Monday, September 29, 2014

10 Steps to Creating the Perfect Educational Twitter Account | Mr Kemp


HELPFUL: 10 Steps to Creating the Perfect Educational Twitter Account via @mrkempnz http://t.co/MxLJAgOh0A

I wish I got connected to Twitter earlier on in my educational career (as it is the BEST form of FREE Professional Development I have ever found). Because of this, I love to share my passions behind using Twitter and how it makes me a better educator.

 

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Video Games Are the Future of Education - Fact or Fiction? - Masters and PhDs


Video games are playing an increasing role in school curricula as teachers seek to deliver core lessons such as math and reading—not to mention new skills such as computer programming—in a format that holds their students’ interests. Some herald this gamification of education as the way of the future and a tool that allows students to take a more active role in learning as they develop the technology skills they need to succeed throughout their academic and professional careers.

Few would argue that video games can do it all in terms of education, says Scot Osterweil, a research director in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Comparative Media Studies program and creative director of the school’s Education Arcade initiative to explore how games can be used to promote learning. But games are a powerful learning tool when combined with other exploratory, hands-on activities and ongoing instruction from a teacher acting more as a coach than a lecturer, he adds.

 

Friday, September 26, 2014

With Tech Taking Over in Schools, Worries Rise - Online And Distance Learning


Legislators in the state of California passed a law last month prohibiting educational sites, apps and cloud services used by schools from selling or disclosing personal information about students from kindergarten through high school; from using the children’s data to market to them; and from compiling dossiers on them. The law is a response to growing parental concern that sensitive information about children — like data about learning disabilities, disciplinary problems or family trauma — might be disseminated and disclosed, potentially hampering college or career prospects. Although other states have enacted limited restrictions on such data, California’s law is the most wide-ranging.

 



Free Screen Recorder Video Capture Software


Screen recorder is convenient and safe software that allows to take PC screen video capture of high quality, with or without sound. The program has no viruses, spyware and unwanted applications. Screen Recorder has been tested by the advanced antivirus systems that proved it is absolutely secure software in its segment.

 



Thursday, September 25, 2014

Autism: Change schools - not students - for more inclusive education - Masters and PhDs


A study of Australian mothers’ attempts to access more appropriate schooling for their autistic children offers a new perspective on inclusive education po


Monday, September 22, 2014

The Importance of STEM Education [INFOGRAPHIC]


Science, technology, engineering, and math have always been key components of a college preparatory education. However, in recent years, studies have shown that fewer than 50% of high school graduates are ready for college-level math and science courses. This lack of readiness can affect a student’s chances of earning a four-year degree, which in turn can affect his or her job opportunities. 

Take a look at this infographic to see why STEM education is so important for success in high school, college, and in the workforce. 



Amazing Blogs and Resources for Insights on Special Education


Special education or special needs education is the practice of educating students with special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs. Special kids are learners who are physically, mentally, emotionally and socially delayed.

These learners or students need special education and teachers need to put extra effort to teach them. And teachers need guidance, information and inspiration to help themselves, so that they can teach effectively.

So here is a collection of some amazing resources that helps teachers in their process to teach special kids:

http://ift.tt/1uAClDK

 

A Wonderful Chart of Educational Web Tools to Use in Class


Here is a wonderful chart featuring a plethora of diverse tools arranged according to the task they are to perform. From web tools to create digital quizzes to note taking and brainstorming tools, this chart is definitely a must have. 



Thursday, September 18, 2014

10 Social Media Skills for The 21st Century Teachers ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning


Source: http://ift.tt/1qYSJ1F on Scoop.it - Australian Curriculum Implementation


Flip Your Classroom with These Great Online Tools - EdTechReview™ (ETR)


Flipping the classroom is a great strategy for utilizing the Web 2.0 tools and technologies to support effective teaching in the 21st century. In a flipped classroom, educators can drastically increase collaboration time with their pupils.

It also opens several opportunities for the students to interact, ask questions, solve problems and integrate technology in a purposeful way. Some of the web based tools that make it possible and turn your flipped classroom into wonderful experience are:

 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Different modes of digital learning object use in school settings - Masters and PhDs


The aim of the studies reported in this paper is to gain classroom based empirical evidence on the learning effectiveness of learning objects used in two types of study settings: Collaborative and individual.

The pretest and post test measures and observation data showed that though the learning objects were primarily developed for individual use, they may also help students working with peers.

The study provided evidence that using the learning objects in different modes is possible and designing and developing learning objects for the use of multiple modes is crucial.



Monday, September 15, 2014

How to Get Augmented Reality into the Classroom


One of the most common misconceptions about Augmented Reality is that it belongs in the future, when in fact it is all around us – right here, right now. It is also incredibly user-friendly whilst utilising cutting edge technology, making it ideal for incorporating into learning environments.

 



Thursday, September 11, 2014

New Teachers: Resource Roundup


From classroom management to working with parents, lesson planning to learning environments, this compilation of blogs, videos, and other resources provides an array of tips and advice for teachers just starting out.



Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Time Travel Simulation Resolves “Grandfather Paradox” - Masters and PhDs


What would happen to you if you went back in time and killed your grandfather? A model using photons reveals that quantum mechanics can solve the quandary—and even foil quantum cryptography.

The source of time travel speculation lies in the fact that our best physical theories seem to contain no prohibitions on traveling backward through time. The feat should be possible based on Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which describes gravity as the warping of spacetime by energy and matter. An extremely powerful gravitational field, such as that produced by a spinning black hole, could in principle profoundly warp the fabric of existence so that spacetime bends back on itself. This would create a “closed timelike curve,” or CTC, a loop that could be traversed to travel back in time.



Monday, September 8, 2014

Online learning: the UK’s scepticism is holding it back


There’s no doubting the history of online education among UK institutions. The work of the Open University makes it a stand-out, and in the breadth of its offering, an international leader. Many traditional universities have offered online options for years, but their offerings have remained limited and positioned outside of the mainstream as the alternative to the real thing.

The UK (meaning providers, learners and employers) needs to embrace online learning quickly if its higher education sector isn’t to be left behind on the international stage. Overcoming scepticism will, of course, require a clear basis of regulation and maintenance of standards for all online programmes and a clear sense of differentiation for students between the accredited and non-accredited. In the US that has meant all online providers needing to gain accreditation through one of the regional accreditation bodies or the Distance Education and Training Council in order to be taken seriously.

 

Friday, September 5, 2014

Should schools ban homework?


The College de Saint-Ambroise, an elementary school in Quebec, has banned homework for kids in grade one through six for a year. The Canadian media exploded with blogs, tweets and radio talk shows questioning the decision or applauding the action.

This kind of intense debate about homework has a long history. For example, in the 1920s, some physicians were concerned about the impact of homework on children's health.

They argued that children need between six to seven hours a day of fresh air and sunshine. In the 1930s, editor Edward Bok of the Ladies Home Journal also called for an end to the practice. For the rest of the 20th century, different research reports were used to support or dismiss the practice, yet it persists despite the lack of clarity on its educational value.

What is clear is that parents and kids don't live in the world of academic research; they live in the real world where there are piles of homework on the kitchen table.



Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Big data in the classroom - Masters and PhDs


The days of paper textbooks seem destined to become as distant a memory as cursive handwriting. In 2014, big data is reshaping the way students receive curriculum and learn, and the tools of the new and digital classroom are changing the dynamics for educators.

“Data is changing the way people think,” says Eileen Murphy Buckley, founder and CEO of ThinkCERCA, a company in the data-driven education space. “From critical accountability to teacher accountability to the way we arrange time, our learning spaces, technologies — data is disrupting everything.”

 

Online Masters and PhDs

Online and Distance Learning