Category: Uncategorized

Do you need to feel the pages?

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From eSchool News online:

A team of researchers at Ball
State University has released the results of a small-scale study
suggesting that wireless handheld devices, or eBooks, could help
encourage reading among students who are reluctant readers.

  August
2, 2007—Can the use of wireless handheld reading devices, or eBooks, in
classrooms boost students’ interest in reading? According to a group of
Ball State University researchers, the answer might be “yes.”
(more)

Some advice from students!

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Two_kids_cartoon
David Warlick posted some thoughts by students at a conference where he was presenting (and they were as well). Here are some of their thoughts:

"Kids were asked about the Maine Laptop initiative. One said that
when the grades when on line, it turned a lot of kids around — that is
their parents turned them around.

Question: What do you think teachers should know and know how to do,
in order to work — facilitate learning in a laptop classroom?

  • do not correct kids for doing things on their laptops that they are
    already doing. Not talking about inappropriate web sites, but skills.
    Do not ignore the skills that we already have.
  • Keep an open mind to the tech skills that we already have. 
  • be willing to learn along with us…  We might teach you some things.
  • Do not teach teachers how to use technology.  Let the students teach them!"

I am a little confused about the first bullet–don’t correct if they are doing something inappropriate or don’t correct if they are ahead of the class in skills? The others seem like ideas to explore.

By the way, for those of you who now have RSS readers, try to subscribe to David’s blog. You’ll learn so much!

As Jan Davis used to say….

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Ponder

“What really makes the biggest difference in education is brilliant teaching…creative curriculum and delivery.” Sir Ken Robinson

I was reading the comments to Will’s excellent post about schools and creativity and read this reference by Steve. Will’s post points to some of the issues we’ve been talking about concerning technology at FA. We have the freedom to create the kind of school that works, don’t we?
(And if you want to see the full video of Sir Ken, I posted it a few weeks back here.

The article is definitely worth clicking this hyperlink. Go ahead, click!