Educators can use digital literacy to combat misleading information

by Pat Donachie, Education Dive

As the speed of information makes it all the more important to contextualize news and weed out misleading information, educators must work to instill strong digital literacy in students by coaching them in ways to identify reputable sources, according to Ed Tech: Focus on Higher Ed. With so much of students’ research and analysis done via internet browsing and searches, educators must also teach students “effective search processes,” including how to properly utilize databases and what types of resources can typically be considered accurate. In addition to properly teaching students how to find and use accurate data, colleges and institutions must ensure that their own facilities are secure. Though institutions are working to respond to cyber attacks and hacking, proper awareness among students and staff may help prevent issues in the first place.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/educators-can-use-digital-literacy-to-combat-misleading-information/443762/

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Excellent Tool to Measure Student Progress

by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

FreshGrade allows students to document their learning through pictures, videos, audio recording, links and text notes. As a teacher, you can record artifacts of learning and upload them directly to students portfolios to share with parents. ‘Using the FreshGrade Parent App and FreshGrade Student App, students and parents have secure access to view, comment and upload additional artifacts to the student’s portfolio. The FreshGrade suite of applications features student portfolios, parent engagement, custom assessment tools, custom activities/assignments with curriculum alignment and classroom announcements.’

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/05/an-excellent-tool-to-document-students.html

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How to be an award-winning teacher

BY ALISON ALOWONLE, ANTHONY JOHNSON, AND JAMIE REESE, eSchool News

My homeroom is 4th- and 5th-graders: 21 gifted students, a mix of boys and girls. It’s nice because the 5th-graders are really the mentors, and next year the 4th-graders get to take on that role. It’s a lot of project-based learning in here. For instance, for chemistry we’ll work on teaching them the properties of atoms and bonds and we’ll go through the whole chemistry unit, but then it’s peppered throughout with different labs they can do. With intense students like mine, connecting to the family is super important. I send periodic emails to individual parents to let them know how things are going. I also send everyone a very detailed weekly newsletter about what it looks like to be a child in this room for a week.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/05/26/award-winning-teacher/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=28506

Free, Online Summer Learning Camp Launched for Kids and Families

by National Center for Families Learning

The National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), with support from Better World Books, launched a new edition of Camp WonderopolisTM, the free online summer-learning destination, at Camp.Wonderopolis.org. The virtual camp provides families with 42 interactive learning modules. Questions like “How Much Blood Is in Your Body?” and “Why Do Bananas Bruise?” come equipped with explanations, vocabulary words, and easy at-home experiments that allow for imaginative conversations and deeper exploration designed to improve background knowledge, reading comprehension, and vocabulary skills.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/free-online-summer-learning-camp-launched-for-kids-and-families-300283554.html

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Are effective retention strategies dependent upon ed tech?

By Jarrett Carter, Education Dive

Ed Tech Magazine reports the six-year cohort entering college in 2009 graduated just 53% of its students, a number which demonstrates the need for effective retention strategies, perhaps centered around tech solutions.According to a recent Eduventures survey, 60% of responding institutions said technology was a part of their retention strategy, with more than 80% using an external resource. But only 38% of respondents indicated satisfaction with the technology’s help in improving completion rates. Institutions have a responsibility to work more closely with IT in retention tech implementation, but vendors should look to partner more effectively with institutions in developing retention solutions.

http://www.educationdive.com/news/are-effective-retention-strategies-dependent-upon-ed-tech/420772/

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Grad says online learning better prepared her for college

By Wes Beckstead, Mail Tribune

For many high school seniors, this time of year can create mixed emotions of excitement and apprehension — as they close one chapter of their lives and open another. That’s why it’s nice to hear that our online public school, Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA), has given many of our students the tools they need to succeed in life. The other day we heard from Taylor Ambrosio Wood, formerly of Ashland and a member of the ORCA graduating class of 2011. She was able to graduate from our school a year early at age 17 because she was able to work at her own pace and move ahead of her peers in required credits. When it came to education and music, Taylor followed her own beat. At 9 years old, she started playing a Zimbabwean marimba and her musical interests grew from there. Last year, she received her bachelor’s degree in music from the Boston Conservatory and next month, at 22 years old, Taylor hopes to finish her master’s degree in Spain. Research shows graduates who’ve experienced online education are often better prepared for college.

http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160612/OPINION/160619919

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New Report Outlines Ways to Implement Competency-Based Learning

by Education World

A new report from CompetencyWorks called Implementing Competency Education in K-12 Systems: Insights from Local Leaders outlines effective ways districts have and can implement personalized learning models that meet individual student needs and teach competency-based skills. “This paper highlights strategies to engage, motivate, and teach all students to proficiency and mastery; depicts shifts in instruction toward deeper learning and meaningful assessments for learning; while exploring models of distributed leadership and educator empowerment,” according to the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_news/new-report-outlines-ways-implement-competency-based-learning-702222762

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Beaufort County Schools offering online summer learning program

by Jessica Knight, KTOC

Beaufort County School students have the opportunity to accelerate their learning this summer through a virtual learning program. The online learning is not just for students trying to make up a class, but instead the online learning is individualized, based on the students MAP testing scores and can help students catch up or get a jump start on next year’s coursework. The students use the Compass Learning program online, customized to their level, and parents can track their progress at home.

http://www.wtoc.com/story/29251482/beaufort-county-schools-offering-online-summer-learning-program

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High School Seniors Easily Cheat in Flawed Online Education Program

BY MOLLY BLOOM, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Proponents of combining online and in-person teaching say it works for students who don’t learn by sitting through lectures, but critics say seniors at Atlanta’s Crim High School Googled their way to diplomas. Some seniors at Atlanta’s Crim High School Googled their way to diplomas this spring, looking up the answers to test questions on the internet while enrolled in a flawed online education pilot program, teachers told the Atlanta school board. Students in the pilot took classes in school computer labs supervised by teachers. The teachers were also available to help them with lessons, district accountability chief Bill Caritj said. Some of the seniors were catching up before graduation; others were taking courses for the first time, he said. But some teachers and parents said students cheated their way through the coursework in order to earn credit.

http://www.govtech.com/education/High-School-Seniors-Easily-Cheat-in-Flawed-Online-Education-Program.html

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Explosive eSchool growth brings need for teachers

By Ronnie Blair, Tampa

The number of Pasco County students taking online courses grows dramatically each year, but science teacher Staci Kreitz says people still possess misconceptions about what online education means. “I’m not sitting around in my pajamas making it an easy day,” Kreitz said on a Pasco eSchool video shown to the school board last week. Although she and her students aren’t face to face, she said they have regular interaction and she is available for a phone call from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Like regular classroom teachers, she spends time on the weekends grading or answering emails. Kreitz, who teaches eight science subjects, worked with more than 300 students this year.

http://tbo.com/pasco-county/explosive-eschool-growth-brings-need-for-teachers-20140608/

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Learning on the go: How digital learning can help you understand any topic instantly

by the Idaho State Journal

When you think about technology and learning, images of eager students likely come to mind. But in the digital age, technology is far reaching and not exclusive to America’s youth. One of the most active groups of digital learners is actually adults – a movement that is being driven by the desire for self-improvement and to gain knowledge about a variety of topics of personal interest. Adults are embracing digital learning at steady rates, which is not surprising when you look at mobile connectivity statistics. As of January 2014, 58 percent of American adults have a smartphone, 32 percent own an e-reader and 42 percent own a tablet computer, according to the Pew Research Internet Project. These digital devices mean that adults have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips 24 hours a day.

http://www.idahostatejournal.com/vac/tech_talk_and_innovation/learning-on-the-go-how-digital-learning-can-help-you/article_5c8018ef-3f55-5d84-9cf2-f7121b0d0306.html

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Taking the learning tablets

by the Economist

Two decades of fitting classrooms with computers and whiteboards have gobbled rich countries’ school budgets and done little for attainment. But the latest technology promises to improve teaching methods, rather than merely shifting them from blackboard to screen, and to give all children the personalised education once only available to the rich. Game-style lessons let pupils progress at their own pace, getting instant feedback at every step. Even homework is more fun: when Pearson (a part-owner of The Economist) supplied tablet-based courses to schools in Alabama, they were such a hit that Wi-Fi was installed on school buses so it could be done en route.

http://www.economist.com/news/international/21603471-latest-innovations-promise-big-improvements-teaching-taking-learning-tablets

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