gpmt

While in Australia we aren't using Common Core, good teaching is still good teaching and the resources and ideas here are just as useful.

This sight has many ideas and helpful hints for teachers to learn more about technology and how to use it.

This is the final post in a series of five that explored STEM, PBL, and the Common Core and it focuses on resources for Project Based Learning units. "By searching through STEM subjects in these sites’ databases or directories you can come up with a PBL unit to use, remix, or possible implement a lesson from."

An extensive list of resources is provided with short descriptions so you have a sense of what you may find.

The Common Core testing is rapidly approaching and this article discusses a research paper that was just released by UCLA's National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards & Student Testing. 

They state that "the assessments hold a lot of promise for improving teacher practice and student learning" and that "the test-making projects face key financial, technical, and political challenges that could affect their success."

They also reference a variety of resources, including one new to me called the Depth of Knowledge Levels (DOK), which provides four levels (the link to the DOK is at http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/sia/msip/DOK_Chart.pdf):

* Level One is recall

* Level Two is skill/concept

* Level Three is strategic thinking

* Level Four is extended thinking

The link to this DOK reminds me of Bloom's Taxonomy with verbs to help you understand each section as well as activities based on the level. The question that remains to be answered is if the tests being created by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium will reach these levels, and according to this report it appears that will have "the more lengthy, complex performance tasks being crafted by the two groups...seemed likely to assess skills at DOK Level 4."

The post also discusses some of the issues that remain, including cost and time of testing, cost of scoring, dealing with accomocations, and "Managing the "shock to the public and to teachers' instructional practice" that the tests' increased intellectual rigor will demand."

How do you test creativity and innovation using "set" core standards of evaluation? Creativity and innovation require a certain amount of willingness for failure and risk taking. How does training for common core test "standards" assist that higher level goal?

I often get very bored with infographics, but these techniques will help me not only read them better but have a go at c reating my own

Slightly overblown tone, presumably to help what is a useful overview of infographics sound more "academic" - read between the lines for what students should think through and how they should approach their own infographic production

Visualizing is a powerful multisensory technique. 

Are you looking for tools to help you align your lessons to Common Core standards? Richard Byrne provides five sites you might want to check out for resources and more. Learn more about:

* Teaching Objects

* Alchemy Smart Binder

* Common Curriculum

* OpenEd

* Mastery Connect

Take a few minutes to peruse his post. Each of these sites provides different options to consider.

Formative assessments, formative learning, the two go hand in hand. This post explores 23 resources that can be used in STEM classes and for Project Based Learning, Read the post and find resources that will help look at formative assessments in many areas including:

* Activities

* Simulations

* Games

* Reflections

* Journals

* Peer review

* Videos

* Peer and Teacher interaction

* Readings

* Critical and Creative brainstorming and thinking

I prefer love and freedom and look everything through these criterias.

This post is the first in series and discusses free resources that may be stored on a local computer or a network. The list includes Scratch, Sketc-Up, Gimp, 3 free office suites, Alice, a variety of tools that will help you make movies and more. Most are described in some  detail and there are links to additional resources to help you learn the tool.

Additional posts will discuss Web 2.0 apps that may be used on the Internet (and across platforms), web apps and sites that promote literacy and student publication and web sites that promote student creativity.

A good list to help you start (or continue) bulding a "digital toolbox" for multimodal compositions. (I will steal some of these ideas for my delicious links!)