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"Next gen tools provide meaningful ways teachers and students can explore, question, reflect and share–leading to Deeper Learning and blended and personalized opportunities for students. Here are 25 ideas for using next gen tools this year in your classroom."
Beth Dichter's insight:
Why would we want to use next gen tools in our classroom? One reason is they provide a richer experience for our students, richer content, potentially richer discussions, and more as well as the fact that these tools are often multi-disciplinary and multi-sensory. The 25 tools listed here address large parts of the curriculum as well as grade levels. Five are listed below. Click through to the post to learn more about them and twenty more. * PBS for Educators has many resources available. This post highlights three specifically: Point of View (which is geared to older students); SCI Girls (think STEM); and Daily News Story (as you probably guessed we are talking current events). * Big History Project goal is to develop a full curriculum for high school. At this point they have four key areas: the universe, or solar system and Earth, Life and Humans, with a total of seven "threshholds." * Do you want your students to publish work online? Consider checking out EduBlog, KidBlog and Blogger? Have fun exploring and teach your students (and yourself) some next gen tools! 
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Project-based learning continues to be misinterpreted as a single teaching strategy rather than as a set of design principles that allow us to introduce the philosophy of inquiry into education in an intelligent and grounded way. It’s time to not only address the flaws in PBL, but to reinvent it in a way that leads to deeper learning, creative inquiry, and a better fit with a collaborative world in which doing and knowing are one thing.
Beth Dichter's insight:
So how would one go about reinterpreting project-based learning? This post explores this idea in depth, providing five key areas where change must occur, and detailing one to five additional ideas that will help move project-based learning to a "philosophy of inquiry." 1. Put PBL on a continuum of inquiry. 2. Blend surface knowledge and deeper learning. 3. Start with a sophisticated student-centered culture. 4. Make collaboration as important in school as it is in life. 5. Understand that PBL cannot be done alone. If you are using project-based learning, or are considering implementing project-based learning next year take the time to check out this post. There are many great ideas that will lead our students to "deeper learning, creative inquiry, and a better fit with a collaborative world in which doing and knowing are one thing."
Kate JohnsonMcGregor's curator insight,
March 25, 2014 10:04 AM
This is helpful as a philosophical vision - how to rethink our teaching to effectively integrate the inquiry process. Love it! 
Rosemary Tyrrell, Ed.D.'s curator insight,
March 25, 2014 2:32 PM
This post includes some strategic suggestions on how to make PBL more meaningful for your students.
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Setting aside the two predominant narratives of education, there's a third vision taking shape that's yet to be defined. What would a reimagined education system value and teach?
Beth Dichter's insight:
As we move closer to the implementation of Common Core testing in many states we might consider discussing what a "reimagined education system" would value and teach? Would it be Common Core curriculum or would it address other issues, such as the need to: * Be inquiry based * Provide authentic learning experiences * Teach students how to manage information (as more and more comes online daily) * Teach students how to learn This list could continue. The post addresses the issues listed above (and additional ones as well). In many ways we are at a crossroads in education and this post explores some of the issues. How would the teachers at your school feel about these issues? Is this a discussion that has taken place? Does it need to take place? Each of us may come to different conclusions but the conversation is worth having.
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"Helping students learn how to learn: That's what most educators strive for, and that's the goal of inquiry learning. That skill transfers to other academic subject areas and even to the workplace where employers have consistently said that they want creative, innovative and adaptive thinkers. Inquiry learning is an integrated approach that includes kinds of learning: content, literacy, information literacy, learning how to learn, and social or collaborative skills. Students think about the choices they make throughout the process and the way they feel as they learn. Those observations are as important as the content they learn or the projects they create."
Beth Dichter's insight:
If we want to teach students to learn how to learn what tools would help them out? Using the concept of inquiry learning this post recommends the following tools to help the students guide their inquiry learning process. * An Inquiry Community is the class itself. * An Inquiry Circle is a small group where students can talk to one another... * The Inquiry Journal * The Inquiry Log helps students to keep track of the learning journey * The Inquiry Chart is a great tool to help students identify a central question. Additional information on these five processes is available in the post.
Shradha Kanwar's curator insight,
March 23, 2013 11:45 AM
Learning how to learn..the Brilliant Human Brain
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"Educators are always striving to find ways to make curriculum relevant in students’ everyday lives. More and more teachers are using social media around lessons, allowing students to use their cell phones to do research and participate in class, and developing their curriculum around projects to ground learning around an activity. These strategies are all part of a larger goal to help students connect to social and cultural spaces."
Beth Dichter's insight:
A look at Henry Jenkins work on participatory learning and PLAY (Participatory Learning and You). So what is PLAY? "...'a mode of experimentation, of testing materials, trying out new solutions, exploring new horizons,' Jenkins said. It’s how kids interact with games – throwing themselves in without reading the rules, testing the limits and feeling free to try and fail." This post provides a number of examples, discusses assesement and play, and provides links to additional articles on the subject.
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Are you interested in using inquiry based learning in your classroom but are not sure of how to implement a new program? This post discusses the importance of planning and takes you through a step-by-step look at techniques you will use to effectively implement inquiry learning. Many additional resources are provided.
Peta Bubrzycki's curator insight,
March 6, 2013 10:10 AM
this looks great and has some handy hints for children to understand the process they need to go through. 
Marta Braylan's curator insight,
June 1, 2013 2:26 PM
Inquiry Learning - the importance of planning step by step
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Teachers who are interested in shifting their classrooms often don’t know where to start. It can be overwhelming, frightening, and even discouraging, especially when no one else around you seems to think the system is broken. The question I’ve been asked often throughout the past year is “Where should a teacher begin?” I’ve reflected on this a fair amount, and I think small strategic steps are the key.
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Mosa Mack Science Detective exposes students to the thrill of learning while teaching critical and scientific thinking skills.
Beth Dichter's insight:
Mosa Mack: Science Detective is a new site that has launched their first science mystery for students in Grades 4 - 8 (although they note students as young as 2nd graders have tested it as have students in high school). The first mystery, A Growling Stomach, is just over six minutes in length. In addition to the video you will find resources for Band A (Grades 4 and 5) and Band B (Grades 6, 7 and 8). The resources include: * Class Discussion Guide * Small Group Discussion Guide/Individual Worksheet * Vocabulary Cards * Standards Alignment to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards There are also resources for the teacher including: * Time Codes/Answer Sheets * Background Information * FAQ This is the only video at this point, but they do state that they plan on having more available, with a goal of having "dozens of animated science mysteries" within a few years. This is inquiry based science where students are asked to use problem-solving techniques. Check out the first video and hope that more show up soon.
'Tatiana Carvajal's curator insight,
September 9, 2015 11:11 PM
You as a teacher or your students can learn science with these ICT . You only need to create your account. Try it !!
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Teaching standards doesn't necessitate a standardized approach to teaching. Teachers share ideas for providing a standards-based, but authentic learning experience for all students.
Beth Dichter's insight:
Can teachers teach the Common Core standards and provide authentic learning so students are engaged? This post explores this issue and provides eight strategies for teaching in authentic ways. Below are four of the strategies. * Make the standards fit into student interests. * Teach students to question. * Emulate effective risk taking. * Be open to many answers. For additional information the four strategies above and for four more click through to the post.
Dr Pam Hill's curator insight,
March 21, 2014 9:04 AM
Wonderful article that points out some of the challenges of Standards Based Learning as well as ways that instructors can maintain their own unique teaching styles and interests. Great article for discussion in PD meetings, online learning, and teacher prep courses!
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A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be invited to St Oliver Plunkett to be a part of their 1-1 iPad rollout to the very excited Year 6 class. Led by their fabulous teacher librarian, Ann-Mari...
Beth Dichter's insight:
This post provides access to three pdf files that look at the iPad apps that one school with a 1:1 iPad rollout loaded on iPads for teachers, students and one that looks at inquiry learning on the iPad (image above for this one). Choosing which apps to include in a 1:1 rollout is not always easy to determine due to the wide range of apps available, so looking at what others have done is often helpful.
Kimberly House's curator insight,
July 28, 2013 6:17 AM
Great list of Apps for both teachers and students from a school implementing a 1:1. This is one of the hardest steps: determining which apps will be part of plan. There are some good suggestions here.
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"If kids can access information from sources other than school, and if school is no longer the only place where information lives, what, then happens to the role of this institution?"
Beth Dichter's insight:
So how do schools go about guiding "students to find their own learning paths at school"? In this post Diana Laufenberg who taught at the Science Leadership Academy shares her thoughts on how this took place at the Academy. The short list is below with additional information found in the post as well as a TEDtalk video by Laufenberg "How to Learn? From Mistakes." * Be flexible. * Foster inquiry be scaffolding curiosity. * Design architecture for participation. * Teachers teach kids, not subjects. * Provide opportunities for experiential learning. * Embrace failure. * Don't be boring. * Foster joy.
Lucy Robertson's curator insight,
October 22, 2014 8:26 PM
Inquiry: the best teachers show you where to look, don't tell you what to see. Inquiry learning helps students across all curriculum areas. 
Elizabeth Galo's curator insight,
August 26, 2015 7:11 AM
A few things about this article stand out, firstly that inquiry is fostered through scaffolding, secondly, that teachers teach kids - not subjects and finally that opportunities are provided for experiential learning. Scaffolding learning enhances the learning experience for all students, as the amount of scaffolding required can be differentiated. When teachers let go of their need to teach subjects, or impart knowledge they are free to facilitate a learning process. There is a great body of research to suggest that students learn best through a hands-on experiential approach. Providing these opportunities throughout the day challenges teachers to forsake the commonplace and allow for richer, less contrived learning spaces.
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When we speak of 21st century learning we often hear the words innovation and creativity...but what can we do as educators to help our students develop these skills. How can we make our schools bcome idea factories for our students? Below is a list of 8 ideas. For more information click through to the article. * Welcome authentic questions. * Encourage effective teamwork. * Be ready to go big. * Build empathy. * Uncover passion. * Amplify worthy ideas. * Know when to say no. * Encourage breakthroughs.
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I often hear adults describing today’s young people as ‘digital natives,’ usually with a tone of resignation or acceptance: “They are so far ahead of us, but we can turn to them for help,” is the general message I hear. My reaction is “Whoa there, Nellie,” because to me that kind of thinking smacks of abdication of adult responsibility. Yes, most young people know more than we adults because the fast-changing world of modern technology is alien to us, wildly different from the one we grew up in. But being a ‘digital native’ is not the same as being a ‘digital citizen.’...
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Some great tools to consider for your classroom.
A useful list of top quality resources.