There are a plethora of free resources for educators to enhance student learning and engagement. Take a look and see what will fit in your classroom instruction. Many of the resources below are perfect for the flipped classroom!

• Vlog Brothers – Science and ELA videos created by John & Hank Green (John Greene the author) – this is a YouTube channel

• Crash Course – We create free, high-quality educational videos used by teachers and learners of all kinds. Science, Social Studies, Government, History, just to name a few. This is a YouTube Channel

• Teaching Tolerance – A place for educators to find thought-provoking news, conversation and support for those who care about diversity, equal opportunity and respect for differences in schools

• Perspectives – Teaching Tolerance’s Perspectives for a Diverse America is a literacy-based curriculum that marries anti-bias social justice content with the rigor of the Common Core State Standards.

• Learn Zillion – A vibrant community to access thousands of effective, standards-aligned resources.

Technology Trends

What I’ve Noticed:

• Maker Everything – STEM & STEAM, coding, maker, 3-D Printing, hands on-inquiry based learning experiences
• Gaming – Minecraft anyone? Minecraft is being used in classrooms today, especially in math. There are also some other types of “gaming” in education such as PBS’s Mission US, River City, Atlantis to name a few
• Online Courses – the need for students to interact and learn in an online environment is growing
• Continued growth of distance learning through collaboration and/or vendor/expert provided programs and courses through DL
• 1:1 Devices – the iPad trend is here to stay and more districts are jumping on the bandwagon (Interesting Poster with iPad Stats)
• Hybrid Courses – an online learning environment component to the traditional face-to-face environment
• Alternative to Smartboards – touch (and multi-touch) -screen televisions and computer screens are trending, especially due to the change in Smart’s licensing
• Flipped Classroom continues to grow
• Cloud Computing – for example Google Apps for Education
• Augmented Reality – apps and the rumored Google AR Glasses and fueling the Augmented Reality trend
• Differentiated learning with adaptive technology/resources such as McGraw Hills SmartBook
• OR teacher created textbooks such as iBooks
• Changing landscape of the classroom – move away from traditional classroom spaces and desk configuration.

This IMAGE really encapsulates the changes coming to education in regards to technology usage.

• Student Centered such as Project Based Learning
• Studio section is very interesting with the Peer-to-Peer learning
• Flipped Classroom, alternative ways to deliver content

 Articles of Interest:

• Technology Education for Students is Essential in Creating a Future STEM Workforce, and it Starts with Educating Teachers
• Is This The Future of Education?

 

 “The old model of getting educated in four years and coasting for the next 40 years” is growing increasingly less relevant, says Andrew Ng, co-CEO and co-founder of online education startup Coursera, which offers free online courses from universities like Stanford, Princeton, and Duke. “In the 40 years we continue to work, tech will allow us to continue to learn in a way that wasn’t available.”

Instructional Videos for Educators

Instructional Technology can be daunting for educators to use in the classroom. We have created several resources for educator use. Effective Practice Videos and Mini-Bytes are free for educators to use and learn.

Effective Practice Videos:

Under 5 minutes long, EPVs share successful technology integration in the classroom. iPads, Online Resources, Video, and Student Response Systems are highlighted in the videos. To access videos, please visit http://media.monroe.edu , log in and search for Effective Practices. iPad focused EPVs can be found here:

Mobile Device Effective Practice Videos

 

Mini-Bytes:

Mini-Bytes are 2-3 minute movies, with instructional ties, created by New York State Model Schools Coordinators. Mini-Bytes are free for educators across NYS to use and learn.

Mini-Bytes Videos

If you have any questions about any of the technologies used, please contact Doreen Pietrantoni at doreen_pietrantoni@boces.monroe.edu

 

 

 

Today’s students live in a decidedly different world than students from 20 – 30 years ago. Gaming is a big part of many student’s lives and can be a useful tool for learning.

There are several intriguing articles that were provided by eSchool News.

How I Turned My Classroom into A Living Video Game

How To Engage Girls In Gaming

How Mainstream Video Games Are Being Used As Teaching Tools

Currently, there are classrooms using River City, a multi-user virtual environment that was created by Harvard as part of a gaming in education grant for Science learning. River City is an engaging game in which students create an avatar in order to use their 21st Century Science Knowledge in the 19th Century.  The program complies with Common Core Learning Standards and is now facilitated by Active Worlds.

Quest Atlantis is a multi-user 3-D gaming environment that provide many learning opportunities and is aligned to standards.

Mission US is a social studies/history gaming environment created by WXXI. Currently there are 3 gaming situations: For Crown or Glory, Flight to Freedom, A Cheyenne Odyssey. Each experience allows students to immerse themselves in the game. Teacher resources provided and aligned to standards.

There are numerous online gaming experiences focused on education:

Learning Games for Kids – Offers numerous online gaming experiences for all grade levels and curricular areas.

Nobel Prize – Games based on Nobel Prize award achievements. Appropriate for middle and high school students.

Free Rice  – Game in which rice is donated World Food Program

Learn 4 Good – Games for high school students.

Fun Brain – Games for several curricular areas.

PBS Kids – Numerous games to accompany PBS Kids programs