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Blogs on Classroom Technology

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Why Wikis Still Matter

Audrey WattersOctober 18, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Online Learning, , Technology Integration, All Grades

Wiki is a Hawai'ian word meaning "fast" or "quick." As a technology platform, Ward Cunningham installed the very first wiki on the Web in 1995. That was two years before the word "weblog" was coined (and four years before that term was shortened to "blog"). Wikis predate Facebook and Twitter by roughly a decade. At sixteen years old, the wiki predates almost every other social media tool (other than email, of course, which historians of technology say turns 40 this year). Why then, in the face of rapidly changing technology -- all the new bells and whistles and Web 2.0 tools -- should we still use wikis?

How One District Implemented a Hybrid Learning Program

Andrew MarcinekOctober 12, 2011

Tags Blended Learning, Classroom Technology, Online Learning, Technology Integration, High (9-12)

It's easy to get caught up in the educational discourse throughout any given day. Everyone has his or her thoughts and ideas on what should happen next in the educational landscape. While discourse is healthy, personally, I like to see and hear about this discourse in action.

The Right Tech Tool at the Right Time

Nicholas ProvenzanoOctober 7, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Primary (K-2), Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

One of the things I'm learning as a curriculum technology specialist is that I have to be careful about how many tools I share at any given time. I maintain a blog for my district called Provenzano's GPSTech Guide. Every week I send out my Tech Tuesday update to the district.

Ten Ways to Remember Steve Jobs

Elana LeoniOctober 6, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Media Literacy, Technology Integration, All Grades

Yesterday, we lost one of the great minds of American history. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, passed away at age 56. Whether you're a Mac or PC person, there's no doubt that Steve Jobs has reinvented how people use and continue to use technology to fuel innovation. By personalizing the computer and bringing technology to our pockets, Steve's innovations propelled all industries -- including education -- into the 21st century.

Reflecting on One-to-One Programs

Mary Beth HertzSeptember 28, 2011

Tags 1:1 Implementation, Classroom Technology, Teacher Development, Technology Integration, All Grades

More and more schools are bringing laptops, netbooks, and other mobile computing devices into the classroom. Here are some thoughts on these initiatives.

K-5 iPad Apps for Evaluating Evaluation: Part Five of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy

Diane DarrowSeptember 22, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Game-Based Learning, Integrated Studies, Performance Assessment, Primary (K-2), Project-Based Learning, Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), English Language Arts, Math, Science

The cognitive domain Evaluating focuses on skills necessary to judge the value of ideas, techniques, products, or solutions. Students must evaluate the credibility or functionality of given content with clearly defined criteria and standards.

Texting in the Classroom: Not Just a Distraction

Audrey WattersSeptember 21, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Mobile Learning, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

The Pew Research Center released new data this week on Americans' text-messaging habits. According to Pew, 83 percent of American adults now own cell phones and almost three-quarters (73 percent) send and receive text messages. The research only looks at adults' usage of text-messaging, but it does find that younger adults are much more active texters than older age groups. Cellphone owners between the ages of 18 and 24 exchange an average of 109.5 messages a day -- that's more than 3200 messages per month. That's compared to about 41.5 messages a day for all cellphone owners, a figure that's largely unchanged from figures reported in 2010.

How My School Is Transitioning to Digital Textbooks: Process (Step 3 of 5)

Andrew MarcinekSeptember 20, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Curriculum, Professional Development, Teacher Development, Technology Integration, High (9-12), English Language Arts, Massachusetts

This fall, my high school is transitioning to digital textbooks through a 1:1 program. In this five-part series, I am describing the process we went through to to make this transition.

Twenty Everyday Ways to Model Technology Use for Students

Heather Wolpert-GawronSeptember 20, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Curriculum, Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Twenty Everyday Ways to Model Technology Use

I wanted to post a list that talked about how to "use" technology in the classroom, but I found myself revising that word "use" to the more general word, "model." The reason I did this is because so many teachers believe that if students aren't actively sitting in front of the computer screen themselves, then clearly technology is not being used in the classroom.

An Open Letter to Techy Teachers

Nicholas ProvenzanoSeptember 14, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Teacher Development, All Grades

As the new school year gets underway, there will be plenty of times when the "techy" teachers are going to be asked to help others get their classrooms set up. As I spent the first few days helping my friends put their digital lives together, I made sure to follow some important tips I learned over the years.