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USE THIS MINDSET To Achieve Anything You Want In Life TODAY! | Peter Crone

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5 Myths About Ed-Tech | Piktochart Visual Editor

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Nearpod: Foster a love of learning in every student

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Create active learning experiences students can’t wait to be a part of.

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How to Use the Triple E Framework for Edtech Evaluations with Dr. Liz Kolb

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How to Use the Triple E Framework for Edtech Evaluations with Dr. Liz Kolb

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7 of Liz Kolb Podcasts Interviews | Updated Daily - OwlTail

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Listen Now. Latest Interviews. Listen to all 7 interviews on OwlTail. Search & Listen to all the podcasts interviews of anyone on OwlTail.com

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3 Questions Before Choosing a New EdTech Tool 

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3 Questions Before Choosing a New EdTech Tool 

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In a technology ecosystem where thousands of products are clamoring for attention, choosing the right tool for your school or classroom can be tricky. Sifting through the marketing claims to find software that actually works - and meets district requirements for privacy and interoperability - requires educators to be part researcher, part pedagogical expert, part IT developer and part legal consultant.

It's a lot to ask of anyone.

"People always want to know if there's something better or new out there that can help them achieve their goals, but it's generally not something that anyone has time to wade through," says Meg Hamel, director of learning initiatives for ISTE. "When you're a classroom teacher, your primary job is not to do research on tools. Your job is to teach students, and everything else has to be outside the normal school day."

To find effective tools for solving complex teaching problems, educators need information they can trust. To that end, Hamel is overseeing a revamp of the EdSurge Product Index, a free research tool that allows technology seekers to easily search and compare hundreds of edtech product listings.

Currently in beta testing, the improved index now indicates which products have been validated by trusted education and technology organizations. Educators can use the index to search for products that have earned rigorous certifications, such as Project Unicorn's Interoperability Certification, the Common Sense Privacy Rating and the ISTE Seal of Alignment. As the tool continues to evolve, certification information will also be added in the areas of usability, accessibility and research-based design.

"The index has answers to questions people don't know they need to ask yet," Hamel says. "We believe educators and decision-makers are really looking for alignment across a lot of things, but too often people think of those critical market areas far too late in the purchasing cycle. I want them to start thinking about it during the research and discovery phase."

Before turning to a research tool like the EdSurge Product Index, however, Hamel advises educators to ask and answer a few key questions for themselves.

1. What is your learning goal?

Whether you're looking to solve a specific problem of practice, raise student achievement in a particular area, or find a tool that's more effective than the one you're already using, a well-developed goal will help keep your search laser-focused. It can also provide a metric for evaluating the products you do choose. The key is to be as specific as possible.

"A good way to start your search is to ask, 'What am I trying to accomplish in terms of teaching and learning needs?' " Hamel says.

2. What's your teaching and learning philosophy?

Every educator has a learning philosophy, or underlying belief about education that guides their approach to pedagogy. Do you believe in putting students in the driver's seat, building knowledge through real-world experiences, or providing multiple pathways to learning? Articulating your personal philosophy as an educator can help you find tools that will match your teaching style and integrate well into your practice.

3. What's your context?

Context is about more than just what grade level or subject area you're teaching. There are a lot of other factors that can influence whether an edtech tool will be a good fit. What's the composition of your classroom? Are you teaching face to face, online or in a blended environment? What specific learning or technology challenges do your students face? What resources do they have? How much time do you want them to spend on the computer each day? The more contextual factors you consider when making technology decisions, the better your chances of success with a new tool.

Finding technology solutions can be an intimidating and time-consuming job. Having clear goals and a trusted research tool like EdSurge's Product Index can take a lot of the guesswork out of the process.

"The index is really trying to create a comprehensive and easy way to find information so schools and classroom educators and district educators can make good decisions about which tools to put on their shortlist," Hamel says. "We're sort of the hub where people can get a snapshot what each tool has to offer."
Watch the video below to hear ISTE CEO Richard Culatta talk about why it's important for educators to find the right tools for their particular students. Nicole Krueger is a freelance writer and journalist with a passion for finding out what makes learners tick.

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3 Questions To Ask Before Choosing a New Edtech Tool

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To find effective tools for solving complex teaching problems, educators need information they can trust. The revamp of the EdSurge Product Index, a free research tool that allows technology seekers to easily search and compare hundreds of edtech product listings, is a great resource for finding the best tools for the needs of educators.

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We help educators around the world use technology to solve tough problems.

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"Bold school is an attitude.  It's a mindset. It's a way of thinking and behaving."  -Weston Kieschnick 

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"Bold school is an attitude.  It's a mindset. It's a way of thinking and behaving."  -Weston Kieschnick 

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Q&A With an Ed-Tech Expert: Don't Focus on the Tools

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Q&A With an Ed-Tech Expert: Don't Focus on the Tools

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For some teachers and school leaders, teaching with technology can feel overwhelming, especially when it seems their students know more about the newest tools than they do. But Justin Bathon, an expert in how technology, education, and the law intersect, says that schools can't risk not using technology in their classrooms-it simply holds too much promise for deepening student learning. And yet that doesn't mean implementation should be haphazard. It has to put students first. "I still see so much blind investment in technology, where the outcome that school leaders are trying to achieve is one where they are want to get the public perception [of] giving kids devices, and that is not a useful approach," he said. "Know what you are intending to achieve from a learning standpoint with digital implementation before you make the investment." Bathon is an associate professor in the department of educational leadership studies at the University of Kentucky and the director of Innovative School Models for the college of education there. A former teacher, he works with schools and school leaders to support efforts to personalize learning for students.
In an interview with Education Week Teacher, Bathon spoke about critical missteps schools and leaders make in implementing technology and how the tools, when used purposefully, can be a path to deeper learning.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What are some common pitfalls for schools or districts investing in technology?

The biggest pitfall by far is that not enough time and energy is put into the pedagogical use of the devices. Devices get purchased with the best of intentions, thinking that putting that device in a teacher's hands or a kid's hands by itself will make a great difference to learning, and, historically, in both the research and in practice, we just don't see that to be the case. The technology only makes a difference when there is really intentional leadership and change in practice by teachers.

What does poor use of technology look like?

A not very useful job for the technology is to replicate what can be done or what's already been done on paper. So, Google Docs, for instance-which is a tool that I love-can be used to basically replicate a worksheet. Now, the worksheet could have just as easily existed on paper, but instead, it's produced on a Google Doc. There's nothing necessarily wrong with it, but it doesn't really justify the purchase of the device. That's mostly what you see.

Beyond that, teachers certainly can use the device to offload the job of teaching. That is a big problem area. For instance, you could just have students watch Khan Academy videos all day, instead of teaching algebra units. So teachers who are not properly blending the devices and the opportunities available through those devices into their instruction have a tendency sometimes to rely too heavily on internet- and software-based materials.

Why does this sort of poor execution of technology usually happen?

I would put leadership up there as one of the top factors. There's a generational gap that we have not yet managed to overcome in that many district leaders these days are still not necessarily digitally literate themselves. They are making purchasing decisions and these kind of very impactful policy decisions on school districts, and, because they don't really know what to fully do with the devices themselves, they're not really in the position to coach teachers and students about how best to achieve high learning outcomes with those devices.

A lack of overall investment is another challenge. Many districts struggle right out of the gate after a device is purchased with Wi-Fi and bandwidth issues. They just haven't thought about the whole challenge of having all of the digital pieces in place that are needed to make a digital transition so that much of the teaching and learning can be happening in digital spaces and that the devices are not just a small add-on at the end of class, for instance.

You mentioned a generational disconnect. Education Week recently published a piece about how Generation Z students prefer learning through YouTube to learning through more traditional methods. A lot of teachers don't know how to work with that. How do you recommend teachers handle this?

It's certainly something I think that we are seeing-the embracing of video as a tool by students these days and more than we've seen in the past. I think it's a good thing to see. We can either pretend it's not happening or we can sort of embrace the opportunity.

Adults ... need to start watching some videos and doing some learning on YouTube. For us in Kentucky, we've seen tremendous growth in YouTube as a learning platform among teachers. We have initiatives, such as the Kentucky GoDigital movement, which puts out a new video every week and helps teachers and administrators learn how to be more digitally relevant. So as our adults begin to learn how to learn with video, they'll have a better sense as to how to help kids learn with video.

Beyond that, kids are really smart humans; they just don't have a lot of experience. But embracing children as owners of their own learning, and letting them do some coaching of the adults in the room, is acceptable.

You often speak about using technology to get to deeper learning. What is deeper learning to you and what is the promise of using tech to get there?

Deeper learning ... is giving students the opportunity to go beyond surface-level memorization, facts, and other material that is easily tested. [It's giving] kids some real skills that they can walk away with, beyond just the ability to get the right answer on a test. It gets implemented through projects and all kinds of other techniques.

In terms of how technology helps with that, as anyone who has spent some time learning anything on the internet can tell you, the depth of information about any given topic on the internet is usually extremely deep. Now, there has to be vetting of that information, especially in today's very complex world with truth. We have to really be careful and really teach kids how to process through that information, but there's a lot of depth there, number one.

Number two, technology allows us to connect with people in ways that we have never been able to do before. And so, you know, if you're studying a lesson on the Vietnam War and you're curious as to the perspective of students in Vietnam, it's easy to make that connection these days. The teacher has to put some work in to establish these relationships, but the technology makes the connection simple.

How can schools and teachers make that transition from using tech in routine ways to using it to engage students in deeper learning?

The first thing that we should do is not think about the technology. That is a common trap in a place that we as a field of education have not yet found our way out of-we're so heavily focused on the technology. ... When the question switches to, "How do we help kids learn more deeply?," then it's not really a technology question. It's a question of how we should help kids spend their time. ...

As that plays out, and we [start to] ask, "How should a kid demonstrate their learning?," that's when technology comes back in the game. We might conclude that, "Hey, the best way for a kid to demonstrate their knowledge here is through a video. Kids love watching videos; let's help them produce videos." So, using video as a technological solution to demonstrate their learning, that's where technology's place in this equation is.

What are some of the legal caveats for schools as students start using more technology?

There is more risk with technology because technology is an amplifier. So where previously a kid could say something publicly-maybe even put it on a flier, circulate it in their town-now, with technology, they can put it on Instagram and share it with millions of people overnight. So that amplification challenge creates new risks and stressors on school leaders, but it also creates new opportunities. We cannot get lost in the risk. We can manage the risk.

This new era where every kid has a device in their hands does call for school leaders to have more depth of knowledge themselves on issues like FERPA [the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act], on First Amendment issues about off-campus speech, about where the line is that schools can regulate and where there are things beyond schools, where it is not our job to regulate. [And they need to understand] that there is a lot of personal information on these devices that is subject to constitutional protection. So we do need to have more legal knowledge in order to mitigate the risks in this world. But we have to do that because the learning opportunities are so immense that not giving the kid the device here is the greater evil.

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Q&A With an Ed-Tech Expert: Don't Focus on the Tools

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For some teachers and school leaders, teaching with technology can feel overwhelming, especially when it seems their students know more about the newest tools than they do. But Justin Bathon, an expert in how technology, education, and the law intersect, says that schools can't risk not using technology in their classrooms-it simply holds too much promise for deepening student learning.

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SplashLearn: Fun Math & ELA Program for PreK-Grade 5

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SplashLearn is an award-winning learning program loved by over 40 million kids for engaging Math and ELA practice. Aligned with Common Core and various state standards.

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"The first thing that we should do is not think about the technology." -Justin Bathon

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Our website for families provides reviews and ratings of movies, books, games, apps, and other media to help parents and families make informed decisions about the media their children use.

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find our free K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum, reviews of popular edtech apps, tips on teaching responsible AI use, and resources for protecting student privacy and online safety.

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Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students.

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Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students.

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Kahoot!'s new student passes are a one-way ticket to take students from players to creators! Empower your students to engage in active learning with the tools they need to create and host kahoots that demonstrate their learning to the whole class.

With student passes your class will have access to:

The full functionality of the Kahoot! creator to make fun and engaging kahoots for their peers

Award-winning learning apps from Poio and DragonBox to master everything from the basics of reading and numeracy to algebra, geometry, and even chess

Premium Kahoot! features including exclusive question types like brainstorm, type answer, and puzzles, plus creation tools to create advanced slide layouts with our premium image library

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Make your students the hosts of their own learning experiences

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A student-centered learning platform and content hub designed to help students to take an active role in their education through powerful play

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Quizizz | Free Online Quizzes, Lessons, Activities and Homework

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Motivate every student to mastery with easy-to-customize content plus tools for inclusive assessment, instruction, and practice. Engage students with Quizizz today!

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We express ourselves in different ways. On Flip, you can use our simple and fun built-in camera to record your thoughts, add effects and share within your Flip group as video, audio only or text in your web browser or mobile app.

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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Barbara Norris Coates - Formula for a Perfect Grant Application Part 1

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Barbara Norris Coates - Formula for a Perfect Grant Application Part 1

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Barbara Norris Coates - Formula for a Perfect Grant Application Part 2

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Barbara Norris Coates - Formula for a Perfect Grant Application Part 2

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Copy of Where to Find Educational Technology Grants

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Grant Writing For Educators - Where To Start and What You Should Know | Grant Central USA

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Tips and resources to help you craft a powerful proposal

No one awards grants for you to simply buy a tablet, camera, or even an app. Grants are looking for solutions to real educational needs that can serve as models for other educators.

Here are some tips as you put together your grant proposal, along with resources to help you more clearly articulate your goals and the projects and processes that can help you reach that goal.

Tips for writing an effective grant

1. Explain the issues that challenge your students

The first step is to clearly identify the educational need or issue you are looking to address. For example, would learning, or achievement, be improved in your classroom:

If students were engaged in the content or process of learning?

If their work connected to the world beyond the classroom?

If you could only get them to practice reading and writing skills?

Grants will often ask you to identify your need, but this makes it easy to slip into the "I need technology" trap. You don't NEED technology; you need great learning to happen. As you articulate your challenges, issues, and goals, leave out any technology tools you would use to address and meet them.

Don't forget the power of storytelling. While protecting your students identities, share a story that helps grant readers better understand their backgrounds, experiences, and challenges.

2. Clearly articulate your solution to the issue

Your grant application also needs to clearly show how the resources you are asking for will address the issues in your classroom. Paint a picture of the work you will do with students, demonstrating how the project or process will help you overcome the issue to meet your goal.

Now is the time to explain how the use of technology during this process or project supports your goals. Be sure to articulate why the specific tools you have chosen will make a difference. For example, if your goal is to improve language learning for your ELL students, your description of why you would use Wixie might look like:

"Students will use the integrated images, drawing features, and word processing tools in Wixie to document their learning through pictures and text and the recording feature to practice oral fluency. The distribution of their work online as digital stories, eBooks, or comics will provide an authentic opportunity to practice reading and writing."

Sharing examples of specific student projects you will implement, such as crafting an animal interview or creating a new creature, makes it easier to describe how students think deeply as they create to interact with content and build essential literacy skills.

Be sure to include your plan for implementing the project. Share a timeline or calendar of the steps in the project or process to show you have an idea of how long it will take and the steps you need to complete the project.

3. Share evidence and reasons you think your solution will work

In addition to showing what you will do, you need to articulate why this will improve student learning. Some of this can be anecdotal stories from your own experience, but you will also want to share research and information from other sources.

Then, clearly show how your technology-involved solution can help. Make sure you are holding yourself to the same high evidence standard you set for your students. Include examples of potential outcomes and even sample student artifacts to help the grant reader see a clear picture of what will happen in your classroom when you get the grant.

Do your best to explain what success looks like and how you will evaluate the success of your project. Share identifiers and outcomes that will let you know when you have achieved your goals.

Resources and ideas to help you focus your grant writing

All of the above only works if you are clear on your goal and can articulate outcomes you expect to see as a result of implementing your program. So, before you even begin writing, be sure to have a clear goal or vision statement and clear set of outcomes you can use to measure success.

Locate research that provides evidence for your ideas and methods along with specific activities that will help you achieve outcomes like increased engagement, improved literacy, or deeper thinking about the curriculum. For example:

If your goal is deeper learning, look to Webb's Depth of Knowledge

If you are looking to increase rigor in your classroom, you can use Webb's DOK to evaluate the cognitive complexity of your instructional tasks and design tasks at a range of levels. Use these resources if you want to focus on:

If your goal is 21st-century ready communicators, look to digital-age literacy

Students who are college- and career-ready aren't just media consumers, they are media producers. Comprehension is still key, but digital storytelling and informational text products builds agency through authentic digital-age writing projects.

If your goal is engagement, look to authentic project work

Yes, your grant proposal will include request funding for materials like devices and digital tools. Clearly explaining how these tools are part of a bigger solution to improve student learning will help your proposal stand out.

Popular Topics

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No one awards grants for you to simply buy a tablet, camera, or even an app. Grants are looking for solutions to real educational needs that can serve as models for other educators. Here are some tips as you put together your grant proposal, along with resources to help you more clearly articulate your goals and the projects and processes that can help you reach that goal.

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Grants to Missouri nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions to enhance dental health for residents of all ages. Applicants must submit a letter of intent prior to applying. Funding is generally intended for equipment purchases, capacity b...

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Grants for Elementary Education in Missouri, Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Independence, Columbia - GrantWatch

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Grants to Missouri nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions to enhance dental health for residents of all ages. Applicants must submit a letter of intent prior to applying. Funding is generally intended for equipment purchases, capacity b...