In my recent blog, What Teachers Want: 6 Revealing Truths About Teacher Technology Needs, I outlined the findings from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation survey that unveiled what 21st century teachers want from digital instructional tools. The findings revealed a need for better resources to meet rigorous state standards such as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and to accurately prepare students for 21st century college and career life. Six key areas were highlighted as priorities for educators using digital tools. The main challenge facing 21st century educators is finding digital instructional tools that will facilitate and meet these needs,…
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We are afraid of things that we don’t know. When I was a young, fresh faced, college grad, I applied to do two years of Peace Corps service. I figured this would be a way to really use my French language skills, have a grand adventure and get some work/life experience. I was accepted, got a country assignment (Mali, West Africa) and the adventure began! I did a three month training program where we learned cross cultural communication, sustainable development theory and took local language classes. I was dropped off in my remote village that was not accessible by any…
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Ensuring that learning doesn’t stop at the school gates is a particularly challenging task that most parents engage in on a regular basis. For those who choose to take the homeschooling route, it’s even more of a challenge. Finding the right content to suit a particular child, issues of trust with resources, and maintaining student engagement on a one-to-one scale are struggles that I’m sure every educator can relate to. The growing community of homeschoolers is committed to providing the youth of today with a flexible education that is specifically attuned to specific learning needs, styles, personalities, and interests. Parents also engage in homeschooling on a regular…
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It can be argued that every teacher wants something different from technology. Some want better management of lessons and assessments, others want to facilitate differentiation and personalized instruction, while others want to deliver more diverse and varied lessons… One thing that teachers may not be aware of, is that technology can offer all of this, and much more. In a recent survey carried out by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 3,100 educators and 1,250 students were asked what they wanted from technology. What they found was that most educators were looking for better resources to ensure students can meet…
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One of the biggest challenges facing teachers today is allowing for differentiation in the classroom. With a class of thirty students, how can an individual teacher manage to ensure that each one of them is being challenged to the best of their ability? While assigning different homework and preparing varied assessments does help a student somewhat, this hugely intensifies the teacher’s workload, not to mention the unorganized chaos it can ensue. Adaptive and Personalized Learning Adaptive and personalized learning have since come on the scene to tackle the problem. For those of you still figuring out the true definition of…
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New year, new beginning. This is the general consensus for every teacher returning after a long summer of much needed recharging. A fresh new outlook is always a positive way to begin a school year, ensuring every troublesome student gains a clean slate, and every burdened teacher can branch out and attempt something new. Forget January, August is the month for resolutions! Yet with all good intentions comes concern. As the new school year looms, planning, preparation, organization, and management are the main focus of most teachers. After a long summer, the last thing you want to worry about are…
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Like many educators, I simply can’t stop teaching. While I anticipate the end of the school year just as much as the next person, I always find myself back in teaching mode after a few weeks, tutoring all summer long. Like the students, I believe teachers also fall victims to the summer learning loss and I wanted to avoid it at all costs. Yet I still wanted to enjoy my summer and spend as little time as possible managing and preparing classes and lessons. So I decided to try something new. After playing around with a few teaching platforms, I…
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The implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been met with varied opinion. National PTA president, Betsy Landers, describes the introduction of the standards as “the single most important step towards raising the achievement bar for America’s students and improving academic performance”. Yet, critics suggest the CCSS will damage our education system by promoting a more rigid approach to teaching, and increasing the emphasis on high-stakes testing. Whether for or against the changes, as with any major disruption to the comforting norms, the questions multiply, and the concern takes hold… How will this affect my teaching? How do…
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I taught English for five years at a Title 1 school. 85% of students received free and reduced lunch. 11% were English Language Learners, and the school mobility rate was 22% (Nebraska Department of Education, 2013). These statistics are well above state averages and are some of the highest in the district. This combination brings with it special types of challenges. As a teacher in an environment in which poverty, language, mobility, and educational gaps were all prevalent, it wasn’t good enough to just teach them grammar, writing processes, literary elements and reading comprehension skills. It wasn’t good enough because…
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Despite popular opinion, note-taking has not disappeared, it has been revolutionized. For some, note-taking is an outdated concept, but its significance in learning is relentless. So why is it so important? “Researchers found that if important information was contained in notes, it had a 34 percent chance of being remembered. Information not found in notes had only a five percent chance of being remembered” (Howe, 1970, in Longman and Atkinson, 1999). 7 Key Benefits of Effective Note-taking It has been proven that effective note-taking enhances academic success, but does it do more? 1. Improves focus and attention to detail. Developing…
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