Archive for 2012
How to Get Parent Support for Tech Use in Class
By Jennifer Carey Every teacher who has attempted to integrate technology into the classroom knows that getting parents on board can sometimes be a challenge. It’s not uncommon for the parent of a struggling child to be on the phone with you asking questions like: “Why do you need to use technology to teach math/social [...]
Online Privacy: Parents Worry Advertisers Know Too Much
The Federal Trade Commission recently reprimanded makers of mobile apps targeted at children for failing to provide enough information to parents about the kinds of data being collected. The announcement raises a long-standing concern many parents have about how to keep kids safe online. A recent study from the Pew Center’s Internet and American Life [...]
Connecting the Dots: Teaching How to Think
In her “anti-parabola” video Doodling in Math Class: Connecting the Dots, Vi Hart demonstrates mathematical curiosity and creativity, which happens to be the opposite of what she does in math class. As she says, “Teaching how to think requires giving power and responsibility to individuals while teaching what to think can be done with one-size [...]
Boy Scouts Make Way: Kids Explore By Creating
Countless kids have grown up with the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts or Campfire Girls, but for some families, the uniforms and outdoor focus of traditional Scouting groups don’t appeal.
Top 10 Posts of 2012: Deep, Meaningful and Creative Learning
Flickr: CriCristina It may come as no surprise that the ideas that are top-of-mind for educators, parents, and policymakers are the very topics conveyed in the most popular MindShift posts this year. Giving kids the tools to create, teachers the freedom to innovate, making students’ work relevant in the real world, giving them access to [...]
Ideas for Fun and Learning During the Holiday Break
Flickr: Andrew Beeston With two weeks of holiday break stretched out ahead, here are some fun ways to keep kids occupied and engaged, as collected over time on MindShift. 1. DIVE INTO MINECRAFT. Simply put, Minecraft is a game that lets you build worlds out of blocks. But Minecraft’s visual simplicity belies what is a [...]
For Low-Income Kids, Is More Time in School the Answer?
TB To help disadvantaged kids who are struggling to keep up in school, some education advocates believe that extending the school day could give them the extra boost they need. They argue that many parents can’t afford to send their kids to the varied extracurricular activities that wealthier children enjoy – leaving poorer kids with a sparse [...]
For Advice, Ideas and Support, More Educators Seek Social Networks
Social networking is hardly a new phenomenon, but teachers have come a long way in their use of sites like Facebook and Twitter.
2012 Ed Tech Trends: Insights From Insiders
At the end of the year, pundits love to share their versions of summarized lists of what was hot in ed tech in 2012. In addition to the obvious — Common Core curriculum and assessments, games in learning, consumer tech in education — there are others that may be more subtle or even counter-intuitive. Here [...]
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