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Instruct 123
06/19/2014
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We follow suit with yesterday's Day of Making by "making" a number of exciting announcements! First up--we formally invite you to our next Summit--the Los Angeles Tech for Schools Summit. We're hauling it down to sunny SoCal on September 12-13; mark the date in your calendars. Educators, sign up here for free.
Next up, we are proud to announce the launch of EdSurge Product Insights, a series of in-depth analyses of popular tools in our Edtech Index. Learn what your fellows teachers have to say about KnowRe, TenMarks, Motion Math, LearnBop and Conceptua Math. Check it out!
Live From the Field
WHAT SCHOOLS REALLY WANT: What do K-12 educators want from their online tools? How about direct access to their data? That's one of the findings in a new report from Julia Freeland (Christensen Institute) and Alex Hernandez (Charter School Growth Fund), which analyzes how thirty cutting-edge public school systems are using online tools--and more importantly, what they want from the edtech industry. Hernandez shares the five major lessons they learned.
PRACTICE SAFE TECH: Don't get lost in the clouds--store your files there, instead! Connecticut public school "edtech guy," David Andrade (this week's #edsurge50) has suggestions and four tools that will safely back up your files, from external hard drives to the cloud. After all, no one wants to lose all of their files--not even really, really good-looking male model Derek Zoolander...
THE LITTLE DISTRICT THAT COULD: Instead of starting with new technology or money, CA-based Lindsay Unified revamped itself five years ago with one very important question: What kind of learners did they want their kids to be? These days, walk into any of its classrooms and you'll find neither students nor teachers. No one gets an "A" or an "F"; no age-based grade levels exist. Christina Quattrocchi gives details on how this district dismantled itself and built a leading model for proficiency-based learning.
CLASSROOM TOOLS GRAB-BAG: Russel Tarr, a teacher in France, has a Pinterest-like school tools board that rivals the stuff of legends and has earned high praises from influential edublogger like Vicki Davis. His site, Classtools.net, has recommendations for free, low-tech tools from graphic organizers to video game makers.
IPADS AND MORE
NOT JUST AN I-FAD: Cheap is good. And at first glance, the Chromebook seems to be a very good deal. But as Texan tech integrator Tim Holt argues, we aren't giving enough credit to iPads. Why? "When anyone compares Chromebook to iPads, they forget one of the basic value-adds of iPads... the iPad can change its interface to match the user's needs." Read Holt's defense of iPad versatility, portability, and more in his EdSurge op-ed.
MEET A TEACHER, GET A JOB
THE EDSURGER'S GUIDE TO ISTE 2014: Hello, ATL. At the end of the month (June 28 to July 1), thousands of teachers, admins and vendors will be flocking to the Peach State for the annual ISTE conference. But with hundreds of sessions, where do you start? The EdSurge team's got your back. Mary Jo Madda highlights the top twelve ISTE workshops and sessions to attend--including an extra special announcement from EdSurge and nonprofit Digital Promise. (Super hush hush!)
WHERE ARE THE (EDTECH) JOBS? Is there an "edtech capital" of the U.S.? Good question--we've seen plenty of educators and entrepreneurs try to argue as such. Here's another stat to consider: jobs. After all, schools and communities are only as good as the people in them. Based on data from the EdSurge jobs board, Tony Wan examines the current state of the edtech jobs market in the U.S.
ALL SCHOOL
WHIZ KID DESIGNERS: Do you want to "empower students to be creators and not consumers?" Adobe does. It released major updates yesterday in an effort to provide more K12-friendly tools, including new hardware and a subscription model that allows all your students to share access to the same Adobe programs through individual Creative Profiles. Read up on their offers, and their teacher support network, here.
SPEAKING UP: "Only 17 percent of high schools are not offering online classes." So says Project Tomorrow's latest report, "Digital Learning Playbook: Advancing College and Career Ready Skill Development in K-12 Schools." Data comes from Project Tomorrow's annual Speak Up Survey, which last year had 300,000+ students, 30,000+ teachers and 3,000+ administrators respond. One other key finding: 86% of principals say mobile learning "increases engagement in learning," but only 37% say it develops stronger communication skills. We break it all down here.
APPLE GETS IT ACT TOGETHER: Two weeks ago, Betsy Corcoran's article on ConnectED prodded companies to step up and deliver on their promises to educators. Now, Apple has opened applications for a $100 million program to improve tech in schools. Get the deets here on how you can get a slice of that $$$ for your classroom or district.
PUMP UP THE PLAYLIST: While some spend their summer hitting the beach, Summit Public Schools plans on sharing its personal learning model with 200+ educators from over 18 states across the U.S. This is all part of the 2nd annual "Summer of Summit," a set of PD offerings for any educator. Throughout the summer, teachers will add 100 additional playlists of content skills and 150 projects to the publicly available Activate Instruction. By August, users will have free access to comprehensive sets of middle and high school Summit curriculum.
SUBJECT-SPECIFIC
MATH: Hey middle and high school teachers! Help prep your students for Algebra 1 next year with Algebra Nation. This tool combines video lessons with exercises and study guides. Though the content is technically aligned to "Florida Standards," it's essentially the Common Core standards with a new name, according to some analysts.
CHEMISTRY: Scan two plants on a field trip and find out which would attract more sugar-loving hummingbirds. With SCiO, a handheld sensor, this is made possible with a click. The tool raised $2.3 million on Kickstarter, and will be released later this summer. SCiO will be a game-changer not only for chemistry and nutrition teachers, but for all of us curious about what makes up the world around us. Watch the video--we promise you'll be as excited as we are.
IN-SCHOOL DEBATES
HOW'S KIPP DOING? Answer: pretty well in the high school completion arena, poorly in college completion. The KIPP Foundation released its 2013 Report Card, evaluating its 141 charter schools on effective support of students and communities. According to the report, 82% of students who finished 8th grade at KIPP continued on to college, a percentage comprised mostly of students from Houston and New York City (KIPP's oldest district sites). However, only 44% of all KIPP alumni have actually earned a bachelor's degree.
NO SLEEP FOR THE VERGARA CASE: The soapbox has been busy--everyone's been responding to the teacher tenure-themed Vergara v. California case. EdWeek posted a reaction roundup from the likes of public figures like Arne Duncan ("The legislature has defended the rights of public employees but has not adequately defended the rights of students and families.") to former Oakland teacher Anthony Cody (who writes that the case "propels us towards schools with even less stability.")
S'COOL TOOLS
Free: If your desk supplies are as disorganized as ours are, Printable Paper can boost morale. Print out 1,303 different useful paper templates, including budgets and graphing paper. Try out their printable history timelines, storyboards and seating charts for your classroom. We might start using the Battleship Game paper to leave office notes--blank printer paper is so last week.
Free: Looking to build some tech initiatives in your Title I school? We've got a powerful toolkit for you, put together by the Consortium for School Networking (or CoSN, which has been helping tech-minded educators connect for over 20 years) and the National Title I Association. The kit is full of thoughtful questions you should be asking about integrating tech into Title I Schools, as well as guides about how to navigate federal funds and explanations of helpful nonprofits.
Free: We remember procrastinating tedious research projects, especially when they were assigned over the summer. With Wibki, keeping track of information doesn't have to be boring. By providing a personalized profile and intuitive touch system for bookmarks (ideal for tablets), Wibki enables your students to see a list of bookmarked references visually, and offers customized suggestions for what else would be helpful to check out.
$2.99 Field Day is here just in time for some summertime project-based learning. Using the iPad app, your students can collect data and develop strategies for real-world challenges. Field Day provides questions and data (including videos) with text based on Bloom's taxonomy, or allows students to create their own PBL experiences.
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Edtech Jobs
Computer Science Teacher Caliber Schools
End the digital divide and turn our inner-city students into world-class coders! Join a collaborative team to design and implement a cutting edge computer science curriculum bringing coding, robotics, engineering, and more to students daily.
Teaching · School · Richmond, CA
Math and Science Teachers Summit Public Schools
Summit Public Schools is searching for talented Math and Science educators for the fall of 2014. This is a great opportunity to join a vibrant, growing organization that is dedicated to transforming public education for its students!
Executive · School · San Jose, CA
K-12 Teachers Tulsa Public Schools
Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) is currently recruiting qualified candidates for the 2014-2015 school year in all subject areas.
Teaching · School · Tulsa, OK
Teach Special Education KIPP Bay Area
At KIPP Bay Area Schools, the Education Specialist is considered an integral part of the general education staff.
Teaching · School · San Jose, CA
Computer Science Department Chair Brooke Charter Schools
Design a computer sciences program; train 150 teachers; reach over 1,000 students a year.
Edtech coordinator · School · Boston, MA
Middle School Instructor Alpha Public Schools
Alpha seeks entrepreneurial teachers who will thrive in a dynamic startup environment, have high expectations for all students, a deep belief that all students can succeed in college and a willingness to work hard for the success of every student.
Teaching · School · San Jose, CA
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Edtech Events
| For 14 years, education companies have turned to L. Wolfe Communications for high quality, targeted communications, public relations and marketing support. We build creative communications programs by collaborating with clients, particularly those seeking innovative ways to grow and to help learning flourish. Our PR pros are passionate about learning and transforming lives--just like you. |
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EdSurge EdTech EdCamp
- Join us for this extra-special "unconference" version of our SF EdTech meetup!
24 Jun · San Mateo, CA · Free
ISTE 2014
- ISTE's conference and expo brings educators of all types and grade levels together to share discoveries and develop solutions for their greatest challenges.
25 Jun-1 July · Atlanta, GA · $150-448
New Tech Annual Conference - Join teachers, administrators, students and support staff from the New Tech Network as we focus on agency and our continuous focus to create high impact schools.
9-11 July · New Orleans, LA · more than $250
EdmodoCon - An 11-hour virtual conference where educators from around the world discuss new ways to use technology and share creative ideas for integrating Edmodo in the classroom.
6 Aug · Online · Free
EdCampLeadSV - Edcamp Leadership Silicon Valley (@edcampLeadSV) is a free un-conference devoted to discussions surrounding K-12 educational topics.
9 Aug · Palo Alto, CA · Free
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Opportunities
Brain Chase Summer Learning Challenge - a six-week summer program designed to fight student summer learning loss.
30 Jun · For students · Round trip airfare to the treasure's location
Robin Hood Prize - a ground-breaking $5 million challenge, designed to identify scalable technology solutions to increase 3-year graduation rates of community college students.
30 Jun · For teachers and entrepreneurs · $5 million
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A FEW WORDS OF THANKS
We wouldn't be anything without teachers. And so, we'd like to thank some key educators who've been instrumental in our Index's tool review process. Ya'll rock! A giant EdSurge *thank you* to:
- Deborah Castleman, (Reading Specialist, Dayton Oaks Elementary)
- Kathy Pryor (Title I Technology Coordinator, Sumner County Schools)
- Valerie Hawkins (Teacher, Southwest Academy Magnet School for Science and Engineering)
- Judy Hagemann (Instructional Technology, Charles E Smith Jewish Day School)
- Betty Roberts (Third Grade EL Teacher, Charlotte Park Elementary)
- Naomi Perl (Director of Instructional Resources, Lighthouse Academies Charter School)
- Tim O'Brien (Teacher, Long Reach High School)
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EdSurge is the leading site & newsletter for educators, entrepreneurs, and investors involved in education technology, bringing perspectives and expertise together for better education outcomes.
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