As we teach and prepare students for 21st century careers and college, the effective integration of technology is an effective pedagogical tool for meeting the needs of diverse learners.
Technology tools, like iPads are particularly useful in meeting the diverse needs of our students with special needs. Technology makes what was once inaccessible for many of the students accessible. Since iPads are relatively easy to use and don\’t have a significant demand on fine motor schools, they are becoming increasing popular for instruction of our students with special needs.
There are thousands of apps that can be used to develop students’ skills. I am always collecting apps that can be effectively integrated into instruction.
Here are some of my current favorite apps that benefit all children but are particularly useful for reaching and teaching students with special needs.
Acharya Sir Prafulla Chandra Ray: Father of Indian Chemistry
Acharya Sir Prafulla Chandra Ray, popularly known as ‘Father of Indian Chemistry’ also known as ‘Father of Indian Chemical Science’ well-known scientist, a great human being, legendry personality and first ‘modern’ Indian chemical researcher, was born on 2 August 1861. From childhood, he was a brilliant student and in 1882, Prafulla Chandra won a scholarship at Edinburgh University, UK and subsequently was awarded Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in 1887. He discovered the stable compound mercurous nitrite in 1896 and established Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Limited in 1901, first pharmaceutical company of India.
prafulla-chandra-ray
From UK, he returned to India in August 1888 and subsequently joined Presidency College, Calcutta as Assistant Professor of Chemistry in 1889 and worked there up to 1916, and subsequently joined Calcutta University College of Science (also known as Rajabazar Science College) as its first “Palit Professor of Chemistry”, a Chair named after Taraknath Palit (Taraknath was born in 1831 in then Calcutta, the only son of a millionaire, who donated money to set up the Chair). Since Dr Roy got a dedicated team so fully involved in research and worked on compounds of gold, platinum, iridium etc. Altogether 107 research papers of all branches of Chemistry were published based on his research works up to 1920. In 1936, at the age of 75, Dr. Ray retired from active service and became Professor Emeritus.
Anyway Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray and the company established by him Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Limited in present days is in the news because of the medicine Hydroxychloroquine or HCQ, the anti-malarial drug publicized by some as a potential weapon against COVID-19. It may be mentioned that Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Limited, the only public sector unit manufactures anti-malarial drug in India started Hydroxychloroquine’s production long ago but was stopped decades ago. Again in view of COVID-19, the Company has obtained licence to produce Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ).
Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray was also a great human being and involved with many humanitarian activities. In 1923, people of Northern Bengal suffered awfully because of flood as sequel millions of people became homeless vis-à-vis hungry. Dr Prafulla Chandra organised Bengal Relief Committee, which collected nearly 2.5 million rupees in cash and kind and distributed in the affected area in an organised manner. Further, he was greatly motivated by his father and influenced by the Brahmo Samaj, a religious sect. It is pertinent to mention that the Brahmo Samaj literally denotes community (‘samaj’) and in reality Brahmo Samaj does not discriminate any one based on caste, creed or religion. Raja Ram Mohan Roy (22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833) was one of the founders of the Brahmo Samaj. In those days because of ‘ugly face’ of Brahmanism in Bengal many were fed up with Hinduism and thus Brahmo Samaj could penetrate among the common persons. Dr Prafulla Chandra used to donate money regularly towards welfare of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Brahmo Girls’ School and Indian Chemical Society. In 1922, he donated money to establish Nagarjuna Prize to be awarded for the best work in chemistry. In 1937, another award, named after Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, to be awarded for the best work in zoology or botany, was established from his donation. Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee was a prolific Bengali educator, jurist, barrister and mathematician. He was often called “Banglar Bagh” (“Tiger of Bengal”) for his high self-esteem, courage, academic integrity and uncompromising attitude towards the British Government.
The Royal Society of Chemistry dedicated its prestigious Chemical Landmark plaque to Dr Ray in 2011, the first non-European selected on his 150th birth anniversary. In addition Dr Ray was awarded many laurels.
Although Dr Ray (remained bachelor) left for heavenly abode on 16 June 1944 at the age of 82 years but he will be remembered not only by Indians but people across the world for his enormous contribution in the field of Chemistry and establishment of Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Limited, only public sector undertaking authorised to produce Hydroxychloroquine or HCQ.
Work today can be plagued by two competing problems. One is information and technology overload. Many employees feel that they are drowning in information and serving their technology more than productivity. The second problem is not enough information and too little technology. What is odd is that the same people and the same workplaces can have both problems, at the same time. Let me explain this seeming contradiction.
When you look around a typical office setting in the U.S., you will see dozens of people typing on keyboards, looking at screens, and occasionally talking on devices or to each other face-to-face. This is what you see. But you also know, because it is true for you, that many of those people have another screen – or two or three – in their pockets, briefcases, or purses. Some are work devices. Some are personal devices. All are connected, really, to the same Internet, the same general cloud infrastructure, though not the same cloud, and all the gadgets can do, more or less, the same things. But both the people you see, and you, are constantly juggling these machines, like the juggling clown on the street corner.
On the “not enough information and technology” side of the coin, consider the typical experience of a digital native who walks into your office as a new employee, on their first day. I will wager that in most workplaces, when a digital native walks in the door they think, “Man is this place backward. Where is all the great technology? What I see is not as advanced as what I have at home or in my pocket.”
The Challenge of the Future Workplace
These issues were clarified recently in The State of Workplace Productivity Report study conducted by Cornerstone OnDemand. As a whole, U.S. employees often feel overloaded, with 50 percent saying they experience work overload, 34 percent information overload, and 25 percent technology overload. Interestingly, Millennials, our tech-savvy digital natives who make up the entry-level workforce, were more prone to feeling overload. Information overload was cited by 41 percent of them versus just 31 percent among older generations, while technology overload was cited by 38 percent of Millennials versus 20 percent of older generations.
As for the number of gadgets used at work, venerable desktop computers were used by 76 percent of all workplace device users, laptops by 43 percent, smartphones by 36 percent, and tablets by 15 percent. Millennials are about twice as likely to use personal devices, smartphones, or tablets at work. In other words, they are jugglers, and this may help explain why they are more prone to feeling overloaded.
Here is the challenge when we look at the future. The number of available devices is likely to increase, not decrease. The amount of information is obviously continuing to explode. By one estimate, the amount of new data added to the Internet every two days exceeds all the information in the world prior to 2003. This does not include all the information in private clouds and company servers. What we need are better ways to find information, focus clearly on what is most important, and to collaborate with others. It is not an easy thing to do. Employees make their best efforts, according to the study, even spending their own money to obtain apps for work purposes, hoping for apps that improve ease of use, convenient access to information, productivity, collaboration or access on multiple devices.
As providers step up to the challenge of an improved environment for information, technology and collaboration, interestingly the solutions that can reduce overload will be the same solutions that solve the problem of not enough information and inadequate technology.
To read more about Cornerstone’s The State of Workplace Productivity Report, cli
Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributor Jordan Catapano addresses the common refrain “I just don’t know what do!” – the common, exasperated expression parents and teachers alike mutter when faced with the frequent dilemma of how to help a struggling student.
Jordan offers up several ways that both parents and educators alike can help the student who is having a rough go of it, including:
Talk and Love Go a Long, Long Way
Be Firm and Consistent
Be a Team Player
It’s a great template for anyone, parent or teacher, who is at the end of his or her rope when helping a faltering child.
What would you add to this list? What is important for both teachers and parents to do to help a struggling student?
Our In-Service Program Can Address Anti-Bullying Efforts
Did you know that TeachHUB’s in-service professional development program can include an anti-bullying focus?
In a TeachHUB in-service day, teachers will participate in various anti-bullying activities and learn strategies they can use to help prevent and intervene with bullying behavior and participate in modeled exercises to create self-awareness within a child.
Teachers will learn how other educators are encouraging anti-bullying behavior in and outside of the classroom across the country.
Why book an in-service day through TeachHUB.com?
TeachHUB.com professional educators can help you design original seminars to fit your school, district and teachers\’ needs
•Established seminars can be brought to your school or district
•Wide variety of speakers and topics
•We work within your budget and schedule
•Superior customer service and accessibility
But our expertise isn’t limited to just anti-bullying seminars. We’re also prepared to address differentiated instruction strategies, tiered activities, inclusive education and more!
We all remember the early days of our time in the teaching profession, the trials and errors, the triumphs and tragedies, and those times when we perhaps relied on more seasoned teachers to offer up some positive words of encouragement,
Today on TeachHUB.com, we take a look at some words of encouragement about the teaching profession that you might share with younger, newer colleagues who might be struggling.
Penned by Jordan Catapano, who is a seasoned English teacher based in the Chicago suburbs, the article points out specifics of what to verbally pass along, including:
“It gets better”
“Here’s something simple to try”
“Come and watch my class”
“What would you do next time?”
And More!
In summation, Jordan notes: “Teaching is no doubt a rewarding though challenging profession. While all teachers have lots of opportunity to learn year after year, our newest teachers are the ones who face many of the most intense pressures. As veterans, let’s not leave our new teachers to sink or swim on their own. We’re all in this together.”
What teaching profession advice would you share with a new teacher? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
The TeachHUB.com weekly e-newsletter is the best way for you to learn about what’s new on TeachHUB.com any given week. It’s a top-to-bottom rundown of the best articles we’ve published every week, and it’s delivered straight to your inbox every Friday – for FREE!
By subscribing, you’ll receive the latest, cutting-edge educational news, free lesson plans, and more!
In a recent issue of TeachHUB magazine, we spelled out some GREAT gift ideas for your teaching colleagues for under $5 – but our ideas are NOT the typical coffee mug fare.
Likewise, we take a looked at three smart boards you may want to incorporate into your classroom, and offer up some tasty holiday treats guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of your guests.
Did you know TeachHUB magazine is FREE? It is, and it’s a wonderful resource designed to help you become a better educator.
Groundhog Day is a great occasion for teachers to educate on various topics. Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox calls out some of these classroom activities, including:
Making predictions
Studying shadows
Reading groundhog-specific books
And more!
With a little forethought and with resources like TeachHUB.com, teachers everywhere can prepare for Groundhog Day with fun and educational classroom games and classroom activities.
How do you celebrate Groundhog Day in your classroom? Do you have any special activities or games that you play?
Recently, we published an article by frequent contributor Jacqui Murray on four technological aspects that teachers of every subject must address. They are:
Vocabulary
Digital citizenship
Keyboarding
Research
Indeed, upon further review, students enrolled in math, government, and even physical education need to incorporate various degrees of the aforementioned things. The TeachHUB.com article spells out how teachers of any subject can do just that.
Do you have other topics you feel must be included in today\’s learner?
Twitter, that 140-character social media tool popular just about everywhere, is not just a means of communication, it’s also a great classroom resource as well!
In a recent article, we spelled out 50 specific ways that educators can use Twitter, including:
A professional development session can leave a teacher feeling knowledgeable and excited, or feel like the session was a waste of their time.
I’ve had the benefit of working in three different districts; some were very laid back, and others were very uptight. I’ve seen both extremes as far as the PD spectrum goes; I’ve had great, and I’ve been subjected to bad, so I feel qualified to write on professional development.
When I came across the article 5 Ways to Fail at Design in the Harvard Business Review, I became inspired to relate it to teaching. I knew the points of design failure could aptly be used in the teaching profession, especially in regard to professional development failure.
Take these teachers’ perspective tips on what to avoid when planning your next professional development.
An organized workplace easily can help you take control of your classroom and teacher space, keep organized, and thereby assist you in becoming a much-better teacher.
But what classroom management options are out there to help you accomplish everything you are capable of via a systematic approach to classroom management? Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, who is also a seasoned elementary school educator based in Upstate New York, takes a look at some time-honored tips to help take control of your space and stay organized.
Janelle’s ideas include:
Keep Essentials Within Arm’s Reach
Rearrange Your Space
And More!
Janelle sums up today’s centerpiece article in this helpful manner: “A well-organized workspace puts you on the pathway to success. By having a clutter-free desk, you’ll be amazed at how much stress will be alieved when you walk through your classroom door each morning. Make a commitment to yourself that each day before you leave the classroom you’ll make sure everything is back in its rightful place. You’ll be glad that you did.”
What is your biggest classroom management challenge to keeping your desk clutter-free? Share with us in the comment section below the article itself. We’d love to hear how you maintain an organized workspace.
Each week, we send out an e-newsletter featuring the best articles and ideas from teachHUB.com. It’s the perfect way for you to keep up with what’s new each and every week – and it’s delivered straight to your inbox!
The TeachHUB.com newsletter also offers up an array of new lesson plans each week, and we spotlight the hottest trending articles from our website as well!
The other day I was with a team from a large multinational company. The team was preparing a presentation for the executive committee, and one of the team members proposed using a presentation tool he liked and was good with. But the other team members pointed out that the tool was an online application, and not formally approved by IT, and so it would be unwise to use it for the executive briefing.
This incident is something seemingly normal that occurs every day in the workplace – yet it is the perfect example of employees’ desires to bring their own device (BYOD), bring their own applications (BYOA) and bring their own tech (BYOT) to work to help with their productivity. The willingness of employees to do this was confirmed in the recent study of American workers conducted by Cornerstone OnDemand. The survey found that 37 percent of employees who currently use apps for work would be likely to spend their own money on work-related apps in the next twelve months if they felt the app would help them with their job. Even among employees who do not currently use apps for work, 20 percent expected to spend their own money for apps to increase their productivity.
In a world with thousands and thousands of apps available and new ones appearing each day, it is important for organizations to develop a policy on the use of apps and devices by individual employees. Generally, the advice is to make this policy one of openness to employee devices and apps. But the Cornerstone study reveals that many companies have yet to address this pressing issue.
When asked if their employers had policies on using applications for work purposes that are not provided by the employer, 43 percent said no, and 21 percent said they did not know.
When asked about company policies regarding the use of personal devices (smartphones, tablets and the like) for work purposes, 45 percent said their companies had no policies, and 15 percent said they did not know whether any policies were in place.
What kinds of applications are employees interested in? Here are the numbers:
Now, an IT department could try to provide all of this, but they will never keep up with the flood of apps developed by entrepreneurs. So what is an IT department to do? I’d suggest that they begin the difficult process of redefining their role to providing a basic information access infrastructure, security standards and applications, and then, like the maestro of an orchestra, letting the individual artists show their stuff.
There are, in fact, companies who are allotting each employee a budget to buying technology and then not dictating what the specific tech should be. This is radical I know, but consider the dominant trends shaping the future of work.
BYOD + BYOA + BYOT = BYOM
Internet anthropologist and futurist Stowe Boyd, for example, suggests that first, every job is digital, second that every company is digital, and third that more and more functions can be performed by third parties. But the most important trend that Boyd cites is this: what is really happening with BYOD, BYOA and BYOT is that people want to bring their own mind to work. He calls it BYOM. Think about this. Our personal devices and the apps we favor have become a part of how we live, how we produce, how we think. Perhaps your essential app is one that keeps track of your travel, or tracks your exercise and diet in concert with your wristband, or enables you to conduct your banking anywhere, anytime. And this is not to mention the obvious apps that keep you in touch with your network and up to date, all the time. What the Cornerstone OnDemand study is saying, I believe, is that people want to bring not just their tech to work, but themselves.
On the Horizon
What is next? On the horizon and just coming into the marketplace are wearable devices. Google Glass is perhaps best known, as an example of augmented reality in which you wear a device that keeps you constantly imbedded in the virtual world even as you interact with the physical world. Joining Glass will be smartwatches that connect you to the Web, clothing, and, before long, smart jewelry and buttons that enable you to live in a world where the virtual and the physical are fully merged. The recent hiring of Burberry’s CEO by Apple is further demonstration of the intersection of fashion and tech. Why would you use such things? To see company information on demand, to access repair manuals, to connect to team members, to do things we do now with the devices we carry. The Cornerstone OnDemand study found that 66 percent of Millennial workers and 58 percent of all employees would use wearable technology if it enabled them to do their job better. If they saw a co-worker using wearable technology, 67 percent would feel curious and 12 percent would feel at a disadvantage.
I remember being at a conference this year of companies in a service-providing industry. A member of the Millennial generation gave a short presentation showing how he imagined their service professionals would use wearable technology in the near future, and he challenged the more traditional thinkers to open their minds to a new way of working. He was living proof of someone who wanted to BYOM to work. Smart companies will be moving in this direction.
Honoring the chief executives of the United States isn’t just a patriotic thing to do, it can also be a meaningful classroom activity for the kids on your class.
With that in mind, today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, herself a seasoned educator on the East Coast, takes a look at some classroom activities that honor American presidents. Janelle’s ideas include:
Red Fox, Big Bill and Bubba
Highest Power
Presidential Poetry
And More!
All in all, presidential classroom activities can whet the civic appetites of all the kids in your class. And by making the learning fun, you’ll be making your teaching that much more effective!
How do you celebrate Presidents’ Day with your students? Do you have any special lessons or activities that your students love?
The energy that the Super Bowl radiates each year is palpable. Kids everywhere don their favorite jerseys in anxious anticipation, and television and the Internet is chok full of big game-themed advertisements and news stories (not all of them good this year).
Recently, we took a look at some fun classroom activities involving the Super Bowl, and every year at this time the article trends highly. In it, we suggest the following football-based learning lessons:
•Football Measurements
•Sport Weather Effects Experiment
•Anatomy and Sports Injuries
•And More!
All in all, executing some Super Bowl-themed curriculum plans is a great way to motivate students and enliven your class.
How do you use Super Bowl excitement to inspire learning?
Did you know that the TeachHUB.com team is an excellent resource for helping teachers advance their careers through helping enroll in graduate programs?
It’s true! With our help, thousands of teachers have earned masters degrees and even doctoral degrees.
We can recommend a selection of convenient, affordable graduate programs designed for busy, working teachers. There are local and online options for teachers to earn graduate degrees throughout the country.
Written communication is perhaps the important cornerstone of contemporary education. Teachers cannot emphasize enough the importance of students being able to demonstrate what they have learned via the written word.
Yet oftentimes, teachers her the common refrain of, “I can’t think of anything to write!”
Today on TeachHUB.com, writer, educator and frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Janelle Cox offers up some helpful teaching strategies to make writing interesting and fun for all ages of learners, including:
•Peer talks
•Audio transcription
•Story starters
•And more
How do you get your students writing? Do you have any tips or tricks that you would like to share?
In this day and age, it’s imperative that teachers use every tool at their disposal to educate their classes. And Twitter is the perfect technology in the classroom tool for educators to keep their students engaged.
It’s a problem as old as education itself: The Perennial Problem Parent. Each year, it seems, we need to use inventive teaching strategies to deal with an unreasonable parent.
But with a little forethought, you can overcome this issue. Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, herself a veteran elementary educator based in Upstate New York, shines some original teaching strategies on handling problem parents with grace and respect.
Janelle’s ideas include:
Don’t get caught off guard
Back up all of your claims with facts
Try and be sensitive
And more!
Janelle sums up her article like this: “Managing disrespectful, difficult parents is probably not what you thought you signed up for when you went into teaching. However, it’s unfortunately part of the job. Instead of dwelling on how a parent may perceive you or what you could have done differently, acknowledge that you have done the best that you could and offer the parent a chance at a partnership so that their child can have a wonderful school year.”
Have you ever had to deal with a difficult or disrespectful parent before? If so, how did you handle it? Please share your stories with us. Your story may help out a fellow educator.
Perhaps you’re drawn to the academic profession by summers off, or by the thought of a standard routine each year.
There’s a LOT more to academics than that. You need to be committed to helping your students learn above all, but you also have to contend with tricky entities like parents and more.
In our ongoing series about planning for going back to school, today we examine the ways in which all moms and dads can get ready for the inevitable – the first day of school.
It’s a stressful time for kids and parents alike, but with our guide on how to prepare, teachers and family members alike can get themselves ready for the yearly ritual. Going back to school can be rough, but with our tips, you’ll be a little more prepared for what’s coming.
For a variety of reasons, people with teaching degrees often don’t go into the teaching field, or leave it at a certain time. Maybe it’s difficult to find a job, perhaps budget cuts have eliminated their roles, or teacher burnout has reared its ugly head once again.
No matter what has happened, teacher sometimes find themselves seeking out new positions. With that in mind, today’s centerpiece article on TeachHUB.com addresses alternative careers for educators and what they might be. Janelle Cox, a frequent TeachHUB.com (and TeachHUB Magazine) contributing writer and a seasoned educator on the East Coast, outlines some ideas for those seeking other types of jobs. Her ideas include:
Librarian/Media Specialist
Health Educator
GED Teacher
And More!
Janelle sum up her article like this, in a paragraph entitled, “School Administrator”: “As a school administrator, your job is to be the head of the school. If you are a natural born leader and love to be in charge, this is a great option for you. However, in order to have this type of career, you will need a master’s degree in education administration.”
What do you think of these alternative career options? Did we leave any out?
Teachers take note: The Sunday comics, those humor-tinged, drawing-based inserts in every Sunday newspaper, can be wonderful teaching strategies!
The comics’ fun illustrations and humorous story lines can draw in even the most reluctant of readers.
Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, herself a seasoned educator, extols the virtues of the anachronistic comic strip, and offers up ways that teachers can use comic strips to liven up a language arts class. Janelle’s ideas include:
•Improve Sequence Skills with Comic Strips
•Change the Dialogue in a Comic Strip
•Create a New Comic Strip
•And More!
You can even have students create their own comic strips that illustrate important events throughout history, for instance the first man on the moon or the Emancipation Proclamation.
Do you have any fun ways to teach with comic strips?
Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, right? Well, in the spirit of shamrocks and leprechauns, here are ideas to celebrate the wearin’ of the green in an educational way.
Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, right? Well, in the spirit of shamrocks and leprechauns, here are ideas to celebrate the wearin’ of the green in an educational way.
As we teach and prepare students for 21st century careers and college, the effective integration of technology is an effective pedagogical tool for meeting the needs of diverse learners.
Eduindex 
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