ODYSSEYWARE

When Johnny comes to school tired, nobody wins. Fatigue is one of the biggest motivation killers for today’s students. With so many ways to connect with friends late into the night, many are coming to school sleep deprived and unprepared to learn. Read more »

Apples and oranges, peas and carrots, salt and pepper. All of these pairs have something in common, yet they are not equal. In the same way, we can compare earning a GED and a high school diploma. Read more »

According to the just-released High School Survey of Student Engagement, today’s teenagers find school boring. The study lets you inside the mind of teenagers from public schools across the country. While many were bored with material that wasn’t interesting and work that wasn’t challenging, many of their comments were insightful. Read more »

Each year, Education Week’s Diplomas Count releases a report regarding trends in high school graduation. This year’s report, entitled “Graduation by the Numbers: Putting Data to Work for Student Success”, offered a new and not so dismal perspective on America’s high schools and the students who attend them. Read more »

I have a boss who is fond of saying, “Work smarter, not harder.” He’s an insightful guy. I couldn’t help but think of him today as I read through news stories about year-round school and six-day school weeks.

I certainly want kids to succeed in school and to be able to compete academically with their peers on the other side of the world. I’m just not sure that more hours of sitting in class is the shortest distance between students and academic success. When I think about the amount of unproductive time built into each school day, my belief in individualized learning continues to grow. Read more »

New research conducted by the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA) and students at the University of Maryland suggests that a strong bond exists between college students and their media. In fact, that bond is so strong, the study says, that deprived of this electronic connection, young media consumers reacted like addicts.

During the study, students were asked to go “media-free” for 24 hours, but they were allowed to pick which 24 hours in a nine-day period. After this experience, they were asked to blog about it and relate their good and bad experiences that resulted. Read more »

According to a recent article posted at education.com, current estimates suggest that 20-35 percent of children and adolescents report that they were involved in cyberbullying, either as a bully, a victim, or both. Not all of this happens in school, but much of it starts at school, as children form relationships and develop their sense of self. Read more »

In this last installment exploring the recent Horizon Report, 2010 K-12 Edition, by the New Media Consortium, we’ll take a look at the biggest that educators face now and will continue to face into the future.

The report identified the following significant challenges as critical:

Read more »

In our last post, we explored a recent report by The New Media Consortium, Horizon Report, 2010 K-12 Edition, and its proposed timeline for the adoption of emerging technologies. In today’s post the exploration continues with trends that are beginning to surface and will, in all likelihood, impact education over the next five years.  Read more »

The results are in and the future is digital, say teachers, at least according a recent survey completed by Grunwald Associates LLC for PBS. Key findings of Digitally Inclined are not surprising for tech-savvy educators who recognize the benefits of providing digital learning tools to students living in a digital world. 

Survey results include the following: 

• Teachers are becoming more strategic in their media use and savvier about integrating it into their repertoire of instructional strategies and resources. 

• Teachers value many different types of digital media, with games and activities for student use in school topping the list. 

• Increasing numbers of teachers are joining virtual professional communities, and many are comfortable using social networking tools in their personal and professional lives. 

This all bodes well for students who function best in a wired (or wireless) world and could usher in changes in both the pre-K and K-12 education. These changes include more “engaging, creative, and collaborative learning environments,” the implementation of more specialized individual learning plans for students with different learning styles and abilities, more teachers actively engaging in their own professional development, and increased opportunities for students to take charge of their own learning. 

At ODYSSEYWARE, we know how important it is for teachers to have access to the digital tools that support academic achievement. Our curriculum not only offers students a media-enriched curriculum that engages the mind, but offers teachers effective and efficient tools for providing individualized instruction that most suits each learner. 

As our schools become increasingly technology-driven, the tools teachers use in their classrooms continue to evolve, driving individualized learning and promoting 21st century skills. What digital tools are you using in your classroom to keep students connected to their own learning?