classroom

Showing 87 posts tagged classroom

Digital Trends Shifting the Role of Teachers “I’m no longer giving 40-minute lectures four times a day and wondering which class got the raw deal, or collecting and grading exams only to discover too late that they weren’t getting it,” said Mr. Merkert, who rotates among small groups of students, each with a laptop wide open. As increasing numbers of school districts go digital, many teachers are witnessing a simultaneous change in their roles. To be sure, some see it as simply traditional teaching in disguise, but others describe a seismic shift—from being the lone purveyor of information to assuming a new role of facilitator, coach, and guide. image via flickr:CC | SMI Eye Tracking High-res

Digital Trends Shifting the Role of Teachers

“I’m no longer giving 40-minute lectures four times a day and wondering which class got the raw deal, or collecting and grading exams only to discover too late that they weren’t getting it,” said Mr. Merkert, who rotates among small groups of students, each with a laptop wide open.

As increasing numbers of school districts go digital, many teachers are witnessing a simultaneous change in their roles. To be sure, some see it as simply traditional teaching in disguise, but others describe a seismic shift—from being the lone purveyor of information to assuming a new role of facilitator, coach, and guide.

image via flickr:CC | SMI Eye Tracking

When To Put The Tech Away In Your 1:1 (or Any) Classroom Though failing to include any technology in the modern classroom is wrong, including too much, or employing it ineffectively, can be equally problematic. Having a list of specific instances where choosing to put away classroom technology is the right choice would certainly be nice, but like most pedagogical challenges it is also unrealistic. Oftentimes, it simply isn’t that easy to know whether to put it away or not., and the skill of making that choice develops over time – a bit like a callous. At its best, technology enhances, extends or deepens the learning taking place. At its worst, it detracts, distracts, and otherwise frustrates you and your students. When these situations cannot quickly and effectively be remedied – without sacrificing your lesson’s learning objective – put the technology down and embrace the lesson. The trick is to never let technology erode the relationships in your classroom… image via flickr:CC | altopower High-res

When To Put The Tech Away In Your 1:1 (or Any) Classroom

Though failing to include any technology in the modern classroom is wrong, including too much, or employing it ineffectively, can be equally problematic. Having a list of specific instances where choosing to put away classroom technology is the right choice would certainly be nice, but like most pedagogical challenges it is also unrealistic. Oftentimes, it simply isn’t that easy to know whether to put it away or not., and the skill of making that choice develops over time – a bit like a callous.

At its best, technology enhances, extends or deepens the learning taking place. At its worst, it detracts, distracts, and otherwise frustrates you and your students. When these situations cannot quickly and effectively be remedied – without sacrificing your lesson’s learning objective – put the technology down and embrace the lesson.

The trick is to never let technology erode the relationships in your classroom…

image via flickr:CC | altopower

Tough Questions on Texting in the Classroom image via flickr:CC | Stitch Does it make sense to ban texting if students ignore the ban and teachers back away from enforcing it? Can a ban be enforced? How about in a large course, can it be enforced then? Should it be enforced?  What are the costs of enforcing a “no texting” policy? Public altercations with students that erode the climate for learning in the classroom? But texting itself erodes the learning atmosphere of classroom, doesn’t it? What about taking the “if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them” approach? Does texting show a lack of respect? Perhaps, but are students doing it because they want to disrespect the teacher? High-res

Tough Questions on Texting in the Classroom

image via flickr:CC | Stitch

  • Does it make sense to ban texting if students ignore the ban and teachers back away from enforcing it? Can a ban be enforced? How about in a large course, can it be enforced then? Should it be enforced?  What are the costs of enforcing a “no texting” policy? Public altercations with students that erode the climate for learning in the classroom? But texting itself erodes the learning atmosphere of classroom, doesn’t it?
  • What about taking the “if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them” approach?
  • Does texting show a lack of respect? Perhaps, but are students doing it because they want to disrespect the teacher?

How to Foster Collaboration and Team Spirit

For teachers, two initial steps will help foster this process. First, reframe the conversation by using the terminology of teams rather than group work. Think of your favorite sports team and now call them a group. Feel the difference? Teams focus on accountability and commitment; they form for a purpose and operate through norms and shared expectations.

Second, import and adapt the high-performance principles common in the work world to teams in the classroom. This requires time, good coaching skills, a relentless focus on the quality of interaction between students, and a set of team tools, including contracts, rubrics, and exercise. But the payoff is noticeable. Once students form teams over an extended period and begin to collaborate well, they learn more, get better at teaching others, produce more powerful products, and enjoy the process. Here are 10 principles that can help you design high performance teams.

In our Virtual Classroom Visits Powerful Learning Practice watch the teacher teach the lesson and then engage in a threaded conversation around what she did that was in the best interest of kids or what we would change or sometimes just how do you do this. Then we meet together online for 30 minutes and have a chance to debrief with the teacher about her lesson. We would love for you to join us.  Thursday, March 7 at 8 PM-8:30PM EST New York In Blackboard Collaborate (Click Here)

In our Virtual Classroom Visits Powerful Learning Practice watch the teacher teach the lesson and then engage in a threaded conversation around what she did that was in the best interest of kids or what we would change or sometimes just how do you do this.

Then we meet together online for 30 minutes and have a chance to debrief with the teacher about her lesson. We would love for you to join us. 

Thursday, March 7 at 8 PM-8:30PM EST New York
In Blackboard Collaborate (Click Here)

JUST RELEASED: TECH IN THE CLASSROOM

pewresearch surveys:

New report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project: A survey of teachers shows that digital tools are widely used in their classrooms and professional lives, and a majority of these teachers are satisfied with the support and resources they receive from their school in this area. However, it also indicates that teachers of the lowest income students face more challenges in bringing these tools to their classrooms. A few findings of note:

  • Mobile technology has become central to the learning process, with 73% of AP and NWP teachers saying that they and/or their students use their cell phones in the classroom or to complete assignments
  • More than four in ten teachers report the use of e-readers (45%) and tablet computers (43%) in their classrooms or to complete assignments
  • Just over half (52%) of teachers of upper and upper-middle income students say their students use cell phones to look up information in class, compared with 35% of teachers of the lowest income students

Lots of interesting findings in this study on both the digital divide and some of the obstacles presented by new technology — we’ll tease some of them here on Tumblr over the next few days. 

Online Dating for Teachers: Finding the Right Classroom If online dating works so well for people looking for love and happiness, maybe the same concept can apply to people looking for other types of fulfillment, say maybe even teachers looking for the right school to work at, and educators looking to hire the right teacher for their school. myEDmatch, an education technology start-up based in Kansas City, is using the same principle behind online dating to create a matching service for teachers and schools. The website allows teachers, both working and unemployed, certified and non-certified, to sign-up for a free online profile, and search for open positions at schools around the country based on their “fit” — this includes information you wouldn’t normally find on a school’s website, such as expected work hours, working environment, and a school’s educational and cultural values.  The service promotes transparency for teachers, letting them review and compare schools much like a car buyer would in Consumer Reports.

Online Dating for Teachers: Finding the Right Classroom

If online dating works so well for people looking for love and happiness, maybe the same concept can apply to people looking for other types of fulfillment, say maybe even teachers looking for the right school to work at, and educators looking to hire the right teacher for their school.

myEDmatch, an education technology start-up based in Kansas City, is using the same principle behind online dating to create a matching service for teachers and schools.

The website allows teachers, both working and unemployed, certified and non-certified, to sign-up for a free online profile, and search for open positions at schools around the country based on their “fit” — this includes information you wouldn’t normally find on a school’s website, such as expected work hours, working environment, and a school’s educational and cultural values.  The service promotes transparency for teachers, letting them review and compare schools much like a car buyer would in Consumer Reports.