A new keyboard from the folks at Logitech has got K-12 teachers salivating. Unlike other keyboards, the Wired Keyboard for iPad plugs into the device rather than connecting via Bluetooth.
The advantages Bluetooth provides are well documented, but largely lost in a classroom of 20+ students. Logitech argues that it is a challenge for teachers to simultaneously pair multiple iPads with multiple wireless Bluetooth keyboards in the classroom and that with a wired keyboard, kids can connect without any help.
CNet reports that the keyboard will come in Lightning connector or 30-pin connector versions and have an MSRP of $59.99. The Lightning version is due to ship in August; the 30-pin version will ship in October.
*Photograph taken by Gail Hennessey in Coperhagen, Denmark
Happy Birthday, Hans Christian Andersen! (April 12th)
Did You Know?
1. In 2012, a fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen was found. It is believed to be his very first story, written as a teen. The six page story...
Please go ahead and finish this statement: a gifted student is like…
What did you say or write? What images did your simile draw upon? Do you view gifted students as “shining star,” “shooting rockets,” or “diamonds in the rough?”
If your similes were predominately positive, you are not alone. A study (Olthouse, 2014 ) found that pre-service teachers mainly represented gifted students in this fashion. The group inaccurately believed, for example, that gifted students almost...
When you have people together for any amount of time, a culture emerges that consists of a set of customs, beliefs, values and norms. This culture can either create a sense of mutual purpose, a mission, a vision, values and goals or perpetrate discord. Every school has a culture whether you work on the culture or not (Barth, 2003). Culture cannot be seen but it is there. It is an important aspect of school.
Culture consists of the beliefs, feelings, behaviors, and symbols...
Principals play a key role in facilitating the work of experienced teachers who serve as mentors, including preparing them for the role. Veteran teachers may have little experience with the core activity of mentoring---observing and discussing pedagogy with their colleagues.
Many teachers, especially those teaching in secondary schools, often work in isolation with little contact with their peers. This isolation, coupled with the lack of opportunity to observe and discuss each other’...
“Thirty years ago global warming was not widely understood,” observed Richard Robbins in our 2013 interview with him about his acclaimed film, Girl Rising. He believed the most powerful argument in favor of educating girls was as a strategy to eliminate global poverty.
...
April Fools’ Day is coming.
I remember when I was young eager to tell my father that his shoes were untied so he’d look down and I could say,”April Fools Day”.
For many, many years parents have met with teachers to check their child’s progress at school. This could be meetings concerning academics, social, behavior, or a combination there of. Since the student’s progress is the focus of the meeting, who knows better about the situation than the parent and the student. This is particularly true if the teacher and student are planning, agreeing upon, and assessing the student’s learning progress.
Obviously, these conferences which include the...
I think this might be one of the least discussed, possibly most important, aspects of teacher preparation: learning to pace yourself on the job.
Student teachers study curriculum, classroom management, and other basics but how much time is dedicated to helping future teachers manage time and manage themselves? We know burnout in the profession is high; working on your feet all day, keeping up with students, planning for lessons, handling the pressures of paperwork, parents, school...