Latest from Tech & Learning in Tech-learning

10 Tech Skills Every Student Should Have

David Andrade — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:05:54 +0000

As technology is now a part of everyday life, it has become necessary for students to learn basic technology skills and digital literacy. And although many of them have been born with a digital device in hand, it’s still important to make sure they know how to use it properly to succeed in their education and ensuing careers.

1. Tech Skills Every Student Should Have: Internet Search

Students need to know how to do a proper internet search, using search terms and modifiers. This skill is needed for school, work, and life in general, and extends beyond simply “Googling” it or asking Alexa/Siri.

These resources can help students to learn to find what they’re looking for.

2. Digital Citizenship

Students need to understand their digital footprint, how to effectively communicate, the tools they can use, how to find information, strategies for when they feel unsafe online, and what is considered appropriate and inappropriate behavior.

Here are some resources to get started.

3. Online & Education Collaboration Skills

As we saw over the past few years, learning how to create, edit, and modify digital documents, presentations, and spreadsheets has become an essential life skill for everyone.

Many businesses still use MS Office, however, Google Docs and other communication and collaboration platforms have become equally as popular. These all work similarly so the learning curve when switching isn't that big. Google Classroom is already embedded in most schools.

How to responsibly use social media, both inside of and outside of school and work, is critical. Students need to know how to protect and promote themselves, make positive social connections, and how to use it to connect and collaborate with others.

5. Cybersecurity and Safety

Computer literacy and security are not merely elective topics for today’s students. Instead, these have become an essential part of elementary education, starting at the earliest levels— because even preschoolers have access to internet-enabled devices.

6. Troubleshooting Tech and How to Find Help

Learning how to search a help menu for software or hardware, where to go to find user forums to solve problems, and how to find other technology tips is always useful. In addition, being able to identify different tech terms and devices, how to make minor fixes, and how to do basic troubleshooting for WiFi, networks, etc., are all now required life skills.

Obviously most of these solutions start with a Google search, however, platforms such as YouTube often have plenty of How To options.

7. Typing & Keyboarding

Yes, basic typing beyond using thumbs to navigate a phone – it's a skill that is necessary for any kind of communication as well as integral for careers involving tech and coding.

8. Understanding Data Privacy & Cloud Storage

Students need to understand why it is important to protect their data as well as how to do so properly. The U.S. Department of Education protects student privacy as part of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

With all of the data that students create for school and work, it is also important to store it securely and have access to it at any time. Dozens of sites offer free data storage, with limits and pricing kicking in after certain amounts are saved.

9. Finding Safe Apps & Software

Given the proliferation of options regarding any task, being able to find, evaluate, and use apps for school and work is critical.

10. Copyright and Citing Sources

With ease of access to content, students need to understand copyright laws and rules, how to cite a resource, and how to integrate someone else's work into their own work properly. They need to know that just because they can copy and paste something into a document, it does not mean it’s free for anyone to use.

What is GoNoodle and How Does it Work? Best Tips and Tricks For Educators

erik.ofgang@futurenet.com (Erik Ofgang) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 12:44:35 +0000

GoNoodle is a digital exercise tool that is free for educators. It is designed to help get kids up and moving and physically active, which is important because for many students the only physical activity they get in the day comes during school hours.

The web-based tool provides videos and free activities aimed at younger students that not only teach exercise but can reinforce STEM, mindfulness, SEL, and other lessons. It was designed by a health entrepreneur who noticed that kids are seemingly getting less exercise than their predecessors in generations past. GoNoodle is all about changing that and using screens to foster physical movement rather than decrease it.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about GoNoodle.

What is GoNoodle?

GoNoodle is a web-based educational tool geared toward K-5 that is designed to encourage movement throughout the day. GoNoodle does this with fun videos and interactive activities. These videos and activities are organized by activity type and topics, including social-emotional learning and mindfulness, sensory and motor skills, and academic subjects such as math, science, ELA, social studies, health, music, reading practice, and Spanish. Activities include stretching, exercise, guided dance, exercises that pair students with partners, and fun competitions. Question sets allow educators to quiz their students between exercises.

The content is geared to young children so much of it is on the silly side. In one video, a rap trio urges students to “think like a scientist” by observing and hypothesizing. In another interactive video, students are asked to jog in place, jump, and sidestep obstacles on the screen. The competition videos divide students into teams and have them answer grade-appropriate questions as they perform various exercises. SEL-focused activities include upbeat dance videos and singalongs with positive messages such as “Be nice” and “You got this.”

Teachers who have access to GoNoodle can play videos for their classes. In addition, they can also encourage students to practice some exercises at home as many sample GoNoodle videos are available on GoNoodle’s YouTube channel.

Who Created GoNoodle?

GoNoodle was founded by Scott McQuigg, an entrepreneur in health information and health education. McQuigg noticed that his children and their peers were engaging in less physical activity than he and his generation had and were focusing on screens instead. Rather than try to pry children away from devices, McQuigg hit upon the idea of using screentime to encourage physical activity. It proved to be a winning formula as currently more than 7 million school children around the world use GoNoodle to help stay active.

What Does GoNoodle Cost?

GoNoodle is free for educators. To create an account, educators simply need to go to GoNoodle.com and select the “educator login” tab. They’ll be prompted to login or set up a new free account. They’ll then be asked to share their location and select their schools. If your school isn’t listed, you’ll be asked to add it.

The educator version of GoNoodle is currently best viewed on a laptop or desktop, while some GoNoodle videos can be viewed on phones or tablets through GoNoodle’s YouTube channel or the GoNoodle Kids Videos app on Apple’s App store or Google Play.

GoNoodle Tips and Tricks

Use GoNoodle At The Start of Class

Starting each class with a little exercise is a good way to get your students engaged in class and ready to focus. The video can be related to class content but doesn’t have to be. The videos are only a few minutes long, so it’s okay to use GoNoodle as a fun way to start each session.

Use GoNoodle To Promote SEL

GoNoodle has a host of videos built around SEL. These can be a great way to quickly teach students about the importance of being kind to others and being in touch with their own feelings.

Use GoNoodle for Holiday Themed Workouts and Games

GoNoodle offers an entire section devoted to exercises and games that are built around holidays. Rather than focus on specific holidays that might exclude some students, the dances are generalized with videos such as “Happy Merry Everything” and the “Holiday Dance.”

Use GoNoodle’s Curricular Resources

The Curricular Resource tab is an excellent repository for educators that includes handouts and material that are linked to the videos as well as guides built around specific exercises and themes. There are also quizzes that are built into other exercise activities, which can be a fun way to quiz students while keeping them moving.

Host a GoNoodle Dance Competition

You can use one of the GoNoodle dances to get kids moving and having fun. They can vote on different categories such as “most energetic dancer,” “fastest dancer,” etc. and the teacher can provide small prizes such as stickers.

Texas’ Richardson Independent School District Selects Discovery Education to Support New STEM Education Initiative

Maria Sanabria — Wed, 16 May 2018 14:22:16 +0000

- Unique Digital Content Combined with Sustained Professional Development to Help Create Vibrant Culture of STEM in Participating Schools -

Silver Spring, Md. (May 16, 2018) – Texas’ Richardson Independent School District (RISD) today announced it has selected Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, to support the district’s new, three year “Future Ready: STEM for All” initiative. In the latest phase of Discovery Education’s approximately 10-year collaboration with the school system, district educators will integrate Discovery Education’s dynamic digital services into classroom instruction across RISD’s 18-school Berkner Feeder Pattern. The introduction of digital resources, coupled with sustained, job-embedded professional development also provided by Discovery Education, will help create a vibrant culture of STEM teaching and learning in participating schools.

Through the “Future Ready: STEM for All” initiative, RISD seeks to transform the Berkner Feeder Pattern’s culture and pedagogy. This initiative features a renewed emphasis on Project-Based Learning (PBL) within instruction which will ensure academic rigor, student engagement, and relevancy across the curriculum. In addition, the added focus on PBL will inspire the creation of STEM-centric cross disciplinary units that will be embedded within the district’s curriculum. RISD’s “Future Ready: STEM for All” initiative is supported by the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) initiative. A statewide public-private initiative, T-STEM is designed to provide Texas students with the knowledge needed to succeed in higher education and the workforce.

RISD educators across the Berkner Feeder Pattern will use Discovery Education’s award-winning Science Techbook, Math Techbook, and Social Studies Techbook, as well as the Discovery Education Streaming Plus and STEM Connect services as core instructional resources supporting the “Future Ready: STEM for All” initiative.

Discovery Education’s Techbooks are award-winning digital textbooks aligned to rigorous standards, supportive of a comprehensive curriculum, and updated regularly at no cost. Utilizing an inquiry-based format built on the 5E model, Discovery Education’s Science Techbook helps teach students to read, write, and think like scientists through hands-on labs, digital explorations, an interactive glossary, and data analysis activities. Discovery Education’s Math Techbook is a digital textbook that connects students to math through real-world problems, helping all learners develop long-lasting mastery of mathematical concepts. In 2017, Math Techbook was independently verified by EdReports.org to meet the highest levels of mathematical content and pedagogy.

The Social Studies Techbook series uses an inquiry-based instructional approach that emphasizes informational text literacy, analytical writing, and problem-solving skills that students will apply in the classroom and beyond. Each subject area includes primary source documents and activities, digital investigations, multimedia reference library, interactive maps, and more.

Discovery Education Streaming Plus is a comprehensive digital service supplementing instruction across all K-12 curricular areas that helps build students’ mastery in interpreting, understanding, and evaluating information across all subject areas. Students can access a variety of digital assets including images, primary source documents, podcasts, oral interviews, books on tape, articles, videos, and more, they are empowered to become content creators with a suite of content creation tools that help teachers and students safely and easily collaborate in real-time on virtual projects. Teacher resources include lesson plans, instructional strategies, and content collections organized around themes, as well as a collection of new STEM resources designed to fuel a cultural shift in teaching and learning.

Discovery Education’s STEM Connect enhances core curriculum and brings STEM to life in classrooms. A cutting-edge, web-based, interdisciplinary K-8 supplemental resource built on a 4Cs STEM skills framework, STEM Connect helps students develop the creative, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills they need for success beyond graduation. Featuring flexible, modular learning units, STEM Connect provides students an easy-to-follow educational experience that includes real-world challenges, career connections, and hands-on activities.

“The teachers and administrators of Richardson Independent School District share a commitment to ensuring all of our students connect, learn, grow and succeed.” said RISD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Tabitha Branum. “Our deepening partnership with Discovery Education brings dynamic digital resources to the schools participating in the “Future Ready: STEM for All” initiative, which will help them create the rigorous curriculum and innovative learning opportunities that helps build a strong culture of STEM instruction.”

To accelerate integration of dynamic digital resources into classroom instruction, educators from across RISD’s Berkner Feeder Pattern will also participate in a professional development initiative from Discovery Education called STEMFormation. A three-year system for professional learning designed to build and sustain a culture of STEM teaching and learning, STEMFormation helps create a shared STEM vision, develops educators and administrators, cultivates inquiry-based, transdisciplinary instruction, and prepares our future workforce.

“Discovery Education is proud to aid RISD’s efforts to maximize student engagement and strengthen project-based learning” said Phillip Mikula, Director of Educational Partnerships at Discovery Education. “Together, we are creating immersive STEM learning experiences that ignite students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math while nurturing the important skills today’s children need for success beyond graduation.”

The Discovery Education Community will continue assisting RISD’s educators’ efforts to create more personalized learning experiences. This global community of education professionals connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing and inspiration.

For more information about Discovery Education’s Techbook Series, Streaming Plus, STEM Connect, and other services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.

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About Discovery Education

As the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12 classrooms worldwide, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional learning, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries around the globe. Inspired by the global media company Discovery Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com.

Best of BETT! NetSupport

TL Editors — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 15:46:01 +0000

Tech & Learning Content Director Kevin Hogan interviews Marcus Kingsley, Director, NetSupport, on latest the issues faced and solutions provided for schools this year.

Bett or The Bett Show (formerly known as the British Educational Training and Technology Show) is an annual trade show in the United Kingdom marketing information technology in education organised by Ascential. The first Bett show was held in London, England in 1985, and since 2013 it has been held annually in January at the ExCeL London. Tech&Learning makes the trek each year to cover the latest and greatest products, services, and trends at the show.

Best of BETT! Lego Education

TL Editors — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 15:45:48 +0000

Tech & Learning Content Director Kevin Hogan interviews the team from Lego Education at their Bett Café takeover for Maker event.