Digital Learning 1.1 – Blogs Of Note

The blogosphere is alive and well with resources and innovative ideas on using tech in education. In this regular feature we highlight five blogs on edtech that are worth checking out.

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Around the Corner by Miguel Guhlin

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      string(338) "... greatest. His blog is a fantastic compendium of resources, mostly related to Google apps and tools, but with many that would work outside of the Google suite.  From music education tools (Groove Pizza anyone?) to add-ons for Google Docs, Curts shows how to get the most out of the ..."
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      string(4786) "Control Alt Achieve www.controlaltachieve.comEric Curts is the kind of guy who seems to know all the cool things out there and can think about great ways to use them. He’s a Google Education Trainer and Certified Innovator so he’s well connected to the source of the latest and greatest. His blog is a fantastic compendium of resources, mostly related to Google apps and tools, but with many that would work outside of the Google suite.  From music education tools (Groove Pizza anyone?) to add-ons for Google Docs, Curts shows how to get the most out of the applications out there. In addition to noting which tools exist, he has great ideas for using them in the classroom. His post on Writing Prompts offers inspirational ideas for starting writing projects and he has a wonderful post on learning the basics of spreadsheets by creating artwork in the style of Mondrian. All his posts are creative and offer real insights and inspiration. Class Tech Tips classtechtips.com/blogHave you ever seen a great app or program but weren’t sure if it’s really something you can use? Class Tech Tips offers in-depth reviews and ideas for using tech tools in the classroom. Dr Monica Burns is the face behind the blog, and she has published several books on how to incorporate tech in classrooms that focus on creativity, deep learning and thinking skills. Her blog posts include features on creative writing using Writable, augmented reality lesson plans, responsive curriculum management using a new platform Kiddom, and problem solving apps for kids. The posts are often sponsored by the companies, but the content is not advertorial. Her insights and ideas are informed and well-considered, making this a great resource for both teachers and school leaders for finding out about new technology in a meaningful way.The Innovative Educator theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.comSometimes you can have all the tools but not be sure of the issues that surround using them or be unclear about how to adapt them for your particular situation. Enter Lisa Nielsen, a.k.a. the Innovative Educator. Nielsen blogs about a wide variety of edtech issues, particularly in areas of accessibility. Have you ever thought about how to make your Facebook group or Tweets more inclusive and accessible? She has, and she has great ideas about how to do so. She’s thoughtful and engaging on issues such as screen time and practices relating to policy implementation, and she’s great at debunking the latest social media myths and fears (Is Facebook Really Kicking Members Out of Groups?). If you want intelligent and thoughtful writing, in addition to great tips and suggestions for the latest tech tools, the Innovative Educator is where it’s at.Edtech Emma www.edtechemma.comWith a very personal, confessional style, Edtech Emma aims to show teachers how easy and exciting it can be to incorporate technology into classroom teaching. Her blog is straightforward and direct, showcasing new tools, providing classroom resources and offering lesson plans. The content is divided into several sections if you wish to browse by subject: Assessment, Chromebooks, EdTech, FREE Resources, Google, Lesson Plan, Non-Tech, Reading, Student Centered, Tablets, Time Savers. She recommends books to read and shares her experiences with teaching. She is an Educational Technology consultant and a Google educator, so Google technology does feature prominently in her posts, although many of the tools she features can integrate with other platforms and systems. Her choices are interesting and useful for a wide variety of subjects.Ditch that Textbook  ditchthattextbook.comThe brainchild of Matt Miller, Ditch that Textbook shares ideas for pursuing a textbook-less path where learning activities are often custom-produced for students in addition to being infused with technology. Miller is a prolific blogger, posting every few days. His posts are engaging and each is designed to look at a specific problem that teachers face that has a tech solution. One great guest post talks about how to change the approach to writing plans for substitute (supply) teachers, while another addresses the issue of burnout. There are many posts with ample examples of how to use specific tools, such as Wakelet, Google Slides, Google Forms, etc., but all with very specific uses that are relevant to teachers of all subjects and levels. Miller also offers a few free e-books on his site that offer more in-depth tips and tools on various topics. His energy is infectious and his insights and tips are relevant and practical.    Jory Debenham"
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Digital Learning

Digital Learning 1.2 Blogs of Note

8 Aug 2019

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      string(298) "... in progress if the folder or document is shared by you the teacher. I have found it very useful to give feedback using comments in Google Docs, which could be easily shared by G+. You can also easily run Google Hang Outs (GHOs) which is comparable to Skype, via G ..."
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      string(5708) "they have just seen a tweeted image from another child which gave them additional ideas to add. This is truly wonderful and inspiring collaborative learning. Some teachers worry that children may tweet inappropriate content, but I have never experienced this, and I think that it is part of building relationships of mutual trust. I would also explain to pupils that sanctions would be applied if they broke this trust. Don’t forget the wider world also uses hashtags on Twitter, and you can use these in lessons to follow inter/national events such as the general election or the recent Curiosity Rover landings. Twitter is a fabulous educational resource, and one which teachers would benefit from embracing.Schools that use the G Suite for Education (formerly called Google Apps for Education) may also consider using Google+. This is less mainstream as a social media platform in terms of adults and school age children. Users tend to be very devoted to sharing on the G+ platform, and in particular there is a wealth of digital technologies and teaching and learning resources available that would be of interest to teachers. It works via a Gmail account, which you use to login, and then you can put people in ‘circles’ so that their content is displayed on your home page. This is comparable to following someone on Twitter. You can also join special interest groups, whose content will then also populate your homepage. You can post to G+ in a similar way that you can to Twitter. The real bonus for using it in an educational setting is creating a circle for your class. Because the G Suite tools play well together, students are able to share their work done in Docs, Slides or Sheets to G+ and they can they ask for peer feedback. This can certainly work to encourage independent learning, and when I have set up class circles, they have used them exclusively to seek peer feedback before the work was sent to me for teacher feedback. The magic of providing effective feedback using G Suite products is that you as a teacher can also provide formative feedback as the work is still in progress if the folder or document is shared by you the teacher. I have found it very useful to give feedback using comments in Google Docs, which could be easily shared by G+. You can also easily run Google Hang Outs (GHOs) which is comparable to Skype, via G+. This can be excellent as students can do a GHO to help each other with work, or more importantly you can organise a GHO with an expert in the field. This is an amazing opportunity as it can extend the students experience of the subject/learning beyond a narrow curriculum and can be inspirational. The Google ecosystem can be very useful to teachers, especially as it is free to implement in schools and is now supported by the Google developed VLE, Google Classroom.Many students are drawn to social media as it is highly visual in its nature. Tumblr, Instagram, Behance, and Pinterest are all visual in their nature. I have used Pinterest extensively in my teaching, mostly as a visual search engine. The best way to use it is to set up a class account. You can then ask the students to research using Pinterest as a search engine, and looking for key terms, such as ‘Geography.’ Individual students can then save the ‘pins’ (images) they find on their own digital boards. This ‘pins’ also saves the original URL so that the original source can be accessed later. The students can also import pins from other websites, so their research need not be restricted to what is already on Pinterest. There are no lost pieces of paper and students can collaborate by repinning each other’s pins.Pinterest does have a social aspect to it, and students can follow other people in a way similar to Twitter. This also facilitates messaging, but in honesty my classes that have used it have not been drawn to this less obvious feature. Pinterest is fantastic as it allows students to save websites that are useful for future work. It also exposes them to ideas that they probably would not have seen in a simple Google Search. I know that Pinterest has a reputation for being full of recipes, shoes and wedding dresses – but there is also some sound academic content, with the added bonus that children can import pins from other websites, and so they can self-differentiate in terms of the level of materials they use.Avoiding misuse of social mediaSo far I have explored ways in which social media can be used educationally. I think it is also worth spending some time considering apps that might cause more damage than good in an educational capacity. The first of these is Snapchat. The illusion that the images taken disappear can draw some students using the platform in a relatively risky way, in a way that they would not do on Twitter, for example. Any  good PSHE e-safety lesson will tell you that once something is on the Internet, it is basically there forever. Children are taught this from a young age, and yet are happy to send potentially compromising photographs. It seems the app appears to aid the types of behaviour that we could try to discourage in our learners. I myself have not found any good uses for it in the classroom – but I am always happy to be enlightened. The second app that can be potentially problematic for schools is Yik Yak. This is an anonymous chat app that runs on Geographical location. So your students will only be able to use it, to talk to each other anonymously when in school. 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Creative Teaching & Learning

Snapchat, selfies, and teaching

20 Jun 2017

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e-Learning Update issue 63/64"
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      string(5886) "Digital learning and technology use in the classroom are both ubiquitous but, like with all aspects of the high-tech market, online learning technology is constantly changing and it can be tough to stay on top of the available options. Current learning platforms in education primarily focus on VLE (Virtual Learning Environments) or LMS (Learning Management Systems) where teachers can post homework and communicate with parents and students and where students can communicate with each other for project work and engage with digital content associated with their learning. The technology helps create community and ease of communication between students, parents, teachers and school leadership. Additionally, there are educational platforms that focus on teaching approaches or that can support particular activities. There are countless resources for enhancing education and making learning more fun and effective. From apps to online interactive resources and teaching platforms, there are many solutions that can help teachers increasing student participation and engagement. In this article we have compiled a basic introductory collection of platforms that are useful and that teachers can implement without major financial or time commitments.Google Classroom classroom.google.comGoogle Classroom is a learning management system developed by Google for schools that aims to simplify creating, distributing and grading assignments in a paperless way. Its main focus is on streamlining the process of sharing files between teachers and students. It can be accessed through a free Google Apps for Education account. Google Classroom combines Google Drive for assignment creation and distribution, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for writing, Gmail for communication, Google Calendar for scheduling, and Google search to help with school projects. Students can be invited to classes through the institution’s database, through a private code or can be automatically imported from a school domain. Each class creates a separate folder in the respective user’s Drive, where the student can submit work to be a graded by a teacher. Mobile apps, available for iOS and Android devices, let users take photos and attach them to assignments, share files from other apps, and access information offline. Teachers can monitor the progress for each student, and after grading work, teachers can return it with comments.The main appeal of Google Classroom is that it is simple and it uses technology that is already being used by many teachers and students. It works on any device or operating system and can be easily integrated with many other learning platforms, including Edmodo and Schoology.Edmodo www.edmodo.comEdmodo’s teaching platform offers communication, collaboration and coaching for schools and teachers. The Edmodo network enables teachers to share content, distribute quizzes, post assignments and manage communication with students, colleagues and parents. It is both a Learning Management System and a Social Media network. Edmodo is specifically designed for K-12 education and its features are applicable for traditional classes as well as blended learning initiatives. It is teacher-centric in its design and philosophy and it has applicability both within and outside of the classroom. It includes an extensive electronic knowledge base and low-stakes micro assessments that are designed to support the Common Core standards.Edmodo is tightly integrated with Google Apps for Education and Microsoft OneNote and Office, and it quickly allows teachers to create groups, assign homework, schedule quizzes, manage progress, and so on. It also means not having to remember multiple passwords or click out of Edmodo to access Google Drive or to collaborate using Google Docs. Whether it is Microsoft or Google, both are supported. It also integrates with popular school information systems, including Microsoft SDS, Classlink, Clever and OneRoster.Educational content (open education resources or paid) can be shared from all over the web using Edmodo Spotlight to discover free and premium tools, apps and games, or to create collections of favourite resources. Users can even upload, share, or sell original educational content. Use of Edmodo is free but there are training and premium options that can be added for a fee.Schoology www.schoology.comA peer of Edmodo, Schoology presents itself as an integrated platform that is “all you need for teaching and learning in one platform”. With its tools, teachers can create engaging content, design lessons and assess students. Like many platforms, Schoology has integration with Google and Microsoft. In addition to single sign-on (SSO), students and teachers can access Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive resources without leaving Schoology, and can use Google and OneDrive resources as templates. Instructors can use the new Google and Microsoft Assignment apps to assign and provide feedback on Docs, Spreadsheets, Slideshows, and Drawings without leaving Schoology. It also has a wide range of third-party app integration with common educational apps. In addition to the strictly educational aspects of the platform, it also has many motivational and community building features. The gamification resources provide encouragement and incentive for students and the instant messaging is a great way to encourage use of social media within a safe and contained environment.  Kahoot! http://kahoot.comKahoot! is a game-based learning platform, used as educational technology in"
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Adaptive Technology

Creating a High-Tech Classroom through Learning Platforms

22 May 2018

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      string(5629) "that students are processing the learning and not multitasking on to games and other activities unrelated to your course.There are many tools available to engage students into real-time activities, such as flipgrid, discussion boards, breakout rooms, and collaborative files through Google Docs or Microsoft Teams. Use these tools to engage students in presenting and analyzing what they know and do not know. This allows the teacher to use her expertise to address learning gaps and develop students’ inquiry skills.2. Hold office hours for personalized supportMeeting with students individually and in small groups is one of the best benefits of virtual learning. Maintaining a flexible approach to schedule empowers teachers to plan meetings that best serves their learners. Making decisions based on differentiation of student skill level, interests, and learning preferences improves the quality of office hours sessions.During office hours, teachers can build more understanding of content with a focus on small learner groups, whereas a session with the entire class may focus on content coverage as checking for understanding becomes more challenging.It is important to check-in with every student at least once a week, more often depending on need. Such contact can become difficult to support when the number of students on a roster grows.Weekly contacts can be a mix of live conversations, emails, and text message apps. Depending on the class size, live conversations with each student outside of whole class time might happen every two weeks, however emails and/or text message apps, like WhatsApp, should and can occur at least once a week–more often depending on the student’s needs.Some schools assign teachers as mentors to a small group of students, who they connect with through email or text messaging app. In these cases, teachers are only having to manage a smaller caseload of students, acting as their mentor. They help direct support for the student with the content teachers whose class they are struggling in. Identify and establish a system that includes all three types of communication so that students get the best support in way that is manageable by teachers.Real-time instruction and office hours are ways to customize or personalize learning, respectively, to meet learner needs. Partner these with offline activities provide formative learning experiences that teachers can use to reinforce concepts and assess progress of learner growth.3. Relationships Development MattersGetting to know students on a personal level is even more important in virtual classrooms. This happens much through small group and individual sessions. Emails and instant message apps are also ways for connecting the puzzle pieces that make up a person. Through empathy, understanding, and patience through ongoing interactions, teachers can encourage, support, and challenge students to strive for their best efforts.Personalized feedback can gain greater traction with students because text becomes more of a communication tool in online courses. Use the real-time conversations to plant idea seeds and build strong roots, so that offline conversations can be used to nurture learner growth.Offline (Asynchronous) Learning Experiences and SupportAn important part of learning is how students actively study, apply, and evaluate using the content skills and concepts. We learn best through trial and lots of errors. Instruction must be concretely structured and supported. The potential problem with traditional assignments is that there is rarely a built-in feedback loop or supports for when the errors happen.Normally, the students would complete the work and bring it into class the next day for a live session where the teacher runs through the solutions, while addressing common errors. Such an approach can leave learners frustrated while doing the homework because they are stuck without support for completing tasks until the next class meeting. What follows are approaches to engage students more intensely into the learning.a) Interactive AssignmentsA good virtual or digital assignment is interactive. It includes embedded links to videos, references, and other tools that the learner can use in the moment. For example, a math task would include videos from the teacher or a math platform like Khan Academy. These give just-in-time feedback on the conceptual understandings needed to complete the tasks.References on bibliography citations, literary criticism, or historical data can be embedded into assignments that students can use to check or clarify their understanding of the task. The resources are one click away, which is opposite to traditional assignments.All these tools can be linked into assignments with intention, so that a reflection section includes a link to Seesaw, Flipgrid or other discussion board tool. This enables students to share their thinking in a variety of mediums. The possibilities for offline assignments are endless.b). Empowering Student Voice for Demonstrating their LearningStudents have access to many digital resources that support their understanding of content and concepts, as described with interactive assignments, and other digital tools that learners can use to demonstrate their understanding and use of skills. Give them choices for how best to express themselves through access to a wealth of digital toolsi for students to build knowledge, apply skills in practical ways, and produce products that demonstrate growth towards mastery.For example, a simple recording or video app can empower learners to express"
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Blended Learning

Growing Successful Virtual Learners Requires New Teaching Styles

25 Jun 2020