3 Ways Personal Learning Networks Are Evolving by Peps Mccrea, staffrm.io The notion of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a familiar concept these days. Yet, the nature of Personal Learning Networks is evolving as the range of tools available to support them increases, and our rapport with those tools becomes more sophisticated. The aim of this post is to outline the changes that appear to be taking shape, and to offer some practical strategies for teachers to supercharge their Personal Learning Networks. Evolution 1: Sharing is becoming more agile Agile is a concept that has had a significant impact on the software development community. At it’s core, it is about getting products and ideas out quickly, so that their potential value can tested and feedback gathered to improve them. The products and ideas are then iterated and the cycle continues. A similar phenomenon is beginning to happen in Personal Learning Networks spheres. Educators are shipping their ideas before they are perfect, and encouraging others feedback and build upon those ideas. PLNs are exhibiting a hive mentality with a common purpose at their heart. Making your Personal Learning Networks more agile is a must. 3 Ways to make your PLN more authentic & agile 1. Write shorter posts or otherwise create more shareable content more often 2. Don’t hold back from sharing half-formed ideas; contextualized properly, this is where Personal Learning Networks can hit their sweet spot. It’s also a part of a growth mindset! 3. Build on other peoples ideas and take them in your own direction while communicating who influenced you and how. Evolution 2: Learning is about challenging yourself In the past people were content to have a Personal Learning Network that agreed with their views and understood their perspectives. Nowadays, we seeing people follow and interact with those who offer different perspectives and can challenge their viewpoints. This requires courage, but extending you Personal Learning Network to incorporate people you disagree with will force you to develop a more open mind, and a more robust personal position. In short, it’s a stronger learning experience. 3 Ways to challenge yourself within your PLN 1. Follow people on Twitter who’s ideas you disagree with and don’t always understand 2. Engage in debate, but make sure to go for the ball, not the player 3. Challenge your own assumptions in public Evolution 3: Personal is becoming professional In the next few years we’re going to be talking much more about Professional Learning Networks. The differences are subtle yet powerful. One is that professional learning networks are more focussed on the purposes rather than the compositions of their communities. Collaboration is about making change happen at the societal rather than individual rather. Personal leaning still happens, but as a by-product. Another difference is the role that identity plays in Professional Learning Networks. Educators are finding more sophisticated ways of representing themselves and their reputations online. 3 ways to professionalize your PLN While a more familiar route may be to personalize your professional learning network, the reverse also applies. Here’s how you can begin to professionalize your Personal Learning Network. 1. Figure out your unique value offering, and build your Personal Learning Network around that 2. Collaborate with others to make change happen as well as share ideas 3. Use multiple platforms to build a richer and more distributed identity. Pulling It All Together Personal Learning Networks are here to stay, and they will continue to evolve. The most important thing is to muster to courage to jump it and experiment. Personal Learning Networking is as much about your mindset as it is about the action you take. What changes have you noticed in Personal Learning Networks? Please share your ideas in the comments - I’d love to know what you think. Peps Mccrea is a teacher educator, and the founder of http://staffrm.io - a new Professional Network for Teachers; 3 Ways Personal Learning Networks Are Evolving; adapted image attribution flickr user mkhmarketing The post 3 Ways Personal Learning Networks Are Evolving appeared first on TeachThought.

The Opportunities For Creativity In Your Teaching by Patricia Rose Upczak, The International Conference of Creativity, Thinking & Education April 18th & 19th, 2015. Creativity is a process filled with paradox and deep emotion. Imagine a teal green sea with gentle waves slapping the shoreline. That sea, much like creativity, has so many different moods and qualities depending on your perspective and the weather. The history of creative geniuses throughout civilization is vast and unpredictable in terms of any standard or set rules to produce them. Often the idea of creativity is put in a special box that is limited to only certain kinds of people. This is one of our great myths. I am sure that Albert Einstein, Gandhi, David Bohn, Martha Graham, Wendell Berry, Aristotle, Pablo Picasso, Billie Holiday, Steve Jobs, Vincent Van Gogh, Mozart, Socrates, Leonardo Da Vinci, Martin Luther King, Beethoven, Charles Dickens, Carl Jung, Tesla, Galileo, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin and Michelangelo all came from different backgrounds, cultures and ways of life. What they did have in common was the ability to see or feel the dynamic interconnectedness of the flow of life. How they used their abilities is not really important for this discussion. What is important is that their creative nature was allowed to evolve and grow. When teachers allow themselves to use the kind of thinking that leads to new insights, approaches and fresh perspectives they open up a whole new world to themselves and their students. The material for developing creativity in students is becoming more easily accessible for the classroom. Some of the ways to develop your students’ creativity are: model creativity, question assumptions, define and refine problems, encourage idea generation, allow time for creative thinking, reward creative ideas and the students’ products or work, allow mistakes. Research has shown than an important characteristic of genius is immense productivity. All geniuses produce. Rembrandt produced 630 paintings and 2,000 drawings. Bach wrote a cantata every week, even when he was sick or exhausted. Thomas Edison held 1,093 patents. Another important aspect of creativity is fluent thinking, which means allowing quantities of idea to flow. 3 Principles For Creative Thinking In Teaching So what are the principles for creative thinking in teaching? What matters? Three principles for creative fluent thinking (of many) might be: 1) Trust Defer judgment while coming up with ideas during lesson, unit, project, or curriculum design. Creativity is a flow. Go with it, or work against it. 2) Quantity Quantity matters in creativity. Generate as many ideas as possible, alone and collaboratively. (Ideally alone first, then together.) 3) Productivity In terms of the planning process, write down your ideas when they happen in some way, shape, or form. The creative process should produce something, whether a product, or creative artifacts from the creative process as you go along. In terms of product-that is, something you can actually see or use in the process of teaching and learning-well, that could be just about anything, couldn’t it? A grouping method, a literacy strategy, a unique #edtech integration, an idea for a project, a differentiation strategy that’s easy to use, etc. The Opportunities For Creativity In Your Teaching Teachers often feel overwhelmed by their circumstances, with little energy to develop strategies like possibility thinking to help them or their students develop their creativity in life or school. Consider the following questions to help you see the opportunities for creativity. Keep a journal, and in that journal have a section of problems that you find "interesting" that would be worthwhile to resolve. Another section for teaching or curriculum ideas you would like to work on, etc. Use what works for you. Consider the following questions as you look for the opportunities for creativity in your teaching. What would you like to have or accomplish? Write it down. What do you wish would happen in your school or classroom? What would you like to do better? What do you wish you had more time to do? What would you like to get out of your teaching job? What are your unfulfilled goals? What excites you as a teacher? What angers you as a teacher? What have you complained about? What changes would you like to introduce? What wears you out? What as a teacher burns you out? What would you like to organize better? After you have worked on this for awhile, have your students keep their own private journal to write in. How Creative Teachers Make Beauty Out Of Chaos Teachers hold the children of this planet in the palms of their hands. Their jobs are multifaceted and vital for the children they teach. There are very few routine days in the classroom. Teachers learn easily that plans go awry quickly for a million different reasons. The really extraordinary creative teachers learn to handle the chaos of the world, the educational system and their classrooms with the grace of a gifted dancer. They make teaching look easy. They are the ones who know at some level that great teaching is an art that takes timing, hard work, compassion, great observation and communication skills. They must use their creative talents as they engage their students at all levels. The clear vision of what a child could be and what their hidden talents are is a vital component to authentic teaching and true education. Factory education does not meet the needs of children or teachers. In the classroom one size does not fit all. This dilemma has plagued education ever since we gave up the one-room schoolhouse. A creative teacher is much like a master director of an orchestra bringing many different instruments and musicians together in harmony. It takes wisdom, patience, kindness and vision. Every day, the context changes. New technology, new priorities, new pressures. Somehow, creative teachers can squint a little, see what matters, and make it beautiful. In 1975, Patricia Rose Upczak started a highly successful integrated program for learning disabled adolescents in Boulder, Colorado. She loved her job and taught for 23 years. She is now pursuing a full-time writing career, which includes teaching workshops at schools, conferences, and offering three to five day retreats for teachers and writers in the Rocky Mountains. Currently she is involved with an amazing conference, The International Conference of Creativity, Thinking & Education taking place April 18th & 19th, 2015. Please go to happyteacherhappystudents.com for all the details. How Creative Teachers Make Beauty Out Of Chaos; adapted image attribution flickr user kittykat21; The Opportunities For Creativity In Your Teaching The post The Opportunities For Creativity In Your Teaching appeared first on TeachThought.

Q&A: How Data Can Make You A Better Teacher by TeachThought Staff Students today are more industrious and connected than ever. They engage other students and professors in online forums; they autonomously seek and use personalized learning applications; and they leverage textbook supplements all in service of getting an edge, and trying to make the grade. This Q&A seeks to answer what visibility instructors have into student engagement, and explore how they’re actively leveraging student data to become more effective teachers. Andrew Smith Lewis is the Co-founder and Executive Chairman at Cerego. Barbara Illowsky is a Professor of Mathematics & Statistics at De Anza College. They are collaborating on a grant from the  Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to transform education for at-risk and underserved students. Below is a transcript of an interview between Andrew and Barbara. Andrew Smith Lewis: What types of learning applications, tools, and services do students use these days and how do these tools impact student performance? What types of services and tools would you like to proliferate? Barbara Illowsky:  Students, especially lower-division undergraduate students, want fast, easy and self-directed learning. They expect immediate feedback, whether it is during a face-to-face (f2f) class or 3 o’clock in the morning. Gone are the days when a student learns three weeks after a due date or exam how well s/he performed. Gone are the days when a student waits for the next class or an office hour or tutoring center opening to get assistance or confirmation. Gone are the days when students sit for hours pondering the same content over and over again until they are convinced they have mastered it. And, in my opinion, good riddance to those former ways of teaching and learning! Most importantly, students want many forms of online supplements available to them so that they can choose what fits their needs. Students use tools that they can access immediately. Most students carry a cell phone and/or tablet. Their devices are often the first place they access to find information such as the text, simulations, homework systems, and even counseling appointments. They want their instruction in small chunks with interactive formative assessment build in. As soon as students are "stuck" on a problem, for example, they want to find a very similar example to review so that they can go back to the original problem. If they forget the steps they need they want to find that information on their devices. They use tools that verify their knowledge and fill in the gaps, when necessary. I give students the option of doing their homework online or with paper and pencil. Almost every student wants the online version so that they can get immediate feedback and similar problems to review. ASL: How do you define and evaluate student success, "engagement," and overall course efficacy? What data points or signals do you consider? What has proven most valuable? BI: The measurable student success is the student earning the grade that s/he has strived for via demonstrating to me sufficient knowledge of the content. From my perspective, success can be displayed via alternate ways. Statistics and mathematics are often challenging courses for students. When a student finally succeeds in a small task, I see student success, even if that student does not complete the course. When a student realizes that s/he needs assistance and accesses optional learning materials, that is a success, too. I teach both online and f2f classes. Traditionally, faculty have measured or recorded engagement as mostly in-class participation, participation in online discussion threads, and completion of assignments. Yet, engagement, even in f2f classes has dramatically changed with the advancement of supplemental learning apps and devices. Students may be shy in class, but leaders online. Students might not verbally ask questions yet search for answers and participate in online activities, both learning and assessing, solo and with others. Savvy students are finding ways to direct their own learning and not rely solely on the instructor and traditional class. This process is even more widespread in online classes. One of the ways I measure engagement is via analytics of the online student support built into my courses. However, I know that I am not truly getting the full picture of how my students learn. I need personalized data informing whether students have accessed the support that they need, not what I necessarily provide. I need to know what learning apps would help them and be able to provide that support, too. What has proven most valuable for assisting me in increasing student learning has been the addition of the WebAssign learning system into my courses. ASL: Knowing what you use, what types of data would you like to have? In other words, what untapped student data, or application "exhaust" data,  would you find most valuable, and why? BI: I would love to know how long a student actually spends with a learning application and/or working on problems and what they are doing during that time, such as switching between support sites, working on a calculator, reviewing the text. These data are different than how long the student was logged onto the site or how long a video was playing. I would like the dedicated time. I would find it useful to know what about certain concepts make them difficult to learn. Is it the concept or the foundational background needed that is the challenge? When attempting assessment, whether graded or not, I would like to know whether they needed practice problems and supplemental resources, how useful those additional resources are and why, and what else they needed. ASL: How, if at all, do you generate student feedback loops around new applications, tools, or services? How do we know it’s working? How much does student feedback weigh into your decision to continue (or cease) using these applications, tools, or services? BI: One of the challenges that faculty and academic researchers have when studying "interventions" is in getting control versus experimental groups with limited outside variable interference. As a faculty member, if I am teaching two sections of the same course the same term, even with an intervention in one section but not the other, it is still difficult to make statistically accurate conclusions on the effectiveness of the intervention. I survey my students and do short assessments about all applications. I also ask open-ended questions allowing students to provide feedback. For example, about a third and then two-thirds of the way through the term, I give students the following four questions, due a week later and worth points. What is working well for you in this class? What is NOT working well for you in this class? What more can YOU do to help yourself succeed in this class? What more can I do to help you succeed in this class? (Note: "extra credit" is not an option!) Their answers to #1 or #2 almost always include a tool, service or application. I pay close attention and make adjustments based upon student responses. If a tool is not assisting students, then using that tool is wasted time and money. I need to find what works for them, in addition to what I find valuable. ASL: You’re a statistician, so you may be a bit biased, but in your opinion, do most teachers utilize student data? Is there a comprehension problem? How do you think we can improve data literacy for the next generation of educators? BI: In the community college system, nationally, adjunct faculty teach over half of the courses. They do not have the time, the funding, the training, nor the access to student data beyond their course assessments. Both full and part-time faculty teaching online have a bit more student data, depending upon the learning management system they are using. Still, this information is generally limited to online assessments and whether a student clicked on a particular page and possibly for how long that page remained opened. In my experience, very few faculty, including in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines, utilize student data aside from course assessments. Classroom assessment techniques for f2f classes (see Pat Cross’ work from UC Berkeley) have been studied and promoted for over two decades as very short and easy activities to provide immediate feedback to faculty so that they can address students’ needs in the very next class session. Only a small percentage of faculty regularly use even these techniques. Since I am a statistician and "data junkie", I search for the data that will help ME to improve my teaching and support for students’ needs. I use those data to inform the follow-up discussions and revise my own lessons. I do believe that most faculty are not sure what data to utilize or how the data can lead to improvements in student learning. We need to offer short courses for current faculty on data literacy. We need to include data literacy in graduate programs, not just in computer science and statistics programs. The trend toward data literacy and analytics in academia is definitely increasing. We need to ensure that we properly gather and use the data to increase student learning and success. ASL: What does the future of data-driven teaching look like to you? What changes and innovations would you like to see in the next 1, 5, or 10 years? BI: Many people in higher education are realizing that high stakes exams are losing their validity as the measure of student knowledge. With the increased use of apps and interactive learning systems, faculty can gather data almost continuously throughout the term, adjusting our teaching to improve student learning. My experience has been that these small assessments with their immediate feedback encourage students to work harder and longer until they succeed. That "harder and longer" is just not in the traditional form that we are used to. We are witnessing students studying in small chunks of time, fitting their learning in as they wait in line, in-between classes and work, and while their busy lives are continuing on. I expect that the delivery of content will also move into small chunks with more small stakes assessment. It is essential that we, as educators, adapt to the needs of our students. We also need to find a way to consistently assess prior student learning and veterans’ experiences, so that we can offer modules to give full course credit once the student masters the remaining material. These modules must be individualized, computerized and adapt to various learning styles in order to serve older students’ needs. Teaching Strategies Q&A: A Stats Professor’s Perspective On Data-Driven Teaching; image attribution flickr user nickwebb; Q&A: How Data Can Make You A Better Teacher The post Q&A: How Data Can Make You A Better Teacher appeared first on TeachThought.

5 Anchors For Using Technology To Teach Reading by Paul France, NBCT, InspirED Teaching reading is an art filled with limiting factors: motivation, vocabulary, decoding, and comprehension are only a few of the comprehensive skills or traits that students need to be able to comprehend text, making the subject of literacy, in particular, difficult to teach. video gameYes, there are ways to garner student interest, especially when it comes to interacting with text, but in a society that is becoming increasingly visual and dependent on instant gratification, the delayed gratification of interacting with text can be far less enticing to our little ones. And for this reason, it’s important to help them see that interacting with text can be just as gratifying as watching a movie or playing a game. But this is not a simple task. Not simple at all. Luckily, the teaching profession is one of innovation, and teachers are ceaselessly experimenting with ways to use innovative practice to help kids learn how to read. Recently, I’ve learned that some teachers are even using games to teach reading, arguing that these interactive video games provide the same skills that students need to be able to read. And they’re right, video games do help to teach critical thinking, creativity, making connections, and many other skills that can contribute to and support effective reading skills. Likewise, there are now texts on these games like how-to guides, and interesting projects where students create stories about the content within these games. However, much to the our chagrin, this high-interest method still isn’t fully teaching the art of reading in and of itself because what you’ll see is that these games rarely mention the "text" at all, despite the fact that these games possess a great ability to foster creativity, imagination, and lateral thinking. At the end of the day, kids still need the basics — they still need the text — and many of these strategies, while supportive of the reading process, are only band aids unless we get to the root of a child’s issues with reading. So where do we find the root? How do we help kids access these skills and traits? While there is no one "correct" answer - as every child differs - removing text from our students and putting band-aids over the problem is not the way to go. Richard Allington, author of What Really Matters for Struggling Readers states that in order for struggling readers to catch up with grade-level peers, they need over double the amount of time with text than an average performing peer would need to make the necessary gains in reading. And as teachers, it is our job to give them that time and to help them thrive. Playing games, no matter how enriching they are for other skills, are not going to give most children this oh-so necessary time with text. 5 Anchors For Using Technology To Teach Reading If games aren’t the solution, what are some of those ways to get to the root of the problem? Here are five "anchors," or ideas to get started. 1. Assessment One of the biggest misconceptions about standardized assessments is that they are simply a way to label children through a rigid system of objectives and goals. This, however, is not true. Rigorous standardized assessments allow for rich data collection so that teachers can provide students with exactly what they need — and exactly at their level. Giving them materials that are within their respective zones of proximal development positively affects their perceptions of themselves, helping them to have a "can do" attitude when it comes to reading. 2. Vocabulary Popplet A Vocabulary Popplet: Inspired by the Frayer Model. 3. Targeting vocabulary One of the biggest limiting factors for reading comprehension and literate success is vocabulary. Vocabulary is like a series of interwoven puzzles, and when the puzzles are solved, students flourish in their own success. Kids, as a whole, are enticed by puzzles, and giving them targeted strategies that help them to unlock the code that vocabulary holds is one of the best ways to help them feel the success necessary to become resilient readers. 4. Fluency Reading can become laborious because of processing speed. And that’s one reason why kids love videos so much. Kids think in images, and videos help kids process at a rate that gives them the instant gratification they so desire. If students have a low reading fluency, they’re likely to suffer the frustrations that may accompany reading. The more they read - and the more they read texts at their level - the more fluent they will become. 5. Structure The structural components of text are often ignored, but these structural components, just like the puzzles that make up vocabulary, can help to support reading immensely when understood fully. A structural understanding of text can help provide a foundation for prediction and, in turn, metacognition. It gives kids something to expect; it gives them a reference point. Just the other day, one of my readers said to the whole class, "I know that sometimes at the end of stories authors do this, and it makes me think I need to go back in the text," when referring to the odd conclusion of the Chris Van Allsburg book "The Garden of Abdul Gasazi." While rudimentary, her intuitive understanding of the structure of stories supported her comprehension and, ultimately, her success. Conclusion Innovation and creativity in what we do with our students is the driving force of education. Kids now are different than kids were even ten years ago. However, there are certain things that don’t change, and there are certain foundational skills that support reading in the same way it supported reading ten, twenty, or even one-hundred years ago. We can’t lose sight of that, and we can’t forget about the basics — no matter how fun and engaging they may seem. While these tricks of the trade may give us some hope when working with students, tricks fade. True success resides in a student’s ability to feel good about themselves and conquer difficult skills in the right way. I fear, at times, that some of these modern methods only help children to avoid the beautiful struggle that comes with comprehending text. But the way to provide them the support them with this important struggle is by sticking to the basics, but building up the basics in a successful way. Because the basics give our students a firm ground upon which they can plant their feet and succeed. And isn’t that what we want for our kiddos? Paul France is a National Board Certified Teacher at AltSchool in San Francisco. He writes about best practices and classroom reflections on InspirED. The post 5 Anchors For Using Technology To Teach Reading appeared first on TeachThought.

5 Common Misconceptions About Bloom’s Taxonomy by Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education Admit it-you only read the list of the six levels of the Taxonomy, not the whole book that explains each level and the rationale behind the Taxonomy. Not to worry, you are not alone: this is true for most educators. But that efficiency comes with a price. Many educators have a mistaken view of the Taxonomy and the levels in it, as the following errors suggest. And arguably the greatest weakness of the Common Core Standards is to avoid being extra-careful in their use of cognitive-focused verbs, along the lines of the rationale for the Taxonomy. 5 Common Misconceptions About Bloom’s Taxonomy 1. The first two or three levels of the Taxonomy involve "lower-order" and the last three or four levels involve "higher-order" thinking. This is false. The only lower-order goal is "Knowledge" since it uniquely requires mere recall in testing. Furthermore, it makes no sense to think that "Comprehension" - the 2nd level - requires only lower-order thought: The essential behavior in interpretation is that when given a communication the student can identify and comprehend the major ideas which are included in it as well as understand their interrelationships. This requires nice sense of judgment and caution in reading into the document one’s own ideas and interpretations. It also requires some ability to go beyond mere rephrasing of parts of the document to determine the larger and more general ideas in it. The interpreter must also recognize the limits within which interpretations can be drawn. Not only is this higher-order thinking - summary, main idea, conditional and cautious reasoning, etc. - it is a level not reached by half of our students in reading, as I noted in my recent post on the sad results in literacy assessment over the past decades. And by the way: the phrases "lower-order" and "higher-order" appear nowhere in the Taxonomy. 2. "Application" requires hands-on learning. This is not true, a misreading of the word "apply", as the text makes clear. We apply ideas to situations, e.g. you may comprehend Newton’s 3 Laws or the Writing Process but can you solve novel problems related to it - without prompting? That’s application: The whole cognitive domain of the taxonomy is arranged in a hierarchy, that is, each classification within it demands the skills and abilities which are lower in the classification order. The Application category follows this rule in that to apply something requires "comprehension" of the method, theory, principle or abstraction applied. Teachers frequently say, "If a student really comprehends something then he can apply it." A problem in the comprehension category requires the student to know an abstraction well enough that he can correctly demonstrate its use when specifically asked to do so. "Application," however, requires a step beyond this. Given a problem new to the student, he will apply the appropriate abstraction without having to be prompted as to which abstraction is correct or without having to be shown how to do it in this situation. Note the key phrases: Given a problem new to the student, he will apply theappropriate abstraction without having to be prompted. Thus, "application" is really a synonym for "transfer". In fact, the authors strongly assert the primacy of application/transfer of learning: The fact that most of what we learn is intended for application to problem situations in real life is indicative of the importance of application objectives in the general curriculum. The effectiveness of a large part of the school program is therefore dependent upon how well the students carry over into situations applications which the students never faced in the learning process. Those of you familiar with educational psychology will recognize this as the age-old problem of transfer of training. Research studies have shown that comprehending an abstraction does not certify that the individual will be able to apply it correctly. Students apparently also need practice in restructuring and classifying situations so that the correct abstraction applies. Why UbD is what it is. In Application problems must be new; students must judge which prior learning applies, without prompting or hints from scaffolded worksheets; and students must get training and have practice in how to handle non-routine problems. We designed UbD, in part, backward from Bloom’s definition of Application. As for instruction in support of the aim of transfer, the authors soberingly note this: "We have also attempted to organize some of the literature on growth, retention, and transfer of the different types of educational outcomes or behaviors. Here we find very little relevant research. … Many claims have been made for different educational procedures…but seldom have these been buttressed by research findings." 3. All the verbs listed under each level of the Taxonomy are more or less equal; they are synonyms for the level. No, there are distinct sub-levels of the Taxonomy, in which the cognitive difficulty of each sub-level increases. For example, under Knowledge, the lowest-level form is Knowledge of Terminology, where a more demanding form of recall is Knowledge of the Major Ideas, Schemes and Patterns in a field of study, and where the highest level of Knowledge is Knowledge of Theories and Structures (for example, knowing the structure and organization of Congress.) Under Comprehension, the three sub-levels in order of difficulty are Translation, Interpretation, and Extrapolation. Main Idea in literacy, for example, falls under Interpretation since it demands more than "translating" the text into one’s own words, as noted above. 4. The Taxonomy recommends against the goal of "understanding" in education. Only in the sense of the term "understand" being too broad. Rather, the Taxonomy helps us to more clearly delineate the different levels of understanding we seek: To return to the illustration of the term "understanding" a teacher might use the Taxonomy to decide which of several meanings he intended. If it meant that the student was…aware of a situation…to describe it in terms slightly different from those originally used in describing it, this would correspond to the taxonomy category of "translation" [which is a sub-level under Comprehension]. Deeper understanding would be reflected in the next-higher level of the Taxonomy, "interpretation," where the student would be expected to summarize and explain… And there are other levels of the Taxonomy which the teacher could use to indicate still deeper "understanding." 5. The writers of the Taxonomy were confident that the Taxonomy was a valid and complete Taxonomy No they weren’t. They note that: "Our attempt to arrange educational behaviors from simple to complex was based on the idea that a particular simple behavior may become integrated with other equally simple behaviors to form a more complex behavior… Our evidence on this is not entirely satisfactory, but there is an unmistakable trend pointing toward a hierarchy of behaviors. They were concerned especially that no single theory of learning and achievement- "accounted for the varieties of behaviors represented in the educational objectives we attempted to classify. We were reluctantly forced to agree with Hilgard that each theory of learning accounts for some phenomena very well but is less adequate in accounting for others. What is needed is a larger synthetic theory of learning than at present seems available. Later schemas - such as Webb’s Depth of Knowledge and the revised Taxonomy - do nothing to solve this basic problem, with implications for all modern Standards documents. Why this all matters. The greatest failure of the Common Core Standards is arguably to have overlooked these issues by being arbitrary/careless in the use of verbs in the Standards. There appears to have been no attempt to be precise and consistent in the use of the verbs in the Standards, thus making it almost impossible for users to understand the level of rigor prescribed by the standard, hence levels of rigor required in local assessments. (Nothing is said in any documents about how deliberate those verb choices were, but I know from prior experience in New Jersey and Delaware that verbs are used haphazardly - in fact, writing teams start to vary the verbs just to avoid repetition!) The problem is already on view: in many schools, the assessments are less rigorous than the Standards and practice tests clearly demand. No wonder the scores are low. I’ll have more to say on this problem in a later post, but my prior posts on Standards provide further background on the problem we face. Update: Already people are arguing with me on Twitter as if I agree with everything said here. I nowhere say here that Bloom was right about the Taxonomy. (His doubts about his own work suggest my real views, don’t they?) I am merely reporting what he said and what is commonly misunderstood. In fact, I am re-reading Bloom as part of a critique of the Taxonomy in support of the revised 3rd edition of UbD in which we call for a more sophisticated view of the idea of depth and rigor in learning and assessment than currently exists. This article first appeared on Grant’s personal blog; Grant can be found on twitter here; 5 Common Misconceptions About Bloom’s Taxonomy; image attribution flickr user langwitches The post 5 Common Misconceptions About Bloom’s Taxonomy appeared first on TeachThought.

Reform? Innovation? How About Shared Understanding by Terry Heick Okay, 100 words. The word "reform" needs to go away. Its tone reflects the kind of thinking that led to a system that itself reduces knowledge to standards, students to data, and K-12 itself as "college & career-prep." Reform is an opaque word that doesn’t say-or commit to-anything. Its closed and private and massive. It also fails to capture the imagination that is at the heart of humans. Its tone is not the tone of learning. Instead of seeking reform, its younger, hipper cousin innovation, or its rebellious older sibling disruption, what about common language in pursuit of shared understanding as a fertile soil for communal growth? The post Reform? Innovation? How About Shared Understanding? appeared first on TeachThought.

Math In The Real World: 400 Lessons From EconEdLink by TeachThought Staff NEW YORK, NY (February 19, 2015) Based on many of the same skills and concepts, math is a natural complement to economics and personal finance; and yet, they are rarely taught in conjunction with each other in our nation’s schools.  The Council for Economic Education (CEE) looks to bridge that gap with their new online resource for high school teachers.  With the support of sponsors Verizon, Moody’s and the Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation, CEE has developed Math in the Real World as a free and convenient tool to integrate math with economics and personal finance. Part of EconEdLink, CEE’s free online teacher resource, Math in the Real World contains interdisciplinary lessons aimed at teaching personal finance and economic concepts in a mathematical context.  Math in the Real Worldincludes lessons that range from "Break-Even Analysis" and "Profit Maximization" to payday loan expenses and building good credit.  Math in the Real World lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in math and national standards in personal finance and economics. Lessons include activities, simulations and other tools that use current technology that promote active learning. "As a former math major in college, I am excited that we can bring practical real-life lessons into the classroom to engage kids in three of my favorite subjects," said Nan J. Morrison, CEO and President, CEE. "Integrating math with economics and personal finance, Math in the Real World’s lessons offer an effective way for high school teachers to cover a wide range of skills and concepts." The California Council on Economic Education, one of CEE’s national affiliates, recently piloted the materials with high school teachers: "Outstanding. I especially like to attend workshops where I can instantly take materials home and implement them," said one of the participating teachers.  Another raved about its online accessibility, adding that, "its connections with other subjects will be so helpful" in her classroom. Other Information Many economics and personal finance concepts overlap with math curriculum, but economics and personal finance teachers are not trained to teach complex calculations and formulas, and math teachers may not focus on the personal finance and economic applications. A new CEE resource, Math in the Real World, brings together the expertise of math teachers and economics teachers to create interdisciplinary lessons that teach important personal finance and economic concepts in the context of math lessons including: Earning Credit: How can math help me analyze how my financial decisions today impact my credit score, interest rates and the cost of major purchases in the future? Inflation & Unemployment—Is There a Correlation: How does inflation correlate to unemployment? Cost: Rates of Change: Why is marginal cost a better metric than average cost in the decision making process? Profit Maximization: How can we use calculus to determine the level of output to maximize profits for a business?? How Expensive are Payday Loans? (or The High Cost of Quick Cash): How do you determine the total cost of a payday loan? Break- Even Analysis: How would an entrepreneur decide whether a business is likely to be profitable? Math in the Real World lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in math and national standards in personal finance and economics. Lessons include activities, simulations and other tools that use current technology that promote active learning. Math in the Real World includes 22 lessons that will be published over the next nine months. Math In The Real World: 400 Examples, Lessons, & Resources The post Math In The Real World: 400 Lessons From EconEdLink appeared first on TeachThought.

What Is Problem-Based Learning? by TeachThought Staff What is problem-based learning? One definition, if we want to start simple, is learning that is based around a problem. That is, the development, analysis, and thinking towards a problem drives student learning forward. We’ve been meaning to write a kind of beginner’s guide/primer to problem-based learning for, oh, about 18 months now and haven’t yet, so Mia MacMeekin’ss graphic here is going to have to do. And luckily enough, it’s a nicely done visual that provides a useful starting point to make sense of this learning and teaching strategy. The graphic eschews Mia’s usual squared, grid approach for something a bit more linear and comprehensive-an 8-step sequence to designing problem-based learning in your classroom. It offers a slightly more specific approach than our model for inquiry-based learning we created last year. 8 Steps To Design Problem-Based Learning In Your Classroom 1. Start with a real-life problem 2. Map it out 3. Prototype, prototype, prototype 4. Be creative 5. Think global 6. Join a challenge 7. Set goals 8. Create learning moments You can read more about learning models and theories in our 21st Century Dictionary for Teachers.   8 Steps To Design Problem-Based Learning In Your Classroom The post 8 Steps To Design Problem-Based Learning In Your Classroom appeared first on TeachThought.

The Inconvenient Truths About Assessment by Terry Heick 1. In terms of pedagogy, the primary purpose of an assessment is to provide data to revise planned instruction. It should provide an obvious answer to the question, "What next?" What now?" 2. It’s an extraordinary amount of work to design precise and personalized assessments that illuminate pathways forward for individual students-likely too much for one teacher to do so consistently for every student. This requires rethinking of learning models, or encourages corner-cutting. (Or worse, teacher burnout.) 3. Literacy (reading and writing ability) can obscure content knowledge. Further, language development, lexical knowledge (VL), and listening ability are all related to mathematical and reading ability (Flanagan 2006). This can mean that it’s often easier to assess something other than an academic standard than it is knowledge of the standard itself. It may not tell you what you want it to, but it’s telling you something. 4. Student self-assessment is tricky, but a key matter of understanding. According to Ross & Rolheiser, "Students who are taught self-evaluation skills are more likely to persist on difficult tasks, be more confident about their ability, and take greater responsibility for their work."  (Ross & Rolheiser 2001) 5. Assessments can obscure more than they reveal. If the assessment is precisely aligned to a given standard, and that standard isn’t properly understood by both the teacher and assessment designer, and there isn’t a common language between students, teacher, assessment designer, and curriculum developers about content and its implications, there is significant "noise" in data that can mislead those wishing to use the data, and disrupt any effort towards data-based instruction. 6. You see understanding or achievement or career and college-readiness; students see grades and performance (e.g., a lack or abundance of failure) (Atkinson 1964). 7. Self-evaluation and self-grading are different. "Self-evaluation" does not mean that the students determine the grades for their assignments and courses instead of the teacher. In this paper self-evaluation refers to the understanding and application of explicit criteria to one’s own work and behavior for the purpose of judging if one has met specified goals (Andrade 2006). 8. If it’s not married to curriculum and learning models, it’s just another assignment. That is, if the data gleaned from the assessment isn’t used immediately to substantively revise planned instruction, it’s at best practice, and at worst, extra work for the teacher and student. If assessment, curriculum, and learning models don’t "talk" to one one another, there is slack in the chain. 9. As with rigor, "high" is a relative term. High expectations-if personalized and attainable-can promote persistence in students (Brophy 2004). Overly simple assessments to boost "confidence" are temporary. The psychology of assessment is as critical as the pedagogy and content implications. 10. Designing assessment that has diverse measures of success that "speak" to the student is critical to meaningful assessment. Students are often motivated to avoid failure rather than achieve success (Atkinson 1964). 11. In a perfect world, we’d ask not "How you do on the test," but "How’d the test do on you?" That is, we’d ask how accurately the test illuminated exactly what we do and don’t understand rather than smile or frown at our "performance." Put another way, it can be argued that an equally important function of an assessment is to identify what a student does understand. If it doesn’t, the test failed, not the student. 12. The classroom isn’t "the real world." It’s easy to say invoke "the real world" when discussing grading and assessements (e.g., "If a law school student doesn’t study for the Bar and fail, they don’t get to become lawyers. The same applied to you in this classroom, as I am preparing you for the real world." 13. Most teachers worth their salt can already guess the range of student performance they can expect before they even give the assessment. Therefore, it makes sense to design curriculum and instruction to adjust to student performance on-the-fly without Herculean effort by the teacher. If you don’t have a plan for the assessment data before you give the assessment, you’re already behind.  14. Every assessment is flawed; the more frequent, student-centered, and "non-confrontational," the better. It’s tempting to overvalue each assessment as some kind of measuring stick of human potential. At best, it’s an imperfect snapshot. 15. It’s tempting to take assessment results personal; it’s not. The less personal you take the assessment, the more analytical you’ll allow yourself to be. 16. Confirmation bias within assessment is easy to fall for-looking for data to support what you already suspect. Force yourself to see it the other way. 17. Assessment doesn’t have to mean "test." All student work has a world of "data" to offer. How much you gain depends on what you’re looking for. The Inconvenient Truth About Assessment The post The Inconvenient Truths About Assessment appeared first on TeachThought.

Teaching Art, Or Teaching To Think Like An Artist? by TeachThought Staff Be creative. Curious. Seek questions. Develop ideas. Play. These ideas are familiar to modern educators, as they represent a kind of polar opposite to the standardized and industrialized form learning has taken on-or is at least perceived to have taken on in the current era of accountability. It was an interesting then to see these questions lead into a broader one: Should we teach art, or teach students to think like an artist? Should we teach history, or teach students to think like an historian? While this implies that you can’t do one without the other, if we assume for a moment that can’t do both and have to choose, where would our priority be? We’ve asked a similar question before: Are You Teaching Content, Or Teaching Thought? The video below from Cindy Foley frames that idea through the "content area" of art, asking the question, "Should we be teaching art, or teaching students to think like artists?" In our estimation, this is one of the key questions facing education-a connected learning endeavor-in the 21st century as we shift from teaching content to teaching habits, process, and thinking. Foley identifies three habits artists consistently demonstrate. 3 Habits Artists Demonstrate 1. Comfort with Ambiguity 2. Idea Generation 3. Transdisciplinary Research You can hear Foley explain the concept more fully in the TED Talk below. The idea extends way beyond art, right to the core of education as an icon, process, and tool of social improvement and wisdom. "What is the purpose and value of Art education in the 21st Century? Foley makes the case the Art’s critical value is to develop learners that think like Artists which means learners who are creative, curious, that seek questions, develop ideas, and play. For that to happen society will need to stop the pervasive, problematic and cliché messaging that implies that creativity is somehow defined as artistic skill. This shift in perception will give educators the courage to teach for creativity, by focusing on three critical habits that artist employ, 1. Comfort with Ambiguity, 2. Idea Generation, and 3. Transdisciplinary Research. This change can make way for Center’s for Creativity in our schools and museums where ideas are king and curiosity reigns. Cindy Meyers Foley is the Executive Assistant Director and Director of Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art. Foley worked to reimagine the CMA as a 21st century institution that is transformative, active, and participatory. An institution that impacts the health and growth of the community by cultivating, celebrating and championing creativity. Foley envisioned and led the charge to open the 18,000 sq. ft. Center for Creativity in 2011. In 2013, the museum received the National Medal for Museums in recognition of this work. Foley guest edited and wrote chapters for Intentionality and the Twenty-First-Century Museum, for the summer 2014 Journal of Museum Education. In 2012, Foley received the Greater Columbus Arts Council Community Arts Partnership award for Arts Educator. She was a keynote speaker for the OAEA (Ohio Art Education Association) 2012 Conference. She is on the Faculty of Harvard University’s Future of Learning Summer Institute. Foley is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and The Ohio State University. Prior to joining the Museum, she was with the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Maine College of Art, the Portland Museum of Art, and the Wexner Center for the Arts." Teaching Art, Or Teaching To Think Like An Artist? The post Teaching Art, Or Teaching To Think Like An Artist? appeared first on TeachThought.

What Is A Personal Learning Network? by TeachThought Staff What is a personal learning network, or rather a Personal Learning Network? How about a Professional Learning Network? In the video below, Marc-André Lalande offers a concise, useful definition that simplifies the idea from hashtags and movements and social engagement and badges and, well, all the buzzwords you hear, into a clear explanation that works not just within education, but any field. "A Personal Learning Network is a way of describing the group of people that you connect with to learn their ideas, their questions, their reflections, and their references. Your PLN is not limited to online interactions, but it is that online, global interactive part that really makes it special. It is personal because you choose who’s part of that group; you choose if you want to lurk-just check out what people are saying-or if you share; because you choose when to do so, and how to do so." In that way, a Professional Learning Network, then, is a natural extension of the way people learn-by connecting with others who have shared interests, ideas, or resources. If the internet was, at one point, one-way-a user "logs on" to search for information or share an opinion, then "logs off" because they’re "finished"-a more progressive view could be that connectivity is omni-directional and multi-facted. We connect with different people with unique expertise using varied tools for authentic and constantly changing purposes. Interestingly, that view will continue to change as technology evolves. That is, we view and define connections in light of potential for and degrees of connectivity. What Is A Personal Learning Network?  The post What Is A Personal Learning Network? appeared first on TeachThought.

7 Ways To Prevent Cyberbullying by Paula Green, Antibullying Advocate If a child is expressing anger or anxiety after going online, it might be one of the signs he/she is being cyberbullied. Cyberbullying is becoming a burning issue both for parents and teachers. Kids spend around 3 hours online and use cell phones 80% of the time, making it the most common medium for online bullying. Cyberbullying is the same as traditional bullying but if traditional bullying stops, when the school ends, for online bullying there is almost no escape. Unfortunately, many kids torment and harass each other using the internet via computers and smartphones. So you have a full picture, we listed top cyberbullying facts and ways to prevent it below. 7 Surprising Cyberbullying Statistics 45% of children admit they have experienced bullying online More than 40% say they have become the bullies’ target 70% admit they have witnessed cyberbullying 50% of children admit to be scared of their online bullies 92% of cyberbullying attacks are held through chatting and commenting on social media websites Cyberbullying victims are 3 to 9 times more likely to consider committing suicide Only 2 in 10 victims will inform their parents or teachers of online attacks McAfee chief privacy officer firstly reported about the problem in 2012. In her interview she claimed that 1 in 10 kids are experiencing cyberbullying without parents knowing. If you are suspecting your child is being bullied online, below is a list of things you can do to stop or prevent it. 7 Ways To Prevent Cyberbullying 1. Talk Every psychologist will tell you that the best way to help your child or student is to have a conversation first. Be patient and ask a child about the problem in general: what is cyberbullying, does he/she know someone who is being bullied, what children should do if notice acts of bullying. This way you will see how much your child is involved in the situation and which side he/she is on. 2. Use celebrity card Modern children are the same as we used to be. They choose role models and follow them in every way. Now they choose singers, sportsmen and actors. Nowadays, a lot of celebrities are supporting cyberbullying victims. Many of them post numerous comments against online bulling on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Demi Lovato Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus are the most popular teen singers who talk about this problem out loud. 3. Monitor online activity Luckily, cyberbullying has one advantage: you can notice it and save the evidence. If taking their phone away is not an option, you can install iPhone monitoring app Pumpic. It allows monitoring social media activity, including Facebook and Instagram, view all text messages (even deleted ones), call logs and general online behavior. You can block and control the child’s phone remotely through PC or personal cell phone. 4. Engage parents and youth Create a community for adults and pupils to send a unified message against cyberbullying. Establish a school safety committee that will control and discuss the problems of online bullying. You can create policies and rules, including cyberbullying reporting system. It is important to make the main objectives known to parents, school and children.   5. Build a positive climate School staff can do a big deal to prevent cyberbullying.  As a teacher you can use staff and parents meetings and even send newsletters. Use your school website to create a page and forum, where parents can discuss the problem. You can also engage bullies and victims by giving them mutual tasks, so they can try to see each other from a different perspective. 6. Volunteer in the community As a parent, you can prevent bullying by working in the community. With your experience on the ground, appropriate strategies can help identify the victims and redirect bullies’ behavior.   7. Restore self-respect Remember that the ultimate goal is to protect and restore the victim’s self respect. Act thoroughly; fast decisions can only make things worse. Talk to someone about the problem before responding. Collect the evidence and join with parents or teachers to figure out the possible best choice to stop cyberbullying among children. Mrs. Green takes a big part in NY anti-bullying campaign for young leaders. Right now she works as an independent contributor for Pumpic.com; image attribution flickr user workingword The post 7 Ways To Prevent Cyberbullying appeared first on TeachThought.

6 Tongue-In-Cheek Tips For Helicopter Parents That Help Too Much by Anonymous Practicing Teacher That Cares We’ve all been there. We’ve worked a long grueling day only to come home and find out our child has a project due the next day. We’ve argued and threatened punishment over said project. We’ve been too tired to argue over said project. We’ve sent them to bed while we "helped" our child on said project. What parent hasn’t, right? But as "the grader" we also recognize their work from your work. We work with your child every day. We see their work. We know their handwriting. We know how they think, much like you do. But different.In a way, we are an extension of you when it comes to recognizing your child for what makes them them. So before you start that next project, here are some things to think about-6 tips from teachers to parents to help them pass of their work as that of their child. 6 Tongue-In-Cheek Tips For Helicopter Parents That Help Too Much 1. Use their handwriting-or rather, let them use theirs We know their handwriting as well as you do. So at least have them recopy the information in their own handwriting if you’re not going to type it out. Think of this as their punishment for waiting to the last minute, for making you "help" with the project, for depriving you of your R&R. 2. Mistakes, done well, can imply authenticity Ease up on the grammar. When was the last time you read your child’s work? Let me reassure you, grammar (subject/verb agreement, homophones/homographs, and run-on sentences) keep us busy all year long. Even with their progress, there’s always more to do. So think imperfect sentences that show promise, but shortcomings-nothing awful, but the syntax should parallel that of their peers’, not Shakespeare’s. Or better yet, have them paraphrase what you wrote. Your planning and their polish. Teamwork! Pro Tip: To avoid the above, Google "student writing samples" to get some ideas of the kinds of errors to include. Pro Tip #2: Pro Tip: Do not overdo this part-it can backfire. 3. Use their vocabulary level, not yours This isn’t a college level assignment. You won’t impress us with your vocabulary-well you might, but that’s bad. Stunning vocabulary and spelling and editing overall only makes us more suspicious. Or proud-depends who did it. So, refer to that text language image you saved on Pinterest a few months ago and add in some creative letter combinations along the way. Look at it as a way to save you time while you’re writing. 4. Don’t get too ambitious with materials Now we know you are dying to bust out the crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, and glue but let us assure you all you will need is a pencil and paper- lined paper that is. While color is often a requirement for projects-they make bulletin boards look better-students will commonly forego the points just to "be done" with the project. And copy paper? Who wants to get up and walk to where that is located? Lined paper will be just fine. If you can’t stop yourself from adding color, go with markers. No student would be caught dead with a crayon or colored pencil. Markers are where it’s at these days. Also, definitely be careful with the 3D printers, wearable technology, and the like. Expensive, and the ambition can be a dead giveaway if it doesn’t match that of the student’s. 5. Be careful with names and titles Whose paper is this? Don’t write their full name. A first name only will suffice. They are the only "Johnny" in the world, right? And the class period and date? Now you’re just sending red flags all over the project. A creative title! While it’s also often a required element for the project- it never happens. As for titles, think simple. If the project is on the topic of myths, just title it "My Myth"; an essay on Abraham Lincoln? "My Essay on Abraham Lincoln" works. The same Lincoln essays titled "The Great Emancipator’s Enduring Relevance In A Digital World" makes us wonder. 6. Don’t deliver it to class yourself At least them drag it on the bus; adds a grit-factor, and can "wear" the project/paper/assignment some to make it look more authentic. You should have plenty of time to practice these tips as we head into the crunch time of the year for project completion. Keep in mind we’ve been there. Many of us probably do it out of learned behavior; our parents did it for us, so we do it for our children, and the cycle carries on. But even with the best of intentions, the note home asking if you "helped" will be just as awkward for us as it will be for you. With love and admiration to all parents from all teachers, keep fighting the good fight. 6 Tongue-In-Cheek Tips For Helicopter Parents That Help Too Much; image attribution flickr user vancouverfilmschool The post For Helicopter Parents That Help Too Much appeared first on TeachThought.

"If that’s where they are, it’s where I must be, too." by Dawn Casey-Rowe, Smartphone Owner And User Of Analog Clocks Analog clocks, cursive, Roman numerals, map reading. Memorizing times tables, dates, and battles. These skills were part of my K-12 curricula. They may soon go the way of quills and inkwells in favor of apps, gadgets, GPS. Maybe they should. It’s a debate many are having. Just what do students need? "We don’t need that anymore," they complain when I teach something "old-school." With one click of the phone, kids solve complex problems, Google their research, collaborate with others, and share out their results to the world. The way they learn is changing. The way I teach should be, too. "What time is it, Miss?" a student asked. "Time to get a watch." It’s my standard response. Sometimes I say, "Time to do your work," "Time to change the world," or "Time for coffee." There’s a big, big clock on the wall. No one is incapable of turning around to look. The truth comes out. "I don’t know how to tell time on those clocks." Nothing in education shocks me anymore. "How do you know what time to leave?" I asked. "My phone." Until recently, schools were in the business of confiscating phones-the one tool connecting students to all the world’s learning.  Students got detention as a reward for higher-level learning. Adults would say, "They don’t need phones. They’ll just text."  I watch the former phone-takers. They’re on social media during meetings and conventions. I’ve never seen a reason to indict kids. Thankfully, phones are allowed in my school and many others now. Long before they were, I saw a group of students crowded around one in class. "What are you doing?" "Looking up census data." Another time I caught a student on Skype-an education felony. "My cousin’s helping me fix this infographic." One day, I saw a phone propped up on a desk. A group FaceTimed in a missing member. He was at the airport. His plane had been delayed and he wanted to be in class.  Maybe these kids were on to something. I want students to have the ability to connect each other and experts in real-time and learn. I’m teaching students to build networks with top people in their field-many of whom are one tweet away. Eventually they will convert this knowledge into careers. This is important. Students may have up to seven careers in their generation-many of which they will have to build themselves. The phone in students’ pockets is a tool they need for connecting and building. It is more powerful than my first three computers combined. With it, they can conquer the world. I no longer have the problem of "She has our group’s work and she’s absent" because "she" can be texted and "they" were supposed to share out their files on Google drive anyway. Their phones can solve the problem of information, distance, and time. With it, they can create networks and empires more powerful and far-reaching than the Roman empire. And even though most of us pay a few hundred dollars for a smartphone that brings us status, the truth is, in most countries, you can get a decent one for fifty to seventy-five bucks. Today, many parts of the world and certain demographics are skipping right to mobile phones. Desktops and laptops are for old people, teachers, and dinosaurs and first-world nations where we have the luxury of switching back and forth. Students are born into a world that heads right to the phone. They look at platforms without an iPhone app with suspicion. Heck, I’m starting to, too. A gradebook without integration or a mobile app? An education platform that can’t be used on a smartphone? Inconceivable! Nearly a crime! I recently took a call with a rep from an incredible company-one whose product I would have used daily until I discovered they didn’t have mobile capabilities. The response was shocking. "Can’t you just get a laptop cart or go to a computer lab?" "No. My students have phones. Thank you very much for your time." Successful companies do not design products for the audience they think exists-they create things that solve problems for the one that really does. My students are attached to their phones. It’s their intellectual and social life support system. If that’s where they are, it’s where I must be, too. The availability of mobile phones is changing the world. It’s not only in schools that students turn first to their phones-many parts of the world are skipping right to mobile. People are developing local economies, creating microbusinesses, forging connections, and bringing opportunities that never before existed-all on their phones. This episode of venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz’ a16z podcast shows the impact of mobile technology on Myanmar, a nation formerly cut off technology entirely. It’s a story that is easy to apply to education. The education landscape often seems less the center of national innovation and more like the developing world both in terms of policy and infrastructure. The difference is that developing nations are get technology for the first time and begin innovating and using it. Our students have always had technology, we’ve just taken it away. If the White House ConnectEd initiative is successful, every school will be connected to high speed internet. This has the potential to produce real learning.  We’ll get rid of the "tech graveyard," because students will use their phones and devices, stocked with apps that help them learn best instead of standing around broken and antiquated machines in schools stocked with things nobody wanted to use to begin with for which someone paid. We will be improving efficiency one-hundred fold by increasing responsibility, teaching digital citizenship that will carry over into a solid professional career, and getting rid of things nobody needs. So, I ask the question "What do students-and teachers need? How do we deliver?" Do kids need cursive? Do they need Roman numerals? Calculus? Map reading skills? I have to admit I’m partial to such things, even being a tech lover. But still, we need to have the conversation-which facts should be memorized and which Googled then applied? Everything’s changing. We need to be ready for that change, and in most cases, lead and direct it for the benefit of our students. I remember the phone-store kid who talked me into my first touch-screen phone. "Trust me, you won’t need the keyboard," the kid said. The thought of letting go of the keyboard frightened me. How would I use the phone? He was right. I didn’t need the keyboard. I evolved. "Always trust the kid," I thought. I started wondering what else I didn’t need. So I ask my students, "How do you want to learn?" They want their phone. Their phones are their pencil, their calculator, their database, their notebook. The phone is the secret weapon kids will use to rule the world, in lieu of its design limitations or cracked screen. Anyone at the cutting edge of education or technology knows this. It’s not the end all or be all, but it’s a start toward allowing kids to access the technology they need and will use in on a day-to-day basis in their lives. And in most parts of the world, the cost is under a hundred bucks. "If that’s where they are, it’s where I must be, too."; image attribution flickr user Kārlis Dambrāns The post "If that’s where they are, it’s where I must be, too." appeared first on TeachThought.

How Empowerment Fosters Creativity by creativist.io Everyone has at least one story where they have witnessed the silencing of creativity. It might be a story where a teacher or a district policy confused joy with disruption.  It might be a story where a child whose inner fire was lit by music and movement was forced to sit in a desk quietly to abide by curriculum standards and antiquated rules. It might be a story where a student who loves computer programming is told they cannot develop a new game that highlights their content knowledge as an alternative to an assignment. The ending is usually the same. The light for that person goes out. Sometimes the light goes out for a small period of time, sometimes the light is extinguished forever. New teachers vow to do things differently.  They declare that their classroom will be shining beacons of creativity, joy, and engagement. And then something happens.  They step into the system and the system forces them to change too. The light goes out and the cycle is perpetuated. But for all those teachers where the light goes out, there are a few who remain symbols of hope.  These are the teachers who despite their circumstances in a broken system, somehow remain to connect with students on a human level, and draw out what is best in their students.  These are the teachers who encourage students to pursue their interests and seem to intuitively know different creative strategies to unlock learning in different types of children. These are the teachers students remember 40 years later, when being asked in an interview, "Who influenced you?"  The question becomes, what makes these teacher different? How do they remain steadfast and unshaken while the education system around them seems to spin in insanity? The difference is empowerment. Empowerment is one of those words that gets thrown around quite often. So what then, does it mean to be empowered and how does that relate to creativity and change? First off, empowerment cannot be bestowed upon someone. Although leadership and environment can create conditions for empowerment, true empowerment must come from within. Being empowered means creating feelings of autonomy, confidence, meaningfulness, and impact. Too often teachers have these feelings stripped away from them. New ideas are met with jealousy and criticism.  Parents question strategies and tactics that are unfamiliar to them. Policy and curriculum constrict creative strategies. It is death by a thousand cuts. While the call for creativity in schools resonates clear and true, the implementation of creativity in schools requires relentless courage and empowerment. There will be questions. There will be skepticism. There may even be some laughter or jealousy. Creativity is not measurable by a single test score. In a culture that is fixated upon data, attempting to cultivate creativity is an uphill battle that only the bravest are willing to take on. Luckily, there is a tribe of seasoned creative teacher warriors who have blazed the trail and are waiting in the wings. What these creative teacher warriors know is that exploratory learning, creative problem solving, and connecting to students as unique human beings unlocks gifts that ultimately lead to better test scores, innovative thinking, and yes, creativity. It takes some guts to fly that creativity flag when the world nods in agreement but turns its back when policy and administration say, "Yes, but not now. We have more important things to focus on." But those willing to do the work to put creativity back in schools know that the results are worth it. Empowerment is the first step to unlocking and cultivating creativity. So how does a teacher get empowered to be creative in an environment that doesn’t encourage things like failure, autonomy, and messiness? Quite simple. One chooses to take it.  Choosing empowerment and reconnecting with the fire that burns within provides scaffolding for more creative acts. Empowerment makes way for awareness and awareness makes way for daily practice.  As Henri Matisse once said, "Creativity takes courage." That courage comes from an empowerment. It means integrating the work from the head and the heart and the hands. It’s time to get empowered. It’s time to be the change. Your tribe is waiting for you. Creative Teaching Starts With Empowerment The post Creative Teaching Starts With Empowerment appeared first on TeachThought.

Statistics Outgrows All Other STEM Fields From 2010-2013 From a press release ALEXANDRIA, VA Statistics—the science of learning from data—is the fastest-growing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) undergraduate degree in the United States over the last four years, an analysis of federal government education data conducted by the American Statistical Association (ASA) revealed. The ASA analyzed data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on 160 STEM bachelor’s degree categories granted by U.S. public and nonprofit colleges and universities. Degree categories with a minimum of 200 completions in 2013 were included in the analysis. The ASA analysis showed undergraduate statistics degrees nearly doubled (95% growth rate) during the period spanning 2010 to 2013. The significant growth of statistics outpaced that of all computer-related disciplines, environment and psychology (see following table for complete list). FASTEST-GROWING STEM UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES 2010-2013 % Increase          # of 2013 Field                                                                  from 2010          Degrees Statistics                                                              95.1                1,656 Computer Info Tech Admin. & Mgmt.                  92.0                1,985 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering                                          86.4                1,195 Mathematics & Statistics, Other                          80.0                   216 Computer Programming                                      77.2                   466 Sociology & Anthropology                                   76.7                   454 Science Technologies/Technicians, Other          74.1                   484 Computer Software and Media Apps                  68.4                 1,160 Research & Experimental Psychology                66.1                 4,723 Source: Data from the National Center for Education Statistics; Analysis by the American Statistical Association This news may be a surprise to many higher-education experts and business leaders who might expect a computer science-related area to be the fastest-growing STEM field. But the news did not come as a surprise to the ASA. "The analysis confirms what the ASA has known for some time: Statistics is a hot career field that more and more students are choosing to enter," said ASA President David R. Morganstein, vice president and director of the statistical staff for Westat, Inc., a statistical-services company based in Rockville, Maryland. "It’s also important to note that this growth is not a passing fad. Across the country, universities and colleges are dedicating new resources so their respective statistics departments can expand to meet this growing demand." The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UMTC) is a prime example of this phenomenon. Enrollment in its undergraduate statistics program grew from just 34 majors in 2004 to 224 currently. Overall, the number of statistics bachelor’s degrees has grown from 526 in 2003 to 1,678 in 2013. This significant growth and interest in statistics can be attributed to factors such as a more quantitative society, emphasis on data analytics, the advent of Big Data and the corollary growth of the Advanced Placement Statistics program. However, the primary influencer is the job market and the resulting demand for workers with statistical and analytical skills, which LinkedIn ranked as the most important job skills in 2014 (link). The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, finds that the number of statisticians will grow by 27% between 2012 and 2022, far outpacing the projected 11% growth rate for all other career fields. Separately, McKinsey Global Institute, a global management consulting firm that serves leading businesses, governments, nongovernmental organizations and not-for-profits, predicted in a report on Big Data that the country will face a shortage of up to 190,000 people with deep analytics skills, such as statisticians, who are needed to manage Big Data-related projects and run data analytics and business intelligence operations in the private and public sectors. "The main driver is the job market," said Frederic P. Schoenberg from his frontline position as chair of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) statistics department. "Our graduates are getting excellent jobs in industry with a statistics degree. Businesses throughout the country are forming analytics groups and seeing the value of data analysis. They are, therefore, hiring statisticians at a high rate and that is fueling our majors." Schoenberg and other leaders of college/university statistics departments said undergraduates of their programs are securing good-paying jobs at Internet, software and technology companies; finance and banking firms; analytics and consulting agencies; management and marketing organizations; biopharmaceutical and medical sciences companies; and government agencies. To further meet this burgeoning demand, many colleges and universities are offering new undergraduate degree statistics programs. For instance, since 2003, the number of schools granting undergraduate statistics degrees has increased from 74 to more than 110 in 2013. Amherst College in Massachusetts, Arizona State University and the University of Chicago are just three of the 20 schools that recently unveiled new undergraduate degree programs in statistics (see the complete list). Additional new programs are in the works. Another interesting finding from the ASA analysis of the NCES data is that more than 45% of undergraduate statistics degrees during the four-year timespan studied were awarded to women. Over the past four decades, women have earned more than 40% of math and statistics bachelor’s degrees. For comparison, in 2013, the share of women who graduated with an undergraduate degree in computer science was 18%; in engineering, it was 23%; and, in physics, it was 19% (see data here). An article relaying the growth experiences of four institutions—UMTC, UCLA, Grand Valley State University, and Carnegie Mellon University—is published in the February issue of Amstat News, the ASA’s member magazine. The American Statistical Association is the world’s largest community of statisticians and the second-oldest continuously operating professional society in the United States. Its members serve in industry, government and academia in more than 90 countries, advancing research and promoting sound statistical practice to inform public policy and improve human welfare. For additional information about the American Statistical Association, please visit the ASA website at www.amstat.org; image attribution flickr user chaseelliot; Statistics Outgrowing Other STEM Fields The post A New Social Science? Statistics Outgrowing Other STEM Fields appeared first on TeachThought.

Using Iteration To Build Great Schools by Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education Ed note: This post was originally longer, but we’ve broken it up into two separate posts to highlight Grant’s thoughts on making reform last, which can be seen here. Readers will know that I promised a thoughtful follow-up to my previous post in which I criticized DeLisle’s recent Ed Week rant on differentiated instruction. However, after pondering the subject intensely for a week, I find myself facing a somewhat different and broader question - the baby and bathwater question: Why do we constantly fail to distinguish a good idea from confused and ineffective implementations of good ideas, and throw out the idea - instead of refining the policies and practices? For, surely, this is the issue with Differentiated Instruction. The idea could not be more pedagogically and morally correct: design learning to make it most likely that all the varied learners in front of you will learn and be engaged in their learning. Even DeLisle acknowledges the core idea as sound. Indeed, almost every elementary teacher has long differentiated in ELA due to reading level differences (something apparently unknown to other critics). But once the going gets rough (e.g. classes are far too diverse; planning becomes more time-consuming), we rise up against "differentiated instruction" instead of tinkering with the way the idea is being implemented. On "Pushback" Raise your hand if there has been pushback against UbD, curriculum mapping, block scheduling, authentic assessment, standards-based grading, and problem-based learning in your school. Ok, everyone put their hands down now. You don’t even have to like these initiatives to see that the implementation problems are rife: failure to think through training and feedback; failure to allocate enough time to experiment with the ideas before full implementation; failure to think through the likely rough spots and misunderstandings of those ideas. At the implementation level of school reform, it’s one big game of Lucy holding the new-initiative football, and Charlie Brown thinking "THIS time it will work!" Schools simply do not know how to change themselves. They are status quo machines of the highest order - on par with churches. Worse, administrators - in their naïve enthusiasm and stubbornness to bring change - too often fail to listen to critics or build in self-correcting mechanisms to ensure that implementation can be tweaked all along the way of the reform - as if admitting mistakes in early implementation would discredit the whole idea (and their leadership). I can speak to this problem with lots of firsthand knowledge related to Understanding by Design over a 15 year period. Let me list a few horrible ways that UbD has been implemented in schools, districts and other countries - without either our blessing or consultation/feedback of any kind: In each unit there must be 4 essential questions In Year One, every teacher will design and implement all their units in UbD Every LESSON will be planned in the UbD Unit Template There has to be at least 1 performance task for every lesson In Year One, every UbD unit will be placed in the Atlas Rubicon software, with limited PD on either initiative Requiring SEPARATE UbD units for each subject at the elementary level in which the one teacher plans and teaches ALL the units. I could go on, alas, but you get the point. Launch, Fail, Grow: Building An Iterative Reform System What tends to happen when leaders fail to (build sustainable reform)? We throw out the baby with the bathwater. i.e. we toss the good idea along with Implementation version 1. (Imagine if software creators gave up after Version 1, and you have some idea of how little we would now value software.) Resisters/opponents of change get most of their power from the failure of implementation, not sound arguments against the core idea: "See? I told you it wouldn’t work; I told you it was a bad idea." I think most of the big reform ideas mentioned above are sound, addressing fairly obvious needs for greater personalization, coherence, and accountability. Alas, even "reform" now is a bad word in many quarters (cf. Diane Ravitch) because the implementation of many of good ideas has been so poor. Nor should we despair over the enormity of the task. We don’t need to be geniuses to change things for the better. We just need to want, solicit, and act on feedback when we initiate any change. That is the key to all modern improvements, from hardware to software to services. Change of any kind, to lead to progress and to llast, involves a robust feedback system. Yet, school-people - be they admins or teachers, be it large-scale school reform or individual experiments in teaching - are prone to charge ahead without an adequate plan, then give up on an idea that doesn’t work out of the box. That’s why it is essential in reform to provide structures and opportunities that send the message: Implementation Version 1.0 is LIKELY to fail. We won’t get this right, most likely until Version 3.5. So, let’s fail early and often (as they say at IDEO) and work to get it right as quickly as possible, based on feedback and advice. Otherwise, like Charlie Brown, we’ll just be wishin’ and hopin’. This article was excerpted from a post that first appeared on Grant’s personal blog; Grant can be found on twitter here; Using Iteration To Build Great Schools; adapted image attribution flickr user globalpartnershipsforeducation The post Launch, Fail, Grow: Using Iteration To Build Great Schools appeared first on TeachThought.

Quantified Learners: Moving Beyond Assessment By Andrew Smith Lewis New applications and technologies are now embedded into practically every aspect of the learning experience. Schools are organizing databases around students that look at multiple performance indicators, and now, more than ever, learning is informed and registered through collections of data points and not just a grade. As assessment becomes more data-driven, however, it’s important that we remember what the real goal of this data should be. It’s not simply about better assessment; it’s about empowering better learning. Right now, both the technologies and the educators valiantly deploying these new methods are falling short of supporting the quantified learner. The first step is, of course, designing and building better systems to capture this sort of data, which really isn’t being done at scale. More importantly though, as we build these systems, we need to keep the end-goal in mind — better learning, and constructive and actionable feedback for students. If we focus data-driven efforts solely on assessment, without developing student-empowering technologies that give learners insights into their progress, then we are failing the real goal as well as our students. As Annie Murphy Paul notes, "the most profound and lasting effect of sharing students’ data with them is to develop their awareness of their own learning." Paul’s notion of data helping build students’ metacognitive skills is a valuable one, and one that we need to keep incorporating into data-driven approaches to both teaching and learning. Paul asserts that "having access to information about their performance creates opportunities for students to recognize when they’ve made mistakes and figure out what to do to fix them." That’s an admirable goal, but it still falls short of what quantified learners could potentially do with that wealth of information. Data shouldn’t just look back; it needs to point forward. Learning data is valuable in remediating where students have been, but what about using that data to fuel their futures? Looking beyond mere assessment, this data can help students define goals and work towards them, operating as a recommendation driver to identify new areas where they might excel, mapping what they know and what they need to know, and even providing validation along the way in the form of micro-credentials or other forms of recognition and verification. Our quantified efforts should strive to achieve this level of empowerment for students right now. More importantly, and more concerningly, most edtech companies are not considering these capabilities in the data-collection systems they are developing and using. We’re seeing important shifts in the interplay of technology and education, but they are well off from what’s required to enable and empower quantified learning. In fact, they don’t seem too concerned with providing insights to learners at this point, which is a shame. MOOCs, for example, have provided some of the most exciting and worthwhile developments within education technology in the past couple decades. Yet, in order to improve something, you need to be able to measure it — to quantify it. When the only data coming from engagement with a MOOC is how much video someone has watched, we are a far cry from truly adding value to the learning side of the equation. As we build out these systems and more data enters the classroom (physical and/or virtual), we need to focus on the real goals and opportunities for empowering learners. If we relegate the role and insights of data to mere assessment, we are doing a disservice to our students and the capabilities of the technologies we’re employing. As the Quantified Self movement has suggested, data aggregation and data accessibly can be a non-trivial motivator. And improved student outcomes are still every educators’ goal. Developing more robust data systems that scale is the first step, but they also need to provide feedback and help predict and guide students’ learning. If we can achieve that vision, then assessment will be as empowering to learners as it is to educators. Andrew Smith Lewis is co-founder and executive chairman of Cerego, a leading provider of adaptive learning solutions for publishers, educators, and students. Follow him @aslives; Empowering The Quantified Learner: Why EdTech Needs To Move Beyond Assessment; image attribution flickr user larryjohnson The post Quantified Learners: Moving Beyond Assessment appeared first on TeachThought.

60 Non-Threatening Formative Assessment Techniques by TeachThought Staff As frequently as a chef needs to check a sauce for taste, teachers should check for understanding. These can be formal-formative or summative assessment, multiple choice, short answer, essay, matching, and related iconic "test" forms. But they can also be informal-conversations, gallery walks, sketches, and more. We recently shared the Inconvenient Truths of Assessment, and one of the takeaways from that post by Terry Heick could be that rather focusing on the design of assessment, we could instead focus on a climate of assessment.-a classroom where snapshots of understanding are taken frequently and naturally, without the stress of performance for the student, or the burden of huge, unmanageable data results for the teachers. So what about assessment as a matter of tone and purpose? If an assessment is non-traditional and non-threatening (or even less traditional and less threatening), how might that impact what it reveals? Does the tone of an assessment matter? Is informal assessment a "lesser" form altogether? The Primary Benefit Of Informal Assessment More than anything else, non-threatening, informal assessment can disarm the process of checking for understanding. The less formal the form, the less guarded or anxious the student might become. Stress and worry can quickly shut down the student’s ability to think, which yields misleading results-a poor "grade" which implies that a student understands a lot less than they actually do. In that way, Levy County Schools in Florida’s Kim Lambert compilation of 60 Tools for Formative Assessment and Processing Activities can be useful to you as you collect data from all students, from the polished little academics, to students for whom the classroom might be a less-than-comfortable place. If you have trouble viewing the embed below, you can find the original document from LCS here. 60 Non-Threatening Formative Assessment Techniques by K Lambert, OCPS Curriculum Services, 4/201;  The post 60 Non-Threatening Formative Assessment Techniques appeared first on TeachThought.

What It Means To Be A Reflective Teacher by Terry Heick Reflection is a fundamental tenet of learning; it is also, therefore, a fundamental part of teaching. Why it happens is a matter of humility. But how and when it happens-and with whom-is less clear. This is partly because there are multiple sides to reflection-length, width, and depth. A Z-axis. It is whole. As a kind of definition, to reflect means to look back at how something "went," and see it for all of its available parts and patterns: Causes and effects; comparisons and contrast; strengths and weakness; its characteristics; how close it came to what you were expecting; your emotions. I planned this, and it went like this, and now I think this. Reflection sounds like an abstract idea-something unspecific, and even a little mystical. Something we do in the shower on the drive home when no one’s around and we’re free to roam in our own minds. It’s definitely true that reflection comes most effortlessly, and in its purest and rawest forms, in those circumstances when we-that is, our minds-are not otherwise engaged. Reflection isn’t a single thing-a box to check in some elliptical cycle of learning. It’s as much a matter of self-awareness, humility, and affection as it is timing, sequence, and procedure. I can see the craft of teaching as both a sequence of steps and the fulfillment of design. It’s both parts, and whole. Science and art. Professional and people. I know nothing is ever perfect, so I seek to improve. I also know what’s improvable within my means, and what pathways there are to get there. I believe in the endurance of knowledge and understanding, and will bring everything I know to bear on my craft. With this kind of examination laid out, there practice of reflection is more fruitful, a kind of tilling of the ground to harvest crops. Which is where the non-abstractions come in-the tangible tools, processes, and partners of reflection that allow us to socialize ourselves and our teaching, and benefit from concrete practice of reflection. When I use twitter, I do so both as a matter of practice and thought. There are mechanical actions that lead to thought, and the other way around. I bring out my tablet or sit down at my PC, log on to twitter, skim my twitter feed, check mentions and messages, respond to tweets if I feel like it. These are inputs. The output, if I get it just right, is reflection. If I read a tweet, interpret what I believe to be its meaning, find relevance in its message, and think-even briefly-about how I relate to it and it to me, I’m approaching reflection. Tweet: 10 Assessment Tools For The Flipped Classroom My reaction: What are the strengths and weaknesses of assessment in a flipped classrooms? What tools am I aware of that could work here? Do I need a tool-is this worth clicking on? Should I save to Pocket without clicking? Click and read? RT without reading? Read, then RT? Favorite with or without reading? How am I spending my time right now on social media? Am I bumming around, or should I be more intentional-this tool or idea for this need I have tomorrow. If reflection happens on twitter-and it does-then it is both a matter of practice and habit-a tendency towards the kind of thought that promotes change in your teaching. But this really has nothing to do with twitter; this is just an easy example that many of you can relate to. It’s about the dimensions of reflection: The How, the When, and the Who. How Does Reflection Happen? We recently did a Teacher Blogging Challenge, which amounted to a series of prompts that teachers were encouraged to use daily as writing prompts. Daily, these were about looking at the ins and outs of teaching; more broadly, they were about teachers building both a capacity and a tendency to reflect on their own. There is also a #reflectiveteacher hashtag that is used to carry that conversation from beyond your blog out into a larger space, where it has a chance for more visibility. But more importantly, the tweeting and hashtagging is about extending and socializing the practice of reflection. It’s not about the post, but about the vulnerability that comes with reflection. Being honest, transparent, and then standing on your own. The reflection actually starts much earlier, alone, in your own mind after something happens. Then, it often happens with someone-a friend, colleague, or loved on. Maybe even a student. Then, you’re likely to reflect again, alone, now pushed further in your thinking by the "together" part. Writing about it again, and then sharing that with others, makes the reflection more complex, and more personal. Sequence: Alone->Together->Alone Reflection, among other patterns, often happens Alone (which is slow and passive), Together (which is more immediate, and active) and then Alone Again (once more, slow and passive). Sequence: While Teaching->After Teaching->After School Reflection is also a matter of timing. Reflection can happen at any time, but no sooner than the event begins taking place: The lesson, the assessment, the meeting, the Socrative Discussion. While teaching, how is it going really? What adjustments seem necessary? What’s most important here? Then immediately after, in a Habits of Mind sense, how did it go (evaluation), and how do I know (data)? After school, now that I’ve had a chance to "get away" from the event some, what do I think now? What’s lingering? What should I do differently next time? What would students say if they were right here next to me? Sequence: Students->Colleagues->PLN And then, with whom should I reflect? Students? Colleagues? Professional Learning Networks? My spouse? How is each episode different? What’s worth talking about and worth forgetting? How can I see reflection is a way of teaching, so that it’s impossible to separate out and itemize, but is instead a moment-by-moment thing that is always with me like a heartbeat? What It Means To Be A Reflective Teacher; image attribution flickr user Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig The post What It Means To Be A Reflective Teacher appeared first on TeachThought.

At One Point An Abacus Was Considered ‘Education Technology’ By: Tess Pajaron, Open Colleges When you think of Edtech, mobile devices and learning apps are probably some of the first things that spring to mind. But although technology has brought major changes to education over the past decade, humans have been looking for ways to advance collective knowledge since long before the Internet or even computers existed. Imagining future possibilities for technology in education is something we do all the time, but what about where it all started? Here are ten of the earliest innovations, shown on this interactive infographic, that have helped pave the way for the Edtech of today, from the abacus way back in 480 BC to the very first tablet in 1989. 10 Examples Of ‘Old’ Education Technology 1. Hieroglyphics Before we had the ABCs, there were Egyptian hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs are believed to be the earliest form of writing and can be traced back to 3300 BC. With more than 800 basic symbols called glyphs, the writing form was difficult to learn, and only a select few like royalty and priests actually used them. The concept of written hieroglyphs, however, was revolutionary and paved the way for the development of other written languages. 2. The abacus Counting and calculating may seem like an impossible task without numbers, but before they existed, counting was done with the help of things like pebbles and twigs. The invention of the abacus made more complicated calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division possible. It was first used by the Greeks around 300 BC, although the abacus we know today comes from China. 3. First analogue computer Believe it or not, the first analogue computer appeared before pens and pencils were invented. The Antikythera mechanism is the oldest analog computer and was designed by the Greeks around 150 BC to predict astronomical positions and eclipses. Although knowledge of this technology was lost some time in Antiquity, the device played an important role in helping humans gain an understanding of time and space. 4. Quill pen and pencil Before pens and pencils were invented, writing had to be done by carving letters into thin sheets of wax. The very first quill pen was introduced around 700 AD and used feathers from live birds like crows, eagles, geese and turkeys. Eventually this evolved into the more efficient metal-nibbed pen, followed by the fountain pen, and finally the ballpoint pen. Pencils weren’t invented until 1795, when an officer in Napoleon’s army discovered that when powdered graphite was mixed with clay and formed into rods it made a very handy writing tool. 5. Printing press The printing press, invented in China in 1041 and eventually fine-tuned by a German named Johannes Gutenberg in 1450, made copying documents easier than ever before and enabled the mass production of books. This led to the rapid dissemination of knowledge throughout Europe and resulted in a more literate population and stronger economy. 6. First correspondence school Correspondence courses were the predecessors of online learning, and the very first correspondence school was started in Boston, Massachusetts in 1873 by Anna Eliot Ticknor. She founded it as a way of encouraging women to devote their spare time to studying. Although students were charged a small fee to use the lending library, the instructors offered their services completely free of charge. 7. The calculator The first mechanical calculator was patented in Japan in 1903. With its single cylinder and 22 gears, it was quite different from the electronic calculators that today’s students are familiar with. In 1948 a miniature hand-cranked calculator named the "Curta" was introduced. Although it was pricey, it went on to become the most popular portable calculator until it was eventually replaced in the 1970s, when electronic calculators were introduced. 8. First stored program computer Despite the fact that it took up an entire room, the very first stored program computer was affectionately named ‘Baby.’ Officially, it was called the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM), and ran its first program in June of 1948. With a memory of just 32 words, it demonstrated the potential of modern electronic computers and was eventually developed into the world’s first commercially available computer. 9. The concept of mobile learning Although mobile learning is still relatively new, the concept for it originated in 1968, when an American computer scientist named Alan Kay came up with the idea of the KiddiComp or Dynabook; a portable, battery-operated educational computer. His hope was to create a personal computer for children of all ages and even though his device was never actually created, the concept has inspired countless innovations. 10. First tablet Tablets are typically thought of as a 21st century invention, but they’ve actually been around since 1989. The first tablet was called the GriDPAD and came complete with a touch-sensitive on-screen keyboard, handwriting recognition technology, and Internet capability. Aside from inspiring today’s tablet computers, the device was also the predecessor of the popular ‘90s Palm Pilot. At One Point, These Were Considered Education Technology The post 10 Examples Of ‘Old’ Education Technology appeared first on TeachThought.

An Identity Crisis: When Students See Themselves As Digital by Terry Heick Students that have more control than ever over their own identity have, unsurprisingly, lost control of that identity. Coldly, and as a matter of "settings," they are able to dictate when, how, where, and by whom they are seen. Connectivity has closed the walls of the world around them-or at least made them transparent-until they have zero room to wiggle and squirm. And that’s a real problem in an era of big data, digital branding, and always-on expression. More than any other time in human history, students have an identity problem. The Quantification Of A Person If you tweet something, and no one RTs or favorites, did you really say anything at all? Is your value-and the value of your voice as an educator-dependent on how many followers you have? The prideful answer is "no," but if you’re not seen or heard or engaged with or responded to, you’re forced to recalibrate your goals and ideas. For an adult, that’s accessible; for teenagers, it’s a problem. Students define themselves through rejection and assimilation, just like adults. What we refuse to be a part of matters just as much as what groups and memberships we choose to disappear into. We refuse political party X or ed reform agenda Y while quietly slipping into a kind of tech avante garde. If we loathe Bill Maher or Rush Limbaugh passionately enough, that becomes more important than who we do listen to. In lieu of the little wiggling and well-endowed app icons, students today are in a rough place. When the internet first allowed social media, and social media allowed a digital and social identity, the presence of a student was primarily physical. That is, a student, seen mostly and interfaced with mostly in person, created a facsimile of themselves online. Through minor features, such as avatars, bios, status updates, and carefully-and-actively-curated-pseudo-human-digital-networks, students used a communication and sharing tool, which directly and indirectly etched out a kind of "identity." Before the normalization of technology-addiction and the fetishization of being "connected," that identity was more of a novel function or complementary tool than living space. But for students that rabidly send and receive versions of themselves and others through facebook, Instagram, Vine, tumblr, snapchat, and other emerging social channels, they’re (unwittingly?) coding an identity that not only is not within their control, but never was by design. The images and words-the social templates-have had the power all long. By the quantification and commodification of a student’s "identity," that identity becomes other. Over there. Not self. It’s not an identity anyone from even 20 years ago would recognize. Digital Identity Is Packaged Identity How students see themselves is the starting point for learning. More narrowly (the illusion goes), how they see themselves as learners is increasingly up for simple reconfiguration. What you post, who you tag, your avatar, you emojis, spelling, syntax, all digital expressions of self. The non-social internet is gone; social transactions are the single greatest currency of connected, digital spaces. It’s not purely social, nor is it merely media. It’s certainly more than commerce or media consumption, but it’s strangely none of this. It’s the careful packaging of consumable spectacle. Social media is one of the few places sharing is anything but-as much of an opportunity to distribute some artifact that expresses you as you see yourself, each link or video or message an opportunity to further stain yourself into the social glass of the world. Leaning heavily on Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto, Susan Cox wrote recently on Salon:  "It may not be as cool as we imagined it in sleek ’90s sci-fi, but we really are creatures existing in multiple dimensions, transcending space and time with our cybernetic reach. And who controls where your body ends and begins as this unholy fusion of man and machine? Those technologies through which you interface, of course, offering you the shape of your digital self, such as the Facebook profile. Sometimes the reduction of your person to Facebook’s arbitrary determinations can be uncomfortable and insulting. Facebook has redefined the standard of what information should be immediately known about you as a person." Identity, in learning, is like breathing. It’s not a cause of learning, like curiosity. Nor is it purely an effect of learning, like understanding. Nor is it something strangely both, like literacy. It’s simultaneously a symptom and a catalyst. Identity is the learner insofar as they see themselves and are seen by others. It’s a fluid and ongoing transaction. Identity itself is an effect of self-knowledge, but they’re not the same thing. Identity is insecure and visual and terrifying and orchestrated and familial and emotional, accepted and created in equal amounts. And, increasingly, it’s a digital-first sequence. A Digital-First Pattern Of Identity If identity is "the distinguishing personality or personality of an individual," then that which is most able to distinguish one student from another will be seen as valuable, and will be a proving ground for the testing, forging, and struggle with identity. Though all students exist first and foremost in a physical space-a home, classroom, etc., they simultaneously exist online, a much broader and more carefully orchestrated scale. Students’ torsos, arms, legs, and heads are sometimes here and sometimes there, but they’re always online. Facebook doesn’t fade in and out based on user need, but rather justifies itself and creates its own rules and needs for being. This means that users that seek to create an identity through such a social channel-twitter, for example-necessarily do so first through an existing pattern of followers, likes, avatar, and retweets. In 2015, digital identity precedes and proceeds physical identity. In A Cyborg Manifesto, Haraway writes: "The cyborg (ed note: think digitally-connected students today) is resolutely committed to partiality, irony, intimacy, and perversity. It is oppositional, utopian, and completely without innocence. No longer structured by the polarity of public and private, the cyborg defines a technological polls based partly on a revolution of social relations in the oikos, the household. Nature and culture are reworked; the one can no longer be the resource for appropriation or incorporation by the other. The relationships for forming wholes from parts, including those of polarity and hierarchical domination, are at issue in the cyborg world." The problem with Haraway’s theory is one of context. Claiming, in a theory, that essentialist theories are inadequate to describe a world where nature fuses with the artificial is broken for what it assumes-that nature and the artificial have fused, which of course isn’t possible even in metaphorical terms. If it’s artificial, it can’t be natural. The only place where natural and artificial identities even seem to merge is within artificial (and digital) spaces. "The crux of the issue boils down to this: Is Facebook’s normalization of hyper-transparency and information-oriented mode of self-definition conditioning young people to be submissive toward institutionalized forms of subject formation? Does it quell unrest in response to those power structures invested in telling you who and what you are? Will the young people of the future question social values if they are trained from a young age by technological demands to express their person in a corporately constructed template?" Aha! This is where it starts to get interesting-is it not just social frameworks, or tech-driven identity, but corporate-breathing purpose manifest through social and tech that children believe define them? That’s a grotesque intersection. Students that, for example, prefer their digital identity to their physical identity necessitate a compelling response to rethink that pattern. The challenge for teachers becomes, then, helping students forge an identity that’s whole. The complexity of the human experience is reflected in the nuance of digital identity, but the source of that reflection is something that you can reach out and hold. Identity may be digital, but people never are. An Identity Crisis: When Students See Themselves As Digital; adapted image attribution flickr users flickeringbrad and tulanepublicrelations The post When Students See Themselves As Digital appeared first on TeachThought.

Preventing Youth Suicide Through Lessons Of Hope by TeachThought Staff CHICAGO, IL — Schools for Hope is a new, free educational curriculum that was developed by The International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression (iFred) to prevent youth suicide by giving students, educators and parents the necessary learning tools to find and maintain hope.  According to a recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, 1 out of 9 children self-reported a suicide attempt before graduating high school; with forty percent of those children in grade school.  Schools for Hope provides free life-saving skills to children, teachers and parents with the goal of reversing those staggering statistics "Teaching children the importance of caring for their mental health is crucial to their emotional well-being and quality of life," said Penny Tate, Schools for Hope Project Manager.  "By giving children tools to have hope, we not only aid in their ability to handle life’s challenges and save lives, but we empower them to become their most vital selves.  As a mother of two young girls, and as a survivor of suicide loss, I’ve seen firsthand the importance and critical need that exists to have an open dialogue with our children and give them hope." Schools for Hope is a free program that is available to any interested school, community group, after school program or nonprofit in the U.S. and overseas.  It has comprehensive instructions and can be easily self-led, so the costs associated with implementation are low.  The curriculum is based on research that suggests hope is a teachable skill—a vitally important aptitude because hopelessness is the leading symptom of depression and predictor of suicide. The curriculum is made up of ten core lessons and additional workshops on Heroes for Hope, Movies for Hope and Artwork for Hope. It is currently being tested among 5th graders because of the significant rise in suicide attempts in sixth grade, and educates students on the importance of emotional health and well-being, how to get their brain into a hopeful state, and meditation and deep breathing techniques.  The program also teaches children how to define hope, explore and define the meaning of ‘success’, and practice emotional self-regulation techniques. They will also learn about the biology of the brain and how to connect their passion and purpose in life. iFred launched Schools for Hope in Fall 2014 in two Chicago-area school districts (Woodland Intermediate School in  Gurnee, IL and Oakland School in Antioch, IL) with the goal of expanding nationally and internationally. The program is expanding to South America and Nepal this year, and is available for translation and in cobranded partnerships with other nonprofits interested in teaching the curriculum to their members. "I enjoyed teaching the lessons because I think that our students aren’t really in touch with their emotions," said April Cooksey, a 5th grade teacher at Woodland School.  "I believe that this project created a safe place for my students to express their thoughts and feelings." Amy Werner, also a teacher at Woodland School added, "My students looked forward to the hope lessons every day.  They couldn’t wait to learn and often still ask when we will do more lessons.  It’s not often students ask to be educated!" For interest in testing or implementing the 5th grade curriculum, please email Schools for Hope at schoolsforhope@ifred.org or visit the website to download the free lesson plans.  There are also tools and support items for teachers and educators, as well as research to date on the program and information on how the curriculum fits with current social and emotional learning standards mandated in several states.  More information is available at http://schoolsforhope.org. Fall Curriculum (Fall) Lesson 1: Define Hope (Fall) Lesson 2: Hopeful people live more fulfilling and successful lives (Fall) Lesson 3: Hope happens in the ‘upstairs’ brain (Fall) Lesson 4: Self-regulation (Fall) Lesson 5: Sacredness Spring Curriculum (Spring) Lesson 6: Hope revisited (Spring) Lesson 7: Setting goals and creating action steps to those goals (Spring) Lesson 8: Anticipating and planning for obstacles (Spring) Lesson 9: Using hope tools to cope with unexpected events; finding someone to support you (Spring) Lesson 10: Giving back About iFred: International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression’s mission is to shine a positive light on depression and eliminate the stigma associated with the disease through prevention, research and education.  Its goal is to ensure 100% of the 350 million people affected by depression seek and receive treatment. iFred is creating a shift in society’s negative perception of the disease through positive imagery and branding-establishing the sunflower and the color yellow as the international symbols of hope for depression.  To further its mission, iFred engages with individuals and organizations to execute high impact and effective campaigns that educate the public about support and treatment for depression. Website: http://www.ifred.org Twitter: @iFredorg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ifredorg The post Preventing Youth Suicide Through Lessons Of Hope appeared first on TeachThought.

50 Of The Best Video Games For Learning in 2015 by TeachThought Staff We’ve discussed the merits and utility of video games in the classroom before, so we won’t beleaguer the point. If you’re interested in the possibility of video games for learning-that is, teaching and learning with video games to master both academic and non-academic content-than the following collection may be of interest to you. We’ve discussed before the logistics of how to teach with video games (especially for non-mobile games). What exactly this looks like on a daily basis in your classroom depends on the reality of your classroom: Available technology, WiFi access and bandwidth, grade level, content area, your comfort level with games, and so on. But if this an area you’re interested in learning more about, we thought a collection of the best video games for learning-that is, those we’d want our own children playing for their varied utility in teaching and/or learning-might be useful. Criteria To select each of these games, we focused on 3 basic criteria: 1. Playability This has to do with the quality of the game. There isn’t one, clear definition for what a "good" video game should be. Pong is universally-accepted as "good," but is a simple game of digital ricochet. Other games are multi-million dollar projects with a myriad of brilliant ideas, but that come together all wrong. The most basic test of playability is this: A well-designed game should not confuse or frustrate the player. It may challenge them, but it should promote a sense of agency and I can in the player to problem-solve, overcome obstacles, and implement strategy to accomplish either game-created or player-created goals. 2. Cognitive Load To qualify for this list, each of these games must impose an appropriate-but-significant cognitive load on the student. That is, they must require sustained creative, strategic, or knowledge demands for the player to be successful (however that success is define). This cognitive load may also be a matter of creativity-open-world sandbox games, for example, reward the player that is able to create their own meaning, reasons for playing, and factors for quality and "end game" scenarios. That is, they decide when they’re "playing it right," a powerful variation on classic design. 3. Innovation We’ve also tried to reward innovative games that push the boundaries of what a video game is as a narrative form and interactive medium. Innovation isn’t necessarily a sign of quality, but considering it helps see games not simple as toys, but a nuanced digital experience. They can be innovative in terms of their gameplay mechanics (i.e., Portal 2), topic (e.g., Type Rider), or scale (e.g., Civilization V). Another factor of innovation is collaboration. Increasingly, video game designers are looking for ways to get players playing together meaningfully. In some games, certain levels can’t be completed without teamwork and strategy that depends on each player’s unique gifts independently. Pretty cool, huh? With that in mind, 50 of the best video games for learning are listed below. Some Prefaces Note 1: Some of the links are to videos of the game, while others are to app download links. Videos are probably a more effective way to introduce you to a game than some kind of app overview page with nebulous, consumer-driven ratings. Note 2: We haven’t linked to any "buy this here" landing pages outside of Apple and Google Play app stores, but a quick Google search should yield what you’re looking for. Note 3: Also, though we’ve tended towards mobile games because those are simply more accessible to most players, the collection below represents a wide variety of video games for learning. Note 4: Some of the games have violence/language (though we’ve tried to shy away from these, for obvious reasons; that said, try to have a non-violent game about the Revolutionary War). We also have a post on non-violent video games that don’t suck as well. Note 5: The list isn’t ranked in any particular order. 51 great video games for learning, unranked. Update: We’ve added one we missed, so now we’re at 51. 50 Of The Best Video Games For Learning ︾ 2.19k views 51 items 50 Of The Best Video Games For Learning Listly by Terry Heick A list of the most innovative games that have teaching and/or learning potential, for mobile (iPad & Android), console, or PC.   Follow List   Embed List   1  80 Days Choose your own route around a 3D globe, travelling by airship, submarine, mechanical camel, steam-train and more, racing other players and a clock that never stops. 0 likes Relist Share 2  Amazing Alex AN AMAZING NEW PHYSICS PUZZLE GAME FROM THE CREATORS OF ANGRY BIRDS!Meet Amazing Alex! This whiz kid has a boundless imagination and a houseful of fun toys that can tu... 0 likes Relist Share 3  Animate Me! 3D Animation For Kids Create 3D animations of cartoons in a simple and intuitive manner on your tablet or phone. 0 likes Relist Share 4  Armadillo Run Armadillo Run. 0 likes Relist Share 5  Assassin's Creed 3 More content on http://www.assassinscreed.com You are Connor, warrior son of a Native American mother and British father. As the colonies draw closer to revolution, you will become the spark that ignites the revolution into a full blaze. Your crusade will lead you through blood-soaked battlefields. You will not only witness history...you will make it. 0 likes Relist Share 6  Banner Saga Embark on your own epic journey in this critically acclaimed tactical RPG, where your strategic choices directly affect your personal story, as well as the outcome of conflicts encountered during your struggle for survival in this Viking inspired tale. A 2D fantasy realm inspired by Norse mythology - immerse yourself in beautifully hand drawn combat sequences and animations, accompanied by an evocative score from Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory. Player choice that drives your own narrative - every decision you make in travel, conversation and combat has a meaningful effect on the outcome as your story unfolds. Over 25 playable characters each with unique personalities - embark on your journey with a variety of characters from 7 different classes, each with unique abilities and upgrade options to fit your play style. Strategic combat with consequences - victory or defeat and even the permanent loss of a character depends on which characters you choose to take into battle and what decisions you make afterwards. 0 likes Relist Share 7  Bastion Bastion for iOS features all the highly acclaimed artwork, music, and narration that Bastion is known for, along with intuitive touch controls. Explore more than 40 lush hand-painted environments as you discover the secrets of the Calamity, a surreal catastrophe that shattered the world to pieces. Wield a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons and battle savage beasts adapted to their new habitat. Finish the main story to unlock New Game Plus mode and continue your journey! 0 likes Relist Share 8  Bio Inc. Bio Inc is a biomedical strategy simulator in which you determine the ultimate fate of a victim by developing the most lethal illness possible. ---- ▶ "Fascinatin... 0 likes Relist Share 9  Blox 3D Blox 3D is a fun and easy way for kids to learn 3D modelling.Create beautiful objects in a simple and intuitive manner using tap and pull. 0 likes Relist Share 10  Bridge Constructor +++ Now over 30 million players worldwide +++  +++ Number 1 in the games charts for iPad & iPhone in 33 countries +++               +++ SlopeMania add-on with 24 brand new levels and sloping roads +++ Now Available: SlopeMania! In the SlopeMania add-on you find yourself on the Tiltin Islands, home to three brand new islands where you'll even be building your bridges inside colorful grottoes! The 24 tricky, never-before-seen levels will have you using sloping lanes to overcome the massive height differences. The "Crazy Levels" are the real brainteasers and require out-of-the-box thinking and unusual solutions. SlopeMania is now available as a low-price In-App Purchase! In Bridge Constructor you have to prove yourself as an accomplished master bridge builder. Play 40 different levels, and build bridges over deep valleys, canals, and rivers. Stress tests reveal whether the bridge you build can withstand the daily stress of continual use from cars, trucks and, more recently, super-heavy tank trucks. You can choose between a range of materials for each individual bridge, such as wood, steel, cables, or concrete pillars. Use the appropriate materials and stay within budget to build the perfect bridge. The choice of different materials means that there are numerous solutions and approaches and you can build each bridge in any number of ways - your budget is the only limit. The refined grid system allows you to realize your idea of the perfect bridge with even more precision. Let your imagination and creativity run free! And if you happen to run into a dead end, you can pick up valuable tips from the brand new help system! FEATURES: • 40 Levels on the island nation of Camatuga • Free build mode and help system • 5 Settings: city, canyon, beach, mountains, hills • Improved grid system • Map with unlocked worlds/levels • 4 different building materials: wood, steel, cables, concrete pillars • Color coded load indicator for different building materials • Three different load bearing levels: car, truck and tank truck • High score per level • Facebook connection (upload screenshots and bridge scores) FEATURES SlopeMania Add-On • Completely new Tiltin Islands • Option to build sloping roads - even for Camatuga • Additional "Grotto" setting • 24 "sloping" levels inc. especially tricky "Crazy Levels" 0 likes Relist Share 11  Chess Pro - with coach How does it work? It's really simple: you just play! The coach shows you the moves a Grandmaster would pick. Not just one move, but the 4 best moves. 0 likes Relist Share 12  Child of Light 0 likes Relist Share 13  Civilization: Beyond Earth 0 likes Relist Share 14  Civilization Revolution Build. Discover. Conquer. Rule the World! Lead your civilization from the dawn of man to the modern age and beyond in Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution. Go head to head with history’s greatest leaders as you wage war, conduct diplomacy, discover new technologies, inspire your nation and build the most powerful empire the world has ever known. 0 likes Relist Share 15  Civilization V How to play Civilization V! For more gaming videos, please check out my channel at http://www.youtube.com/blamerobvideos. 0 likes Relist Share 16  DEVICE 6 A surreal thriller in which the written word is your map, as well as your narrator 0 likes Relist Share 17  Empire Total War Want more? Visit: http://dateyourgame.com/empire-total-war/ This video shows Empire Total War gameplay of the Land battle you can play in the Empire Total War demo. This video show Attila's superior tactics at winning this battle with the least casualties possible turning this fight into a decisive Empire Total War victory. 0 likes Relist Share 18  Fallout 3 Latest trailer for Bethesda's Fallout 3 shown at this year's E3 2008 0 likes Relist Share 19  Farming Simulator 2012 Play your favorite technical-simulation on your mobile! Discover a wide, agricultural scenery with fields, roads, your farm as well as a small village. Cultivate your fields with various three dimensional vehicles found in your generous fleet- modeled after original machines and vehicles by prestigious manufacturers. Take a seat at the wheel of authentic farm machines by DEUTZ-FAHR, KRONE, KRAMPE, AMAZONE, LEMKEN and KOTTE and start your own agricultural enterprise: plow and cultivate your fields, choose the seeds of your field crops out of three plants (corn, canola and wheat) and fertilize them to accelerate their growth. Sell the harvest and invest it into new equipment. As known from previous installments of the „Farming Simulator"-series, you will be supported by digital assistants, who take over the work you assign them to. That way you will be able to efficiently organize your farm and maximize your profit. Explore an open world with a dynamic day-night-cycle and become a successful farmer in the challenging free-play mode. Features: • Put your favorite simulator into your pocket and play wherever and whenever you want. • Huge vehicle fleet with authentic machines by renowned manufacturers like DEUTZ-FAHR, KRONE, KRAMPE, AMAZONE, LEMKEN and KOTTE • Use a variety of detailed equipment and trailers • Computer-steered assistants help you with your work • Career-mode with management-part • Three different plants: corn, canola and wheat • Freely accessible world with dynamic day-night-cycle 0 likes Relist Share 20  Game Dev Story Manage your own game company and try to create a million-selling game in this unique simulation. Features the ability to develop your company's own game console, plus a system for changing your staff members' professions. 0 likes Relist Share 21  Garry's Mod A sandbox game for the PC and Mac 0 likes Relist Share 22  Godus YOU are about to PLAY GOD. Rule over a living, breathing world. It is as SIMPLE to play with as it is AWE-INSPIRING to behold. Feel truly powerful in the most delightf... 0 likes Relist Share 23  Kahoot! Kahoot! is a classroom response system which creates an engaging learning space, through a game-based digital pedagogy. Kahoot! is an easy-to-use blended learning platform which works on any device, making the classroom interactive, encouraging both educators and learners to ask great questions. 0 likes Relist Share 24  Kentucky Route Zero 0 likes Relist Share 25  Let's Play Democracy 3 - United States - Part 1 150% Difficulty. Beta playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAuY2KOtiACP4dZToOuVytZV_KQ6IF3kN 0 likes Relist Share View more lists from Terry Heick 50 Of The Best Video Games For Learning in 2015 The post 50 Of The Best Video Games For Learning appeared first on TeachThought.