Using 'Pinterest' as an educational tool.

Pinterest is a very useful website tool to use for education.  Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing the things that inspire you.

In education numerous areas of teaching can be enhanced by using Pinterest – One can gain much inspiration from using pinterest in that one can Get inspiration for decorating your classroom, organise your ideas on pinterest, get ideas for an inspired bulletin board, follow interesting boards, get fun ideas for new projects, learn how to get crafty, look for ways to organise your classroom. (Educational Technology and Mobile learning, 2012)

Lessons are available on pinterest – Swap lesson plans, locate amazing images for your lessons, have students pin project ideas, use pinning as part of a lesson, collect ideas for virtual field trips, make group work visual, you could have your students photo journal on pinterest, there are many printables – games and lessons for your learners. There are many good experiments that could help with conducting science lessons, get ideas on how to make learning more hands-on, find great books to use in the class room. There are many grade specific materials. (Educational Technology and Mobile learning, 2012)

Professional

Here teachers can collaborate with other teachers and educators, interact by starting a conversation, share what you are doing in the classroom, find lists of books that one could read, share what you are doing in your classroom, get links to good technology resources, look for new and innovative teaching methods, find out about awesome new educational products, promote your own work or blog, learn how to help with behaviour management, find good teaching blogs to read. One can develop a lot as a teacher, and meet other teachers in common with you. Stay on top of trends, find tutorials, find inspiration, create dream classes, laugh after a long day and have loads and loads of fun! (Educational Technology and Mobile learning, 2012)

Educational Technology and Mobile learning. (2012). 30+ Ways Teachers can use Pinterest. Retrieved October 30, 2013, from Educational Technology and Mobile learning: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/05/30-ways-teachers-can-use-pinterest.html

"Why I Hate School But Love Education"

"Something Every Teacher Should Watch. And Student. And Person."

Jake White was a teacher!! So what about a teacher as a coach!?

When looking at a classroom dynamic and if one were to compare this to a sport team’s dynamic, one could find many similarities. Let’s decipher some of those similarities:

·         Both are looking for positive results, they may be to win or to get an “A” aggregate.

·         Both have a leader who is there to facilitate and manage their success, the one is called a coach the other is called a teacher.

·         Both rely on group or team work to achieve their goal.

·         Both require a degree of self-discipline and group discipline.

As we can see there are many similarities between a coach’s job and a Teacher’s job. Jake White the world cup winning coach started out as a teacher. Much of what he learnt as a teacher he has I suspect brought into his coaching philosophy. Of what I observed from the Springboks under his guidance was a well organised, well drilled, fit and prepared team. Much of these elements are what is needed for success in a learner.

If we were to look at a rugby team we have 15 players all different sizes all have different skills, strengths and abilities. Some are fast, some are strong, some are tall and some can side step, some are large and some are wiry. In a classroom we have learners with different skills and differing levels of knowledge, some are loud some are quiet some work hard others are disruptive; some have loads of energy others are calm and collective.

What happens to a team without a coach? What happens to a class without a teacher? The team would have many chiefs and few Indians, no clear direction and no organisation. The class would be in disarray no discipline, no guidance on work to be taught in fact no one would be working at all, and this all spells chaos.

Controlled competition means success, a coach’s job is to hone his team’s competitive energy and co-ordinate this to form a winning formula. A teacher needs to hone the learner’s energy to succeed and bring the best out of them by facilitating there competitive energy by channeling it toward doing well in their work.

Thoughts and comments...

   

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0233.pdf

The benefits of teaching with an interactive whiteboard...

1. Who has used an interactive white board?
2. How has this benefited your teaching experience and efficiency?

Read:

 “Interactive Whiteboards and Learning”: http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/research/whitepapers/int_whiteboard_research_whitepaper_update.pdf

Smart technologies. (2006, March). Interactive Whiteboards and Learning. Retrieved September 2013, from Smarttech: http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/research/whitepapers/int_whiteboard_research_whitepaper_update.pdf

Online and Digital Maths games

      Do online and digital maths games play a role in motivation, attitude and success of a learner's maths ability at school? Please add your comments, opinions and views (there is no right or wrong answer, go for it!) 

Some reading on the subject: 

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 “Games as formative assessment environments: examining the impact of explanations of scoring and incentives on math learning, game performance, and help seeking.”: http://www.cse.ucla.edu/products/reports/R796.pdf

Delacruz, G. (2011, June). Games as formative assessment environments: Examining the impact of explanations of scoring and incentives on math learning, game performance, and help seeking. Retrieved September 2013, from Ucla Edu: http://www.cse.ucla.edu/products/reports/R796.pdf

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