How teachers Can Leverage More Time?

As a social studies teacher I feel strongly that students need to acquire facts, but we want our students to move beyond routine memorization to analyze and make connections with the new information. With the new demands of Common Core standards teachers will be faced with an educational decision to teach content that leads to a deeper understanding, comprehension, and application.

Incorporating technology into daily instruction is one way in which teachers can leverage more time, restructure learning activities so they become more meaningful, and provide opportunities for more rigorous  instruction. Digital tools can be seamlessly integrated into the curriculum to save teachers time and enhance learning time. Some teachers have a hard time envisioning how digital products can be enhanced into classroom instruction. Here are a few ways I integrate technology into my classroom:

 

Assessment

I use a program called Infuse learning as a formative assessment with my students. Students can electronically through their cell phones, tablets, or laptops send responses immediately to an electronic spreadsheet that can allow me assess whole-group or individual feedback.

 

I can then use this information to guide my teaching and instruction. For example, students may answer a critical thinking question from the previous night’s homework. If the spreadsheet or graph reveals a majority of students did not comprehend a concept the assignment I can then reteach or review a particular concept or question. Students send immediate responses to my teacher account which can place responses into an electronic spreadsheet, which allows me assess the whole class or give individual feedback. Through infuse learning, I can send my class a multiple-choice question. The website instantly graphs my students responses, which reveals if my students did not comprehend a concept

 

For example, students may answer a critical comprehension question applying a historical topic to modern day. Another way I have my student’s use this program is with the draw feature. In pairs they are assigned four vocabulary words. They then need to draw the vocabulary words. They then send the words to the board and as a class we guess the word and review the definition.  This makes for a particularly useful review activity in any class (yes even AP).

Image by: Krista Moroder http://www.edtechcoaching.org/2012/12/cant-afford-student-clickers-hate.html

 

Google Forms for Data Collection

I simplified my life with Google Forms.  Google forms can help you plan an event, send a survey, give a quiz, or collect information in an easy way. Through Google Forms responses are automatically collected in a spreadsheet. Responses can be shown in a graph or sorted by spreadsheet column.

 

I use Google Forms on the first day of school to collect student information, back to school night data, rubrics for projects, and so much more. My students even asked me to make a Google form for a debate evaluation so that no one knew their handwriting with the evaluation.


Evernote for Lesson Plans, Notes, or Assignments 

Evernote is an easy-to-use, free application or website that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Evernote lets your take notes, sync files across your devices, save webpages, capture inspiration, and share your ideas with friends and colleagues.  There are so many wonderful ways to use Evernote for file sharing, lesson plans, digital portfolios writing submission. The ideas are endless! Here is a great Livebinder created by Justin Stallings on all the wonderful features of Evernote.

 

 

Online Discussions

Back channeling during class can encourage your students to make comments, ask questions, and provide feedback.  I have used Today’s Meet, Twitter, or My Big Campus as a back channel during class such as with a debate, video, or resource sharing session when I do not want “verbal” discussion. My students enjoy back channeling during videos. My students ask questions, answer questions, and share links/quotes about the topic of the video. I find I can have a more engaging discussion after the video because all of the initial questions were already answered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Creath’s Class- Creative Ideas for the 21st Century Teacher


I learned about  a pretty amazing social studies teacher, Mrs. Creath at the National Social Studies Conference in St. Louis, Missouri this past November. Mrs.Creath led a poster presentation on “Getting Your Students to THINK!” She presented some interesting ideas and tons of resources to encourage students think beyond routine memorization. All of her resources were directed at Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels and Social Justice Issues. If you teach you should check out her resources, many  of them could be applied to any subject or grade!

I particularly liked her “Think Dots” lesson. Leslie has her students roll the dice as they research, read, or investigate new information. She also changes the stems in each box to be adapted for a specific question. According to Dr. Dheeraj Mehrotra, “A Teacher, who is now a facilitator in this generation, encapsulates a new order of delivery with extension of a knowledge society and not a content delivery or an interpretation of book knowledge in real life” (Mehrotra). The 21st century of teaching and learning will not be limited to physical space but learning that is open-minded, inquiry-based, and full of authentic learning experiences.

 

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Citation: I got permission to reference Leslie Creath and her website. 

 

 

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Learn about the Brain with this Interactive Brain Map

YOUR BRAIN MAP: 84 STRATEGIES FOR ACCELERATED LEARNING

Educational neuroscience bridges the gap between science and schools in a way that no other field can. Before the rise of this relatively new discipline, psychology and neuroscience occupied one realm of research and modern formal education occupied another. But the influence each can have on the other has becomeScreenshot 2013-11-15 21.37.26 increasingly clear in recent decades. Educational research creates new challenges for cognitive neuroscience to adapt to the real world practical requirements of educational learning, and findings in neuroscience create new challenges for education, providing important insights into the current state of the learner–including brain state, genetic state, and hormonal state–that could be relevant to learning and teaching.

Neuroscience has advanced to the point where it is time to think critically about the form in which research information is made available to educators. It must be interpreted appropriately for practice–identifying which research findings are ready for implementation and which are not–and employed with the best interests of the brain in mind. By providing new measures of the effects of learning and teaching, including brain structure and activity, researchers can now identify patterns between different types of learning methods and levels of attainment. The next education revolution is upon us–make sure you are a part of it.

Here is the link to the interactive website that can help your students learn about the brain.

 

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Free Webinar- Google Apps & Tools to Engage Students

 

Free Online Event: The Best iPad Apps for Educators
Free Online Event: Improve Your Classroom with Google Apps and Tools
Harness the power of Google apps and tools with these 6 expert-led webinars! Learn the secrets to saving time and improving productivity in your classroom. Space is limited, so register now for this free event!
Free Registration – Click Here to Learn More
6 Free Google Webinars 
• Go Google for Presentations
• Productivity & Collaboration with Google Drive
• Save Time and Simplify Your Grading
• Going Google: The Quick Start Guide
• Using Google Docs Presentation Tools
• Improve Writing Skills Using Google Docs


Click Here to Register for this Event

Click Here

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How to Retrieve Images from Old PDF Presentations and Teaching Materials

When it comes to teaching, preparing classroom activities and lessons is just as important as the actual process of teaching the material. Teachers put a lot of time and effort into these preparations, so it’s always nice to stumble upon a tool that can make the entire process faster and more convenient.

Many teachers use visual aids in their presentations. And instead of saving these pictures one by one in folders all over the place, it’s good to convert them into PDFs for convenient archiving. If a time comes when a teacher might want to reuse these images, then it would be really helpful to find a way to extract these old images from PDFs and restore them as image files so that they can be used conveniently in a class lesson once again.

One fantastic productivity tool that can help in such a process is Able2Extract PDF Converter . This software enables users to convert PDFs into editable formats such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and many others that can be very useful for teachers in everyday situations. Among the many conversion options available, Able2Extract can also extract images from PDFs. As a matter of fact, Able2Extract comes in two versions: Standard and Professional, with the latter one using the latest OCR technology and enabling users to convert scanned PDFs.  It’s the best solution for working with PDFs and images that were scanned into an electronic format from paper.

Here is a step-by-step guide that will help you see how easy this software is to use when trying to pull images out of PDFs for reuse in the classroom. We are using the Professional version of Able2Extract in this how-to guide, but if you are working with native PDFs (created from an electronic source, not scanned), you can use any version of the Able2Extract PDF Converter.

Start up the software and then click on the “Open” button to locate the PDF from which you want the images extracted.

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If you want to extract all of the images found in the PDF, you can click on the “All” button.

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However, Able2Extract also gives you pinpoint conversion options to convert only the images that you need at the moment, which is an additional timesaver in the process. To do this, click “Area” and then select with your mouse the pictures you want to extract.

Now that the images are selected, click on “Image” to extract the pictures from the PDF.

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You will now have a number of options to select what image format you want to convert the pictures into. Able2Extract supports JPEG, TIFF, GIF, BMP and PNG image formats. You can make additional customizations to your output here as well.

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Once you have chosen your conversion options, click the “Convert” button. In a matter of moments, you will receive your new image file that has been extracted from your PDF.

The software’s ability to extract images can really come in handy in the classroom, but its other conversion options are just as useful for teachers. For example, you can use Able2Extract Professional 8 to convert old, archived tests from PDF into MS Word files to use again, convert multiplication tables from PDF into editable Excel spreadsheets, turn PDF presentations into reusable PowerPoint slides, and much more.

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Chances of Finding Good Work

Warning: This is a paid advertisement! For a company promoting an idea. 

 

Chances of Finding Good Work

College students should realize early on that a BA degree is not a ticket to being able to get a good job with a high paying salary. This is backed by statistics. According to figures that appeared on the NCES, Digest of Education, the rate of unemployment for BA holders is at 7.5%. In fact this is not the best time for employment of college graduates when compared with past periods. Here is the unemployment rate for BA holders in the past:

  • 1990- 3.14% Unemployment rate
  • 2000  4.96% Unemployment rate
  • 2008  4.51% Unemployment rate

Even for the college graduates who were able to find work, not everyone did as well as expected. Many of those BA holders had to make do with jobs that are totally unrelated to what they have taken up in college. Here is a breakdown of where the college graduates of 2010 found jobs:

  • Retail Sales 24.6%
  • Amusement and Recreation Attendants 23.5%
  • Telemarketers 18%
  • Bartenders16.5%
  • Waitress and Waitresses 14.3%
  • Personal Care Aides 10.5%

As you can see, Retail Sales is the most common type of work that they were able to land. Almost one in every four of all college graduates took a job along that line. Jobs as Amusement and Recreation Attendants come as a close second. This infographic was created by www.opencolleges.edu.au.

These figures are not really encouraging to students, but this does not mean that getting a higher education is totally wasted as a means of getting a high paying job. It is just a matter of taking up the right discipline. Certain college majors can be very high paying. Here are some examples of college majors that are sure to be worth it:

  • Biochemistry
  • Geology
  • Management Information Systems
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Civil Engineering
  • Software Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Petroleum Engineering

 

Petroleum Engineering is by far the best paying college major today. A newly graduate petroleum engineer can land an average starting pay of nearly $98K. After a few years that could rise to $155K. No other college major can offer such a high paying opportunity like that. But it isn’t just the college major which should be used in picking a career that pays well. The industry that one is going to join can also be used as a determining factor. A student who would like to enter a high paying industry for example should aim for the Mining, Quarrying& Oil & Gas Extraction, which is the best paying industry right now. The industry offers an average starting salary of $84,182 to its new entrants.

 

 

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Design Comic Strips on the iPad

I work with a wonderful teacher, Ms. Grasso, who assigns her students a hand-drawn comic strip assignment. I recently discovered this wonderful paid application ($2.99), called Strip Designer. Ms. Grasso can now offer a digital comic strip option or hand-drawn comic strip project option to her photo 2 copy 3students as an assignment.  Your students can create their own comic strips on any history or general education topic in the classroom.

 

You can use photos from the camera roll or from the internet. Your students can select a template from the Strip Designer and then insert photos. Your students can add cute graphic design stickers to the template or photos. Your students can then add text balloons on the images or cartoon captions. You can then save the comic strips to your camera roll or it can be shared online.Screen Shot 2013-07-01 at 9.57.51 PM

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Teachers Wanted: Do you teach about 9/11?

Dear Teachers:

I am interested in what you do and think! My name is Dr. Cheryl Duckworth, and I am a professor of Peace and Conflict studies—and former high school teacher—studying how teachers in grades 6-12 are addressing the topic of 9/11 in their classrooms—if at all. You’re cordially invited, as a grade 6-12 middle/high school teacher, to participate in my survey to learn more about the activities, politics, emotions, successes and challenges you may have experienced.

 

If you have not addressed this topic in your classroom, I’m interested in knowing that too! Your participation in this survey is 100% voluntary and anonymous. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions at all. I’ll get back to you right away. Thank you for your time and your service in the classroom! Click here to take survey

 

Best regards,

Cheryl Duckworth, Ph.D.

Asst. Faculty of Conflict Resolution
Nova Southeastern University
Office: 954 262 3018
Email: cheryl.duckworth@nova.edu
Website: http://shss.nova.edu/faculty/duckworth/index.htm

Photo from the National 9/11 Memorial

 

 

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Thank You: 100,000 Page Views!

I am so humbled and honored that my blog has reached 100,000 page views. I was so impressed when it reached a 1,000. Thank you to all my wonderful followers on twitter, subscribers, and guest bloggers. Thank you for making me a better teacher and giving me a voice to share my teaching pedagogy and practice. Here’s to another 100,000 views! Thank You

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Download Videos or files on your iPad

This week I am doing a project with my AP Government course using iMovie. A few of my students want to get videos from their phones and computers on the school ipad and the solution is to use  Dropbox. Through dropbox can download video directly to your iPad over wi-fi or 3G without using iTunes. The trick is to first upload video to your Dropbox account and then favorite it (highlight the star) in iPad dropbox app. The simple act of favoriting the video or file in Dropbox begins the download process. Your video or file is instantly saved to your iPad.

How can you save a video from Youtube to your iPad? 

  1. Go to Keepvid on your desktop and save your video as an mp4.
  2. Upload to your Dropbox account.
  3. Find your video on the iPad app and favorite it (check the star)

Your video will then download to your iPad. No need to iTunes and cords. 

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My Big Campus User (FREE) Conference

Last year I had the unique privilege to attend My Big Campus (MBC) Summer Academy in San Diego, California. I learned from amazing educators across the country, learned to train others using MBC, and creative ways I can implement MBC into my classroom. I left the training motivated and excited to share My Big Campus with my professional learning community. Since then I have spread MBC to several teachers at my school who are using it with their students. I am hopeful the rollout will continue to spread within my district.

 

What is My Big Campus?

My Big Campus is an online learning environment where teachers and students can have online discussion and online learning for all students. It is a secure social network that is designed to be used inside and outside of the classroom. My Big Campus is carefully monitored and has specific settings that are designed for you class and student population. Anything that is uploaded, created, or posted can be seen and printed by teachers, administrators, or My Big Campus administrators.  Students will learn that they are members of a community and are expected to be responsible digital citizen.All My Big Campus groups are “Private” meaning that only students and teachers that are invited to be a part of the group or class can see comments, assignments, discussions, or shared resources.

 

Here are some ways you can use My Big Campus in your class:

  • Students can get directions and resources for assignments given in class
  • Students can participate in and create discussions related to the topics we are covering.
  • Students can access to our classroom calendar and receive announcements about upcoming events and important dates.
  • Students can have online storage space so they can easily access digital projects and assignments they are working on for class.
  • Students can communicate with me and their classmates about assignments and projects we are doing in class.

 

My Big Campus Conference  

Any MBC user can attend our first-ever MBC User Conference–there are no conference fees! Teachers, tech coordinators, and admins will be coming together to share best practices for engaging students, improving learning outcomes, managing online behavior, collaborating on PD, rolling out MBC and 1:1 initiatives, and more. Users teaching and learning from each other–because together we do amazing things!

Register today — the conference is free!

Submit your proposal to present — this conference is all about users sharing best practices. Strands include:

  • Student Engagement (e.g., course delivery, global connections)
  • Content Curation (e.g., curating content in MBC, cross-district collaboration, course bundle best practices)
  • Innovative Learning Models (e.g, PBL, flipped, differentiated instruction)
  • Virtual/Distance Education
  • Digital Citizenship and Managing Online Behavior
  • Mobile Implementations (e.g., 1:1, BYOD)
  • Professional Learning Networks (e.g., PD, book studies, district rollouts)

Apply for a scholarship to offset travel expenses.

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Explaining Lessons with Skitch by @justinstallings

 As some of you may be aware, the Texas Panhandle is covered in snow today!  I’ve decided to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about Skitch, a awesome tool from Evernote.

What is Skitch?

Skitch, initially a web tool on it’s own but later bought by Evernote, is a image markup tool that makes explaining images much easier.  It is available on Mac, PC, Android, and IOS.  You can markup images with text, arrows, highlights, and different shapes.

Here’s a snap shot of what tools are available from Skitch:

 

Explaining simplified

As I mentioned previously, the Texas Panhandle has been hit with a huge snow storm today.  With Skitch, instead of just saying what the snow is like, I can show you!

By simply adding the overlay of text and arrows, the image is already explained.  This also to engages students more than just listening to you explain it.  When the student sees the image and notice the text and arrows, they are already processing what they are looking at and what “snow drifts” are.

Skitch mobile

If you have a mind of a teacher, you’ll get a lot of ideas while you are out and about and want get a snapshot of whatever you find.  Skitch, available on Android and IOS, allows you to capture pictures via your smartphone and markup the image right there.  Plus, once you are done with the markup, you can share right from your smartphone to Twitter, Google +, email or several different other options.  Here’s a good video from Evernote.com about the Skitch app for Android (there are several other Youtube videos over Evernote and Skitch available at Youtube.com):

Skitch for Android 

 

Evernote and Skitch

Best of all, any image that you markup or capture will automatically be saved into your Evernote account.  Once you have saved the image, your image will be uploaded to your Evernote account where you can do editing with Skitch on your PC or Mac and share when you are ready.  Once it’s in your Evernote account, you’ll have it until you delete it.

Want more info on Skitch?  Here’s some more resources from myself and Evernote:


P.S.


If you are curious, here’s a another photo I took of the snow at my place.  I stand 6’6 and the snow drift was up to my knees:

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

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Use Google Draw to Animate Maps or Images written by Chris McKenzie @mckc1

Guest Post written by  Chris McKenzie who is an English teacher and a Coordinator of Educational Technology at a secondary school (grades 8-12) in Vancouver, BC. You can follow her on Twitter handle at  mckc1

 

I’d like to share relatively simple idea that makes use of Google Drawing to annotate maps. This is great for historical maps because it’s easier to do than overlaying a map onto Google Earth. If you don’t know about Google Drawing, you can find it in Google Drive. Instead of creating a Google Doc, just go a bit further down the drop-down menu and select “Drawing”.

Then, when you are in the drawing window, “Insert” an image and resize the image and the canvas to your liking.After that, you and the students can use the line tool and scribble tool to draw on the map, use the text tool to write on the map, and use the insert image function to include other images. If you right-click on the lines, text, or images, you can select “comment” to add a comment to the right of the map. Move your mouse over the comment to see which part of the map it pertains to, or click on an element of the map to see which comment is associated with it. Best of all, because this is a part of Google Drive, multiple students can collaborate on it.

It may be worthwhile having students annotate a map before you teach them the lesson. As a form of pre-assessment, they could annotate it with what they know. Then, as the lesson goes on, they could revise their previous annotations or drawings to show what they’ve learned.

Depending on your purpose and the students’ ages, you may also want to have some small pushpin images or premade labels down the side so that the students have only to drag them into place.

Here is a sample map:

 

 

 

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Schedule Meetings with Doodle

I discovered Doodle when I was trying to schedule meetings with multiple people with very busy schedules. Doodle simplified the process of scheduling meetings. You can send a poll with multiple options with different meeting times and dates. You can connect your calendar to connect Doodle to simplify meetings to your busy schedule. The best part is that it’s free and does not require registration. It is a very simple way to schedule a meeting with multiple people.

 

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Create a Fake Newspaper Story with Fodey

Make a newspaper clipping with your own headline and story with Fodey. You can surprise friends and coworkers, send a birthday greeting or to give your next blog an update with a newspaper story.  In school you can have your students write a response and then paste it into Fodey to create a response that looks like a Newspaper. As a teacher you can even create a blog post using Fodey to spice up your class blog.  It is so simple and type, paste, and generate!

 

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