Over the past decade as many school budgets have remained stagnant, spending in educational technology has climbed to record levels, with no signs of slowing. As schools around the country consider investing in technology as a way to improve student outcomes, particularly for those students deemed “at-risk,” it’s imperative that district leaders understand the methods…
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….
The Google Keep extension for Google Chrome provides one click saving for websites, links, and text. Once installed, the Google Keep Chrome Extension adds a Google Keep icon to your tool bar, . It’s dark when it hasn’t been used, but when you visit a web page that you have already saved, it turns yellow: . To use the extension, visit…
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…
Google Classroom can now be used with personal Google accounts. Right now, personal Google accounts can join existing classes in Google Classroom. In the upcoming weeks they’ll also be able to create classes. I tested Google Classroom with my personal account, and could join classes but not create them. My G Suite for Work account…
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…
Auto-playing videos have become the “punch the monkey” of today, read on to learn how to stop auto-playing videos in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari! We’ve all been there, browsing news.google.com and clicking on a news article when WHAM, a video starts playing. Not only is it annoying, you usually have your volume turned up, annoying everyone….
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…