In his university teaching days, Mark Schneider watched as his students’ research sources moved from the library to Wikipedia to Google. With greater access to online information, cheating and plagiarism became easier. So Schneider, who taught at State University of New York, Stony Brook for 30 years, crafted essay prompts in ways that he hoped would deter copy-paste responses. Even then, he once received a student essay with a bill from a paper-writing company stapled…
The statistics are sobering. In the past year, nearly 1 in 3 female teens reports seriously considering suicide. One in 5 teens identifying as LGBTQ+ say they attempted suicide in that time. Between 2009 and 2019, depression rates doubled for all teens. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The question is: Why now? “Our brains, our bodies, and our society have been evolving together to shape human development for millennia… Within the last twenty years, the advent…
Just as all students are different, so are all instructors. We need to ensure we are implementing instructional technology tools that fit our teaching style, availability, and technology skill level. If any instructor wishes to incorporate a new technology tool, it is vital we first assess the tool’s “goodness of fit” for both student population and course content. An instructional technology tool with a “goodness of fit” for a particular course and student group demonstrates…
U.S. teens spend more than eight hours a day on screens, and there’s growing concern over how social media and large amounts of screen time per day may be affecting their mental health. Now, a new study published by the American Psychological Association validates what some parents have experienced when their teenagers cut back: they seem to feel better about themselves. Perhaps you’ve seen this in your own kids when they return from summer camp…
The English Composition I course at New Jersey City University is designed to prepare students to meet the requirements of writing for university course work. The course learning objectives focus on the achievement of basic communicative skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Instead of completing a traditional essay or oral presentation as the signature assignment for the course, students were asked to build websites using skills honed over the course of the semester in…
If you’ve ever looked for a new job, you’ve probably seen skills like attention to detail, customer service and collaboration listed in job postings. These skills, like digital literacy, fall into a broad category of abilities that are fundamentally important to success, and yet are sometimes easy to overlook. Digital literacy is everywhere, and everyone possesses some level of it. Have you ever seen a child pick up a smartphone and start using it intuitively?…
Scientists have proven that students learn better when EdTech is involved. If used right, it enhances their involvement, increases their confidence, and better enables them to reproduce the material they learn during assessments. So why are some educators still against technology in the classroom? Better yet, what can we do about it? Here are 4 reasons educators may be against technology in the classroom. 1. Educators don’t see it as necessary. Many of the educators…
Online gaming websites can prove to be a treasure trove of learning opportunities, and there are a variety of content-areas, age ranges, and skill levels to choose from. The true pay dirt for browser-based learning games can be found on large online digital game hubs. Here are 10 educational online gaming websites that teachers and parents can use as one tool in their arsenal. 1. Primary Games. With games and activities that meet curriculum needs…
In her book “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence,” Dr. Anna Lembke makes the case for how technology, with its promise of nonstop engagement and flashing lights, can be addictive. And while addiction may make one think of drugs or alcohol, activities like video games, social media apps, and sites like YouTube can also become unhealthy addictions. Lembke, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, says child tech addiction…
In an era dominated by constant information and the desire to be social, should the tone of thinking for students be different? After all, this is the 21st century, the world of Google. In this world full of information abundance, our minds are constantly challenged to react to data, and often in a way that doesn’t just observe, but interprets. Subsequently, we unknowingly spin everything to avoid any degree of dissonance. As a result, the…
