NEW - Math Personalized Learning from Kahn Academy

Salman Khan states, "And while the standards may be common, we know that students are not - every student has their own learning journey."   The new materials include interactive exercises and drills that focus on conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and real-world application. Students follow "missions" organized by grade level.  The system uses adaptive software that pinpoints areas of struggle, suggests new skills and tracks student progress.  In addition there are resources for teachers.  The site includes a Common Core Map - to help find math drills by standard and real-time reports that measure student performance against Common Core standards.  All of this is free of charge!  What a gift from Salman Khan!

Khan Academy Unveils New Math Resources for Common Core.  Kanoe Namahow. 3.24.14. The Journal - Transforming Education Through Technology
http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/03/24/khan-academy-unveils-new-math-resources-for-common-core.aspx

Violent Video Games

You might wonder why this topic is in an educational blog.  Most violent video games are made for entertainment but some agressive themes are toned down and found in educational games.  This is a topic, however, where there is no concensus.  The study in this article was based on data from Singapore and discovered that children who play video games at a young age show more aggression when they are older.  Teachers should be aware of conflicting research but a good habit to have to preview games you use in your classes.

Violent video games may be tied to aggressive thoughts.  Kathryn Doyle. 3.24.14.  Reuters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/24/us-violent-videogames-idUSBREA2N1MC20140324

Are You Familiar With Google's Education Resources?

If you're like me, there's always something new to discover and learn.  Here in this article you'll discover many useful education resources.  Where?  On Google, of course.  You probably will be most interested in using Google Apps.  Others are for specific populations but it's good to learn about them even though you won't be using them.

Which Google for Education resource is right for you?  Laura Devaney, managing editor. 3.27.14.  eSchool News
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/03/27/google-for-education-934/2/

Gestures, a Strategy to Learn Math

Here is a study from the UK about the effectiveness of using gestures in learning math.  Previous studies have shown that gestures do help learning.  This study shows that an abstract gesture is a more effective tool than manipulating and touching objects.  The article describes the study and also includes an audio explaining why it works.  Very interesting!

New insight into how children learn maths.  Helen Briggs. 3.26.14. BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-26643823
[Note: The spelling of 'maths' in the article title is the way it is written.]

Modeling Attention for Your Students

Kevin Washburn, author of this article, states that attention is part of resilency.  Resilience requires the ability to imagine what the future can be.  Teachers can equip students to focus on the present, the way forward to a future.  This article has great modeling dialog - teacher and student - interacting one step at a time so that task becomes manageable.

Teaching resilience:  Attention.  Kevin D. Washburn. 3.27.14. SmartBlog on Education. 
http://smartblogs.com/education/2014/03/27/teaching-resilience-attention/?utm_source=brief

How to Foster Learning Mindsets for Your Students

This article is a "must read" for all our teachers, in fact all teachers everywhere.  We all want our students  to take responsibility for their own learning.  The trick is "how?"  I cannot begin to describe the wealth of information here. There are suggestions too for you as the teacher. You'll read it yourself and think WOW!

What's Your Learning Disposition?  How to Foster Students' Mindsets. Katrina Schwartz. 3.25.14 Mind/Shift
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/03/whats-your-learning-disposition-how-to-foster-students-mindsets/

Data,data, data...How Can It Personalize Learning?

This article is a summary of a study, "Impacts of the Digital Ocean on Education." John Hattle, author of the study analyzed factors that infuenced student achievement and the most important factor was when teachers use information about their students' learning.  We have an abundance of data but finding what is relevant is not an easy task because of the sheer volume of data available. 
The author states that work done on the computer provide instant feedback to the student, whereas work not done on the computer requires teacher time to evaluate and provide feedback.  At the end of the article you can download the study.

A tidal wave of data could personalize learning. Kristen DiCerbo & John Behrens.  3.18.14 Ideas, Research Worth Sharing 
https://research.pearson.com/digitalocean#sthash.00e2zlDM.dpbs