by David Andrade, http://tinyurl.com/edtechguy Molecular Workbench is a free and open source system that provides visual, interactive simulations for science. The simulations are in lesson format, with embedded assessments and the ability to change variables and see what happens. There are hundreds of free simulations in physics, chemistry, biology, biotech and nanotech. Some are [...]
by David Andrade, http://tinyurl.com/edtechguy STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is a term that has become more and more popular lately as the federal government is pushing for improvements in student performance in these areas. The United States needs more students to enter these fields and, in general, the public needs to be [...]
This past weekend, the CT DEN LC sponsored the CT Day of Discovery. We held in-person sessions, along with having a room set up to participate in the Fall Virtual Conference. I presented a session on 25 Free Resources from Discovery Education. Here is the list and links to the sites. Please share it [...]
FETC’s Fall Virtual Conference is Thursday, October 27th, from 10:30am – 6pm. This is a great way to get some excellent professional development and connect with other educators without traveling. There is a keynote speaker, multiple sessions, and even an exhibit hall, all accessed online for free. Hall Davidson, Director, Discovery Educator Network, will be delivering the [...]
by Dr. Jason Parker, North Carolina LC Member “Ideas about assessments have undergone important changes in recent years. In the new view, assessment and learning are two sides of the same coin….When students engage in assessments, they should learn from those assessments” (National Research Council, 1996, pp. 5-6). This statement reflects the current mood of [...]
Believe it or not, not all students hate tests. When I was a student I loved being tested. When other students would be frantically reviewing notes, shaking nervously and watching the clock as the seconds ticked down too quickly to T-time, I would sit at my desk excited and raring to go. “How could a [...]
As promised, here is another post from North Carolina Leadership Council member Diane Ripollone about how she loves to use the Builder Tools for evaluating student learning. Enjoy! Discovery Builder Tools, How do you use them? written by Diane Ripollone, NC Leadership Council As a new year begins so do the questions. Some of my [...]
It has been a little while, but your DEN LC members have been busy writing! Here is a post from Florida LC member Janet Hallstrom. Stay tuned for a number of assessment-related blog posts over the next few days. Discovery Quizzes to Make Instruction Count in the Classroom written by Janet Hallstrom, FL LC [...]
Did you enjoy last month’s Back to School webinars? Do you wish you had one more chance to see them? Well, back by popular demand, we are hosting MORE Back to School webinars this month! If you have Back to School fever, join us for our upcoming webinars to get your classroom connected with Discovery [...]
When I was younger I used to believe in more other-worldly things, such as astrology, tarot and dream interpretations. I believed that I could look at another person’s palm and be able to predict his/her future. I believed the reason I was imaginative, restless, and enthusiastic was because I was a Gemini. I even went [...]
I’ve been thinking for a while that Oprah isn’t the only one who should get to have a list of her favorite things. As the self-proclaimed DEN Princess, I’ve decided that I too shall periodically share a favorite thing. Today, I’ll start things off with a tool that I learned about first during DEN Summer [...]
Starting tomorrow evening and continuing for the next three weeks are the Discovery Education BTS Webinars. Each week focuses on a different topic. Topics will be shared twice a week, once on Tuesday at 7:00 pm EST and once on Wednesday at 3:30 pm EST. Come learn how to set up student accounts for your [...]
Hello DEN Community and welcome to a series of blog posts designated to invoke your thoughts, ideas, and reflections concerning assessment in education. Over the next few weeks several Leadership Council members have offered to share their thoughts on this popular topic in order to start the conversation. We can’t wait to read your reflections [...]
by David Andrade, http://tinyurl.com/edtechguy LearnBoost is an online grade book and lesson planner that is available for free to educators. It has a grade book, lesson planner, attendance, reporting and calendar. It is easy to use, visually appealing, and you can share information with students and parents. The lesson planner is integrated with state standards and [...]
By David Andrade, http://tinyurl.com/edtechguy Glogster is a very cool site that allows users to create interactive posters called Glogs. I had learned about this a long time ago, but never had the chance to use it or try it out until this week. The free version is limited (50 students), but is still very useful. You could [...]
The Discovery Education Assessment team and the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) team had a blast with Tennessee educators as we traveled from Knoxville to Nashville and on to Memphis May 9, 10, and 11! Jim Mitchell, Kyle Schutt, and Susan Hudson came along to share information on student growth, teacher effectiveness, and how to use [...]
Discovery Education Assessment is pleased to announce that Progress Zone has been enhanced to allow text formatting and images within user created items! What does this new enhancement mean? Users can now: Format Text Insert Tables and Special Characters (ex: accented letters and mathematical symbols) Add Images (.jpg, .gif, and .png are the supported formats) [...]
At PETE&C on Monday, Discovery Education’s Kyle Schutt filled the room with educators who were interested in learning how to “teach smarter not harder.” Kyle began his session with an essential question; How can we use digital tools to inform teaching and learning and engage students? The road map to his presentation included three main [...]
Knox County Schools, TN has used Discovery Education Assessment at some schools for several years, but committed to implementing it in all the schools in the district this past fall. Teachers there are excited about the program and having the information they need to make timely, data informed decisions. Read the full coverage here: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/feb/15/blount-county-high-schools-discover-online-test/
As my personal learning network evolves, I am constantly overwhelmed and amazed at the depth of knowledge our DEN community shares; especially through its blog posts. Recently, a few blog posts caught my eye and challenged my own thinking on the subject of student evaluation in an increasingly digital world. If you haven’t seen it [...]
Greetings, Blogosphere! I know many STAR Discovery Educators have been reading the DEN blogs since they (the blogs, that is) were born, but many of you may not have thoroughly investigated the archives. Now, we do our fair share of making sure the blogs are used to give you the information you need about what’s [...]
How many states use a specific test for the standards that are used in your curriculum? How many are still using them? Are you doing those tests online or paper-pencil? In FL, we have a state testing called the FCAT… Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. Testing is completed in Math, Reading, and Science. Starting this year, [...]
Please welcome these new DEN STARs: Kari Baransky, CT Andrea Bills, TX Jeffrey Bird, TN Alissa Black. AZ Nancy Brennan, FL Tamara Campana, FL Carol Campbell, TX Beth Cavallaro, FL Erma Costner, OK Marty Creech, NC Anna Czekaj, NC Denise De Clair, FL Valerie Favel, Saskatchewan Sarah Fischer, SC Patricia Fuentes, FL Pamela Giles, FL [...]
We have a full week of webinars planned for next week. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with them all. Here’s your one stop guide to what’s going on. (All times listed are eastern) Monday 7pm- EdTechConnect featuring bestselling author, Don Tapscott 7pm- Learn more about DE Streaming with Discovery streaming 101 Tuesday 7pm- Learn [...]
We have a full week of webinars planned for next week. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with them all. Here’s your one stop guide to what’s going on. (All times listed are eastern) Monday 1pm- Bring your students and join Build It Bigger‘s Danny Forster for A New Way To Look At Architecture 7pm- [...]
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