Archive for the ‘Education Technology’ Category

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National Poetry Month

| posted by smaldonado

April is National Poetry Month! Established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, this month is devoted to the celebration of poets and the impact that poetry has on art and our lives.

By collaborating with art organizations, educational establishments, libraries, government agencies, publishers and other community organizations, the Academy of American Poets uses National Poetry Month to try to accomplish the following goals:

Why Teach Poetry?

Teaching poetry is not necessarily an easy task, and many teachers and students alike have lamented the difficulties of the subject. Still, teaching poetry can be an enjoyable and inspiring experience, and there are many good reasons why poetry should be included in your school’s curriculum.

A Way to Teach asked real teachers why they believe poetry should be taught, and respondents offered many reasons. Studying poetry helps students gain a better understanding of the English language, especially the use of figurative language. It also encourages them to think more critically and abstractly while interpreting language. Studying poetry makes students stronger readers and writers, but it also gives them a connection to the past when they study historical authors. Furthermore, poetry is an art form that allows writers to express deep emotions, an otherwise uncommon experience in school curriculum.

Discover the benefits of teaching poetry by introducing it to your own students this month. For tips on how to bring poetry into your classroom, visit the Academy of American Poets’ suggestions on how to celebrate National Poetry Month.


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Teacher Tax Credits

| posted by smaldonado

Please consult a professional accountant with your particular tax questions.

It isn’t unusual for teachers to spend their own money on classroom supplies. Teachers want what’s best for their students, so they will often purchase items such as crayons, tissues, construction paper and even books, when school budgetary concerns become an issue. They also sometimes purchase materials to advance their own pedagogy, buying texts and subscribing to services to assist with curriculum planning, classroom management and other facets of instruction. But what many teachers don’t realize is that the IRS offers a teacher tax credit to offset some of these costs.

How the Teacher Tax Credit Works and Eligibility Factors

The Educator Expense Deduction was created in 2002 and will expire at the end of this year unless it is extended, as it has been in the past. It allows educational professionals, such as teachers and aides, to deduct up to $250 annually in classroom supplies that they have purchased with their own money.

In order to be eligible for the Educator Expense Deduction, you must meet the following criteria:

Qualifying Expenses

Educators can deduct money spent on “books, supplies, computer equipment (including related software and services), other equipment and supplementary materials” used in the classroom. For health and physical education courses, “expenses for supplies are qualified expenses only if they are related to athletics.” As with any business expense, it is important that you maintain records and receipts for items purchased. These documents are necessary in case you are audited.

Additionally, if you had teaching expenses prior to the last academic year that you did not claim, you do not need to consider that money lost. You can claim expenses three years after filing a tax return.

How to Get the Teacher Tax Credit

If you file your own taxes, there is an “Educator Expenses” section on standard tax forms. For Form 1040, it is line 23, and on Form 1040A, it is line 16. Both of these forms can be found on the IRS website.


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Teach 100: Building Better Blogs

| posted by smaldonado

It’s been an exciting few months here at Teach.com since we launched the Teach 100, the first tool of its kind to rank the best educational blogs according to vital metrics that assess a site’s performance. Because the Teach 100 updates daily, the rankings are always changing depending on how the blogs are doing. The result is a current, comprehensive assessment of the blogs in comparison to one another.

We’ve received overwhelmingly positive responses from all of you in the educational blogosphere. Each day we see new submissions from around the world, so our number of rankings continues to grow. We began with 127 blogs at our launch, and we now rank 280 blogs. Readers and bloggers alike are using the Teach 100 as a place to connect with some of the most vocal minds in education for multiple reasons: to learn more about emerging technologies, to discuss best practices, to share useful resources, and to give and receive advice.

People are using the ranking as a tool to learn more about a particular topic, as Jackie Gerstein (User Generated Education, Teach 100 blogger) demonstrates in this great post about Teach 100 bloggers who are writing about the flipped classroom resources. Others have used the Teach 100 as a bridge to collaborate with Teach.com on great content, as Peter DeWitt (Finding Common Ground, Teach 100 blogger) did in this inspiring video about protecting LGBT students from bullying.

Own Your Ranking

Some of the best feedback we have received is from those who recognize the Teach 100 as a powerful resource to help improve their sites and become the best bloggers they can be. The factors considered by the Teach 100 are influenced by the blog’s performance. The Social component accounts for 40% of the score, and determines how active a blog is on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Activity --- how frequently the blog is updated --- comprises 20% of the score, and another 20% is drawn from the “overall authority and influence” assigned to a page by Google.

Finally, we at Teach.com assign a subjective score that comprises 20%. This subjective score assesses the visual presentation, the use of varied media, and the author’s handling of different topics in education. This is the only subjective component of the score, and is assigned while a blog is being reviewed.

Many bloggers have reached out seeking to understand how these factors work. They want answers to questions like “How is my blog doing?”, “Why is it ranking where it is?”, and “How can I make it better?” They know the Teach 100 is updated frequently, and they want to know how to make the ranking work for them. When we first launched, the folks at The Core of Education (Teach 100 blog) were curious about how to improve their score. We worked closely with them to assess the different components and isolate areas for improvement. The Social score is perhaps one of the easiest opportunities. We suggested they become active on Twitter, and immediately they saw improvement. Any blogger who posts frequently on their site is guaranteed a higher Activity score, so one of our most common suggestions is to update at least twice a week, if not more.

People often ask about their Google Authority, which is pulled from Google based on the level of influence and value they assign a website. Google Authority is a measurement of how reliable, useful, and engaging a site is. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a practice that we encourage bloggers to utilize that strengthens their site’s credibility in the eyes of Google. The correct and proper use of certain keywords, ensuring that a site is linking to other credible sources, and tagging blogs properly are simple SEO tactics. For Teach 100 bloggers looking to increase their Google Authority, we often point them to this handy Beginners Guide to SEO.

The Teach 100 has become more influential than we’d ever hoped. In becoming a network for the exchanging of ideas and resources, it has done more than transform the online educational space. It has become a tool for helping those voices in education shape and improve the way they share their knowledge with readers.

One especially motivated blogger was JD Ferries-Rowe (Confessions of a Jesuit School CIO, Teach 100 blogger), who wanted to improve the subjective Teach.com score. Because the Teach.com subjective score is based on our initial impressions of the site, it does not update daily along with the other components of the score. Teach 100 bloggers should always feel free to alert us about any major updates to their site, so that we can factor those changes into their subjective score.

That’s precisely what JD did. He informed us of two outstanding posts he had published, “Ten Rules for a Successful #edtech Program That Have Little to Do with Technology” and “The Information Skills for the 24/7 News Cycle Age: An Analysis of the Reporting of #theatershooting", that he felt warranted a reevaluation of his blog. We found his posts to be great pieces of content and increased his Teach.com score by 3 points. That simple reevaluation bumped him up 18 spots in the ranking overnight!

For the complete daily ranking of the best educational blogs on the web, visit the Teach 100. To learn more about the Teach 100, or to work with Teach.com, email Teach100@teach.com.


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Responsive Classroom is like a Map because it Guides Our Journey (By Lisa Dewey Wells)

| posted by smaldonado

This blog was originally published on Wonder of Children on September 17, 2012.

Lisa Wells has taught for 20 years in independent schools in MA, NY and MD. She currently writes a blog on child development, teaches yoga and tries to spend as much time with her two high schoolers as they will allow. Lisa’s committed to knowing each learner as an individual, creating a classroom community where the social curriculum is interwoven with the academic fabric and sharing her work with yoga and meditation with teachers and students. As a consulting teacher for the Northeast Foundation for Children’s Responsive Classroom, Lisa facilitates training on this teaching approach, as well as presents on constructivist learning, research workshop, yoga/meditation in the classroom the and reflective teaching practices. Her blog, Wonder of Children, is a Teach 100 blog.

As I sat down last month to prepare a week-long course for my colleagues at St. Anne’s School, I was reminded of the first Responsive Classroom course I took in 1996. Back then, I was moved and inspired, affirmed and challenged and excited with a powerful, youthful zeal. My enthusiasm was unmatched by those colleagues who did not attend the course with me. I was met with everything from skepticism to “oh yeah, I know that stuff…” to “gee, could you tell me more in case I want to try it one day?” Like any of the warrior poses in yoga, I stood strong and firm; I wrestled with my own strengths and faults so I might balance and support my use of Responsive Classroom with a sometimes dissimilar way of thinking. This struggle fueled me to understand and refine my teaching and to share it with others.

Over the years, I moved to St. Anne’s where this approach was valued and incorporated as a strategic initiative that unfolded over fifteen years (and continues!). The Responsive Classroom approach is the vehicle through which the school’s mission as an Episcopal school has been able to unfold organically with a deep commitment by the adult community. The school and teachers kept a careful eye on child development as we designed our curriculum and classrooms. It impacted the way we scheduled our days, how we honed our teacher language, and how we viewed parents and families as partners. This approach is a natural complement to the mindset and daily life at St. Anne’s. Our students know what it means to care of themselves, each other and our environment. Adults know and believe that this is a process which is influenced by many variables, but that we are a village charged with raising these children to be thoughtful contributors to a range of communities. When I see our children asking tough questions, thinking critically about information they uncover, and then showing equal determination and sensitivity when dealing with peers or social justice issues, I know the work on our social curriculum is validated. (This has recently been supported by research – just click here to read more.)

Even though these teachers are philosophically on board and geared up to learn more, my job wasn't going to be easy. The course content is challenging (volume and breadth) and every participant brings his own set of experiences and perspectives to share or develop. Questions arise as teachers analyze and synthesize new information into their own experiences and knowledge. Like any good teacher, I was as prepared with the content as best I could be, I checked on all the nuts and bolts, and I took the leap, knowing I was in good hands if I were to free fall.

Thanks in large part to the thoughtful sequencing and the training I received, the week unfolded smoothly. What was obvious, but unexpected, was the burning desire so many expressed to have more time to hash out concepts, brainstorm application of the approach or child development, or begin planning the school year. Minds opened, perspectives changed, questions about practices and strategies arose, things that had been in place suddenly made sense. The energy and excitement among these teachers was inspiring. Like sending a 16 year-old off for her maiden voyage as a licensed driver, I felt like a big part of my work was done, but I worried whether I had prepared them well enough. I had laid the foundation by sharing information, fielding questions, and challenging participants to think critically and to see themselves implementing pieces of this approach. I had also stumbled, forgotten details and realized there were areas in which I needed to talk less, listen more, refine my explanations and even ease up and laugh a little more. This is all part of the learning process made possible within our community of learners willing to take risks. We’d all felt a sense of both validation and challenge, because we had taken the time to get to know one another, and agreed to support others and be compassionate with those who were here to learn and grow.

Teaching – in any form or capacity – can be complex, messy, challenging, and rewarding. There’s much to learn in the Responsive Classroom approach, but each step towards approximation of mastery of both social and academic skills is a step forward. If we’re to position children for the best possible academic and social outcomes in school, teachers need the tools to do the same. We need colleagues who have similar philosophies and who will be supportive and provocative in our quest to refine our practices. The critical next step is for follow up – including self-reflection, continued learning, and collaboration among teachers and administrators and coaching from mentor teachers. As the research shows, thoughtful implementation of this approach yields strong academic and social gains. Our work is not finished.

As we closed out our training week, I asked participants to generate similes about their experience. Each of the examples below is as unique, genuine and heart-felt as the person who uttered it. They all speak to the complexity and commitment to learning that we now share.

Responsive Classroom is like a motor because it has lots of moving parts.

Responsive Classroom is like a map to guide our journey.

Responsive Classroom is like a ladder because you take one step at a time.

Responsive Classroom is like a hole at the beach; each time you dig out and can see things, it gets refilled.

Responsive Classroom is like music you have break down to play it well.

Responsive Classroom is like a lava lamp; just as I get a hold of one blob, there’s another one floating out there I try to grab!

For more information about the Responsive Classroom approach to education, visit their website.



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Educator Connection: Flipped Classroom Resources from the Teach 100 (by Jackie Gerstein)

| posted by smaldonado


“I don’t do teaching for a living. I live teaching as my doing . . . and technology has increased my passion for doing so.” Dr. Jackie Gerstein believes that an important role and responsibility of the 21st century educator is to share resources, ideas, and instructional strategies with others. She tweets @jackiegerstein and blogs at User Generated Education (Teach 100 blog, #29)

The Flipped Classroom has jumped onto the education radar in recent years as a way to potentially alter pedagogical and instructional practices by utilizing emerging technologies. In its simplest form, the flipped classroom is a model of learning where students watch content-related videos on their own time, freeing up classroom time for questions and discussion, group work, experiments, and hands-on and other experiential activities.

The time spent on lecturing and lessons is literally “flipped” with the time spent on homework and projects.

A lot of discussions have occurred, presentations have been made, and blog posts have been written about the flipped classroom: how to implement it; its potential to change educational outcomes and/or why it may not; it’s “fad” status; how it favors students of privilege; and so on. A broad range of ideas regarding the flipped classroom can be viewed through our list of selected articles (see below) from the Teach 100 ranking of educational blogs.

If the flipped classroom is to become more than the educational flavor of the month, the following things should be considered:

If you're looking to learn more about the flipped classroom approach, check out these selected articles from Teach 100 bloggers:

For the complete daily ranking of the best educational blogs on the web, visit the Teach 100. To learn more about the Teach 100, or to work with Teach.com, email Teach100@teach.com.


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Charter Schools Producing Positive Results

| posted by smaldonado

The Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) results are in, and according to the scores, Florida charter schools are outperforming their public school counterparts.

The results come amidst much speculation regarding charter school success in the nation, with groups questioning the abilities of charter schools to provide commensurate education for students while other groups have pushed for an increase in charter schools, going as far as to propose the privatization of education.

While charter school success varies widely amongst different states and even counties, one thing is clear: Florida charter schools are proving their worth.

Breaking Down the Results

Education Week explains that results of the FCAT and end-of-year algebra exams were compared for the 2011-12 school year. More than 3 million test scores were analyzed, although demographics were not accounted for, and more than 183,000 students attended charter schools that year in Florida.

On average, charter school students scored better or “proficient” in mathematics, reading, science and algebra. The results were less significant at the elementary school level, where 51.8 percent of public school students scored proficient compared to 51.9 percent of their charter school peers. The differences become more significant at the middle school level, where 47.4 percent of public school students scored proficient compared to 52.5 percent of their charter school peers.

Florida Scores Well With Education Advocates

StudentsFirst, an advocacy group trying to overhaul public school education, recently evaluated every state in the nation. States were assigned letter grades based on factors like teacher evaluation and tenure systems. States were not analyzed for student test scores.

The New York Times reports that no state received an A, 11 were given Fs and only two states received B-minuses. Florida was one of the states that received the highest score, and StudentsFirst has historically pushed for education policies that include student test scores as part of teacher evaluation systems, as well as expand the number of charter schools available.

Similar Results in Massachusetts

Education News compares Florida’s high results to a study conducted recently on Massachusetts schools by California’s Stanford University Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO). Analyzing the results, CREDO concluded that charter school students gain, on average, 1.5 more months of reading learning and 2.5 more months of math than their public school counterparts.

Boston charter schools had the best results, in a city where 13 percent of students attend charter schools. Edward Cremata, co-author of the report, stated, “The average growth rate of Boston charter students in math and reading is the largest CREDO has seen in any city or state thus far. These results signify that these schools could serve as a model and have an opportunity to transfer knowledge to not only the rest of the state but to the national sector as well.”

This is particularly significant as Boston public schools serve a large proportion of low socioeconomic and minority students, who are often considered to be “at risk” students.

Math Achievement in KIPP Schools

Analyzing the “Knowledge is Power Program” (KIPP), a national charter school chain, Mathematica conducted s study that compared KIPP’s mathematics achievement results with regular public schools.

The Huffington Post explains that KIPP schools tend to serve more low-income students, although less English Language Learners and students with special needs, than public schools. After spending three years in a KIPP school, students exhibit an average of 11 more months of knowledge in mathematics than their public school peers. In addition to rigorous math curriculum, KIPP schools have longer school hours, are selective in choosing staff, have parents and students sign contracts, offer after school assistance and have a stricter disciplinary approach. KIPP students also spend more time on homework than their public school peers.

While the report has generated many questions and critics who feel that the results may be skewed, some education professors are eying the results and considering the applications of KIPP practices into regular public schools. Gary Miron, a professor from Michigan University and evaluator of charter schools, stated, “They're concluding that the students that persist in KIPP do better than comparison students. That makes logical sense." He further stated that a more interesting study would be to see if KIPP programs could be helpful in all “under-performing schools.”


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Idaho Embracing “Flipped” Classrooms with Khan Academy

| posted by smaldonado

This fall, 47 schools in Idaho will be able to access resources and free courseware via Khan Academy, thanks in large part to grant money from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.

75 schools competed for the grant money and the winning 47 will use the funding to establish the infrastructure needed to support a model of teaching that blends traditional teaching methods with technology, according to a recent article by Education News. Before describing how schools are using Khan Academy’s massive library of educational videos to their benefit, it is important to understand what Khan Academy is and what educational services it has to offer.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2008 by Salman Khan. All of its resources are accessible to anyone and free to use. Their most popular resource is the video library, which is organized by subjects and course names. Subjects run the gamut from algebra to art history, and videos are available for every level from Kindergarten to adult education. For example, a civics teacher can accompany a lecture with a short video on the Electoral College while an elementary school teacher can use videos to help explain fractions.

The videos are easily digestible, as each one tends to run under 10 minutes with an accompanying short quiz. The videos feature guest lecturers and have appealing graphics and cartoons. For students, Khan Academy offers tools that assist in tracking progress and reviewing information. Teachers and parents can monitor student progress so that they can target what needs to be reviewed and remediated.

Khan believes that videos and technology can really enhance and close gaps in learning, as he found out firsthand, prior to starting Khan Academy, by posting YouTube videos to tutor his family members.

Khan’s Approach to Teaching

Khan explained the methodology to his approaches in an interview for 60 Minutes last September. Following his YouTube experiment, people began writing him with praise for his short videos. Students with dyslexia and other challenges really connected with his mode of presentation, and Khan decided that he wanted to give the world access to short video lessons on any subject imaginable. Soon, Bill Gates was on board and Khan Academy quickly found its way into classrooms. Idaho’s 47 schools are a small number compared to the number of classrooms across the nation that are already utilizing Khan Academy’s free resources.

“Flipped” Classrooms in Idaho

Oregon Live reports that the pilot program in Idaho is a unique one. Starting this fall, Khan Academy resources will be used to support a “flipped” model in history, physics and math classes. Students will get accounts so that they can access their classes from home and watch short videos as homework assignments. Classroom time will be devoted to individualized instruction based on the video content. This approach will allow teachers to more easily fill in learning gaps and tailor instruction to meet individual needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to education. Northwest Nazarene University has also joined the efforts by offering to help design instruction that would best complement the videos and classroom use of technology. Khan Academy will use assessment exams to track student progress in mathematics. If the pilot program is successful, it may quickly catch on in the other 49 states.

How Free Courseware is Changing Education

With the rapid growth that has been occurring in open courseware, teachers are flocking towards the free resources. Educational materials and curriculum are typically expensive and during tight budgetary times, free high-quality materials are appealing. Open courseware also enables teachers to individualize education more as students can pursue their interests, access more advanced materials and engage in independent study without the need for costly materials and extra staff.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was one of the first organizations to offer free open courseware and now has tailored resources for the high school level. Highlights for High School features content that is appropriate for the secondary level where students can view MIT professors conduct science experiments or they can prepare for AP exams. Soon, there will be no boundaries as to what students will be able to learn.


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