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Definition

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Want a fast way to memorize and study learning theories? Get the printable Learning Theories Study Flashcards! A set of 80 learning theories and models cards. Color coded by category, ready for double-sized printing. Approximately 9 cards per printable sheet (18 sheets, front and back). A great study tool!

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Used to share observations on species - form of Citizen Science

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Home : iSpot Nature - Your place to share nature. iSpot is a website aimed at helping anyone identify anything in nature. Once you've registered, you can add an observation to the website and suggest an identification yourself or see if anyone else can identify it for you.

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Home : iSpot Nature - Your place to share nature. iSpot is a website aimed at helping anyone identify anything in nature. Once you’ve registered, you can add an observation to the website and suggest an identification yourself or see if anyone else can identify it for you.

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Used to collect and organise evidence of research

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Virtual primary science

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Where do you want to go today?

Pick a subject

Field trips covering different subjects

Explore all the tours

Where do you want to start your adventure?

Make waves

Go underwater and find out what goes on below the surface

Be a globetrotter

See the world without a passport

Search for answers

Trying to answer life's questions through trial, error, invention and discovery

Get back to nature

Get to know the secrets of the world around us

Visit iconic sites

See the sights from the comfort of your chair

The 7 New Wonders of the World

Marvel at masterpieces

The creativity and beauty of art from different cultures around the world

Admire the architecture

Take a look around beautiful buildings from across the ages

Architecture Through Time

From the beginnings of humanity to today

Join the celebrations

Sing and dance along at home

Step into the spotlight

A behind-the-scenes look at performing arts around the world

This is just the beginning

There's so much more to explore

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Arts & Culture Expeditions - Google Arts & Culture

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Go on a virtual field trip with Google Arts & Culture

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QR Code generator

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The Connecticut Forest and Park Association is now using quick response codes on the state's trails in order to help hikers in the middle of the forest.

The manner by which hikers receive information is evolving. As such, the Forest and Park Association acknowledges the need for them to stay with the times and to move through various forms of digital media.

The Forest and Park Association's Marty Gosselin notes that, right now, smart phones are people's tools of choice.

The Forest and Park Association has therefore put up QR codes at four trail heads, which include the Shenipsit Trail at Risley Pond in Bolton and the Mattabessett Trail in Middlefield, Brooks Road, and Seven Falls State Park in Middletown. When hikers scan these trail QR codes using a smart phone equipped with a QR code reader application, they will be able to access information about the trail as well as a trail map.

According to Eric Hammerling, the Forest and Park Association's executive director, it is important to get maps and information about trails to hikers. He says that even thought they do whatever is appropriate to keep trails well-blazed, there are others that cut across them and there are also areas that can get hikers disoriented.

The Forest and Park Association did a trial run of the QR codes at Higby Mountain in Middletown and the initial response was highly positive, Gosselin shares. She enthuses that even without publicizing the QR code project before its test launch, they already got 150 scans within the first couple of weeks.

The Forest and Park Association actually maintains more than 820 miles of blue blazed hiking trails across Connecticut. All of these hiking trails are accessible and open to the public. Hikers are encouraged to bring a map or, better yet, a smart phone.

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The Connecticut Forest and Park Association is now using quick response codes on the state's trails in order to help hikers in the middle of the forest. The manner by which hikers receive information is evolving. As such, the Forest and Park Association acknowledges the need for them to stay with the times and to move through various forms of digital media.

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How can we use Skype in the Classroom

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Educator Center Overview - Microsoft Learn Educator Center

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Microsoft Learn for Educators takes the best of Microsoft Learn online learning paths and helps you to bring instructor-led training materials from Microsoft into your courses. This program provides members with access to Microsoft ready-to-teach curriculum and teaching materials aligned to industry-recognized Microsoft Certifications.

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Resource

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A survey of Cepaea nemoralis and Cepaea hortensis Snails

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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.

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What is Citizen Science

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Introducing ClassVR, a groundbreaking technology designed to help raise engagement & increase knowledge retention for students of all ages. Everything your school needs...

Central Headset Management

Curriculum Aligned Content

Secure Storage
& Charging

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ClassVR - Virtual Reality for the Classroom

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Introducing ClassVR, a groundbreaking technology designed to help raise engagement & increase knowledge retention for students of all ages. Everything your school needs... Central Headset Management Curriculum Aligned Content Secure Storage & Charging

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Young children love playing with technology, from iPads to digital cameras. What do early childhood practitioners - and parents, too - need to think about before handing children these gadgets?

We asked Chip Donohue, dean of distance learning and continuing education, for his insights. In March, Donohue launched Erikson's TEC Center, which stands for Technology in Early Childhood, with the support of The Boeing Company.

Donohue also co-chaired the writing team and working group that developed the guidelines for media and technology in early childhood programs released in March by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media.

Let's start at the beginning: what is technology in early childhood?

Chip Donohue: It could be a camera, audio recorder, music player, TV, DVD player, or more recent technology like tablet computers and smartphones used in child care centers, classrooms, or at home. More than once, a teacher has told me, "I don't do technology." I ask them if they've ever taken a digital photo of their students, played a record, tape, or DVD, or given kids headphones to listen to a story. Teachers have always used technology. The difference is that now teachers are using really powerful tools like iPads and iPhones in their personal and professional lives.

Technology is just a tool. It shouldn't be used in classrooms or child care centers because it's cool, but because teachers can do activities that support the healthy development of children. Teachers are using digital cameras - a less flashy technology than iPads - in really creative ways to engage children in learning. That may be all they need.

At the same time, teachers need to be able to integrate technology into the classroom or child care center as a social justice matter. We can't assume that all children have technology at home. A lack of exposure could widen the digital divide - that is, the divide between those with and without access to digital technology - and limit some children's school readiness and early success. Just as all children need to learn how to handle a book in early literacy, they need to be taught how to use technology, including how to open it, how it works, and how to take care of it.

Some experts worry that technology is bad for children. Where do you come down?

Donohue: There are real concerns about children spending too much time in front of screens, especially given the many screens in children's lives. Today, very young children are sitting in front of TVs, playing on iPads and iPhones, and watching their parents take photos on a digital camera, which has its own screen. There used to be only the TV screen. That was the screen we worried about and researched for 30 years. We as a field know a whole lot about the impact of TV on children's behavior and learning, but we know very little about all the new digital devices.

The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages screen time for children under two years old, but the NAEYC/Fred Rogers position statement takes a slightly different stance. It says that technology and media should be limited, but what matters most is how it is used. What is the content? Is it being used in an intentional manner? Is it developmentally appropriate? The NAEYC/Fred Rogers position statement doesn't set specific limits on technology, just as the field doesn't set limits on block time or the book corner or dramatic play or manipulatives. We wouldn't tell a child that his 10 minutes of puzzle making or reading for the week is up.

My advice to teachers and parents is to trust your instincts. You know your child and if you think they have been watching the screen too long, turn it off. It's up to the adult to notice that a child's computer time is limiting interactions with other kids and nudge her in new directions. It's also up to the adult to understand the child's personality and disposition and to understand if technology is one of the ways the child chooses to interact with the world.

At the same time, cut yourself some slack. We all know that there are better things to do with children's time than to plop them in front of a TV, but we also know that child care providers have to make lunch, and parents need time to take a shower. In situations like that, it is the adult's job to make the technology time more valuable and interactive by asking questions and connecting a child's virtual experience on the screen with real-life experiences in her world.

How do early childhood professionals learn how to use technology appropriately?

Donohue: No one is really teaching early childhood professionals about using technology and that's a big problem. Teacher education programs have to help future teachers be digitally literate and comfortable enough with the intersection of technology and child development to know how to be appropriate, what's effective, how much is too much, and what to avoid.

The other part of the conversation is program directors and administrators. They are going to be expected to train their teachers on how to use technology in the classroom and need to know how to do it well. If not, teachers will continue to set new technology aside or use it inappropriately because they haven't had a chance to play with the technology and learn about what it can do. That's a big missed opportunity for children.

The TEC Center was created to help provide a professional resource that is sorely lacking. On our website, the Center aggregates and curates examples of best practice. People are already doing great things with technology and children. We need to learn from them. Soon, the TEC Center will also begin offering professional development courses. Likewise, Erikson's teacher preparation program is helping teachers become more comfortable with these tools.

Join the Erikson family with monthly news + events updates shared by academics, community members, and families.

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Technology can benefit young children when used appropriately

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Young children love playing with technology, from iPads to digital cameras. What do early childhood practitioners - and parents, too - need to think about before handing children these gadgets? We asked Chip Donohue , dean of distance learning and continuing education, for his insights.

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Who are DATEC?

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How can we use iPads in the classroom?

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Updated 01/2014

If I had thirty iPads in my class, what would I do with them? How would I use them to help my students learn better and help me teach better? Perhaps a better question is what would I do with them that I could not do with other tools that are available and cheaper? Certainly iPads are cheaper than computers, desktop or laptop, and they are more mobile.

Speaking of computers, they were supposed to be the transformation of teaching and learning as we know it. In some ways there has been a transformation, but the basics of teaching and learning have remained unchanged. Perhaps, the iPad will be the tool that really does transform classroom practice. With that, I'd like to share some of the unique features of the iPad and apps, some free, to take advantage of and explore.

Kinesthetic Learners

The iPad has a number of unique features that provide for interesting possibilities in teaching and learning. The motion sensor of the iPad has a number of intriguing applications to learning. Most students today would be classified as bodily-kinesthetic learners. The motion sensor allows students to use their hands in guiding the iPad to equilibrium, balance skills, or remote control of real or virtual robotics, hovercraft, or other vehicles. Students can use the Clineometer app for measuring the level of a wall, or surface, and also the precise angles of incline, or decline. With the internal accelerometers in the iPad, physics experiments of acceleration or change in force can be measured. Imagine taking the iPad with you on a roller coaster ride. Imagine calculating angles and force and then shooting odd birds from a slingshot, destroying buildings and colliding with green pig heads (ever heard of Angry Birds?) Rubberized iPads and iPods in gym class can measure levels of exertion, balance, and repetitions.

As a completely portable learning tool, the iPad camera allows documentation to be taken to a whole different level. An app called Field Notes LT not only allows students to take copious notes of their observations, it attaches the date, time, GPS location and photographs of what is observed. These notes can be instantly shared, collaborated, and published in the field.

Students can also attach videos, and voice recordings to their field notes. They can dictate to the iPad using the Dragon Dictation app and it will type their words. With the iPads in the same network but in different locations, using the Assemblee app, students can create a collaboration web to share findings and discuss conclusions about different perspectives of the same project.

In math class the GPS of the iPad establishes locale in ways that are profound. Students can use the included Map app to calculate the distances, compare routes, and actual speeds of the westbound and the eastbound trains common in word problems. The mathematics involved with trip planning and decision-making are brought to life with actual real-time photographs, maps, and weather data provided by the Google Earth app, Big Blue Marble HD, and many others. The App called TourWrist allows students 360 degree views -- "tours" of locations of interest throughout the world. With DerManDar the students can take their own 360 degree pictures of places they visit.

Connecting Beyond the Classroom

Of course, the mobility provided by the iPad's wireless telephone connection capability allows the unprecedented access to the Internet anywhere students are. This is truly information on demand. As questions arise, students can google for clues and insights to begin their studies. Even more powerfully though, through the iPad phone connection, students can have access to volumes of primary source documents and data to help in their investigations in or out of the classroom, on the bus, in a restaurant, or at the football game.

Because iPad's do not have USB ports, disk drives or CDROM/DVD capability, methods for sharing data with other computers and devices over the Internet or "cloud" have been developed. Drop box allows students set up a personal account in which they can store iPad created documents, photos, fieldnotes, etc. And they can access those documents from any other computer or Internet capable device. Evernote will help students keep track of their notes and Mendeley will organize their research documents and let them take their research done on their computers with them, wherever they are going. The Project Gutenburg allows students to download thousands of classic books to be read on any number of free book reader apps available. With the HMH Fuse app, students have at their fingertips the entire Houghton-Mifflin Algebra One book along with exercises and tools for learning algebra.

While walking around the classroom and interacting with students, teachers can control their computers from their iPad with the Remote Mouse app. With a simple cable, teachers can use their iPads to present their unique and creative Prezi presentation made on their computer by using the iPad application called Prezi Player. The teacher can control the document by simply pinching, twisting and sliding their fingers across the face of the iPad.

Aside from the gazillions of games, tutoring, and pointless apps available for free, a diligent teacher can find treasures of apps for their iPads that engage and challenge the student minds in creative ways. Some of my favorites are Lasers Free, Trainyard EX, Play Chess, Words with Friends, and Contre Jour (not free, but worth the $.99).

How do you use iPads in the classroom to help teaching and learning?

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Teaching and Learning: Using iPads in the Classroom | Edutopia

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Updated 01/2014 If I had thirty iPads in my class, what would I do with them? How would I use them to help my students learn better and help me teach better? Perhaps a better question is what would I do with them that I could not do with other tools that are available and cheaper?

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Definition of multi-modality

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How can we use social media to teach?

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Apps used within Schools

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75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

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We’ve compiled an extensive list of 75 digital tools that can help teachers use formative assessment to elicit evidence of student learning.

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Technology Solutions That Drive Education

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For Kevin O'Brien, a seventh-grader with physical disabilities who attends Charlotte Wood Middle School in Danville, Calif., there's a definite difference between good and great when it comes to assistive technology. For years, he used a desktop version of Tobii Technology's eye-gaze device, which allowed him to type papers, participate in art classes, conduct online research, communicate with his teacher and do well academically. But it also tethered him to the classroom in which the wired device was located.

So when a wireless version of the product came out last year, Wendy Burkhardt, assistive technology coordinator for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District of which CWMS is a part, immediately got it for O'Brien, who attached it to his wheelchair. Now, she explains, "Kevin can be far more involved in group activities. He can converse with his peers, participate in class discussions, and do his homework, no matter where he is. This has increased his ability to be an independent member of the school and the community."

Successfully educating a special-needs child has always hinged on matching him or her with the best assistive learning device or application available. Fortunately, what's available has expanded and improved by quantum leaps over the past five years as traditional assistive technologies have converged with consumer technologies, giving the district's special education department a "much bigger toolbox to work with," Burkhardt says. "Everything has snowballed because of these innovative technologies."

For example, today's smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices come equipped with universal access functionality, making it possible for users to deploy built-in or easily downloaded assistive technologies. These include speech recognition, screen-reading tools, Braille displays and text-to-speech solutions for the visually impaired; and sound amplifiers, closed-captioning applications and video conferencing technologies that facilitate sign language and lip-reading for the hearing-impaired. Students with motor and mobility disabilities also can use speech recognition tools to turn speech into sharable text, e-books to eliminate page turning and portable eye-gaze devices that are powered by blinks.

Such technologies not only help students better understand concepts and keep up with their peers, they also allow the school to better and more easily integrate special-needs students into general education classes, says Tracy Gray, director of PowerUp What Works, the National Center for Technology Innovation and the Center for Implementing Technology in Education - three programs of the American Institutes for Research that work to improve the educational achievement of students with disabilities.

"The devices available to students with disabilities are no longer these big clunky things on a desk in a separate space away from the classroom," Gray explains. "Students now have access to assistive capabilities on technologies that are smaller, more mobile, more integrated and inexpensive. They're mainstream too, so that makes them cool. All students want to use them."

Opening Up the Classroom

This mainstreaming of assistive technologies is having a significant impact on students - and not just on those who have traditionally required accommodations, says Karen Heilbronner, director of secondary special education for SRVUSD. Among those who benefit most are children with learning disabilities.

"We're no longer limited to helping one particular student with a single specialized technology," Heilbronner says, noting that newer assistive technologies are facilitated by the district's recent investments in upgraded wired and wireless networks and a one-to-one tablet initiative. "These tools are easily extended to any student who needs them."

Those with communication, cognitive, reading, short-term memory or developmental issues are now using tools such as Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which reads text back to them; Livescribe Smartpens, which capture everything spoken in class and written by the student; and web-based tools that help students organize their thoughts and assignments.

"We can now give students who have trouble reading every word on a page an e-book reader and text-to-speech capability, and they can sit in class with headphones on, listen to the words as they're read to them and then weigh in on core literature discussions," Burkhardt explains. "In the past, these would have been the students in the back who wouldn't participate, who would have been considered either the shy introvert or the behavioral problem because they weren't able to effectively engage. These tools are really making a difference."

In fact, many technologies designed for mainstream use can be successfully repurposed to teach students with disabilities. The Montana School for the Deaf & Blind in Great Falls, Mont., for example, relies on interactive whiteboards - a mainstay for most traditional K-12 schools - to better engage its students.

Diane Moog, a teacher in the school's department for the deaf and hard of hearing, says that the technology helps motivate and engage students in the subject they're studying. "For the kids who have difficulty with the whole language concept, what helps solidify vocabulary and language structure is being able to relate to what you're teaching them," she explains. With an interactive whiteboard, "they can touch the screen, see and manipulate visuals illustrating the vocabulary words, move words around to make sentences - it gives them something to which they can attach language."

As her students work at the whiteboard, Moog also requires them to explain what they're doing and why, which not only helps them further develop skills, but also helps her determine their level of understanding. "I can meet their needs a lot better if I know how they're processing what I'm trying to teach them," she says, noting that the whiteboards are currently being evaluated by the school's department for the visually impaired. "If a student is making errors in a math problem, I can see where the process is breaking down for them and then show them what it's supposed to look like and why.

From a Distance

The Washington State School for the Blind also has turned to mainstream technologies to enhance teaching and learning. With help from Microsoft Lync, a unified communications platform that provides video, voice, instant messaging and telepresence, the Vancouver, Wash., school is offering distance instruction in algebra, geometry, pre-calculus and other topics to its 79 students and to special-needs students at other schools.

According to Digital Research and Curriculum Development Coordinator Sherry Hahn, WSSB's technology team initially went in search of a distance learning system as a way to acquire the services of math teacher Robin Lowell, who lives 170 miles away and, for family reasons, couldn't teach in person on campus.

"Math is an extremely difficult subject to teach to a blind or visually impaired student because it is, of course, so visual," Hahn explains. "It takes a unique, experienced teacher to help these students really understand and get the concepts and skills they need to be able to do it independently. Robin is a teacher who can do that, and we wanted to be able to make her available for our students."

After testing and rejecting different variations on basic two-way video and web conferencing, Hahn and her IT team stumbled across Microsoft Lync. Combined with Braille display software, a screen-reading program and a specialized language known as MathSpeak, Lync enables Lowell to see and communicate with her students and to share the different screens on her desktop. "It's like being at a control center," Lowell says. "I can watch all my kids and see their work at the same time."

One of the most incredible features of Lync, Lowell adds, is the ability to instant-message with her students. "It's really a new avenue for kids to be able to reach their teacher in the middle of the lesson without interrupting," she says. "Then, I can seamlessly put questions into my lecture or our discussion without changing topics or disrupting the flow of the class."

Since implementing the solution in 2010, Lowell has been shocked by the academic improvement she's seen. "This technology has been an amazing eye-opener," she says.

Positive Reinforcement

Assistive technologies help special-needs students thrive academically and keep up with their peers. But they're also helping students achieve additional - sometimes unexpected - rewards.

Educators say that special-needs students who regularly use assistive technologies:

achieve greater levels of independence;

gain confidence;

more willingly reach out to their teachers and peers to ask questions and collaborate;

self-advocate;

challenge themselves; and

seek out new opportunities.

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How Technology Is Helping Special-Needs Students Excel

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For Kevin O'Brien, a seventh-grader with physical disabilities who attends Charlotte Wood Middle School in Danville, Calif., there's a definite difference between good and great when it comes to assistive technology. For years, he used a desktop version of Tobii Technology's eye-gaze device, which allowed him to type papers, participate in art classes, conduct online research, communicate with his teacher and do well academically.

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Support children with EAL through technology

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Support children with EAL through technology

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How can we support children who speak English as a second language?

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Simon previously reported on the professional development innovation project he undertook this year, exploring the use of iPad features and apps to support students working with staff in the school's English as an Additional Language (EAL) Department. Here he provides an update, along with recommendations from and tips for teaching assistants.
One of my aims for the project was to introduce the use of tablet computers in the English as an Additional Language classroom environment, and to explore the impact on pupil learning - with the aim of supporting better progress.

The pupils found the iPads useful as it gave them some independence and allowed them to have greater control over their learning. Pupils identified the following resources as particularly useful when they were working independently:

Google Translate and iTranslate. They allow instant translation for many languages and it is easy to switch between languages. The ability to hear the words spoken in some languages was very useful, especially if the pupils were not literate in their own language. Longer sentences are translated less accurately however, and meaning could be lost. The pupils preferred the iPads over normal dictionaries because of the speed of translation, and felt this enabled them to focus on the lesson more effectively.

Google images. This was especially useful to get an understanding of the keywords for the lesson.

The iPads have been used by about 8 different staff members. The staff liked the pupils using the iPads because it gave them independence and improved their ability to access the lesson. I think we are still at an early stage of iPad classroom use. Some staff appear unsure how they can be useful, so more input is required on my behalf to make the benefits clear to them.

It is also clear that making effective use of the iPads needs to be planned - effective use doesn't happen by just having devices in the classroom. EAL pupils made most progress from those teachers who put careful thought to how they were to be used.

The iPads have also been used by my EAL teaching assistants and also other teaching assistants within the school. These staff members were very positive about iPad classroom use and about the way the devices have helped support EAL pupil progress.

In addition to translate and image search, the teaching assistants identified these resources as particularly useful:

BBC Bitesize - staff and learners used this in Science, English and Geography. The teaching assistants liked the use of the images available and the simple language. For EAL pupils the KS2 Bitesize was most appropriate (free).

Dropbox - This allowed instant access to lesson worksheet and presentations so the TA's could revisit ideas to support understanding. Dropbox's terms and conditions specify that the service is only for use by people 13 years old and over (free).

Clicker Sentences (link to Apple App Store) - Clicker Sentences is an app that supports sentence construction and can be used to build tailored resources for specific lessons. The sentence construction can be supported by images allowing better pupil understanding. It also has the ability for resources to be saved to Dropbox. Once saved the resources can be shared easily between other iPads (£19.99)

Nearpod - This is a resource for creating presentations which include a range of interactive elements including multi-choice and open-ended questions, audio, video and quizzes. The presentation plays on all iPads at the same time and the pace is controlled by the teaching assistant or teacher (basic version free).

Our English teaching assistant recommended the following apps for grammar work:

Teaching assistants using iPads in the classroom

The use of iPads by teaching assistants can have significant benefits for EAL pupils in the classroom - we believe they have enabled EAL pupils to make more progress than they would have made without them. EAL pupils can often struggle with the use of vocabulary or key words in lessons. The iPads allow the teaching assistant to revisit words or pictures used by the teacher to allow for clarification or can use images or translation to ensure the EAL pupils are clear in their understanding.

Understanding does not come about just by knowing the meaning of the key words. They need to see them in context and then have a chance to use them in context to ensure the learning is secure.

Tips for teaching assistance using iPads to support EAL learners in lessons

Use pictures to illustrate key language where possible so pupils have a visual image to allow them to link with own language.

Maps can be very useful where appropriate.

Translate the words into the pupils own language.

Show learners the words in context in English so they can see the word in use.

Ask learners to explain the meaning of any language used and model language as appropriate for them to practice.

Help students practice using the words in context by using an app like Clicker Sentences (or with the words written on a mini whiteboard.)

Ask pupils to use the same words in a sentence of their own.

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Technology to support English as an Additional Language

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Simon previously reported on the professional development innovation project he undertook this year, exploring the use of iPad features and apps to support students working with staff in the school's English as an Additional Language (EAL) Department. Here he provides an update, along with recommendations from and tips for teaching assistants.

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What are apps?

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The word "app" is an abbreviation for "application." It's a piece of software that can run through a web browser or offline on your computer, and on a smartphone phone, tablet or other electronic devices, including smart TVs and smartwatches. Apps may or may not have a connection to the internet.

An app is a modern term for a software application, and it is most often used in reference to a mobile app or a small piece of software that runs on a website. It's typically used to describe anything that isn't a full-fledged software program, but even that line has become blurred.

There are three main types of apps: desktop, mobile, and web.

Desktop apps are usually much fuller than mobile apps and consist of all the features of a program, whereas the mobile equivalent is a simpler and easier-to-use version.

This makes sense when you consider that most desktop and web apps are built to be used with a mouse and keyboard along with a large display, but mobile apps are intended to be accessed with a finger or stylus on a small screen.

Web apps might be full of features too, but they have to leverage the capabilities of the internet connection and web browser program, so while some are heavy duty and can perform well like mobile or desktop programs, most web apps are lightweight for a reason.

If an app is a mix between a web app and desktop app, it might be called a hybrid app. These are apps that have an offline desktop interface and direct access to hardware and other connected devices, but also an always-on connection to the internet for quick updates and access to internet resources.

Some apps exist in all three forms and are available as not only mobile apps but also desktop and web apps.

Those two examples are of apps that exist in all three app forms, but that isn't always the case.

For example, you can get to your Gmail messages through the official Gmail.com website and Gmail mobile app, but there isn't a desktop program from Google that lets you access your mail. In this case, Gmail is both a mobile and web app but not a desktop app. You can add it or remove it as desired.

Others (often games) are similar in that there are both mobile and web versions of the same game but maybe not a desktop app, or there might be a desktop version of the game, but it's not available on the web or as a mobile app.

In the context of mobile apps, almost every platform has a repository where its users can download both free and paid apps. These are normally accessible through the device itself or a website so that the app can be queued up for download the next time the user is on the device.

For example, the Google Play store and Amazon's AmazonAppstore are two places where Android users can download mobile apps. iPhones, iPod Touch devices, and iPads can get apps through the App Store straight from their devices.

Web apps load within a web browser and don't need to be downloaded, unless you're talking about something like Chrome Apps that are downloaded to your computer but then run small web-based apps through the chrome://apps/ URL, such as Video stream.

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The word "app" is an abbreviation for "application." It's a piece of software that can run through a web browser or offline on your computer, and on a smartphone phone, tablet or other electronic devices, including smart TVs and smartwatches. Apps may or may not have a connection to the internet.

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Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, Values and Ethics

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21st Century skills which should be learnt

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Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills with Esther Care and Patrick  Gri

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How does digital technology really impact children in the classroom?

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Above, watch Jim Shelton, deputy secretary at the US Department of Education, speak with Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson about the impact of technology on student learning.
What is the impact of technology on student learning? According to Jim Shelton, deputy secretary at the US Department of Education, the benefits of adding digital educational tools to curriculum extend far beyond the classroom. Shelton, who is known in the education world for his work in the intersection of education and innovation, recently spoke about the subject at the Aspen Institute (watch the video above to view the full conversation).

Below, Shelton offers a deeper dive into the advantages of incorporating tech in schools.
Aspen Idea: How much does technology in the classroom impact student learning?
Jim Shelton: When students have access to powerful mobile devices and digital resources that are continually updated, they realize that learning doesn't stop with the last bell of the school day. They become accustomed to learning being an integral part of all aspects of their lives, which establishes ongoing learning habits lasting long after graduation. In addition, technology empowers students to take control of their own learning. By providing students with tools to engage and create, as well as monitor their own progress, students are put in the driver's seat and become owners of the learning process.

In February, we hosted the first ever White House Student Film Festival, where we asked kids to tell us about the role that technology plays in their classrooms. We asked them to tell us why technology is so important, and how it will change the educational experience for kids in the future. They responded with nearly 3,000 films, 16 of which were screened at the White House. In one film, eighth-graders talked about a class project where they designed cook stoves for developing countries with the help of Ugandan students through online video chatting. What the amazing range of contributions to the film festival proves is that we don't know what teachers or students will do with these new tools to advance learning - and that's exactly the point. It's about new possibilities and creativity.
AI: There are many technological innovations in existence today that can be implemented in schools. What is the key to making the best use of these digital products?
JS: These [technologies] offer their greatest benefits to students only when teachers and principals have the skills and support to leverage them. According to a recent survey, almost one-third of teachers said that the greatest obstacle to using technology in their classroom was their need for professional development. A 2012 PBS survey showed that 91 percent of teachers have access to computers in the classroom - but only one-fifth say they have the right level of technology. That's why President Barack Obama's budget proposal this year included a new grant program for states to develop comprehensive plans ensuring that educators can master new technology and harness it to benefit students - while protecting student security and privacy online.

The US Department of Education also released guidance to states and districts making it clear that they could use existing federal funds to support professional development on using technology effectively, both to improve learning experiences for students but also to increase collaboration and sharing of resources among teachers thousands of miles from each other. There are hundreds of online communities where teachers across the country connect to share best practices and support each other in improving their craft. In October, we will celebrate "Connected Educators Month," where teachers and leaders from across the country will participate in a series of events focused on using technology to support and engage teachers.

Fewer than 30% of schools have the broadband they need to teach using today's technology.
AI: While state-of-the-art technology is ever-present in many US school districts, other, underprivileged districts face difficulties providing students with access to those same tools. What is the federal government doing to balance the playing field?
JS: The ConnectED Initiative is a call to work together across the public and private sector, across local and federal government, and among schools and communities to ensure all students have high-speed wireless in their classrooms, learning devices to access the Internet, high-quality digital learning resources, and teachers who know how to use these resources to transform learning. The goal of ConnectED is to give access to high-speed broadband Internet to 99 percent of students in US public schools by 2017.

This year, the Federal Communications Commission made an additional $2 billion available to provide 20 million more students with high-speed Wi-Fi in their classrooms and libraries over the next two years, which we believe will help more students get a great education, train them for the jobs of the future, and continue to build a more competitive US economy.

The challenge is great: today, fewer than 30 percent of schools have the broadband they need to teach using today's technology. That connectivity will be the bedrock of a transformation in the classroom experience for all students, regardless of income. As Obama has said, "In a nation where we expect free WiFi with our coffee, why shouldn't we have it in our schools?" American companies are answering the president's challenge to support this initiative with $2 billion in private commitments for America's students and teachers. ConnectED is about more than wires and wireless: it's about getting tablets and laptops into students' hands, loading them with high-quality educational software and content, and preparing educators on how to use technology to enrich the learning experience.
AI: What role do parents play when it comes to student learning through these new technologies?
JS: Parents play a key role in fostering the effective use of technology to support learning as many great learning apps are designed specifically for use at home. Choosing apps that allow children to create, design, and make while limiting apps that simply allow children to consume media is an important role of parents.

In addition, technology also allows parents to become more engaged with the learning process through tools that provide real-time access to information about their child's progress and the ability to communicate virtually with school teachers and leaders. Parents are also a key element in teaching safe use of these powerful tools. In collaboration with schools, parents have the important responsibility to teach their children how to be respectful and safe digital citizens.
Jim Shelton is deputy secretary at the US Department of Education.

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What is the Impact of Technology in the Classroom? A Q&A with Jim Shelton - The Aspen Institute

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According to Jim Shelton, deputy secretary at the US Department of Education, the benefits of adding digital educational tools to curriculum extend far beyond the classroom. Shelton, who is known in the education world for his work in the intersection of education and innovation, recently spoke about the subject at the Aspen Institute.

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Online resource that can be used by children in classrooms

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search

Enriching mathematics for all learners

A free-to-use collection of mathematics activities, lessons and problems designed to nurture curious, resourceful and confident learners of mathematics. Produced by The University of Cambridge.

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The Nrich Maths Project Cambridge,England. Mathematics resources for children,parents and teachers to enrich learning. Problems,children's solutions,interactivities,games,articles.

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Benefits of flipped learning in a classroom

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Teacher Chris Waterworth recently started using flipped learning with his class and has written a really interesting blog post about how the approach has gone down with his students and, thanks to an unexpected Ofsted visit, how it's been received by inspectors.

Flipped learning turns the usual teaching model on its head. The idea is that students learn new content outside the classroom (usually online) and then tackle assignments in lessons, giving teachers more time to help students with aspects they don't understand. Chris, who's been experimenting with the method for a few weeks, talks about how he's been using it to teach division.

Firstly, he emails students two videos on YouTube about the topic, asking them to watch the clips over the weekend and bring any questions to school on Monday. In the lesson, he sets challenges on short and long division. What's interesting is that instead of assigning students tasks based on their ability, students can choose the problems they'd like work on depending on the level they believe they're at.

Ten minutes into the class an Ofsted inspector walks in. Chris writes: "Some of the pupils had chosen to stay with me to explore their misconceptions.

"This is where the children really excelled. They knew which part of the calculation strategy they were challenged by and could tell me about it in detail, because they had watched the video before the session.

"The approach enabled me to spend more time questioning childrens' understanding and moving learning on."

And, he writes, "what better way to endorse the use of a flipped classroom than a direct quote from our Ofsted report: 'An innovative use of e-tablets when learning about mathematics enabled pupils to make outstanding progress.'"

We'll be exploring the different ways you can use the flipped learning approach to teach students. We'll be sharing lesson ideas, looking at the benefits and challenges, discussing research behind the idea and talking about where you can find resources to support the technique.

Join us on Thursday 3 April from 5:30pm to 7:30pm to chat about flipped learning. The discussion will take place in the comment thread below, which is already open, so feel free to post your questions and ideas early and catch up with what happened at a later date.

Our panel

Bruno Reddy: @mrreddymaths
Bruno was an early adopter of blended learning in the UK and for the last three years has been trying out different models, including flipped learning and flex learning. He runs training sessions on blended learning and is head of maths at King Solomon Academy. He blogs at Mr Reddy.

Shorny Morgan: @shornymorgan
Shorny is head of key stage 4 English and lead practitioner at The Wellington Academy. After completing her training at the University of Cambridge, she undertook a masters in education, focusing on ways to develop independent learning. One of the key strategies explored was the use of flipped learning.

Tanya Prescott
Tanya is an advanced practitioner for learning technologies, as well as head of humanities at an independent college for international students. Currently she is working with a team of practitioners to pilot different flipped learning tools in the classroom.

Colin Hegarty: @hegartymaths
Colin is an advanced skills maths teacher at Preston Manor All-Through School in Wembley and founder of the website Hegarty Maths, which provides free maths lessons for students at GCSE and A-level. Many maths teachers use the site as a resource for flipping their lessons and you can find out more on how they do this in this blog post.

Neena Adam: @NeenaNizar
Neena is an international baccalaureate co-ordinator, English teacher, an advocate for special Needs and Tedx speaker. She is on the technology team for the flipped classroom at Gems Modern Academy in Dubai.

Chris Waterworth: @chriswaterworth
Chris has been teaching for 10 years and has used technology in his classrooms from the beginning. He believes that the use of quick, mobile technology in classrooms is gaining speed and that flipped learning is the way to truly personalise your students' learning.

Tom Riley: @riley_ed
Tom is a maths teacher and learning technologies co-ordinator at the de Ferrers Academy in Burton-on Trent. He is an Apple distinguished educator and a keen advocate of using video to help develop student independence. He blogs at New Tech Timeline.

Kishore Vyas: @MyGCSEscience
Kishore is a science teacher and creator of My GCSE Science, a video based learning resource. He has been in education for 20 years and currently works as a part-time teacher and online resource provider.

Mark Griffiths
Having worked in a number of senior leadership teams in schools across the north-west of England, most recently as a deputy headteacher at a large secondary academy, Mark now works for Randstad Education to ensure that schools have access to the very best staff for day-to-day supply and longer-term vacancies.

Simon Lancaster: @S_J_Lancaster
Simon is a senior lecturer in chemistry at the University of East Anglia. He incorporates flipped learning practices in much of his teaching and is an advocate for peer instruction within the flipped environment. He has received the Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Award and a Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship. He has written about the method on the Royal Society of Chemistry website.

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Looking for your next role? Take a look at Guardian jobs for schools for thousands of the latest teaching, leadership and support jobs.
Topics

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Flipped learning: benefits, challenges and best practice - live chat

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Teacher Chris Waterworth recently started using flipped learning with his class and has written a really interesting blog post about how the approach has gone down with his students and, thanks to an unexpected Ofsted visit, how it's been received by inspectors. Flipped learning turns the usual teaching model on its head.

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A tool used within classrooms to support children's learning and problem solving skills

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How does technology benefit our learning?

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How does technology benefit our learning?

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Article with details on how technology is essential to children's learning

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Technology essential to children's success, professor says

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(Phys.org)-Children need access to technology if they want to succeed in the 21st century with so many of the world's transactions done over the internet, says Massey Professor Mark Brown.

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To understand statutory requirements in Computing

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The statutory programmes of study and attainment targets for computing at key stages 1 to 4.

Applies to England

Documents

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National curriculum in England: computing programmes of study

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The statutory programmes of study and attainment targets for computing at key stages 1 to 4.

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Why do we need to be taught Computational thinking?

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Why do we need to be taught Computational thinking?

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To understand the benefits of Computational thinkng

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Clarifies the difference between each term

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Computer science or ICT: which would serve our pupils better?

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Should we welcome computing with open arms or mourn the demise of ICT? Miles Berry and Chris Leach debate the Gove's changes to the national curriculum

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To understand the importance of coding and why it should be added to the National curriculum

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To understand the key processes and approaches involved in computational thinking