Education and Instructional Technology Tweet Wrap for the Week of 07-22-13

(Originally posted on Twitter by @EmergingEdTech over this past week … collected here to share with our blog readers).

Plan a Successful iPad Launch or other Ed Tech Implementation in your school or district:
http://www.educationinamerica.com/blog/summer-to-do-plan-a-successful-ipad-launch/

‘Innovation Index’ Launched to Guide Ed-Tech Decisionmakers:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2013/07/innovation_index_launched_to_guide_edtech_decision_makers.html

How to Quickly Create Simple Online Quizzes:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/07/how-to-quickly-create-simple-online.html#.UfJa7mPbCSo

Diane Ravitch: 3 Dubious Uses of Technology in Schools -
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=diane-ravitch-3-dubious-uses-technology-in-schools

The Problem with Ed-Tech Adoption: Infrastructure -
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/reimagining/2013/07/the_problem_with_ed-tech_adopt.html

Students, faculty want more support for eTextbooks:
http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/students-faculty-desire-more-support-for-etextbooks/

3rd Annual Ed+Tech Survey Shows Students’ Growing Dependence on Mobile Devices, Digital Materials:
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/22/5585349/coursesmarts-third-annual-survey.html

Bill Gates: MOOC providers should take a lesson from for-profit college sector -
http://www.ecampusnews.com/business-news/bill-gates-mooc-providers-should-take-a-lesson-from-for-profit-college-sector/

5 Services for Creating & Sharing Audio Recordings Online:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/07/5-services-for-creating-sharing-audio.html#.UfGtDWPbCSp

Another school implementing a BYOD program (this one in grades 7 to 12):
http://columbustelegram.com/news/local/scotus-allows-student-phones-other-devices-in-classroom/article_5386184e-cff8-5631-af92-2fcb9bf00d77.html

#Infographic – The Use of Social Media in Schools:
http://www.bestmastersineducation.com/social-media/

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
7 Key Findings for Successful Education Technology Integrations
Measurable Success in Technology Integration – Mooresville Graded School District
Education Technology Twitter Post Weekly Summaries (Post Category)

Kelly Walsh is CIO at The College of Westchester in White Plains, NY and is the founder and author of EmergingEdTech.com. As an education technology advocate, he frequently delivers presentations on a variety of related topics at schools and conferences across the U.S. Walsh is also an author and online educator, who runs regular Flipped Class Workshops online. His latest eBook, "iPads in Education: Implementations, Apps, & Insights" is available for sale in the iBookstore. In his spare time, he records and performs original and cover songs (look for "K. Walsh" on iTunes or Amazon.com or check out his original song videos on here on YouTube ).

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Education and Instructional Technology Tweet Wrap for the Week of 08-05-13

by K. Walsh on August 10, 2013

(Originally posted on Twitter by @EmergingEdTech over this past week … collected here to share with our blog readers).

Technology and Education: The Tipping Point?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-m-eger/technology-and-education_b_3698440.html

‘Flipped’ classrooms turn learning around:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/05/3543638/flipped-classrooms-turn-learning.html

Wakefield Survey Reveals Technology Impacts College Students’ Pocketbooks, Performance:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-devine/wakefield-survey-reveals-_b_3709061.html

Interactive Whiteboards And The Digitisation Of Music Resources:
http://educationtechnologysolutions.com.au/2013/08/08/interactive-whiteboards-and-the-digitisation-of-music-resources/

History Maps for Your Students’ iPads:
http://ipadapps4school.com/2013/08/06/history-maps-for-your-students-ipads/

Start-ups focus on creating tools for teachers:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/08/05/teachers-turn-start-ups-change-education/rbZGS3ENJnvvQMvNVmxEkJ/story.html

The next disruptive frontier in online education: Tutoring?
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/08/05/tutor-matching-service-primes-next.html

FCC looks to modernize E-Rate program:
http://wraltechwire.com/fcc-looks-to-modernize-e-rate-program/12740184/

What’s the right mix for blended learning?
http://gulfnews.com/life-style/education/what-s-the-right-mix-for-blended-learning-1.1216150

From Recession’s Wake, Education Innovation Blooms:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/recessions-wake-education-innovation-blooms-19863028

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Sal Khan’s One World Schoolhouse – Powerful Ideas Persuasively Expressed
8 Great Videos About the Flipped Classroom
Teaching and Learning with the iPad – a 3 Year Review

Kelly Walsh is CIO at The College of Westchester in White Plains, NY and is the founder and author of EmergingEdTech.com. As an education technology advocate, he frequently delivers presentations on a variety of related topics at schools and conferences across the U.S. Walsh is also an author and online educator, who runs regular Flipped Class Workshops online. His latest eBook, "iPads in Education: Implementations, Apps, & Insights" is available for sale in the iBookstore. In his spare time, he records and performs original and cover songs (look for "K. Walsh" on iTunes or Amazon.com or check out his original song videos on here on YouTube ).

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Lucidchart – Excellent Web Based Diagramming and Charts, Free for Educators and Students

I recently got back from Google Summit California. Although a Lucidchart rep went to ISTE 2012, I had never been to a conference before. I was blown away by the turnout and the number of educators who wanted to learn about new technology for the classroom!

Lucidchart is an online diagramming program that gives away free licenses to educators and students. I’d like to share some of the feedback I’ve received from educators at every level. They’ve said that we are filling a need for online visual communication, whether that’s Venn diagrams, flowcharts, graphic organizers, or mind maps. I had a 3rd grade teacher tell me that Lucidchart is so easy that her students have no problem learning how to use it.

Diana Laufenberg’s students created flowcharts as part of a project-based learning exercise to better understand how the government works.

“At the completion of the project the students had to not only analyze the complex structures of government bureaucracy, but also produce a “deliverable.” Lucidchart was one of the best choices of tool for this task because of its simple, web-based, collaborative functions. Being able to investigate, research, create, and then present/publish their findings meant that the learning was not just a creation for in-class sharing, but could be shared digitally and hence more broadly.”

– Diana Laufenberg, Teacher, Science Leadership Academy

Brendan finds Lucidchart useful both in and out of the classroom.

“Using this with Google Apps EDU. My students using Lucidchart mainly for mind-mapping. We really like the integration and the flexibility to share for co-editing and commenting with individual and groups. Our web design pupils using the wire-framing; we’ve also used the iPad/iPhone templates for younger students thinking about design and functionality for mobile technologies. Staff find the general diagramming functionality useful in course planning, and again, the sharing for collaboration is invaluable. It’s reliable, easy to use, high quality diagramming. I’ve found nothing better and use it daily.”

– Brendan McCart, Teacher, Saint Kentigern’s Academy

Lucidchart is easy for students to grasp and can be used to supplement any subject.

“I teach a computer programming class and use Lucidchart to teach my students how to organize their programs. I spend almost no time teaching the tool, and students can jump right in and make it work. They can focus on the course, rather than the tool. I’ve also shared Lucidchart with humanities teachers for mapping out essays and creative writing. I love it!”

– Darren Duarte, Teacher, Sonoma Academy

If you use project-based learning, 1:1 classrooms, or BYOD initiatives, Lucidchart is flexible enough to support them. Our software is accessible from any computer or tablet device.Lucidchart gives educators access to thousands of customizable community templates, which you can use as inspiration or as the start of your own document.We respond to your needs. When we realized that teachers were using our tool to create graphic organizers for the classroom, we decided to simplify things by offering ready-made educational templates. We now offer 50+ graphic organizer templates for every subject.Our software is integrated with Google Drive and Google Apps for Education. This allows for a simpler sign-on process for students and faculty. Plus, it’s easy to share, create, and organize your Lucidchart documents from inside Drive.Group projects are made easy. Because the program is cloud-based, students can work individually or with an unlimited number of collaborators to create and edit diagrams in real time. They can access our tool from any location, on any device—taking the headache out of group projects and homework.Lucidchart’s support portal is available 24/7. This portal is your home base for any questions about your account or how to use Lucidchart.

Getting started is simple. Just sign up for a free trial, then request your free educational account upgrade here. If you have any questions or suggestion, we’d love to hear them; shoot us an email at support at lucidchart dot com.

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
A Few Free Lesson Planning and Classroom Resources for Teachers
5 Ed Tech Resources I Used While Working in a Low-Income Class
Exciting Developments in Uses of 3D Printing in Education

Brad Hanks works for Lucidchart as the education outreach coordinator. He is working to let every educator know about Lucidchart for the 2013-2014 school year. He comes from a long line of educators and is the proud father of three girls.

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Making the Most of Windows 8 Touch in the Classroom

Love it or hate it, Touch has now become part of the Windows experience. It’s heavily integrated into Windows 8, and has been refined and rationalized in Windows 8.1. Teachers and other education professionals who have access to Windows 8 Touch devices for their students can take great advantage of it to enhance the overall educational technology experience.

One huge difference between Touch in earlier Windows versions – mostly notably Windows Vista and Windows 7 – and newer versions (which include both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, currently out in Preview form as a free download) is that the Windows 8 versions require very little tweaking or tuning to make Touch work properly. Older devices may not support enough so-called “touch points” (the number of individual points of contact the display can recognize simultaneously) to meet Windows 8’s requirements for a minimum of five (most older touch displays and devices support only two), but they will still work. And aside from failing to support certain Windows 8 gestures, they will work fine for screen based navigation and interaction. Newer devices labeled “Windows 8 Touch” or designated as “Windows 8 Touch Ready” should work seamlessly with all modern Windows Touch applications and the Windows 8 interface itself.

Even so, there are a few things that teachers or system administrators can do to improve the Windows 8 Touch experience, especially for younger students still mastering hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Because so many education applications run inside a Web browser window, one can magnify the view to increase the size of radio buttons, check boxes, text buttons, etc. to make them easier to see and touch accurately. In working with TeacherWeb, for example, increasing the browser zoom to 125 percent will make the native interface much more touch friendly.Windows 8 screen resolution can be reduced to make objects (and by extension, touch controls) visibly larger. One need only right-click (or press-and-hold on a touch-only display) the desktop background, then pick “screen resolution” on the resulting pop-up menu to manage resolution.Windows 8 offers numerous controls over screen appearance and layout. In the Modern UI, app tiles can be resized at will, and on the desktop icons may be displayed in large, medium or small sizes. The display item in the control panel includes a slide controller that permits alteration of all items on the screen or alteration only for text sizes.

Figure 1: In the Display item, you can manage the size of all on-screen objects, or simply manage text size separately.

Judicious use of built-in controls can help to deliver a better Windows 8 Touch experience for students and professionals alike. Don’t overlook the additional controls built into many Windows 8 apps, either, because they will also enable additional controls over specific user interface elements as well.

To make the most of the Windows 8 experience, it helps to obtain and use native tile-based Windows 8 apps built specifically for educational use. Fortunately, there are a great many of them (many of which are free for educational use, with friendly licenses, so they may be used in the classroom and at home with equal ease and facility). Some particularly useful items in this collection include:

How Stuff Works: A famous site for curious minds, which explains how systems and objects work and behave.Khan Academy Viewer: Video player for Khan Academy’s educational videos, developed by Joel Martinez as a Coding4Fun Community Project.Mathrathon: A mathematics game in displays two operands and a plus or minus sign, to which the player must respond. Great arithmetic training, lots of fun.M8!: Mind mapping applications great for organizing thoughts and ideas, taking notes, organizing studies and projects or tasks.Periodic Table: A visually-oriented tool for exploring the elements through the periodic table, including properties, appearance, chemical behavior, and more.
Physamajig: Sketch an object or model to turn it into realistic physical objects, with properties for elasticity, friction, joints, and so forth.QuickMath: Presents two randomly chosen numbers from 0 to 99 which player must multiply; apps provides immediate feedback on calculation.SAS Flash Cards: Flash card app generates cards on the fly, or by uploading a spreadsheet; Quiz mode supports auto-emailing of results to a designated recipient.Wikipedia: A widely-used online information source, this version is Touch-friendly, and also supports semantic zoom features.Wordament: A word game where contestants compete against each other to extract as many words from the letters in the matrix as possible in a two-minute long tournament.

This is just a smattering of the hundreds of thousands of high-quality education apps already available for Windows 8, and optimized for Touch use.

Generally speaking, either standalone tablets (devices designed to function well without attaching a keyboard or a mouse), laptops or convertible notebook PCs are best for classroom use. Below are some specific makes and models to take a look at for classroom use.

18.4” 1080p screen is large, bright, and kid-friendly.12.5” 1080p screen flips over for tablet or laptop use. Surprisingly sturdy.18.4” 1080p screen is large, bright, includes external keyboard and mouse.10.1 1366×768 display does not support full HD video. Great little unit.

Though school boards may not be ready to buy the Touch devices in a big way, loaner units or one-off purchases can bring them to school sooner rather than later. If you do get access to one (or more) for classroom use, they could make a useful addition to your teaching toolkit.

The Australian Education Blog: Windows 8 Education Apps“Collaborative Learning with Windows 8 Multi-Touch Apps…” Ray FlemingWindows 8 For Education (Microsoft in Education)Top Windows 8 Apps for Education (Microsoft clearinghouse: a searchable database)10 of the Best Free Windows 8 Apps for Teachers and StudentsFree tools for Educators (Microsoft Partners in Learning)Windows 8 Tablets In K-12 Education

So, are you using  Windows 8 in the classroom yet? Please leave a comment and tell us about it.

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
5 Ways Google Glass Can Be Used in Education
5 Great Tools for Creating Your Own Educational Infographics
Exciting Developments in Uses of 3D Printing in Education

Ed Tittel has been working around IT for over 30 years, and with Microsoft Windows since the early 1990s. He’s the author of numerous computing books, including HTML For Dummies, whose 14th edition will appear in September 2013. To learn more about Ed, visit his website at www.edtittel.com.

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New Research Validates Effectiveness of Adaptive Learning

It wasn’t long ago that adaptive learning was a relatively unfamiliar concept for colleges and universities.  What’s more, those who did understand what it was all about weren’t ready to immediately jump on the bandwagon without some proof of its effectiveness.

But that is all changing, and quite rapidly, in fact.  Research finally exists that validates what those of us at Adapt Courseware have believed all along – when evidence-based, fundamental design approaches are applied to an online course, you can individualize education and dramatically improve learning outcomes.

We had the opportunity to collaborate with two- and four-year public and private institutions to measure the success rates for students enrolled in our adaptive learning courseware compared to traditional online courses for the 2012-2013 academic year. The data showed significant double-digit gains in student success rates in the adaptive learning sections. We defined success rates as grades A through C divided by the number of students who were present at the add-drop deadline.

Across all students completing the adaptive learning sections, the success rate was 74 percent, a 15 percent (or 10 point) improvement over the comparison group rate of 64 percent. What’s more, the gains were skewed toward higher grades – students earned A or B grades at a 49 percent higher rate in the adaptive sections than in the comparison sections.

So why did students in the adaptive learning sections perform better?  We believe it is two-fold – both the course design elements and the role of the instructors contributed.

For starters, we’ve done away with the talking head videos, the excessive text, the one-size-fits all assignments, and that feeling of isolation brought about in many online courses today. Instead, we’ve made the learning experience more personalized, more interactive, and simply more fun by incorporating instructional design principles such as effective multimedia, optimal challenge, student choice, mastery learning, and social learning.

Effective Multimedia
By leveraging a “show and tell” effect, optimal learning can occur whereby visual and verbal materials are presented simultaneously. For example, brief cuts to a live speaker interspersed with graphics keep the student’s attention.

Optimal Challenge
When content adapts based on each student’s knowledge and skill set, he or she is able to progress through as few or as many activities as necessary. Students stay motivated because they are challenged at exactly the right level, rather than being bored by content that is too easy or frustrated by content that is too difficult.

Student Choice
Giving students choices in how they learn (watch, read, practice), when they learn, and how well they learn a particular concept or subject gives them greater ownership over their educational path.  When they have the opportunity to make their own choices, they are often more motivated and engaged.

Mastery Learning
By allowing students to stay with a particular learning topic as long as they need, they are more likely to demonstrate mastery of all skills and concepts. It is important to provide automated review and reinforcement at the point in the learning path where each student needs it the most.

Social Learning
Rather than the instructor simply disseminating information one-way, they can be collaborating with students, and students themselves can be interacting with each other through study groups, interactive study boards, optional profiles, screen sharing and webcam support.

Students have told us that the increased interactivity, the quality of the visuals, and the ability to learn how and when they want just doesn’t compare to the online courses they have taken in the past. And while these courseware design elements enabled students to more effectively and efficiently move through the course, instructors themselves played an important part in our reported success rates as well.

While the perception can be that the instructor’s role diminishes given much of the automation in an adaptive learning setting, in fact quite the opposite is true.  Based on the feedback we have received, instructors thought highly of the experience and their evolved role. Some even told us they liked it better.

To quote Stephanie Sabbagh, who led both adaptive and traditional online sections of Introduction to Psychology at Central Piedmont Community College, “My role as an instructor has become more meaningful to my students as we communicate more effectively, not to mention, I’m able to better manage my time.” She told us that the adaptive learning courseware allowed her to interact and engage with students in ways she never had before.

While the learning outcomes data itself is impressive, equally important in validating the effectiveness of adaptive learning is the engaging, productive, and personalized experience its users affirm.  So, are you ready to jump on the adaptive learning ‘bandwagon’ yet? Come learn more at Adapt Courseware.

*Image of girl studying courtesy of Shutterstock.com

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Moby Max is a Proven Adaptive Learning Toolset with Differentiated Curriculum for K-8 Students
Adaptive Learning, An Idea With Powerful Potential
Can Social Media Play A Role in Improving Retention in Higher Education? Research Says it Can.

John is the founder and CEO of Adapt Courseware, and a former university faculty member. Adapt Courseware is currently seeking proposals for its Adaptive Learning Research Grants. To learn more and to apply, please visit http://adaptcourseware.com/researchgrants/.

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Socrative – A 21st Century Way to Assess

Let me set the stage: it’s professional development at our district administration building. Our district has made a MAJOR leap; within the next three years, we want to have a full 1:1 iPad rollout to our students completed. This coincides with our overall “rethinking education” push and a move to NxGL (“Next Generation Learning”) classrooms. One-third of the roll-out had been  completed (Districts, like elephants take their time and aren’t usually in a hurry). At the time it was “Arab spring” in areas of the Middle East, and there was a similar feeling in room 704 – the professionals were restless.

Continuing on, have you ever been to a meeting where you asked yourself, “Wait a minute! Maybe I should be leading this!”? This is not to say that the facilitator wasn’t doing a good job; it was more that as the plane was being built in the air, we needed a mechanic.

As the meeting progressed, it became apparent that all the note taking apps in the world weren’t going to help anyone RIGHT NOW. Teachers love stuff they can use tomorrow and many of the apps we had brought up in discussion involved a scaffolded deployment. So when the question was asked, “What is your favorite app?”, Socrative came up. And a comment was made that went something like this, “Socrative is amazing. It saves me time, it has changed the way I quiz, and it has increased student engagement.” I made that comment. It raised quite a few eyebrows, mostly because a few others teachers had used the app to poll in the classroom.

Here is how Socrative works and why you should use it: Students go to the app store and download the free student clicker. You – the teacher – go to the app store and download the teacher clicker, which is also free. On your student clicker, you will need to enter in a room number as the student and activate the quiz as the instructor. This is a two-way device app.

As the instructor, you’ll need to add and edit content. While this may seem like it would take an excessive amount of time, it moves very quickly once you get the hang of it. I like to copy-cut-paste quizzes from MS Word. There are some recent features like adding a picture and graded short answers that are worthwhile, but I want to get back to that idea of saving time!

First, as you edit content, you have three basic question types: multiple choice, True/False and short answer. These options really don’t need much explanation, other than knowing that they will offer you the option to grade your short answers (note that and the student submitted response has to be identical to what you enter – I learned that the hard way when students keep getting the question “What river plays a key role in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?” wrong.)

Second, as you edit content remember, this app provides real-time feedback. Meaning, students will get a pretty good idea how they are doing. As a learning professional, it is valuable to put in an explanation for right/wrong answers, which for the purposes of graded formative work, is important.  This idea of real-time feedback is what really ramps up the level of student engagement with this app.

The quiz-based activities are nice, but one negative for me is the Space Race function. It’s okay, but I don’t recommend it because it takes more front-end work that delivers less back-end reward. Plus, it looks kinda “hokey”.

The Start Quiz function is really the bread-and-butter option. What I love above the way the quiz will look for students is you can randomize answer choices. Now, instead of trying to come up with multiple quiz forms to prevent cheating, it does it for you. Also, a student paced vs. teacher paced option is available for those timed-activities that you know need to help students prepare for the timed element of the ACT/SAT.

When you enter in your questions, it will give you the option to send back a report. The report will be sent to your login e-mail. That report is key as it will give YOU the correct number of answer choices. It grades the work for you! How cool!

Upon my initial uses, I would show the results up on the board and occasionally comment “Student X is done!” or “Student Y, you have ten more questions.” The reward was certainly a sense of increased student engagement.

Finally, the app does a nice job of saving reports. So, in case of a “grade book crash”, you’ll have data stored.

Again here are the highlights:

Completely FreeTwo-Way feedback deviceEngaging for the kidsGrades work for you

Here’s the Socrative web site: www.socrative.com. Enjoy!

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Lucidchart – Excellent Web Based Diagramming and Charts, Free for Educators and Students
5 Great Tools for Creating Your Own Educational Infographics
Picture This: 5 Ways Teachers Can Use Instagram in the Classroom

David Rudey currently lives and teaches English in the Milwaukee area. His role this past year and for this upcoming year is to teach English in a Next Generation Learning Environment where students work to create personalized learning goals while using their IPAD's as a functional learning tool. His fiction writing has been published by Six Fold and the NEIU cross-town journal.

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The Growing Use of Collaborative Classroom Spaces in Higher Education

An evolving movement in education is the design of classroom spaces that offer students the opportunity to collaborate on various activities, adding more depth to their educational experience. Colleges and universities are increasingly turning away from the traditional style of lecture focused classroom set up in favor of designs which are better equipped to allow a more interactive style of teaching.

These collaborative learning spaces frequently embrace advances in educational technology. There are a number of ways that technology is being leveraged in order to maximize student interaction and collaboration.

Let’s take a look at some of these collaborative classrooms efforts in higher education.

University of Florida
Tawnya Means, Director for Teaching Learning, and Assessment at U of F, and Jason Meneely, Associate Professor in the Department of Interior Design, recently discussed their work with Collaborative Classrooms at the UB Tech 2013 conference. Their breakout session, “Extending the Active Learning Environment – From Physical to Virtual and the Spaces in Between“, is available for viewing (you need to make a free UB Tech account to view this and all of the recorded sessions).

In discussing the reasons for moving towards more collaborative learning spaces, Means and Meneely discuss the need to facilitate Active Learning Models, enabling more hands-on activities, collaboration, team based learning, etc. These spaces go hand in hand with the transition we are seeing from a ‘knowledge’ era (where what you know is pivotal) to a ‘creative’ era, where we need to know how to use the information at our disposal to work in a creative manner. Additionally, good collaborative spaces remove barriers and encourage comfort and mobility.

U of F recently designed several different collaborative classroom spaces, with tables where students can face each other, and pop-up hubs for connectivity. One of the room layouts has 4 projectors and 8 screens, which can display computers connected to the hubs. Students bring their own devices to connect (there are no computers in the classroom to start with). Teacher stands in the middle of the classroom or sit at a table, so they have to be a direct integrated part of the teaching and learning process. No room for the “sage on the stage” here!

Another learning space the University has designed is the ‘Active Learning Space’. This is a slightly simpler layout, with multiple round tables, each with hubs and monitors, and some with computers in them. This chapter from an online Learning Spaces publication from EDUCAUSE elaborates on these learning environments further.

It can take a while for teachers to get used to teaching in these types of spaces, but many adapt quickly and enjoy it so much that they prefer it to the traditional classroom layout.

Ohio State University
Earlier this year, Ohio State University’s Foreign Language Center introduces ‘The Space’ which is their own take on a digital collaborative classroom. The idea behind the bold design is that learning will be student focused. This is achieved through the use of a wide range of technology, for example, The Space uses a speaker system which allows for the viewing of HDMI not only on the main class screen, but also on smaller screens situated around the five group workstations. Students can connect their group screen with the main class board in order to share group projects with the rest of the class.

San Jose State University
The dedicated 10,000 square foot Academic Success Center at San Jose State University is taking collaborative classroom space to the next level. The classrooms in the center are set up to allow teaching staff to get creative with their teaching methods and encourage students to interact with their education.

One of the major innovations is the Incubator Classroom – a learning space which is designed for flexible learning enhanced by technology. Some of the resources available include a range of software specifically designed to allow collaboration. This includes the RealVNC Screen Sharing, Classroom Presenter which allows for 2 way communication between students and teachers using annotations and Collanos Desktop to allow shared workspaces. All of these tools allow for collaboration in their own unique way.

Hallmarks of a Successful Collaborative Space

These represent just a small selection of the ways in which collaborative classrooms are being utilized in real world situations, but they do not represent the only uses of technology in these spaces. Other things to look for in the most successful collaborative classrooms could include:

 Multiple electronic displays including flat screens, projectors and group monitors. Generous provision of writing surfaces including white boards, magnetic areas and pinboards. Lightweight furniture that is easily moved into different combinations. Wireless connectivity including high speed broadband. Speaker systems and video capability. Smart lighting, heating and air-con to provide comfort.

As advances in educational technology continue to march onwards we can expect more education facilities to become more proactive in creating classroom spaces that are conducive to a more modern approach to learning. Designing a collaborative classroom is particularly challenging, but the key element is versatility. Through the use of new technologies it is becoming easier to create engaging educational opportunities that will encourage students to grow, and make teaching more enjoyable and engaging.

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
6 Free Online Collaborative Interactive White Boards – 2012 Update
Applications to Facilitate Synchronous Remote Classroom Participation
Preparing Students for the Global Workplace with Collaborative Online International Learning

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5 Ed Tech Resources I Used While Working in a Low-Income Class

This past year I worked for a public school in New Orleans.  More than 80% of my students received free or reduced lunch and the school in general was under-resourced compared to the average U.S. public school district.  Often times low-income classrooms lack resources that include anything from textbooks, to craft supplies, to a lack of technology.  Here are five resources I used in my class last year that turned up my learning a notch, and saved me from extra hours of figuring things out for myself:

Creating worksheets was not my favorite lesson planning period activity.  Thankfully I found out early on that Pinterest, a website I had been using for fashion tips, also has thousands of worksheets, templates for centers, classroom management ideas, activities and projects.

It’s not uncommon as a low-income teacher to create much of your own curriculum.  However, rarely did I come up with lesson plans from scratch.  I maximized the beg-borrow-steal method many teachers of low-income students use.   Many of my lesson plan ideas came from Better Lesson.

Better lesson is a free website where one can search by any subject for various types of resources that include unit plans, lesson plans and worksheets.

Tracking parent phone calls was always a nightmare for me, however keeping in contact with parents is extremely important.  A positive phone call home always strengthened the relationships between my students and I.  Dash4Teachers made tracking parent phone calls extremely easy.

Dash4Teachers is an iPhone application that stores phone numbers and tracks the date and time of your calls to students’ family members.  My favorite part about Dash is that you can designate a call home as positive, negative or neutral.  The application displays the rate of positive calls per student.  This encouraged me to maintain a positive connection with parents.

The majority of my students were behind in every subject.  Tracking their progress became extremely important, because my goal was to have them be at or above grade level by the end of the year.  Kickboard assisted me in monitoring individual student achievement and differentiating based on student needs.

Kickboard allows you to track student data by standard.  I used Kickboard to record scores on everything from exit slips to quizzes and tests to interim assessments.  I could then analyze the results for a standard, like multiplying double digit numbers, based on a classes progress or an individual students progress.  It made it much easier to choose what to re-teach.

Classroom management was my main focus during the first few months of school and continued to play an important role throughout the school year.

Class Dojo is a behavior management system you can use on your laptop or Smartphone.  During class, when a student displays a certain characteristic, such as teamwork or generosity, you can reward them points.  My kids loved it because it meant competing with their peers to receive rewards such as free-learning time and popsicle parties.   Teachers can also give negative points that take away from the rewards.  After tracking points, you can print out the results and share it with parents and the administration.

After a year working at a low-income school, I became interested in education technology.  This summer I am working for a new website, Haystack EDU, that connects teachers with jobs.  Haystack EDU’s resource page is a great place to find classroom resources as well as professional development and leadership opportunities.

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
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Ann Davis is a public school teacher in New Orleans Louisiana. She is currently working for Haystack EDU, a website that connects teachers with jobs and other opportunities.

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Education and Instructional Technology Tweet Wrap for the Week of 7-15-13

(Originally posted on Twitter by @EmergingEdTech over this past week … collected here to share with our blog readers).

Faculty members deliver practical approach for using instructional tech in early childhood (book):
http://stories.illinoisstate.edu/2013/07/colleges/college-of-education/faculty-members-deliver-practical-approach-for-using-instructional-technology-in-early-childhood/

Study: Technology in the classroom enhances creativity, learning -
http://www.voxxi.com/technology-in-the-classroom-learning/

Udacity Founder Sebastian Thrun on the Future of Learning:
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/517181/sebastian-thrun-on-the-future-of-learning/

Millions join the education free-for-all on the internet:
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/technology/millions-join-the-education-free-for-all-on-the-internet-1.1466419

WizIQ Announces MOOC for Teachers on English Language Teaching Techniques:
http://www.wiziq.com/course/26903-elt-techniques-vocabulary

Discussion – Do Improvements in educational technology lead to improvements in pedagogy?
http://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_Improvements_in_educational_technology_lead_to_improvements_in_pedagogy

What Real Collaboration Between Teachers and Techies Looks Like:
https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-07-12-what-real-collaboration-between-educators-and-entrepreneurs-looks-like

10 New Educational Web Tools for Teachers:
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/07/10-new-educational-web-tools-for.html

County schools to allow students to: Bring your own technology -
http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=38314

Great list of “Edtech PR Tips”:
http://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/edtech-pr-tips-2/

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Kelly Walsh is CIO at The College of Westchester in White Plains, NY and is the founder and author of EmergingEdTech.com. As an education technology advocate, he frequently delivers presentations on a variety of related topics at schools and conferences across the U.S. Walsh is also an author and online educator, who runs regular Flipped Class Workshops online. His latest eBook, "iPads in Education: Implementations, Apps, & Insights" is available for sale in the iBookstore. In his spare time, he records and performs original and cover songs (look for "K. Walsh" on iTunes or Amazon.com or check out his original song videos on here on YouTube ).

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Keep Math Skills Sharp Over the Summer With These Fun Math Apps

For kids – and even some adults – learning math equations can seem about as fun as getting your teeth pulled.

All those numbers and symbols put together in seemingly random ways can feel intimidating and confusing, and if you make a mistake, you have to start all over. Wouldn’t it be more fun just to spend your time playing games?

Well, now you can do both with iPhone apps that make learning math a breeze – not to mention fun! Here are some of the best ones we found to teach your budding mathematicians.

Pop Math Lite (free on iTunes)

With bright bubbles that have math equations and answers on them floating over a colorful background, kids will love this one. You can pick whether you want it to focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or a mixture of all four. Equation bubbles have to be matched to their corresponding answer bubbles in order for you to proceed to the next level.

Math Bingo ($0.99 on iTunes)

Listed as appropriate for ages 5 and up, Math Bingo is exactly what it sounds like. Pick both a difficulty level and a specific math skill that you want to focus on and you’ll be taken to the main game – a bingo card with a bunch of numbers on it.

At the top of the screen there will be a math problem and you have to answer it by clicking one of the numbers on the bingo card. Answer enough questions correctly to line up five bingo squares in a row and you win that level. This one is high on the cuteness factor with adorable animated bugs that show up as your bingo “stamps” and move around making noises.

Math Ninja (free on iTunes)

This game is fantastic because it’s very sly in how it asks kids to learn. Plus, it incorporates not only math, but reading to learn the story of the game!

Essentially, each level pits you as the ninja against an onslaught of robotic animals. Fight through the horde and count up your points and you’ll have to get through a math drill session that incorporates the four basic math functions before you can play the next level. Pretty genius.

Apparently, the game “remembers” the math abilities of each user and gets harder the longer you play, so it can actually grow with your kids’ abilities. Even better, there’s no multiple choice in this one, so kids can’t just keep guessing until they get the right answer. But don’t confuse the math difficulty with the game difficulty, though, or you’ll soon find your tree house overrun by robotic animals.

Math A+ ($0.99 on iTunes)

What’s interesting about this math game is that it’s actually several different games in one application. This makes it very useful if you have kids who are at different ability levels because they can choose the game that suits them best.

The first game involves learning the sequence of numbers, so it’s perfect for very young children who are learning to count. Another game gives you the answer and asks that you fill in the numbers that make up the equation – a nice twist on the usual and valuable for understanding how the different parts of math equations work. The final game contains an answer at the center and four different equations in the corners that you can choose between for the correct one.

Math Drills Lite (free on iTunes)

This one might be more popular with parents than kids, but it’s incredibly useful if you’ve got a little one who’s having a bit of trouble understanding the math concepts that they’re learning in school. Why? Because not only does it contain the usual basic problems, it actually uses a variety of techniques to review why you got certain problems wrong and show you how to get the correct answer next time.

Yes, that’s right, it actually does a good job of teaching math instead of just getting kids to play a game that involves math. One great visual example they use for addition problems is a table of numbers from 1 to 10. For the review of 2 + 3, a line is colored in up to the number 2 and the game tells you to move three units to the right as well as including an arrow that moves up and over the table to point to the number 5.

If these math games don’t seem to be quite what you’re looking for, don’t worry. There are an incredible variety of games out there for all levels of learners, so you’re bound to find something that works – whether you’re looking for your kid or yourself!

(*Image used with permission from Shutterstock.com.)

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Free eBook: 154 Brilliant iPhone (and iPad) Tips. Too Cool Not to Share.

Aileen Pablo is part of the team behind Open Colleges and InformED, one of Australia’s leading providers of Open Learning and distance education. When not working, Aileen blogs about education and career.She is often invited as a speaker in Personality Development Seminars in the Philippines. If you are interested in featuring her works in your blog, you can find her on Google+.

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The Key Components of a Successful Mobile Learning Management Solution

With the recent boom in smartphone and tablet ownership, mobile learning is fast becoming the norm. To be successful, a learning management system (LMS) needs to adapt to changing student needs.

A mobile revolution is truly underway. There are already more mobile devices than people in the United States, and mobile market information firm CCS Insight predicts that mobile devices will outnumber the population of the planet by 2017. Not only that, but according to a report by comScore earlier this year 37 percent of total Internet time is spent on mobile devices.

There is no doubt that this trend will affect if not totally change, the process of education. Students are increasingly using mobile devices in and out of the classroom to access learning materials and this trend will continue to grow: a recent study by Pearson showed that more than 90 percent of U.S. elementary through high school students believes that mobile devices will change how learning happens. Mobile learning is also poised to be a tremendous transformational force in workplace learning (check out this article on advantages of mobile training by Sameer Bhatia, the founder of online learning company ProProfs).

In a chapter from 2012 book Information and Software Technologies, Daniel Ivanc and colleagues noted that despite the increasing demand for mobile access to education, “most existing computer-based learning management systems still do not have advanced access support for mobile devices.” LMS vendors will need to respond to the mobile trend, and that means more than just making sure their interface looks okay on a smaller scale. Mobile devices have some limitations (e.g., smaller screen), but they also have some enhanced functionality (e.g., touchscreens) that educators can take advantage of.

So what do educators and students need from a mobile LMS?

Mobile-Integrated, Not Just Mobile-Friendly

Gary Woodill at Float Learning Technologies has developed a five-level spectrum of mobile Learning Management Systems. On the low end are LMS software not ready for mobile and those that have been graphically redesigned, but nothing else. In the middle are LMS systems that integrate mobile apps for functions like receiving notifications and accessing course content. Finally, on the high end are fully mobile LMS systems; either standalone mobile or fully integrated with a traditional LMS.

The bottom line is that full integration is the only way mobile learning can truly live up to its “anytime, anywhere” reputation as learners have the option to complete their entire educational experience without having to login via a desktop or a laptop.

Functional Across Multiple Mobile Platforms

Many universities and businesses use iPads; however, Android devices owing to their affordability are more popular with students. Others may want to access their courses using Windows phones or Blackberries. Add to this, the fact that individual learners may use multiple devices running on different platforms (e.g., iPad at school or work, Android phone at home). To meet the needs of this diverse group, mobile LMS systems need to be fully functional and integrated across all device platforms.

Access to Multiple Content Types

Students don’t need to be limited to sending and receiving messages and reading PDFs on their mobile devices. They want to read all course resources, see the course calendar, do interactive activities, undertake assessments and receive feedback, and participate in social learning. Mobile LMS software must be able to combine all of these functionalities and more into a seamless learner experience.

Easy-to-Use, Intuitive Navigation and User Interface

This characteristic is not unique to mobile LMS software. In fact, confusing navigation is one of the most common sources of frustration in online courses. Online courses usually incorporate various types of elements, including chapter-based designs, multimedia content, social learning activities, assessments and feedback, progress tracking, and so on. As courses become more complex, it becomes even more crucial for navigation and user interface to be intuitive, especially for standalone mobile LMS software. Mobile LMS systems that are integrated with a regular LMS should have the same look and navigational tools as the regular LMS to provide continuity no matter how the students access the course.

These are just a few preliminary considerations for the development of mobile LMS software. Mobile learning is actually just taking off, and as it transforms education, new functions and capabilities will undoubtedly arise. Smart LMS vendors will need to start thinking about these issues now so they can be prepared to respond to the future demands of this growing market.

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Sameer Bhatia is founder & CEO of ProProfs.com which is a leading provider of online learning tools for building, testing, and applying knowledge. Through its Learning Management Software, ProProfs offers trainers and educators powerful-but-simple features without requiring users to download or learn expensive software. Sameer has a background is in technology with a Masters in Computer Science from USC (University Of Southern California) and is an ed-tech industry veteran. You can find Sameer on Google+ and Twitter.

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