Preaching to the choir?

We certainly think that laptops improve learning, but until now, there haven't been many studies to prove it.

In December, Binbin Zheng, Mark Warschauer Chin-Hsi Lin, Chi Chang published "Learning in One-to-One Laptop Environments" in the Review of Educational Research. They reviewed "65 journal articles and 31 doctoral dissertations published from January 2001 to May 2015" to try to answer whether laptops are effective at improving learning.

In short, the answer is yes.  From the paper:

The most common changes noted in the reviewed studies include significantly increased academic achievement in science, writing, math, and English; increased technology use for varied learning purposes; more student-centered, individualized, and project-based instruction; enhanced engagement and enthusiasm among students; and improved teacher–student and home–school relationships.

This research should encourage proponents of thoughtful technological innovation in the classroom that their efforts have wide-ranging and important positive effects.

 

Talky for Video Chats

I've had the opportunity to meet with educators (in other schools and other roles in the field) digitally this year.  Today, I tried Talky for my video conference.  It was the easiest of all the methods I tried so far.  Both parties need Chrome and earbuds with a mic.  That's it.  Pick the camera that is forward facing before you start the call. https://talky.io/

A Padlet workflow for multiple classes

Many teachers are using Padlet in their classes to do some quick collaboration. Using Padlet, students can quickly and easily respond to each others work, post questions or make comments.  Teachers can use Padlet to quickly conduct formative assessments.

But if you've got two or three of the same class, it can become a nightmare to create two or three different Padlets for those classes.

Here's a workflow to help make the job easier using the "remake" button in the top right corner of Padlet. It's pretty easy, but there are a few details you should be sure not to miss.

How to add a countdown timer to your google slides

For some activities, especially those that require switching roles or moving around the room at certain intervals, a countdown timer can be really useful.

Here's how to add a timer to your google slides.

New features in Turnitin

Many of you who use Turnitin.com may have noticed a new layout and some new features.

The new layout is nice and clean, with a display that lets you switch between menus and options.

The very cool new feature I just got done using is a function that lets you assign a comment to a criterion in your rubric. It's a handy little menu on the top left corner of the comment box.

So now, just like writing on a paper rubric, you can associate certain comments with certain criterion and end the guessing game for your students about which comments go where.

For more on Turnitin.com check out their excellent resources here.

Source Credibility Form - Kim Williams

Caitlin Tucker and Alice Keeler are often my sources of ideas for best practices with technology in teaching.  In preparing for junior research this year, Tucker gave me a new way to have students practice evaluating their web sources.  I created a Google Form (mostly stolen from hers).  Feel free to make a copy for your students. Source Evaluation Form

PearDeck Always Open - Kim Williams

The PearDeck Takeaways are nice, but one of the features I miss in PearDeck that iss easy in GoogleSlides is the ability for absent students to access the slides and for all students to have them as resources to return to throughout the year.  What I have started doing is leaving one session always set to self-paced, always open, and always named with that join code as part of the file name. 
These live with all my Slides in the "Writing Materials" folder my students always have access to when writing.