This month, I saw an amazing idea posted on Twitter by one of my favorite edtech gurus, Eric Curts. His thoughts were to use Google Keep to provide students feedback within Google Docs. This idea inspired me to think how I could use Google Keep to make the process of adding standards to my lesson plans less cumbersome….
By making so much information so accessible, social media has drastically changed the way we consume information and form opinions in the modern era. The danger, however, is that social media creates an “echo chamber” that filters the information people receive so that it largely supports their existing opinions. A recent study published in PNAS examines this…
Google is making a play to capture the family market. Today it announced its new Family Link app, which lets parents create a Google account for their kids. This account is completely controlled by parents, so that means they can manage the apps their kids use, monitor how long they’re staring at their device, and…
We live in an age of Big: Big Computers, Big Data, and Big Lies. Faced with an unprecedented torrent of information, data scientists have turned to the visual arts to make sense of big data. The result of this unlikely marriage — often called “data visualizations” or “infographics” — have repeatedly provided us with new…
Should cursive writing still be taught in our schools? The old debate is back with a vengeance as schools shift resources from the intricate, painstakingly rendered script to keyboard skills. The Common Core State Standards, adopted by 42 states and the District of Columbia, call for handwriting instruction in kindergarten and first grade only, and…
For a long time, I’ve been a list-maker and a note-taker. You should see my desk. It can get littered with them pretty easily. The worst is when I would take down some valuable details and then leave the paper sitting on my desk at school. I have literally driven to school late at night…
Quill is a is a free, web-based tool that provides personalized, interactive writing and grammar activities. ‘Students using Quill learn writing and grammar skills by writing sentences and proofreading passages. Source: Two New Tools to Enhance Students Writing ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning I had never heard of Quill before, but it looks like…
Here is a handy inforgaphic we designed specifically for teachers and students. The visual is based on a post we published here a few days ago featuring a total of 15 practical iPad tips to help you make the best of this device in education. Source: 13 Important iPad Tips Every Teacher Should Know about…
Good games—as opposed to candy-coated, multiple-choice quiz games—provide immersive experiences for students. Like novels, films, plays, and other media, games can be high-quality materials a teacher uses to enable students to access the curriculum. In my research, classrooms with high-functioning game-based learning are not ones in which the teacher hands a game to students to…
The Minotaur King has a grip on the hero, Master Heebs, who refuses to divulge where he has hidden a rare and precious gem. Tasked with liberating their master and reclaiming their resource-rich land are 22 eighth graders armed with tablets and a mini whiteboard. They will defeat the Minotaur King with a series of…