Larry Page’s Vision of technology can motivate Students

Larry Page’s vision of technology can help teachers to motivate students to become the game changers of the future. Page, Google Inc. Chief Executive, did not sell Google technology in his Google I/O 2013 keynote speech , he sold a vision of a world where technology is the tool that can help us free up time. He also talked about the need for the tech industry to spread the best technology to everyone else. Wired Magazine, indicated in a recent article that Page wants an army of tech-savvy people to help him transform, not just Silicon Valley, but every industry – from automobiles to healthcare – and every institution – from law to education. Read more

Teacher Pay is Victim to the Recession

There’s no doubt that the recession has had a negative impact on teacher pay. In a recent study by the National Council on Teacher Quality the results demonstrated that while the methods districts chose varied, nearly every district in there was a slowed the pace of teacher salary growth in response to the economic downturn. Many districts have used step freezes, annual adjustment freezes or other methods to reduce or negate advancement in teacher pay. Read more

2013 Teacher of the Year is all about Engineering

This past Thursday the Department of Education announced the 2013 Teacher of the Year. This year the Teacher of the Year is all about science and Engineering coursework. Jeff Charbonneau from Zillah High School in Washington state teaches chemistry, physics, and engineering. He also works to create accessible, interactive lessons that help convince kids that the science classes most students consider hardest are worth diving into. President Obama thanked Jeff and his fellow educators for their hard work and commitment to America’s young people. Read more

Teaching Outdoors with Amazing Results

Any teacher who has reached the season of spring wonders about the possibility of teaching outdoors. Those of us who have made this choice realize that you can teach outdoors with amazing results. When the weather gets nice, it is great to let students be outside and continue learning class content. Wasting time outside is completely unnecessary, make your instruction engaging with the help of the National Audubon Society, National Fish and Wildlife Association and Project Learning Tree.

Miranda Warning for Students

In a recent court ruling about reading Miranda warning for students, Kentucky students must be given Miranda warnings — students now have right to remain silent and to have a lawyer. This also applies if they are interviewed by principals with a school officer present, according to a divided state Supreme Court. In an article in the Courier Journal, Judge Mary Noble says that the case upon which the situation is based presented “far-reaching questions” and a conflict between “the rights of a juvenile accused of a crime and the needs of school officials to maintain order … and protect other children.” But the court held that incriminating statements must be suppressed when a school official is working with police and the student is in custody when questioned. Read more

Podcast 14 – Teaching Teens in the Know

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“Teaching Teens in the Know”

This week on the podcast the team discusses the latest technology tools and concepts to help teachers understanding some of the issues facing our teens including Facebook, hacking, and the future of cooperative learning. It is essential for teachers to be in the know when they are teaching today’s students.

Making the Grade

1) Facebook and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Hack Ed-Tech for Good – The team discusses how a program focused on hacking in a community can create new tools for teachers.

Project Based Learning is about Cooperation

Project Based Learning is primarily about teaching cooperation. In a recent article from Education News, entitled,” What Happened to Project Based Learning?” the author discusses the difficulties facing teachers who use this technique for student coursework. The main topics to consider when planning collaborative learning includes

Positive Interdependence where students must understand that they essentially sink or swim together.
Face-to-Face Interaction where lessons created promote cooperation in interaction to exchange ideas and collaborate effectively.
Another key concept is A
ccountability that must be carefully built into the process at both expected and random times. G
roup Processing allows participants to reflect individually and collectively on what worked and what will help next time the group works together. Cooperation reaps great student rewards and is worth the instructional planning that is required for a successful student project.

The purpose of Project Based Learning is to allow a group of students to cooperate with each other to more fully experience a topic worth learning about. However, the experience of reaching a goal together has other far-reaching goals. These include learning working as a team for the purpose of accomplishing a goal and being responsible for an outcome in a project. These traits will be necessary for future career success in business and industry. These are worthwhile goals for all students to accomplish. Read more

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