October 24th – November 7thMy wonderful son is changing his duty station from Okinawa Japan to Fort Dietrich Maryland. To celebrate his return to the US, we are taking a 3,700+ mile road trip across the country, from California to Maryland with a stop over to see my daughter, also in Maryland. We have a lot of sights to see, at the top of the list SpaceX’s center in Bolsa Chica Texas and Florida. See you-all in a few weeks! I’m Traveling published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr I’m Traveling
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Three holidays are fast-approaching–Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If you’re a teacher, that means lots of tie-ins to make school festive and relevant to students. Here are ideas for Halloween projects, lesson plans, websites, and apps (check here for updated links): Websites and Apps
Projects
Books Click to view slideshow.Bonus: A Costume Did you forget to dress up? Or avoid it too long? I have you covered. Print out this sheet and pin it to your shirt (or download this doc–Halloween costume): Can you add any that you love using for Halloween? Comments are closed but feel free to contact me via Twitter (@askatechteacher). Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. Halloween Projects, Websites, Apps, Books, and a Costume published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr Halloween Projects, Websites, Apps, Books, and a Costume Illuminate Education has an interesting video (on-demand) about Navigating a New Era of Special Education. Here’s a preview: Research shows that more students will not meet grade-level benchmarks this fall due to COVID learning disruptions. In this on-demand webinar, experts provide guidance on how to ensure students receive adequate supports while reducing unnecessary special education referrals. Watch it now. If you’re looking for more resources on special education in your classroom, check out our resources: October is Dyslexia Awareness Month How Wearable Technology is Changing Education and Easing Disabilities Favorite Shortkeys for Special Needs How Smart Tech and IoT are Making Educational Spaces More Accessible Is Orton-Gillingham Right For Your Students? A Helping Hand: Assistive Technology Tools for Writing 3 Great Special Needs Digital Tools Long list of Special Needs Websites @illuminateeducation @illuminateed #specialneeds #specialeducation Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. A New Era of #SpecialEducation–a video published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr A New Era of #SpecialEducation–a video We know technology is a challenge for veteran teachers. It wasn’t part of their teacher training program so they rely on school PD to fill the many holes in blending tech with education. What is surprising is that many teacher programs don’t prepare their graduates well for the rigors of using technology to meet current educational requirements. That is made worse by the demands of a post-pandemic classroom that often operates online, remotely, or a hybrid. Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Christian Miraglia, 35 years as a teacher and now an educational consultant for T4Edtech, has a good discussion on that: For many years I served as a master-teacher for prospective teachers from various universities in my area. In my interactions with the candidates, I found that although their coursework focused on methodology and practice, it invariably lacked a technology integration component. It was clear that as I worked with these up-and-coming teachers, their first exposure to the integration of technology was in my classroom. I can only imagine a teacher entering the workforce now who has to contend with the basics of teaching and then realizes that there is a whole other component of the equation that they were inadequately prepared. In the report, Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education, published in 2017, the Office of Technology Education recommended that: “Institutions responsible for pre-service and in-service professional development for educators should focus explicitly on ensuring all educators are capable of selecting, evaluating, and using appropriate technologies and resources to create experiences that advance student engagement and learning. They also should pay special care to ensure that educators understand the privacy and security concerns associated with technology. Institutions cannot achieve the goal without incorporating technology-based learning into the programs themselves.” And here lies the problem. The pandemic affected every school district in the nation, yet many of the university programs still lack the technology component in their programs three years later. Exposed now are deficiencies of utilizing online learning management systems that school districts face. There should be a concerted effort to focus on this area. Moreover, sending teachers into the workforce without adequate training is equivalent to sending doctors out to practice without learning to treat specific ailments. The student today learns much differently than students did five years ago. Moreover, the general use of technology has changed. There is an increased movement towards personalizing the educational experience, practiced with student agency and choice on assessments. For a teacher, this translates into knowing what students use and understanding these platforms themselves. Here is an excerpt from the publication K-12 Dive recent piece on pandemic learning. “According to the survey results, conducted in March, 74% of teacher respondents were in a fully remote or hybrid teaching model at the time, and 58% had no prior online teaching experience. Nearly all respondents used some kind of video instruction during the pandemic.” Without a doubt, the indicators of this study demonstrate that teachers need assistance. The study does not account for the level of experience of the teachers. Still, knowing that many educators retired at the end of the past school year, I can imagine that on a larger scale, those entering the workforce face unprecedented challenges such as course design and managing an online platform. A few university programs such as Susquehanna University have incorporated a technology component that focuses on pedagogy and best practices adopting some of the latest integrations into classroom curriculum. Additionally, ISTE provides opportunities such as the Online Learning Academy and literature targeting new teachers, such as the 2020 publication 4 Action Steps to Prepare New Teachers to Use Edtech. Despite these efforts, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the preparation of new teachers. Adopting successful models of technology integration such as those utilized at George Mason University’s Elementary Education Program is a start. Much like those completing medicine studies where the clinical approach is the cornerstone, GMU’s strategy is to work with a partner school evaluating how technology is integrated and then work with prospective candidates with the implementation process. More information on their program and teacher preparation is found in the book Championing Technology Infusion in Teacher Preparation, edited by Arlene Borthwick, Teresa S. Fougler, and Kevin J. Graziano. Each week as increasingly more stories enter the news cycle; it is clear that both new and veteran teachers need guidance in technology integration. The age-old question is how much the states and the federal government will invest in the cause? Our student’s future depends on it. Bio Christian Miraglia is a recently retired 36 year educator and now Educational Technology Consultant at t4edtech where he also blogs. He can be found on Twitter @T4edtech and on his YouTube Channel Transformative Edtech. @T4Edtech #edtech Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. Getting up to Speed: Teacher Prep and Technology Integration published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr Getting up to Speed: Teacher Prep and Technology Integration Remote learning used to be for snow days or virtual schools–alternatives to the traditional. Now, all public schools are coming up with remote learning plans. But they vary. Here’s a great article in K-12 Dive on that subject: Geography, socioeconomics created significant variation in pandemic learning plansRemote learning plans filed by school districts last year in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming varied by connectivity, geography and poverty levels, according to a report from the Regional Educational Laboratory Central. For example, 73% of districts with high connectivity included plans for social and emotional learning and support — compared with 50% among districts that had less connectivity. For more about teaching during the pandemic, check out these articles from Ask a Tech Teacher: 10 Digital Platforms to Teach Remotely Teaching During #CoronaVirus–An Old Strategy That’s Perfect Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. Remote Learning Varies Around the Country published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr Remote Learning Varies Around the Country Artificial Intelligence has made its way into our classrooms. Good or bad, only time will tell but some early reports say there are some real positives about using AI-powered program to boost literacy. Here’s an article from Hechinger Report, a national nonprofit newsroom that reports only on education, that’s pretty interesting: Can an AI tutor teach your child to read?When Jaclyn Brown Wright took over as principal of Brewbaker Primary School in Montgomery, Alabama, she knew she needed to figure out a way to boost literacy rates. At Brewbaker, which in 2020 served more than 700 students in pre-K through second grade, nearly 20 percent of her students are English learners and 71 percent are economically disadvantaged. In 2019, a year before Brown Wright was hired, less than 20 percent of students were proficient on the school’s reading assessments, the principal said. Brown Wright knew the stakes were high: In Alabama, students can be held back if they are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade. We’ve discussed artificial intelligence often at Ask a Tech Teacher. Here are a few articles you may find interesting: Digital Assistants in the Classroom 8 Practical Ways to use AI in Learning Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. Artificial Intelligence in Education: Anecdotal Evidence published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr Artificial Intelligence in Education: Anecdotal Evidence With everything going on–remote and hybrid teaching, worries about COVID safety, stress of adapting to seminal changes in education–it’s easy to forget that technology is a huge plus. The challenge is to keep it simple, safe, and sane. APN News has a great article on tools that make that possible. Here’s a peek: Top 5 online learning tools for a healthy development of your children’s mind in 2021The introduction of technology in the education sector has played a pivotal role in offering various opportunities for young learners. The benefits of e-learning are tremendous. For this reason, the country has witnessed an exponential boost in the use of online learning platforms. Check out these other articles from Ask a Tech Teacher on similar topics:
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. Using Tech Wisely in your Classroom published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr Using Tech Wisely in your Classroom #ISTE had an interesting discussion on how to foster digital citizenship in schools. This is especially critical because students are spending so much more time than ever before online. Here’s a peak at their conversation and then a link to the rest: 3 Ways To Foster Digital Citizenship in SchoolsFor teachers, it can be difficult to know when and how to instill digital citizenship skills. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to weave digital citizenship into the school day and for parents to reinforce it at home. ISTE has a few suggestions: For more on Digital Citizenship, check our K-8 curriculum here and these additional articles: Digital Citizenship Week–Here’s What You Need Tech Ed Resources for your Class–Digital Citizenship Digital Citizenship (Middle School) Digital Citizenship (High School) Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. 3 Ways To Foster Digital Citizenship in Schools published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr 3 Ways To Foster Digital Citizenship in Schools Learning that will help you learn how to teach digital citizenship to your students. Below, you’ll find everything from a full year-long curriculum to professional development for teachers: Resources: Digital Citizenship: What to Teach When (a video) Curricula: K-8 Digital Citizenship Curriculum How to Grow Global Digital Citizens Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities @cadepted Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. Digital Citizenship Week–Oct. 18-22–Here’s What You Need published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr Digital Citizenship Week–Oct. 18-22–Here’s What You Need If you haven’t heard of Tract, it’s a new way to inspire students to become lifelong learners. The platform focuses on student growth and learning rather than state or international standards (it does meet them–just don’t look for that in the detail). The purpose of its videos, hands-on projects, and more is to spark student creativity, empower them to explore their own passions at their own pace. Lessons are given by high school and college-age peers who clearly show their love of the subject. Students engage through tasks, projects, and peer interaction. Content is vetted, curated, and reviewed by teachers to ensure its educational rigor. Click for a more detailed review of Tract or visit Tract’s website here. When I dug into Tract, one (of many) pieces that appealed to me was how well it fit into so many parts of a student’s education journey. Here are a few of my favorites: Afterschool program It’s challenging to persuade students to think deeply, especially after a long day of learning. Using Tract as an afterschool program changes that. This can be a one-day activity or longer. Here’s how it works:
Summer program I often use student-choice activities in summer programs. They are student-directed, student-driven, and provide a plethora of differentiation for varied student interests. The problem is, too often, they become complicated to administer and confusing to follow. That won’t be the case with Tract. It offers plenty of choices to students, presented as an easy-to-understand step-by-step process that is intuitive and clear, and fulfills the platform’s promise to be inspiring and engaging. Here’s what you do:
Depending upon the length of the summer program, you can offer one or more learning path opportunities. This option is easily adapted to remote or hybrid learning because everything can be done online, including the presentations (using a platform like Google Meet or Zoom). Enrichment program for high achievers Enriched learning for high-achieving students, like GATE (Gifted and Talented), Honors, AP (Advanced Placement), and IB (International Baccalaureate), often requires teachers augment daily class activities with additional lesson plans and resources. Tract simplifies that process to where it barely takes any additional teacher time. Students who finish regular work select and pursue topics offered through the Tract platform that build student creativity, critical thinking, and independence. Because these learning paths are intuitive and peer-to-peer, they require minimal adult guidance and give students considerable independence in their work. Here’s how it works:
Tract is available online which means inside and outside the classroom, anywhere the student is. High-achieving students appreciate that learning isn’t confined to the four walls of the school building. A nice side benefit: These projects are enticing enough that other students will want to try them. Of course they can, once they, too, finish the assigned work. Develop SEL Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success. The importance of SEL has made it a sought-after add-on to a school’s curriculum. Unfortunately, too often when I talk to colleagues, SEL has become another layer on top of an already bursting education day. There are SEL curricula, rubrics, toolkits, videos, parent guidelines, and more. You’ll be happy to know if you’re enrolled in Tract, you don’t need any of those:
The most effective way to develop social-emotional learning in students is to make it integral to their education. That’s what Tract does. *** If you want to put project-based, peer-to-peer learning into practice, you’ve found the right platform with Tract. Be one of the first 1,000 to request access at teach.tract.app. Use the access code ASKATECHTEACHER to get your free Tract teacher account. –This post is sponsored by Tract. All opinions are my own. #tractapp Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. 4 ways to use Tract in the classroom published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow via Tumblr 4 ways to use Tract in the classroom |
About UsI'm a freelance writer and keenly interested in a variety of fields including health, history, travel, literature, film, technology, and sports. This enables me to write passionately about a wide variety of subjects. Writing any kind of book or even short stories used to be a long and tiresome task, check out my blogs on successfull life. |