MOOC-Eds

There is so much out there to learn and so little time. The MOOC-Ed movement is great and the one sponsored by the Friday Institute is the best I have found. They have so much to offer anyone in the educational world. The resources are superb as well. You can collaborate with educators around the globe and learn so much. Check out their classes here.

Here are the classes they currently offer.

Sign up today for a great learning experience.

EdCamp Global

What a marvelous way to connect with global educators for free. If you haven't signed up for this free event, please do!

EdCamp Global

Copyright Concerns and other Social Media Ideas

The world of social media along with the freedom of resources on the Internet has opened up a lot of issues for teachers to address in their classrooms. It is possible that copyright infractions have not changed; however, the ease of finding those who break copyright rules is much easier to find. I can remember going to a physical library and doing my research for a paper by reading real books and taking notes on 3 x 5 index cards. Those would be organized and the paper written. I could have copied an author's words but it was more labor intensive, especially with my manual typewriter! Social networks were created through the school community in the dorms and with groups at church.

Enter the new generation with connections everywhere which are able to track every word said and every picture taken with the capability of quickly passing information around. The ability to copy and paste also makes copyright infringement so much easier to accomplish.

What is the responsibility of teachers and parents? First, we must set an example of wise use of social media sites. We also much teach our students about the discernment needed to be on these sites and the legality of stealing information from someone else through copy and paste.

Here is a good resource to use.

The 4 Cs apply here too!

The 4Cs of Tech Implementation as discussed in this article gives us something to all think about. Julie Davis gives good reasons why technology used effectively in the classroom can help students reach critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. What do you think. Click here to read the article.

Why does technology seem to change everything?

Just read an interesting article discussing how "scary" technology is because there is so much out there for our students to stray into. However, students have always been able to get into trouble. Maybe they can do so more quickly now, but the rules haven't changes. Teach them respect and the love for learning! The rules, of course, will guide the learning and keep things moving along positively. It is an interesting read.

Just because it deals with technology . . .
Author, George Curos
Division Principal for Parkland School Division and an Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership consultant.

Teacher Burnout

Summer is the time for teachers to regroup, rethink, refresh, and relax. What causes people to burnout in their occupations and how can you stop it? The year-round school concept hopes to solve that by giving more regular breaks throughout the year. A support group of teachers can help. This article gives some great ideas for you.

Teacher Stress Burnout

How can you use this?

Live streaming is a great addition to any classroom. Here is a video from one of my favorite Geeks, Luria Petrucci (Cali Lewis).  It is called Periscope Live Streaming Mobile App. Watch and see for yourself.

Using all your resources--even movies

We have a society who watches movies--lots of them. So why not use that resource for lessons in the classroom? We all have movies that have touched us in a positive or negative way, emotionally or intellectually. Probably, everyone has a favorite movie from childhood or a movie you have watched many times. This article recommends just that.

Lessons from Movies

So the question is: do you have to provide popcorn in class to use a movie lesson?

What makes for good technology-enabled personalized learning?

This article is interesting but really shouldn't be anything new for us.

Personal Learning Guide

Here are the needed ingredients to make learning work:

1. The right usage of data - continual evaluation of how students are doing, what their needs are and what do they prefer? Many students, for example, do not like online textbooks.
2. Content and curriculum - This, of course, is the base for any class.
3. Research and development - Stay up on what is working in education and what is not. 
4. Human capacity - What can students handle as far as technology and when is it better not to use it?
5. Technology architecture - This, of course, must be in place for everything else to work.

This report was presented by North Carolina State University's' Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. This group does some awesome MOOCs!

Education--not offered fairly in this country

With recent police prejudice cases against blacks, we should be concerned about the raw deal many black students are getting for their education. There are people out there calling for reform. This TED video is one of them. It presents some alarming facts to consider.

Technology Connects the World

I was moved by this TED video titled: The Lady Lifers: A moving song from women in prison for life. Wow--the world of social media has allowed us to share with the lives of women we would never interact with in any other way. Technology brings us together and allows us to share with a variety of people from all walks of life. What do we do with all the connectedness?

Collaboration Overload

The Internet has provided so much information that we never lack for facts about a subject. As a teacher, there is no lack of sites to go to in order to listen to great ideas about how to make your classroom teaching better. There is no doubt about this. But how does a teacher manage to go to all these sites and still have time to prepare the lessons needed for tomorrow's class as well as grade the lessons from yesterday? It is truly a difficult place for teachers! Even if all schools went to year-round school giving longer breaks through the year rather than a block of 3 months in the summer, teachers also need a break from teaching and learning to just be a normal human being and be with their families. Was the one-room school house really that bad?

With all this in mind, here is a virtual conference held May 8 and 9 by Google. The Education on Air is another great tool to stay at home and learn. Thanks, Google, for all the help to become a great educator! Can you now find us the time to watch these presentations?

The Myth of Average

This TED video by Todd Rose is an amazing one and very inspiring to anyone who teaches.   Please watch it:

The Myth of Average

Preparing to teach Social Media for Educators

Teaching a social media class in the summers is both fun and challenging. If you teach math or history, the content pretty much stays the same. However, if you teach something like social media, the content is old within about 6 months. Educators in today's world MUST learn effective use of the technology tools at their disposal. Here is a graphic of the networked teacher.

The challenges for today's teachers are not only to teach their students every day but to glean resources from these many avenues and stay connected to be up on the latest. Wow--what a challenge!

StoryCorps

After listening to this TED talk about the creator of StoryCorps, I am excited about the possibilities of this educationally. There is an app to use to record your stories and upload them to the Library of Congress. The effects of this are far reaching. As I listened to Dave Isay describe the project and its growth, I could only imagine how real this could make the learning for our children! Wow--how amazing for them to not only learn themselves about people in older generations but to be able to share that with the world.

Get involved personally and educationally.

Warnings about Puppeting on the Internet

There are so many warnings to consider when going online. Here is a new one. Puppeting

Monica opens up after years of silence

This TED talk is amazing in showing the effects of social media on a life. Monica Lewinsky

Teach How to Learn--not the facts

In this world of information overload, we must teach students how to learn rather than continually trying to put all the facts into their heads we can. This article addresses some of that.Mind/Shift article

Quiet YouTube

This is a very cool way to show your students only the video: Quiet YouTube

YouTube Cards

YouTube continues to amaze me with its features. Have you seen the new cards:
 YouTube Cards