Teaching and Learning with the iPad – a 3 Year Review (Part 3)

This is the third part in the series we’ve run this week from Franklin Academy Principal David Mahaley. In the first installment of this review of the use of the iPad in teaching & learning, we examined the administrator’s point of view, followed by a look at the teacher’s perspective. Today we examine what students have experienced as they’ve incorporated the iPad into the learning process.

Over the course of the three-year implementation and use of the iPads in the classroom, we have collected data to examine just how the students are using the devices.  Data is collected from both teachers and students to target the trends in use that we think are important to monitor as we work to continually improve the learning experience.

Through our survey of students we have identified responses to support the following:

75% of surveyed students in upper classes responded “often” or “very often” when asked if deployment of iPads in the classrooms increased the exposure and use of technology in the classroom.A general decrease in the need for face-to-face meeting when students are completing group projects, thus increasing student interaction with the material as a group outside the normal classroom times.More electronic resources are accessed by students with iPads, including textbooks, activities, and other materials used in the classroom. This reduces the amount of hard copies made and number of books carried around.Submission of hard copy homework in the classroom is reduced with the use of the iPad by the students.Number of separate notebooks maintained and carried around by students on a given day has been reduced.Students prefer to type their notes from classes versus handwriting them. They then can save and store their notes electronically.

Students have reported many benefits to having the device in their hands both for use at school and home.  One challenge that many students face is a lack of organization with their materials for class.  We have noted that forgetting or losing work is much less frequent.

“I’m able to [stay] organized with all my classes and assignments through Dropbox, Evernote and Goodreader – which makes completing and turning in assignments stress-free.”  (Brianna K.)

We have noted that electronic organization requires some additional steps in the classroom to help students find success.  It is very important to develop a naming convention for file and documents so students and staff can easily identify a document as it is posted or transmitted.  This could include an abbreviated name of the assignments with the student initials and graduation year.  (ex.  HW8-12-13DHM14).

“I have found that my iPad has made organization much easier. With everything I need within one device I no longer need to carry around the dreaded notebook.” ( Joshua M.)

It has been noted that typical areas of organizational struggles, such as lockers, notebooks, and book bags have improved.  With less physical items to misplace or organize, students turn towards the new challenge of electronic organization.  It is recommended that when students are given cloud storage with which to keep their documents, that they develop a sound filing structure to include the names of the various courses as well as a place for personal documents.

In a true 1:1 environment, students have the iPad for their use both at school and home.  We have noted as a staff an increase in the communication between student and teacher because of the connections that can be made outside of the classroom.  In our case we have relied upon portals like Edmodo to hold class discussion, feedback, and Q&A outside of the normal class meeting time.  One advantage here is providing an alternate way for students to seek and receive help with their assignments.  Students report that there are times they feel more comfortable posting a question for a teacher than actually seeking them out for a face-to-face conversation.  Sometimes questions regarding assignments come about outside the classroom.  Utilization of the iPad to facilitate this continued learning and dialogue is important.

Students using the iPad have noted concrete workflow advantages to having the device in their hands.  This can be translated into increased efficiency and quality in their work production.

“The iPad has also been instrumental in enriching the fluidity and ease with which I have been able to deliver presentations and to participate in group discussions. Applications like Keynote and CloudOn coupled with the iPad’s mirroring function means that presentations can be viewed on an Apple TV in the classroom without compatibility errors of other technologies.” (Jason S.)

Combining the technologies of the iPad, Apple TV and a few other key apps puts a multitude of sharing possibilities at the disposal of the student.  Communication is not limited to student-teacher relationships.  Group work is facilitated by the use of the iPad to collaborate on assignments students are working on in a variety of classes.

A common response from students at all grade levels is the ability to access information from a variety of resources quickly and efficiently. This is truly 21st Century Skills in action!  Students must be taught to critically evaluate resources found electronically for credibility and authority.  Once these solid foundations have been set, students can be very savvy at gathering not only information required for assignments or discussions in the classroom, but also additional sources that can add to the breadth of understanding of a topic.

“With the iPad, I don’t have to wait to go to the computer lab to start the research process, and in general the iPad makes many resources more accessible.” (Tyler S.)

What I have observed students doing in the high school is taking the lesson topic and finding additional information to further their understanding.  In many cases, questions in the classroom become quick exploration activities with the students searching for these answers on the fly.  The discussion now becomes highly interactive but guided by the instructor who must now take on the role of facilitator.

“The amount of freedom to pursue interest, the level of information I can access, and the speed at which I can do tasks when compared to students elsewhere in the state gives me an enormous advantage. When properly used, the iPad can be implemented in my classes in a way that not only adds to the instructional process, but allows me to further my own education and pursue my academic interests.” (Jordan D.)

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Teaching and Learning with the iPad – a 3 Year Review (Part 1 – the Administrator)
Teaching and Learning with the iPad – a 3 Year Review (Part 2 – the Teacher)
Book Review – Teaching and Learning With The iPad by David Mahaley

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 ).

 Print This Post Tagged as: increased student engagement ipad 1 to 1 1:1 programs, ipad use of school increasing student engagement, lessons learned student perspective ipad rollout in education learning schools, student perspective ipad implementation program in class school work

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Sal Khan’s One World Schoolhouse – Powerful Ideas Persuasively Expressed

In May I wrote this post sharing some of the ideas expressed in the introduction to Salman Khan’s recent book The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined. I truly believe that this publication should be required reading for all educators (I even bought a copy for the library at The College of Westchester). There are various themes that arise repeatedly in the book, and many are spoken to with a straightforward eloquence. Today I want to share some of the often simple yet uniformly powerful doctrines offered and verbally illustrated in Parts 1 to 3 of the book.

We all learn at different rates, and in different ways
Part 1 of The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined is titled “Learning to Teach”. In the opening chapter of this section, Khan explains how his cousin Nadia, a clearly bright and capable student, had hit a wall with math. He started tutoring her and this was essentially the genesis of the Khan Academy. In this chapter he discusses the fact that, “People learn at different rates. Some people seem to catch on to things in quick bursts of intuition; others grunt and grind their way towards comprehension. Quicker isn’t necessarily smarter and slower definitely isn’t dumber.” Educators all know this, yet our existing education system does very little to accommodate this reality.

In the chapter titled, “How Education Happens”, this concept is further discussed at a deeper level, and linked to research. Referencing the work of Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel, Khan explains that new synaptic terminals are formed and new neural pathways are built as we learn, creating a web of connections and associations that we think of informally as understanding. This is a very active, and personalized process, and one that is not really embraced by our current educational model.

“Unfortunately, the standard classroom model tends to ignore or even fly in the face of these fundamental biological truths. Stressing passivity over activity is one such misstep. Another, equally important, is the failure of standardized education to maximize the brain’s capacity for associative learning.”

“You can standardize curricula, but you can’t standardize learning. No two brains are the same; no two pathways through the infinitely subtle web of knowledge are the same. Even the most rigorous standardized tests demonstrate only an approximate grasp of a certain subset of ideas that each student understands in his or her own way. Personal responsibility for learning goes hand in hand with recognition of the uniqueness of each learner.”

This segues nicely into the following key theme that I wish to convey here …

The best teaching/learning process will encourage and enable students to take responsibility for their own learning
Just as good employees must take responsibility for their success in the workplace if they are going thrive there, students must take responsibility for their learning. This fundamental and highly powerful principle is emphasized throughout One World Schoolhouse.

” … students should be encouraged, at every stage of the learning process, to adopt an active stance toward their education. They shouldn’t just take things in; they should figure things out. This is an extremely valuable habit to inculcate, since in the modern world of work no one tells you what formula to plug in; success lies in the ability to solve problems in novel and creative ways.”

The quote above is excerpted from the chapter “Filling in the Gaps”. Later in this chapter, Khan explains how,

“Portability and self-pacing … are essential aids to active, self-motivated learning. For a student to truly take ownership of his education, however, there’s another resources that’s required: easy and ongoing access to the lessons that have come before. This is where Internet-based learning offers a huge advantage over textbooks and other conventional materials. Lessons never disappear.”

In “The Leap to a Real Classroom” chapter we learn about the Khan Academy’s first structured application in a real classroom, in 2007, and get a glimpse at the power of self-directed learning. A summer program titled Peninsula Bridge running in the Bay Area was mandated to provide educational opportunity to motivated middle-school kids from under-resourced schools and neighborhoods. Peninsula Bridge used the video lessons and Khan Academy software at three of its campuses that summer (the Academy software is a story in itself – perhaps a good topic for a separate article). These Academy resources were used in addition to the standard math curriculum, with the videos being consumed during “computer time”. There were some unexpected results:

“… most of the kids, as expected, rocketed through the early concepts. But some didn’t. A few got stuck on things as fundamental as two digit subtraction problems. Some had clearly never learned their multiplication tables. Others were lacking basic skills regarding fractions or division. I stress that these were motivated and intelligent kids. But for whatever reason, the Swiss cheese gaps in their learning had started creeping in at a distressingly early stage, and until those gaps were repaired they had little chance of mastering algebra and beyond.

   The good news, however is that once identified, those gaps could be repaired, and that when the shaky foundation had been rebuilt, the kids were able to advance quite smoothly.

   This was in vivid and unexpected contrast to the group that had started at the fifth-grade level. Since they’d begun with such a big head start, I assumed that by the end of the six-week program they would be working on far more advanced concepts than the other group. In fact just the opposite happened. As in the classic story of the tortoise and the hare, the 1+1 group plodded and plodded and eventually passed them right by. Some of the students in the “head start” group, on the other hand, hit a wall and just couldn’t seem to progress … presumably because of gaps in earlier concepts. In comparing the performance of the two groups, the conclusion seemed abundantly clear: Nearly all the students needed some degree of remediation, and the time spent on finding and fixing gaps turned out both to save time and deepen learning in the longer term.“

There are many more examples of the power of enabling students to take responsibility for their own learning throughout the book. This last example takes us nicely into another important theme of the book …

Mastery Learning is a far more effective and powerful model than our existing (“pass/fail”) model, and instructional technology makes it easier to implement
In the traditional academic model, the time devoted to learning something is basically fixed. Unfortunately, the time required to comprehend subjects varies from one individual to the next. Nevertheless, students must strive to ‘pass’ the tests or other markers that indicate “comprehension” of a subject, and march forward with the rest of the class, or risk falling behind and failing.

The concept of “Mastery Learning” aims for a thorough understanding of a subject as the milestone that allows for progression to a new subject or topic, and it has been around for decades (first coined by Benjamin Bloom in ’69/’71). Study after study has shown it to surpass the conventional learning model. A key criticism of Mastery Learning centers on the level of commitment required by the teacher and the difficulty in managing the classroom when each student is following an individual course of learning. Fortunately, technology now exists that can help to offset the issue of managing a Mastery Learning based classroom to a large degree.

One benefit of Mastery Learning is that it helps to avoid the gaps in learning that we see evidenced in the Peninsula Bridge story above.

“I firmly believe the gaps in learning can be repaired, and moreover that they must be repaired if future, more advanced concepts are to be mastered. Subjects evolve one from another; one subject’s climax is the starting point for the next. A gap or misconception in a previous subject therefore becomes a stumbling block in the one the follows.”

Furthering the discussion of the down sides of the grading system used to assess learning in most classrooms today,

“Forgive a glass-half-empty sort of viewpoint, but a mark of 75 percent means you are missing fully one-quarter of what you need to know (and that is assuming it is on a rigorous assessment). Would you set out on a long journey in a car that had three tires?”

I can hardly do justice to these ideas and the rich dialogue and vivid perspective Khan offers throughout this book in a short article like this. Hopefully I have at least whet the reader’s appetite to learn more and pick up their own copy.

In closing, I wish to emphasize that Khan is not suggesting by any means that technology alone is the answer – we need to change our fundamental approach to teaching in order to take education to the next level and overcome many of the challenges we are faced with (and technology is simply an enabler of some of those changes).

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Book Review – Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies
8 Great Reasons to Flip Your Classroom (and 4 of the Wrong Reasons), from Bergmann and Sams
Salman Khan’s Inspiring One World Schoolhouse

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 ).

 Print This Post Tagged as: key concepts for enhacing education through technology, key themes in One World School House Education Reimagined, Salman Khan One World Schoolhouse book review

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Announcing the Summer 2013 Flipped Classroom Online Workshop from EmergingEdTech – Register Today

Read about other teacher’s uses of the flipped classroom – learn what works, what doesn’t, best practices, and lessons learned from some of today’s leading flipped instruction teacher-advocates, and from other teachers much like yourselfGet hands-on and flip some of your own contentTry out some free screencasting tools, and learn techniques for creating high quality, engaging screencastsLearn about other approaches to creating and delivering flipped class contentUnderstand the considerations you need to be aware of when you flip the classroom, including how to use class time, and techniques to help ensure that students consume the flipped materialsDevelop your plan to incorporate flipped instruction techniques into your teachingShare your ideas and insights, interact with other educators, and learn from each otherDiscover resources available to continue learning about the flip

The workshop will be 4 weeks long, running from July 8 through August 5. An extra week or two will be provided following the completion of the formal 4 week course, so everyone has time to complete the work (since many people take some vacation during this stretch of time).

Each week will start with a video and reading assignments, followed by specific exercises to undertake and write about. There will be required participation in discussion forums, where you will share your learning experience, ask questions, and interact with fellow workshop participants.

We will also hold a couple optional synchronous video meetings online (one at the start of the course and one at the end) to allow participants to talk with each other and discuss questions.

All participants will receive a free copy of the new “Flipped Classroom Workshop-in-a-Book” eBook (we’ll be using excerpts from the book throughout the workshop)!

The cost for the workshop is $100. Everyone who completes their assignments and participates in the discussions will be provided a Certificate of Completion upon completion of the workshop.

Within 24 hours of paying, you will receive an email welcoming you to the workshop.

IF YOU HAVE ANY TROUBLE PAYING (sometimes the PayPal link seems to behave inconsistently), just drop me a line via the Contact Form and I’ll send an invoice, which should make it easy to pay. Thanks!

- “My head is spinning with all of the great ideas that I gained from this workshop — and especially from our discussions. I am going to try to get on the agenda for an upcoming all-school meeting to share some of the ideas from this workshop. I am even leaning toward flipping my “new prep” classes if I can feel comfortable with staying ahead of the students in content creation. Our classes are structured to be two hours of lecture and two hours of lab per week. That translates into an hour of lecture followed by an hour of lab two days a week. By flipping my classes, I feel that the students who now struggle with homework will excel due to the reality that the homework they are assigned is laying the groundwork for what they do in class. Now, I’m just looking for a sure way to get and keep them motivated to access the flipped content for their homework. But, I think that problem might just take care of itself — we’ll see!”

- “I definitely look forward to experimenting with the flipped classroom. I’ve been working on screencasts using iPad apps such as educreations and explain everything. I think they are easy tools to use and interested in seeing how the students take to it. I’m also looking Into experimenting with TedEd also. Having an archive of lessons will prove beneficial. Students will be able to access lessons for review and if they want to go ahead. All in all, I envision this will free up more time for students to practice what they are learning. Whether its playing review games, answering practice problems, or even making their own screencasts, I think the learning process will be a positive one for the students.”

- “I am revved up to create more of my own original videos, but also think I will depend on other videos. Our fourth graders don’t have much homework, but I look forward to trying to incorporate this into science and math. At this point, I think I’d like to try creating new ones for math, and use the Dr. Edventure, BrainPop, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and others for Science. I also have a class website, so have to figure out how to use this and balance it with the new skills I will be learning with wikis and google websites. Our district will be assigning google emails this fall to every elementary student, so while I have a general knowledge of google, it will be fun to explore these concepts and how they can all fit together.”

- “My original idea for the flipped classroom was to use the flipped classroom as a way to have students watch classroom material at home, freeing up class time for more meaningful instruction. I continue to believe that this will be my plan; however, I also plan to create learning stations in my classroom which utilizes the videos that I make. Students will have the opportunity to rotate into a learning station which requires them to view a flipped classroom video in order to receive a portion of our daily instruction. While one group is completing this portion of the lesson, other groups will be composing their response to literature that we are reading while another group will be conferencing with me regarding what they are reading and writing in class.

- “In addition, I see a great value in developing these flipped videos as a great source of tutorial material for students. I want to be able to reference these videos so that students can constantly revisit any of them that they feel will help them become more successful in my classroom. For this reason, the content of the flipped videos will most likely focus on mini skills that students need in order to be successful in an English language arts classroom. I have already started building these lessons to include such topics as: the importance of setting, types of conflict found in literature, types of characters found in literature, the importance of developing a character for a reader, the use of symbolism in a work of fiction, etc.”

- “I am excited about the lessons that I will be creating this year, and I look forward to continuing to grow as an educator in my craft as a teacher. Thanks for everyone’s expertise in this workshop. I have learned a great deal from the responses that I have read by each of you.”

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 ).

 Print This Post Tagged as: get started with flipped instruction with this online workshop, hands on instruction in flipped teaching techniques, how can i learn how to flip my classroom, how do i learn about flipping the classroom, learn about flipped teaching, online flipped classroom workshop, register for online flipped classroom teaching workshop, summer online workshop from emergingedtech

View the original article here

Announcing the Summer 2013 Flipped Classroom Online Workshop from EmergingEdTech – Register Today

Read about other teacher’s uses of the flipped classroom – learn what works, what doesn’t, best practices, and lessons learned from some of today’s leading flipped instruction teacher-advocates, and from other teachers much like yourselfGet hands-on and flip some of your own contentTry out some free screencasting tools, and learn techniques for creating high quality, engaging screencastsLearn about other approaches to creating and delivering flipped class contentUnderstand the considerations you need to be aware of when you flip the classroom, including how to use class time, and techniques to help ensure that students consume the flipped materialsDevelop your plan to incorporate flipped instruction techniques into your teachingShare your ideas and insights, interact with other educators, and learn from each otherDiscover resources available to continue learning about the flip

The workshop will be 4 weeks long, running from July 8 through August 5. An extra week or two will be provided following the completion of the formal 4 week course, so everyone has time to complete the work (since many people take some vacation during this stretch of time).

Each week will start with a video and reading assignments, followed by specific exercises to undertake and write about. There will be required participation in discussion forums, where you will share your learning experience, ask questions, and interact with fellow workshop participants.

We will also hold a couple optional synchronous video meetings online (one at the start of the course and one at the end) to allow participants to talk with each other and discuss questions.

All participants will receive a free copy of the new “Flipped Classroom Workshop-in-a-Book” eBook (we’ll be using excerpts from the book throughout the workshop)!

The cost for the workshop is $100. Everyone who completes their assignments and participates in the discussions will be provided a Certificate of Completion upon completion of the workshop.

Within 24 hours of paying, you will receive an email welcoming you to the workshop.

IF YOU HAVE ANY TROUBLE PAYING (sometimes the PayPal link seems to behave inconsistently), just drop me a line via the Contact Form and I’ll send an invoice, which should make it easy to pay. Thanks!

- “My head is spinning with all of the great ideas that I gained from this workshop — and especially from our discussions. I am going to try to get on the agenda for an upcoming all-school meeting to share some of the ideas from this workshop. I am even leaning toward flipping my “new prep” classes if I can feel comfortable with staying ahead of the students in content creation. Our classes are structured to be two hours of lecture and two hours of lab per week. That translates into an hour of lecture followed by an hour of lab two days a week. By flipping my classes, I feel that the students who now struggle with homework will excel due to the reality that the homework they are assigned is laying the groundwork for what they do in class. Now, I’m just looking for a sure way to get and keep them motivated to access the flipped content for their homework. But, I think that problem might just take care of itself — we’ll see!”

- “I definitely look forward to experimenting with the flipped classroom. I’ve been working on screencasts using iPad apps such as educreations and explain everything. I think they are easy tools to use and interested in seeing how the students take to it. I’m also looking Into experimenting with TedEd also. Having an archive of lessons will prove beneficial. Students will be able to access lessons for review and if they want to go ahead. All in all, I envision this will free up more time for students to practice what they are learning. Whether its playing review games, answering practice problems, or even making their own screencasts, I think the learning process will be a positive one for the students.”

- “I am revved up to create more of my own original videos, but also think I will depend on other videos. Our fourth graders don’t have much homework, but I look forward to trying to incorporate this into science and math. At this point, I think I’d like to try creating new ones for math, and use the Dr. Edventure, BrainPop, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and others for Science. I also have a class website, so have to figure out how to use this and balance it with the new skills I will be learning with wikis and google websites. Our district will be assigning google emails this fall to every elementary student, so while I have a general knowledge of google, it will be fun to explore these concepts and how they can all fit together.”

- “My original idea for the flipped classroom was to use the flipped classroom as a way to have students watch classroom material at home, freeing up class time for more meaningful instruction. I continue to believe that this will be my plan; however, I also plan to create learning stations in my classroom which utilizes the videos that I make. Students will have the opportunity to rotate into a learning station which requires them to view a flipped classroom video in order to receive a portion of our daily instruction. While one group is completing this portion of the lesson, other groups will be composing their response to literature that we are reading while another group will be conferencing with me regarding what they are reading and writing in class.

- “In addition, I see a great value in developing these flipped videos as a great source of tutorial material for students. I want to be able to reference these videos so that students can constantly revisit any of them that they feel will help them become more successful in my classroom. For this reason, the content of the flipped videos will most likely focus on mini skills that students need in order to be successful in an English language arts classroom. I have already started building these lessons to include such topics as: the importance of setting, types of conflict found in literature, types of characters found in literature, the importance of developing a character for a reader, the use of symbolism in a work of fiction, etc.”

- “I am excited about the lessons that I will be creating this year, and I look forward to continuing to grow as an educator in my craft as a teacher. Thanks for everyone’s expertise in this workshop. I have learned a great deal from the responses that I have read by each of you.”

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 ).

 Print This Post Tagged as: get started with flipped instruction with this online workshop, hands on instruction in flipped teaching techniques, how can i learn how to flip my classroom, how do i learn about flipping the classroom, learn about flipped teaching, online flipped classroom workshop, register for online flipped classroom teaching workshop, summer online workshop from emergingedtech

View the original article here

Education and Instructional Technology Tweet Wrap for the Week of 06-14-13

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

Virtual and Physical Learning Spaces Combined in Online International Collaboration:
http://www.pil-network.com/HotTopics/virtuallearningenvironments/international-collaborations-SUNY-COIL-CW

Virtual Universities Abroad Say They Already Deliver ‘Massive’ Courses:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/virtual-universities-abroad-say-they-already-deliver-massive-courses/44331

65+ Ways to Use ThingLink In Your Classroom:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/06/65-ways-to-use-thinglink-in-your.html

Empowering Learning with Video (video taped webinar from eSchoolNews):
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2013/04/02/empowering-learning-with-video/

MOOC-Skeptical Provosts in high-level talks to create an online education network:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/06/19/big-10-provosts-question-partnerships-ed-tech-companies#ixzz2Wl4nlmDv

Tablets thrust Thai classrooms into digital era:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/19-Jun-2013/tablets-thrust-thai-classrooms-into-digital-era

Technology brings postgrads in from the cold:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jun/18/technology-and-the-future-of-learning

U of Minn engineers have developed tech that that lets people fly robots w/their minds (omg!):
(Not really ‘ed tech’ per se, but too wild not to share!)
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_23388055/u-m-researchers-develop-thought-controlled-robots

Create Multimedia Presentations & Quizzes in Edmodo:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/06/create-multimedia-presentations-quizzes.html

Inside Instructional Tech (findings from disseration on instr. tech @ small liberal arts colleges):
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/inside-instructional-technology#ixzz2WZIwusXo

Education technology trends and the role of the school librarian:
http://www.districtdispatch.org/2013/06/education-technology-trends-and-the-role-of-the-school-librarian/

Revamping school projects to engage students, demonstrate learning, & push 21st century skills:
http://www.biteslide.com/blog/educator-stories/how-we-revamped-school-projects-to-engage-students-demonstrate-learning-and-push-21st-century-skills

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
The Evolving use of Badges in Education
CA Bill Mandates Credit for Online MOOC-style Courses to Fill Gaps in Availability
Salman Khan’s Inspiring One World Schoolhouse

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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View the original article here

Education and Instructional Technology Tweet Wrap for the Week of 06-24-13

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

Professional development stressed at education tech conference:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/article/Professional-development-stressed-at-education-4624203.php

Infographic offers perspective on how admins, faculty perceive value of online ed, moocs:
http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/assets/downloads/reports/changing-course-survey.pdf

How Badges Really Work in Higher Education:
http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2013/06/20/How-Badges-Really-Work-in-Higher-Education.aspx

How Technology Will Change Entry-Level Higher Education:
http://www.wired.com/insights/2013/06/how-technology-will-change-entry-level-higher-education/

New technology is poised to disrupt America’s schools, and then the world’s (The Economist):
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21580136-new-technology-poised-disrupt-americas-schools-and-then-worlds-catching-last

Improving the developing world through technology & scholarship enhanced education:
http://womennewsnetwork.net/2013/06/27/improving-world-scholarship-education/

Technology and teaching: New ideas from EduTECH:
http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2013/06/27/3791060.htm

Use These 4 Creative Web Tools in Class And Never Touch Glitter and Glue Again:
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/06/25/Use-These-4-Web-Tools-And-Never-Touch-the-Scissors-in-Your-Classroom-Again.aspx

iPads In The Classroom: Worth Doing Right:
http://www.informationweek.com/education/mobility/ipads-in-the-classroom-worth-doing-right/240157153

A ‘Consumer Reports’ for ed tech: Common Sense Media launches reviews site for teachers:
http://gigaom.com/2013/06/24/a-consumer-reports-for-ed-tech-common-sense-media-launches-reviews-site-for-teachers/

Solar Powered Open Education Library in a Box for Schools in Sierra Leone:
http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/archives/58257

How online education can create a ‘global classroom’:
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/21/business/opinion-koller-education-petersburg-forum/?hpt=hp_c5

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Announcing the Summer 2013 Flipped Classroom Online Workshop from EmergingEdTech – Register Today
Study Shows 21st Century Skill Development Clearly Linked to Career Success
Flipped Classroom Panel Discussion Provides Rich Insights into a Powerful Teaching Technique

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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Educational Apps Round Up for July 2013

Every month I get sent a bunch of apps that people would like me to review and consider writing about. While I really can’t check them all out, I do take note of those that are education specific, and from time to time I will have a handful that I think are very much worth sharing.

Here are four apps (a couple just for iOS, and a couple for both iOS and Android OS) that came across my desk in the last month or so that I think some readers will find worth learning more about, depending on the grade level and academic subject areas they work with.

Assessmate
Well suited for K-12 educators in all subject areas; $2.99 on iTunes and for Android

A lot of teachers use rubrics to mark student’s work, whether it be work habits, class work, assignments or homework. This process is usually performed on paper and is both time consuming and laborious. Assessmate enables teachers to import their own rubrics and class lists into the app and mark student’s work. Assessmate also allows users to edit, export and archive assessments.

The concept of Assessmate was simply to save educators time in marking student’s work. What is interesting however, is the unexpected benefits that the app has brought to student learning. Student engagement has increased. Students are able to self assess their work or even peer assess other students. Student direction (students in control of their own learning) is another area that Assessmate has unintentionally improved. Students can easily build their own rubrics with appropriate assessment criteria in which they can achieve success and be in control of their own learning.

A short video (approximately 4 mins) in which students discuss the benefits of the app (without prompting!) can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Assessmate.

Chem Pro
For High School and College Chemistry; Free on iTunes; Free on Google Play

Chem Pro is unique because it was created by students for students. The app features 80 self-developed video lessons (31 hours total) that take students through the entire year of college General Chemistry or high school AP Chemistry. From the basic concepts of density and calculating molar masses all the way to solving complex equilibrium problems, the lessons pass down student approaches to tackling problems that would be found in homework or an exam. Chem Pro also includes several study-aids such as reference tables, an interactive periodic table, and flashcards to help students reinforce important concepts such as common polyatomic ions.

Since its release in 2010, Chem Pro has been downloaded over 140,000 times and has received rave reviews by students and teachers alike. Learn more about it at http://www.ihelpnyc.com.

Math Superheroes
For elementary school level math; $0.99 on iTunes

In Math Superheroes, Mathy and Matheo guide your kids through 6 chapters of games and learning about numbers, shapes, patterns, sequences, operations and more, with thirty original games, tested and recommended by teachers. As a natural “Little Bee’s ABC’s” successor, it was #1 at the US AppStore for weeks. The makers work hard to maintain the content’s quality and graphic language as a successful formula for educational purposes.

Check the promotional video at Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CUg5vW9EwY8

Interactive Listening
For music education ; $14.99 on iTunes

This “Interactive Listening iBook” was chosen as a #1 Editor’s Choice by Apple. (While this is iBook, not an app, as a product that you buy and download from iTunes, a truly interactive iBook seems app-like enough to warrant inclusion in a listing like this).

From the iBook’s web site … “Created for digital-savvy students, Interactive Listening features Hollywood-style graphics, interactive 3-D instruments and computer games. At the same time, the iBook includes interactive educational content spanning 35,000 years of music, with sounds from every continent, from prehistoric cavemen to Beethoven to Coldplay. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Jennifer Foxx, President of the Phoenix Music Teachers Association.” Learn more at http://interactivelistening.com/.

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
The iPad Isn’t the Only Tablet Computer Being Used in Schools
6 Higher Education Institutions Leading the way with Mobile Learning Apps
The Updated Classroom – Developing Student Writing Skills with Tablet and Smartphone Apps

Tablet and Smart Phone image used with permission from Shutterstock.com.

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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