See on Scoop.it - Digital Literacies There are a lot of different kinds of literacy that are important, that we actually teach or talk about teaching in school. Today I’m advocating for a kind of literacy that I don’t hear discussed a lot: Visual Communication.   Really, we could broaden this to digital communication, because […] The post Visual Communication is a Tech Literacy appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

See on Scoop.it - Digital Literacies With the vast amount of content that is shared on the Internet, content curation is becoming an essential digital literacy skill for teachers and students. See on www.fractuslearning.com The post Developing Digital Literacy Through Content Curation appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Can we really measure happiness? How does educational attainment vary across ZIP codes? What does math have to do with charity? Which team has the better athletes, Yankees or Red Sox? These are just a few of the wide-ranging questions that students are asking -- and attempting to answer -- by ana... The post How to Help Your Students Develop Data Literacy appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Reading a wide range of blogs can give pupils access to new thinking, often from their peers or near-peers, delivered in accessible, bite-size ways. Once you’ve started reading a variety of blogging sites, the next step is to start writing them - learning 21st century literacy as you do so - not ... The post The 4-step beginner’s guide to blogging in the classroom appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Teaching students about the internet can be bit confusing. Teachers often shy away from teaching core technology concepts because of this perceived complexity. Without a game plan and the proper visuals it can be very tricky to explain an abstract system like a computer network. The word "inter... The post Considerations For Teaching Students About Browsers And The Web appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

The rapid pace of technological change has become the norm in modern digital and information landscapes. Most operating systems, including both Microsoft and Mac OS, change every year or two; mobile devices develop annually with increasing sophistication; and new social- and cloud-based software ... The post RAIT: A Balanced Approach to Evaluating Educational Technologies appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Competency-based learning is an approach to education that focuses on the student’s demonstration of desired learning outcomes as central to the learning process. It is concerned chiefly with a student’s progression through curriculum at their own pace, depth, etc. As competencies are proven, stu... The post What Is Competency-Based Learning? appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Fueled by an incredible demand in the workforce for proficient programmers and the need to teach critical thinking skills, the coding movement in schools has exploded. Furthermore, we all communicate through technology, so we should at least know the basic premise of coding because the gadget sit... The post Why (And How) To Start Teaching Coding In School appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

22 propositions in an attempt to etch out the paradox of the modern teacher. The post The Paradox Of The Modern Teacher appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Though the constant updates can be annoying as twitter just to iterate itself towards monetization and permanent relevancy in a finicky digital landscape, among the changes I like is the ability to embed images. Other channels like tumblr have always had this, but not so with twitter. So when Sam Boswell tweeted the image above-being the right-brain idiot that I am-I clicked, and there was much irony in what I saw. A conceptual framework for learning in digital networks! (Get it? I was learning about digital networks on a digital network? Tough crowd.) Source: www.teachthought.com The post A Framework For Learning In Digital Networks appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

When we approach digital reputation in an empowering way it allows us to reframe the conversation. Instead of nagging students about not posting party pictures on Facebook, we can empower them to build a digital reputation that aligns with the legacy... Source: www.huffingtonpost.com The post 6 Ideas for Teaching Digital Reputation appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

One of the things I have discovered as I work with badges is that they are not all the same. The badges issued to staff are qualitatively different to those offered to students. Many of the badges incorporated into learning management tools are different again. This is problematic, because if badges representing robust credentials are put beside ‘well done’ badges issued to grade school students, the integrity of the whole system is put into question. To overcome this a standard taxonomy for badges needs to be established to differentiate between types of badges within the open standard. The question is how should this taxonomy be defined? Source: doncollegegrant.wordpress.com The post Digital Badges - A Suggested Taxonomy appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Digital badges as a credentialing tool may force us to re-think and redesign education, especially for emerging fields such as social innovation.   So how do digital badges work? Unlike traditional academic degrees that tend to communicate what subject you studied and where you studied it, most digital badges are more granular in scope. They point to specific knowledge and skills you’ve acquired, and in most cases, demonstrated. For example, instead of going to a reputable business school and leveraging that institution’s MBA to get a job, you would earn a series of badges that would demonstrate your business acumen—such as your mastery of business model canvas, Lean Startup, and customer development. Your school—or any school for that matter—doesn’t need to issue the badges itself; the badges simply need to come from a trusted source that can certify your competencies. Source: www.ssireview.org The post The Case for Social Innovation Micro-Credentials with Badges appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Computers have transformed our daily lives so much that it?s hard for most people who have grown up in this digital age to imagine a time without technology. Source: www.opencolleges.edu.au The post Studies Discover How Computers And The Web Are Changing The Way We Learn and Remember - InformED appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

There's a whole host of complicated reasons why, from boring curricula to a lack of qualified teachers to the fact that in most states computer science doesn't count toward graduation requirements. But should we worry? After all, anyone can learn to code after taking a few fun, interactive lessons at sites like Codecademy, as a flurry of articles in everything from TechCrunch to Slatehave claimed. (Michael Bloomberg pledged to enroll at Codecademy in 2012.) Twelve million people have watched a video from Code.org in which celebrities like NBA All-Star Chris Bosh and will.i.am pledged to spend an hour learning code, a notion endorsed by President Obama, who urged the nation: "Don't just play on your phone—program it." Source: www.motherjones.com The post Is coding the new literacy? appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

A new initiative at the University of Alaska Anchorage aims to roll out campuswide e-portfolios by 2015, with the potential to go even broader on the horizon.   Education is still very much concerned with how we know students are learning, that we're getting through to them, that they're walking away with knowledge, skills and abilities.   Sometimes the accrediting community — whether institutional or program — is asking the same types of questions. How do we know students are learning in your program? Give me examples. Give me evidence. Give me tangible things that show learning is taking place. Portfolios are one of those vehicles to start responding to those questions. Source: campustechnology.com The post Why Large-Scale E-Portfolios Make Sense appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Using data to drive learning outcomes isn’t a new concept, really. For as long as teachers have been giving students assessments, the assessments and results have been used by both students and teachers (even if only loosely) to determine how to move forward. What needs to be reviewed more? What was covered/studied well? Learning analytics takes this concept and kicks it up a notch. Well, more like a thousand notches, especially if you’re considering things like adaptive computer based testing that changes as students use it. Source: www.edudemic.com The post The 4 Levels Of Learning Analytics appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

The point is to reach a stage in designing the evaluation where we can clearly articulate and plan an integrated methodology that informs and drives a project towards its intended outcomes.  Source: elearning.jiscinvolve.org The post Crystallising Evaluation Designs - A Reality Check for Developing Digital Literacies appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Our children will grow up into a world that we can barely yet conceive of. Education thinkers and leaders are now in broad agreement that in order to enable children to succeed in the 21st century we need to mould creative thinkers and problem solvers who can learn, unlearn and relearn. Source: www.teachthought.com The post Focusing On Creativity In A Digital Era appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

A series of eBooks available for free download goes behind the research in the field of digital media and learning to show how young people learn, play, and participate in the world around them, applying new tools, values, and ideas. The books include articles, blog posts, videos, and interviews published between 2009 and 2013 at the MacArthur-supported Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning, an online publication that explored the intersection between technology and education. The 10 ebooks are divided by topics such as civic participation, digital literacy, games and social impact, mobile learning, and the digital divide. The final book includes conversations with more than a dozen thought leaders, reflecting on how the field has changed and where it is headed next.  - See more at: http://www.macfound.org/press/publications/ebook-series-explores-digital-media-and-learning/#sthash.JbnpEOdq.dpuf Source: www.macfound.org The post Ebook Series Explores Digital Media and Learning — MacArthur Foundation appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Without professional development that can give teachers the full practical knowledge on the use of technology, you will not see technology being successfully integrated in the classrooms for better learning. Source: edtechreview.in The post What Teachers Want More than New Technologies? PD Opportunities To Learn to Use them Effectively - EdTechReview™ (ETR) appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

These standards are broken down into 5 categories for students, teachers, administrators, coaches, and computer science educators. According to wikipedia (don’t judge us), this process started in earnest in the late 1990s, and the result today is comprehensive-which leads us to the above graphic from the simplycurious wiki. Source: www.teachthought.com The post Standards For Digital Citizenship In Graphic Form appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

Blended classrooms and innovations in education technology are changing the way students learn. As educators, we can teach our students how to utilize online connectivity in ways that support individual interests and passions, and help students meet their own academic and personal goals. Source: gettingsmart.com The post Why Connectivity Matters appeared first on Patric Lougheed.

A well-planned, current digital teaching portfolio can be an asset whether you're seeking a job, being evaluated within your school, or simply demonstrating your professionalism. Source: www.edutopia.org The post Do I Need a Digital Teaching Portfolio? appeared first on Patric Lougheed.