Technology in Education: Notes from the Closet

Recently a 5th grade teacher came to see me about a research project.  As we talked through the details we had a discussion about evaluating websites.  As a result of this conversation I created a presentation for her students on evaluating websites. Here is the presentation along with some additional resources. Learn More Dig Deeper (older students) http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html Great Infographic http://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/evaluating-web-resources/ Seven Steps to Website Evaluation https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/step-a-seven-steps-to-website-evaluation-for-students-promoting-digital-citizens/ Question Media Wiki https://questionit.wikispaces.com Poster http://www.radcab.com Great 1 page examples from Easybib http://media.easybib.com/ebook/mla_websiteeval.pdf https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iX_FWlyuIIQxDmueswljWjCxz94R1B4-gdr8klf312A/edit#slide=id.p20 (same ex...

Our middle school is 1:1 with Chromebooks so students spend a fair amount of time researching topics online.  A teacher noticed there is a lot of copying and pasting of information by students and asked me to come in and have a conversation about plagiarism.  I developed a Prezi with an accompanying notes guide for the students to complete as I presented the content to them.  The Prezi and notes guide are below.  As we wrapped up the students were able to use their Chromebooks for a bit of fun (with a topic that isn't so fun).  We played a Kahoot game where they reviewed concepts about plagiarism from their guide.  They loved it!  What I loved is that Kahoot also provides a summary of student responses to the game- I can see which students missed specific questions which allows me to follow up if needed. Resources used in the presentation (good for teachers and students): http://www.plagiarism.org http://en.writecheck.com (this has a plagiarism...

My Middle School "Brains" Middle school students are in a world of their own.  I know from experience- I work in a building with pre-kindergarten through eighth grade bodies and have twins in seventh grade- I can't escape middle school brains!   This post contains some articles and information I have discovered that are helpful for those who deal with middle school children, whether at work or at home! image source Fascinating Brain Facts A typical brain consumes up to one-third of all the water we ingest.  Studies indicate that discipline issues typically increase in the afternoons when students may be dehydrated Middle school students need at least 10 hours of sleep a night although most children get less (somebody tell my son!) The prefrontal cortex in the brain isn't developed fully until the age of 18 or in some cases the early 20's.  Male brains typically mature slower than female brains.  This area of the brain processes planning, ...

This week I began rolling out iPads to our students in grades 3-8. Before students use these devices I go into each classroom and conduct an online safety presentation.  We talk about staying safe online and the students have a contract that needs to be signed by them, their parents and the administration of the school; all pledging to be safe online. The presentation for the younger students (found here ) is definitely applicable to the middle school students but they need something more; something that relates a little bit more to social media use online and deals with what students can and cannot do legally.  Recently in my classes at Dominican and National Louis Universities I spoke with my undergraduate students about “digital tattoos”. We completed an exercise on data-mining strangers (which I will post about soon).   Whether at the middle school level or pre-service teacher level all students need to be aware of their digital image!  J...