TPE Blog

Educators Need to Become Better Communicators

CARET

What Works and Technology

Cutting Edge Technology Meets Traditional Classrooms

Metaphors to Motivate Student Learning

Math Wars

Technology That Makes a Difference in Student Learning

Brain-Compatible Teaching

Microsoft Education Newsletter

Future School: Reshaping Learning from the Ground Up

Author of Future Shock, Alvin Toffler is best known for his work discussing the ramifications of the digital revolution, he also speakd about the education system and the most pressing needs in public education. He discusses how the public school system is designed to produce a workforce for an economy that will not be there and describes how new technologies make possible customization in a way that the old system does not offer. You can read more about Toffler's views at http://www.edutopia.org/future-school.

Engaged Learner

Lodestar Learning Web Journal

Wiki World

Use open editing software to engage students in exciting collaborative learning experiences. Promote reading, writing, and high level thinking across content areas and grade levels. Wikis are a quick and easy way to energize reluctant learners, promote classroom synergy, and encourage authentic learning.

Change is Not for Everyone

Creating sustainable change is not for everyone.
This website and what it represents is not for all educators - in fact it's not for most educators. But we know that a small number of people can make a large difference as long as it's the right people.
Ask Yourself These Questions:
Do you care passionately about bringing about real sustainable educational change, especially at your school(s)?
Do you feel like you are one of the only three or four people that see the big picture?
Do you find yourself wishing you could connect with others who "get it" like you do?
While attending exciting workshops and conferences do you find yourself getting excited about the possibilities only to return home to the same issues and problem; and then find yourself losing momentum and settling into old patterns?
Do you find yourself wondering how to break the log jam and how to get things moving more quickly at your school and in your career?
Do you believe that if you had the right tools and (need adjective here) support you would actually take the necessary steps to effect real change?
Do you believe that you could do this regardless of your position in your school or district?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then explore this site - it is for you! Or contact us for more information.

Online Learning Should Be Engaging

At Top Practices Education, we believe that online learning should be engaging for the learner. And that we should more aggressively use technology to differentiate instruction, to enable independent learning, to teach both basic skills and higher order skills, and to track student learning. The good news is that there are more and easier tools to enable these goals. However, you can also waste a ton of money on so called solutions provided by big companies that need to support their over stuffed sales force and marketing budgets. With the right inexpensive tools and right guidance, school leaders can make real and sustainable changes that impact student learning and achievement in meaningful ways.

21st Century Learners

Certain concepts are hard to grasp only through reading text and looking at one dimensional images. When instructors use technology tools like LodeStar to present concepts with animated slide shows, videos, interactive problem solving simulations, and even interactive games there are multiple educational advantages. 21^st Century Learners live in a world of media and interactivity. Their brains function better when they have this type of interaction. They will be more likely “play” with these concepts in an interactive form over and over again. Students may not re-read the textbook but may be more willing to click and click again if they find the content attractive and interactive. Many learners today are more visual learners or active learners. These types of interactions can mimic hands on learning activities. One of the keys is developing customized multimedia content for your learners. You need the right tools and training to access, create, and catalog content that addresses key concepts.

Everyone is talking about the need for today’s learners to become prepared for the 21^st Century. Even though NCLB seemed to emphasize basic skills over higher level thinking skills – it is not an either/or situation. Today’s learners need to not only learn how to read, write, and do math – they also need to be able solve problems, conduct research, collaborate, and communicate effectively. Educators will use terms like 21^st Century Skills, Technology literacy skills, inquiry skills, and project based learning skills. All refer to the students ability to generate questions, pursue answers, analyze data, draw conclusions, determine solutions, present a coherent thesis, and communicate results. Whatever these skills are called – the evidence is clear that these skills are needed in tomorrow’s workforce. We can use technology to structure learning experiences that scaffold and teach these skills – and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate results and show that they solved real problems. We, as educators, are way behind the kids in utilizing collaborative tools. We can use the same types of tools they use for setting up social gatherings (e.g. Facebook) for collaborating on solving the energy crisis in science class.

Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction

Today’s learners prefer to learn at their own pace and in their own way. Certainly there are times when students still need to receive instruction through lecture and/or through large group activities. However, learners are getting used to being able to access what they want when they want it. Whether it is “on demand” movies or television shows, You Tube videos, or online games; students of today are used to dictating what content to experience rather than being dictated to. Plus, learners are all at different stages of development. We know that as educators. So how can we bridge these two powerful needs? We can use technology to find out what concepts learners know or don’t know. Technology can be used to not only identify which concepts they need more practice on but also can be used to match them to the right content for those needs and/or their learning style. You can waste a lot of money on these types of learning content systems and not get the results you want. You need the right advice to select the right tools that allow your students to progress at their own pace and in their own way.

Assessment and Online Learning

Many schools are using online grading systems for reporting to parents “how their kid is doing.” However, the grades often don’t tell you much. Let’s say my student is getting 79% correct in daily assignments in math. What does that really tell me? Technology tools are making it possible to link specific performance on key concepts to online grading and reporting systems. But this can only happen if there is enough forethought and design put into the content delivery and grading technologies. Often they don’t “talk to each other.” You need to be able to have access to learning content that matches the key concepts you want the students to learn AND that can capture important data about the student performance. Then your parents will have access to meaningful data that can help inform them about what additional skills or knowledge their child needs to work on. And isn’t that what grading should be about anyway?