Most educators have suffered from technophobia at one stage or another. The fear of technology is embedded in its ever-changing nature, meaning we never really know it. Fear of the unknown could possibly equate for every fear ‘known’ to man. I for one, felt this fear as a young teacher starting out. It has to be said that I quietly cursed all those tech-savvy teachers who were always ten steps ahead, creating blog posts such as this one that made me feel all the more inadequate in my blissful ignorance. What did give me some comfort however was that many…
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“What are we doing today?” “Are we having a battle?” “Can I be a general?” My very hopeful and enthusiastic students often asked questions like these when I was teaching. Knowing that we found ways to bring history to life in our class, from reenacting battles to creating entire civilizations to role-playing the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand, among other things, my students arrived each day in full expectation of having an adventure in which each of them could fully participate. As teachers, you and I would call this student engagement. What may not be readily apparent is that it’s…
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Seoul, Korea, June 27, 2014 SK Telecom, Korea’s leading telecommunications company, and a global leader in innovation, has signed a strategic alliance to partner with Fishtree, provider of one of the world’s leading learning platforms. The partnership is focused on offering new and combined solutions for classrooms all over the world, with leading hardware, software and content solutions. The announcement was made during the Enterprise Ireland trade and investment mission to Korea led by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD. Both companies have joined forces to deliver secure, collaborative, personalized teaching and learning, easily accessible on any…
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Are you new to the #edtech scene? Is this your first ISTE conference to attend? Don’t fret. Here is a simple guide outlining the essential need-to-knows before entering tech-mania. For many educators still coming to terms with the edtech phenomenon and attempting to branch out into the unknown realm of the ‘tekkies’, attending the ISTE four-day conference can be a bit daunting. While many would be put off by the excited crowds, the intimidating ‘texperts’, and the array of over-complicated topics to choose from, the ISTE conference and expo can be an eye-opening event for beginners. With all of the…
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A new concept has come to light in recent times, that concept has now been given a name: EduSoMedia (education through social media). For many educators, social media is still virgin territory, a phenomenon best confined to the disgruntled teenager as a means of alleviating the stresses of adolescent life. For others, it has become an empowering tool for productivity and effective learning. In order to understand just how effective social media can be in the classroom, let’s take a look at what social media is at its core. What is Social Media? Wikipedia defines social media as “the social…
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Differentiated learning, personalized learning, multiple intelligences, multi-sensory education…the list goes on. We have a long list of terms to describe what teachers do to address the many varying needs they encounter in the classroom. Each of the above terms has a slightly different approach, a strategy for engagement, and a way to help students achieve and succeed.  No matter which one an educator may choose, they all share a common goal: empowering a diverse community of learners to succeed. Relationship building is key However, building such a community requires educators to go beyond curricular outcomes, learning objectives, assessments, lesson plans,…
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The lesson plan. One of the most time-consuming and yawn-inspiring requirements of every teacher. Add standards such as the Common Core and specific learning objectives to the equation and you’ve got a full on brain-fry. Teachers are always researching ways to reduce the time spent creating inclusive and interactive lessons that they can edit and reuse at will. While technology does provide teachers with a solution, a common problem arises when educators are forced to trawl through endless online content to find what they’re looking for. What’s more, most online lesson planners don’t allow teachers to upload their own resources,…
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When it comes to assessment it isn’t up to students to show teachers what they know, it is for teachers to allow students to show what they know. Think about your favorite song for a minute. What is it that makes it enjoyable, melody, tempo, instruments? No one has ever described a great song because its lyrics look good on paper. Differentiated assessment is the essence of authentic assessment and an approach to teaching that fosters critical thinking. It allows students to take ideas and express them using their strengths. When confronted with traditional tests, many students read over the…
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Four years ago, EdCamp was set up by a small group of educators, inspired by the idea of providing a free space to generate and share ideas and to promote organic discussion. The name is derived from BarCamp, a concept that stemmed from the desire for an alternative to the traditional invitation-only, annual conference that allowed a governed discussion between a select few. EdCamp and BarCamp pride themselves in their status’ as “unconferences” that offer free, open and participatory workshop-events, aimed at creating organic conversation among enthusiasts. From Teachers To Teachers EdCamp was designed specifically for teachers and their needs,…
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“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid” – Albert Einstein. This somewhat magnanimous statement actually has some foundation in decades of research into education, most notably that of Benjamin Bloom. Bloom identified a significant level of performance improvement in students who were able to participate in individual (one-to-one) instruction. As reported in his seminal 1984 research, “The 2 Sigma Problem: The Search for Methods of Group Instruction as Effective as One-to-One Tutoring,” the improvements that come from students participating…
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