Too often when teachers say they are teaching writing, they mean that they are assigning writing work to their students, but they aren’t actually helping students master the fundamentals. From grammar and spelling basics to writing thesis statements and revising drafts, every step of the process is essential for developing confident writers who can effectively communicate their ideas. Based on several research reports, Jenny Hamilton, M.Ed., an independent literacy consultant, has identified best practices for writing education, which she shared in the recent edWebinar, “Strategies for Building Proficient K–12 Writers.” Overall, the goal is to break down writing into its essential elements, giving students the opportunity to master them before drafting essays and reports.
Today’s school districts have just only begun to scratch the surface of how the cloud can be used to support their data center strategies. Making use of this technology can also help IT staff with the problems they face. In a recent edWebinar, Simone Welter, ENA Product Manager Cloud Solutions, and Alan Greenberg, Senior Analyst & Partner for Wainhouse Research, reviewed how the cloud can be used to address some of the challenges in school districts today.
SETDA’s latest research, Navigating the Digital Shift 2018: Broadening Student Learning Opportunities, highlights how state policies are supporting the transformation to digital learning. Many states provide guidance for the implementation of digital materials in districts to help ensure that they are available to all learners. However, some districts may not have any state guidance at all. In a recent webinar, presenters from Idaho and Pennsylvania discussed how state and district leadership support digital learning opportunities and implement digital materials.
edWeb.net is happy to announce that our client, Brookes Publishing, will be hosting an edWebinar on how educators and other school professionals can support grieving students of all ages. The free edWebinar, “Supporting the Grieving Student,” will be presented by David J. Schonfeld, M.D., FAAP, a nationally renowned expert on childhood bereavement and school crisis and coauthor of The Grieving Student: A Teacher’s Guide. It will take place on Thursday, July 26, 2018 at 3 pm Eastern Time.
Computational thinking provides an important foundation for learning computer science but can also inspire skills like the 4 Cs (collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking) across other subjects. In a recent edWebinar, Naomi Harm, Strategic Outreach Education Manager at Wonder Workshop, and Angie Kalthoff, Technology Integration Specialist and Code.org Facilitator, presented classroom management tips for successful computational thinking activities and examples of activities to ignite those skills in students.
Digital educational materials have provided many benefits for K-12 educators and students from computer adaptive assessments to tools that allow students to collaborate and communicate 24/7. At the same time, the myriad of tech programs also have their own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to logging on. For years users have needed to create and memorize a username and password for every system and app. During the edWebinar “Simplify Digital Access in K-12: Learn How District Leaders Eliminate Barriers,” the presenters discussed the importance of adopting a single sign-on program to manage digital access, the questions to ask when choosing a vendor, and tips for rolling out the new system.
Effective social emotional learning (SEL) requires a thorough understanding of the student population’s needs, training to integrate SEL into everyday lessons, and the instructional resources. But although educators and education advocates acknowledge the importance of SEL, the funding has lagged behind. In the edWebinar, “Funding Social Emotional Learning: Where’s the Money?” Dr. Rita Oates, President of Oates Associates, explained that money can be found for SEL, but teachers need to be ready to tackle the world of grants. While employing a professional grant writer can be advantageous, Dr. Oates offered advice for those who will be overseeing the process or who plan to go after the funding themselves.
Too often, an “inclusive education” for students with complex support needs means helping them take part in a single class activity before they go off to a different classroom, or focusing on a single learner while other similar students remain on the outside. Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D., an inclusive education consultant and co-founder of the National Center on Inclusive Education, offered participants in the recent edWebinar, “Inclusion is More Than “Just Being In,” a new way to define the term. She explained that inclusion should not be a practice but should be a transformational educational philosophy based on social justice principles, where the first tenet is that all students are presumed competent.
It is rare that things go as planned after selecting or purchasing new digital content, services, and tools. Building a culture of shared understanding and cross-departmental responsibility for how digital integration is approached is crucial to the success of any digital strategy. In a recent edWebinar, presenters from Vancouver Public Schools in Washington shared their processes for selecting and integrating digital content and resources to ensure effective implementations.
The dunce cap, a ruler on the knuckles, kneeling on rice: modern teachers wouldn’t think of using these methods to correct students’ behavior. But for all the progress that schools have made in understanding and implementing effective discipline, teachers can still fall into bad habits that sabotage their own efforts to stay in command. In his recent edWebinar “Classroom Management Mistakes That Undermine Your Authority,” Shannon Holden, Assistant Principal at Republic Middle School in Missouri, explained the importance of establishing the teacher’s control from the first day of school and the common mistakes educators make when trying to maintain a productive educational environment.