Cheers for New Year's!

Hi everyone!
I hope you've had some peace over the holidays, and perhaps acquired new toy or two?
Some of our toys turn out to be game-changers and great for the classroom too.

I've pulled together a few resources I came across for anyone interested. I'd love to hear your experiences too.
Have fun!
Lisa

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Student Blogging - connecting with the outside world, not just the classroom.
http://blog.kylewebb.ca/2012/12/21/students-blogging-about-science/
This could apply to any topic. This teacher had a clear simple start, and a way to get students thinking critically around their subject . It also opens up the world both ways, if the blogs are public, students learn to deal with their online presence and connect with others.


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A few apps for the i-folks out there:

Confer: providing a unique way of keeping track of student progress. http://www.conferapp.com/
Educreations - free, for IWB demonstrations. http://www.educreations.com/
Both are mentioned and reviewed here: http://www.kleinspiration.com/2012/12/conferring-notes-student-data-paperless.html
Slow Motion Science - demonstrations of experiments shot in slow motion http://samhankin.co.uk/?portfolio=slow-motion-science
Case Study Teaching in Science - many of the best cases based on contemporary, and often contentious, science problems that students encounter in the news http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/
Grade papers on your iPad http://gradeonipad.com/?ref=396637 (untested)


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SAMR
And speaking of trying new apps for teaching or learning, the following is a handy model to assess what effect any technology may have. I'm finding it to be a usefulway to look at the resources and tools we use, to see if they simply replace, enhance, or fundamentally change what students can do.


SAMR is a handy model that can help us assess and integrate different technologies into teaching and learning.
The four levels of the SAMR model:
1. Substitution: the computer/application stands in for another tool without a significant change in the tool’s function.
2. Augmentation: the computer/application replaces another technological tool, with significant functionality increase.
3. Modification: the computer/application enables the redesign of significant portions of a task.
4. Redefinition: the computer/application allows for the creation of new tasks that would otherwise be inconceivable without the technology.

For more, see
www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/12/ipad-apps-classified-by-samr-model.html?m=1
and http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2012/08/23/SAMR_BackgroundExemplars.pdf
and in Puentedura’s podcasts at iTunes U.


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Theories

If you are a theoretical thinker, or like to debate learning theories, or just use them to poke your thinking, 'connectivism' offers a view on how students learn via connecting information and connecting with others. It provides a perspective on digital learning.
Here's a one page visual:
http://edudemic.com/2012/12/a-simple-guide-to-4-complex-learning-theories/
or more depth:
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
and critique:
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/523/1103


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Nerdy Science Jokes

And a final bit for the Science afficianados www.buzzfeed.com/babymantis/20-spectacularly-nerdy-science-jokes-1opu?s

Cheers for the New Year,

Lisa

“In some cases... we learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.” Lloyd Alexander