Blog Archives

Are your students REALLY watching that video?

2/24/2014

Are you looking for a better way to engage students with videos? The newest entry to the field of interactive video viewing might be just the answer. eduCanon, currently in beta stage, is the first interactive video tool that I have found to be flexible enough for teaching. It allows you to load any youtube, teacher tube or any public video and then insert questions at any point in the video. Other tools have limits on when and how many questions can be entered, but educanon gives teachers control over these decisions. The free version allows for multiple choice questions, but the paid version incorporates open ended questions. In addition to the Q & A, teachers can include detailed explanations of why an answer is correct or incorrect. Set up multiple classes, assign video viewing and collect student response data.

While much of the promotional material touts eduCanon for flipped lessons, I think it also has value within classrooms and for professional development activities. I tested it this week with a group of educators in my "Co-Teaching that Works" workshop and it received positive comments from everyone.

For a non-tech way to be more interactive during video viewing, check out this post from last year.

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Do your students struggle with executive functions?

2/18/2014

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Do your students struggle with executive functions? Attending, initiating tasks, managing time – these are all essential skills for success. In my seminar, “Using iPads and the Current Best Apps to Improve the Learning of Your Students with Special Needs,” I share this table showing iPad apps that support these critical skills. You can download the table here.

For more app ideas, contact me to provide a workshop in your district.

Executive functions list based on the work of Kari Miller.

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Technology Co-Teaching

2/11/2014

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Happy to share that an article I wrote with my colleague, Debbie Blair, has been published this month in Principal Magazine. This journal is published by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, so there is a strong likelihood that a principal you know has a copy of it. The article is titled Transform Learning with Tech Co-Teaching. It describes how Debbie, a technology specialist, has developed an effective co-teaching program with the classroom teachers at Prairie Crossing Elementary School in Parker, CO. If you are interested in getting started or improving your co-teaching practices, check out my book Co-Teaching that Works, available from Jossey-Bass.

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Are you making any of the 5 common mistakes of teaching with iPads?

2/9/2014

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Mistake #1 – Underutilizing your iPad

Andrew Geller once said, “Technology is like a fish. The longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes.” Even if you have only one iPad in the classroom, there are lots of easy ways to use it to engage students. NotIt is a free app that you can use to randomly select which student will have a turn to share their writing with the class, lead the line, or any other participation opportunity.

Mistake # 2 – Downloading every free app

Just because an app is free, doesn’t mean it is worth having on your iPad. What’s the harm? With 57 math apps on your iPad it will be impossible to remember what particular strength each one has, and it will take up some of the limited memory.

Mistake # 3 – Not thinking outside the box

Many wonderful apps exist outside the “education” category. SloPro is a free app designed to take slow motion video. It is wonderful to use in a lesson on “slow motion writing” – how to add lots of detail as if you could see an event in slow motion. CoachMyVideo is a sports app that has powerful utility in education. I have used it to videotape student behavior, then show them side by side improvement over time.

Mistake #4 – Selecting apps without a rubric

Rubrics guide teachers in grading student work. Shouldn’t they also be used to guide app selection? I encourage teachers in my workshops to develop their own rubrics, depending on what is important to them. Do you want data collection? Cultural diversity? Intuitive use? You may not be able to have every feature you want in an app, but if you have predetermined what criteria are most important to you, it will make your selection process more efficient and effective.

Mistake #5 – Going it alone

There is a tremendous amount of help available from educators and technology specialists on the internet. Google+ has several groups that share ideas and answer questions. Join the iPad Ed group and perhaps I will see you there!

Interested in attending a workshop on iPad apps in education and/or special education? I may be coming to a city near you. If not, contact me about providing a workshop to your school.

March 3 Denver, March 4 St. Louis, March 5 Minneapolis, March 6 Sacramento, March 7 San Jose

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How do you compare 2 informational texts?

2/4/2014

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How do you compare 2 informational texts? One of the anchor standards for reading expects students to be able to analyze two or more texts on similar topics to compare approaches the authors take. My co-teachers and I worked on this standard with our students this week, and, as usual, I wanted to be put a visual/tactile spin on it.

We distributed pieces of yarn, about 12 inches in length, to each student, and broke the students into two groups. They read a passage in the history book, and then another document detailing the same event in history. The second text was chosen in part because it portrays the event with different facts.

After reading each text, we asked a series of questions designed to encourage students to read closely. For example, “Who was Edward H. Moffat?” This historical figure is described very differently in each text. We then asked the students to use their piece of yarn to connect the location in each text so that we could compare. This forced them to be very focused on the textual evidence, before beginning to draw inferences. We then had robust discussion about why the authors chose to describe the person so differently.

The yarn served a great purpose of focusing students on specific evidence, and engaging tactile learners during a difficult reading task. Simple yet effective!

PS Some students chose to tape the yarn in place using restickable highlighter tape.

image by Lori Ann mamawit.wordpress.com

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Are your students REALLY watching that video?

Do your students struggle with executive functions?

Technology Co-Teaching

Are you making any of the 5 common mistakes of teaching with iPads?

How do you compare 2 informational texts?

Anne M. Beninghof

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