Blogs on Classroom Technology

One of the most powerful moments in my teaching journey was the summer I immersed myself in feedback and checking for understanding. It forced me to ask myself what and if my students were actually learning. I learned the importance of the language I used. I also learned effective ways to track student progress toward learning goals that will inform the feedback I give students. While my effectiveness as a teacher has grown exponentially, I still have a lot to learn. Since I teach in a lab, I also have both the challenge and the perk of most student work being completed on the computer. These are some of my experiences, ideas and resources for using technology to provide meaningful feedback to students -- and making the process more streamlined for everyone.

So it's Friday, and Edutopia is back with a roundup of useful, unusual and interesting articles, blogs and videos from around the Web.

We started curating Ed News here last week, and we'd love your help. In the comments, let us know of anything from the education blogosphere that grabbed your attention this week, or you can reach me on Twitter (@EducationMatt), where I tweet what I read throughout the week.

The school year is under way, and your lessons have been great. One day after school you decide to stay late and get some extra work done when, all of a sudden, the piece of tech you are using stops working! OMG! After several minutes of crying and hyperventilating, you have no idea what to do next. Tech support is the logical choice, but that could take too long before someone can actually assist you. They are always so busy helping others with their problems that it could be days before they get to yours. Well, here are four troubleshooting commandments that might help you with your problem before you have to call the Help Desk.

Technology can enhance academic conversations, says Anna Des Roches, a community development officer for Collaborize Classroom. The American Association of School Librarians (AALS) agrees, naming Collaborize one of the "Top 25 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning in 2012."

Blake Wiggs, a history and language arts teacher in North Carolina, often uses Collaborize to efficiently "organize classroom participants and sort their contribution to the discussion." He likes that he can integrate audio or video clips and widgets into the discussion pages. Nico Saldana, a high school world history teacher, uses Collaborize to increase student participation: "Nobody can check out of a conversation because everyone is writing."