Powerful Antidote for Students

I was fortunate to teach in a 1:1 laptop classroom for seven years. In my classes, students took daily notes on computers, did research, wrote essays, created various multimedia publications, and worked on collaborative projects.

Yet I knew that if I wasn’t watching their screens, my students would at some point be doing something they were not supposed to be doing. So, while I was thrilled with the tremendous educational content available to my students, I was concerned with the less-than-desirable elements pervasive on the Internet. Today, I stroll through many schools that are using technology extensively, and invariably I see students using computers for Facebook, IM, playing games, checking sports scores, and all manner of other “evil” things. (BTW, this is as true in middle school classrooms as it is in graduate schools.)

Many teachers I encounter have decided that they need to crack down on — if not entirely eradicate — screen distractions in their classrooms. (A minority of teachers accept it as a form of 21st century doodling.) So, I regularly get questions from teachers asking if they can lock students into apps (yes, that’s possible) or watch student laptop screens remotely (yes, that’s possible, too).

Yet, I rarely indulge in discussions of “Big Brother” tools and strategies. Instead, I ask teachers to consider the most important truism regarding screen distractions:

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Models to integrate Technology in Teaching

Technology is obviously an essential element in our instructional toolkit. Knowing how and when and for what purposes to use this technology is much more important than the technology itself. Technology integration in instruction requires much more than just digital literacy and technical knowledge, it requires foresight, clear intentions, and well planned goals. The purpose is to meet students learning needs and as such technology is only a means to an end and not the end itself.

An important step in the process of effective integration of technology in education is having a pedagogical approach supported by a theoretical framework to ground your technology practices inside the classroom. Of course there are several frameworks to help you teach using technology but three approaches  in particular stand out from the rest. These are SAMR model, TPACK model, and Marslow model.

1- SAMR model

SAMR is a framework through which you can assess and evaluate the technology you use in your classroom. This framework is made up of 4 levels:

Substitution

In a substitution level, teachers or students are only using new technology tools to replace old ones, for instance, using Google Docs to replace Microsoft Word. the task ( writing) is the same but the tools are different.

Augmentation

Though it is a different level, but we are still in the substitution mentality but this time with added functionalities. Again using the example of Google docs, instead of only writing a document and having to manually save it and share it with others, Google Docs provides extra services like auto saving, auto syncing, and auto sharing in the cloud.

Modification

This is the level where technology is being used more effectively not to do the same task using different tools but to redesign new parts of the task and transform students learning. An example of this is using the commenting service in Google Docs, for instance, to collaborate and share feedback on a given task task.

Redefinition

If you are to place this level in Blooms revised taxonomy pyramid, it would probably correspond to synthesis and evaluation as being the highest order thinking skills. Redefinition means that students use technology to create imperceptibly new tasks. An example of redefinition is when students connect to a classroom across the world where they would each write a narrative of the same historical event using the chat and comment section to discuss the differences, and they use the voice comments to discuss the differences they noticed and then embed this in the class website.

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How Dubai’s Education Model Can Be Used Around The World

By Katie Lepi

I stumbled across this video about education in Dubai recently, and felt that it was worth sharing. The video was made for the government of Dubai in celebration of the 15th anniversary of their department of education – the KHDA, or Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

What I found interesting about the video is that it brings up some pretty big questions about education – mainly about how education is more than schools, colleges, universities, and specific subjects, but it is about knowledge and human development in the most general of senses (as the name of the government department would imply).

How can you apply a huge, overarching principle to a landscape that has changed so drastically over the past few decades, as it has in Dubai?

How can one authority meet the needs of such a diverse population?

While these questions and more are Dubai specific in this scenario, many of them can be applied to your school or your classroom, and they are important questions to think about. Take a gander at the video and weigh in by leaving a comment below, mentioning @Edudemic on Twitter,  or leaving your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Post Source : http://www.edudemic.com/dubai-education-model/

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Powerful New Citelighter Tools (Plus An Edudemic Giveaway!)

Do you guys remember Citelighter? We mention it here from time to time because we think it is a pretty awesome tool that can be useful in many of your classrooms. They started out as a pretty simple tool to help students build bibliographies. Then they added Cognitive Prints to help teachers analyze students’ research and writing process.

Well, they’re still going at it – they continue to build on their already-great tool and add more features.

Today, they’re announcing a new teacher template creator, student outlining tools, and a teacher assessment platform.

A Freebie?! Yes, Please!

Not only that, but because the guys over at Citelighter know that Edudemic readers are at the top of their teaching game, they’re offering a freebie to Edudemic readers only!

The first 50 teachers that email team@citelighter.com with subject line ‘I heart Edudemic’ will receive free access to theentire suite of student and teacher tools until the end of year for free.

Citelighter will spend an hour with you showing you how to set-up your classes, and even show you what they are building over the summer. So you don’t have to have used Citelighter’s tools in the past to make this work in your classroom -they’ll help you! Give them a shout and try it out!

Today’s News From Citelighter

Citelighter knows how important it is for students to learn how to organize and effectively communicate their ideas. It is the cornerstone of 21st Century skills. They also understand the struggles associated with teaching students how to write well, especially considering the complexity of new writing standards. After spending thousands of hours with teachers and students, Citelighter is excited to release their newest installment of student and teachers tools.  This new all-purpose writing platform adds even more to an already impressive six-time award-winning research and writing tool.

The team doesn’t view writing instruction as a set of discrete processes, but rather a continuum where teachers must engage with students at the moment they are struggling. The new platform supports teachers and students alike with tools to create, draft, and edit writing tasks, which provides guidance, a sense of transparency, and collaborative opportunities throughout the entire writing process. This makes Citelighter the most comprehensive assessment platform available. The new tool includes:

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Word Editors For Student Researchers and Teachers

I do a great deal of writing every single day and I also have several writing projects going on in the same time ( my thesis. papers to submit to journals, blog posts here ). Sometimes just answering emails takes me an hour or so. However, being part of my daily practice, writing has helped me a lot not only in honing my writing skill but  also in discovering the best web tools to fit my writing purposes. I initially used to do all my writings on Windows Word but not anymore. There are now several word editing platforms that are cloud-based and, in my view,  do a better job than Word. The purpose of this post today is to share with you 4  good writing platforms I personally use for my writings. 

                       related: 7 Great Citation and Bibliography Tools for Students

Google Document:

Most of my short to medium size writing projects are done through Google Doc. I like this web tool because it is simple to use and does not have all that complex and intimidating clutter of authoring tools Word has. Anything you write on a Doc is automatically saved and synced to your Drive account across different devices.

Scrivener

This is the software I use for what I call heavy writing tasks like writing ebooks or chapters for my thesis. Scrivener is not free it costs $45 and there is a discount of 15% for educators and students. There is also a free trial period of 30 days to try it out before you buy it. Scrivener provides access to all the features of a full rich text editor: add tables, bullet points and images and format your text however you want. Here is a list of the features Scrivener provides to its users. If you are a graduate student or a struggling writer, Scrivener is a MUST have. Here is a great read about Scrivener: Thesis Writing with Scrivener.

LaTex

LaTeX is a high-quality typesetting system; it includes features designed for the production of technical and scientific documentation. LaTeX is the de facto standard for the communication and publication of scientific documents. LaTeX is available as free software.

OpenOffice

If you still have that longing to Microsoft Word, try using OpenOffice. This is a  free office suite competing with Microsoft Office. It includes word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentations. Compatible with MS Office files.

Post Source : http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/10/4-great-word-editors-for-student.html

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Use QR Codes For Language Learning

By Colleen Lee

Cross Posted From - http://www.edudemic.com/qr-codes-for-language-learning/

As smartphone use/ownership among students rises – so has the use of the QR codes. I add them to unit packages for links for Quizlet sites or my YouTube channel – hoping that the ubiquitous phone in the teenagers hand will help them find support outside of class time. Some educators use them as a required part of the lesson. I know that not all of my kids have smartphones capable of reading codes so I don’t require them. Even when I provide them for support I also provide a shortened link to the same material. In a previous post I wrote about a number of practical ways to use them but I didn’t really focus on another reason to use them in your teaching.

To me, the fact that they are a visual, and don’t come with any ‘words’ attached also means that we can use them to reward the curious. This year I am trying an ‘experiment’ in my room – just to see who is curious enough, or aware enough to want to know more. I won’t be giving out extra marks for this, but I will wait to see if any students comment on what I have done.

On The Door

I used an app called “Tellagami” to create a short animated video introducing who I am and what I teach. Then using a free QR code creator I generated a. It’s on window of my door – right where students might notice. If they are curious they will find out a bit about who I am. Almost as important to me is the message it sends “We try new things in here!”

On A Bulletin Board

One of the reasons that I like QR codes is that they don’t come with any words attached. This semester I set up a bulletin board with areas in Japan – outside of the major cities. I dug up some older picture cards I had and put them on the bulletin board together with a map. The only information provided is a arrow to a part of the map and a QR code. The code links to a page for the city or region. This bulletin board will come into play later in my grade 12 course but for now I notice kids looking, pointing and sometimes scanning.

A ‘What is This’?

I receive a magazine a few times a year and one of its pages features objects/items that are photo(2)unique to Japan. In this case I have the picture/explanation but I remove the title (and black out the word in the text if needed). Instead I substitute an audio QR code. They are easy to make via the qrvoice website and available for many languages. Students can read about the object but won’t know what it is until they scan and hear the word.

If you need a code reader on your phone – search your appropriate app store – there are a lot of free ones there. Making QR codes is easy too – there are several sources out there including:

kaywa – make sure you select “static” not dynamic for the easy creation

goo.gl – it will shorten a url and, if you click on ‘details’ create a QR code

qrvoice – type your text, select your language and the code is generated

I’m hoping that the lack of information, and the ease of scanning the code, will reward the curious. And curious learners will, I hope, be more willing to risk in my classroom.

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What Google Will Look Like In The Future

By Katie Lepi

It isn’t a secret that Google makes some pretty awesome tools. Many of the things they offer are particularly popular with teachers and students. They tick a few of the biggest boxes – they’re easy to use, integrate well with each other, and most of all, they’re free. But despite their excellent utility in classrooms, Google is making way cooler stuff than GMail, Drive, and hangouts.

The handy infographic below takes a look at some of the really awesome stuff Google has been doing. It is a wide variety of stuff, which the graphic refers to as their ‘roadmap to world domination’. Will we be ruled by Google? If it means you never have to drive all the way back to work to get your house keys, do you care? Weigh in by leaving a comment below, mentioning @Edudemic on Twitter, or leaving your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Google’s Roadmap To World Domination

In the future, your house keys will tell you that they’re still on your desk, your tools will remind you that you lent them to someone, your car will drive itself to retrieve both of those things, location awareness will be built into everything, and maps will be the operating system of everything.

• 20% of all Google searches are ‘where’ queries
• Google has about 70% of the ‘where query’ market

Trekker is Google’s camera (the one they use on the car that takes the photos for Google Street View).

• Trekker takes 15 photos every 2 seconds
• Those photos are then melded into a 360 degree view
• The photos are then tagged with latitude and longitude
• Trekkers are attached to Google’s driverless cars, 25 of which have logged over 600,000 miles in California

Tons of companies use Google Maps API as a huge part of their products  - like Uber, Redfin, and Airbnb.

Post Source: http://www.edudemic.com/google-future/

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Ways To Use Google Tools To Maximize Learning

By Katie Lepi

There are a boatload of awesome Google tools that we use every day. And they’re free, too, which tends to be a big winner for teachers and students. Free is probably the number one reason for giving Google’s tools a try – you haven’t lost anything but a bit of time if you decide you don’t like the tool.

All of the tools also integrate well with one another, have similar user interfaces, and are pretty darned easy to use, so if you can use one, you’re sure to feel right at home using many of the other tools, too. While Google’s search may be their ubiquitous tool, there are a lot of others that you may have not heard about yet.

Keep reading to learn about the tools and some ideas to use them in your classroom.

Voice Comments

For use within Google Drive documents, you can now record audio comments and share them with other users. Teachers can record comments to share with students regarding their work, students can share audio comments for peer reviews, and in the professional development arena, teachers can collaborate on documents with an more in depth explanation when necessary. Audio comments can allow the reader/listener to understand intonation and other things that are sometimes lost in written conversation.

Write Space

Write Space is an installable extension for Google Chrome and derived web-browsers. It is a minimalist, full-screen text-editor that aims to be simple and distraction-free, yet customizable to suit the user’s preferences. This is one of those great tools for those who need a digital environment free of the distractions typical of the web (click click click click – wait, what was I doing, again?)  Simple to use, free, and your work saves regularly with an autosave function to your local hard drive. This one would admittedly be better if it could automatically sync with your Google Docs so that you wouldn’t have to manually save them there to access your work from anywhere, but maybe that is in the pipeline.

Research Tool

Research tool is a function designed to make it easy to add information from the web to your documents and presentations (in Drive). Basically, it adds a search bar into the sidebar of your document, and you can use it to search the web for specific types of information related to what you’re working on. It even offers suggestions based on what you’re writing about (or you can perform your own search, too). A preview function allows you to preview search results, you can easily insert information (clippings, images, etc) right into your document, and it also offers a “cite” function so that you don’t lazily “forget” where you got your information from. A great resource for students writing papers.

Forms

Google Forms allows users to create surveys. Whether your students are doing research projects or you’re polling the students in your class for assessment, as a collective brainstorming tool or just for fun, it is simple to use and allows easy export of your data to spreadsheets for your analyzing and calculating pleasure.

Moderator

Google Moderator allows users to create a meaningful conversation from many different people’s questions, ideas, and suggestions. A user can ask a series of questions (specific or open ended) and allow other users (anyone) to respond to the questions, ask follow up questions, or contribute an anecdote or opinion to the discussion. You can create your own questions, allow users to answer via YouTube video, vote on the questions, and more. It could be a great tool for student projects that require qualitative data or opinion polls, for asking other teachers questions about professional development/ experiences with technology, etc, or for non-academic school and district wide discussions. As an example, the moderator function was used during the last presidential elections. 20,441 people submitted, 3,076 questions and cast 321,432 votes – that’s a big dialogue happening!

Image Directory

Google’s Image search is awesome. If you’re looking for a picture, piece of art, or something else similar to something you see, you can upload/take a photo and search via that, rather than typing in a silly description “photo of a girl playing in grass”. This is exceptional for when you’re looking for something really specific that you don’t know the name of, or you’d have to make a really long-winded description with words to find it.

Templates

Google Templates has a whole section devoted to students and teachers, housing a ton of templates for syllabi, schedules, rubrics, lesson plans, presentations, and more.  You can share your own templates for these things and more, and leverage the existing content if you’re short on time or creativity.

Post Source : http://www.edudemic.com/ways-use-google-tools-maximize-learning/

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