August 2009 Blog Posts (124)

Portal applications for education, part 2 of 2

This week we complete a 2 part overview of two specific portal applications for education

Last week we reviewed the Timecruiser suite (exclusive to Higher Ed), with its Campus Cruiser portal and integrated applications like the Course Cruiser LMS and Cruiser Alert, delivered under a Software-as-a-Service model. This week we take a look at… Continue

Added by Kelly Walsh on August 31, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

A Lesson Guide for Constitution Day 2.0

Each year America celebrates Constitution Day on September 17. Since 2006, federal legislation mandates that all educational institutions receiving federal funds must hold an educational program on the Constitution commemorating the day.

Remix America (http://remixamerica.org) has partnered with Constitutional Rights Foundation (http://crf-usa.org) to bring you the Constitution Day Challenge--a creative way for elementary, middle and high school students to learn about and celebrate… Continue

Added by Erika Johansson on August 31, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

New and Improved EdTech Locator for Technology Implementation Launched!

The new and improved EdTech Locator is up and running! To help you better evaluate where you stand on the technology integration continuum, the EdTech Locator for Technology Implementation has a new design that allows you to navigate based on your role and level of educational technology.

The EdTech Locator for Technology Implementation and its related materials are designed to help you evaluate where you… Continue

Added by CITEd on August 31, 2009 at 10:28am — No Comments

The Weekly Update: August 24 - August 30

A survey of last weeks interesting blogs... MORE

Added by Shawn Roner on August 31, 2009 at 9:02am — No Comments

Instructional Challenges

There are so many things that challenge us as we teach. If you had to pick one as THE MOST CHALLENGING, what would it be and why?

Added by Jennifer Stadtmiller on August 31, 2009 at 7:21am — No Comments

He who makes the tests, makes the rules! (So be spooked.)

Time to be spooked. Parents should be spooked. Teachers should be spooked. The national workforce should be spooked. And kids (who are going to be on the wrong end of this stuff) ought to be very, very very spooked.

I mean, is this the wave that is inevitably going to wash over us all?

Really, how long before all of us -- and by all of us, I mean ALL of us -- are being mandated to… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 31, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

What Judiac Knowledge Should be Taught in our Day and Supplemental Schools?

According to *Wiggins and McTighe (1998) in order to decide what (Judaic) knowledge should be taught in school, the following three categories or priorities of knowledge should be determined.

First priority: Knowledge that is enduring. essential information that students must know.

Second priority: Knowledge that is important, but not essential for students to know.

Third priority: Knowledge with which students should be… Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on August 31, 2009 at 5:28am — No Comments

Merging and Evolving - Interactive Surfaces and 3D Virtual Environments

When the Edusim project was first started 2 years ago it was hard to imagine how far both 3D & interactive surface technologies would have come just 2 years later. Both technologies are evolving at break neck speed (ala exponentially evolving technology trends) and looking to converge in "interesting ways" (as Kurzweil might… Continue

Added by Rich White on August 30, 2009 at 4:50pm — 1 Comment

Wendy Light, National Education Consultant, USCJ Praises Toolbox for Teachers Wendy Light, National Education Consultant, USCJ Praises Toolbox for Teachers

More Praise for Important New Publication:

Wendy Light, National Education Consultant, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism writes:

We all agree that there is a significant demand for qualified teachers in Jewish day schools and congregational schools. There is concern as to where the next generation of Jewish educators will come from. Dr. Richard and Elaine Solomon have sensitively addressed this challenge in their new book, just released, and entitled… Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on August 30, 2009 at 10:52am — No Comments

Rabbi Dr. Moshe P. Weisblum, author of Ruth Talk, and Table Talk: Biblical Questions and Answers Endorses Toolbox for Teachers

Rabbi Dr. Moshe P.Weisblum, spiritual leader of congregation Kneseth Israel, Annapolis, Maryland and author of Ruth Talk and Table Talk:Biblical Questions and Answers offers this endorsement of Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond.

"One of the best books on the subject...offering hope and help, this groundbreaking book is an ideal source for the transitions that… Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on August 30, 2009 at 10:48am — No Comments

Engaging Students in Virtual Space Exploration through Second Life

As our district embarks upon Web 2.0 implementation for our 21st Century learning enviroments, we are looking for the right tools to engage our digital learners. There is a company called Daden Limited in the UK which has created an Apollo 11 Tranquility Base Simulation in Second Life. I had recently learned about this sim region from one of my PLN colleagues on… Continue

Added by David Ligon on August 30, 2009 at 9:00am — 7 Comments

The Wait (WEIGHT)

As summer winds down, I am once again excited about what technology has to offer, -especially in education. I love the interactive white boards, updated phone systems, and of course internet open source software. I locate these at home on my home computer and excitedly develop and share and swap ideas with other like-minded people online. But when I return to the workplace, the filter blocks these sites, or ITT just can't make them function within the network, "configuration issues" . Then… Continue

Added by Paul Hardt on August 29, 2009 at 9:30am — 3 Comments

Busy Year Ahead!

The high schools I serve welcomed the students last week, and right from the start, I've been in meetings. This will be a busy, busy year, as my district has fewer psychologists and more schools. So we will do "more with less".

I was so busy last week that I did not have time to interact with a single SmartBoard- several were installed in classrooms at one of my schools.

Maybe there will be a lull?

Added by Lynn Marentette on August 29, 2009 at 6:34am — No Comments

How are the textbooks accepting accountability for their shortcomings?

I just read a line from a teacher who said this (and oh, it's so telling)...

I love my school, but this year I'm trying real hard to be positive. I've taught novels the past two years and am now being told I must adhere to the textbook curriculum because of low test scores. Wow! Boring textbook anthology and worksheets are going to help my students do better on a bubble test? ARGH!

For me, I wonder where the data is to prove that sticking to the "textbook… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 29, 2009 at 6:00am — 3 Comments

Blogging and teens

So I'm just at the beginning of this particular online area. I would like to figure out how to integrate some blogging into our creative writing workshops....but I'd like to make it less about just entering casual blog entries, and more about getting the students to deliberately create a theme-based blog where they write about some area or interest where they have some expertise or at least curiosity. I know this is perhaps a more formal way of looking at it, but I would like to challenge the… Continue

Added by Keren Taylor on August 28, 2009 at 11:00pm — 1 Comment

Do web 2.0 tools affect student motivation?

This past year, I tried to incorporate many web 2.0 opportunities in my lessons. I have the challenge of my district blocking and/or preventing student work to be published online. I, however, volunteered to pilot several web 2.0 tool activities with my students. Each experience required that I provide feedback on possible concerns or explain how the tool benefited my students' learning. I was thrilled recently when my district's technology director said he was going to propose changes to our… Continue

Added by Glen Westbroek on August 28, 2009 at 5:30pm — 6 Comments

Spelling City

Here is a great website for helping your students with spelling. Just create a word list and students can practice at school or home. The program pronounces the word and says it in a sentence for the student. Play games with the word list or even download a handwriting worksheet. Students can also access the link from home. Here is the link to the site. It's FREE, just register and start creating your spelling list… Continue

Added by Letia Cooper @techwithtia on August 28, 2009 at 12:34pm — No Comments

What is the Relationship Among These Structures: A Congregation of Life-Long Learners, a Jewish Professional Learning Community (JPLC) and a Jewish Community of Cooperative Learners?

The ideal educational setting in which to be a mentor teacher is within a congregation that is committed to life-long learning, a school that is a Jewish professional learning and within a classroom that is a community of cooperative learners. Let's explore these structures and their connections more thoroughly.

A congregation of life-long learners is one that studies and lives Torah. A Jewish professional learning community is a school in which the administration, teachers and… Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on August 28, 2009 at 7:21am — No Comments

Is there a way to force public schools to be as good as private schools are apparently forced to be?

I wonder if I would send my child to private school if I could easily afford to do so. And I bring it up because, for the parents who can afford it in America today, private school is where they (for the most part) are generally sending their kids.

Even if the local public school is good.

And why? Because if the local public school is good, I am assuming the private school is forced to be better if they are going to be able to charge the crazy fees that they do.… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 28, 2009 at 6:30am — 1 Comment

What new Internet technologies will you introduce in the classroom this year?

With the new school year upon us, I thought it would be interesting and informative to learn what types of Internet technologies you are considering using for the first time in this coming school year. There are so many engaging and potentially helpful technologies available via the web. In addition to the types of technologies you may be introducing to the instructional process, how do you envision these tools improving learning… Continue

Added by Kelly Walsh on August 27, 2009 at 7:56am — 2 Comments