Innovation is a trait that I desperately want to instill in my students, and many teachers I talk to seem to share that goal. In the current climate of high stakes testing, state standards, and prescribed learning outcomes, it can be incredibly difficult to foster an atmosphere of innovation and creativity that inspires students. But rest assured, it is possible.

Read more about how one teacher builds a course around the eight basic principles for the “Innovative Classroom.”  The fundamental ideas could be applied to almost any course at any level.

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Code and programming may not be the most important topics on the planet but it is an area of study that sufferers two major problems. one: an industry with millions of unfilled job positions and two: a world where not enough teachers feel confident to run programming projects. The iPad can offer a solution in these situations.


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How To Embed Just About Anything

Summary of article by Jason Teitelman · June 24, 2015

Embedding videos, photos, or other types of content in your blog posts is a relatively simple way to enhance your posts with informative, attention-grabbing content. 

In this round up post, we’ll share posts explaining how to embed just about anything into your blog!

• Use Just A Simple Link
  
• News & Stories
  
• How to use Storify’s Embed button.
  
• Google & Other Files
  
• How to embed a video file from Google Drive into your blog post.
  
• How to embed charts created with Google Spreadsheets and a few tweaks that will ensure your embedded chart looks amazing.
  
• Embedding PDFs that users cannot print, download or share without permission.
  
• How to embed your Audacity files into your blog.
  
• Imgur now provides embed code for their images that includes automatic attribution.
  
• How you can embed a TodaysMeet room in your blog post to host an online discussion.

Wonderopolis is an exciting site where the 'Wonders of the Day' will help teachers and students find learning moments in everyday life. 

This multi-discipinary approach to content aligns well to the STEM Educational Framework and Bloom's Digital Taxonomy. 

The Daily Wonders can be used as a springboard or stimulus for creative thinking. There is a collection of wonders that relates to specific themes and interests. 
Teachers can search by subject matter or year level. 

This resource is well worth  a look!  
Wonderopolis   http://wonderopolis.org/wonders/ 

For example, search 'wonders' about animals 

Embedded example:  Do Animals Play Hide and Seek?
#342 WONDER OF THE DAY

By Tim Clark
Read more by Tim Clark 
October 30th, 2013

Implementing a BYOT initiative can yield surprising benefitsStudents from all grade levels in Forsyth County Schools, Ga., are encouraged to bring their own technology tools to school to construct new learning opportunities. When the district first began its Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative several years ago, the primary focus was to engage students with their devices in order to transform traditional instruction. Through consistent innovation and practice, we discovered some hidden advantages when students use their own technology for learning, and these are recognizable hallmarks of the BYOT classroom.

Creativity: Teachers can foster creativity as students design original products with their personal technology tools. These inventions are often constructed as solutions to problems or for students to illustrate what they have learned in imaginative new ways. In this manner, students aspire to become producers of relevant content rather than solely being consumers of static information.

Critical Thinking: As students conduct research with BYOT, they must distinguish between conflicting information and facts. Recognizing propaganda and determining the accuracy of content are other essential critical thinking abilities. The classroom teacher can nurture this decision-making process through modeling, practicing, reflecting, and questioning.

Communication: In many traditional classrooms, communication is often one-way – directed from the teacher and toward the student. There is a potential shift in communication as students use their mobile devices to discuss content they are learning with others, set goals for themselves, and share new concepts. The lines of communication now become multi-directional and extend beyond the classroom.

Collaboration: Learning how to work with others to achieve a common purpose is essential in the BYOT learning environment. Students bring different devices to school, with different capabilities. The students also possess different knowledge, abilities, and interests; therefore, they have to pool their resources and intellect while they negotiate responsibilities for the learning.

Choice: Because students have immediate access to information with the technology tools in their pockets, there is no need for the teacher to lecture on information to be recalled on a test at the end of the week. Students can make choices about the ways they learn and the products they create to show what they know. This variety provides greater options for differentiation and success.

Confidence: Teachers can guide students with suggestions, but it is often more important to get out of the way so students can lead. Taking risks and learning from mistakes are natural outcomes of BYOT. When students assume more control of their learning, they develop the confidence to make meaning from their personal experiences and share them with others in their learning community.

Citizenship: Exercising digital citizenship is a vital activity within the BYOT classroom as students are connected to content, their teachers, and each other with their mobile devices. They continually practice the responsible use of technology as they learn with each other through the use of the same devices that they use at home. Skills in netiquette, the appropriate ways to communicate with others online, as well as strategies for ensuring Internet safety, are consistently supported by the teacher.

Community: Positive relationships are keys to a successful implementation of BYOT. Of course, the students are the experts in their own devices, but the teacher has to create an environment that is conducive for exploration and inquiry so that students have the opportunity to learn how to learn with their technology. One way the teacher can encourage this type of environment is by being willing to learn alongside the students.

Forsyth County Schools recognizes that BYOT is really a learning initiative, not just a function of technology. However, the students’ personal technology tools help to activate and sustain the above hallmarks to promote successful digital age learning experiences.

Dr. Tim Clark is the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for Forsyth County Schools in Georgia and is the author of the BYOTNetwork blog. He has formerly been a school-based instructional technology specialist and has been an educator for over twenty years. He promotes Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) and mobile learning to empower students and teachers with personalized technology tools for building learning communities. He co-moderates the weekly #BYOTchat in Twitter and has been featured regarding BYOT in many news outlets. Tim conducts workshops and presents throughout the United States on BYOT, virtual worlds, digital age learning, mobile learning, social media, online safety, and other aspects of instructional technology.

From Acceptable Use to Responsible UseTransforming Learning with BYOTDr. Tim Clark

In Forsyth County Schools, students in all grade levels are encouraged to bring their own technology devices to school for new learning opportunities. This practice is called Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT), and teachers are observing that when students use personal technology tools for learning, they are achieving some positive results. 

When students bring their own technology tools to school, they explore new ways to use them for learning purposes as they interact with their teachers and each other to research information, solve complex problems, create original products, and publish their work to show what they have learned. Teachers offer guidance and support, and students also provide occasional technical troubleshooting assistance to each other and their teachers. 

Forsyth County Schools is recognized as a leader in the area of instructional technology and has consistently leveraged technology hardware and applications to engage student learning and facilitate digital-age skills. This vision for instructional technology contributes to the district’s reputation for high academic performance. 

In addition to subscribing to high quality content and resources, FCS provides students with productivity tools and programs that promote the 4 C’s of digital-age learning: creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. A transformational shift in learning is occurring within the district due to its implementation of BYOT, as students become producers of content, rather than solely being consumers of information.

Read more: http://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/2013/articles/From-Acceptable-Use-to-Responsible-Use#ixzz3FEdfRXYG

If you are a teacher with a passion for teaching, ThingLink is an essential tool for your toolkit.  This flexible tool is well-suited for helping students dig deeper into content as they create. Learning to use ThingLink is an adventure worth exploring.

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Integrating technology in the classroom and engaging students in higher order thinking creates the ultimate learning experience for students. Bloom’s Taxonomy and digital tools creates an innovative learning environment where students are engaged in their assignments.

The following is a list of digital tools as it relates to Bloom’s Taxonomy.
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Also worth a visit is Kathy Schrock's resources on Bloom's Taxonomy

Check out more DAILY NEWS: supporting digital classrooms, digital schools
by IWBNet.

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