Tag Archives: TED

Flip This Classroom!

Essentially, a flipped classroom is just how it sounds! Instead of spending classroom time lecturing and time outside of the classroom doing homework and answering questions, the time inside the classroom is spent engaging in discussions and problem solving, and the time outside the classroom is spent listening to lectures and other materials that may typically be presented during class.

Although this is a relatively new concept, the benefits of flipping classrooms are already emerging. One of the main reasons they are proving to be such an effective way to teach is because of all the free great web-based resources available to you! From tools that help organize web-resources for your class (like SymbalooEDU) to tools to supplement your lectures and add a different view (like TED, Khan Academy, or SnagFilms), the internet is full of these resources and new ones are being developed daily!

Check out the infographic below to learn more about the science behind the Flipped Classroom- what they are, how they work, and how they can impact how your students learn! And be sure to follow our blog every week-we are always on the lookout for the next best web-based tools and love sharing them with you!

Flipped Classroom

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

 

Your Summer Bucket List!

Finally, the weather is warm, the sun is out, and it’s clear that summer is finally on the horizon. With classes ending, you may find yourself with more time on your hands. Like last year, we are giving you a Summer Bucket List, Round 2. Here are 3 ideas for you to explore this summer.

1.       Engage yourself in the world of Social Media

While Facebook, Twitter, and blogging aren’t new to the technology world, they quickly reached the top. Social Media is everywhere and has a place in almost every industry-especially higher education! Chances are your students are on their phones, laptops, iPads and other devices all the time, so incorporating blogs, Twitter, and other social media tools into your classroom could be a great way to maintain contact even when class is over. This summer, create a Twitter and begin tweeting or start up a blog that you can integrate with your classes in August. 

2.       Liven up your Lectures

No longer is PowerPoint the standard for classroom lectures. There are now so many neat (and free!) tools available so you can escape the monotonous PowerPoint presentation. For other ways to present information, try checking out Prezi or SlideRocket. Or, if you are looking for something interesting and unique to incorporate into lecture, check out TED and Snag Films for great videos that will make your students understand classroom material from a broader prospective!

3.       Familiarize yourself with Free Web Resources!

This one may be one of our favorite ideas. We spend a lot of time searching for free web resources for higher education and share them with you through our blog. Be sure to continue to follow us for weekly posting that provide you with the scoop on what’s new, great, and free!

Check out a Google Site we’ve created where you can view an entire list of free web-based resources. Read their descriptions to learn more, and then instantly access their links to instantly begin using them!

Summer is a great time to explore new options and resources for the upcoming school year. When you’re not vacationing or lounging by the pool, we hope that after checking out these resources a little more you will be inspired to put them into use this August! If you would like more information on the tools listed above and many more ideas for creative ways to integrate technology into your classes, be sure to check out our past blog entries, our website, or contact us!

There’s an App for that…

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately scouring the internet and finding some of the best and most functional iPad/iPhone apps for higher education. It is truly remarkable how much some of these apps can do and after trying some, you may find yourself wondering how you were able to function without it. Here are 5 (FREE!) iPad/iPhone apps that both educators and students alike will find to be extremely useful.

Sundry Notes

As one of the most convenient apps for the iPad, Sundry Notes allows users to write text, draw anywhere, research with the internet, import PDFs, images, and documents from Evernote, GoogleDocs and Dropbox, and share notes via Facebook, Twitter, or Google. Make it a multimedia note-taking experience by recording audio.

Dropbox

This app allows users to sync and share files online and across computers. Simply said, yet extremely practical.

Evernote

This app is highly valued amongst avid iPad users for its effectiveness in organizing everything that one may need to remember. Through notes, recordings and synchronizing with other computers or devices, you won’t forget that deadline again with Evernote.

Offline Pages

Spend a lot of money on your new iPad but don’t feel like forking over extra money each month for internet service? Offline Pages is the app for you. Users can save entire web pages to be reviewed for offline reading when that beloved Wi-Fi is unavailable.

TED

I’ve blogged about TED before, mostly because I just can’t get enough of it. This app offers users access to talks from fascinating people all over the world; from medical marvels to business gurus. There are over 700 TEDTalk videos available, with more constantly being added. Users can create playlists, and select to watch videos when a network connection is unavailable.

And a bonus-GoodReader

Although this app is not free (it costs 99 cents), it is a valuable companion for note taking. Open large PDF files and markup, annotate, highlight, and then share with others. Definitely well worth the 99 cent price tag!

Spice up your next lecture

What I’m blogging about today isn’t a new tool that is going to revolutionize the way you present your lectures. It is, however, a tool that can be used to spark the interest of students, promote brainstorming and discussion, and spread ideas.

For an engaging way to present material in your class and gain the attention of students without having to ask for it, visit http://www.ted.com, a website full of motivational, educational, and interesting videos of speeches from all over the world. TED’s mission is to spread ideas to change attitudes, lives, and successively, the world. What better place to begin spreading these ideas than in your classroom?

From topics focusing on poverty to collaborating in business to “what makes us happy”, you will be guaranteed to find a speech that can somehow be integrated with your class material. You can even search by speaker if you already have a particular person in mind. Think of TED as a “YouTube” containing only motivational and unique speeches about topics worth listening to. So spread some new ideas, get your students thinking, and then maybe they will change the world.