All Blog Posts (9,941)

Online Discussion: 16 Quality, Timing, and Value Added Response Tips

Expertly facilitated online discussion is the driving force for community in e-learning classes. Creating norms for discussion quality and timing improve the dialog. This also helps the facilitator step back as students learn to deepen their online dialog.…

Continue

Added by Dennis O'Connor on August 14, 2009 at 12:04am — No Comments

Musings on having a course Essential Question

For several years, I have used Essential Questions in my classroom. Many of these questions were changed when we changed units or in conjunction with projects. I was bothered because it seemed like I spent more time thinking of a new essential question for the next unit and we never really spent enough time on the previous Essential Question.

I, therefore, spent a great deal of time this summer reflecting on what I perceived the purpose of Essential Questions to be. I also reviewed… Continue

Added by Glen Westbroek on August 13, 2009 at 8:16pm — 4 Comments

Creative Ways in Writing Application Essays

School time is here and still there are some students that needs to apply for college. There are a lot of colleges and universities that they can choose from but for those who aren't that well-off, they can acquire scholarship exams offered by various schools and organizations. The dilemma is how will they get admitted in their chosen college and university? Writing the essay alone with an assigned topic is hard to do, much worse is if they are asked to do an essay that will best describe their… Continue

Added by Audrey Langdon on August 13, 2009 at 8:00pm — No Comments

New direct website to order Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond

Friends and Colleagues,

Here's a new web address to directly order Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond: http://toolboxforteachersandmentors.com

For those interested in reading our blog on mentoring Jewish students and teachers, here is that blog's web address:… Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on August 13, 2009 at 7:14pm — No Comments

New Year

I am so excited for this new school year. The edTech department is growing and now we support 5 not 8 schools.

Added by Amanda E Duvall on August 13, 2009 at 2:23pm — No Comments

Virtual Learning: The next wave of the future?

I am currently attending the last day of the 3-day Vision 2020 Virtual Learning Grant Leadership Conference (August 11-13, 2009) here in Austin, Texas. It had been a very fruitful conference. I have learned several interesting and informative ideas that I will definitely use when I go back to my district in El Paso, Texas. Aside from knowing and understanding the depth of planning needed and the process involved to become successful, some of the highlights of the conference include, but not… Continue

Added by Sharo Dickerson on August 13, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

What Will The Teacher Fairy Put Under My Pillow?

I think there is an interesting parallel to be drawn between this recent TIME Magazine article titled, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" and a longer school day and year.

Don't really have a clue as to what it is, but hey, I gotta type something right now, don't I? I mean if a blogger blogs in the forest and no one is there to comment... aw, forget it, I am WAY off… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 13, 2009 at 6:30am — 3 Comments

Learning Web 2.0 the Beginning

I am taking a course sponsored in my district on Web 2.0 tools. Though I feel comfortable dabbling in tech tools, I feel like a blind cat chasing it's tail. I know where the tail is, where it is going, but I'm geting dizzy chasing after it. While it is a part of me, I can't touch it, it keep one step ahead of me. Oh, I'm getting very dizzy but I can't help myself I've got to keep chasing it.

Finding one new tool leads to another gadget or widget, that opens the door to another new… Continue

Added by Artie O'Connor on August 12, 2009 at 7:12pm — 9 Comments

The Potential of Mobile Technology

During the TechEd 2009 conference, Hall Davidson delivered an interesting presentation on why cell phones should be utilized by students and teachers in the classroom.

According to Davidson, cell phones, and other sorts of mobile technology, will play a significant role in the 21st century classroom because they have become an important part of the lives of today’s students. These “mini” computers are the tools of choice for the so-called digital natives we teach.… Continue

Added by Shawn Roner on August 12, 2009 at 1:16pm — 3 Comments

Cost of Government Day

Yesterday was 'Cost of Government Day'. That's how many days the average workers works to pay off the total costs of federal, state and local government. Last year it was July 19th. In 2007, it was July 11. This year, it's 25 days later. Last year it was only 6 days later. I can't wait to see next year, with bailouts and more bailouts. What happens when it takes more than 365… Continue

Added by Jacqui Murray on August 12, 2009 at 12:46pm — No Comments

Students-centred teaching

Just posted a new entry under a new tab: Teaching is a serious business

First entry on: Student-centredeness, which grew out of a reflection on a blogpost by a fellow teacher.

If interested, head over and let me know what you think.…

Continue

Added by Tamas Lorincz on August 12, 2009 at 12:23pm — No Comments

Walk a mile in a real teacher's moccasins!

I often make my way through this world as a consumer looking up and wondering, "Does the CEO of this company actually know that this is how his/her business is running right now?"

I mean do they fly commercial on their own airplanes like regular schmoes (I mean folks) like me do without warnings being sent to the flight crew that the big kahuna is on board so they better look sharp? Do they roll through their own drive-thru hungry for some dinner, have cable schedule… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 12, 2009 at 6:30am — 2 Comments

DevLearn 2009

I'm running a session at DevLearn... Learning Library: Design for the Participatory Web 2.0 Culture. Click here for more information

Added by Erin Brockette Reilly on August 11, 2009 at 7:22pm — No Comments

Swedish Preschool, Linguistic Immersion, and Baby College.

Swedish elementary school begins when kids are 7 years old and there's no real formal structure to preschool except "socialization". What do they teach in preschool? Not ABC's, Counting, and Colors...How "To be a good friend and to believe in their own abilities." But that structure offers individual learning plans for each student and lots of linguistic immersion: always talking. The best predictor of human capacity, according to University of Chicago Economist, James Heckman, is linguistic… Continue

Added by Mike Palmquist on August 11, 2009 at 11:35am — 2 Comments

Hard to get an old dog... MY ASS!

Here's a story about one of my best friend's in the world.

He got a parking ticket. And didn't pay it. And then another. And didn't pay that either. And then a few more. Never paid any of them.

So the other day, he was in a rush -- had to get a package off to Fed Ex to meet a HUGE business deadline, the kind that causes cold sweats when big deals are on the line.

And he rushed to his car after getting the final documents notarized and poof! his… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 11, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Internet Resources for teachers working with Hearing Impaired students

The 4th post in a series providing an overview of web based resources for educators that work with Special Needs students.

We started this series a few weeks back by looking at resources for teaching students with ADD & ADHD, we focused on… Continue

Added by Kelly Walsh on August 10, 2009 at 6:27pm — No Comments

Top Ten Free Apps

This is a question I always get from parents of my tech students. My fellow-blogger, Dustin, has a good start, although I’ll add a few more tomorrow.
For now, read on--they're all Free (and critical)

Added by Jacqui Murray on August 10, 2009 at 1:26pm — No Comments

Thank Goodness for "Bad" Teachers!

Before I lay me down to sleep this evening, I am going to say a prayer of gratitude for all the crappy teachers I've had and known. That's right -- for the really stinky ones. Why? Because, if you pay attention, you can learn as much from a poor teacher as you can from a strong one... at least in a few very specific ways.

Through being treated like a just another factory widget by some of my cynical, jaded, been at this job way-too-long type of teachers back when I was in… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 10, 2009 at 8:44am — No Comments

Reports on ICT in education produced by Education.au for DEEWR

These reports along iwth the Collaboration in Teaching and Learning Report (www.educationau.edu.au/SICTAS-ctl )may be of interest.

Hi all

Some new reports produced by Education.au as part of its Strategic ICT Advisory Service for DEEWR.

Annual Report on Emerging Technologies: Planning for Change…

Continue

Added by Jenny on August 10, 2009 at 12:54am — No Comments