Latest education updates from around the world
5 Best Chromebook Apps for Recording Audio
Gaiman’s Eight Rules of Writing Poster
Writing is a tedious task that is often more mentally demanding. It is a complex form of thinking where language is mobilized to give shape to ideas. Those who are proficient enough to comfortably communicate their ideas and insights through the written code are those who have been doing it for a long time. In this sense, writing is a skill whose development requires constant practice. It is through doing writing that we learn how to write effectively.
If you are stuck in the midst of a writing project or you find yourself always in search for excuses […]
Excellent Chart Featuring 6 Reading Comprehension Strategies
Here is a great resource on reading comprehension strategies to use with your students in class. This is basically a chart created by the folks in Scholastic and is available for free download in PDF format. The chart is adapted from the work of Beal, Keene, and Tovani. The chart features 6 major reading comprehension strategies that students can use to improve and enhance their reading comprehension skills. These are:
StudentCam 2023 – Only Three Weeks Left
When it was announced back in September the entry deadline for the 2023 C-SPAN StudentCam contest seemed so far away. Now that 2023 is here, the deadline feels very close. That’s because it is close! The entry deadline for the 2023 C-SPAN StudentCam contest is January 20, 2023.
Every Game Getting a Free PSVR 2 Upgrade
The lack of backwards compatibility between PSVR 2 and the original PSVR is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, we’re getting a ton of games for Sony’s next-gen VR headset that have been specifically built or overhauled to make use of the new hardware, but it also means a lot of games in your PSVR library will forever be stuck in the past.
Thankfully, there are a handful of developers who have pledged free PSVR 2 support for their games, many of which you can already grab on the store before the headset launches on February […]
6 Best Side Gigs for Teachers
After a rough economic year in 2022, and things not looking like they are going to turn around soon as we head into 2023, I thought many of you could appreciate a few ideas like these! I’ve been working a bunch side gigs myself for going on 15 years now. You can do it if you wish!
Good luck and Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for visiting the site! Follow @emergingedtech on Facebook or Twitter to be sure to get new posts as they are published.
– K. Walsh, EmergingEdTech […]
How to Collaborate on Canva Documents
The new Canva Documents tool has a lot of great features for teachers and students. Not the least of which is the ability to collaborate on documents and designs.
The collaboration feature on Canva Documents enables you to invite anyone to work with you as a full editor or commenter on any document that you create from scratch or create from a template. Those who you invite to collaborate with you can add comments and suggestions into the margins of your documents.
Much like Google Docs and the online version of Word, Canva documents has […]
Does Duolingo Work?
The popular language learning app Duolingo can work well for those who use it regularly but has its limitations.
5 Good Web Tools Teachers Can Use to Create Pin Boards
For those of you not familiar with the concept of ‘pinboarding’, pinboards are digital boards or walls where users organize and share digital content. Pinboards have gained so much in popularity among teachers and students. They offer various collaborative features and empower students to draw on the collective intelligence to curate and access learning resources. Below are some good platforms where you can create digital pinboards, for more options check out digital curation tools list.
12 Helpful Tools to Create Interactive Lessons
1- Flipsnack
Best Inquiry-based Learning Resources and Tools
As a learning strategy, inquiry-based learning is all about learners constructing their own understanding and knowledge through asking questions. Unlike traditional learning methods that focus primarily on drills, memorization and rote learning, inquiry-based learning is essentially student-centered. It involves engaging students in various forms of hands-on activities that require them to use their communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills.
Inquiry based learning is process oriented, meaning, what matters at the end are the methods and strategies students develop and use while learning. Inquiry based learning is therefore a learning framework, one that values students voice and agency.
What Is Wakelet and How to Use It in Your Teaching?
Padlet for Teachers- Step by Step Guide
Two Ways to Create Short Audio Recordings to Share via QR Code
A couple of weeks ago a loyal reader reached to me for my thoughts about sharing audio recordings via QR codes. His idea was to place QR codes on objects within his classroom and school so that students could scan them to hear his audio recordings. There were two tools that I recommended to him. The first was Mote and the second was Vocaroo.
Both Mote and Vocaroo will let you create short audio recordings and will automatically generate QR codes for you to download and share. Mote also includes the […]
How to Create Map Overlays
Felt was one of my favorite new tools in 2022. In fact, I liked it so much that I included it in my Best of the Web for 2022. Felt is a free multimedia mapping tool that I think is easier for first-time users to use than Google’s My Maps or ESRI’s mapping tools. Right at the end of the year Felt added some new features including new base maps and an updated image overlay feature which I demonstrate in this short video.
The image […]
4 Best Audiobook Apps of 2023
One of the main New Year resolutions I talked about in a previous post is listening to audiobooks. Each time you go for a walk, drive to work, hit the treadmill, fly somewhere, you name it, audiobooks are the best companion. If you are not used to them it will take you some time till you do but once you do they become an addiction, a good one though.
Skiing, Puzzling, and Overlooking – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where it’s overcast and unseasonably warm. I took most of the week off to ski with my kids, teach some skiing lessons to other kids, and give my mind a little rest from thinking about educational technology. I hope that you have had a great week as well.
As we’re on the cusp of the New Year I’d like to say thank you to all of you who supported my work in 2022. An especially big thank you to those who enrolled in one of my courses,
Best of 2022 – Screencasting on Chromebooks
As I do at this time every year, I’m taking the week off to ski and play with my kids, shovel snow, and generally not think about work. I have some of the most popular posts of the year scheduled to republish this week. New posts will resume in the new year.
Back in June Google introduced a new screencasting tool for Chromebooks. Back then I wrote a comparison of the Chrome OS screencast tool and some others that are available to use on Chromebooks. Since then Screencastify has changed their free […]
Best of 2022 – Thank Your School Librarian
As I do at this time every year, I’m taking the week off to ski and play with my kids, shovel snow, and generally not think about work. I have some of the most popular posts of the year scheduled to republish this week. New posts will resume in the new year.
While looking at the Kikori SEL calendar I noticed that today is National School Librarian Day! Many of you who read this blog are school librarians, thank you! Thank you for the work that you do in schools to help […]
Best of 2022 – DIY Online Board Games
As I do at this time every year, I’m taking the week off to ski and play with my kids, shovel snow, and generally not think about work. I have some of the most popular posts of the year scheduled to republish this week. New posts will resume in the new year.
Those of you who have followed my blog for a while probably know that Flippity is one of my go-to recommendations for anyone looking to make games, flashcards, and timelines with Google Sheets. Recently, Flippity introduced a new template […]
Anti-Racism Education Books
Today as people took to streets in the United States and in several other places in all around the world to denounce racism and police brutality, a spark of optimism shines in the gloomy horizon, a beacon of hope is re-kindled re-assuring us all that we can still dream that one day all races will be regarded on equal footing and that racism will be a thing of the past.
The civil movement that is now taking shape in the United States and across the world is a catalyst for progressive structural reforms and transformations. However, we need to […]
Best Project Based Learning Books
Whether you are a new or a veteran practitioner of project based learning approach in your teaching, the books below will provide you with a solid theoretical and pedagogical grounding to support your PBL methodology in class. You will get to learn different assessment methods, instructional strategies and practical tips on how to effectively integrate project based learning in your teaching.
5 Best Online Textbook Rental Websites
College life is financially taxing driving students to search for the cheapest alternatives for mainstream options. Textbook rental is one example of a service that allows students to save on their study expenses. Instead of buying an expensive book to use only once or in a single semester, why not rent it for a lower price and return it when you are done with it?
‘Song in the Smoke’ is Getting a PSVR 2 Remaster That’s Slated to Rival PC VR Version
Critically acclaimed VR survival game Song in the Smoke (2021) is getting a full overhaul when it launches on PSVR 2, something developer 17-BIT says will rival the visual quality of the game’s PC VR version.
Song in the Smoke launched on Quest, PC VR and PSVR last October—just in time to win our PSVR Game of the Year in 2021. We were impressed by its well-studied crafting depth, expressive art style, and harrowing encounters with the primeval world’s mosh of beastly creatures.
And although not a given, since PSVR 2 titles won’t share backwards compatibility with PSVR, developer 17-BIT […]
Meta Acquires 3D Lens Printing Firm Luxexcel to Bolster Future AR Glasses
Meta has acquired the Belgian-Dutch company Luxexcel, a 3D printing firm creating complex glass lenses for use in AR optics.
As first reported by Belgian newspaper De Tijd (Dutch), the Turnhout, Belgium-based company was quietly acquired by Facebook parent Meta in an ostensible bid to bolster the development of its in-development AR glasses.
Details of the acquisition are still under wraps, however confirmation by Meta was obtained by English language publication The Brussels Times.
“We are delighted that the Luxexcel team has joined Meta. This extends the partnership between the two companies,” Meta says.
Founded in 2009, […]