Better Edtech Buying for Educators

Better Edtech Buying for Educators
Author: Iste Staff
Publisher: International Society for Technology in Education
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2022-08-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1564847659

Based on interviews with experts in the field, this booklet offers real-world examples of how educators can become active players in the procurement decision-making process. Frontline educators have a unique and invaluable perspective on adoption of edtech solutions that no other stakeholders have. They know what learning goals are difficult to achieve, have “on-the-ground” knowledge of what is age- and task-appropriate and know what tools students are more or less likely to use. Educators also have their own requirements for edtech solutions, for example, ease of use and accessible data to help them make informed decisions. However, too often, educators are left out of the evaluation and purchasing process that occurs at the district level. And even when they are involved, educators might not know what questions to ask or may not feel empowered to raise issues or point out potential problems. To take on a greater role in edtech decision-making, educators need to better understand the process and become more informed about the options available. That’s where this guide comes in. Topics include: • Supporting educators as critical consumers to help their school or district make informed decisions. • Alignment with learning and teaching goals, with emphasis on solving real problems for students and teachers. • Implementation and ongoing support to ensure that edtech solutions work in the classroom and that teachers feel supported in implementing them. • Data interoperability and student privacy. • Research and evidence that demonstrates a product’s potential. This guide highlights ways educators can contribute to their district’s purchasing and identifies key areas where educator insight can help others become more informed, critical consumers of edtech.

Teaching Machines

Teaching Machines
Author: Audrey Watters
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2023-02-07
Genre: Education
ISBN: 026254606X

How ed tech was born: Twentieth-century teaching machines--from Sidney Pressey's mechanized test-giver to B. F. Skinner's behaviorist bell-ringing box. Contrary to popular belief, ed tech did not begin with videos on the internet. The idea of technology that would allow students to "go at their own pace" did not originate in Silicon Valley. In Teaching Machines, education writer Audrey Watters offers a lively history of predigital educational technology, from Sidney Pressey's mechanized positive-reinforcement provider to B. F. Skinner's behaviorist bell-ringing box. Watters shows that these machines and the pedagogy that accompanied them sprang from ideas--bite-sized content, individualized instruction--that had legs and were later picked up by textbook publishers and early advocates for computerized learning. Watters pays particular attention to the role of the media--newspapers, magazines, television, and film--in shaping people's perceptions of teaching machines as well as the psychological theories underpinning them. She considers these machines in the context of education reform, the political reverberations of Sputnik, and the rise of the testing and textbook industries. She chronicles Skinner's attempts to bring his teaching machines to market, culminating in the famous behaviorist's efforts to launch Didak 101, the "pre-verbal" machine that taught spelling. (Alternate names proposed by Skinner include "Autodidak," "Instructomat," and "Autostructor.") Telling these somewhat cautionary tales, Watters challenges what she calls "the teleology of ed tech"--the idea that not only is computerized education inevitable, but technological progress is the sole driver of events.

Personalized Learning

Personalized Learning
Author: Peggy Grant
Publisher: International Society for Technology in Education
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2014-06-21
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1564845443

Personalized Learning: A Guide for Engaging Students with Technology is designed to help educators make sense of the shifting landscape in modern education. While changes may pose significant challenges, they also offer countless opportunities to engage students in meaningful ways to improve their learning outcomes. Personalized learning is the key to engaging students, as teachers are leading the way toward making learning as relevant, rigorous, and meaningful inside school as outside and what kids do outside school: connecting and sharing online, and engaging in virtual communities of their own Renowned author of the Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go series, Dale Basye, and award winning educator Peggy Grant, provide a go-to tool available to every teacher today—technology as a way to ‘personalize’ the education experience for every student, enabling students to learn at their various paces and in the way most appropriate to their learning styles.

The Really Useful #EdTechBook

The Really Useful #EdTechBook
Author: David Hopkins
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015-01-24
Genre: Distance education
ISBN: 9781503110847

Technology has invaded our working and recreational lives to an extent that few envisaged 20 or 30 years ago. We'd be fools to avoid the developments in personal, mobile, and wearable technology. Even if we tried we'd still have to deal with other developments and distractions in classroom and learning technology like smart boards, blogs, video, games, students-led learning, virtual learning environments, social media, etc. More than this, however, is how the advances in technology, the economic and physical miniaturisation of computing devices, have impacted education: the students, the teachers, the classrooms, the spaces, the connections, the aspirations, etc. 'The Really Useful #EdTechBook' is about experiences, reflections, hopes, passions, expectations, and professionalism of those working with, in, and for the use of technology in education. Not only is it an insight into how, or why, we work with these technologies, it's about how we as learning professionals got to where we are and how we go forward with our own development. In this book respected individuals from different education sectors write about many aspects of learning technology; from Higher Education (Sue Beckingham, Peter Reed, Dr David Walker, Sheila MacNeil, Terese Bird, Wayne Barry, Inge de Waard, and Sharon Flynn), Further Education (Rachel Challen), to Museums (Zak Mensah), workplace learning (Julian Stodd, Julie Wedgwood, and Lesley Price) and primary schools / early years education (Mike McSharry). With a foreword written by Catherine Cronin, from the National University Ireland, Galway, the breadth and depth of the experiences here are second to none. The knowledge these leading learning practitioners, researchers, and professionals, share, under the same cover, is a unique opportunity for you to read about the variety of approaches to learning technology, the different perspectives on the same technology, and how technology is impacting our culture and learning infrastructure, from early-age classrooms to leading research Universities and from museums and workplace learning providers. It is about our passion for our work and our desire to make our work better through our own learning and development. Contributory authors: Catherine Cronin: Foreword David Hopkins: Introduction Wayne Barry: "...and what do you do?": Can we explain the unexplainable? Zak Mensah: "Why do we do what we do?" Peter Reed: "The structure and roles of Learning Technologists within Higher Education Institutions" Rachel Challen: "Learning Technologists as agents of change? Blending policy and creativity" Julie Wedgwood: "Developing the skills and knowledge of a Learning Technologist" Dr David Walker and Sheila MacNeill: "Learning Technologist as Digital Pedagogue" Lesley Price: "Times they are a changing ...or not?" Sue Beckingham: "The Blended Professional: Jack-of-all-Trades and Master of Some?" Julian Stodd: "How gadgets help us learn" Terese Bird: "Students Leading the Way in Mobile Learning Innovation" Inge de Waard: "Tech Dandy, or the Art of Leisure Learning" Sharon Flynn: "Learning Technologists: changing the culture or preaching to the converted?" Mike McSharry: "This is your five-minute warning!"

Hacking Digital Learning Strategies

Hacking Digital Learning Strategies
Author: Shelly Sanchez Terrell
Publisher:
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2017-09-14
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9780998570549

In Hacking Digital Learning Strategies, international EdTech presenter and NAPW Woman of the Year Shelly Sanchez Terrell demonstrates the power of EdTech Missions--lessons and projects that inspire learners to use web tools and social media to innovate, research, collaborate, problem-solve, campaign, crowd fund, crowdsource, and publish.

Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy

Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy
Author: Kelly-Ann Allen
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2021-04-29
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000363090

Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy: Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders provides an extensive set of free-to-use policies for building better schools. The policies included in this book cover a broad range of popular topics for schools that are not readily accessible, and each policy is built on theory, driven by research, and created by experts. Each policy is based on substantial evidence, and this is ensured through the inclusion of contributors who are active and highly reputable in their respective field. Most schools are obliged to write and maintain policy, and not all school leaders have the required skills, time, or expertise to do this effectively. Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy: Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders is a time-saving resource for schools. It aims to address the reported research-to-practice gap in education by delivering accessible evidence-based practice in a ready-to-use adaptable format. All policies within this book are designed to be adapted and tailored to the unique diversity and needs of each school as reflected by the context and the people that make up the school community. This book is relevant to every person who works in a school – worldwide. Users of this book can rest assured that each policy has been carefully formulated from the current understandings of best practice. This is a practical innovation and an example of how schools can use research evidence in their day-to-day practices. "The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license."

Enhancing the Art & Science of Teaching With Technology

Enhancing the Art & Science of Teaching With Technology
Author: Sonny Magana
Publisher: Solution Tree Press
Total Pages: 407
Release: 2011-07-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0985890258

Successfully leverage technology to enhance classroom practices with this practical resource. The authors demonstrate the importance of educational technology, which is quickly becoming an essential component in effective teaching. Included are over 100 organized classroom strategies, vignettes that show each section’s strategies in action, and a glossary of classroom-relevant technology terms. Key research is summarized and translated into classroom recommendations.

Edsurge 50 States Project

Edsurge 50 States Project
Author: Mary Jo Madda
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 124
Release: 2015-02-10
Genre: Education
ISBN: 131290996X

Innovation is alive in American schools! In this special collection compiled by EdSurge, educators from all 50 US states (along with Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia), share stories of how they are using technology to inspire students and drive learning in their classrooms.

Choosing College

Choosing College
Author: Michael B. Horn
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2019-09-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1119570115

Cut through the noise and make better college and career choices This book is about addressing the college-choosing problem. The rankings, metrics, analytics, college visits, and advice that we use today to help us make these decisions are out of step with the progress individual students are trying to make. They don't give students and families the information and context they need to make such a high-stakes decision about whether and where to get an education. Choosing College strips away the noise to help you understand why you’re going to school. What's driving you? What are you trying to accomplish? Once you know why, the book will help you make better choices. The research in this book illustrates that choosing a school is complicated. By constructing more than 200 mini-documentaries of how students chose different postsecondary educational experiences, the authors explore the motivations for how and why people make the decisions that they do at a much deeper, causal level. By the end, you’ll know why you’re going and what you’re really chasing. The book: Identifies the five different Jobs for which students hire postsecondary education Allows you to see your true options for what’s next Offers guidance for how to successfully choose your pathway Illuminates how colleges and entrepreneurs can build better experiences for each Job The authors help readers understand not what job students want out of college, but what "Job" students are hiring college to do for them.

Statistics

Statistics
Author: Frederick L. Coolidge
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 571
Release: 2020-01-10
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1506368417

The Fourth Edition of Statistics: A Gentle Introduction shows students that an introductory statistics class doesn’t need to be difficult or dull. This text minimizes students’ anxieties about math by explaining the concepts of statistics in plain language first, before addressing the math. Each formula within the text has a step-by-step example to demonstrate the calculation so students can follow along. Only those formulas that are important for final calculations are included in the text so students can focus on the concepts, not the numbers. A wealth of real-world examples and applications gives a context for statistics in the real world and how it helps us solve problems and make informed choices. New to the Fourth Edition are sections on working with big data, new coverage of alternative non-parametric tests, beta coefficients, and the "nocebo effect," discussions of p values in the context of research, an expanded discussion of confidence intervals, and more exercises and homework options under the new feature "Test Yourself." Included with this title: The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as SAGE Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.