ISTE issues Digital Citizenship Week challenge

BY eSchool News
Use new ISTE resources to explore what it means to be a good citizen in a digital world.  The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) will leverage Digital Citizenship Week (Oct. 16-20) to raise awareness of the importance of teaching digital citizenship to students of all ages. ISTE challenges students, educators and parents to take time each day during Digital Citizenship Week to explore what it means to be good citizens in a digital world. “The need to teach digital citizenship skills has never been greater. These skills include concepts like how to use tech to organize around good causes, how to respectfully disagree online, and how to distinguish between true and false information. As our interactions with friends, community members and government leaders become increasingly mediated by technology, we must model and teach the behaviors we hope to see in our next generation of digital leaders,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta.

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/16/iste-digital-citizenship-week/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=32846

7 MUST-HAVE PROBLEM BASED LEARNING APPS, TOOLS AND RESOURCES

by Matthew Lynch, tech Edvocate

Problem Based Learning (PBL) can radically change student learning. Rather than stuff students full of facts or material to memorize, problem based learning encourages students to solve problems independently (or in groups) to find solutions. Additionally, problem based learning is student-centered, which is where all of education is headed. Therefore, teachers must make efforts to provide students with problem based learning activities. To grow your collection of PBL resources, here are seven must-have apps and tools.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/7-must-problem-based-learning-apps-tools-resources/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=32706

ARE VIRTUAL SCHOOLS GOOD FOR KIDS?

by Mattew Lynch, tech Edvocate

Some students learn better if they work with their hands while other students learn better by reading. The invention of the computer has now allowed students to learn through technology and students are engaged like never before. This different way of learning may be incredibly beneficial to some people who thrive on technology. This relatively new invention has given millions of students the opportunity to have access to seemingly endless information. This incredible opportunity has opened up doors that were previously closed or otherwise inaccessible.

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/virtual-schools-good-kids/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=32696

8 things to know about Connected Educator Month

BY LAURA DEVANEY, eSchool News

For the past few years, October has meant a focus on helping educators form professional learning networks to improve teaching and learning outcomes. Connected Educator Month, led by the American Institutes for Research, intends to create a more global and evidence-based approach to education by fostering collaboration and innovation in professional learning. Some of the month’s key goals include increasing educator and partner participation, influencing the way professional learning occurs in and out of schools, and fostering collaboration and innovation within and between stakeholder groups and partners.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/10/07/8-things-to-know-about-connected-educator-month/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19404

I made my classroom look like the real-world—and test scores soared

BY ANTHONY JOHNSON, eSchool News

Think about the jobs in today’s economy — the ones we’re supposed to prepare students for after graduation. Are employees evaluated using bubble-in tests to prove they know the ins and outs of their job? Do they learn and use new skills one at a time in a vacuum? The questions sound a bit silly until you realize too often that’s what students take away from their education. Why is the culture to drill facts into students’ heads just to pass a test? Just like in the real world, my students show what they can do through projects, teamwork, and research. Is it working? Well, according to state science exams, my students consistently score higher than other science classes in my district.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2016/10/07/i-made-my-classroom-look-like-the-real-world-and-test-scores-soared/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19392

New online ‘learning passport’ a one-stop shop for teachers in Wales

BY GARETH EVANS, Wales Online

The passport will help school and college staff record, monitor and reflect on their professional learning and development. A “one-stop shop” for teachers, lecturers and support staff to record their progress and evaluate their experiences has been launched in Wales. The “professional learning passport” (PLP) is designed to help school and college staff record, monitor and reflect on their professional learning and development. Funded by the Welsh Government, it will be operated by the Education Workforce Council (EWC) – the body responsible for upholding classroom standards – and is available online via its website.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/new-online-learning-passport-one-12004160

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=19380

Utah tries offering preschool online

By Emma Brown, The Washington Post

Can 4-year-olds learn what they need to know for kindergarten by sitting in front of a computer for 15 minutes a day? Utah is betting they can. This year, more than 6,600 children across the state are learning by logging onto laptops at home in a taxpayer-funded online preschool program that’s unlike any other. This is preschool without circle time on the carpet, free play with friends and real, live teachers. In online preschool, children navigate through a series of lessons, games and songs with the help of a computer mouse and two animated raccoons named Rusty and Rosy. The Obama administration last year awarded an $11.5 million grant to expand the online program into rural communities to study how well it prepares children for kindergarten. Schools in South Carolina are testing it out, and Idaho lawmakers are considering a pilot program. It’s a sign of the growing interest among educators in using technology to customize learning, even for the youngest children.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/utah-tries-offering-preschool-online/article_63cdb669-4d80-59b1-bd34-091997be008b.html

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14071

More Indiana school districts joining online learning trend

by the Associated Press

A growing number of Indiana schools are introducing their students to online learning technologies intended to keep youngsters engaged even if inclement winter weather maroons them at home. Tipton Community School Corp. is the latest school district to ensure students don’t miss crucial instructional time ahead of next spring’s ISTEP standardized exam testing period. The district that’s about 40 miles north of Indianapolis has been holding “eLearning” days this fall to familiarize students and staff with the technology-dependent learning format before winter arrives. The last two Indiana winters have been harsh, and many districts extended their school years to make up for days lost to ice, snow or frigid temperatures.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2015/10/11/indiana-school-districts-joining-online-learning-trend/73797974/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14068

Can Campus Networks Ever Be Secure?

by JOSEPHINE WOLFF, the Atlantic

Universities are struggling to find balance between academic openness and the need for computer security across their networks. The Internet was built on university campuses. It was built by academics for academics, and without any notion of the new kinds of commerce, crime, and espionage it would enable. As the Internet spread beyond purely academic circles and became a valuable tool for corporations and governments, as well as a target for criminals and terrorists, a vast—and growing—security industry sprang up to develop new controls and defenses that would protect us against threats. But the academic world, from which the Internet originally came, has not wholeheartedly embraced this growing market of new security tools and tactics.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/10/can-campus-networks-ever-be-secure/409813/

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from Educational Technology http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/?p=14065

5 Ways to Use Integrated Google Drive Apps for Group Projects

by Leah Levy, Edudemic

Google Drive empowers teachers as they use Google Docs to provide real time feedback. It also helps students engage in discourse via Google Moderator, and provides project participants a platform for brainstorming remotely on Google Hangouts. But Google Drive’s power doesn’t lie solely in its own features. In fact, it is Drive’s integration with third party apps that really empower student collaboration. In this post, we’ll explore 5 creative ways to use integrated apps for group projects.

http://edudemic.com/5-ways-use-integrated-google-drive-apps-group-projects/

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/zoPvMTvcbiQ/

Learning about art via smartphone

by Meg McConahey, Press Democrat

College students who are more comfortable browsing the web than stacks of books can now research the artworks on display in Santa Rosa Junior College’s Doyle Library simply by pointing their phones at them. The new Art Talk uses smart phone technology to make fine art accessible to a new generation of what writer Marc Prensky dubbed “digital natives,” students who never knew a world without home computers and the Internet. SRJC librarians Alicia Virtue and Loretta Esparza created the online gallery to better engage students with the library’s extensive collection of fine art, all done by current or former faculty members.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/2919598-181/learning-about-art-via-smartphone

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from Educational Technology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uis/edtech/~3/V7uXNDVs8GE/

Online learning program to be offered to elementary students

by Julie Greene, Herald Mail Media

Washington County Public Schools is adopting an online adaptive learning program that could be available to all county elementary schools by the end of this month, according to a school system official. Students will be able to access it from home and at school, with the program providing data to teachers to help them determine which skills students need more help with, said Matt Semler, director of elementary education and student services. The Washington County Board of Education voted 6-0 on Tuesday to approve its consent agenda, which included the $231,000 purchase of Stride Academy for one year from LTS Education Systems, of Birmingham, Ala. Board member Melissa Williams was absent from the meeting.

http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/online-learning-program-to-be-offered-to-elementary-students/article_55f7f516-5f27-586a-b71f-0fecd8a56a0f.html

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