Blogs on Open Education Resources

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Paul OhJune 13, 2013

What do programmable books, multimedia poetry and DIY clubs have in common?

They're all examples of ways that a growing number of educators -- in school and out, at libraries, museums and other cultural institutions, at home and at community gatherings -- are engaging in making things and leveraging the learning associated with that very human impulse to create.

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Monica BurnsMay 28, 2013

You might watch Netflix, HBO Go or Hulu Plus for personal use on your iPad, but while these may not always be appropriate for students, there are many free iPad apps for streaming video that will work great in your classroom. The days of running to the VCR to record a clip off a television program are long gone. If you want to hook students with a film clip, to connect your classwork to reality television, or to inspire children's interest in a topic through educational programming, there are many apps that can be used to stream content on your iPad.

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Monica BurnsMay 17, 2013

My students use their iPads as creators every day, whether they are recording their thoughts, using virtual tools or publishing authentic assessments. Content can be both created and consumed using an iPad, and my students take on both roles. There are abundant resources for content consumption, and these apps can be used to teach current events. Many schools are increasing their use of informational and multimedia texts in order to align their instruction to the Common Core Learning Standards. It's important to acknowledge that current events are more than just articles in a newspaper. There are a variety of free iPad apps that students and teachers can use to access high-interest texts and video clips that will connect your classroom to the world.

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Matt DavisMay 16, 2013

The end of the school year can be a nervous time for students, especially those that will be making the jump into elementary school, middle school, high school or college next fall. These transitioning students are left with a variety of questions -- from curiosities about academic rigor to managing a social life and coursework, to worries about using a combination lock. (It took me more than a couple tries.)

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Matt DavisApril 16, 2013

Earth Day 2013 is right around the corner. Are you planning on incorporating the annual event in your classroom?

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Matt DavisApril 5, 2013

Putting together this list, I could only think one thing. The Internet would have been a great tool when I was working on my science fair project way back when. There are so many great resources for students, parents, and teachers online, and maybe the project I did as a third grader -- measuring various climates effect on the growth of mold on apples -- might have been helped out a bit with some of these online resources.

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Matt DavisApril 3, 2013

April is the best month to celebrate jazz, a uniquely American art form. First, April is Jazz Appreciation Month. But the celebration doesn't stop there. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival runs from April 6 to May 5, and International Jazz Day is on April 30.

As the school year nears its close, jazz might be the perfect remedy to calm your restless students, and fortunately, there's some wonderful jazz teaching resources online. Here are a few of our favorites:

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Matt DavisApril 1, 2013

'Tis National Poetry Month! In April, classrooms around the country will dive into the expressive art of poetry. Shakespeare, Frost, Yeats, the list goes on and on.

There are many great ways to bring poetry into the classroom, and whether it's reading, writing or performing prose, poetry can be a great way to engage students. To help you bring poetry into your classrooms, we've compiled a list of some of the best open resources.

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Matt DavisMarch 22, 2013

I still remember April Fools' Day when I was a fourth grader. A reading comprehension worksheet went out to the class, and in minutes, we were all dumbfounded. The story and questions were incomprehensible, written in complete gibberish. But our teacher went along with the joke. We had a half hour to finish it, and it was going to be worth a substantial amount of points.

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Andrew MarcinekMarch 8, 2013

Over the course of educational timelines, the textbook has reigned as the authority in content delivery. The textbook's reign has gone unmatched for many years, but its pedestal is beginning to wobble. This is not to say that credible information is no longer in bound books, rather that credible information options have taken on many new forms.

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