New World of Learning

Testing in the Age of the iPad

2012-02-17T11:35:00.000-05:00

Students in Kelly Neuser's kindergarten class at Deer Run Elementary School in East Haven, Conn., use iPads during a reading exercise in December.

—Christopher Capozziello for Digital Directions

"Schools and classrooms that have embraced mobile devices have seen them as a catalyst for change in teaching, learning, and assessment"

Mobile technology is rapidly changing the face of educational assessment, opening doors for teachers to see how students are working through problems and offering them the ability to provide instant feedback and guidance. Schools are starting to explore using mobile technology as a way increase participation in class by allowing students to use their own devices. Teachers are taking advantage of things like QR codes which allow students to link worksheets directly to online resources, apps like iResponse are letting teachers gather feedback instantly.

"You can gather a lot of data quickly, and you can do a lot of quick checks of understanding in a class, but I'm more interested in the deeper, more qualitative understanding that mobile might bring," Richards says.
For instance, screencasting, which records what students are doing on the display screens of their devices, allows teachers to see students work through problems without having to stand over their shoulders the whole time, he says.

Read more about schools using technology for assessment here

Connecting through Technology

2012-02-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

CONNECTING Tammy Rigby, a fifth-grade science teacher at East Mooresville Intermediate, helping Grace Lateef, left, and Caitlyn Yaede with a class exercise

.

A recent New York Times article about Mooresville School District in North Carolina is a prime example of how technology is being used to enhance the learning environment. In our New World of Learning seminar we talk about technology expanding involvement, being individualized and being used for instantaneous assessment this story emphasizes exactly those points.

Mooresville School District admits that they had to make tough decisions and budget cuts to be able to provide laptops for their students, but reinforce that the decision they made was a good one. The school hosts monthly tours for educators from around the country to see why this school has been called the leader of the digital school.

"The difference, teachers and administrators here said, is that they [teachers] value computers not for the newest content they can deliver, but for how they tap into the oldest of student emotions — curiosity, boredom, embarrassment, angst — and help educators deliver what only people can."

The most interesting part of the article talks about students learning at their own pace...

"There, a boy peering into his school-issued MacBook blitzed through fractions by himself, determined to reach sixth-grade work by winter. Three desks away, a girl was struggling with basic multiplication — only 29 percent right, her screen said — and Ms. Holsinger knelt beside her to assist. Curiosity was fed and embarrassment avoided, as teachers connected with student through emotion far more than Wi-Fi."

Read the article in full here.

Engaging Students in Different Ways

2012-01-25T08:50:00.001-05:00

Study Shows Algebra iPad App Improves Scores in One School | MindShift http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/01/study-shows-algebra-ipad-app-improves-scores-in-one-school/

Schooled in social media

2012-01-21T14:51:00.001-05:00

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/01/19/schooled-social-media

Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity?

2011-12-12T09:10:00.001-05:00

Ten Tips for Engaging Underperforming Students

2011-12-01T10:19:00.001-05:00

Be inspired on Leap Day!

2011-11-30T11:20:00.001-05:00

Contemplate the universe and how everything works together!

Galileo Day | February 29th, 2012

The day to celebrate Earth and Science.

Students in Idaho think on their feet

2011-11-10T13:00:00.001-05:00

When we say that movement matters in a classroom we're not alone, classrooms across the globe are looking into ways to increase movement in classes in order to help create more attentive and healthy students. A great example is this private school in Idaho, who has been using height adjustable "stand-at" desks and tracking how active students are because of them.

The school teamed up with the Idaho National Library and twice a month these test students step on a scale to see if the increased activity helps.

"I had a student who could not sit still. He wanted to pace the room and it drove everybody crazy, he'd even read and pace," Seekel said.

The new work station allowed the student just enough movement to free up his brain so he could learn, said Seekel said, who also noticed that the taller desks kept her from having to bend over to help her students."

Students & Their "Ideal School"

2011-11-02T09:27:00.000-04:00

The Guardian Newspaper recently ran a series entitled "The School I'd Like", which asked UK students of all ages to write in about what their dream school would be like. It's no surprise that "no homework" made the top of the list, but students also had a few other suggestions - below is a preview of what the Guardian is calling "The Children's Manifesto" written by Dea Birkett.

Creative and colourful – with lots of room to make and display art, bright painted walls in corridors and dining rooms, and flowers in the classroom.

International – with food from all over the world on the dinner menu and pupils from all over the world in the classroom; with opportunities to go abroad to learn languages and about other cultures.

Outside – fortnightly school trips (without worksheets), animals to look after like chickens, sheep and horses, and greenhouses to grow fruit and vegetables to eat at school and sell to raise funds.

Technological – with iPads to read and work on, MP3 players for relaxing during breaks or to help concentrate while working alone, and usb sticks to take work home (and save paper).

Click here to read the entire manifesto and learn more about how to make school more engaging for our students.

"Living Books" Connecting Communities Through Knowledge

2011-10-31T10:44:00.002-04:00

Surrey City Centre Library, British Columbia

Recently the City Centre Library in Surrey, British Columbia launched a new program which pairs community members with "living books", residents who have volunteered to share their knowledge and expertise on specific topics.

Library patrons can schedule appointments to loan out these "human experts" and have 30-45 min. conversations about their unique specialties, giving students added insight that they could not typically find on traditional library shelves or the Internet.

"Librarian Ravi Basi told CTV British Columbia that the Surrey library staff initially imagined the living books initiative as a way to break down barriers between people of different races or religions, but people with interesting careers, life experiences, or academic research topics would make good volunteers as well."

The "Living Books" program was inspired by the Human Library concept which was developed decades ago in Denmark. The Human Library aims to break down stereotypes and prejudices by connecting people of varied backgrounds to those with greater insight through dialogue to promote further understanding.

Surrey's Human Library is just one example of how libraries are thinking outside the box in an effort to promote reading and encourage life long learning while staying afloat.

Programs like "Living Books" are prime examples of how communities are connecting through knowledge sharing. The library opened earlier this year so as more statistics on the success of the program become available, we'll be sure share them with you. Until then read the full article here.

Libraries Ditching Hard Covers, Going Digital

2011-10-25T10:03:00.000-04:00

Two years ago, Cushing Academy, a small boarding school in Massachusetts, started a renovation that made them a contradiction, a library without books. The school spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2009 to renovate its library, but the change was more than physical. The school actually got rid of over 40,000 books by selling or donating them and replaced the material with a database of millions of digital books. Now, all students can read any of the books, either through the 68 Amazon Kindles cycling around campus or on the laptop that each of the school's 450 students is provided.

However, removing the stacks of books was only the first step in the two-stage transformation. The second is transforming the library into a digital hub of activity. For example, there's a new cafe where the circulation desk used to be, and bookshelves have been replaces with easy chairs for students to study or watch one of the three new flat-screen TVs.

While there has been some lamenting over the loss of thousands of bounded volumes, the traditional library layout and the historical custom of sorting through the card catalog in search of a specific book, most educators and parents support the school in transitioning its library to a more digital model which accommodates not only e-readers, but also the fact that more research is done via Internet search engines.

But what about the librarians? Luckily, transforming the library into a digital hub didn't mean firing the librarians. In fact, the library's executive director said that the school actually hired more staff to help run the space. Like other libraries that have incorporated digital media, the Cushing staff shifted librarians' roles from shelving and checking out books toward teaching students how to conduct research.

Click here to read the full article.

Preface - New World of Learning

2011-09-29T09:56:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Preface, New World of Learning

Learning Happens in Communities

2011-09-29T09:54:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Learning Happens in Communities

Learning is Lifelong

2011-09-29T09:52:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Learning is Lifelong

Movement Matters

2011-09-29T09:50:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Movement Matters

Our Resources are Finite

2011-09-29T09:44:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Our Resources are Finite

Learning is Experiential

2011-09-29T09:41:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Learning is Experiential

We Learn Differently

2011-09-29T09:39:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - We Learn Differntly

We Learn as a Group

2011-09-29T09:38:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - We Learn as a Group

Assessment is Essential

2011-09-29T09:36:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Assessment is Essential

Technology Rich Environment

2011-09-29T09:31:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Technology Rich Environment

Technology Expands Involvement

2011-09-29T09:30:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Technology Exands Involvement

User Interface Design

2011-09-29T09:29:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - User Interface Design

Technology is Individual

2011-09-29T09:25:00.000-04:00

PDF Download - Technology is Individual

Conclusion - New World of Learning

2011-09-29T09:22:00.000-04:00

Download PDF - Conclusion, New World of Learning

Studying Engineering Before They Can Spell It: Are we really all born engineers?

2011-09-28T12:10:00.000-04:00

A recent NY Times article poses the question, "Are we all born engineers?" The article showcases how schools and teachers are pushing students to learn more than just reading, writing and arithmetic. Schools across the country are introducing engineering programs into their classrooms hoping to tap into students natural curiosities.

“We say they’re born engineers — they naturally want to solve problems — and we tend to educate it out of them.”

“Teachers and administrators decided to incorporate engineering into the elementary grades to connect classroom learning to real life, as well as to instill social skills like collaboration and cooperation that are valued in the work force” said Kathleen Regan, the curriculum director.

Students as young as five are being challenged to solve problems from an engineer’s point of view. As the U.S. continually falls behind other developing countries in the fields of innovation and engineering, these schools are working hard to put the U.S. back on top.

“They [students] have to have the thinking skills of an engineer to keep up with all the innovation that’s constantly coming into their world,” Ms. Morrow said.

Click here to read the article

An enlightening example of creative project learning at its best!

2011-09-23T12:54:00.001-04:00

Drivers in Education

2011-09-23T12:47:00.001-04:00

We have identified three drivers that are affecting the world of education: Social, Educational, Technological. Our research is focused on 12 categories that fall under each of the drivers...

Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology

2011-09-23T12:33:00.001-04:00

This report was published by the US Department of Education. It is well written, even enjoyable to read! It describes the National Education Technology Plan.
Read the report...

2011-09-23T12:00:00.001-04:00

Tell me and I will forget.
Show me and I may remember.
Involve me, and
I will understand.

Confucious