that matter most.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/03/what-teens-get-about-the-
internet-that-parents-dont/273852/

Teaching Poetry Using Thinglink

Our English teacher is impressed by Thinglink, a very easy to use piece of free Internet software that allows one to annotate images.What a great app to use for teaching poetry! By using the tagging tool he is quickly and easily able to enrich the text (picture) with explanations, questions, photos, sound and videos. He is then able to share the interactive image with his class - either via email or our Intranet.