Jumat, 30 September 2016

Teachers' Guide to Using Blogs in Class - Kang Khoe

In an earlier post here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, we argued that setting up a class virtual space in the cloud is an indispensable task for today's teachers. This space can preferably be a website, a blog, or a wiki or, if possible, all of them. The educational benefits of having such a space for students include:
  • Improve students writing skills through posting and commenting
  • Helps students have a voice 
  • Promote the notion of independent and personalized learning
  • Promote a spirit of collaboration among students
  • Engage parents in the learning taking place in the classroom
  • Connect with students from other schools and exchange with them learning experiences.
As for teachers, they can use these class virtual spaces to :
  • Post assignments and homework to students
  • Upload documents and other learning materials to students
  • Post classroom announcements, important dates, event calendars...etc
  • Create portfolios to document students learning
As for the blogging platforms, below are some of the best places you can use to host your class blog:

Blogger

Blogger is a free Google service which provides users with a simple and easy to use blogging interface. Users can choose from a wide variety of templates and with just drag and drop functionality, one can set up and run the blog in few clicks.

Wordpress
Similar to Blogger, Wordpress is also easy to use and is  free for basic versions. There are several guides and video tutorials on its help page that will help you through the process of setting up your blog.

Kidblog

Kidblog is designed for K-12 teachers who want to provide each student with an individual blog. Students publish posts and participate in academic discussions

Edublog

The World's most popular education blogging service... Edublogs lets you easily create & manage student & teacher blogs, quickly customize designs and include videos, photos & podcasts - it's safe, easy and secure so try out an Edublog today!

Glogster Edu

Glogster EDU is the leading global education platform for the creative expression of knowledge and skills in the classroom and beyond. It empowers educators and students with the technology to create GLOGS - online multimedia posters - with text, photos, videos, graphics, sounds, drawings, data attachments and more.

3 Good Alternatives to Evernote - Kang Khoe

This post is a response to a couple of questions we received from some teachers asking about alternative apps to Evernote. While we do recognize the huge educational potential of Evernote for teachers and students, there are also some other amazing apps out there that can do most of what Evernote does and probably in more enhanced ways. Below are examples of three apps we would recommend the most for those of you thinking of alternating Evernote. Have a look and let us know what you think of them.

1- Trello

Trello is a great organizational iPad app. You can use it to organize your to-do lists, create checklists, assign tasks to your collaborators, upload photos, PDFs and videos and many more. Everything you create on Trello is synced and saved to the cloud so you can access it anywhere you are with Internet connection.

2- Quip

This is another wonderful productivity app that enables you to do a wide variety of tasks including: taking notes, organizing task-lists, editing documents with your collaborators, embed and edit spreadsheets. You can import your documents from popular cloud storage platforms such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Google Docs. It also lets you export docs to PDF and Microsoft Office and export spreadsheets to Microsoft Excel.

3- Post-it Plus


“The Post-it® Plus App takes the momentum from your collaboration sessions and keeps it rolling. Simply capture your notes, organize and share with everyone. That way your great ideas don’t stop when the meeting ends.Getting started is easy. Use the app to capture an image of the Post-it® Notes from your work session. Arrange, refine and organize the notes and ideas on your board anyway you see fit. Then share your organized board with your team and send to your favorite applications—including PowerPoint, Excel, Dropbox and plenty more.”

Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Kamis, 29 September 2016

Improve Students Writing with This Beautiful Periodic Table - Kang Khoe

Figurative speech is the language we use to spice up our writing. Besides their aesthetic value , figurative expressions and axioms cast a flavour of 'writerly professionalism' on the written piece. It does take so much practice for students to be adept at the use of figurative language and there are no shortcuts to learn that quickly. There are however some useful tips to help them in their learning process. Periodic table of the figures of speech is an example of a very good document students can draw on to consolidate and learn different ways to use figures of speech.



Periodic table of the figures of speech,which I discovered through a post by Lifehacker, is a work realized by designer Curtis Newbold. The visual features two main genres of figures of speech namely: tropes and schemes. Tropes cover expressions like personification, metaphor, irony, hyperbole..etc and schemes cover things like ellipsis, alliteration, parenthesis..etc. Curtis provides ample explanation of each of these genres and also offers some useful tips on how to use each of them.

This full-size graphic of Periodic table of the figures of speech is available from this link.

Rabu, 28 September 2016

An Excellent Rubric To Assess Students Multimedia Projects - Kang Khoe

Here is another wonderful rubric for evaluating multimedia projects in your classroom. This rubric which I came across through North Carolina State University website is realized by Multimedia Mania. As a teacher, you can use this document in your instruction to assess your students’ digital projects. The rubric uses a wide variety of criteria grouped under different colour codes.



From the technical design of the project to citing resources, the rubric covers almost every aspect you will want your students to attend to while doing their multimedia projects. This document is also available for free download from this link.
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

3 Easy Ways to Record Educational Screencasts Using Your iPad - Kang Khoe

In today’s post, I am sharing with you some interesting tips I learned from Jonathan Wylie  to help you record your iPad screen and create instructional screencasts and tutorials. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of creating a screencast on iPad are those popular apps such as Explain Everything and Educreations but the thing with these apps is that they do not allow you to record what you do on other apps. For instance, you can not open Explain Everything and go to Evernote app to record your screen there, once Explain Everything window is closed , recording stops.

To be able to navigate your iPad and record this navigation, you will need to mirror your iPad screen to a bigger screen that is your computer. Once you can access your iPad screen  from your computer, you can then use a screencasting tool to record your iPad screen. Here is how you can do it all:

1- Mirroring apps
There are actually 2 powerful mirroring tools that would allow you to project your iPad  screen onto your computer. None of these tools are free but they all provide a 7 days free  trial so you can try each of them and see which one suits you the best.

Some of the features that Reflector provides include :
  • Connect multiple devices to one computer for side-by-side app comparisons, multiple presenters, competition, screen monitoring and more.
  • Password protect Reflector to limit access and keep unwanted presenters out.
  • Include device frames, audio and full video in recordings for later review or webcasts.
Check this step by step guide to learn more about how to use Reflector.

B- Air Server


"With AirServer you can wirelessly beam your iPad display to your Mac or PC and from there to your projector, smartboard or HDTV. This gives you the freedom to move around the class with your iPad in hand. AirServer also supports multiple simultaneous connections, so one or more students could mirror their iPads to share their ideas and their work with the rest of the class. "

2- Connect your iPad to your computer and activate AirPlay mode
To establish a connection between the mirroring tool you installed on your computer and your iPad, you will need to activate the AirPlay mode on your iPad. make sure that both your computer and iPad are on the same WiFi network. AirPlay is located in your iPad’s Control Centre which you can access by swiping up the bottom edge of your iPad screen.

3- Start recording your iPad screen
Once the AirPlay is activated you will be able to see your iPad screen on your computer. Now whatever you do on your iPad will be automatically displayed on your computer, of course through the mirroring software you initially installed.

To record your iPad screen from your computer, you can use one of these screen recording tools:

A- ScreencastO--Matic


ScreencastO--Matic is a wonderful web tool to use for recording your computer screen. I have been using it for a couple of years and I really love it. ScreencastO--Matic is web based so you do not need to install anything. The recording you create can be easily uploaded to your YouTube account, Vimeo, or several other social media websites.

B- Camtasia

Camtasia from TechSmith allows you to easily record your screen movements and actions and create step by step screencasts to share with others.Camtasia has all the editing tools to create the great video content you need to get the job done. Quickly record your webcam or screen, engage your viewers with a variety of effects, and easily share your videos to anyone, anywhere.

C- Cam Studio

CamStudio is another good web tool for recording screen and audio activity on your computer and create video files to share with your colleagues.

D- Screencastify


Screencastify is a simple video screen capture software (aka. screencast recorder) for Chrome. It is able to record all screen activity inside a tab, including audio. Just press record and the content of your tab is recorded. So you can easily create a screencast for video tutorials, record presentations etc.

E- Google Plus Hangout


This is one my favourite ways to screencast and record my screen. The recording you make is automatically saved to your YouTube channel where you can share it with others. Here is a step by step guide on how to record your screen using Hangout.

Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Selasa, 27 September 2016

4 Important Apps for Paperless Classroom - Kang Khoe

Planning a paperless classroom? Here are four important apps you should definitely consider. Using these apps will enable you to create and distribute assignments to your students, provide feedback on your students work, organize your classroom materials, conduct quick formative assessments via quizzes, polls or exit tickets, track grades, record attendance, create seating charts and many more.

1- Showbie- Paperless Classroom


“With Showbie, you can quickly and easily assign, collect and review student work on your iPad, then provide rich feedback to your students by adding annotations, text notes and voice notes directly onto their documents. Students can show their learning creatively by submitting to Showbie from thousands of compatible iPad apps, or by completing assignments with Showbie’s built in tools. Showbie keeps everyone organized with individual student assignment folders, email and push notifications.”

2- Teacher Toolkit


“Over a million educators worldwide trust TeacherKit with managing their time and activities. TeacherKit helps you organize classes and students easily. Create a seating chart, record attendance, log behavior, and track grades all with few taps. TeacherKit lifts the headache of routine administration, allowing you to focus on what really matters to you – teaching.”

3- Socrative Teacher


“Engage, assess and personalize your class with Socrative! Educators can initiate formative assessments through quizzes, quick question polls, exit tickets and space races all with their Socrative Student app. Socrative will instantly grade, aggregate and provide visuals of results to help you identify opportunities for further instruction. Save time and visualize student understanding when it matters”

4- Nearpod


“The Nearpod platform enables teachers to use their iPads to manage content on students' iPads, iPhones, iPods or Macs. It combines presentation, collaboration, and real-time assessment tools into one integrated solution.”

Handy Resources for Teaching Autistic Students - Kang Khoe

Learning needs of autistic students require a special attention from those attending to them. This is because autistic learners exhibit a wide range of characteristics that often interfere with their learning and metacognition. Some of these characteristics, according to Autism Society, include: difficulties in attention, problems with learning by observation and imitation, troubles with task/event sequencing, uneven patterns of strengths and weaknesses and many more.



To help you better support your autistic students, we are sharing with you these educational resources designed specifically for learners with autism. These resources feature several learning tools, lesson plan ideas, learning activities, teaching tips and many other helpful materials for helping autistic learners.

1- Cindy Autistic Support
This website offers numerous learning resources to help students with autistic spectrum disorders. The materials specifically address “the development of language and communication skills, social skills, self-help & academic skills. An emphasis is placed on maintaining appropriate behavior and developing independent skills through the use of structure.”

2- Autism Support Network
This is another great platform where teachers and parents can access resources, guides and coping strategies to use with autistic learners.

3- Autism Teaching Tools
Autism Teaching Tools has been a practical source of information and teaching tips for working with your special learners since 2002. Browse through the site as you look for ways to help your learners with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders.

4- Do2Learn
“Do2learn provides thousands of free pages with social skills and behavioural regulation activities and guidance, learning songs and games, communication cards, academic material, and transition guides for employment and life skills.”

5- TED Talk on Autism 
This list of TED talks  features some amazing first-person accounts from those living with autism.

6- iPad Apps for Autistic Students
This is a very good resource of apps specifically curated for autistic learners. This is a spreadsheet created by a parent, an autistic adult and an SLP and features a very big collection of iPad apps for autism.

7- Autism Speaks 
“Autism Speaks has grown into the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.”

Image credit: Autism Support Network

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Senin, 26 September 2016

Some Very Good Chrome Apps for Music Teachers - Kang Khoe

We received few requests from some of  our readers here in EdTech and mLearning asking about a good Chromebook app to use for creating and editing music. Below is a collection of what we would recommend in this regard. These are some of the most popular in the Music and Radio category in Chrome App Store. Although some of them say they are free but they actually are not. You will have to upgrade to keep using them after the free trail period is over. Using these apps you will be able to easily create and edit music and share your tracks with others.

1- Beatlab


‘Beatlab is the easiest way to create music and share it with your friends.Create music using a simple expressive interface that requires no knowledge of music theory or instruments.  You can start from scratch, or remix the musical ideas of others. You can share your finished tracks privately with friends, or share them with the world to listen and remix.  Or you can download your tracks into an MP3 file to put on your iPod or make into a ringtone.’

2- Soundtrap for Education


‘Soundtrap for Education is a revolutionary new, user-friendly platform for music making that disrupts how music is taught and learnt in schools across the world. Soundtrap is a "Google for Education Partner" and was awarded "The Best Website For Teaching and Learning 2015" by the American Association of School Librarians. Make music online by using loops and software instrument and by recording vocals, guitars and more. Invite friends to collaborate. It's free and no download is required.’

3- Audiotool


‘Audiotool is a powerful online DAW right in your browser with a built-in publishing platform to share your creations. Build your arrangement by dragging the devices to the desktop and connect them with virtual cables. All device settings can be saved as a preset and be shared with the community resulting in more than 50.000 presets for the various devices.’

4- AudioSauna


‘AudioSauna is a full-featured audio workstation with an easy-to-use and straightforward user interface. It enables using several advanced polyphonic synthesizers, samplers and live effects in real-time in the browser.AudioSauna features two warm sounding synthesizers, which take the quality of audio synthesis in the cloud to the next level. With its unique engine architecture and DSP design, AudioSauna's CPU usage is reduced to the absolute minimum, blurring the line between desktop and web applications.’

Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Sabtu, 24 September 2016

5 Good Lesson Planning Tools for Teachers - Kang Khoe

In yesterday’s post we reviewed web tools that you can use to create interactive lessons, lessons that integrate a wide variety of multimedia materials. In today’s post, we are sharing with you another collection of web tools in the same direction. These are tools to help you with  your lesson planning. Besides allowing you to design engaging teaching materials, they also provide you with practical functionalities to monitor students learning and track their progress using features such as quizzes and discussions.

1- PlanbookEdu


‘PlanbookEdu takes the hassle out of lesson planning.  You can create and view your plans from any computer with an Internet connection.  You never have to worry about forgetting your paper planner or thumb drive with your lesson plan template. Creating plans is simple to do, without sacrificing powerful features such as the ability to repeat a lesson and create re-usable templates. You can also attach homework or any lesson material directly to you plans and access it anytime.  Common Core Standards are integrated, allowing you to quickly tag a standard to a lesson’.

2- Blendspace by TES

Bendspace is a platform that allows you to create engaging lessons to use in your instruction. Your lessons can contain digitally varied content including videos, presentations, documents, images, and links. You can also upload and add your own files stored in a Cloud service such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Additionally, Blendspace provides you with built-in tools to monitor your students progress and understanding using features such as quizzes and discussions.

3- WeLearnedIt


‘WeLearnedIt is an easy to use project-based learning platform that allows teachers to create and share dynamic assignments, leave meaningful feedback on student work, and allows learners to capture and track their academic growth and achievement over time in digital learning portfolios… Some of its features include: Rubric and Assignment Library; Incredibly Easy to Set Up Classes; Progress Reporting; Annotation Feature on Created Content; Digital Learning Portfolios’.



'DocentEDU is a great web tool and mobile app to use with your students. It is particularly ideal for both Blended and Flipped learning classrooms. DocentEDU allows you to easily turn any webpage or published Google Doc into an interactive lesson where you add comments, private discussions, highlight passages, embed videos/maps/ simulations/quizzes, add questions and many more. When students log in to the website they will be able to see all the annotations, questions and content you have added. Students can also use DocentEDU to take their notes and add their own annotations to the text.'

5- Socrative Teacher



‘Engage, assess and personalize your class with Socrative! Educators can initiate formative assessments through quizzes, quick question polls, exit tickets and space races all with their Socrative Student app. Socrative will instantly grade, aggregate and provide visuals of results to help you identify opportunities for further instruction. Save time and visualize student understanding when it matters, now! To get started using Socrative, simply register for a Socrative Teacher account.’
Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Jumat, 23 September 2016

Some Helpful Chrome Tips for Teachers - Kang Khoe

Below is a collection of some handy tips to use on your Chrome browser. These are basically simple hacks to help you make the best of your Chrome experience. While we have included only instructions on how to use these tips on Chrome for the web,  we have also provided links to pages with more details on how to use them on mobile devices (iOS and Android). Some of the the things you will get to learn from this collection include: how to conduct quick online search using Chrome address bar, how to remotely access another computer using Chrome Remote Desktop, how to customize your privacy settings, how to access your bookmarks on different devices, how to autofill your info in forms, how to browse the web in pirate and many more.


1- Search the web on Chrome
Chrome allows you to conduct quick online searches by simply typing your search query in the address bar of your Chrome window. As you start typing your search words, Chrome will show you suggested links and search phrases. Additionally, you can search words and images  on any web page opened in Chrome. You simply highlight a word or phrase, right-click on it  and select one of the followings from the pop-up window: ’Search Google for’or ’Search with Google’.

2-  Access your saved bookmarks and browsing history from different devices
Signing in to Chrome will enable you to sync all of your bookmarks, browsing history, and passwords to your Google account so you can access them when you use Chrome on any other device. However, to secure and keep your data safe, make sure you only sign in to Chrome from trusted devices. Here is how to sign in to Chrome on your computer :
  • 'Open Chrome. 
  • In the top right, click the button with your name or the person icon 
  • Click Sign in to Chrome. 
  • Sign in with your Google Account.'
3-  Use Chrome keyboard shortcuts


Keyboard shortcuts allow you to quickly perform different tasks on your Chrome. These shortcuts are arranged into four main categories : tab and window shortcuts, Chrome feature shortcuts, address bar shortcuts, and webpage shortcuts.  They are also available for Mac, Windows and Linux.

4- Browse in private with incognito mode
Incognito mode allows you to browse the web without leaving a trace. Incognito mode prevents Chrome from saving a record of the websites you visit or things you download. Here is how to activate Incognito mode on your computer
  • 'Open a Chrome window 
  • In the top right, click the Menu 
  • Select New Incognito Window. 
  • A new window will open with a gray figure in the top-right corner 
  • To close incognito mode, go to the corner of each of your incognito windows and click the X.'
5- Autofill your info in forms on Chrome
Chrome’s Autofill allows you to automatically fill out forms you use in Chrome with your saved information such as email address, phone number, address, name ..etc. You can also edit, change or delete these info as you like. Here is how to use Autofill on your computer:
  • 'Open Chrome. 
  • In the top right, click the icon you see: Menu  or More 
  • Click Settings > Show advanced settings. 
  • Under “Passwords and forms,” click Manage Autofill settings. 
  • Adjust your setting'
6- Import or export bookmarks
This functionality allows you to import bookmarks you have on another browser right into your Chrome. Alternatively, you can export your Chrome bookmarks in HTML file to use on another browser. Here is how to do it :
 A- Import bookmarks:
  • On your computer, open Chrome.
  • In the top right, click the Menu Chrome menu.
  • Select Import Bookmarks and Settings.
  • In the "From" drop-down menu, select Bookmarks HTML file.
  • Select Choose File.
  • Upload the saved HTML.
  • Click Done.’
B- Export bookmarks:
  • ‘Open Chrome.
  • In the top right, click the Menu Chrome menu.
  • Select Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager.
  • In the manager, click the "Organize" menu.
  • Select Export bookmarks.’
 7- Customize your privacy settings
Several of Chrome settings are turned on by default. Chrome uses them for a variety of purposes including providing search terms predictions, suggesting websites addresses, resolving spelling errors, storing browsing history and many more. Here is how you can access and adjust your Chrome’s privacy setting on your computer:
  • ‘On your computer, open Chrome.
  • In the top right, click the Menu Chrome menu.
  • Click Settings.
  • At the bottom of the page, click Show advanced settings.
  • Under "Privacy," adjust your settings:
  • To manage how Chrome handles content and permissions for a site, click Content settings.
  • To delete information about the websites you've visited, click Clear browsing data.
  • Uncheck any of the privacy settings boxes you don't want anymore.’
8- Remotely access another computer using Chrome Remote Desktop
Chrome Remote Desktop app lets you access a remote computer over the Internet so you can see files, documents and applications installed on it. The app is available for iOS, Android and the web. Here is how to allow remote access to your computer. Please, check this page for more details:
  • Type chrome://apps in your address bar and press Enter. 
  • Click Chrome Remote Desktop 
  • Under "My Computers," click Get started. 
  • Click Enable remote connections. 
  • Install the Chrome Remote Host Service on your operating system: 
Source: Chrome Help
 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Kamis, 22 September 2016

6 Must Read Books On The Science of Learning - Kang Khoe

Learning is a complex cognitive phenomena that has been and is still the central theme of a wide variety of scientific studies. The overarching question ‘how we learn what we learn’ intrigued scientists across different disciplines and generated tons of literature on the topic. Informative insights coming out of these studies have not only demystified the workings of human cognition but have also shaped pedagogy and teaching methodology in unprecedented ways (e.g. multiple intelligence theory and learning styles). In this month's Books for Teachers, we are sharing with you five popular books on the topic of learning. You may want to bookmark and save them to read in your upcoming vacation. Enjoy

1- How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens, by Benedict Carey (Author)

‘In How We Learn, award-winning science reporter Benedict Carey sifts through decades of education research and landmark studies to uncover the truth about how our brains absorb and retain information. What he discovers is that, from the moment we are born, we are all learning quickly, efficiently, and automatically; but in our zeal to systematize the process we have ignored valuable, naturally enjoyable learning tools like forgetting, sleeping, and daydreaming.’

2- Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, by Peter C. Brown  (Author), Henry L. Roediger III (Author), Mark A. McDaniel  (Author)


‘To most of us, learning something "the hard way" implies wasted time and effort. Good teaching, we believe, should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines, the authors offer concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners.’

3- Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It, by Ian Leslie  (Author)


‘Drawing on fascinating research from psychology, economics, education, and business, Curious looks at what feeds curiosity and what starves it, and finds surprising answers. Curiosity isn’t, as we’re encouraged to think, a gift that keeps on giving. It is a mental muscle that atrophies without regular exercise and a habit that parents, schools, and workplaces need to nurture. Filled with inspiring stories, case studies, and practical advice, Curious will change the way you think about your own mental habits, and those of your family, friends, and colleagues.’

4- How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, by Paul Tough  (Author)


‘How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories—and the stories of the children they are trying to help—Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people’s lives. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do—and do not—prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty.’

5- How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching, by Susan A. Ambrose (Author), Michael W. Bridges (Author), Michele DiPietro (Author), & 3 more


‘Distilling the research literature and translating the scientific approach into language relevant to a college or university teacher, this book introduces seven general principles of how students learn. The authors have drawn on research from a breadth of perspectives (cognitive, developmental, and social psychology; educational research; anthropology; demographics; organizational behavior) to identify a set of key principles underlying learning, from how effective organization enhances retrieval and use of information to what impacts motivation.’
 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Rabu, 21 September 2016

The Four Stages of Reading Students Should Know about - Kang Khoe

How to Read a Book  by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren is one of the most celebrated classic works in the reading literature. It was first published in 1940 and then revisited and updated in an edition that was released in 1972. Since its publication millions of copies have been sold and is still widely circulating among education circles as a required reading text. It’s true that the book was conceived in a ‘pre-digital’ era but its content is still relevant even now that the digital text is predominantly prevalent.

In How to Read A Book, Van Doren and Mortimer talked about four main levels of reading: elementary reading, inspectional reading, analytical reading, and syntopical reading. Note here that the authors deliberately named them levels and not kinds because, according to them, kinds can be distinct from one another while levels denote a notion of embeddedness with lower levels included in higher ones. In other words, levels of reading are cumulative. Below is an infographic we have created encompassing these four levels of reading we want to bring to your attention. Please have a look and share with us your feedback.

levels of reading  Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Senin, 19 September 2016

9 Essential Digital Skills for the 21st Century Teacher - Kang Khoe

In a digitally focused world, education is getting more and more digitized pushing us, teachers and educators, to re-conceptualize what it really means to be a teacher in the 21st century. Whether you are a technological determinist or instrumentalist, technology has become an essential force shaping much of our teaching and pedagogical practices. It has also placed a number of demands and exigencies on us and to meet these exigencies we need to develop a set of key digital skills. In the chart below, we cited 9 digital skills that we believe are fundamentally important for any teacher. This chart is based on a previous work we published here in the past.


Digital Skills
Tools
Record and edit audio clips
Create annotated, interactive and engaging  video content
Create visually engaging content
Use social networking websites to create PLNs,  connect , discover new content, and grow professionally
Use blogs and wikis to create participatory spaces for students
Use Social bookmarking websites curate and  share resources with your class
Create Engaging presentations
Create digital portfolios
Create non-traditional quizzes

Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .