Featured 4-15-2014: 21Things4Teachers

 

21Things4Teachers is a free web-based professional development resource to educate teachers in the use of technology

 

The intention of 21Things4Teachers is to provide Just-in-Time training for K-12 educators through an online interface based on the ISTE Standards for Teachers, the basic technology skills every educator should possess.

 

 

21Things4Teachers covers a large variety of digital applications in the context of different educational practices, issues, considerations, and environments. The 21 modules, or things, include such topics as Cloud Initiation, Collaboration Tools, Visual Learning, Copyright and Creative Commons, Differentiated Instruction, and Flipping the Classroom.

 

 

With learning activities structured around the NETS•T, the modules provide an opportunity for participants to learn how to use various technology tools and how technology can support an educator’s professional development. Participants will broaden their own skills and discover what students need in order to meet the ISTE Standards for Students.

 

21Things4Teachers began in 2008, with four friends who were instructional technology specialists looking for a way to train teachers on technology in a timely and cost-effective manner.

 

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Featured: 2-12-2014 Easyclass

Easyclass is a new LMS (Learning Management System) for teachers and students designed to simplify materials, assignments, tests, grades, and more.

 

Easyclass allows educators to create digital classes where they can store the course materials; manage discussions; give assignments, quizzes, and exams; grade results; monitor due dates; and provide students with feedback.

 

Benefits of Easyclass:

• Easy to learn and use.
• Saves time.
• Additional resources can be used to enhance learning.
• Useful for Blended Learning initiatives.
• Connect with like-minded educators to exchange ideas, get advice and share resources.
• Stay connected with students.
• Teach responsible digital interaction, good digital citizenship.
• Students have easy access to assignments, class notices, and course content. 

Each instructor gets 2GB storage space to store your course materials online and share with your students. Easyclass services are free and promise to remain free.

 

 Watch Easyclass | New Technology In Education 

 

Easyclass  addresses the fundamental concerns of privacy and safety. There are no advertisements. Educators have full control of class management. Content created in the digital classes can be viewed only by the class members. 

 

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Featured: 10-22-2013 She++

In 2012, she++ was Stanford's first conference on women in technology. In April, more than 250 attendees met on Stanford's campus with a group of inspirational women in tech, from companies such as Google, Facebook, Dropbox, and Pinterest, and others.

After positive feedback, it was decided to expand she++ into a full-fledged community to inspire women in computer science.

The she++ Conference is now an annual event at Stanford University where college and high school students and industry professionals join in a one-day symposium on what it is to be a woman in tech.

Previous events have included career and student panels, interactive workshops, a mentoring lunch, documentary screenings, and keynote addresses. The next event is coming up in April 2014.

 Watch a documentary about she++

The she++ e-mentoring program creates opportunities for high school students and potential technologists to connect with college CS role models. A single online meeting is setup between a mentor and student. Mentors and students are then free to independently develop a mentoring relationship if they so choose.

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Featured: 6-19-2013 The Engineering Pathway

The Engineering Pathway pledges access to high-quality STEM teaching and learning resources for use by K-12 and university educators and students.

The Engineering Pathway's K-12 curriculum uses engineering as a context for the utilization of hands-on science and math in real-world designs and applications that hope to inspire creativity.

Search K-12 engineering lessons and activities and other resources by a variety of criteria such as content area, grade level, and standards. The Engineering Pathway resources also include professional development opportunities and research findings.

Resources for higher education may be located using multiple criteria including discipline, audience, resource type, title, author/creator, special topics, or by selected collection. These resources include support for ABET accreditation, research and scholarship, curricula development, and extracurricular activities for students.

The aspiration of The Engineering Pathway is to "provide resources that help teachers, parents, faculty, and practicing engineers to inspire more of today's students to follow an engineering path as their way to understand and improve the world."

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Featured: 5-6-2013 NEA Academy [PD]

NEA Academy is an interactive learning environment providing practical online courses to meet professional development and continuing education needs.

NEA Academy offers online continuing education and Master’s degrees that fit your budget, schedule, and needs. Based on your individual preferences, NEA Academy will provide content recommendations, course alerts, and additional material of specific interest to you.

 

The content of NEA Academy is peer approved. Material meets quality standards determined by NEA members. Video clips feature actual classroom teachers who demonstrate different ways to use the strategies you learn.

NEA Academy provides more than 40 degree programs with hundreds of courses, many in areas of high need such as special education, math, science, reading, technology, instructional design, and ELL.

NEA Academy tries to negotiate reduced rates for members. Master’s degrees, some from top universities, are discounted 5-20%. Some NEA-produced courses are totally free to members.

Watch a video: Welcome to the NEA Academy

With basic computer skills, time to devote to the class, and a computer with Internet access equal to the minimum requirements listed for the course, NEA Academy lets you learn at your own pace in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

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Featured: 4-24-2013 Common Core Toolkit [Curriculum]

Gerald Aungst, Supervisor of Gifted and Elementary Mathematics at School District of Cheltenham Township in Pennsylvania, is developing a Common Core Toolkit for Principals.

Since January, Aungst has been presenting a monthly four-part package of resources and activities principals can use for their own, as well as their staff's, professional development.

The parts of each package are:

1. Think: A warm up article, blog post, or video to set the stage for a faculty discussion.

2. Share: Two activities principals can use with staff members during the month in faculty or team meetings.

3. Test Drive: A key instructional practice that teachers can try out in their classrooms without expectations.

4. Explore: Links to other resources with more information for those who want to dig deeper.

Though these Common Core Toolkit for Principals packages are mainly directed towards the particular needs of Aungst's own district, others might find them useful.

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Featured: 4/10/2013 NCETM [Math]

Created in 2006, the goal of the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) is to ensure all teachers of mathematics have access to high quality continuing professional development.

To do this, the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics has been developing a sustainable program of continuing mathematics professional development. The NCETM supports teaching schools and other improvement agents in their work with schools, colleges, and teachers across England.

The NCETM encourages educators to learn from their own best practices by working jointly among staff and by sharing good practices locally, regionally, and nationally.

Collaboration takes place both virtually through the NCETM portal and face-to-face through a regional network of established self-sustaining CPD network meetings facilitated by the NCETM.

Principal features provided by the NCETM include:

• Online support for professional development.

• Portal resources such as the sector magazines.

• Online development modules.

• Support for providers of continuing professional development.

The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics also funds and publishes research into effective mathematics teaching practices and continuing professional development.

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Featured: 4/8/2013 Association of Teachers of Mathematics [Math]

Established in 1950, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics strives  to encourage the development of mathematics education that it is more closely related to the needs of the learner.

Based in the UK, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics has about 4000 members, most of whom are primary and secondary school teachers. Through the ATM all those concerned with mathematics education for all age ranges have the opportunity to come together.

The Association of Teachers of Mathematics aims to support the teaching and learning of mathematics by:

• Encouraging increased understanding and enjoyment of mathematics.

• Encouraging increased understanding of how people learn mathematics.

• Encouraging the sharing and evaluation of teaching and learning strategies and practices.

• Promoting the exploration of new ideas and possibilities.

• Initiating and contributing to discussion of and developments in mathematics education at all levels.

The ATM produces policy statements and publishes responses to national and government initiatives. A number of ‘Working Groups’ examine particular areas of mathematics education to develop policy, resources, and action.

Membership in the Association of Teachers of Mathematics is open to students and teachers at nursery, infant, primary, secondary, and higher levels, numeracy consultants, and others. ATM speaks "for creativity, thought, and the enjoyment of the struggle in calculation, reasoning and discovery..."

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Featured: 3/28/2013 Big Deal Media [Resources]

Big Deal Media is a robust collection of free publications and services such as newsletters, ebooks, print projects, website content, and social media.

K-12 professionals can find the information and tools they need at Big Deal Media. Since 1995, it has consistently delivered lists of resources and funding opportunities. Created by experienced educational publishing professionals and practicing K-12 educators, Big Deal Media publications provide timely, relevant resources in the rapidly transforming educational environment.

At Big Deal Media find:

• Sources of grants and other attainable funding for projects and programs.

• Resources for 21st century themes and skills.

• Professional learning opportunities.

• Standards-aligned lessons and assessments.

• Free and inexpensive finds.

Big Deal Media eBooks are electronic publications that offer resources for educators, while serving specific audiences, including K-12 technology professionals and educators of English language learners.

The mission of Big Deal Media is “to save every educator time and money while identifying top-quality resources for schools and classrooms.”

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EDge21 will be taking a Spring Break next week. The daily featured post will return on Monday, April 8.

Featured: 3/4/2013 CTE Online [CTE]

CTE Online is an online source for Career and Technical Education model curriculum, resources, tools, and community.



CTE Online was established to help CTE educators express a clear and purposeful relationship between academic achievement and Career and Technical Education through access to:

• Professional curriculum development tools.
• Professional alignment and instructional strategies resources.
• Standards databases.

CTE Online is designed to bring CTE educators and leaders quality professional development tools that help "establish the role rigorous academic skills play in pursuit of industry and career related coursework."



Here you can find the tools necessary to help teachers identify and align career and technical curricula with the academic skills commonly measured on state assessments. CTE Online allows skilled  CTE educators to share the work they are doing to equally support both current academic challenges and future career interests.

Nearly 1500 teachers a day access and use CTE Online as part of their professional experience with thousands of lesson plans containing ready-to-use classroom materials, videos, resources, and activities.

CTE Online was developed by the Butte County Office of Education's Center for the Advancement of Digital Resources in Education under contract with the California Department of Education.

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Featured: 1/28/2013 GETideas.org [Community]

Education leaders can develop their professional learning networks at GETideas.org.



The people at GETideas.org see it "as a professional idea generator – a place where education leaders can be inspired to make change happen in their school, district, or university." Their goal is to facilitate the exchange of ideas toward solving education challenges.

Benefits of participation in the GETideas.org community:

• Professional development customized to the needs of education leaders.
• Trusted, timely news about hot topics and events in education aggregated in one place.
• Profiles of exemplar educational institutions.
• Thematically curated collections of information on topics important to education leaders.
• Rich multimedia content provided by respected thought leaders.
• Opportunities to engage with forward-thinking leaders during real-time events focused on best practices in education.

The GETideas.org online community of practice is geared toward system-level education leaders at all levels. They can identify resources that will help them inform professional practices, network with other leaders, and share their ideas for improving education.

Visit the GETideasYouTube channel

GETIdeas.org is a Corporate Social Responsibility project of Cisco.

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Featured: 1/21/2013 Intel Teach Elements [Resources]

Intel® Teach Elements is a series of courses for K–12 educators providing deeper exploration of 21st century learning concepts. These free professional development courses can be accessed anytime, anywhere.



Intel Teach Elements e-learning courses explore 21st century learning concepts. Teachers of all subjects can learn to engage students with digital learning, including digital content, Web 2.0, social networking, and online tools and resources.

Teachers will find ways to effectively integrate technology into their existing curriculum with a focus on problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.



Intel Teach Elements courses can be taken online as self-study for a personal professional growth experience. Intel also supports integration of the course into online and face-to-face professional development programs, and provides facilitation materials that promote a deeper experience for teachers as they work through the e-learning modules.

Watch a video to learn more about Intel Teach Elements courses

The Intel Teach Elements instructional design includes animated e-learning tutorials, interactive learning exercises, and offline activities to apply concepts.

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Featured: 1/10/2013 Students First [Community]

StudentsFirst was initiated in 2010 in response to an increasing demand for a better American education system.



Led by Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, StudentsFirst hopes to mobilize parents, teachers, students, administrators, and citizens, and to direct their energy toward meaningful results on both the local and national level.

The stated mission of StudentsFirst is “to build a national movement to defend the interests of children in public education and pursue transformative reform, so that America has the best education system in the world.”

Principle tenets of StudentsFirst:

• Great teachers can make a tremendous difference for students of every background; all children deserve outstanding teachers.
• Every child deserves to attend a great school; all families should have quality school options available.
• Public dollars should be used on effective instructional programs where they make the biggest difference.
• Parent, family, and community involvement is vital to increased student achievement.

In summary, the goals of StudentsFirst are to elevate teaching, empower parents, and use resources efficiently to ensure sustainable spending that puts students first.

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Featured: 1/8/2013 NowGen [Biology]

Nowgen carries out dedicated education work focused on engaging directly with the formal education system – in particular, biology taught in schools.



In the education community, Nowgen strives to ensure that the biology taught in schools incorporates the latest research findings.

Nowgen works with students through hands-on workshops and other opportunities to explore genetics through practical activities and provides teachers with professional development and engaging resources to help students with contemporary biomedicine, especially genetics and genomics.



Nowgen has a wide range of resources suitable for a variety of audiences, such as videos about the influence of genes on common diseases; lesson plans about the role of nature and nurture, and policy documents, such as how and why genomics should be taught in the classroom.



Teacher resources have been designed to either support part of a lesson or be used to create an entire lesson plan. When browsing the resources, the ‘tags’ at the top of the page help narrow down your results.

Nowgen is a center of excellence in the UK in public engagement, education, and professional training in biomedicine.

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Featured: 12/13/2012 TeachingChannel [Community]

Teaching Channel is a video showcase, where you can see hundreds of videos of inspiring and effective teaching practices.

Teaching Channel is a rapidly growing community of registered members who trade ideas and share inspiration from each other. Videos are produced through a collaborative effort between video production experts, education advisors, and classroom teachers.

The stated mission of Teaching Channel is to "revolutionize how teachers learn, connect, and inspire each other to improve the outcomes for all K-12 students across America." To this end, Teaching Channel has three goals:

• Build professional learning resources that teachers want

• Deepen and improve opportunities for teacher learning

• Elevate and celebrate teachers in our society

The Teaching Channel video library offers educators a wide range of subjects for grades K-12. The videos also include information on alignment with Common Core State Standards and supplementary materials.

Visit the Teaching Channel's YouTube channel

Launched in June 2011, Teaching Channel is a non-profit organization providing a free resource for all teachers.

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