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Great Websites From A Tech PD

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Introducing Technology to Young Children

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10 examples of modern classroom technology

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The technology industry has progressed exponentially over the last few decades and has been adding tools to help teachers reach their students. Greater accessibility has made technology a viable option for teachers to include in their education plans. In fact, a survey conducted by PBS Learning Media found that 74 percent of teachers across the United States wanted tech in their classrooms.

Educators have said the benefits that come with having and using technology in schools includes expanding on and reinforcing lesson content and motivating students to learn. It also gives teachers the option to reach students with different learning styles.

Teachers grapple with having to cover an array of subjects in different methods so that students are able to grasp and understand the content. Now there are some modern-day tech tools that make this job easier.

This is where technology can make a big difference. With a variety of innovative ways to teach and learn, modern technology does indeed offer methods for different students, including gaming for visual learners.

Top 10 tech tools that teachers should have

Classcraft uses these same gaming principles to engage students in the educational process and create a more harmonized learning environment. The platform encourages students to work together as they build academic and social skills. Classcraft is free and also has a paid version, which offers teachers a suite of additional features.

Children learn best through play, and designers know this, which is why they have designed education games and activities to stimulate the young brain and impart knowledge. By engaging children and immersing them in the subject matter in a fun way, teachers can help their students develop a love of learning.

One of the most exciting ways for students to engage in content is to practice teaching it themselves. Spark Video is an app that kids can use to create their own instructional videos.

Part of Adobe's Spark platform, the program comes with ready-made templates, images, and sounds to inspire. Students can develop their own subject-related narrated video, which can reinforce the learning they have done throughout the year.

This creative, learning portfolio system enhances communication between teachers, parents, and administrators. With a variety of activities to choose from, teachers can select an assignment or create their own.

Once students have completed the task, they can add their work to their personal portfolio, which can be shared with mom and dad. One of the best features of this app is the lack of paperwork for teachers.

Google's answer to learning management in school, the Google Classroom app enables teachers to organize various tasks from a single digital location. Instructors are able to give assignments, surveys, and quizzes, grade students' work, and more.

By offering its product for free, Google Classroom aims to make it possible for all school districts to streamline their learning experience.

Many of us likely remember that feeling of excitement when the school television was rolled into their classroom. These days, it couldn't be easier to get video in the classroom to make it easier for students to learn.

YouTube is full of creative videos that can help your visual learners grasp concepts including math, coding, and science. Managing an account is easy and can be linked to your Google account. With this online tool, teachers can create their own personal instruction videos for their classrooms or compile collected clips into subject-matter playlists.

Virtual reality (VR) is an exciting development in the tech world and helps bring concepts to life through its immersive approach. Teachers can use Nearpod VR to enhance lessons on history, life sciences, or just about any subject matter through a VR experience.

Nearpod VR contains over 450 virtual tours and can help students explore the world, grasp the realities of life in ancient China, the concept of natural selection in the animal world, or anything in between.

Through the Venngage app, students can create their own infographics to present information, data, or knowledge. It was developed to be a straightforward and easy way to introduce data set discovery.

Venngage can assist students in the learning process by bringing statistics to life. Rather than create the presentation from scratch, Venngage comes equipped with templates to guide the process and help students create a visually appealing addition to their work.

Even in the digital world, writing skills are still key to success for any student. However, not everyone loves the written word. So Kidblog made it fun by allowing kids to create their own journal-like entries in a safe space.

Nothing that goes up on the site is made public unless the teacher approves it. Students can also add photos, videos, or audio content to their post either by uploading their own clip or using one of the licensed pieces.

Access the most up-to-date discoveries and inventions in the STEM arena with Science360 videos. The clips on the website are also free to embed on any other sites, blogs, or social network platforms, making them an ideal addition to projects.

Science360 focuses on the biggest news stories in science, technology, engineering, math, and more so that students can see how discoveries are made and what it means for their world.

For the creative-minded in the classroom, Canva offers tools for teachers and students to use to augment the learning process. Kids can create modern-looking posters, presentations, and documents with the ease of the click-and-drop method.

Canva has over a million images, icons, and templates that can inspire students to be creative with their graphic designs.

Implementing these tools can transform a student's education journey

The technology industry has been developing more and more advanced tools to bring learning to life and help students develop a respect and appreciation for education. The top trends in today's classrooms have leaned toward gamification products like Classcraft and task management platforms like Google Classroom.

Even if budgets are tight for teachers, simply implementing just a couple of these tools can transform a students' education journey. Technology in education has the ability to open up a new world of experiences and knowledge to students and educators.

Photo credit: Monkey Business Images / shutterstock.com

Chandra Lye is a freelance journalist based in Vancouver, BC. With over 14 years of professional experience, she has worked in print, television and online.

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10 Examples of Modern Classroom Technology - Classcraft Blog

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The technology industry has progressed exponentially over the last few decades and has been adding tools to help teachers reach their students. Greater accessibility has made technology a viable option for teachers to include in their education plans.

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9 READING APPS AND TOOLS FOR A ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM

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9 Reading Apps and Tools for the Elementary Classroom

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Spread the loveReading has always been a foundational skill. Not only does it influence how we interact with the world but it is still the medium by which many students learn. And yet, statistics show that between 46 and 51% of American adults have an income well below the poverty level because of their inability to read.

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10 Trending Tools for Teachers

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Kids are crazy for technology! And it's important to provide early learners with time to simply play, create and use their imaginations. However, teachers must also ensure that students learn to use current technology in this constantly-evolving world. Integrating technology, when done well, not only reinforces key technical skills children need to thrive in the 21 st century, but it also increases student engagement and enhances learning. Listed below are 10 trending tech tools that early childhood teachers can use to attain better outcomes in the classroom.

1) Interactive Websites: There are a TON of engaging websites for early learners that reinforce key academic concepts. Starfall is a phonics-based website for children pre-K through first grade that aims to develop and strengthen reading skills. ABC Ya, Cookie and Fuel the Brain feature age-appropriate educational games and activities spanning all subject areas. Math Magician and XtraMath help children improve their math fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Suessville, named for Dr. Suess, includes kid-friendly activities as well as information about the author's books and interesting characters. These self-directed sites require little or no teacher assistance and will keep children actively engaged both at school and at home.

2) Enriching Apps: School iPad carts are available to many teachers for use in classrooms, while other schools have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. Whichever is the case, bringing iPads into the classroom is an excellent way to generate excitement about learning. Best Apps For Kids features some of the best apps by age, grade level, and subject matter. Top 10 Educational Apps for Preschoolers features reviews by a mother and former teacher highlighting both free and paid apps for preschool children.

3) Educational Video Sites: Teachers no longer need to search their school library's archaic VHS or DVD collections when current educational videos are available via the click of a mouse. BrainPOP Jr. and Discovery Education feature academic videos tailored to learning objectives and specific age groups. TeacherTube, a media site similar to YouTube, enables teachers to share instructional materials such as videos, audio recordings, and photographs. SafeShare.TV is a student-friendly filter that removes the offensive elements sometimes surrounding YouTube clips.

4) Online Organization: Symbaloo is a visual tool teachers can use to gather and organize the most commonly used websites on their computer desktops as graphical tiles. This format not only helps teachers manage their many excellent resources, it can also significantly improve struggling readers' ability to navigate the desktops on student computers. LiveBinders is a virtual binder for the web, useful for collecting resources and making them accessible to both students and parents. Just say no to lost papers!

5) Interactive Whiteboards: Electronic touch boards such as the Promethean board and SMART board allow teachers and students to manipulate items on a large screen using electronic pens, bringing a new level of interactivity to classroom instruction. Promethean Planet offers over 60,000 free teaching resources for the Promethean board, while SMART Exchange shares a myriad of activities for the SMART board. Teachers can also create their own lessons and broadcast media from the Internet, including academic videos or energizing clips that promote movement like those featured in 20 Brain Break Clips: Fight the Fidgeting. The possibilities are endless!

6) Digital Storytelling: Several websites encourage children to tap into their creative imaginations to produce digital stories online. Story Bird supports children in creating visual stories with artwork; Little Bird Tales provides a medium for students to design and narrate their personal work; and Zimmer Twins carries it further by helping kids produce their own animated tales. And digital storytelling not only keeps children engaged, it also encourages higher-level thinking.

7) Collaborative Resources: Another source of memorable learning experiences for children is communicating with classes in other schools, districts, states and countries. Using Skype, children can hold video chats with other students over the Internet. The social platform Edmodo connects classes so they can share materials and access information easily and safely. ePals Global Community connects over half a million classrooms around the world. While students can still benefit from writing to traditional pen pals, these sites may offer a level of cultural contact deeper than what the written word can convey.

8) eBooks: In addition to the high-interest texts that classrooms provide, teachers can take advantage of the many sites featuring popular kids' books online, such as Disney Digital Books, TumbleBooks, and We Give Books. Storyline Online, a special site run by the Screen Actors' Guild Foundation, shares videos of famous actors and actresses reading well-known children's books.

9) Virtual Timers: Timers can help set a tone of accountability and assist students in self-regulation and completing their work. Online Stopwatch offers a range of teacher timers, clocks, and countdowns for display on the computer screen and/or interactive whiteboard. Tick Tock Timer, Egg Timer, and Timerland are other options for tracking time.

10) Online Behavior Systems: Behavior management software can help teachers manage their classrooms online. An example is Class Dojo, which allows teachers to award points to students for participating, helping others, exercising creativity, showing great insight, working hard, and making a good presentation. The software can be accessed from a tablet or smart phone, in addition to the teacher's school computer. Class Dojo is especially helpful for teachers who manage more than one group of children.

To get the most from the new technology and hold the very short attention spans of little ones, it's important to avoid technical difficulties and to have a solid understanding of the functions and features of new technology before making use of it. Think deeply about how each tool may enhance your students' abilities to reach their personal goals. Approached properly, technology need not be intimidating. Rather, it can catapult its users to new heights. As teachers, we must embrace the technology that shapes our world. To develop life-long learners in our classrooms, we must be life-long learners ourselves.

Integrating technology reinforces key technical skills children need to thrive in the 21st century .

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ECE Technology: 10 Trending Tools for Teachers

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Kids are crazy for technology! And it's important to provide early learners with time to simply play, create and use their imaginations. However, teachers must also ensure that students learn to use current technology in this constantly-evolving world.

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Read and Share the latest and trending Education and Educational Technology News, Blurbs and Articles about EdSurge Podcast on EdSurge.com

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Embracing Tech In The Classroom

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While witnessing a passionate classroom discussion about the role of technology in the everyday life a student asked me, "Mr. Yates, do you think teachers will be replaced by machines?" Teachers vs. technology. Hmm.

I looked up at the student as the rest of the class waited for my answer with bated breath and said, "Do you really think a machine could replace me?" But after the laughter receded and my students went home the topic stuck with me. Could I be replaced by automated videos or machines disseminating content to students with perfect precision?

A July 2017 Bloomberg article gave me the answer I needed. According to the article, teachers are among American professional jobs who are least likely to be replaced by automation. Whew! What a relief.

As I thought about the short journey toward the realization that my job is safe from the machine apocalypse I came to an important conclusion: We must stop the teachers vs. technology debate! Here's why:

1. Teachers really are irreplaceable.

Everything we know about student outcomes tells us that the most important school-level factor is the teacher! More than performance, one good teacher can change the life of a student. Teachers, you are irreplaceable. No piece of technology can do the complete work of a teacher. Technology won't stay late to support a student's football game, or go home and grade for two hours only to wake up early to meet students for tutorials. It's worth saying again: teachers, you are irreplaceable.

#2: Technology is not an enemy of instruction.

There is so much tech making its way into the modern-day classroom, and I have news for you. Technology is your friend, not your enemy! Say it with me, technology is my friend, not my enemy. One more time! Okay, I'm kidding. I won't make you do that again.

Unfortunately, there is an ever-increasing set of administrative and instructional tasks that cause many teachers to stay late and arrive early. Thankfully, technology can handle some of these tasks for us, like taking attendance, grading and creating assessments, communications, and tracking student progress. Embracing these types of technologies will free up time for teachers to actually teach and mentor students.

3. When we embrace technology, students win.

Our students live in a digital world. That's where we need to live, too.

I recently got a school iPad that has replaced my need for a smartboard. It lets me project power points and draw all over them. I've noticed that, since I have had this iPad, my students are much more likely to "come to the board" and write, because it comes to them. It's a small change, but this little tech innovation is changing my instruction and my students.

#4: Students are the great equalizer.

Just like everything in the world of education, we always win when we put students first. If a parent meeting grows tough, put the student's interest at the forefront of the conversation and it normally goes well. When designing education policy, consider the students in the scenario and it goes well. This discourse is not different. So, are teachers better than technology? The answer is students deserve a great education. Can technology replace teachers? The answer is that students deserve a fantastic education.

The teachers vs. technology debate has got to go. Technology really can help teachers in our pursuit to change the world, one student at a time. If you choose to embrace tech in the classroom, great. If not, that is okay too. The bottom line is that every student deserves and amazing education. Period.

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Robots Won't Take Our Jobs, or Why Teachers Need to Relax About Technology

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While witnessing a passionate classroom discussion about the role of technology in the everyday life a student asked me, "Mr. Yates, do you think teachers will be replaced by machines?" Teachers vs. technology. Hmm. I looked up at the student as the rest of the class waited for my answer with bated breath and said, "Do you really think a machine could replace me?"

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.