Tag Archives: edudemic

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Popular Teacher Tools

Image by anieto2k. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing. Some rights reserved.
Image by anieto2k. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing. Some rights reserved.

This month marks the beginning of a new school/academic year. With that comes a list of items and ideas for your work plan. In terms of technology, Edudemic created a top ten list of the most popular tools used by teachers to-date. Many of them have been discussed in previous posts by CMLE. However, if last year you weren’t quite ready to try out a new tool-you might want to reconsider it for this year. If you have already invested time in learning/training others to use these tools, then this post can serve as an affirmation that they should remain on your favorites list. Click here to view Edudemic’s list and compare notes.

Tip: As a library professional you interact with other teachers on a routine basis. Here is secondary post by Edudemic, 5 Goals Teachers Should Shoot For This Year. You might want to take a moment to compare your goals to this list. It could also serve as a great starting place to assist teachers, you work with, as they come to you for advice throughout the year.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Gamification in Education

2 Comments
Games! Photo by Declan (TM) retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.
Games! Photo by Declan (TM) retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.

With technology seeping into most every aspect of life, it is important to take a step back and evaluate what are the best, most appropriate applications in your professional and personal life. How much technology is too much? Does a game/program enhance how a particular topic is conveyed?  Can games induce excitement about certain content?

In September 2012, Edudemic, in partnership with Knewton, posted an article titled, The 100-Second Guide To Gamification In Education.  Gamification is becoming a growing trend in which games are introduced as a teaching tool to supplement the delivery of core curriculum.  Therefore, the question remains, if over 5 million people play games more 45 hours a week, what elements of gaming can be cultivated for education? As a follow-up to this article, this month Edudemic posted 25 Things Teachers Should Know About Gamification.

Here are three points made in the full article;

#11. Gamification is designed with the assumption that players aren’t initially interested. This means games are exciting and engaging enough to capture the attention of an uninterested student and carry them through to the end.

#16. One goal of Gamification in the school setting is to allow kids to be creators of their own knowledge, allowing the teacher to be an assistant to the child’s learning journey.

#18. Gamification models are being used in other educational settings as well, such as job trainings and seminars.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Summer Learning Resources!

Image by Ahmad Hammound-some rights reserved
Image by Ahmad Hammound-some rights reserved

Edudemic (May 2013) posted an article on Ten Resources for Learning Over the Summer.  This is a quick, easily read post for all educators looking to enhance a program or instructional design. Below is a list of the general content areas discussed. Click here to read the full article.

  1. How Do Teachers Inspire Curiosity in Their Students
  2. Teaching and Learning with Videos
  3. Creative Classroom Ideas
  4. Add Multimedia Components to Presentations
  5. PBL (Project Based Learning)
  6. Engage, Inspire, and Educate Interactively Online
  7. Game Statistics and Game Simulation Applications for PE Teachers
  8. Eureka Moments–Fostering & Inspiring Creativity & Innovation
  9. No Homework
  10. Tools for Creating

Tip: When you are ready to begin planning for the 2013/14 school year, consider introducing at least one new idea into your classroom/media center. 

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

EBook Formats to Consider!

Image by Wishpong some rights reserved
Image by Wishpond some rights reserved

As eBooks (or e-books)  have been growing in popularity over the last several years so has the various formats available on the market. According to TechTerms, an eBook is defined as an electronic book or digital publication that can be read on a computer, e-reader, or other electronic device (“eBooks”).

Format Properties: All major formats support text, images, chapters and page markers. In addition, some may support user annotations, including highlighted text, drawings and notes.

  • Open Format: Can be read on multiple devices.
  • Proprietary Format:  Only view-able on a specific device.
    • Digital Rights Management (DRM):  A collection of systems used to protect the copyrights of electronic media. Commercially available publications often include some kind of  DMR to prevent the content from being viewed on unauthorized devices.

Libraries that strive to meet patron-driven demands for eBooks are working to increase access by building their collections. What are the most prevalent formats on the market? This Spring, Edudemic (2013) identified their top picks for you to consider. Read the full article, The 6 Most Popular eBook Formats To Know About.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

The World of Online Resources!

1 Comment
Image by Lenny Foster
Image by Lenny Foster. Some rights reserved.

Marcel Proust was quoted as saying, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”  Travel can be a wonderful experiential learning tool.  However, not everyone is able to invest the time and money necessary to travel. Edudemic posted a list of ten virtual resources to (re) discover the American West.  Travel online along rivers, across deserts and over mountains-west.

Tip: This is a wonderful research tool for students and future explorers; Classify the biology of indigenous plants or animals living in national parks and monuments; Study the social divergence of California cultures; Learn the history of the “American West”; and more.