Facebook and Twitter are very different but social utilities just the same, so there are about as many ways teachers use them as there are teachers. And their creativity is truly inspiring. In his blog post "The Why and How of Using Facebook For Educators – No Need to be Friends At All!," Texas middle school teacher Ronnie Burt has a little graphic showing that 61% of educators have Facebook … [Read more...] about How teachers Facebook & tweet for students
School & Tech
Schools rethinking zero tolerance
Now, this is good news: "Nearly two decades after a zero-tolerance culture took hold in American schools, a growing number of educators and elected leaders are scaling back discipline policies that led to lengthy suspensions and ousters for such mistakes as carrying toy guns or Advil," the Washington Post reports. Launched by the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994, during a period when being tough on … [Read more...] about Schools rethinking zero tolerance
NASSP calls for social & mobile tech in school
We've turned a corner, maybe. "The National Association of Secondary School Principals is looking to change the conversation about mobile computing and social media in schools," TheJournal.com reports. This week the NASSP released a statement encouraging their use in the classroom to help "prepare students to be active, constructive participants in the highly connected world in which they already … [Read more...] about NASSP calls for social & mobile tech in school
‘Do no harm’: Message to educators, parents
This is interesting. University of Southern California Prof. Henry Jenkins didn't put it exactly this way, but I don't think he'd disagree: It's almost as if, at this particular point in history (the history of education, media, and technology, in any case), educators need the same first principle of practice that doctors in emergency medicine have. "Like with a physician, the first statement … [Read more...] about ‘Do no harm’: Message to educators, parents
1 iPad per student: Experiments in 2 states
Greater student engagement and higher test scores are the results teachers are reporting, since hundreds of California middle school students started using school-issued iPads, eSchool News reports. In the four-district pilot, the students are "using curriculum apps for their classwork and homework" in a variety subjects, including language arts and math. One district told eSchool News that "90.5% … [Read more...] about 1 iPad per student: Experiments in 2 states