I absolutely love this guy, Dan Meyer, and his push to develop “patient problem solvers.” He suggests that math teachers should:
1. Use Multimedia.
2. Encourage student intuition.
3. Ask the shortest question you can.
4. Let students build the problem.
5. Be less helpful.
Here’s his TED Talk. Love it!
Take a look at his blog too! http://blog.mrmeyer.com/
Have you heard of Flocabulary? It’s a website that does hip hop songs to help students remember certain facts. It started with SAT vocab, but has expanded to all levels and subjects. To have access to all the videos/songs you need to pay a fee, but a few are free…including the one for Egypt, which you can watch here.
Note the lyrics below the song (they are clickable) and the resources to go with it on the right hand side of the page. I will warn you…you will be singing the chorus to this in your head all day after you hear it, or at least I did! :)
There are other free videos too worth checking out on the site, including Confessions of a Planet (Space), On Trial! (Test Taking Vocabulary), Let Freedom Ring (Civil Rights), This Ain’t Working (American Revolution), Place Value, Scientific Method of Madness, and more! There is a vocabulary section broken down by grade level and tons of other great videos in the paid version. You can also download songs in iTunes (for $.99 each). Take a look (and listen). I think you will love these!
We were shown this video of an adapted speech by Dan Pink during our last STEM meeting. It’s a great reminder!
Many of our teachers use Discovery Education (United Streaming) videos on a regular basis. Some use the generic school account, but did you know you could have your very own account? Teachers with their own accounts can save the materials that they use in their own library – making it much easier to find next year. To create your account, you will need your school code (your ITRT knows this). Then visit http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ .
Step 1: Click on the Passcode/New User Tab.
Step 2: Type in the school Passcode. Your ITRT has this number.
Step 3: Follow the prompts to set up your Discovery Education account.
You can also follow this webcast that Meg Swecker created:
Creating a Discovery Education Account
I’ll post more soon about using this great resource! :)
This is what’s been jazzing me lately in the world of technology. I love watching technology open doors…
Babies with iPads is another site that documents how this technology can “help children with disabilities develop their communication, play, pre-literacy, cognitive, visual/auditory and motor skills.”
Third Graders went on a trip to Apple Ridge farms this month. Despite camera difficulties, they were able to get enough photos to use for digital stories! The day after the field trips, we loaded the pictures into the iPod Touches, grabbed some microphones, and had students quickly create a “What we learned videos” using the StoryRobe App. Here are all their stories, together in one video. Check it out:
iPod Touches are coming to a classroom near you. Wonder what you can do with them? Listen to these students from Forest Hill Elementary School for some ideas!
If you need more ideas, check out the I Education Apps Review site.
This video has been going around some edtech blogs and twitter. I thought I’d pass it on! :)
Need to know how to do something in ActivInspire? Promethean offers ActivTips, quick video tutorials on many Inspire topics. If you are a ActivStudio user trying to switch to Inspire, these tips are very helpful. Check them out here: Activitps: Professional Development
Great video on exactly what that means.
This was created by the Mahoning County Educational Service Center of Ohio. It was passed along to me during NCTIES.