Needed: More Tech in Classrooms

In a 2013 national survey by Harris Interactive, an overwhelming number of teachers and administrators (92%) said they want to make greater use of educational technologies in their classrooms.  Teachers report that they need to spend time searching for high quality resources and that other problems related to funding, time, access, and training limit their growth in the use of technologies.  As a result, only 1 in 9 teachers say they use 1-1 learning or BYOD in teaching and only 31% make use of information/reference tools. The infographic, EdTech: It isn’t optional, it’s essential, provides an excellent overview of the findings.

Encouraging Creative Kids

Research often tells us what we educators already know. This time, it’s about creative kids—they are the ones who not only do well in academic assessments such as the SAT and ACT but also in the ability to take apart and put together objects. These are students who do well on Differential Aptitude Tests, which measure spatial ability.

The problem is that spatial ability, “sometimes referred to as ‘orphan ability’” often goes “undetected”.  To solve this problem, researchers at Vanderbilt suggest that SAT, ACT, and other tests should include more questions involving spatial ability.  If we were better able to identify students with excellent spatial skills, these students could receive improved career guidance. Considering the world’s needs for the future, we should encourage those young people with spatial competence as part of their makeup to prepare themselves to become the innovators of the future. In the meantime, before the tests are changed, we know that teachers who detect signs of spatial ability in their students will continue to encourage them to move forward with this seemingly innate talent.

Pearson Research & Innovation Network

The School of Thought video series, by Pearson, demonstrates how technology integrates smoothly into everyday life and learning. The focus of the series is to show how “innovative connections among technology, educational psychology, and cognitive neuroscience can change how we think about learning.” The five videos are part of Pearson’s Research & Innovation Network and feature some of the products included in Pearson’s vision of the future. You’ll especially enjoy the videos featuring the students Rey and Victoria.

Jones eGlobal Library

The Jones eGlobal Library provides “powerful federated search technology” that allows you and your students to search using multiple databases. With one query, databases such as ProQuest, Gale, and others—even your own school library—will be searched. Results of searches through this research library are integrated/merged to make finding just that right content easy for you and your students. Whether you are searching for ebooks, curriculum collections, digital tools, or other resources and content, the eGlobal library gives access to “curated” content, which is available in various media formats. The collections can be tailored to your school curriculum and branded with your school logo or emblem. There are many other advantages (student technical support, accessibility, personal library space, detailed reporting, homepage widgets, etc.) to using the Jones eGlobal Library, so check out what else is available and find out if this research library will benefit your students by going to the eGlobal site.

Flipped Learning Research

The Flipped Learning Network, Pearson, and George Mason University have been working together to review Flipped Learning.  According to the Flipped Learning Model whitepaper, to achieve student engagement through Flipped Learning, schools must have flexible environments that allow for varying learning modes and student levels; a student-centered learning culture; intentional content that teachers have evaluated; and professional educators who understand how to observe students, get help from others, and “tolerate controlled classroom chaos.”

A review of the research finds that while Flipped Learning seems promising for K-12 education, there is actually not much empirical evidence about the technique. Surveys of teachers using Flipped Learning found that nearly 70% said student achievement improved, most felt that student attitudes improved, and about 90% said that their job satisfaction improved.  Students surveyed reported favorable comments about the learning.

Concerns reported include the worry that teachers may rely on online videos, some of which may not be the best to use; the fact that some students may not have access to high speed Internet at home; the worry that face-to-face Socratic instruction will be missing because of time needed for activities; and according to journalist Gary Stager, “The model emphasizes traditional homework and lectures” simply flipped and is actually “a means of standardizing learning.”

Raz-Kids Have Read over 1.3 Billon Books

Almost 7-million Raz-Kids in 165 countries have read over 1,392,992,483, and counting, books. The company, Learning A-Z, reports that almost 525 million books have been read on the Raz-Kids site in the last 12 months. The CODiE-award winning books are definitely popular; just ask students who use them. My 7-year-old friend Lebby, whose mom works in my office, delighted in showing me how to use Raz-Kids and all the books she was reading. She loved taking me through the quizzes and showing me how well she understood what she read.

In addition to Raz-Kids, Learning A-Z has other fine programs: Reading A-Z, Science A-Z, Writing A-Z, Vocabulary A-Z, and Reading Tutors.

ISTE’s New Branding

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) will no longer be recognized by its name and a globe of the world. Instead of the old logo, on ISTE products and services will be the acronym ISTE with a partial circle (indicating the world) dissecting the letters and the words “Connected learning. Connected World” beneath the letters. Take a look at the new logo and watch the video on ISTE’s vision and brand.

Super Duper Learning & Handouts

Super Duper Learning, Online Education for Kids, has a HearBuilder Series, which targets auditory memory, following directions, phonological awareness, and sequencing.  Aligned to Common Core Standards, Super Duper’s programs are fun and motivating and are presented in game format to help students with auditory processing, memory, and listening, comprehension, and sequencing skills. Demos of some of the lessons are available for preview on the site.  Coming soon will be Super Duper apps for tablet computers.

The company also provides teachers with free handouts at its Handy Handouts site. Educators are invited to download, but not alter, the handouts provided. You can use the Search area to find the handouts you want, inserting your own keywords or using popular topics such as articulation and phonology, autism, grammar and syntax, hearing and sign language, parent resources, phonics, vocabulary, and oral-motor and apraxia.

Are You in Information Overload?

The leaders of the Texas Computer Educators Association (TCEA) know about information overload, and in their technotes, they offer suggestions for keeping current without being overwhelmed. To help you “relax and recharge” after a busy school year, you might want to take time to try Spigot, Zite, and Flipboard. Spigot is a free site that offers snippets of current information for teachers and media specialists. Zite, called a personalized magazine, finds out what you are interested in and brings stories you want to your mobile device (Android, iOS, Windows). With Flipboard, an iOS and Android app, you create your own publications filled with what you want to know. Both Zite and Flipboard can gather content from Websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Handwriting in the Digital Age

Because we spend so much time typing into our digital devices today, we may think that handwriting is a dinosaur that we don’t need to bother teaching. Research, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal (October, 2010), tells us that learning to write “is more than just a way to communicate”, because it “engages the brain in learning” in ways that keyboarding doesn’t. To learn more about the importance of handwriting and how to encourage students to develop the fine motor skills needed for good handwriting, subscribe to Zaner-Bloser’s free online newsletter, Write On!