A Beautiful Graphic On The Evolution of Classroom Technology

April 6, 2015
The history of educational technology is an eventful timeline full of amazing breakthroughs that have radically transformed the educational landscape and reshaped the basic notions of literacy and learning. However, if you sit back and reflect upon these developments in their relation to education, you will notice that the first decade of the 21st century alone witnessed a digital revolution that is unprecedented both in breadth and grandeur and with it comes the emergence of new learning concepts such as MOOCs, flipped learning, mobile learning, to mention but a few.

Also the number of technological inventions in the last couple of decades alone outnumber all inventions during the past three centuries. The train of technological breakthrough is still moving but now it is moving at spectacular speed to the extent that we can not even expect what the EdTech world has in store for in the few upcoming years.

Here is a nice graphic that captures some of the major technological events in the history of educational technology. Check it out and share with us what you think of it.

Via : Fedena Blog
Courtesy of eLearning Infographics

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A Beautiful Graphic on Emotional Intelligence

March 25, 2015
In the midst of this digital hype instigated by social media and web technologies, much of the  concern and discussion emanating from education community is centrally focused on the digital and technical skills required for thriving in a knowledge economy.Unarguably, digitality is an important part of our students' lives and knowing how to handle it is definitely a pressing requirement, but there are also more important areas that students need to attend to in order to maintain a balanced individual growth. One of them is the emotional part.

In their popular report entitled the Learning Curve, Pearson features emotional intelligence among the the top 8 skills the world is looking for. Similarly, in his classic book Emotional Intelligence:Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, psychologist Daniel Goleman provided a convincing account backed up with a variety of scientific studies highlighting the importance of emotional intelligence in our life . To better understand what emotional intelligence is all about and why it deserves much more attention from us, University of Maryland Online MBA has this excellent graphic to share with you.

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Tips to Engage 21st Century Students

March 8, 2015
Getting students engaged is not an easy task particularly in an age that is full of all kinds of distractions. Some argue that some of the habits that students have developed as a result of their heavy use of emerging technologies and social media have negatively impacted their capacities to concentrate and focus for longer stretches of time. Multitasking in particular is blamed for this and we do side with the camp that views multitasking as a distractor to productivity and not a positive attribute.

Yes multitaskers are hard to hook in and keep their focus on a learning task for longer time but motivation makes a difference. When students are motivated to learn, focus and attention comes along easily. Below is a beautiful graphic featuring 8 ways to get students motivated. Check it out and share with us what you think of it.

Via : Learning Pool
Courtesy of: eLearning Infographics

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A Beautiful Timeline on The History of Education

March 18, 2015
The technology of writing is one of the most momentous inventions in the human history. With writing comes literacy and the raise of modern sciences. Compared to orality, writing is a very recent development in the human history. According to Walter Ong (author of Orality and Literacy), Homo Sapiens have been around between 50 or 60.000 years ago and the first script was invented only 6000 years ago. Of course, people have been carving shapes on stones, creating notches on sticks and making markings on rocks for many millennia but these are only semiotic markings that can not be considered writing(always according to Ong and several other literacy scholars including Havelock, Scribble and many others). Writing in the sense of script or coded system was invented by Semitic people around 6000 years ago. As a script, writing includes several systems most important of which is alphabets.

That was a very succinct snapshot of the very beginnings of what is now known as literacy, for those of you interested in learning more about the history of literacy and how it developed throughout the years, we would highly recommend Ong’s classic book “Orality and Literacy”. In similar vein, we also have for you this beautiful visual timeline that chronicles the major epochs that marked the history of education. Check it out below. This visual is created by Boundless.



Courtesy of eLearning Infographics

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Do you Know about These 7 Learning Zones in Your Class?

March 17, 2015
7 Learning Zones is a beautiful visual created by Edutopia featuring an interesting system teachers can use in their classrooms to organize and manage students learning experiences. This system is composed of 7 zones, each zone targets a specific area in the instructional process and suggests some examples of what it is designed for.

The 7 zones included in this visual are :

1-Discovery Zone:
This one is for providing a central focus, sharing examples. recording observations and using the data.
2- News Zone:
This is for displaying the learning targets, managing class-work and homework.
3-Supplies Zone: 
This one is for sharing reference materials, creating hubs for students work, and providing a place for lost and found.
4- Community Zone:
This is for assessing progress, clarifying and correcting misconceptions taking notes and planning ahead.
5- Quiet Zone:
This is a place for quiet zone for reflecting, reading and writing and studying
6- Teacher Zone: This is to help you define the professional space to work with learners and adult visitors.
7- Subject Zone: 
This last zone is for providing examples and resources for connecting subjects.


Courtesy of eLearning Infographics

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A Beautiful Visual on How Technology Is Transforming 21st Century Education

March 14, 2015
Technology is radically transforming the education landscape.The technological innovations and digital progress that marked the last two decades have brought a massive change in the ways education is being conceptualized and delivered, bigger than anytime in the history of mankind. Pessimists would call it technological determinism but we see it as a new window of opportunity into the vast horizon of learning.

According to “Bringing Our Schools into The 21st Century Infographic”, some of the opportunities provided by technology for education include:

• High speed connectivity which will enable a wider access to the net
• Cloud based storage capabilities which will, among others, help develop a professional educational culture, enhance communication and improve knowledge sharing.
• Digital portfolios will be commonplace among students. They will be heavily used to demonstrate knowledge and showcase achievements
• Game-based learning will be incorporated into the 21st century learning on a larger scale.More students will be using learning designs integrated in games to practice and improve their problem-solving skills and creative thinking competencies.

Read on to learn more about the opportunities technology opens for the 21st century education
  Via Teachers Degrees
Courtesy of eLearning inforagphics

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A Beautiful Visual Explanation of Hashtags

March 6, 2015
Hashtags are social networking phenomena par excellence. They originated in Twitter a around 2008 and since then they adopted and integrated into many other popular social platforms such as Facebook, Google Plus, and Instagram. We have already shared several posts covering the educational potential of hashtags, most popular among them all is teachers’ simple guide on the use of hashtags.

Today we are sharing with you this beautiful visual  we discovered through a tweet from Tom D’Amico. This visual, which is created by Quick Sprout and initially shared on The Seen, provides a very good explanation of what the concept of hashtaging is all about and how it works in different social media websites such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. We invite you to have a look and as always share with us what you think of this work.

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A Beautiful Classroom Poster On Steps for Good Writing

February 27, 2015
5 Steps to Writing A Poem is a visual created by  Cambridge University and outlines the 5 major stages to composing a poem. In fact, the steps mentioned here are generic and can be used for writing any other genre, of course with a bit of tweaking. As a teacher you might want to share this work with your students and guide them through the different stages they need to follow to produce a good piece of prose or poetry.

The 5 steps featured in this visual are : inspiration (some basic techniques for generating inspiration and ideas to write about), Brainstorm (mapping out ideas), Form and Style (raise students consciousness to the different styles out there), Word Choice (use of language and vocabulary), Five Sense (engage your senses to create and imagine scenarios for your ideas and writing).

The visual is available in PDF format that you can download for free and use with your students. Here is the download link. Click HERE to see and download the original poster.

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A Beautiful Visual Featuring The 7 Cs of Effective Communication

February 24, 2015
Following the post we shared here a few weeks ago featuring some useful resources to help teachers and educators master the art of presenting, somebody sent us this beautiful visual which ties in with the theme of that post. 7 Cs of Effective Communication is a work from Brainy Quote and Evan Carmichael. The visual  outlines some interesting strategies to keep in mind when delivering a talk, facing an audience, or conversing with others. Communicative competence is at the core of the skills we need as teachers and it is also the key to a better mutual understanding. We are hoping the visual will provide you with a refresher on some of the effective ways to maintain effective communication. Have a look and share with us what you think of this work.

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27 Reflection Strategies to Improve Your Teaching

February 23, 2015
Reflection and reflexivity are two meta-cognitive processes that we constantly need to exercise in order to guarantee an effective and healthy professional and also emotional growth. Unless you take a pause and think deeply about what you are doing and how you are doing it, you will never get to learn about your weaknesses and strengths. You won’t be able to stop navel-gazing and see the whole picture from an onlooker perspective.

As a teacher, there are several ways and strategies to employ to cultivate a reflective mindset and enhance your self-evaluative practices. Some of these strategies are beautifully captured in the visual below created by Mia MacMeekin from Anethicalisland. We invite you to go through them and share with us what you think of this work. Enjoy

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The 7 Attributes of Successful People

January 17, 2015
Traits of Successful People is an interesting visual that delves deep into the  mindset of those who have embraced success in their lives. Setting aside the definitional problematic of success (for success can mean different things to different people) we can all probably convene on the idea that successful individuals do have many things in common at least on the conceptual level. For instance, successful people tend to have an open aptitude towards mistakes and view them as precursors of good learning. And while they live in the present, successful people always anticipate and prepare for the future. They are flexible enough to adapt to change and are willing to constantly learn from others. These and several other traits make up the mindset of successful people as shown in the graphic below.



Via : Loveinfographics 
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5 Effective Ways for Developing Problem Solving Skills

February 17, 2015
Here is a wonderful visual from Eye on Education featuring 5 methods for developing problem-solving skills. This work is adapted from Ben Johnson’s book “ Teaching Students to Dig Deeper; The Common Core in Action”. The methods advocated here include: brainstorming, word association, Inkblot test, solute vs solution, gallery walk. Each of these methods is explained and illustrated with examples on how to use it with your students. I invite you to check it out and share with us what you think of it . Enjoy

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A Beautiful Timeline On The Evolution of Learning Technologies

February 16, 2015
"Human beings have always been seekers of knowledge. The minute we discover something new, we want to share it with others and move onto the next achievement. Since the beginning of recorded history (and probably before) we have always strived to discover the mysteries of the planet, of Earth and of ourselves. How has learning evolved over the course of human history and what might the future hold for us?"

Check out the visual below to learn more

  Source Open Colleges
 Courtesy of eLearning Infographics

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New Poster- 15 Useful Tips to Help Students Overcome Procrastination

February 10, 2015
If anything, digitally has taken procrastination to unprecedented levels. Keeping focused and on task in a world where multiple sources of distraction are at work competing for ones’ attention is really a challenging endeavour. And when it comes to students and digital natives the case is even worse. I sometimes think that we, digital immigrants, are really lucky to have studied in an era where the hype of Internet and social media was non existent. However, procrastination does not have a sole cause and digital preoccupation is  only one factor among many that lead to this state of inaction.

The visual below features 15 interesting and scientifically-backed strategies that students can use to beat procrastination. I want you to check them out and share them with your students. Here is a brief round-up of these strategies.

• Know yourself
• Practice Effective Time Management
•  Change Your Perspective
• Commit to Assignments
• Work in Productive Environments
• Be Realistic
• Self-Talk Positively
• Un-Schedule
• Swiss-Cheese Tasks
• Don’t Indulge Fantasies
• Plan for Obstacles
• Improve Learning Behavior
• Help Yourself
• Reward Progress
• Learn to Forgive Yourself

Source: Essay Expert
Courtesy of : eLearning Infographics

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This Is Why Handwriting Helps Students Learn Better

February 8, 2015
In "what does your handwriting say about you" we learned that the way we write can reveal  great deal  about our personalities. For instance, the people who use small letters are said to be shy, withdrawn, or meticulous while those who tend to opt for moderate letters are well-adjusted and adaptable. Using wide spacing, on the other hand, indicates a person who enjoys freedom and doesn't like to be overwhelmed or crowded. The shape of letters can also tell something about your personality traits. For example, using rounded letters shows that one is creative and artistic; pointed letters are indicative of aggressive and intense behaviour.

In today's post, I am introducing you to another equally important infographic but this time on the importance of handwriting for enhancing  learning. The visual features some really interesting facts about the impact of handwriting on our cognition. It also provides some useful tips to help students improve their handwriting. I invite you to have a look and share with us what you think of it. Enjoy


Source : Giraffe
Courtesy of Learning Infographics

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A Wonderful Poster on The Benefits of Reading

February 4,  2015
Today I am sharing with you this wonderful infographic on the benefits of reading created by Raphael Lysander. You can use this document with your students in classroom to raise their awareness to some important facts about reading. For instance, did you know that a 6 minutes of reading can reduce stress by 60%? How about the fact that reading reduces stress more than listening to music by 685, walking by 300%, and playing video games by 700%?

Yes , these and several other facts included in the visual below are really mind-blowing and the important thing about this work is that it is backed up by references to books, articles and scientific studies. This infographic is also available in premium format that is Print friendly from this link. I invite you to check it out and share with your colleagues. Enjoy

(N.B: small typo in the title: benefits not benifites)

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This Is Why Students Need to Learn Coding

January, 2015
Coding is becoming one of the essential literacies in the 21st century education. There is a growing demand now for teaching students how to code. In his wonderful TED talk titled "Let's teach kids to code", Scientist Mitch Resnick made this beautiful analogy :

When kids learn to code , it enables them to learn many other things, opens up many new opportunities for learning. It's useful to make an analogy to reading and writing, when you learn to read and write it opens up opportunities for you to learn so many other things, when you learn to read you can then read to learn, which is the same thing with coding, if you learn to code you can code to learn. 

To further highlight the importance of teaching kids coding skills, I am sharing with you this beautiful visual titled" Rise of Coding". The visual features some interesting facts and information on  why coding is essential in our digital era.


Source: Online College.  Courtesy of : elearning infographics




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10 Important Skills for Active Listening

January, 2015
Listening is an important skill that, unfortunately, is not given its due worth in school curricula. Listening is the key to understanding, a better understanding. It is a way of communicating and appreciating the world around us. The kind of listening am talking about here is what sound expert Julian Treasure called conscious listening. This is a mental process that consciously receives and decode auditory input. Stephen Covey talks about empathic listening (from empathy) and listed it as the fifth habit of highly effective  people. Empathic listening according to Stephen is an entirely different kind of listening; 'it is listening with the intent to understand, to really understand'. He added "empathic listening gets inside another person's frame of reference. You look out through it, you see the world the way they see the world, you understand their paradigm, you understand how they feel." (p. 251 in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

Given the important of active listening as an integral learning skill, here is a very good chart featuring some  handy listening activities and skills you can share with your students. This chart which I learned through this EdTech board is based on the work of  Storytelling and User Experience.

Check out an enlarged format of this chart from this link.

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Personalized Learning Vs Traditional Learning

January 22, 2015

One of the biggest affordances of technology is towards the enhancement of the concept of personalized learning. Internet and more particularly web 2.0 technologies and mobile apps have provided learners with unprecedented opportunities to learn whenever, wherever, and however they want. At its core, personalized learning is all about tailoring the available resources in order to meet personal learning needs. On a macro educational scale, personalized learning addresses different teaching strategies and instructional methods that focus on the adjustment and leverage of the curricula and teaching materials to help meet a diverse set of students learning needs and interests.

The visual I am sharing with you today sheds more light on this concept and walks you through some of the differences between personalized learning and traditional learning. Check it out below and share with us what you think of it.

  Source: Dreambox

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A Good Visual Timeline On The History of Hashtag

January 20, 2015
This little digital creature called Hashtag has been revolutionizing the way people network, communicate and share on social media websites. It first started on Twitter around the year 2009 then Google Plus adopted it in 2012 before Facebook officially integrated it in June 2013. However, what is mysteriously unknown about this #poundsign is that its origin dates back to the 12th century when the #symbol first appeared in the musical realm. Since then, hashtags have been used in different contexts and for different purposes till they finally landed in the social media landscape some few years ago. The visual below provides a very good visual illustration of the chronological development of the sign #hashtag.

I came across this visual on ICTphms social media board on Pinterest. The board also features a plethora of other interesting visuals on everything related to social media.

 
Source of the visual: http://www.furthermore.me/

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