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Benjamin Darr
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  • Southaven, MS
  • United States
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Advantages of Google for teachers

For schools, Google holds a number of advantages over other online programs. I'd like to focus on one aspect in particular. Google's products all play well together. Examples are listed below. Docs and Blogger- Blogger is a pretty good blogging platform. I can get all of the basic functionality that I expect including the ability to change fonts, add images and link to other websites. It’s a pretty limited word processor,…See More
May 3
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Content knowledge and digital literacy

wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons Almeida_Júnior_-_Moça_com_Livro.jp While at supper with friends, someone asked me to look over some medical claims they found online. A quick glance at the material revealed it to be a fraud. The article mentioned softening the patient's cell walls. Humans don't have cell walls, just membranes. Had my friend known this basic biological fact, she could have rejected the information out of hand.  She’s not alone, though.…See More
Apr 17
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Twitter, teaching and what is learned

Twitter is a funny animal. Many school districts block its use due to the serious risks that it poses. However, if your district is willing to give it a try, Twitter is really worth using. There are important skills students can learn from using Twitter in the classroom. I got most of these ideas from Matt Levinson's excellent post on ways in which parents can teach kids about the…See More
Apr 10
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Language Arts and the Internet

There are specific differences between traditional language arts and the reading/ writing that is done for the internet. Since the amount and variety of online materials is exploding, it's important to understand some of those differences. 1) Hyperlinks This is perhaps the most significant difference between online and offline writing. In simplest terms, a hyperlink is something you can click on in order to bring…See More
Apr 3
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Navel gazing. Compliments of Google

Gulliver's Travels was one of the finest pieces of literary work. Not only was it  fantastically creative, it told us profound things about the world. Many parts of that book still apply to situations we have today, although perhaps in surprising ways. Take the…See More
Mar 30
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Benjamin Darr and Diana are now friends
Mar 29
Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Space for learning

One of the great things about word processors is the ability to manipulate documents in any way you see fit. Whichever program you use, you should be aware of the importance of blank space. Emptiness is not the same thing as "nothing". If you're purposeful about the way you use emptiness, it will work to promote learning in your students. Here are several ways blank space can help your students in the learning process. 1) Chunking information- Emptiness takes up real estate which means less…See More
Mar 28
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Take note...

Tablets are taking the academic world by storm. They're light, compact and extremely multifunctional. They also do things differently than a laptop. One of the really interesting areas tablets are being used is as a notebook. There are dozens of note-taking apps out there, each with it's particular pluses and minuses. I'm just going to touch on a few that I find particularly interesting. 1) PDF editors- iAnnotate…See More
Mar 26
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Digital disease

People get sick by doing one of the following things: 1) A lot of interaction with the public. 2) Poor hygiene. 3) Taking in (eating or drinking) something that's infected. 4) Doing things they frankly shouldn't be doing in the first place. Computers get viruses, worms and trojans for the same reasons.   1) A lot of interaction with the public. Social networking is great. And a lot of people friend, follow or add people to their circles that they don’t know in real life. That can be just…See More
Mar 22
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Teachers, stay safe.

There has been an awful lot posted online about how to keep students safe on the Internet. However, I haven't run into very much focusing on teacher safety. Perhaps we tend to think that, as adults we're savvy enough to avoid online blunders. I thought that about myself until I started doing some research. The following list is by no means comprehensive, but it's a pretty good starting point. Please keep these tips in mind whenever getting on the Internet. 1) People lie.Ya, I know this one is…See More
Mar 6
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Classroom communications and the computer

We're in the communications business. We need to get our lesson across to kids, let our administrators know how well we're doing in the classroom and help parents understand how to help their child succeed in academia. As in all other communication fields, there are 4 primary ways we get information across. Each of these is important and each can be improved by technology. 1) Electronic This includes things like email and teacher webpages. Really, it should just be used to pass along…See More
Feb 28
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Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Teachers of robots so students can learn more

As teachers we are charged with increasing the amount of knowledge in the world. We work with our students whatever their age to help them gain skills and information. Most of us, though (myself included) are in the business of spreading information rather than generating new knowledge. Now, what if you knew you could aid researchers by playing online games? What if, just by goofing around on the internet, you could add to the knowledge pool in addition to passing it on to students? Well, you…See More
Feb 23
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Jackie Savini commented on Benjamin Darr's blog post Digital substitue teachers
"As a former substitute teacher, I absolutely LOVE these ideas! There were some classrooms I went into that the teacher left in a hurry, or had a sick child at home and had to email their sub plans to another teacher etc.  In most cases like…"
Feb 22
Benjamin Darr posted a blog post

Digital substitue teachers

Technology can improve learning on days that teachers have a substitute teacher. The teacher and the sub can both make online preparations to ensure a sick day is still a day full of learning.Lets first consider the classroom teacher. There are any number of ways that you can prepare for a sick day. Traditionally, a teacher will have a subfolder prepared with a map, the teacher's schedule, trustworthy students and some simple lesson plans. If you know in advance, you can also have some…See More
Feb 19
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Benjamin Darr and Tessa English are now friends
Feb 11
lindabuckmaster09 commented on Benjamin Darr's blog post Searching for lesson materials
"You might like try free resources from the UK http://www.skillsworkshop.org or The Times Educational Supplement www.tes.co.uk ;"
Feb 11

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Benjamin Darr's Blog

Advantages of Google for teachers

Posted on May 3, 2012 at 5:15pm 0 Comments





For schools, Google holds a number of…
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Content knowledge and digital literacy

Posted on April 17, 2012 at 2:52pm 0 Comments



wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons Almeida_Júnior_-_Moça_com_Livro.jp…

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Twitter, teaching and what is learned

Posted on April 10, 2012 at 4:14pm 0 Comments

Twitter is a funny animal. Many school districts block its use due to the serious risks that it poses. However, if your district is willing to give it a try, Twitter is really worth using. There are important skills students can learn from using Twitter in…

Continue

Language Arts and the Internet

Posted on April 3, 2012 at 4:13pm 0 Comments

There are specific differences between traditional language arts and the reading/ writing that is done for the internet. Since the amount and variety of online materials is exploding, it's important to understand some of those differences.…



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Latest Activity

Jamie Lormeau replied to Katy Foster's discussion Professional Development in the group Awesome Administrators
"I am going to experiment with edmodo as a collaborative tool for a committee I will have next fall. The fall is a busy time and if I can cut down on meeting fatigue by arranging online discussions, I might get better input. We'll see how it…"
1 hour ago
Katy Foster added a discussion to the group Awesome Administrators
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Professional Development

Is anyone using technology for asynchronous or synchronous professional development with teachers at your site?  What about teachers collaborating across sites?  I'd love to hear your ideas.See More
3 hours ago
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Katy Foster replied to Thomas Whitby's discussion Are you attending ISTE12? Who else will be there?
"I'll be attending for the first time.  @kfostertweet  I look forward to following the conference sessions I can't attend."
4 hours ago
Katy Foster replied to amkamin's discussion Flat Classroom & Project Based Learning
"Hi, Amy.  Katy from CTER here.  Funny to "find" you here.   Interesting question - I don't have a "wow" to share with you, but I did find this video on using Edmodo for project based learning.  Hope it…"
4 hours ago

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