Digital GEMS 19th September 2017

​Yes, and… Thoughts on Print vs Digital Reading

Author and teacher Kristin Ziemke advocates for a mix of print and digital reading instruction in this thought-provoking article posted on the Nerdy Bookclub blog. It’s easy to point out the challenges students face with digital reading, but how much teacher instruction have they actually had? When compared with their print reading instruction, it’s not really a fair fight. ​

Wonderopolis

Wonderopolis is an incredible inquiry resource, as well as being a great digital text to use with students. Questions are posed from users, then the folks at Wonderopolis respond in child-friendly language, with visually rich content and key vocabulary highlighted for easy definitions if required. There are follow up questions, places to explore further and sources are listed - great modelling! 

The Best Way To Test Students? Make Them Explain It On Video

​Physics instruction + video assessments = the perfect combination. Physics professor Rhett Allain explains why having students create videos to demonstrate their understanding of physics concepts gives him a better picture of each student’s understanding of the content than traditional testing. Professor Allain also identifies some useful resources for those interested in getting started with student-created videos for assessment.