February 28, 2015
Gaming is a growing trend in the 21st century learning paradigm and you don't need to look hard to see the evidence. Digital and video games take up a big part of the lives of our digital natives, and of course, as is the case with every 'new technology' doubtful and cynical voices are the first to be heard. When writing was first invented some 6 thousands years ago, people were very critical of the new invention. In Phaedrus, for instance, the popular Greek philosopher, Plato expresses serious reservations about writing. He viewed it "as a mechanical, inhuman way of processing knowledge, unresponsive to questions and destructive of memory."(Orality and Literacy, Kindle location. 891). The same criticism and initial rejection were levelled against other inventions that transformed humanity (e.g invention of telephone, radio, TV, and Internet).
The argument here is that everything has an inherent polarity of negative and positive aspects and it behoves us to foreground the positive aspects and make the best of them while also devising strategies to deal with the negative sides. The same with digital and video gaming, their advantages greatly outweigh their disadvantages. If you doubt it, here is a set of some really wonderful books that shed more light on the importance of video games and how they help kids in their learning.
1- What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, by James Paul Gee
“James Paul Gee begins his classic book with "I want to talk about video games--yes, even violent video games--and say some positive things about them." With this simple but explosive statement, one of America's most well-respected educators looks seriously at the good that can come from playing video games.”
2- Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, by Jane McGonigal
“In this groundbreaking book, Jane shows how we can leverage the power of games to fix what is wrong with the real world-from social problems like depression and obesity to global issues like poverty and climate change-and introduces us to cutting-edge games that are already changing the business, education, and nonprofit worlds.”
3- Fun: Inc: Why Gaming Will Dominate the Twenty-First Century, by Tom Chatfield
“Fun Inc. is the most elegant and comprehensive defence of the status of computer games in our culture I have read. The sheer pervasiveness of game experience—99 per cent of teenage boys and 94 per cent of teenage girls having played a video game—means that instant naffness falls upon those who express a musty disdain for the medium. In fact, as Fun Inc. elegantly explains, computer game-playing has a very strong claim to be one of the most vital test-beds for intellectual enquiry.” (Independent [London])
4- Good Video Games and Good Learning: Collected Essays on Video Games, Learning and Literacy, by James Paul Gee
“This book discusses a broad range of topics concerning video games, learning and literacy. These include the ways games can marry pleasure, learning and mastery through the sense of ownership, agency and control players enjoy when gaming, as well as controversial issues surrounding games. The book explores relationships between values, identity, content and learning, and focuses on how to understand and explain many young people’s differential experiences of learning in gaming and schooling respectively.”
5- Don't Bother Me Mom--I'm Learning, by Marc Prensky
“Marc Prensky presents the case—profoundly counter-cultural but true nevertheless—that video and computer game playing, within limits, is actually very beneficial to today's "Digital Native" kids, who are using them to prepare themselves for life in the 21st century. The reason kids are so attracted to these games, Prensky says, is that they are learning about important "future" things, from collaboration, to prudent risk taking, to strategy formulation and execution, to complex moral and ethical decisions.”
6- The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning, by Katie Salen Tekinba
“This volume looks at games as systems in which young users participate, as gamers, producers, and learners. The Ecology of Games (edited by Rules of Play author Katie Salen) aims to expand upon and add nuance to the debate over the value of games--which so far has been vociferous but overly polemical and surprisingly shallow.”
7- Video Games and Learning: Teaching and Participatory Culture in the Digital Age, by Kurt Squire
“ This accessible book describes how educators and curriculum designers can harness the participatory nature of digital media and play. The author presents a comprehensive model of games and learning that integrates analysis of games, games cultures, and educational game design. Building on over 10 years of research, Kurt Squire tells the story of the emerging field of immersive digitally mediated learning environments (or games) and outlines the future of education.”
8- Games, Learning, and Society: Learning and Meaning in the Digital Age, by Constance Steinkuehler (Editor), Kurt Squire Ph.D. (Editor), Sasha Barab Ph.D. (Editor)
“This volume is the first reader on videogames and learning of its kind. Covering game design, game culture, and games as 21st century pedagogy, it demonstrates the depth and breadth of scholarship on games and learning to date. The chapters represent some of the most influential thinkers, designers, and writers in the emerging field of games and learning - including James Paul Gee, Soren Johnson, Eric Klopfer, Colleen Macklin, Thomas Malaby, Bonnie Nardi, David Sirlin, and others”
9- How to Do Things with Videogames, by Ian Bogost
“Bogost, a leading scholar of videogames and an award-winning game designer, explores the many ways computer games are used today: documenting important historical and cultural events; educating both children and adults; promoting commercial products; and serving as platforms for art, pornography, exercise, relaxation, pranks, and politics. Examining these applications in a series of short, inviting, and provocative essays, he argues that together they make the medium broader, richer, and more relevant to a wider audience.”
10- Digital Games and Learning: Research and Theory, by Nicola Whitton
“Digital Games and Learning: Research and Theory provides a clear and concise critical theoretical overview of the field of digital games and learning from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Taking into account research and theory from areas as varied as computer science, psychology, education, neuroscience, and game design, this book aims to synthesise work that is relevant to the study of games and learning. It focuses on four aspects of digital games: games as active learning environments, games as motivational tools, games as playgrounds, and games as learning technologies, and explores each of these areas in detail.”
11- Gaming Lives in the Twenty-First Century: Literate Connections, by Gail E. Hawisher (Editor), Cynthia L. Selfe (Editor)
“Gaming Lives explores the complexly rendered relationship between computer gaming environments and literacy development by focusing on in-depth case studies of computer gamers in the United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century. This volume examines the claim that computer games can provide better literacy and learning environments than U.S. schools. Using the words and observations of individual gamers, this book offers historical and cultural analyses of their literacy development, practices, and values.”
12- Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter, by Steven Johnson
“ In this provocative, unfailingly intelligent, thoroughly researched, and surprisingly convincing big idea book, Steven Johnson draws from fields as diverse as neuroscience, economics, and media theory to argue that the pop culture we soak in every day—from Lord of the Rings to Grand Theft Auto to The Simpsons—has been growing more sophisticated with each passing year, and, far from rotting our brains, is actually posing new cognitive challenges that are actually making our minds measurably sharper.”
13- Gamify: How Gamification Motivates People to Do Extraordinary Things, by Brian Burke
“Gamify shows gamification in action: as a powerful approach to engaging and motivating people to achieving their goals, while at the same time achieving organizational objectives. It can be used to motivate people to change behaviors, develop skills, and drive innovation. “
14- The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education. By Karl M. Kapp
“"Kapp argues convincingly that gamification is not just about adding points, levels and badges to an eLearning program, but about fundamentally rethinking learning design. He has put together a brilliant primer for learning professionals on how to gamify learning, packed with useful advice and examples." —Anders Gronstedt, president, Gronstedt Group”.
Thứ Bảy, 28 tháng 2, 2015
7 Ways Video Games Enhance Learning
February 28, 2015
If anything, video gaming provides researchers and cognitive scientists with a huge repository of raw data on the dynamics of learning. Watching and analyzing how people play games reveal a great deal on the process of learning. More than that, even the internal mechanisms of games and the way they are designed can also tell a lot about how learning works. In his classic book “What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy”, James Gee talks about a wide range of learning principles incorporated in video games which make these games a real hit when they come out to the public. Gee argues that in order for a game to sell well especially within a highly competitive gaming market, game designers are forced to conceptualize innovative and creative ways to make their games more engaging and compelling.
Along similar lines , gaming theorist, Tom Hatfield (author of the popular book/; Why Gaming Will Dominate the Twenty-First Century) contends that successful video games include 7 learning principles that we can extract and apply in other sectors such as business and education. These principle are :
1- Experiencing bars measuring progress
2- Multiple long and short term aims
3- Rewards for effort
4- Rapid, frequent and clear feedback
5- An element of uncertainty
6- Windows of enhanced attention
7- Other people ( collective and collaborative work)
Watch the TED talk below to learn more about each of these learning principles. Enjoy
Photo by: Lifehacker
If anything, video gaming provides researchers and cognitive scientists with a huge repository of raw data on the dynamics of learning. Watching and analyzing how people play games reveal a great deal on the process of learning. More than that, even the internal mechanisms of games and the way they are designed can also tell a lot about how learning works. In his classic book “What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy”, James Gee talks about a wide range of learning principles incorporated in video games which make these games a real hit when they come out to the public. Gee argues that in order for a game to sell well especially within a highly competitive gaming market, game designers are forced to conceptualize innovative and creative ways to make their games more engaging and compelling.
Along similar lines , gaming theorist, Tom Hatfield (author of the popular book/; Why Gaming Will Dominate the Twenty-First Century) contends that successful video games include 7 learning principles that we can extract and apply in other sectors such as business and education. These principle are :
1- Experiencing bars measuring progress
2- Multiple long and short term aims
3- Rewards for effort
4- Rapid, frequent and clear feedback
5- An element of uncertainty
6- Windows of enhanced attention
7- Other people ( collective and collaborative work)
Watch the TED talk below to learn more about each of these learning principles. Enjoy
Photo by: Lifehacker
Thứ Sáu, 27 tháng 2, 2015
A Comprehensive List of Education-related Twitter Chats for Teachers
February 28, 2015
Since its introduction a few years ago, hashtag has absolutely transformed the micro-blogging sphere allowing users to create communities around content. Twitter now is teeming with all kinds of hashtags and there is almost a hashtag for every event. The huge potential of hashtags is particularly felt in the education sector. Hundreds of education-related hashtags are active in Twitter. These virtual communities or what James Gee called affinity spaces, provide teachers and educators with unprecedented professional development opportunities for free and at the comfort of their couches.
Edchat is one of the early education related hashtags used by teachers from all around the world. There are , however, a multitude of other educational hashtags that span almost every content area. We have already featured some examples in the past but today we are sharing with you this wonderful chat calendar that aggregates all education-related chats together with their dates. This work is realized by a bunch of educators that include:
@cybraryman1, @conniehamilton, @thomascmurray, @cevans5095, @jrochelle.
Learn more about education chats calendar here.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
Since its introduction a few years ago, hashtag has absolutely transformed the micro-blogging sphere allowing users to create communities around content. Twitter now is teeming with all kinds of hashtags and there is almost a hashtag for every event. The huge potential of hashtags is particularly felt in the education sector. Hundreds of education-related hashtags are active in Twitter. These virtual communities or what James Gee called affinity spaces, provide teachers and educators with unprecedented professional development opportunities for free and at the comfort of their couches.
Edchat is one of the early education related hashtags used by teachers from all around the world. There are , however, a multitude of other educational hashtags that span almost every content area. We have already featured some examples in the past but today we are sharing with you this wonderful chat calendar that aggregates all education-related chats together with their dates. This work is realized by a bunch of educators that include:
@cybraryman1, @conniehamilton, @thomascmurray, @cevans5095, @jrochelle.
Learn more about education chats calendar here.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
New- You Can Now Trim YouTube Videos on Android
February 27, 2015
Google released today a new interesting feature for its YouTube app on Android. When you upload a video on Android YouTube app, you will be able to trim your videos and select the exact portion you want to upload instead of uploading it all which was the case before this update. This new feature gives users precise control of their trims in a simple and intuitive way.
Android YouTube users can also preview their videos using the new inline preview feature. This allows users to work on their trims and preview them before they publish their videos. to access these new features make sure you update your Android YouTube app.
Courtesy of TNW
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Google released today a new interesting feature for its YouTube app on Android. When you upload a video on Android YouTube app, you will be able to trim your videos and select the exact portion you want to upload instead of uploading it all which was the case before this update. This new feature gives users precise control of their trims in a simple and intuitive way.
Android YouTube users can also preview their videos using the new inline preview feature. This allows users to work on their trims and preview them before they publish their videos. to access these new features make sure you update your Android YouTube app.
Courtesy of TNW
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Excellent Tool for Accessing Multiple Search Engines with One Click
February 27, 2015
Search All is a cool web app that allows you to conduct a quick search on different search engines. With one click you can search for the same topic on a wide variety of search platforms that include : Google, Bing, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Amazon, WolframeAlha and eBay. You can also use social networking websites such as Twitter and YouTube to run your searches. The app works perfectly on Chrome and can really speed up your search process.
Search All is also great for online shoppers. It lets you search similar products and add a price comparison feature in some e-commerce sites such as Amazon and eBay. Here is a list of all the features Search All provides :
1) Fast switch between different search engines.
2) Support search engine customization. Add your favourite search engine now!
3) Add bookmark search. Now when you do a google search, the extension will also search your bookmarks and display the search results on the google search result page.
4) Multiple search in the right click menu.
5) Record search keyword history, so you can use it in different search engines.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
Search All is a cool web app that allows you to conduct a quick search on different search engines. With one click you can search for the same topic on a wide variety of search platforms that include : Google, Bing, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Amazon, WolframeAlha and eBay. You can also use social networking websites such as Twitter and YouTube to run your searches. The app works perfectly on Chrome and can really speed up your search process.
Search All is also great for online shoppers. It lets you search similar products and add a price comparison feature in some e-commerce sites such as Amazon and eBay. Here is a list of all the features Search All provides :
1) Fast switch between different search engines.
2) Support search engine customization. Add your favourite search engine now!
3) Add bookmark search. Now when you do a google search, the extension will also search your bookmarks and display the search results on the google search result page.
4) Multiple search in the right click menu.
5) Record search keyword history, so you can use it in different search engines.
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Get 500 Free Books on Coding
February 27, 2015
Coding is one of the most demanded skills in the 21st century learning. There is a growing need for teaching students the fundamentals of coding and computer programming not only because these are the skills needed for the future job market but also because coding allows learners to better understand their digitally focused life and therefore enhance their interaction with digital media.
We have already featured a plethora of interesting resources, apps, and tools that teachers and parents can draw on to introduce coding to their kids and today we are sharing with you another important resource we learned from Life Hacker. The popular GitHub has compiled this excellent list comprising more than 500 free books on programming and coding. The books cover different topics from programming languages to software architecture.
We thought you might want to have a browse through this list and see if anything grabs your eye. Enjoy
Photo by Johan Sonin
Coding is one of the most demanded skills in the 21st century learning. There is a growing need for teaching students the fundamentals of coding and computer programming not only because these are the skills needed for the future job market but also because coding allows learners to better understand their digitally focused life and therefore enhance their interaction with digital media.
We have already featured a plethora of interesting resources, apps, and tools that teachers and parents can draw on to introduce coding to their kids and today we are sharing with you another important resource we learned from Life Hacker. The popular GitHub has compiled this excellent list comprising more than 500 free books on programming and coding. The books cover different topics from programming languages to software architecture.
We thought you might want to have a browse through this list and see if anything grabs your eye. Enjoy
Photo by Johan Sonin
7 of The Best Chrome Apps for EFL and ESL Students
February 27, 2015
Today we are sharing with you some useful Chrome apps to help your students with their language learning. These apps are particularly helpful for EFL and ESL learners. They (the apps) provide a wide variety of activities, games, flashcards and exercises on language practice. Almost all of them are geared towards solidifying students' vocabulary learning and empowering learners with a rich and diversified lexicon to assist them in their writing and reading comprehension.
1- Duolingo
Google chose Duolingo as the best language app for 2014. Duolingo offers free courses for learning different languages including French, English, German, Italian, and Spanish. Duelling is also available for Android and on the web.
2- Flashcard Stash
Flashcard Stash enables students to learn through the use of interactive flashcards. It also offers several games, quizzes, word lists and phrases, and a learning mode that calculates the optimal time to study. Teachers have the option to create classes where they can share flashcards with students and many more.
3- iVocab
iVocab is an ideal app for those preparing for GRE,TOEFL and SAT quizzes. It provides a variety of quizzes so students can test their language competencies and also track their scores on each of the quizzes they take.
4- Vocabla
Vocabla is another popular language learning app in the Chrome store. It helps students with their vocabulary learning by empowering them with tools to translate, collect and memorize words, phrases, idioms and other chunks of language.
5- Flashcards
Flashcards is a good app for language practice. It has a huge gallery of ready-made flashcards where you can download and access all kinds of flashcards to use in your class. You can even record audio for your flashcards.
6- Lingua.ly
Collect new words from across the web with Lingua.ly's smart dictionary. Use your new vocab to surf foreign websites, social media or your own Gmail, Twitter and Facebook feeds while you learn new language.
7- Google Dictionary
Google Dictionary is a must have app for all language learners. This app makes it super easy to view word definitions as you browse the web. Simply highlight or double click the word you want to define, and a pop-up bubble will be displayed with the complete definition of that term. I also allows you to store the history of words you have looked up so you can practice them later.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
Today we are sharing with you some useful Chrome apps to help your students with their language learning. These apps are particularly helpful for EFL and ESL learners. They (the apps) provide a wide variety of activities, games, flashcards and exercises on language practice. Almost all of them are geared towards solidifying students' vocabulary learning and empowering learners with a rich and diversified lexicon to assist them in their writing and reading comprehension.
1- Duolingo
Google chose Duolingo as the best language app for 2014. Duolingo offers free courses for learning different languages including French, English, German, Italian, and Spanish. Duelling is also available for Android and on the web.
2- Flashcard Stash
Flashcard Stash enables students to learn through the use of interactive flashcards. It also offers several games, quizzes, word lists and phrases, and a learning mode that calculates the optimal time to study. Teachers have the option to create classes where they can share flashcards with students and many more.
3- iVocab
iVocab is an ideal app for those preparing for GRE,TOEFL and SAT quizzes. It provides a variety of quizzes so students can test their language competencies and also track their scores on each of the quizzes they take.
4- Vocabla
Vocabla is another popular language learning app in the Chrome store. It helps students with their vocabulary learning by empowering them with tools to translate, collect and memorize words, phrases, idioms and other chunks of language.
5- Flashcards
Flashcards is a good app for language practice. It has a huge gallery of ready-made flashcards where you can download and access all kinds of flashcards to use in your class. You can even record audio for your flashcards.
6- Lingua.ly
Collect new words from across the web with Lingua.ly's smart dictionary. Use your new vocab to surf foreign websites, social media or your own Gmail, Twitter and Facebook feeds while you learn new language.
7- Google Dictionary
Google Dictionary is a must have app for all language learners. This app makes it super easy to view word definitions as you browse the web. Simply highlight or double click the word you want to define, and a pop-up bubble will be displayed with the complete definition of that term. I also allows you to store the history of words you have looked up so you can practice them later.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
Thứ Năm, 26 tháng 2, 2015
A Beautiful Classroom Poster On Steps for Good Writing
February 27, 2015
5 Steps to Writing A Poem is a visual created by Cambridge University and outlines the 5 major stages to composing a poem. In fact, the steps mentioned here are generic and can be used for writing any other genre, of course with a bit of tweaking. As a teacher you might want to share this work with your students and guide them through the different stages they need to follow to produce a good piece of prose or poetry.
The 5 steps featured in this visual are : inspiration (some basic techniques for generating inspiration and ideas to write about), Brainstorm (mapping out ideas), Form and Style (raise students consciousness to the different styles out there), Word Choice (use of language and vocabulary), Five Sense (engage your senses to create and imagine scenarios for your ideas and writing).
The visual is available in PDF format that you can download for free and use with your students. Here is the download link. Click HERE to see and download the original poster.
5 Steps to Writing A Poem is a visual created by Cambridge University and outlines the 5 major stages to composing a poem. In fact, the steps mentioned here are generic and can be used for writing any other genre, of course with a bit of tweaking. As a teacher you might want to share this work with your students and guide them through the different stages they need to follow to produce a good piece of prose or poetry.
The 5 steps featured in this visual are : inspiration (some basic techniques for generating inspiration and ideas to write about), Brainstorm (mapping out ideas), Form and Style (raise students consciousness to the different styles out there), Word Choice (use of language and vocabulary), Five Sense (engage your senses to create and imagine scenarios for your ideas and writing).
The visual is available in PDF format that you can download for free and use with your students. Here is the download link. Click HERE to see and download the original poster.
Some Handy Resources of Pre-made Rubrics for Teachers
February 26, 2015
Rubrics are teachers' Swissknives. They can be used for a variety of purposes to achieve different educational goals. For instance, you can use them to make your grading easier and quicker, assess students performances, evaluate teaching objectives, guide your lesson planning, and many more. There are actually several good web tools that make it easy for teachers to create and customize their own rubrics, some of our favourite tools in this regard are included in this post.We would also add ForAllRubrics, a good tool for creating rubrics we have recently discovered, This tool is free for teachers and is also integrated with Edmodo.
However, if you are too busy to create your won rubrics, you can draw on these excellent resources of pre-made rubrics and select the ones that work best for you.
I- Teachnology Rubrics Page
1- K-12 Everyday Rubric Pack
A pre-made rubric pack specifically designed for use with elementary, middle, and high school level students.
2- K-12 Math Rubric Collection
Data Analysis, Bar Graph, Basic Math Operations, Math Homework, Effort, Participation, Math Portfolios....
3- K-12 Project Rubric Collection
This set of rubrics will help you quickly and easily evaluate book reports, brochures, classroom displays, collages, concept drawings, educational cartoons, field trip activities, flip books.....
4- K-12 Reading Rubric Collection
Rubrics to help assess all of the following: Reading Comprehension, Silent Reading, Daily Reading, Independent Reading, Book Report, Guided Reading, Reading Fluency, Reading Center....
5- K-12 Science Rubric Pack
This set of rubrics will help elementary, middle school, and high school teachers quickly and easily evaluate science demonstrations, science fair projects, science lab participation....
6- K-12 Social Studies Rubric Pack
This set of rubrics will help elementary, middle school, and high school teachers quickly and easily evaluate general and very focused social studies related projects. Includes document based questions rubric....
7- K-12 Writing Rubric Collection
A vast collection of rubrics that help grade K-12 teachers easily assess writing skills and student work.
II- TeacherPlanet
TeacherPlanet has this page packed full with numerous pre-made rubric templates. These rubrics cover a wide variety of subjects from social studies to writing.
Courtesy of Edudemic.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
Rubrics are teachers' Swissknives. They can be used for a variety of purposes to achieve different educational goals. For instance, you can use them to make your grading easier and quicker, assess students performances, evaluate teaching objectives, guide your lesson planning, and many more. There are actually several good web tools that make it easy for teachers to create and customize their own rubrics, some of our favourite tools in this regard are included in this post.We would also add ForAllRubrics, a good tool for creating rubrics we have recently discovered, This tool is free for teachers and is also integrated with Edmodo.
However, if you are too busy to create your won rubrics, you can draw on these excellent resources of pre-made rubrics and select the ones that work best for you.
I- Teachnology Rubrics Page
1- K-12 Everyday Rubric Pack
A pre-made rubric pack specifically designed for use with elementary, middle, and high school level students.
2- K-12 Math Rubric Collection
Data Analysis, Bar Graph, Basic Math Operations, Math Homework, Effort, Participation, Math Portfolios....
3- K-12 Project Rubric Collection
This set of rubrics will help you quickly and easily evaluate book reports, brochures, classroom displays, collages, concept drawings, educational cartoons, field trip activities, flip books.....
4- K-12 Reading Rubric Collection
Rubrics to help assess all of the following: Reading Comprehension, Silent Reading, Daily Reading, Independent Reading, Book Report, Guided Reading, Reading Fluency, Reading Center....
5- K-12 Science Rubric Pack
This set of rubrics will help elementary, middle school, and high school teachers quickly and easily evaluate science demonstrations, science fair projects, science lab participation....
6- K-12 Social Studies Rubric Pack
This set of rubrics will help elementary, middle school, and high school teachers quickly and easily evaluate general and very focused social studies related projects. Includes document based questions rubric....
7- K-12 Writing Rubric Collection
A vast collection of rubrics that help grade K-12 teachers easily assess writing skills and student work.
II- TeacherPlanet
TeacherPlanet has this page packed full with numerous pre-made rubric templates. These rubrics cover a wide variety of subjects from social studies to writing.
Courtesy of Edudemic.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
5 Google Chrome Apps for Social Studies Teachers
February 26, 2015
Below are some useful Chrome apps we have curated from Chrome web store for social studies teachers. The post comes as response to the multiple requests we have been receiving over the last couple of weeks. This is also a work in progress and we will be adding more to this list based on the recommendations we receive from you and through suggestions from our PLNs.
1- TimesMaps
The World History TimeMap contains over 660 history maps and 1,000 pages of high-quality supporting narrative, wrapped up in a unique interface that creates a framework for world history.You can use it to easily navigate to any time and place in history.
2- Newsela
Explore a library of high-quality, engaging nonfiction that you need to meet the new, rigorous demands of the Common Core. Newsela’s constantly expanding archive helps students develop a love of reading while they expand their understanding of the world.
3- Ancient History Encyclopedia
Ancient History Encyclopedia is a non-profit community project that uses definitions, timelines, maps, illustrations, and articles to present ancient history in a very accessible way. The aim of this project is to promote ancient history, and to make it freely accessible for everybody. It is created and maintained by the ancient history community, and every item is reviewed for quality.
4- DOGOnews
DOGOnews is the leading destination for Current Events Articles for Kids and Teachers. Featuring award-winning content written for children, DOGOnews is rapidly becoming the defacto favorite for language arts, science and social studies lesson plans in the classroom and current events homework help at home.
5- Today in History
This application provides historical events for each day of the year. The built-in news feed reader displays current events that will become part of history tomorrow. You can even add your own historical events.
Below are some useful Chrome apps we have curated from Chrome web store for social studies teachers. The post comes as response to the multiple requests we have been receiving over the last couple of weeks. This is also a work in progress and we will be adding more to this list based on the recommendations we receive from you and through suggestions from our PLNs.
1- TimesMaps
The World History TimeMap contains over 660 history maps and 1,000 pages of high-quality supporting narrative, wrapped up in a unique interface that creates a framework for world history.You can use it to easily navigate to any time and place in history.
2- Newsela
Explore a library of high-quality, engaging nonfiction that you need to meet the new, rigorous demands of the Common Core. Newsela’s constantly expanding archive helps students develop a love of reading while they expand their understanding of the world.
3- Ancient History Encyclopedia
Ancient History Encyclopedia is a non-profit community project that uses definitions, timelines, maps, illustrations, and articles to present ancient history in a very accessible way. The aim of this project is to promote ancient history, and to make it freely accessible for everybody. It is created and maintained by the ancient history community, and every item is reviewed for quality.
4- DOGOnews
DOGOnews is the leading destination for Current Events Articles for Kids and Teachers. Featuring award-winning content written for children, DOGOnews is rapidly becoming the defacto favorite for language arts, science and social studies lesson plans in the classroom and current events homework help at home.
5- Today in History
This application provides historical events for each day of the year. The built-in news feed reader displays current events that will become part of history tomorrow. You can even add your own historical events.
Thứ Tư, 25 tháng 2, 2015
3 Excellent Tools to Quickly Poll Your Students
February 25, 2015
The web is teeming with interesting tools that teachers can use to gather informal feedback from students. We have already reviewed several of the best options available out there and the last list we shared in this regard covered what we think are the top 8 tools for doing formative assessment in class. However, if you are looking for specific tools to create and conduct polls in class, the titles below are what we would recommend the most. These tools are very simple and easy to handle. You can use them to quickly poll your students, create surveys and establish the knowledge level of a class on a certain topic.
1- Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere is a powerful web tool for creating and distributing polls. It offers you five types of polls to choose from: multiple choice poll, free response poll, true or false poll, clickable images poll, and discourse poll. Your respondents can vote on your poll either through SMS or via the web using the generated link you will provide them. Poll Everywhere also has a wonderful way of displaying the results of the poll. You can have the results displayed on a chart of bouncing bars.You can also present your polls as a seamless part of your PowerPoint or Keynote slideshow. Flip on through and instead of another flat picture, your respondents see your slide come alive with real time poll results.
2- AnswerGarden
AnswerGarden is another great tool to use for collecting feedback from students. This is how it works: you type in your question in Create New AnswerGarden page. When you hit ‘submit’ you will be directed to your newly created AnswerGarden page. From there you can share your page with others or embed it in your class blog or website. Respondents will have to either enter their answers or choose from existing ones.”If you're satisfied with the results, you can for instance show the AnswerGarden to your friends, tweet about it or export it to Wordle or Tagxedo.
3- PollDaddy
PollDaddy allows you to create unlimited surveys. You can choose from 14 question types, including multiple choice, free text, and Likert scales. Yo can also customize your surveys and change things such as font, size, colour…etc. Surveys created by Polleverywhere support the inclusion of multimedia materials such as images and videos. As is the case with Poll Everywhere, PollDaddy enables you to watch the results of your surveys in real time and you can expert these results in various formats : PDF, Excel, CSV, Google Docs, and XML.
The web is teeming with interesting tools that teachers can use to gather informal feedback from students. We have already reviewed several of the best options available out there and the last list we shared in this regard covered what we think are the top 8 tools for doing formative assessment in class. However, if you are looking for specific tools to create and conduct polls in class, the titles below are what we would recommend the most. These tools are very simple and easy to handle. You can use them to quickly poll your students, create surveys and establish the knowledge level of a class on a certain topic.
1- Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere is a powerful web tool for creating and distributing polls. It offers you five types of polls to choose from: multiple choice poll, free response poll, true or false poll, clickable images poll, and discourse poll. Your respondents can vote on your poll either through SMS or via the web using the generated link you will provide them. Poll Everywhere also has a wonderful way of displaying the results of the poll. You can have the results displayed on a chart of bouncing bars.You can also present your polls as a seamless part of your PowerPoint or Keynote slideshow. Flip on through and instead of another flat picture, your respondents see your slide come alive with real time poll results.
2- AnswerGarden
AnswerGarden is another great tool to use for collecting feedback from students. This is how it works: you type in your question in Create New AnswerGarden page. When you hit ‘submit’ you will be directed to your newly created AnswerGarden page. From there you can share your page with others or embed it in your class blog or website. Respondents will have to either enter their answers or choose from existing ones.”If you're satisfied with the results, you can for instance show the AnswerGarden to your friends, tweet about it or export it to Wordle or Tagxedo.
3- PollDaddy
PollDaddy allows you to create unlimited surveys. You can choose from 14 question types, including multiple choice, free text, and Likert scales. Yo can also customize your surveys and change things such as font, size, colour…etc. Surveys created by Polleverywhere support the inclusion of multimedia materials such as images and videos. As is the case with Poll Everywhere, PollDaddy enables you to watch the results of your surveys in real time and you can expert these results in various formats : PDF, Excel, CSV, Google Docs, and XML.
A Very Good Tool to Create Charts from Spreadsheets and Insert Them into Google docs
February 25, 2015
The Charts Builder is a Google Docs add-on that we have discovered while we were curating google Forms Tools for Teachers. Charts Builder allows you to build a chart from the data you have in your Google spreadsheet and then insert it directly into your document.
The Charts Builder allows you to select the type of chart and a spreadsheet. Everything is integrated and your chart will be added to the line you select in only 5 simple steps:
1-Open Charts from the add-ons menu
2- Select a chart type. (The Chart Builder will explain how to organize your data)
3- Click the load data button and choose your spreadsheet
4- Now you can drag to select your data
5- That’s it; just click the Insert button.
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The Charts Builder is a Google Docs add-on that we have discovered while we were curating google Forms Tools for Teachers. Charts Builder allows you to build a chart from the data you have in your Google spreadsheet and then insert it directly into your document.
The Charts Builder allows you to select the type of chart and a spreadsheet. Everything is integrated and your chart will be added to the line you select in only 5 simple steps:
1-Open Charts from the add-ons menu
2- Select a chart type. (The Chart Builder will explain how to organize your data)
3- Click the load data button and choose your spreadsheet
4- Now you can drag to select your data
5- That’s it; just click the Insert button.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .
Google Classroom Released Two wonderful Updates Today
February 25, 2015
Google released today some very good new features to Google Classroom. Teachers now are able to customize the look and feel of their classes by uploading their own images to use as themes. There is also a new cropping tool that allows teachers to crop their images to the perfect dimensions and it can automatically pick a matching class colour.
Google Classroom also provides you with a set of pre-made photos to use as templates for your class in case you don’t have a photo to use. There are actually 18 new images and 30 pattern themes in the gallery.Google Classroom also announced some new updates for its iOS and Android apps that include:
Google released today some very good new features to Google Classroom. Teachers now are able to customize the look and feel of their classes by uploading their own images to use as themes. There is also a new cropping tool that allows teachers to crop their images to the perfect dimensions and it can automatically pick a matching class colour.
Google Classroom also provides you with a set of pre-made photos to use as templates for your class in case you don’t have a photo to use. There are actually 18 new images and 30 pattern themes in the gallery.Google Classroom also announced some new updates for its iOS and Android apps that include:
- Students and teachers can now view the About page in the mobile app for quick access to their class materials and resources
- On iOS, students can now add images, videos, and any other files to assignments from other apps
- Your favorite emoji are now available on the Android app [insert smiley face here]
- We’ve made overall changes that will increase the speed of the app’s performance, so you can get your work done even faster
7 Great Google Forms Tools for Teachers
February 25, 2015
Since its release a few months ago, add-ons store for Google Forms has several interesting tools added to it. We have gone through these apps and selected the most popular ones there. You can use these add-ons on your forms to add more features and options such as : sending custom emails based on responses, eliminate an option from a multiple choice list after user has submitted it, populate multiple choice lists and grid options from columns in any Sheet, and many more.
1- Form Notifications
This add-on allows users to create and configure email notifications that are sent when a Form receives submissions. Users can have emails sent to the creator of the Form and/or send short, customized reply emails to the Form submitter.
2- formLimiter
Close your survey automatically, after a maximum number of responses is reached, or at a date and time of your choosing.
3- Ultradox Trigger
Create custom emails, reports, invoices, newsletters, etc., based on information that people enter into your form.
4- Form Values:
Store and pull from lists that you use regularly in Forms, like a list of staff, students, rooms, resources or anything you want.
5- FormRanger
formRanger allows you to auto-populate the choices in list, multiple choice, checkbox or grid question options from columns of data in any Google Sheet or Doctopus roster. Great for ensuring form choices match values in an existing database of records, such as students, inventory items, expected attendees, workshop or session titles, etc. -- useful for then applying matching formulas such as COUNTIF, VLOOKUP, MATCH, and others.
This will eliminate options from a multiple-choice, list, or checkbox type of question. Great for signing up for time slots or having students choose topics without doubling up.
Since its release a few months ago, add-ons store for Google Forms has several interesting tools added to it. We have gone through these apps and selected the most popular ones there. You can use these add-ons on your forms to add more features and options such as : sending custom emails based on responses, eliminate an option from a multiple choice list after user has submitted it, populate multiple choice lists and grid options from columns in any Sheet, and many more.
1- Form Notifications
This add-on allows users to create and configure email notifications that are sent when a Form receives submissions. Users can have emails sent to the creator of the Form and/or send short, customized reply emails to the Form submitter.
2- formLimiter
Close your survey automatically, after a maximum number of responses is reached, or at a date and time of your choosing.
3- Ultradox Trigger
Create custom emails, reports, invoices, newsletters, etc., based on information that people enter into your form.
4- Form Values:
Store and pull from lists that you use regularly in Forms, like a list of staff, students, rooms, resources or anything you want.
5- FormRanger
formRanger allows you to auto-populate the choices in list, multiple choice, checkbox or grid question options from columns of data in any Google Sheet or Doctopus roster. Great for ensuring form choices match values in an existing database of records, such as students, inventory items, expected attendees, workshop or session titles, etc. -- useful for then applying matching formulas such as COUNTIF, VLOOKUP, MATCH, and others.
Create graphs (including plotting points), statistical displays, and write complex math directly in your Form!Create graphs and complex math directly in the sidebar and insert them as Form items.
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