iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

If you would have told me a year ago that I’d be working for an edtech startup in San Francisco, I would have thought you were crazy. I’ve had many jobs as an educator over the past 16 years, but at my core, I’m a 7th-grade middle school teacher. Nonetheless, here I sit in the heart of Silicon Valley ingenuity and innovation, exactly where I’m supposed to be—surrounded by engineers, business gurus, and dozens of fellow educators who have also made the switch.

For any educators who are considering a switch from education to edtech, here are six lessons I’ve learned from my first year since the transition.

Spread the loveAre you looking for edtech tools that will allow your students to tap into their creativity? We got you covered. In this article, we will profile 38 amazing edtech tools for student creation and innovation. Guess the Code: While this app is presented as a game, it is actually a great way for children to look at patterns and sequences, and try to figure them out. The app generates different color combinations, and it is up to the user to decipher the pattern and enter the next color. SimplePhysics: Physics can be a daunting subject, but the new …

Online reviews of edtech tools tend to focus on technical features with little mention of how teachers can apply each product to the classroom. This can make the process of deciding on an edtech solution overwhelming for new and established teachers alike. To address this challenge, local NJ superintendent Nicholas Diaz (@nicholasadiaz ) presented edtech tools favored by teachers in his district, and called on educators in the audience to share their favorite edtech tools with the greater community. 

We’ve created flashcards for each edtech tool recommended by the NJ teachers and school leaders who participated. It is our hope that teachers consult them when deciding which edtech tool to try next. 

We can now communicate with anyone, anywhere, anytime through the simple click of a button, and it is our job as educators to leverage these collaborative tools in the classroom. Many schools are finding creative ways to incorporate blended learning in their curriculums, and THINK Global School, where I teach, is no different.

Due to our focus on blended learning and travel, it is imperative that we remain as paperless as possible. Technology can often make or break our experiences as we study in different countries around the world, so we must hit the ground running during our seven-week intensive country visits. And depending on how they are integrated into our teaching toolkits, the tools used for our blended learning units can either help or hinder our student learning experiences.

Like you, we’ve tested our fair share of tools in trying to make the digital collaboration process with our students as seamless as possible. Some have worked incredibly while others not so much. But there are five that we’ve ended up going back to time after time–tools that just make student collaboration online (and thus blended learning) that much easier.

Whether you like it or not, that’s how today’s students see it. They are growing up with all kinds of tech tools by their side, and they are thrilled to see technology involved in the educational process.

So what are the best resources to use? Here’s 15 of them:

As I have done every year since 2015, I’m going to shine a spotlight on six of the tools I added to this year’s guide: They’re not all brand-new, but I think each one could make a real difference in the way your students learn or the things they produce. One of them is super trendy right now, but it deserves the attention. One of them takes you into the past in a way that can be breathtaking. Three can be used in a dozen different ways and in all subject areas. And one—I would bet money on this—you’re going to want to try right away.

And so, without further ado, let’s begin.

If you haven't already seen it, here is a handy visual featuring some of the best educational websites to try out in your instruction. based on our previous reviews, we selected a number of our favourite tools and arranged them into 8 main categories:  websites for language arts teachers, websites for math teachers, websites for science teachers, websites for physics teachers, websites for history teachers,  websites for social studies teachers, websites for arts teachers, and websites for music teachers.  You can find links to the websites in this chart. Enjoy

The BBC School Report recently found that 70% of surveyed 11-to-16-year-olds had experienced negative feelings in the past year, ranging from “feeling upset and unhappy to feeling anxious, frightened or unsafe”. The report also found that 73% of teachers would often or occasionally worry about a particular pupil’s wellbeing in their free time. However, a third of these teachers had not been trained in how to deal with pupils’ mental health issues.
As reports of poor mental health in UK Primary and Secondary schools become more numerous and increasingly visible, the government announced new services and plans. In January, Theresa May commented on the “burning injustice of mental health and inadequate treatment that demands a new approach.” In March, the government announced that schools will trial happiness lessons for eight-year-olds and that the Department for Education has announced multi-million contracts for mental health training in more than 200 schools.

While it remains to be seen how much impact these services will have, many in the education “These apps are accessible at all times.”community believe apps and web programs can help in ways that counselling and school-based services can’t. Unlike wellbeing lessons or counselling services, these apps are accessible at all times, are designed with student engagement in mind and can often be used anonymously, circumventing the stigma which stops many people from seeking help.

Here are three ways edtech can teach students about the importance of good mental health, and how to actively maintain their psychological wellbeing.