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10 EdTech Resources for College Students and Professors

So much of the discussion surrounding educational technology centers on elementary, middle, and high school students.  Technology is a great way to engage students not only in the curricular content of a class, but also in the world around them.  Social media, especially, connects students to their communities and helps them see the impact of their and others’ actions on the world at large. Higher education, therefore, tends to be largely ignored in the tech discussions. And yet students at the post-secondary level can also greatly benefit from being plugged into educational technology. Here are ten essential edtech resources for …

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5 Movie Making Apps for Student Projects

How many of us remember watching educational videos in school? How many of us remember having to perform as a group in front of the class? How many of us remember creating posters or PowerPoint presentations? Nowadays, students can combine all three by creating videos for class. These videos can be performances of short stories or narratives written by the students for English class. They can be videos of experiments done at home for science. They can be reenactments of historical events or raps about math concepts. Graphics and text can be added to these videos for context, and students …

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Pass or Fail: The Real Cost to the Individual

pass or fail

In this multi-part series, I provide a dissection of the phenomenon of retention and social promotion. Also, I describe the many different methods that would improve student instruction in classrooms and eliminate the need for retention and social promotion if combined effectively. While reading this series, periodically ask yourself this question: Why are educators, parents and the American public complicit in a practice that does demonstrable harm to children and the competitive future of the country? What do you see as the main positives of retention and social promotion in American schools? How about the drawbacks? Are these practices actually helping students or do …

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16 Apps that Support the Creative Process

Creativity is more than the ability to paint a pretty picture; it is a way in which original ideas are born and how they take form. It is about pushing boundaries, solving problems and bringing together skills in unique ways.  In a recent poll, 60% of CEO’s agreed that creativity was the most important skill to have in the workplace. With that in mind, it is important that we start turning to technology to facilitates the creative process. Through technology, we are not only offered new mediums but ways in which to organize our thoughts. Below are 16 apps that …

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3 Apps to Empower College Students’ Study Skills

One of the most essential skills for college students to develop to succeed is their study skills. Studies have shown that procrastinating and cramming the night before an exam is not a productive way to study. Properly studying does take up time and effort, and college students are already extremely busy: classes, work, sleep (or lack thereof), social times. It’s hard for them to justify taking time to effectively study. But studying well and studying right has its positive effects: in 2007, the NBER report tracked the performance of those who studied against those who didn’t. Unsurprisingly, the NBER found …

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Pass or Fail: The Real Cost of Student Retention

pass or fail

In this multi-part series, I provide a dissection of the phenomenon of retention and social promotion. Also, I describe the many different methods that would improve student instruction in classrooms and eliminate the need for retention and social promotion if combined effectively. While reading this series, periodically ask yourself this question: Why are educators, parents and the American public complicit in a practice that does demonstrable harm to children and the competitive future of the country? Retention affects more than just students. What do you think is the cost of retention to schools, educators, communities and society as a whole? Research on the impact …

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Why Professors Shouldn’t Ban Smartphones

As smartphones have become more common, educators have struggled with the question of what to do with smartphones in the classroom. For K-12 educators, the answer has been to ban smartphones from the classroom completely. College professors have also banned smartphones in increasing numbers. But now there’s some evidence to suggest that banning smartphones in the college classroom isn’t such a good idea. A study conducted by researchers in Singapore found that undergraduate students who were allowed to keep their phones with them actually scored better on tasks that measured their cognitive functioning. Even when they weren’t allowed to use …

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Using EdTech To Get Your Learners Motivated and Active!

Learning by using technology can be fun, productive, educational, and can engage all types of learners, regardless of their ages! Younger students can be motivated to learn through active games, programs, and apps. Older students can be motivated through the use of interactive projects with groups or individually, or viewing media. iPads now being provided by many public schools have a wide variety of apps for student learning that include opportunities for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) learning. Regardless of the age of the student, technology, if used correctly, can provide students the perfect supplement to traditional style classroom learning. …

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20 of the Best Virtual Reality Games in Education

As the edtech market explodes, established companies and startups are scrambling to be the first to take advantage of the “next big thing.” For many, that means entering the virtual reality market, or more specifically creating virtual reality games. With so many companies and startups developing virtual reality games, how can schools and private citizens decide what product to spend their money on? This may seem like a simple choice, but making the wrong decision can cost you a lot of your hard earned money, and stunt the user’s intellectual growth and development. As you can see, the stakes are …

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Pass or Fail: Who are the Students at Risk for Retention?

pass or fail

In this multi-part series, I provide a dissection of the phenomenon of retention and social promotion. Also, I describe the many different methods that would improve student instruction in classrooms and eliminate the need for retention and social promotion if combined effectively. While reading this series, periodically ask yourself this question: Why are educators, parents and the American public complicit in a practice that does demonstrable harm to children and the competitive future of the country? As an educator, how should potentially “at risk” students be identified? Is there a sector of the student population that should receive more attention based solely on their …

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