No More Cursive?

There’s a debate about whether students should continue to learn how to write in cursive. With use of computers and digital devices, the need to learn keyboarding is evident. —But, should students learn both keyboarding and cursive? Cursive instruction is not required in Common Core Standards, but questions remain about problems that may arise if students aren’t taught how to read and use cursive. For example, on standardized testing such as that required by Advanced Placement, students are better able to complete written questions if they use cursive. —And, how about reading documents written in cursive in the past and signing documents?

Password Mindreader

We all have troubles with remembering and creating our passwords. There’s a Coordinator of Technologies who says that all of her passwords are the same, but that she changes them monthly. I remember a student telling me that she never bothered to remember her passwords or save them in any way. Instead, she just clicked, “Forgot Password”, and either had it sent to her or created a new one.

So many of the passwords we create are not the most secure. Student passwords are not only often shared but also are easy to figure out. Microsoft has come to the rescue with a new digital tool called Telepathwords. It’s online for anyone to use making it a great resource for teaching about safe passwords. Telepathwords works by having the user start to put in a password, and then, it guesses what you’ll add next.

Paper Vs. Electronic Texts

Do students learn better when reading from and studying from traditional books or digital books? An article in ISM (Independent School Management), “Paper Versus Electronic: Debating Comprehension,” cites research relating to the topic. Digital resources were found to be more mobile, easier to carry, and greener than paper. Two studies, one in the Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education (2012) and another to be published in College & Research Libraries in 9/2014 found that although college students “relied heavily on their mobile devices”, they reported that study tools such as highlighting, bookmarking, and even searching worked better when they use traditional text. Although, a study by Ferris Jabr, in the Scientific American, found that “modern screens and e-readers drain more of our mental resources ... and make it harder to remember”, this study did not, according to John Jones of DML Central, include various types of electronic readers and “did not support his [Jabr’s] claims about the nature of paper versus screen reading for comprehension.”

The argument continues with some preferring paper and others, digital. It seems that only time will tell, because we must remember that the college students in these studies grew up using paper texts. Only recently have we seen digital textbooks starting to replace paper.

Take Part in ISTE Research

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) encourages you to take part in the Speak Up 2013 Survey.  You can share the link to the survey with peers, parents, and students. Your answers, along with those of other educators, parents, and students will become part of the Speak Up 2013 National Research Project. The survey closes December 20, 2013 and in February 2014 national and state data results will be available.

Schoology for Learning Management & More

Schoology, a CODiE Award winner, helps teachers and administrators put easy-to-use tools to work to develop their own educational communities. The system encourages collaboration and integrates nicely with other platforms like Google Apps, Moodle, Blackboard, Turnitin, etc. It allows schools to put all content in one easily accessible place. edshelf reviews call it “Facebook-like in appearance and navigation” and an “unbelievable classroom tool”.  Schoology includes different levels of pricing and is free for basic management and administrative features. A limited admin plan is free for schools and includes privacy controls, word filters, and data import and export. Schools and districts interested in advanced management and administrative features should contact Schoology for pricing.  This program is getting a host of great reviews by teachers who use it.

Google Hangouts

Think Google Hangouts and you’ll come up with all sorts of ways your students can interact digitally with others. Perhaps, you’ll want to invite a few parents to “visit” your classroom to watch and interact with a group of students doing a special project?  Up to ten students and parents can hang out together in their own virtual space. An eduptopia article (February 1, 2013) suggests that Hangouts be used to connect with classrooms around the world, with experts in different fields, and with authors. To put Google Hangouts to work, you’ll need Google and Google Plus accounts and the inspiration to get a good conversation going.

Cell Phones, Browsing the Web, & eMail: Distractions for Teachers?

It’s difficult to fight the urge to check email, text messages, social networks, and/or app info on our cell phones, computers, and other digital devices. Although, schools often have rules against teachers making and answering personal calls while they are teaching, we all know it happens. Browsing the Web and checking personal or school email and messages are distractions we need to avoid while teaching. Some of us are so obsessed with checking our email and smart phones that this “need” interrupts lessons and takes time away from working with students. Administrators who suffer from these digital obsessions are often distracted from the running of their schools.

Peter DeWitt in his Education Week article, “Do You Check Your School E-Mail Too Much”, reminds us that if we read and respond to parent email when we receive it at home, on vacation, late at night or early in the morning, parents “will get the idea” that we are available all the time, “any day... any night”. Of course, sometimes it’s necessary to look and respond, but most of the time it’s better to resist.

 

Monster.com lists making too many personal calls and excessive Web browsing as two of the top ten ways to get fired from a teaching job.

Webinar on Demand: Changing Role of Teachers

Tech & Learning, together with Edgenuity, offers the Webinar on Demand, The Power of Technology and the Changing Role of the Teacher. You can enjoy the webinar at your convenience. It features ways technology empowers teachers such as how digital devices can be used for routine tasks and how they can be used to allow teachers time to “mentor, coach, and build student relationships.” Also, covered in the webinar is how to use data to create personalized learning experiences for all students.

Edudemic: Connection Education & Technology

Looking for loads of great information that will help you and your students? Try Edudemic. It’s filled with teachers’ guides, the best in educational technology, and information for both teachers and students. Educators who are migrating to eBooks for their courses and want to publish their own text should check the article “How to Publish a Class E-Book Using iTunes”.  Some of the October 2013 articles you may want to browse include: “How to Gamify Your Classroom”, “5 Fabulous Ways to Use Google Apps in the Classroom”, and “7 Signs Your School Needs a Technology Makeover.” You’ll also enjoy the “best math chart ever” and learning about innovative ways students are using technologies. Nice site.

Some of the Most Unique Classroom Timers You’ve Ever Seen

Online-stopwatch.com offers fun timers for classrooms, faculty meetings, or wherever you may need them. You’ll find an egg timer, a rocket timer, a candle timer, racing timers, clocks, bombs, and more. The timers are quite easy to use, and the children will love them. The rocket, for example goes off when the time is up, flies around the screen, and ends with fireworks.