Can Apple Save Education?

Peter sent me a link to this infographic which was created by the hype generated around Apple's re-entry into education last month with the introduction of their interactive text books.

Via: OnlineEducation.net

The best educational wikis of 2011

By Carole  

With the announcement of the 2011 Edublog Award winners, there are now two more award-winning wikis in the Wikispaces community. And we couldn’t be prouder!

ICTmagic
First place for the 2011 Best Educational Wiki went to Martin Burrett for his ICTmagic wiki. It’s a truly inspiring collection of IT resources for students and teachers, and it’s sure to give you more ideas than you could possibly have time to try. ICTmagic was also our Featured Wiki last August, so you can read more about it in Martin’s own words.

Resources for History Teachers
Second place went to Robert Maloy of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His Resources for History Teachers began as part of a class in 2006. Then, in the best tradition of all great wikis, it grew through the combined efforts of Professor Maloy’s students, along with K–12 educators and students from around the world, into a rich, multimedia, cross-referenced sourcebook for anyone interested in teaching or learning about history.

We were also very excited to see that many of the people we have previously profiled on this blog were nominated for Edublog Awards, including Andrew Churches of the Educational Origami wiki, Gwyneth Jones of the Daring Librarian wiki, Shawn Avery of the Student Math Movies wiki, and Craig Kemp of the Ruma Tahi wiki.

And congratulations to Linda Yollis, winner of the Most Influential Blog Post award, whose Educational Blogging wiki we featured in November.

In fact, we want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the Edublog winners and nominees, across all the categories. The amazing educational content you are constantly creating and sharing all over the Web makes our work more satisfying, and inspires endless conversations around the office. Be sure to check out all the winners and nominees for yourself.

Great Art & Craft ideas for Teachers and Students

Scribbled.com.au is a highly creative site for those who want to learn about innovative art and craft ideas.   

Scribbled is packed with activities to suit all abilities but best of all everything is laid in in step-by-step directions with photographs to support them.  There are a number of themed ideas for all major events of the year with new crafts and activities being added each week.

Teachers will also love the video tutorials and printables to jazz up their classrooms.  There are also  activities and games particularly aimed at younger children.

Take a look at scribbled today and release some of your creative energy.

Free Printable Graphic Organizers

This collection of ready-to-use graphic organizers will help children classify ideas and communicate more effectively. All of our printable graphic organizers are designed to facilitate understanding of key concepts by allowing students to visually identify key points and ideas. By using graphic organizers across all subject areas, you will be empowering your students to master subject-matter faster and more efficiently. We have graphic organizers for reading, science, writing, math, and for general use. You'll also find blank printable templates like graph paper, dot arrays, and other useful tools. Access them here.

Amazing collection of Titanic information and Teaching Resources

Ultimate Titanic has appeared just in time for the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  It is specifically designed for teachers and students to learn about the most famous maritime disaster of all time.

There are a number of amazing images, videos and text based content that will definitely appeal to teachers and students without overwhelming them with irrelevant information on Titanic.

Best of all Ultimate Titanic must surely have the biggest collection of Titanic lesson plans and teaching resources based around the 1912 disaster covering all key learning areas and ages.  The amount of content here would surely warrant an in depth unit on Titanic and all the hard work has been done for you.  There is something here for everyone.

The Titanic is one of the most amazing industrial feats of all time wrapped up in a story that Shakespeare himself could not have scripted and still appeals to students and learners of all ages.

Students are still fascinated by the story 100 years on.  Be sure to check out Ultimate Titanic Today.

Cnet: Why iPad's and iBooks are not a viable solution for schools.

I am big fan of the iPad and can see a lot of potential for it in education even if it is a little hard to define still after nearly three years on the market. 

In the past I have identified some of the short fallings in using iPad's as a mainstream educational computer but today Cnet published an intersting article about why Apple's latest innovation and reworking of the textbook may be just too much for schools to adopt in a financial and logistical sense. 

The article is here and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as I know many schools have had mixed reviews of iPad's thus far.

Excellent Science Videos & Lesson Plans for Teachers

Alan Alda's Scientific American Frontiers Program has been on air for over 15 years now and over that time they have put together hundreds of amazing documentaries for students of all ages.  PBS have now compiled all that video into a teacher resource site that teachers and students can not only watch but there are now also attached lesson plans for primary and secondary students.  If you love science then this is definitely worth a look.  Take a look at it here.

A guide to winning Education Grants

Attaining grants in education can be the difference between surviving and achieving the best for your students.  Compiling an application for a grant is not something that teachers do every day and can be both difficult and time consuming.  I have found this great document the university of Arizona State University with some really useful tips and advice on how to lodge a successful educational grant.

You can download it here and I hope it offers some assistance.