So, I was looking for some of the latest edtech statistics for a project I’m working on when I happened across this infographic published by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation using data collected from America’s Teachers on America’s Schools. Even though this info was compiled a few years ago, I would venture to guess that if a similar study was conducted today, the results would pretty much indicate the same: Technology is a useful tool—one that can be a benefit to the learning process.

According to the study, 93% of educators agreed that digital resources such as classroom technology and web-based programs help in their students’ academic achievement. 49% of them strongly agreed with this fact. Learn more about teachers’ responses by checking out the infographic shown below.

Click here for a full screen version of this visual.

Classroom Connection:

It’s no secret that today’s students are digital junkies who spend many hours a day using numerous technological devices. It’s their way of life, how they learn, communicate, collaborate. At the same time, it’s also pretty widely known that a plethora of digital resources are available for teachers to utilize in the classroom. However, despite these two circumstances, many schools are still forcing students to learn primarily through the use of traditional textbooks. Ugh!

I don’t know about you, but this information reinforces what I’ve thought for some time: The current educational system needs to do a better job of finding ways to bridge the gap between the old and the new in order to create learning experiences for students that are more relevant and real-world. Will you make a pledge to do so in your classroom?

Where is Bora Bora located? How much money is the latest Powerball jackpot worth? When does Duke play its next basketball game?

When there’s a need to know the answers to life’s burning questions, most people just “Google it”. Yep, anyone is capable of typing a phrase into the Google search bar and waiting for some magic results.

But did you know there are several little-known tip and tricks that can help you search like a rock star? Check out some of the these hidden gems shown on the infographic below—suggestions that can assist with improving search skills in order to quickly and efficiently locate the most relevant information on the web.

A shout out to WhoIsHostingThis? for compiling and sharing this very valuable info!

Classroom Connection:

Maximize class time and search efforts by transforming your students into Google Power Users via these super cool tips and tricks.

This infographic would also make an excellent classroom poster. Check out the Block Posters web tool to create one of your very own!

So, when it comes to technology integration, how would you classify yourself—as a leader, a sharp one, the wood, a ferrule, an eraser or maybe you’re one of those hangers-on? What. The. What? Yeah, if you’re wondering what in the world I’m referring to, then you definitely want to check out the Pencil Metaphor graphic shown below—one that outlines six ways educators typically react to the utilization of technology for educational purposes.

I realize the graphic is rather small, so if you’re having difficulty reading the details, here’s the scoop (or you can click on the image to view a larger version):

» The Hangers-On: Hangers-on know all the right lingo, attend all the right seminars, but just don’t do anything.

» The Erasers: These people endeavour to undo much, if not all, of the work done by the leaders.

» The Ferrules: These people hang on tightly to what they know. They keep a strong grip on their traditional practices, and feel that there is not a place for technology in their classroom.

» The Wood: These people would use technology if someone would just get them the gear, set it up, train them, and keep it running. All they need is help from some sharp person, and they would be doing it too. (Love the play on words here! Ha!)

» The Sharp Ones: These are the people that see what the early adopters have done, willingly grab the best of it, learn from the mistakes of others, and do great stuff with their students.

» The Leaders: These people are the first to take on the technology, the early adopters would usually document and enthusiastically share what they have tried, warts and all.

A shout out to TeachThought for sharing this interesting graphic. Click here for additional commentary about teachers and edtech as well as the origin of the Pencil Metaphor.

Classroom Connection:

Knowing where you stand in terms of integrating technology into instruction is a good thing—especially if there’s room for improvement.

Rubrics… You know, those scoring guides that assist teachers with objectively evaluating student work. These same tools also provide teachers with a consistent framework using specific criteria to determine if and how learning objectives are achieved and skills are mastered. On the flip side, rubrics demystify the grading process for students by clearly stating, in age-appropriate terminology, the expectations of an assignment.

Regardless of whether or not you utilize rubrics, the must-see infographic shown below offers some pretty compelling rationale for promoting and/or reinforcing the implementation of this concept into every classroom.

Basically, rubrics can make the life of an educator simpler. Rather than adding an arbitrary grade to an assignment, rubrics streamline the scoring process by eliminating the guess work that is sometimes associated with determining the quality of project based assessments. Although they are very valuable and worthwhile tools, creating rubrics can be a challenging and tedious task.

That said, check out some of these really cool and useful digital tools that can assist educators in the development of rubrics. Not only can they be downloaded for future use, but they can be shared with others as well. Many of these sites also offer pre-made templates and examples that can be tweaked to suit your academic needs.

And then there’s the must-see Kathy Schrock’s Assessments and Rubrics page, a one stop shop for all things rubrics including tons of general and subject specific rubrics for all grade levels!

A huge shout out to Mia Macmeekin for creating and sharing another useful educational resource! Your infographics are the bomb! A special thanks also goes out to GoPixPic for the use of the rubrics image!

Classroom Connection:

Use the infographic as a guide to help explain why teachers should utilize rubrics to assess student assignments and projects. Utilize the tools mentioned to get the job done!

As 2015 begins, it’s out with the old and in with the new—goals, ways of doing things and efforts to make dreams become a reality.

Well, apparently, that old adage also holds true for tech-related terms, particularly those based on the latest trends and changes on the technology scene. So, what’s retro? What terms indicate you just might be a fossil? How about surf, click and .com? Yep, it’s true. These once popular geeky expressions top the endangered list as they are now being completely updated or replaced with newfangled hip words such as “torrent” and “glassed up”. Take a closer look at the latest technical jargon by checking out the infographic shown below. And find out just how old school you are in the process!

A shout out to Lebara Mobile for creating and sharing this handy visual.

Classroom Connection:

The infographic provides connected educators with a guide to new and outdated technology terms—info that can be helpful in the classroom and beyond. You don’t want to sound like you’re a flashback from the Woodstock era, do you? (OK, so maybe you do but……)

jpg… gif… png… Ever wonder when you should use which file type for what purpose? If so, then take the guess work out of this dilemma by checking out the super cool Know Your File Types infographic shown below. Not only does it describe each one of these image formats, but the visual provides information related to which type works best in different sets of circumstances. Some really good stuff!

A shout out to the WhoIsHostingThis? blog for sharing this useful infographic!

Classroom Connection:

Teaching students which file extensions to utilize so that they can avoid overloading an inbox, maxing out storage space and/or causing web pages, blogs and wikis to load slowly is invaluable—especially if you’re teaching computers or multimedia courses.

That said, print the cluster of infographics explaining file format facts and then post it in your classroom as a handy reference.

Nowadays, there are numerous platforms, web tools and apps that can be utilized to engage students in the learning process. Although this can be a good problem to have, choosing the right device and corresponding resource to meet educational needs can sometimes be an overwhelming task.

But thanks to Clay Reisler, a technology integrator at the Pulaski Community School District in Wisconsin, teachers can easily locate a variety of tools for classroom use by referring to the infographic shown below.

This super cool visual provides 18 concepts such as Audio Recording, Book Creation and Interactive Posters as well as suggestions for which tools within each category can be utilized with the iPad or a Chromebook/Laptop.

The best part about this image is that it is interactive. Users can click on the icons of the recommendations for one click access to the tools’ site or the app’s iTunes Preview page for additional information. There is also a link to a Google doc with a detailed summary of each tool as well as a Google Presentation highlighting the resources. Good stuff!

Unfortunately, the image embedded below is static, but the super cool interactive version can be found here.

Classroom Connection:

Use the Top Tech Tool infographic to locate resources that best suit your students’ needs.

#edtech, #edchat and #techcoach top the list of my most favorite Twitter hashtags. But these trending topics are not the only social media hotspots in which educators with common interests can share ideas, best practices and resources to level up the teaching and learning in their classrooms.

If you really want to be in the know and/or get involved in the cyber conversation, then you’ll definitely want to check out the infographic shown below. This nifty visual provides a super cool color-coded word cloud showing the most popular educational hashtags, topics and chats on Twitter as well as a key to help you decide how and when to use each topic to connect with other like-minded peeps.

A shout out to OnlineCollegeCourses.com for creating and sharing this useful info!

Problems with your contacts, battery or text messages? Well, as it turns out, these creepy instances may not be random! Um, yeah… Just so you know—your device just may be haunted. Find out what the strange ringing and phantom vibrations might really mean by checking out the fun Halloween-themed infograhic below.

Thanks to Joy of Tech for sharing this comical image!

An apple a day is great, but a recent PBS national survey revealed that what teachers really want—besides an all expense paid trip to Aruba—is more access to technology in the classroom. But not just any technology—educators want web-based tools that motivate students to learn and reinforce content being taught.

The biggest barrier in making this wish a reality? Cost; therefore, pointing to the need for free digital classroom resources such as online sites, tools, interactives and games.

Check out the infographic shown below illustrating that teachers really do understand the value of integrating technology into classroom practices.

A shout out to PBS LearningMedia for sharing this cool visual!