One of the main missions of an educator is guiding students through instruction.  When a technology comes along that helps with this process I get excited.  Screencasts are recordings of a computer screen output and by using screen casting software I can record the click by click actions of my own computer and share them with my students and guide them through a website or highlight how to use a particular program like Photoshop or Windows Live Movie Maker.  Screen casts have become a powerful tool to help keep students on track and provided step by step instructions for those who may have fallen behind during initial in class instruction.  Because a screen cast can be played again and again as many times as a student needs, students can work more independently with technology.  The YouTube video attachments produced by Screencast Central gives you a great guided tour of what a screencast is by actually showing you a screencast of a screencast.  While the redundancy may set your head spinning, the straight forward presentation really helps to clearly show what a screencast is and the possibilities that this technology can bring to the classroom.

Games have always been a go to tool for teachers to increase student engagement in a subject. To this day the Jeopardy theme song brings flashbacks of my high school science class where heated Jeopardy rounds were played to help students prepare for final exams.  With advances in technology, classroom games have moved off the chalk board and on to the Smart Board.  Andrew Miller, an educational consultant and online educator highlights some exciting new free educational games and gaming resources that were recently featured at the International Society for Technology in Education Conference.  Miller explores how game based learning tools can be successfully incorporated into the classroom and how new advancements are paving the way for even more exciting game based engagement opportunities in education.

Game-Based Learning Ideas from ISTE

June 26, 2013 | Andrew Miller

Check out this story from NPR’s Julie Burstein.  It highlights the amazing accomplishments of the Addison Repertory Theater in Middlebury, Vermont.  In a time when discussions about getting students college ready focus so heavily on STEM courses, it’s nice to see an organization that is helping put the A in STEAM.  This theater program strives and succeeds at preparing students for placement in higher education and careers in the fine arts.

In Middlebury, Vt., Teens Train For Careers In The 'A.R.T.'s

by Julie Burstein

http://www.npr.org/2013/06/08/189559690/in-middlebury-vt-teens-train-for-careers-in-the-a-r-t-s?ft=1&f=1013&utm_source=feedly

 

 

Having a copyright conundrum?  Then you should check out the article “7Things You Should Know About Creative Commons.” This article breaks down the purpose and benefits of Creative Commons and their mission to create a middle ground when it comes to copyright laws.  Because of the work of this website, nonprofit artists, scholars, and the public at large are sharing their intellectual property more freely with fewer restrictions which make it easy to create and use licenses that allow others to use their work.  This eliminates the sometimes impossible and complicated process of contacting the creator directly for permission to use their work.  With Creative Commons, as long as the user follows the licenses use agreement and uses the appropriate attribution, they can use the work. This article does a great job highlighting the questions being asked about Creative Commons and how it plays in complex copyright disputes.

http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-creative-commons