PRODUCTS & SERVICES |
September/October 2013 | Learning & Leading with Technology 45
Put Students in Charge of Learning
What happens when educators ditch traditional teaching materials and techniques
and allow students to choose the tools and
the team with whom to present their work?
Former teacher and author Mark Barnes
illustrates how putting students in charge
of their learning boosts enthusiasm and
teaches real-world skills.
Need an App? Train Students to Build One
When administrators asked a pair of developers to build an app for Patapsco High School
in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, the developers
came up with a brilliant idea: Teach students
to build the app for the school. From that
idea, the APPlied Club was born. Principal
Ryan Imbriale describes how the club teaches
students real-world skills.
Meet Some Excellent Educators
Ever wonder what makes certain educators
award winners? L&L senior editor Diana
Fingal takes a closer look at some of the
teachers, administrators, and ed tech advocates who won 2013 ISTE awards. She’ll
highlight some of their projects and share
how they motivate, inspire, and engage their
digital age students.
Does Common Core prepare students for future careers? Debate this and other controversial issues on ISTE’s LinkedIn group page at linkd.in/ZUØnt3.
Fieldtripfinder.com is
a free website for K– 12
educators, youth group
leaders, and parents
to learn, discuss, and
share information about
educational field trip sites in the United States. Users can
access more than 24,000 preloaded locations, as well as
search, review, and add their own favorite field trip destinations. The website compiles user-contributed educational,
cultural, and off-the-beaten path locations, and offers hints
for budgeting and planning a successful field trip.
MORE INFO: www.fieldtripfinder.com
Tobii ATI has added two
new lightweight, portable
speech-generating
devices designed to
help students with communication difficulties. The Tobii
I-Series of 12- and 15-inch touchscreen devices employ
eye-tracking technology so users can operate the device
using their eyes. Forward- and rear-facing infrared cameras
pick up the activity of the cornea, allowing users to stare at
a phrase or a symbol and activate it. Users can spell words,
string together phrases, and express ideas in conversations
or send instant messages and emails.
MORE INFO: www.tobii.com
Reading Eggs has launched Mathseeds, an online math
program for kids ages 3–6. Mixing animations, fun songs,
sound effects, and a new pet that hatches at the end of each
lesson, Mathseeds’ games, lessons, and activities teach kids
fundamental math concepts. The skill-building lessons start
with numbers, counting, and shape recognition, followed by
subtraction, measurement, and an introduction to multiplica-
tion and division. At the end of each lesson, children can
take multiple-choice quizzes and read or listen to a narrated
e-book that reinforces the concepts they’ve learned. Kids
can create their own customized avatar, and a dashboard
allows parents to monitor their child’s progress. Mathseeds
is compatible with PC, Mac, iPad, and Android tablets.
MORE INFO: www.mathseeds.com
StraightAce Learning has released StraightAce English:
Grammar and Vocabulary, a cloud-based, language arts
e-learning tool for middle school students. Aligned with the
Common Core State Standards, the lessons cover punctuation, style and tone, spelling, vocabulary, and Greek and Latin roots. The program guides students through each concept
via game-centric practice quizzes, unit reviews, and tests
designed to measure their understanding on each topic.
MORE INFO: www.straightace.com
