Welcome back! I hope everyone is in the middle of a relaxing weekend or, AT THE START OF SUMMER BREAK! Woo! Today's Round Up starts off with tons of new content from Edudemic. First, "How Technology Inspires Creativity in the Classroom." This post is mainly for those teachers who remain unconvinced that technology can be anything more than a distraction in the classroom, but it also has some useful tips for those teachers who are comfortable with tech as well.
And on the flip-side, we've got "The 4 Negative Side Effects of Technology." This post considers how the rapid acceptance and integration of technology into our lives and classrooms is not always a good thing. They discuss how technology can, when improperly used, lead to elevated exasperation, deteriorated patience, declining writing skills, and a lack of physical interactivity. These issues are incredibly important for educators to keep in mind when encouraging classroom technology use.
Next up, Edudemic has an article on "Why Urban Students Have a Learning Advantage." I think it goes without saying that many urban schools are often faced with enormous disadvantages in funding, resources, and teachers; however, this article argues that "what urban children have by the boatload is grit." The post goes on to outline how the "courage and persistence" that is prevalent in many urban schools will be exactly what will "help our nation prosper int he 21st century."
Edudemic continues with ideas on "5 Ways to Really Connect with Online Students." This post emphasizes the importance of being engaging and available, assigning group work, providing timely feedback, and developing a personal connection. When teachers forget these principles, online learning can quickly become a hollow, unrewarding experience.
Plus, Edudemic also has a new write-up comparing "South Korea vs U.S. Education." I actually spent two years teaching in South Korea, and I'll have an editorial up soon about my personal experiences with their education system (or you can check out my old blog posts), but this particular article examines the results of Person's new global report on education. The main difference they found was that in SK parents spend around 25% of their income to supplement their children's education with private classes, tutors, and learning materials.
Finally, Edudemic closes with three new infograhpics:
And on the flip-side, we've got "The 4 Negative Side Effects of Technology." This post considers how the rapid acceptance and integration of technology into our lives and classrooms is not always a good thing. They discuss how technology can, when improperly used, lead to elevated exasperation, deteriorated patience, declining writing skills, and a lack of physical interactivity. These issues are incredibly important for educators to keep in mind when encouraging classroom technology use.
Next up, Edudemic has an article on "Why Urban Students Have a Learning Advantage." I think it goes without saying that many urban schools are often faced with enormous disadvantages in funding, resources, and teachers; however, this article argues that "what urban children have by the boatload is grit." The post goes on to outline how the "courage and persistence" that is prevalent in many urban schools will be exactly what will "help our nation prosper int he 21st century."
Edudemic continues with ideas on "5 Ways to Really Connect with Online Students." This post emphasizes the importance of being engaging and available, assigning group work, providing timely feedback, and developing a personal connection. When teachers forget these principles, online learning can quickly become a hollow, unrewarding experience.
Plus, Edudemic also has a new write-up comparing "South Korea vs U.S. Education." I actually spent two years teaching in South Korea, and I'll have an editorial up soon about my personal experiences with their education system (or you can check out my old blog posts), but this particular article examines the results of Person's new global report on education. The main difference they found was that in SK parents spend around 25% of their income to supplement their children's education with private classes, tutors, and learning materials.
Finally, Edudemic closes with three new infograhpics:
Free Technology for Teachers starts off covering how to "How to Document Collaborative Brainstorming Sessions with Realtime Board." Realtime Board is an excellent free tool that teachers and students can use to collaborate with images, videos, and PDFs by writing notes and comments in real time. Here's a video showing how the program works
Free Tech also has a write-up on "Remind 101 - Safely Text Parents and Students." Teachers can use Remind 101 to send free texts to groups of students or parents from a computer, iPhone, or Android device. Plus, the service allows you to schedule messages to be sent out in the future as well.
Finally, Free Tech covers "Flask - Quickly Create and Share To-do Lists." Flask is a free, web-based list maker that allows you to create and share to-do lists. You don't have to create an account (unless you want to create multiple lists) and the service has an incredibly simple and friendly interface.
Free Tech also has a write-up on "Remind 101 - Safely Text Parents and Students." Teachers can use Remind 101 to send free texts to groups of students or parents from a computer, iPhone, or Android device. Plus, the service allows you to schedule messages to be sent out in the future as well.
Finally, Free Tech covers "Flask - Quickly Create and Share To-do Lists." Flask is a free, web-based list maker that allows you to create and share to-do lists. You don't have to create an account (unless you want to create multiple lists) and the service has an incredibly simple and friendly interface.
Getting Smart opens with an interesting read on "What is the Problem with Professional Development." They argue that "the biggest problem is the way we frame it with the language that we use, and the thoughtless interpretation and implementation that we apply." So basically the problem is, how we talk about PD and how we enact PD (so, everything...) The article goes on to offer suggestions for improving our current PD systems.
Getting Smart also discusses their Top 10 Posts from the week, covering the topics of Blended Schools & Tools, Digital Developments, Apps, Common Core, and Higher Learning.
Getting Smart also discusses their Top 10 Posts from the week, covering the topics of Blended Schools & Tools, Digital Developments, Apps, Common Core, and Higher Learning.
Emerging Ed Tech has a new post discussing how "The iPad Isn't the Only Tablet Computer Being Used in Schools." The article reminds us that, despite the major publicity and recognition the iPad receives for its educational uses, there are many alternatives that offer the same benefits at lower prices.
Teach Thought opens the weekend with a collection of readings entitled, "The Impact of Technology: What Gadgets Can't Do For Us." The list includes articles from the Pew Foundation, the Washington Post, and Gawker, just to name of few. Teach Thought also has a new post outlining the "5 Characteristics of Global Learning."
The Ed Tech Review has two new posts up from the weekend. The first, an "Educator's Checklist of Great Websites for Teaching Tips." covers 9 websites that offer free resources to teachers. The Review also discusses the "Growth, Importance, and Power of Mobile Technologies." It's an excellent article covering the advantages of mobile and BYOD learning.
Finally, Educational Technology has three new weekend posts:
Quite a weekend! If you're ever feeling overwhelmed by the constant stream of Ed Tech content that is released on a daily basis, you can always check out the Round Up's collection of Links and Lesson Plans. I try to create a limited list of what I've found to be the MOST useful tools and ideas, and I'm always adding new ideas to the lists as well.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and see you tomorrow!
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and see you tomorrow!
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