Current Site and App of the Week - eSchool News September 10, 2013

Current Site of the Week

Tweet me @eSN_Dennis

"Our Site of the Week is "Digital Learning Transition," a Massive Open Online Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed) that aims to help K-12 leaders assess their progress and set goals for digital learning in their districts.", writes Dennis Pierce, Editor. 

New MOOC helps with ed-tech planning

Two ed-tech organizations are repeating their MOOC for educators.

Last spring, the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation teamed up to offer a Massive Open Online Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed), a free online course designed to help school and district leaders plan for effective ed-tech use.

The course proved so popular that the organizations have decided to offer it again this fall.
Called “Digital Learning Transition,” the MOOC-Ed aims to help participants understand digital learning’s potential in K-12 education, assess progress and set goals for their schools or districts, and develop a plan to achieve those goals.

Anyone involved in planning and implementing K-12 ed-tech initiatives is encouraged to register for this free, eight-week course, which begins Sept. 30. Participants will learn from digital learning experts as well as other course enrollees.

For more information or to register, click here.  

Related link

The Digital Learning Transition MOOC for Educators: Exploring a Scalable Approach to Professional Development (PDF)

App of the week 

Name: Zorbit’s Math Adventure

 
What is it? 
This app lets preschoolers learn math concepts through practice and play–listening to the storyline. The app covers all the math skills in the U.S. Common Core guidelines for preschoolers.

Features:

• Based on the latest early education research, and matched to Preschoolers’ learning ability.
• Requires no reading ability as all instructions are spoken.
• Designed for little fingers.
• Headphone mode protects children’s hearing.
• Encourages development of listening skills.
• Lots of encouraging words and hints.
• Stickers for completing activities.
• Stars for completing levels.
• Kids progress at their own pace.
• Provides extra tips and practice if a child is struggling (adaptive repetition).
• Parents can monitor child’s progress on screen.
• Builds on children’s willingness to repeat tasks while playing games-essential to learning math.
• No in-app purchasing or advertising.
• No access to the internet required.
• No access to social media within the game.

Related link 
Visit iTunes to buy and download apps

Source: eSchool News