GreyED Solutions is pleased to partner with SmartBrief to provide busy K-12 education technology innovators with “Tech Tips Tuesdays.” Published every Tuesday in the SmartBrief on EdTech newsletter, Tech Tips are written by educators for educators to boost their know-how and expand their skill set. Read Tech Tips here on our site or subscribe to SmartBrief on EdTech to get them delivered directly to your inbox.
If you’re an educator and would like to contribute to Tech Tips, let us know!
|
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
Whether you are working with a small group of students, planning with your colleagues, or training a group of teachers, it can be a challenge to get everybody on the same page — Web page that is.
Enter Google Tone. An extension of the Google Chrome browser, Google Tone lets users share URLs using sound. Now getting everyone on the same page as simple as clicking a button.
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
All education initiatives, including those that involve technology, should be assessed by the impact they have on student learning. A good way to do this is by using student work as the measuring stick for success and efficacy.
My district, Gurnee District 56 in Illinois, has a program called “Tech Trek,” designed to encourage teachers to improve their technology skills. With Tech Trek, teachers can earn certification badges by creating higher-level SAMR lessons that aim to produce measurable gains in student learning. The system uses a game format in which teachers submit student work that demonstrates improved learning as a result of the new lesson design. The student work is then used to evaluate the teacher’s mastery of the newly-acquired technology skill.
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
Engaging students has a variety of topographical looks but one definition: active minds having to adapt, negotiate, problem solve and produce. Student engagement is essential to deeper more complex learning. As you consider curriculum, look for ways to deliver information without being the primary source of that information. One way to create a fully student-engaged learning environment is to allow students to explore content in four brain-based learning areas:
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
What if educators listened to Frozen’s Queen Elsa a little more and “Let it Go”? Technology integration in the classrooms tends to stall when educators get in the way. Schools take steps to prevent this — professional development, educator resources, strategic rollout initiatives — and yet incorporating technology into the classroom remains a challenge for many sites. How do we change this?
Here are five ways you can foster true technology integration with your students:
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
Are you ready to increase creativity, collaboration and independence in the classroom? Incorporating digital tools into your small group instruction can go a long way toward achieving this.
In my kindergarten class, I introduce technology during the small group rotations. The day begins with mini lessons for the whole class, introducing new content and reviewing different skills. After this, we break off into small group station work. The small groups enable me to differentiate instruction and better meet the needs of individual students. Devices and apps are incorporated into the activities of these stations.
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
It’s time to simplify the login process for student machines. After a decade of watching students log in to their laptops, mobile devices and desktops, I’ve come to the conclusion that that student machine logins are more a barrier than asset to the effective use of technology. In most cases, they seem to slow down processes and increase opportunity for disruption.
Here’s an example. In one class, one student does not have a password, another student has an expired password and yet another student makes a typographical error while trying to log in. All three cases cause needless slowdowns and teacher frustration.
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
No longer are we tethered to a meeting time and place for strategic planning. New and seasoned school leaders are often asked by their communities and Boards to facilitate a strategic planning process that results in a document that guides the organizations work and deliverables. The logistics associated with bringing people together for strategic plan development and the production of static documents is an antiquated and ineffective approach to continuous improvement. The emerging needs and accelerated rates of change are rendering traditional approaches to strategic planning obsolete. Today, school districts need more dynamic, interactive, and flexible planning processes that generate support and a common mental model for the vision and mission.
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
Engaging students has a variety of topographical looks but one definition: active minds having to adapt, negotiate, problem solve and produce. Student engagement is essential to deeper more complex learning. As you consider curriculum, look for ways to deliver information without being the primary source of that information. One way to create a fully student-engaged learning environment is to allow students to explore content in four brain-based learning areas:
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
A national conversation has been brewing on the topic of alternative digital credentials. The media and members of the education community often use the shorthand “badges” in reference to graphic representations awarded digitally for skills earned through a learning experience. But the term can be a hindrance — especially if you have some personal experience with, for instance, Brownies or Boy Scouts — if your goal is to understand the more serious potential of new credentials, beyond cute graphics.
Source: SmartBlog on Education in partnership with GreyED Solutions
Getting teachers to buy in to new technology requires a hook. Too often, though, we emphasize the technology’s bells and whistles over its ability to help make meaningful gains in student learning. How can we avoid this mistake and secure the strongest buy-in possible?
One place to start is with formative assessment. While these tools are less glitz and glamour than other classroom apps, teachers appreciate knowing that their efforts — and professional development time — are geared toward useful, proven practices that will help them to work at their passion more effectively and efficiently.