All Blog Posts (605)

This post by Shelley Wright I recently read suggests flipping Bloom's Taxonomy to begin with 'creating' and working backwards, imitating a flipped classroom model. 

http://plpnetwork.com/2012/05/15/flipping-blooms-taxonomy/

I was excited when I read Wright's blog post and thought it has major potential to 'flip' education in the Jewish studies classroom as well. What if students went straight to…

I love using Lino boards (www.linoit.com) and my students have given great feedback about their enjoyment in using it. I set up the Lino Board ahead of time, posting photos, videos and questions ahead of time. Students are then requested to post their…

Recently I was sitting around with a few of my friends, and threw out the question to them, “what do you think about iPads being used in education?” My friends are not teachers, however without any background in teaching, they all had a lot of interesting things to say. One of my friends told me that in speech school she has learned a lot about how iPads are being used in special education, such as for voice boards.

            There is an interesting app for iPads called Proloquo2Go.…

Schools have been spending vast amounts of money to supply iPads for students. What return is this investment in iPads in education yielding?

In a NY Times article dated January 2011 regarding iPads in schools Larry Cuban, a (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?pagewanted=all) professor emeritus of education at Stanford University said “There is very little…

Web 2.0 discusses the fact that technology is so portable and mobile—and thus has tremendous educational potential. This accessibility is undeniable.

The question that always remains however, is how do we make these tools truly accessibly for EVERYONE? Cost plays too big of a part to be ignored! For example, in the school I am currently teaching in, the technology is so behind. If you don’t have a SmartBoard or a working, updated computer in your classroom…how can you be…

Well, in case you couldn't guess from the title, I have been experimenting with the virtual world of Second Life and have come away with a few conclusions.  First of all, I feel like a dinosaur.  The frustration level of not knowing what to do and how to navigate the various 'worlds' makes me feel like my mother must have felt when they introduced electric typewriters.  The frustration built as I realized that my kids or the students in my school would probably be able to figure it all out…

iPads have taken over the technology world! Students worldwide are on iPhones, iPods, and now, iPads. When iPads first came out, many people questioned their purpose. Even though people doubted its use, the iPads were sold out and on back order! Young children and teens especially love the iPad. They use it to play games and watch movies, and now, they use it in a lot of their classrooms.

Apple has spent a lot of time and educational expertise on making educational apps for the…

I went on the apple website www.apple.com/education/ipad/ to read about the advantages of using ipads in the classroom. I would like to highlight what I read:

a)      Students can use the ipad as their book. If they don’t know the definition of a word, they can tap the word and a dictionary or glossary will pop up. They can even rotate pictures and look at it from different angles.

b)      In the long run schools…

I was recently presented with the following question: What would you recommend as the ideal roll out plan for iPads for students and implementation planning for a school?

After googling iPads in the classroom and reading from a number of different sites (…

Schools are (or should be) always looking to better the education they offer their students.  Since there has been such a rush to utilize mobile technology in education, this perspective of self-improvement has led many schools to spend large sums of money on technologies like iPads.  Frankly, I find this very surprising, as the economic realities currently facing both the Jewish community and the United States should be telling us to spend with more caution.  Why, exactly, do I assume that…

This semester I experimented using Edmodo (http://www.edmodo.com) in my classes and found it to be an extremely valuable tool. It is commonly referred to as a social network and keeps this image by maintaing a facebook-like look. So far, though, I have ignored the potentially "social" elements of edmodo and used it as a powerful organizing tool. While in theory, students could use edmodo to interact other members of the class, I focused more on their using…

I’m not one of those people that always has to be right.  I can easily admit when I am wrong (don’t tell my husband) and in fact, have even conceded an argument just to end it.  Because,  ultimately, does it really matter whose turn it was to do the dishes?  Or that the wall color you picked out was actually burnt sienna and NOT red.  So while it may not be difficult for me admit I was wrong (at least to all of you), it is, in this case, surprising.

Last year I had the privilege of…

IPADS are a convenient and effective way to bring technology into the classroom.  The device is not cumbersome and therefore very transportable for our students. Furthermore, apple has positioned itself as a leader in personal educational technology by beginning to bring textbooks onto the ipad.  This project will make them more cost effective.  

As a teacher, I prefer students using ipads rather than a laptop computer.  The ipad is less of a "wall" literally and figuratively between…

This is a continuation of the blog post here.

The year is winding down and we are finishing up our first year using Khan Academy and while overall is it has been a great experience, the year has not come without a number of challenges that we have had to adapt to.

Positives:

 Our 3rd Grade class that uses Khan…

I really enjoy learning about using visual aids through technology because I myself am a visual learner. One class that I currently teach is an english elective–centered around the “Storytelling Model.” The elements of the Storytelling Model are very reminiscent of the Six Elements of Digital Stories: Voice, Character, Setting, Conflict, Visual, Pacing. 

For example, I love using Storybird in class because my students can express their own interpretations of the material we are…

 As a parent and an educator my goal is to enhance the learning experience of every child and to empower them to take greater ownership of their learning. iPads have endless educational value for children, teachers and leaders in schools. An unobtrusive device, small and lightweight, yet powerful and expansive, the iPad will become as ubiquitous as a pencil once was. What return is this investment yielding? Increased student autonomy, increased student engagement ( Mueller, Wood,…