Every Friday, I’ll recap some of the most interesting and thought-provoking news developments that occurred over the week.
I can’t fit all of this week’s news stories here, though, so feel free to browse eSchool News [1] and read up on other news you may have missed.
This week, it’s all about what’s up in K-12 education technology–trends, facts about social media, classroom technology tool developments, supporting critical thinking, and more.
Read on for more:
14 surprising facts about educators’ social media use [2]
Social media has fast become an educator’s dream, with almost immediate responses to questions about teaching strategies, resources, and professional development opportunities. But how are educators really using social media, and is it really as widely-used as everyone assumes?
Chromebooks are on the rise, but Windows reliance remains [3]
Sixty-two percent of K-12 schools participating in a recent survey support Chromebook initiatives, and 22 percent of those schools use Chromebooks as a primary classroom device.
How augmented reality enhances the classroom — even without technology [4]
Several years ago, I made one of those foolish Dad choices. Despite my wife’s better judgment, I let my six- and seven-year-old sons watch Men in Black. What I thought would be a cool evening of fighting aliens turned into one of those nights ending with two kids afraid of going to sleep under a wife’s “I told you so” glare.
Encourage critical thinking by turning your class into a Socratic Seminar [5]
With so much talk about the Common Core standards and truly increasing our student’s argumentative powers and critical thinking skills, some teachers are starting to think critically themselves about how best to engage students in thoughtful debate and discussion around texts they need to analyze anyway.