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Module 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Module 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Screencast O Matic

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Our screen capture tools help you easily create, edit and communicate with videos and images. Simple and intuitive tools to share your ideas.

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ScreenPal's user-friendly interface and seamless integration into our existing teaching methods made it an obvious choice. From day one, it was clear that ScreenPal was not just another tech tool; it was a catalyst for active learning and collaboration.

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We use ScreenPal internally to create and manage all of the videos we share with educators. ScreenPal makes it easy to create videos with a consistent, branded look and feel, and then to share all of those videos from a central repository.

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Join millions of people communicating through video.

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At ScreenPal, we don't believe that video recording and editing should be difficult, or cost a fortune. Our simple and intuitive tools help you get the job done easily.

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Module 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Module 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Kahoot

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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Module 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Module 7: Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Canva

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Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

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Module 7:  Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Module 7:  Digital Tools for Technology Integration

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Some of my favorite digital tools to use in the classroom

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There is an old saying that begins, "If I had a nickel..." If I applied that saying to how often a teacher approached me for help but began with, "I have a stupid question," I'd have a lot of nickels.

The fact is, an overwhelming number of teachers don't feel confident in their ability to teach in a digital age, let alone establish a digital culture in their classrooms where students are makers and doers. This lack of confidence is problematic when we consider the direct impact on effectiveness. My remedy is an arsenal of fail-safe tools that will engage students in the curriculum and empower teachers to do more. Not only will teachers be encouraging digital learning opportunities among students -- they will score a personal High-5 for having effectively implemented the tools themselves.

Class Dojo

I think it's safe to say that classroom management is the cornerstone of effective teaching and learning. The ability to establish and maintain a safe, productive classroom environment is critical, because without it, no other initiative can thrive. Class Dojo has dual benefits for teachers because 1) it motivates students with avatars and a point system that holds them accountable for monitoring their own success; and, 2) it's another great way for teachers to transformatively teach their curriculum. Teaching and reinforcing positive behavior IS part of our curriculum, and Class Dojo can be the platform for positively encouraging it in our classrooms.

"It's easy to have Class Dojo pulled up and go to it during my lessons -- it helps my kids to self-motivate. I use the messenger portion to communicate with parents. I hardly ever upload a picture to Facebook, but I update my Dojo stories all the time." - Megan Gorski, 1st Grade Teacher at Mulberry Elementary School, NC

Kahoot!

Assessments are a heavy topic in today's classrooms ... and now they can be fun. Yes, I said it, FUN! Kahoot! offers a device-friendly, interactive way to quickly evaluate what students have learned. This tool is especially appealing to the teaching professional who needs a confidence-boost for using integrated classroom technologies. After creating one free educator account, students can participate simply by navigating to an assigned URL and joining with an associated code. There's no need for setting up individual student accounts or managing the dreaded student passwords! The visual, auditory, and tactile appeal of Kahoot! has the capacity for reaching a broad spectrum of learner diversities and can make the experience motivating, exciting, and engaging for students. It's also the perfect tool for nudging the hesitant tech-integrator towards technology greatness in their classroom.

"Kahoot is so easy to set up and use in the classroom, and trust me, I'm not a tech-savvy person at all. When I can implement Kahoot into my schedule, my students love playing and it gives me more confidence with using technology as a teaching tool." - Dustin Transou, 6th Grade Social Studies & Language Arts Teacher, East Wilkes Middle School, NC

Padlet

Not all assessments have to be of a summative nature. Some are casual, ongoing, and spur of the moment, like "Ticket Out The Door" activities. Padlet has taken this strategy to a whole new level, and, like Kahoot!, requires very little teacher maintenance. After creating a free account for themselves, teachers can create digital post-it boards where students respond, vote, inquire, etc. to a prompt or idea with virtual (no paper required) sticky notes. Teachers simply share the URL for their Padlet, or embed it on a webpage, and it becomes instantly available for student response. So the next time you're fishing around in your bag of tricks for a technology-shy colleague, be sure to reel this one in.

Piktochart

While considering the lack of materials money allotted these days, it makes total sense to move toward a digital form of poster-making. Piktochart engages teachers in a purposeful infusion of technology while scaffolding students towards higher-levels of critical thinking. Piktochart is an excellent medium for the creation of student-driven presentations where they get to be the expert. Teachers and students will need accounts to access and use the free resources from Piktochart, so for best results, technology coaches or tech-savvy peers should assist with this process -- the great news is that all parties can log in using their Google account; which is especially convenient for schools using Google Apps for Education. The completed student infographics will serve as the evidence your teachers need in order to say, "I CAN do this, I DID this, and I WILL do this again."

Weebly

Eventually, my teachers start looking for more opportunities to use technology. When this happens, I almost always recommend Weebly. After several successful experiences with quick, easy-to-manage web tools, a classroom web page doesn't seem so intimidating.

To get a web page up-and-going, start by brainstorming a vision and ask questions that will guide content. For example, ask, what important happenings from your classroom do you want to share? Are there important pieces of information that can be added for parents and students? What will the layout look like? And then most importantly, how can the site be used instructionally so that the learning in my classroom is redefined? The creation of a classroom web page is definitely a step in the right direction when moving toward a digital classroom culture, and Weebly is a great medium for getting there.

There are no stupid questions

We have all felt the pressure of trying something new, and with every educational trend comes another nudge pushing us away from our comfort zones. We've felt ashamed of asking questions, and we've probably been made to feel like our inquiries were "stupid." BUT, there are no stupid questions; just anxious teachers trying to feel their way through the digital world. When teachers develop security in their ability to seek out, test, and implement new strategies that involve technology, it's a victory for them, and their students.

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There is an old saying that begins, "If I had a nickel..." If I applied that saying to how often a teacher approached me for help but began with, "I have a stupid question," I'd have a lot of nickels.

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Module 6:  Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Module 6:  Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Infographic

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Library Resources | November 30, 2017

Learn how you can use infographics to enhance classroom instruction, student assessment and the promotion of school library resources.

Our world is more visual than ever before. Every day we encounter new information, much of it presented in charts, graphs and diagrams. Per the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards for the 21st Century Learner, an information literate student must be able to interpret and think critically about information presented in a variety of formats, including visual media. In addition, students must use visual literacy to "create products that express new understandings."

Infographics have become a popular form of visual media. They combine images, text and data to visually communicate a message, educate people about a subject or explain a problem or solution. Typically, infographics are easy to read and easy to understand. School librarians and other educators can use infographics as both instructional supports and assessment tools. In addition, infographics provide an engaging way to promote the use of school library resources.

Using Infographics in Instruction

Since our brains process the images we see much faster than the text we read, supplementing instruction with visuals is an effective strategy. Educators argue that students learn best when presented with information in multiple formats, so using infographics can make your teaching materials more accessible to all learners. To start, you could include infographics in your class syllabus, handouts, slide presentations and test review.

Infographics can also be used to teach students about the research process. "Infographics can be both starting points and culminating experiences for authentic learning," says Kathy Fredrick (2013). "As students are guided through a research process, infographics can be used as examples of how to approach a topic. They can also be used to foster learning about locating and interpreting information" (p. 24). Help students become more discerning about the information they find on the internet by creating infographics on how to spot fake news, apply the CRAAP test to an internet source, or tell the difference between scholarly and popular resources.

Librarians can help teachers in all curriculum areas to incorporate infographics into their instruction. For example, history teachers can create timelines of important events, math teachers can use infographics to present complex formulas, and science teachers can create infographics to teach processes such as photosynthesis or help students remember lab safety procedures. Finally, English language arts teachers can use infographics to help students recognize literary devices and figurative language. EBSCO's Literary Reference Center Plus™ and Poetry & Short Story Reference Center™ contain new infographic content ― such as character maps, short story plot maps and poetry word clouds ― to enhance teaching and learning. Click here to download three free literary infographics.

"When infographics are used in conjunction with activities that require reading and critical thinking, students develop important, transferable skills" (Lamb and Johnson, 2014, p. 65).

Using Infographics in Assessment

AASL's Standards for the 21st Century Learner ― as well as the Common Core State Standards and other state curricula ― ask students to draw on information from a text and conduct research to build and present knowledge. Giving students the option of synthesizing inquiry-based research and presenting their findings in the form of a creative infographic is a great alternative to the traditional writing assignment.

Says Fredrick, "Just as we want students to be able to synthesize what they've read into a summary, infographics can be used as visual representations of what has been learned" (p. 24). Jaeger (2012) agrees: "Creating infographics gives students the valuable purpose to read closely ― to be able to deeply understand the material to represent it [...] visually" (p. 18).

Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything includes an Infographics as Creative Assessment section providing links to resources that can help you develop formative or summative assessments that have students creating infographics to showcase their learning.

Using Infographics to Promote School Library Resources

To help students and faculty better understand the value of the school library, you can create a variety of infographics. Show students how to access library databases, conduct Boolean searches or find relevant books using your library's call numbers. (Here's a sample infographic of the Dewey Decimal System.)

You can create infographics that communicate statistics about your library, such as the size of your library collection or top books circulated. Infographics can also help students quickly learn your library's rules and procedures.

Five Fun and Free Tools for Creating Infographics

Canva
With a variety of ready-made templates to get you started, Canva is user-friendly. Once you select your template, simply type keywords into a search box and choose from hundreds of images to include in your infographic design. You can also add backgrounds, shapes, icons, photos, illustrations and text.

Easel.ly
This simple design tool provides free access to thousands of images and infographic templates. The drag-and-drop feature is easy to use, and your completed infographic can be downloaded for printing. AASL named it a 2015 Best Website for Teaching & Learning.

Infogr.am
Students and educators can use this tool to create charts, graphs, maps and other infographics. This tool is best to use if you have your data ready to go. The basic plan limits you to 10 infographics before prompting you to upgrade to the Pro version. Special pricing for educators is available.

Piktochart
Create long-form infographics, bar graphs, pie charts and more with free access to more than 4,000 images and icons. You can download your final masterpiece or share it using the tool's built-in social sharing options.

Venngage
This easy-to-use infographic maker lets you choose from more than 100 templates. The free plan lets you create only five infographics, but affordable individual and educator plans offering full access to all the tool's features are available.

References / Suggested Reading (all available via EBSCO's Library & Information Science Source™ database):

Abilock, D. & Williams, C. (2014, November/December). Recipe for an infographic. Knowledge Quest, 43(2), 46-55.
Evans, R. (2016, July/August). Infographics on the brain. Information Today, 4-8.
Fredrick, K. (2013, December). Visualize this: Using infographics in school libraries. School Library Monthly (30)3, 24-25.
Jaeger, P. (2012, August). Is a picture worth $2,500? School Library Journal, 58(8), 17-18.
Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2014). Infographics part 1: Invitations to inquiry. Teacher Librarian, 41(4), 54-58.
Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2014). Infographics part 2: Practical ideas for your school library. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 64-67.

Libraries, Literacy, Schools

Download Three Free Literary Infographics

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Infographics: Tools for Enhancing Instruction and Assessment

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Library Resources | November 30, 2017 Learn how you can use infographics to enhance classroom instruction, student assessment and the promotion of school library resources. Our world is more visual than ever before.

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Module 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Module 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Technology Toolbox

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Module 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning 

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Module 6: Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning 

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BLOG: Technology supporting Authentic Learning

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Education Week - Teaching Ahead: A Roundtable

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In my last post, I wrote about the potential value of education technology and how it can be used to give power and agency to students to tell their own stories. I got a glimpse of this transformation taking place in my class this quarter.

As I contemplated the goals at the beginning of the year, I knew I wanted my students to have authentic experiences as readers and writers. So this quarter, we have worked together to create a teen magazine. Our hope is that this project will inspire other classes to create similar work. (If you like what we've done, please share it widely and leave us a comment—we are eager to hear from you.)

This type of work in some ways is possible because our school, Science Leadership Academy, is a one-to-one laptop school. Having this kind of access to resources in and out of the classroom allowed us to do a number of things necessary to produce this magazine. For this project, we used our laptops and our school's wifi network to find articles to use as mentor texts, Skyped with a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and looked at excellent work produced by our own SLA Media. Access to technology allowed us to connect to resources we needed so that we could begin our work as budding writers and publishers—work that my students found uniquely engaging and valuable.

What are your thoughts on use of educational technology to give students opportunities to create, publish, and share their work? Do you have examples to share from your schools and communities? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks!

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Using Technology to Create Authentic Learning Experiences

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Meenoo Rami In my last post, I wrote about the potential value of education technology and how it can be used to give power and agency to students to tell their own stories. I got a glimpse of this transformation taking place in my class this quarter.

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Module 6:  Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Module 6:  Using Technology to Support Authentic Learning

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Using technology to focus on the real world

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Authentic learning focuses on real-world, complex problems and their solutions, with the help of problem-based activities, case studies, role-plays, etc. Students involved with authentic

learning cultivate skills such as, they develop judgment to distinguish between authentic and non-authentic information, the patience to analyze it, the ability to recognize and uncover patterns and the flexibility to work across cultural and disciplinary boundaries to generate effective solutions.

Though authentic learning is most effective when actually carried out in real-life scenarios and situations, it is now evident that its value is not constrained to real-life locations and practices and its benefits can be realized through carefully designed Web-based environments. These environments provide access to the same resources that are used in research; they can provide access to astronomical data, historical war archives, online access to remote instruments, databases, software visualizations, images, audio and much more. Apart from access to all kinds of resources, such Web-based environments should make sure that they facilitate collaboration, for which Web-based communication tools can be used. Social networking tools can help learners find a broader community where they can share information and resources.

Authentic learning can rely on education technology to develop typical scenarios that learners encounter in real-world settings. Apart from learning resources and communication tools these online authentic learning experiences often integrate intelligent tutoring systems, concept mapping, immediate feedback, recorded events and more.

Technological support for authentic learning environments commonly includes:

High-speed Internet connectivity to access multimedia information, including dynamic data and practical visualizations of complex phenomena.

Asynchronous and synchronous communication and social networking tools for teamwork, including collaborative online investigations, resource sharing and knowledge construction.

Intelligent tutoring systems, virtual laboratories, and feedback mechanisms that capture rich information about student performance and help students learn in new situations.

Mobile devices for accessing and recording data during field-based investigations.

There are new and emerging technologies that allow students to take part in activities and projects beyond the classroom and diminish the differences between learning in school and in the real-world. It has been established that students learn better when they solve real-life problems than when they learn through contextualized information. As a consequence, many schools are trying to re-organize curriculum and instruction to support authentic learning and are finding various technologies for the purpose. With existing computers and telecommunications, students can search vast databases, collect data, share it online and can also create multimedia reports with text, graphics, sound and video.

Existing technologies already are playing an important role in supporting authentic learning. One relevant area is that of computer-assisted telecommunications which can promote more authentic instruction in several ways. Students can do basic research beyond boundaries to make it more thorough. Telecommunications also allows collaborative learning allowing students to team up with students around the world and also have ready access to mentors and experts for guidance and support. Another technological area that supports authentic learning is multimedia, which allows them tosearch through multimedia resources, save pieces of text, video, and sound, and later synthesize them in new ways. Multimedia resources also reduced students' dependence upon textbooks as vital sources of information.

Experts have agreed upon that the process of creating more authentic and engaging curriculum must accompany the process of integrating the latest technological developments in schools. Educators should seek ways to take the most useful of technologies and make them available to their students. Educators can introduce authentic content, replacing textbooks with historical documents and scientific data from remote sensors. They can design problem-based activities to replace lectures and expect students to collaborate with one another. They can support innovation with visualizations, simulations, and interactive technologies and to make everything effective, must rethink their assessment strategies.

Authentic learning may be more important than ever in a rapidly changing world, where information is short-lived and individuals want to progress through multiple careers. By confronting students with uncertainty, ambiguity, and conflicting perspectives, educators can help them mature their thinking and make them able to use problem-solving approaches effectively. Authentic learning activities enhance reflective judgments and help develop a valuable lifelong skill that goes beyond just the memorization of context. To be competitive in the global job market, students must become comfortable with the complexities of real-world problems. Providing them more exposure to authentic disciplinary communities will make them better prepared to deal with ambiguities and put them into practice of higher order analysis that is required of them as professionals.

How do you think that technology can support and enhance authentic learning? Are you aware of any instances where it does? Share your views and knowledge with us. The Comment Box awaits you.

Educational technology blogger, loves to research and write about tools and tips for educators on how to integrate technology into everyday instruction creatively and effectively. Fond of reading and writing.

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how technology supports authentic learning

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How Technology Can Support Authentic Learning

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Authentic learning focuses on real-world, complex problems and their solutions, with the help of problem-based activities, case studies, role-plays, etc. Students involved with authentic learning cultivate skills such as, they develop judgment to distinguish between authentic and non-authentic information, the patience to analyze it, the ability to recognize and uncover patterns and the flexibility to work across cultural and disciplinary boundaries to generate effective solutions.

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Engaged Learning Resource

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In the The World is Flat, Friedman (2005) notes that students acquire the skills and commitment for lifelong learning so as to be "really adaptable." "Really adaptable" workers are resilient, patient, adaptable, persistent and responsible. They are self-directed learners with responsibility for their own learning.

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Making learning fun using technology Infographic

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How using technology can empower our students

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Empowering Students using Technology

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Module 4: Technology Integration Framework

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Module 4: Technology Integration Framework

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TIM Model

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The Technology Integration Matrix

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) provides a framework for describing and targeting the use of technology to enhance learning. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal-directed. These characteristics are associated with five levels of technology integration: entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation. Together, the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments and five levels of technology integration create a matrix of 25 cells, as illustrated below. All TIM descriptors apply equally well to online and face-to-face instruction, Developed by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) in 2005, the TIM is now in its third edition (2019).

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Module 4: Technology Integration Framework

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Module 4: Technology Integration Framework

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TPACK Infographic

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Module 4:  Technology Integration Framework

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Different Technology Integration Frameworks and Models

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Frameworks & Theories Archives - Educational Technology

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Frameworks, models and theories related to educational technology such as leaning theories (Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism) and theorists, instructional frameworks and models and other theoretical issues and problems.

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Module 4: Technology Integration Framework

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Module 4: Technology Integration Framework

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SAMR Model

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Module 4: Technology Integration Framework

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TPACK vs SAMR Infographic

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Module 3:  Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Module 3:  Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Blended Learning Trend

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I have often heard the adage, "In education, what's old is new again." While this is true of some initiatives, I've been in education long enough to know these strategies are improved upon as they come around each time. I also know that there are definite emerging trends that are completely new to the world of education for the current generation of students. I'm going to discuss four of the hottest right now, though they definitely have areas of overlap.

Blended Learning: The ongoing increase in technology integration continues to push learning towards blended platforms, allowing students a more personalized learning experience. I think we will see more virtual offerings where students don't need to be in a brick and mortar environment to pursue their learning interests. Blended learning takes on many different meanings depending on who you are speaking with. It has been defined by The Christensen Institute as, " The definition of blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns:

at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace;

at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home;

and the modalities along each student's learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience."

Blended learning strategies allow for maximizing personalized learning opportunities. Pflugerville ISD, Texas, had several students at one high school that wanted to take Arabic, but their school didn't offer that as a foreign language choice. Another school in the district, however, has it as a course offering. So, they put these eight students into a classroom with a German teacher during his planning period and the students video conference into the Arabic class at the other school each day. Another example includes an alternative school in Crowley ISD. A middle school math teacher utilizes OneNote and Khan Academy to allow his ever-changing student enrollment to work independently since they come to him at all different places in the curriculum. This frees him up to work individually with each student as the need arises. These are only two examples of how blended learning strategies open possibilities for all students' learning. Formative assessments taken digitally can provide immediate feedback to both the student and the teacher allowing them to be constantly adjusting instruction to best meet individual needs.

This actually means much of what was discussed in the blended learning section, but we are going to focus on the increase of 2. Virtual Learning: Virtual Learning Environments can be defined as " a set of teaching and learning tools designed to enhance a student's learning experience by including computers and the Internet in the learning process." Google Expeditions is even providing free AR opportunities through their Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences in the classroom. Google Cardboard created one of the first opportunities for students and teachers to take advantage of virtual field trips via virtual reality platforms. Real field trips are not always logistically or financially possible (especially if we are talking about visiting landmarks on the other side of the world.) Herein lies the beauty of virtual field trips. Students can "visit" the White House, The Louvre, a desert in Africa, and so on. These opportunities expose our children to places and events they would otherwise never experience. There are many different companies and websites that provide VR lessons, and many are starting to come out with augmented reality options, as well. AR Pioneers program. has developed a similar product for headsets and lessons taking you virtually around the world. Some other blogs have written extensively about other free options for virtual field trips. Check these out for more ideas and share the wealth:

The benefits of tapping into these resources are exponential!

3. Authentic Learning Experiences: Now many of you might say this isn't an "emerging trend" but has been an area of best practice for years. I won't argue with that. The widespread implementation of Project Based Learning and Genius Hour , however, is still catching on in many areas. Anytime we can tap into a student's personal interests, we up the authenticity of instruction. In addition to Genius Hour, Writer's and Reader's Workshop also allows for student choice, as well, as personalized instruction during conferences to drive student learning when and where they need it most.

We hear a lot about real-world problems. Here are two snapshots (one from high school, and one from kindergarten) that are fantastic examples of addressing real issues.

Ms. Cox, Spartanburg 5 in South Carolina, is a kindergarten teacher. She noticed during a zoo field trip last year that the students just kind of ran around all day. While she knows the zoo is a valuable experience for the kindergartners, she just didn't see much learning being done. She decided to do something different for this school year's trip. This year, prior to the trip, the students will select an animal to study. They will learn about it's living needs (food, adequate enclosure space, etc). Partnering with an engineering class at the high school, the kindergartners will then work on designing a model of a proper zoo enclosure for their animal, creating it on a 3-D printer. They will also use measurements and build a life-sized model of their animal, choosing from a variety of mediums. Ms. Cox is then working on having people from the zoo come in to hear the final presentations from the students to give them an authentic audience.

Mr. Patterson is an engineering teacher at a CTE high school in Crowley, TX. He had a real problem that needed solved. His wife has a hard top Jeep and it usually takes four adults to remove the top. He tasked his students to work with partners to design a lift to remove the top. First, they drew designs in CAD.Then, they chose from five different types of materials to build a prototype of the design. After that, they presented their ideas to the class, and as a whole, they voted on the one to actually build. The teacher provided all of the materials for the actual lift since this was something his wife would be using. It was a huge success and took his students through every phase of the design process, while also giving them the satisfaction from building the lift.

4. Learning Space Design: This is in the early stages of really taking center stage. The easiest way to consider changing your learning space design is through flexible seating. I see this done all the time in elementary classes. Teachers will have spaces around the room where students can sit on pillows, or at tables, or at desks. They even have various items to sit on (exercise balls, crates, stools, chairs, even five-gallon buckets!). Elementary teachers have embraced the benefits of collaborative seating arrangements for years, as well. Sadly, these ideas are often missing in many secondary classrooms. Desks in rows with no other options for seating is still the norm for the majority of middle and high schools. I have had the pleasure of seeing some newly built and/or newly renovated high schools, however, that are working hard towards embracing the science behind learning space design. In these buildings, we see comfortable seating with charging stations, commons spaces throughout the school for students to work with each other, small conference rooms for group projects, and more modular seating options within the classrooms, as well. I recently read The Space: A Guide for Educators by Robert Dillon and Rebecca Louise Hare. It's a fantastic read that is about so much more than just learning space design. I often recommend it to educators I'm working with because of the inherent pedagogy that weaves throughout the discussions on design. I'm won't give away the details of the book, but one big takeaway I had was in the need for quiet space in today's classrooms. By that, I don't just mean audibly quiet, but space that is left uncluttered for the mind to quiet itself. These spaces are often missing in many elementary classrooms. There is a lot of validity to hanging anchor charts in the classroom, but I'm struck by how every blank wall space, cabinet space, bulletin board space, door space (you get the point) is covered in anchor charts, student work, motivational posters, or cute decorations. Trust me, I had one of those classrooms. I wanted to create "our" space with my students. While that is great, there still needs to be a corner somewhere that's left free of clutter for students who would benefit from a designated location to settle their brains in order to forge new learning.

We can call these trends, but they really are just part of an ongoing conversation around best practices in teaching and learning. This is an exciting time to be part of the educational landscape, shaping the experiences our students get to have each day. Let's make these experiences engaging and the effects long-lasting.

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Four Emerging Trends in Education to Keep An Eye On

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I have often heard the adage, "In education, what's old is new again." While this is true of some initiatives, I've been in education long enough to know these strategies are improved upon as they come around each time.

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Module 3:  Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Module 3:  Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Technology Trends

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1. TREND #1: Cyber Security for kids

2. TREND #2: Era of Relative Truth

3. TREND #3: Data and Cloud

4. TREND #4: Technology and BYOD

5. TREND#5: Gamification of Learning

6. TREND #6: Augmented Reality and Emerging Tech

7. TREND#7: Creative Makerspaces

1.Anxiety, cyber-bullying and other challenges for today's youth

To start, I want to recap on a range of topics that are among the key challenges for today's students and young adults. Firstly, there is cyber-bullying. Not a new phenomenon itself, it has recently been shown that 42% of US students have been threatened online at least once, and that half of all victims fail to communicate their problems to teachers or parents[1]. As schools slowly adopt 1:1 device spread or Bring-Your-Own-Device-programs (BYOD), more of these incidents occur within school hours and -facilities.

Secondly, there is student anxiety. Partially due to the era of high-stakes standardized testing (compare Jeremy S. Adams on The Educators Room [2]) that treats students as an anonymous mass in a one-fits-all-approach, and the extreme stress often connected to that, students become increasingly prone to anxiety, fear of failing tests, fainting in class and seemingly insuperable mental blockades. Individual strengths are not often enough recognized and fostered by the prevalent systems, and students are falsely categorized as less capable than others upon generic criteria and assessment methods.

Especially students that have difficulties to make friends quickly and blend in with their class, have trouble to keep up with the curriculum or feel unappreciated as human beings in their school find solace and retreat in virtual online spaces that are largely out of the reach of adults' control. Further increasing isolation and often encouraging feelings of being an outsider, this can then lead to dangerous or even life-threatening situations in the form of self-harm and suicidal tendencies. Paraphrasing Jeremy Adams, one can say that after all, the opportunities for new ways of learning that emerge from progress are endless, but so are the opportunities for reckless and dangerous behaviour.

There are countless other issues connected to this, many of which revolve around mental health, but at this point we want to direct the reader towards the solutions that are out there for the problems that are a side-effect of the great benefits that technology has for education: As a first example, activity on school devices can be monitored with the respective software, which can detect when students bully others online, are being bullied or when dangerous situations emerge, such as when searching for ways of suicide online. After all, being proactive in detecting and deterring students' problems has become a key responsibility of the modern educator on the individual, school and district level

2.Politicized schools and the era of relative truth

Moving slowly from more social issues to technology, the next big topic that has to appear on this list is the issue of schools becoming hotspots for political discussions and the source of political movements such as the Parkland survivors' #neveragain-movement . Schools nowadays are "at the intersection of division and discord", to quote Jeremy Adams again. From transgender bathrooms to gun-law discussions, equal rights issues and environmental protection, the topics that have found their way into the classroom, not at last because of parents' and teachers' individual efforts to spread their beliefs, are countless.

It, therefore, seems like some educators need to be reminded that, in school, what should be taught is not what to think, but how to think. Being aware and considerate of the big range of possible opinions on complex topics should be a core goal of every teacher, along with abolishing narrow-mindedness and age-old beliefs.

The same is true for what is often called 'helicopter parents'. Nowadays, we are drifting towards a system in which the student can never be wrong, and towards a parent community that incites major conflicts because of a students' feeling of being treated unfair, or the teacher being "disrespectful" to them.

We are not saying that this is never true, as we just pointed out that not enough students speak up about their problems in school. What we are saying is that, in this time and age, where fake news dominate the (social) media landscape and reason and facts are no longer viewed as the objective truth, there is a certain need to remind students that, although everyone is entitled to his or her own feelings, these feelings do not justify groundless accusations or disruptive behaviour and can not be allowed to be used as a tool for making teachers' lives unnecessarily tough[2].

3.Data Analytics and Cloud Computing

At this point, I doubt that there are educators out there that have never heard about at least one of these words, as they have been around for some time. Anyway, they act as the first of the bridges that we want to span to connect the problems listed so far, with the solutions offered by technology.

The point where it becomes incredibly hard for the average, human educator to identify individual student's strengths, weaknesses and problem areas, is the point where data analytics and algorithms come in. Tracking, monitoring and analysing large pools of data allows conclusions regarding the holistic performance (and performance growth or decline) of single students, classes or schools in various fields, compare them and, for example, identify best practices.

Understanding your students better should be a constant aim of yours, simply because you as a teacher or parent care about them and their academic success. In the end, your success as a teacher will always be measured upon the basis of your students' success. And like with every good research that aims to understand something better, the most consistent findings can be made through observable, empirical data, viewed and evaluated by an attentive researcher.

Cloud computing then on the other hand makes it possible to share this data online, view it from multiple devices at the same time and even open it up to parents or other relevant bodies, decreasing the risk of the accusations based on relative truth occurring. Software like Google Classroom allows you to share tasks and answers, homework and other data with your student so it is accessible from home, ending the times of homework "getting eaten by dogs" and allowing direct access to and sharing of online resource in classroom discussions.

4.Technology to create, 1:1 networks and BYOD trends

As mentioned before, 1:1 device spread is becoming increasingly popular, and so are BYOD programs as a way to ensure this spread without schools having to pay a fortune for new devices. Here, educators should also be aware that an alternative to trying to raise funds for new devices is buying refurbished ones, which, once a reliable supplier is found, usually perform equally good as new ones and can often even reduce the probability of failures occurring, as they have already been refurbished completely and potential weak points have been 'reinforced'.

What do we now mean with technology to create? Well, there are two sides from which every online platform or network can be used: You can consume content, and/or you can create content . However, there seems to be a general trend among children and teenagers in recent years to consume more than to create, with big YouTube channels consolidating millions of subscribers and popular social media influencers being one of the top choices for promotion channels among businesses today. This imbalance results in many adults perceiving devices solely as a distraction from life and education, as something very unhealthy that leads to social media addictions.

Not regarding whether you belong to this group or not, is has to be pointed out that technology is being developed to facilitate, accelerate and enhance aspects of our life, and this holds true for content creation. The possibilities that mobile devices offer for creating educational resources on the teachers', and for doing homework and preparing creative presentation or videos on the students' side are endless, and it has already been shown that students, who are usually reluctant to speak to the teacher in class, often excel in preparing video recordings as answers to questions, where they feel safe and can start over again as many times as they want. This then acts as a first step to integrate them better into the classroom society and make them realize their own strengths, strongly cutting the probability of developing depression and anxiety.

The range of tools available is endless, and you definitely should start looking for the ones that suit you best. To start, have a look at Jennifer Gonzales' list of the six best EdTech tools of 2018 . All of them are so simple, yet so amazingly promising, and all of them have an incredible potential to empower children to express their own individuality and personality, discover their own strengths and learn with fun.

5.Games and gamification in Teaching

Yes, games and gaming has been around a long time, and so have learning games, and there generally are very mixed feeling towards all of these topics. But long gone are the days of games being a pure recreational tool; today, gaming has found its way into the business world in what is called 'Gamification' and is being used to increase productivity and motivation by e.g. designing incentive programs for employees that feature rewards, leader boards and badges and not uncommonly are mobile-enabled.

Being defined as the "integration of gaming elements, mechanics and frameworks into non-game situations and scenarios"[3], Gamification has been shown to stimulate very fast learning and enhance productivity and creativity as competition is paired with fun, and gamification elements are quickly gaining support by educators. The potential benefits that have already been linked to gamification make for a long list and include e.g. increased participation, engagement and loyalty.

There are several ways to bring gamification into your classroom, from establishing an Experience Point (EXP) System that features different levels of skill mastery to awarding students with badges. No matter how involved you yourself are with gaming and how much you know about common game elements, there is always a way to make your grading system or homework collection more interesting by integrating colourful or creative elements and spicing up the vocabulary used for the procedures and systems used in your classroom with terms that are closer and more familiar to your students. For example, make the homework a treasure hunt or 'quest' or let your students work towards the completion of a progress bar (like e.g. the progress bar used by LinkedIn to incentivize you to complete your profile) over the academic year. There really are no limits to your own creativity once you start brainstorming.

6.Augmented Reality & Immersive learning environments. Technology Trend

Then, within a stone's throw of Gamification, there lies the area of Mixed Reality technologies, a word that acts as an umbrella term for all the immersive technologies like Virtual Reality (see for example Oculus VR or the PlayStation VR System) and Augmented Reality (Snapchat Animal Filters, the new iPhone X animated emojis or even Pokémon Go).

While Virtual Reality, where the user completely "enters" a virtual scenario by isolating him/herself from their environment with a headset, is usually rather unsuitable for in-classroom use, the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) is massive. Augmented Reality, as the word says, augments or enhances your real-life environment by analysing it through the camera of a device and then adding digital elements to it, which are usually triggered once a particular real-life element has been detected (also called a 'marker').

These technologies can then be used to mimic realistic situations as an innovative approach to training and teaching learners in all types of setting and industry and apply their skills to real, yet risk-free situations. The field of Immersive Learning Environments (ILEs) is composed of various learning techniques, including 3D visualization technologies and simulations, many of which have been shown to strongly foster student engagement and accelerate knowledge and skill acquisition (based on a study conducted by the United States National Library of Medicine). Looking at the emerging consensus that ILEs are among the best ways to become familiar with topics that are difficult to explain and visualize on a 2D-medium, such as anatomy, architecture and industrial production systems, understanding that the same holds true for children who are e.g. trying to understand geometrical shapes seems like a no-brainer.

At this point we would like to direct you at our own business, CleverBooks, a Dublin-based provider of cost-effective Augmented Reality solutions for primary education, focusing on bringing subjects to life through 3D visualization. We have just released our Geography World Map with AR that can be viewed through our free mobile apps and which, besides its' normal function as a paper world map, includes a digital, AR layer that can be explored by students and with which they can learn about the plants, animals, countries and cultural landmarks that can be found in the different regions of our planet. All our products are curriculum-based and function as a comprehensive supplementary teaching aids to your normal teaching resources, and can lead to tremendous learning in 5 key skills that kids will need for the jobs of the 21 st century . Getting familiar with our products takes less than an hour, and teachers can start implementing them the next day.

7.Creative Makerspaces as Back to School

With this last topic, we want to complete the small journey which we started looking at the problems of today's education system, ending with one of the most innovative ways to cope with them and adapt education to our modern age.

Creative Makerspaces, also called FabLabs, Hackerspaces or similar, are workshop-like areas that allow students to explore their own capabilities and fantasy with the help of most innovative technological equipment. Often used as creative business environments for start-up founders and innovators to gather around and generate the ideas of tomorrow, the same kind of collaborative, tangible experience revolving around creating and inventing can be achieved in schools. 64% of middle school students believe that technology makes their learning more interesting, and an environment that acts like a library equipped with a 3D-printer, a range of creative computer software and hardware and other equipment for creative arts like drawing or sculpting therefore can be of incredible value.

With the adoption of STEM-policies in many countries in recent years, makerspace should be given additional attention, especially when they can be combined with ILEs and Mixed Reality Tech. An accessible learning environment that motivates intentional play and "safe risk", one that is inclusive and flexible and based on most innovative technology holds the potential to draw huge numbers of kids towards science and technology, topics which can be so hard to make interesting for teachers otherwise, and can be so much fun to explore when the right visualization techniques are used.

The downside to this, obviously, is the cost of this kind of high-tech equipment. Although 3D printers and many comparable devices have become much more affordable in recent years, teachers and schools on a tight budget should especially be looking at virtual, online makerspaces that usually provide an excellent selection of creative software and can, just like physical makerspaces, contribute strongly to children finding their own individual approach towards knowledge retention, discovering their strengths and interests and to experience truly valuable, collaborative learning.
To close this off
All of these 7 topics entail enormous potential for further research and discussion, and the best we can do in this article is to give you an overview of what issues to investigate further. In the end, it comes down to the effort that the individual teacher or parent makes to keep up, and we believe that it is among the duties of the modern educator to never stop learning, themselves.

What are the biggest problems in your class, school, district or country? What are the challenges that you are facing as an educator, or see your students or children face in this digital, rapidly-paced time and age? What value do you see in the technologies listed here, and what other solutions are you wishing for?
Please note that none of the research cited in this article has been conducted by the author himself or CleverBooks Ltd. and that the full copyright remains with the authors of the sources listed below. Should you encounter problems with the way your article or findings are displayed in this article, please do not hesitate to contact me at sales@cleverbooks.eu and we will solve your query together.
Sources, References and proposed further reading

[1] Ascione, L. at https://www.eschoolnews.com/2018/01/05/industry-experts-10-education-trends-2018/

Gilbert, G. (2016) at http://www.precioustatus.com/new-technology-trends-in-education/

[3] Huotari, K., & Hamari, J (2012), "Defining Gamification - A Service Marketing Perspective"

Holloway, S. (2017) at https://tophat.com/blog/gamification-education-class/

Kominiak, T. (2016) at https://www.k12insight.com/trusted/whats-next-for-education-emerging-tech-trends-for-2017/

New Media Centres Website at https://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-technology-outlook-for-STEM-education.pdf

[2] Strauss, V. (2018) at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/04/18/ten-problems-teachers-did-not-have-to-deal-with-a-decade-ago/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.42ff08a2a0ee

Nelson, P. (2016) at https://www.networkworld.com/article/3092446/smartphones/we-touch-our-phones-2617-times-a-day-says-study.html

Raupp, A. (2017) at https://www.siliconrepublic.com/careers/stem-education-emerging-trends

Please feel free to like, share, and especially comment; we would love to hear your case or your point of view.

From A for "Augmented Reality" to Z for "Zero-training technologies": The 7 big topics you must know about to not fall behind as an educator in 2018/2019

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Back to School Technology Trends for Teaching and Learning. FAQ

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TREND #1: Cyber Security for kids TREND #2: Era of Relative Truth TREND #3: Data and Cloud TREND #4: Technology and BYOD TREND#5: Gamification of Learning TREND #6: Augmented Reality and Emerging Tech TREND#7: Creative Makerspaces To start, I want to recap on a range of topics that are among the key challenges for today's students and young adults.

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Module 3: Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Module 3: Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Video on how technology is changing the classroom

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Augmented Reality in the Classroom Certification Training

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Module 3:  Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Module 3:  Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Article on the transformation of trends

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This is a continuation of my series looking at how digital transformation has impacted every industry. Today's focus is on educational trends.

Educators from all grade-levels are coming to realize the benefits of technology in the classroom. Typically, education is one of the last industries to make extensive change, holding on to antiquated methods and practices. But through the digital transformation and the rise of educational technology, teachers have begun making drastic changes to their instruction, assessments, even the physical make-up of their classrooms, and at a much faster rate than expected. These current trends are making headlines in education because of the ways in which they are impacting student learning:
Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality / Mixed Reality
Gone are the days where students are expected to sit quietly at their desks. Educational technology is succeeding in making learning collaborative and interactive. Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality are examples of transformative technology that enhance teacher instruction while simultaneously creating immersive lessons that are fun and engaging for the student. Virtual reality has the capability of bringing the outside world into the classroom and vice versa. Apps such as Unimersiv can transport students to ancient Greece, while Cospaces allows students to share their virtual creations with the world. Wilkes University online adjunct professor and independent educational technologist Kathy Schrock concludes virtual reality has the potential to increase visual literacy, technology literacy, and attention to audience. The idea of combining AR/VR/MR is highly anticipated. Take, for example, the privately owned company Magic Leap. Even though it has yet to really sell anything, Magic Leap is already valued at four and a half billion dollars! This speaks to the projected endless possibilities of technology transforming classrooms.
Classroom Set of Devices
Schools are moving away from BYOD, or bring your own device, and students no longer have to go to the technology lab for access to a computer or laptop. Recent years have shown an increase in classroom sets of computers that was made possible in part by federal funding. Title I schools have received funds via The Every Student Succeeds Act, and several grants and donations have outfitted classrooms all over the country with iPads and laptops for each student. Google Chromebooks account for over half of the devices in US classrooms. In 2014, more than three million Chromebooks were used in educational institutions. As that number continues to grow, so does the need for increased focus on programs that teach digital citizenship skills. Today's pervasive online environment poses exciting possibilities, ones that necessitate students are properly educated on cyber safety and individual responsibility.
Redesigned Learning Spaces
Walk into most classrooms across the country and it's unlikely you'll find rows of desk all pointing toward the front of the room. Educators have since realized their classrooms must mimic the workforce, which has inspired them to create collaborative-friendly spaces to facilitate student learning. The onboarding of technology has supported their endeavor. 21 st century classrooms are SMARTboards instead of chalkboards and pods of SMARTdesks instead of individual seating. Students are going on virtual field trips instead of merely reading from a text; they are creating media instead of just looking at it. The redesigned learning space is laden with integrated technology, which means students aren't just using these things, but they are understanding how to use them in order to achieve a specific goal. Moreover, some of these learning spaces aren't even in the classroom. Colleges and universities are creating more informal campus learning spaces because they understand the importance of creating and collaborating 24/7, not just when class is in session.
Artificial Intelligence
The use of AI in higher education has already proven useful. Australia's Deaken University used IBM Watson to create a virtual student advisory service that was available 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Watson's virtual advisors fielded more than 30,000 questions in the first trimester, freeing up the actual advisors to handle more advanced issues. Another use for AI includes chatbots. Because chatbots are equipped with Natural Language Progression, as found in Siri, they have the human capability of answer questions about homework, helping students through a paperwork process like financial aid or paying bills, and easing the workload of the people who would normally serve these roles. Other applications of AI in education include personalizing learning (which is discussed in more detail below), evaluating the quality of curriculum and content, and facilitating one-on-one tutoring with the use of Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Technology doesn't aim to replace teachers, only to complement them.
Personalized Learning
We are able to personalize learning more now than ever. From school choice - public, private, charter, virtual - to the options available for how a student learns, education can be tailor-made to suit each individual. Blended learning gives more responsibility to the student, as it involves less direct instruction from the teacher and more discovery-based methods of learning. Blended learning is an example of how students can control certain elements of their learning by making decisions about things like where and at what pace they move through material. Adaptive learning is similar to blended in that it, too, allows students to make decisions about things like the timeframe and path of their learning. Adaptive learning technology collects information about student behavior as they're answering questions, and then subsequently uses that information to provide instant feedback in order to adjust the learning experience accordingly. Educational tools with adaptive SEQUENCE continually analyze student data in real-time and make split second decisions based on that data. It automatically changes what comes next in a sequence, be it altered content or a different order of skills, in response to how student a student is performing. Another learning platform, Osmosis, was created by doctors for doctors and has revolutionized the way medical students study: "Using evidence-based educational concepts such as questions, flashcards, and videos, images correlated with memory anchors, adaptive spaced repetition, collaborative learning and gamification, Osmosis maximizes learning and retention." Such personalization is turning education into a "choose-your-own-adventure" method of learning, capitalizing on student interest and engagement.
Gamification
Playing and learning collide when classrooms utilize gaming as an instructional tool. Gaming technology makes learning difficult subject matter more exciting and interactive. As the technology progresses, it is quickly being used to enhance educational games in every discipline. Drexel University's Senior Vice President of Online Learning, Susan Aldridge, credits these games with mirroring real life issues, requiring students to use a valuable skillset to solve them: "These virtual game worlds provide a unique opportunity to apply new knowledge and make mission-critical decisions, while identifying obstacles, considering multiple perspectives and rehearsing various responses." Because these games are designed to provide immediate feedback, students are intrinsically motivated to keep playing them, honing skills throughout.

New technology and new learning models are exciting and offer previously unthinkable possibilities to students, but they require constant IT support. As educational institutions continue to jump on the bandwagon and adopt these digital transformation trends, we must consider the current paradigm for technology instruction and move toward a team-based approach. As student expectations increase, responsiveness to those needs must increase as well.

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Top 6 Digital Transformation Trends In Education

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This is a continuation of my series looking at how digital transformation has impacted every industry. Today's focus is on educational trends. Educators from all grade-levels are coming to realize the benefits of technology in the classroom. Typically, education is one of the last industries to make extensive change, holding on to antiquated methods and practices.

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Module 3:  Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Module 3:  Current and Emerging Trends in Technology Integration

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Emerging Trends in the 21st Century

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With the advent of new technologies being infused in school curricula, educators and school leaders are beginning to rethink all facets of data in the classroom. New, innovative methods of data collection are continually being developed, which offer new options for ongoing formative, culminating summative and alternative assessments. Yet what precisely do nouveau " research-based instructional strategies " entail? Although challenges in curriculum design may arise due to advanced technology integration, schools are nonetheless embracing the future. Here are five emerging trends for 21 st -century classrooms.
1) App Innovation and Gamification
As a result of the recent explosion in education-related apps, educators can decipher students' interests, academic passions and "trouble spots" more readily and in real-time to differentiate and fine-tune instruction. MIT App Inventor, for example, enables students to create their own apps in the comfort of their classrooms. The app offers training for students, a forum and additional support for educators, and a " " for students to create their own apps. At the same time, education-related games that enhance skills in English language arts and other subjects have exploded in popularity, such as " Mathalicious " and " Get the Math ," which provide practical, true-to-life experiences. As students become comfortable utilizing online games to learn, educators can entice students via new apps to fine-tune skill-specific areas, such as mathematics and science.
2) Digital Literacy
Creating a digital literacy curriculum can be based on students' developmental stages, and educators should be cognizant of both the risks (such as distractions) and myriad learning opportunities that technology integration and utilization in the classroom may provide. With increasing numbers of teachers using technology in the classroom and schools permitting students to become engaged with content via digital literacy, some schools are adopting formal digital literacy curriculum and digital literacy plans. Perhaps as a result, Google has published a plethora of resources about understanding digital literacy and digital citizenship , including YouTube videos, teacher's guides and lesson plans.

Digital literacy may encompass simple student tasks, such as creating classroom presentations, or more intricate, collaborative work, such as video clip creations or posting online " " using digital tools. The field of digital literacy will continue to grow in importance in the coming years as new approaches to learning via new technologies are embraced.
3) Library Media Specialists
Across the United States, and indeed throughout the world, libraries are increasingly becoming local technology hubs. Since libraries offer myriad services which require some knowledge of technology and how to access the internet, librarians' job descriptions and key responsibilities have drastically changed.

Library Media Specialists today remain informed about new technologies and research methods, and how students (and the general public) integrate digital formats into their work. In a separate, newfound administrative role, Library Media Specialists have many new responsibilities. They not only must establish technology policies and become responsible for budget oversight, but they must also plan the physical and virtual library space, and create a welcoming, positive and innovative atmosphere . Considering how new digital formats should be arranged in new workstations and deciding which specific formats to choose could affect physical layout, budget planning and alignment and common space issues.

They also evaluate and produce information through the active use of a broad range of tools, resources and information technologies , and (particularly at the high school and collegiate levels) may also integrate technology into the curriculum, which requires a keen understanding of how new technologies enhance the learning process for students while adhering to rigorous state standards. Library Media Specialists will continue to grow in importance as technology is integrated into 21 st- century school curriculum.
4) Self-Directed Professional Development
In recent years, we have seen an increase in self-directed professional development (PD) for educators that includes interactive online webinars, or videos and other content that may be streamed through web browsers. One recently-published offers a tempting feast of online options for educators to choose from. Since states are increasingly demanding that certified educators update their skills to remain in compliance with ethical and legal guidelines and become familiar with the latest standards, some school districts are turning to self-directed, online modules to provide educators opportunities to complete interactive learning components to remain abreast of the latest developments in education.
5) Collaborative Learning
New applications are making it easier for classroom teachers to be both innovative and interactive, and this trend is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. From Google Docs to interactive whiteboards to new applications that create quizzes and activities, this is an exciting time for collaborative learning in education.

Kahoot is one new application worth highlighting. At no cost for educators to download and install, educators may conceive of fun quizzes and learning activities to enhance student engagement. According to one review, this management system enables educators more flexibility in managing students' learning and documenting progress from any device .

" Educreations Interactive Whiteboard" by Edmodo is another way for both educators and students alike to assess, jointly present, or partake in interactive activities . Unlike "Kahoot," however, which is available gratis, the "Educreations Interactive Whiteboard" is available for individual classroom purchase from Edmodo for $11.99/month.

New technologies have been a boon for school leaders and educators seeking to collaborate and hone their skills. Advancements in technology should continue to enhance collaborative learning, along with improving dynamic group presentations, in 21 st -century school settings.

For more emerging trends in education, see:
Scott Freiberger has been an educator, school-wide instructional mentor and teacher trainer, and is completing his third master's degree, this one in School Leadership. Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update

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5 Emerging Trends in 21st-Century Education | Getting Smart

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With the advent of new technologies being infused in school curricula, educators and school leaders are beginning to rethink all facets of data in the classroom. New, innovative methods of data collection are continually being developed, which offer new options for ongoing formative, culminating summative and alternative assessments.

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Module 2:  Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Module 2:  Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Using Collabrify FLipbook in action

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Module 2: Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Module 2: Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Collabrify Flipbook tool for students to collaborate in creating drawings and animations

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University of Michigan - University of North Texas

Elliot Soloway - Cathie Norris

For further information, please contact Elliot at imlc-info@umich.edu

Also: please tap on "support" to download our articles
We gratefully acknowledge Lucas Education Research for its support of the Multiple Literacies in Project Based Learning Project. PI: Dr. J. Krajcik, Michigan State University, MSU CREATE for STEM, Co-PI's: Dr. Annemarie Palincsar, University of Michigan, and Emily Miller, Independent Consultant As well, we wish to acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation (#1123965, #1249312)

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University of Michigan - University of North Texas Elliot Soloway - Cathie Norris For further information, please contact Elliot at imlc-info@umich.edu Also: please tap on "support" to download our articles We gratefully acknowledge Lucas Education Research for its support of the Multiple Literacies in Project Based Learning Project. PI: Dr. J.

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Module 2:  Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Module 2:  Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Tool that supports students and teachers in working together on documents, editing, and provides feedback in real time for mathematics

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Scratchwork goes beyond the traditional online whiteboard model with usage scenarios designed specifically for classrooms and engineering teams and an api for developers.

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Module 2: Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Module 2: Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Students answering questions about technology in the classroom

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The White House Student Film Festival: Technology in Classrooms

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Segments of unscripted interviews of K-12 students answering questions about technology in the classrooms of today and tomorrow. Produced and edited by Liam Trumble: liamtrumble.com

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Module 2: Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Module 2: Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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An article on the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom