Writing a comprehensive review is harder than it sounds! Authors must be sensitive to the particulars of the tasks, who the audience will be, and their overall purpose in sharing ideas. The Ask a Tech Teacher crew put together a basic guide for accomplishing this in a balanced, clear manner:

Tips and Tricks to Write a Comprehensive Review

Students working on research papers are well aware of the significance of a review. But evaluating a piece of work can be quite tough for those new to the field. ‘What is a review?’ is the first question that comes to your mind. Simply put, a review is an assessment of an article’s worth.

That being said, it is clear that writing such pieces will not be a cakewalk. Websites like MyAssignmenthelp.com have samples that can help you learn how to write one. However, students generally skip such samples and leave after availing of their cheap essay writing services.

What does one imply when they say ‘write a comprehensive review’? Cambridge University defines a comprehensive review as “a systematic, scientifically designed review of a defined literature base that employs the rigor of original research in an effort to limit outcome bias.”

This post aims to take a deep dive into the concept along with some expert tips to write a remarkable comprehensive review.

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Here are great ideas from the Ask a Tech Teacher crew on how to keep tech fresh this summer.

3 Fun Ways to Use Tech in the Classroom in the Run-Up to Summer

Summer is right around the corner and as a teacher, you might be in search of creative ways to leverage technology to ensure your classroom remains an entertaining, engaging and educational space.

Fear not, we’ve got you covered! Buckle up and join us on this delightful journey through tech-savvy classrooms – from elementary school to high school – we’ll unlock a treasury of innovative ideas guaranteed to amuse the young minds while also preparing them for their future. Let’s dive in!

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Many educators–and students–would like to use video to share ideas, but can’t master the skills required to edit out parts they don’t want. One of our Ask a Tech Teacher contributors has a simple way to accomplish this:

How to Cut Unwanted Parts of a Video: a Step-By-Step Guide

Video editing is a powerful tool that enables you to refine your footage, eliminate unwanted sections, and produce professional-looking content. One crucial aspect of video editing is the ability to remove unnecessary parts from your videos. 

You can use this editing technique for different purposes, like correcting errors, trimming lengthy scenes, removing distractions, or improving your old videos. Here, you can find out how to digitize old video recordings.

In this step-by-step guide, you will discover the process of cutting unwanted parts from your videos using video editing software. You will be able to create concise and captivating videos that keep your audience engaged.

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When you think of the Supreme Court, you think of old people in black robes that dispassionately determine the fate of the country’s laws. That’s all true, but there’s more to maintaining law and order than a podium and a gavel. The Supreme Court is the apex of one of three branches in the American government:

• The Legislative (the House and the Senate) passes laws
• The Executive (the President) executes the laws
• The Judicial (all courts in the United States) judges whether laws abide by the Constitution

The Supreme Court consists of nine individuals who are nominated by the President and voted in by the Senate. Once approved, they serve for life, the hope being that this allows them to judge apolitically, based on the merits of the case rather than political leaning. These guidelines are not without controversy but are critical to a healthy, democratic environment.

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In this article, discover how high school education is shifting towards personalized learning. Gain insight into the strategies administrators are using to meet the changing needs of teen students.

The Future of High School Education: Navigating the Shift to Personalized Learning

High school – a time of excitement, curiosity, exploration and growth. The world is filled with endless possibilities! Students have never been so empowered to explore their true potential and find paths that work for them. However, there’s no doubt that the high school experience has changed drastically in recent years. Technology advances and education evolves at an unprecedented pace.

Educational trends have been changing towards personalized learning approaches. We’ve thus seen a fundamental shift in how high school students learn within the classroom setting. But what exactly does this mean for the future of our educations? In this blog post, we’ll dive into the evolution of high school teaching styles to get an idea of just how far these changes can go!

What is personalized learning and how it is different from traditional schooling

If you’re a student who can’t seem to thrive in a traditional classroom setting, then personalized learning may just be your ticket to success. Personalized learning is an approach that tailors education to each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Unlike traditional schooling, which often relies on one-size-fits-all teaching methods, personalized learning takes into account diverse learning styles and interests. With the rise of technology, this future highschool is leaning towards this modern approach to education.

Another way in which learning has evolved

Another benefit of adaptative learning is that students don’t fear getting help anymore. Gone are the days when getting help was stigmatized. Today, students have a handy tool up their sleeves: the Edubirdie writing service. This content writing service is a lifesaver for students who need help with their research paper on nursing or different coursework about any other topic. With a reputation that precedes it, EduBirdie has become a go-to for students looking for high-quality writing assistance.

Whether you’re struggling to get started or just need a second pair of eyes to proofread your work, EduBirdie has got you covered. Thank goodness for technology! Read more for more benefits.

Benefits of personalizing education for high school student

Personalized education may be just what you need! Not sure? Here are five benefits.

1. Boosted Confidence. Once you start receiving education tailored to your individual learning style, you’ll gain a newfound confidence in your academic abilities.
2. Targeted Learning. Personalized education allows for teachers to focus specifically on each student’s areas of weakness. This can help them build up to their full potential.
3. Improved Performance. Students tend to perform better on assessments and standardized tests. It’s a proven fact!
4. Passion-Oriented Education. Got a passion? Personalized education can help you pursue it! Teachers can work with students to incorporate their interests into their coursework.
5. Increased Engagement. Are you tired of being bored in class? Personalization can help with that! When students feel that their unique needs are being met, they are more likely to be engaged and stay focused in class.

Obstacles with such strategy in the classroom setting

Picture it – a high school of the future, where every student has a tailored learning experience to fit their unique needs and interests. Sounds nice, right?

Indeed. But nothing comes without challenges. In fact, technology can have both positives and negatives. It allows us to individualize instruction but it also requires significant investment and upkeep.

Then there’s the challenge of teacher preparation. We need to ensure educators are equipped to facilitate this type of learning environment. Plus, monitoring progress and assessment can become more complex as time goes by. That’s when students are all working on different tasks.

And last but not least, there’s the issue of equity. We need to ensure that personalized learning doesn’t perpetuate disparities.

How technology can support personalized learning in the classroom

With the increasing advancement in technology, personalized learning can be implemented quite easily in this so-called highschool of the future. AI-driven content is quickly becoming a reliable and robust alternative to traditional textbooks. Students can absorb information that caters to their personal learning styles. Furthermore, with VR technology, students can experience interactive and immersive learning experiences. VR adds a whole new dimension to learning that is both exciting and educational.

Plus, adaptive learning platforms and interactive whiteboards are also available to support this. Teachers can also use learning management systems to provide students with individualized assignments and assessments. Thus, while augmented reality can transport students to new and exciting learning environments. And let’s not forget about gamification! This is where game-based learning can motivate and engage students while providing them with immediate feedback.

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The future of high school education is looking quite promising as we navigate the shift to personalized learning. No longer do we have to sit through lectures and activities that don’t appeal to our interests or learning styles. Instead, we’re able to take control of our education and tailor it to our unique needs. It’s like having a personal trainer for our brain! Plus, we can expect to see even more exciting changes in the years to come. So let’s buckle up, embrace the shift, and get ready for a high school experience that is truly personalized and fulfilling.

–image from Deposit Photo

Screen time for kids is a huge discussion among parents and teachers. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:

• Ages 0-18 months: No screen time at all, except for video chatting.
• Ages 18-24 months: One hour of high-quality, interactive screen time per day, such as educational programming or video chatting.
• Ages 2-5: One hour of screen time per day, with a focus on high-quality, interactive content.
• Ages 6-12: Two hours of screen time per day, with a focus on educational and prosocial content.
• Ages 13-18: Three hours of screen time per day, with a focus on educational and prosocial content.

But other experts vary considerably in their recommendations. In the end, it’s up to parents to make those decisions, based on what’s right for their child. Here are the critical factors to consider when making those decisions:

How Much Screen Time is Okay for Kids on the Evenings and Weekends? 

In today’s fast-paced world, modern-day kids have unprecedented access to electronic devices that can serve as valuable tools in their learning journey. However, despite the numerous benefits these devices offer, it’s important to acknowledge the potential negative consequences of their excessive use. 

As such, parents should be mindful of regulating their child’s screen time, especially during evenings and weekends, to ensure their overall well-being and balance between digital engagement and other aspects of life. In this article, we’ll explore the effects of too much screen time as well as the best ways to regulate screen time, especially during weekends and holidays. 

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Summer is a great time to reset your personal pedagogy to an education-friendly mindset and catch up on what’s been changing in the ed world while you were teaching eight ten hours a day. My Twitter friends gave me great suggestions, but first:

A comment on the selections: I did get more suggestions than I could possibly list so I avoided books that involved politics or hot-button subjects that teachers are divided on and focused on positive and uplifting reading. Yes, there is a lot wrong with education around the world but I wanted a selection of books that would send me — and you —  back to teaching in the fall with a can-do attitude for how to accomplish miracles with your next class of students.

Having said that, here’s a granular list of teacher-approved books to keep you busy this summer:

Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times

by Eric C. Sheninger

Digital Leadership defines a strategic mindset and set of behaviors that leverage resources to create a meaningful, transparent, and engaging school culture. It takes into account recent changes such as connectivity, open-source technology, mobile devices, and personalization of learning to dramatically shift how schools have been run for over a century.

Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns

by Clayton M. Christensen

Selected as one of Business Week’s Best Books on Innovation in 2008, Disrupting Class remains a worthy read. It is filled with fascinating case studies, scientific findings, and insights into how managed innovation can unleash education. Disrupting Class will open your eyes to new possibilities and evolve your thinking. For more detail, read my review, Disrupting Class.

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It’s no secret many parents are frustrated with public schools. Are kids learning to think or just to pass tests? Are they spending classroom time wisely or just doing what’s always been done? Are we developing lifelong learners or kids who can’t wait to graduate?

If this describes you, you’re not alone in your concerns, but there’s hope. Consider a pedagogy that transcends rote memorization and the stock drills often found in today’s classrooms, expects critical thinking that teaches how to learn anything — not just school subjects. It’s called a “Growth Mindset”. In an Edsurge article by Rupa Gupta, former Redesign Administrator at Burnett Middle School in San Jose, Calif., she summarized the issue like this:

“In a recent national survey, 97 percent of teachers agreed that all students can and should have a growth mindset, and that same number said fostering a growth mindset is an important part of a teacher’s job. Yet only 50 percent said they have adequate solutions and strategies to shift mindset.”

So nearly everyone agrees this type of cerebral approach is important to real learning but few know how to make it happen.

What is Growth Mindset?

Let me back up a moment and define “Growth Mindset” more clearly. Most people believe basic human qualities like intelligence and talent are fixed traits: nature supersedes nurture. Kids are born with the characteristics that will mold their future. They are good at math or they aren’t. They can throw a football well or not. As kids grow, they figure out what they can and can’t do and adjust learning and life as needed to these truths. They come to believe that understanding and adapting to this process equates to success.

In a Growth Mindset, people believe ability can be developed through dedication and hard work. The cerebral and physical traits they were born with are just the starting point. Students are responsible for setting the patterns and strategies that allow them to succeed, by evaluating what they can do at any given point and making a plan for learning everything else.

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Why is it important to preserve historical school video recordings? How about:

• to preserve old recordings that are degrading with time
• to make them more accessible to potential viewers and researchers
• to increase their lifespan

But what’s the best way to do this? Ask a Tech Teacher contributor has some ideas:

3 Effective Ways to Digitize and Preserve School’s Historical Video Recordings

Each year, schools manage and process all sorts of documents and data, starting with students’ personal information and ending with events. These data are stored in each school’s archive for safekeeping over the years. 

Therefore, any such archive often contains a mixture of materials that are relevant to the school’s past and present, such as photographs, yearbooks, student publications (newspapers or magazines), administrative records, meeting minutes, curricular materials, and artifacts from significant events.

Schools also keep video records of important activities (usually sports-related), security logs, student performances, teacher evaluations, or historical events like lectures from famous people visiting the campus. 

These recordings can serve a plethora of purposes, so it’s only natural that your school wants to make sure the information is well-preserved. And one way to make sure video recordings don’t get damaged over time (especially ones on old storage formats like VHS tapes) is to digitize them. 

As such, today we’ll look at some of the most common methods to digitize historical video records and how to make sure the new formats are well-preserved and safe from accidental loss or damage. 

How to Digitize Old Video Recordings

Turning old video recordings into digital format is not too difficult, but it can be time-consuming. So, depending on the resources and time you have at your disposal, you can use one of the methods listed below.

1 Use a Video Capture Device (or Digital Converter)

Using a video capture device to convert old videos to digital format is a relatively straightforward process. But you’ll need a few devices, like an old video player (like VCR or camcorder), a computer, and a video capture device.

Once you have all the devices, plus the old video tapes you want to digitize, install the software for the capture device on the computer. Next, connect the video player to the capture device using an RCA cable. This way, you’ll connect the VCR’s output jacks (typically yellow for video, white and red for audio) to the corresponding input jacks of the capture device.

Lastly, connect the USB end of your video capture device to an available USB port on your computer, open the software, and configure the settings. Press play and wait for the capture device to do its job.

The disadvantage of this method is that you can’t speed things up. You have to wait for each tape to play its full length so the capture device can get the entire footage. Also, it’s difficult to create a clean digital copy without breaks for changing the tapes or noise.

It’s also a method for tech-savvy users since you have to understand how a digital converter works and what settings to make to get the best video quality. Plus, if your VCR is not in the best condition, you risk losing the original content without any chance of recovering it. 

2. Use a Video-to-DVD Transfer Service

If you don’t have the time and resources to digitize old video tapes yourself, there are plenty of video to DVD transfer services you can use. The main advantage of these services is that you don’t have to do much. You just send out the tapes and wait to receive the digitized content.

Plus, if your tapes are damaged or need cleaning, you can ask for a few extra services. Not to mention that you’ll receive an edited digital copy clean of any noise and interruptions. 

3. Screen Recording

If you have time on your hands, you can always apply the screen recording method. With this, you only need a VCR, VHS tapes, a TV or projector, and a digital camera. 

The method is quite simple – while the VCR plays the tapes, you record the screen of the TV or projector using the camera (you can also use a smartphone). Just make sure to stabilize the camera and account for lighting, audio, and other factors that may affect the video quality. 

This method is less tech-savvy and quite cost-effective, but the results are usually low-quality, and it takes a lot of time to work your way through several tapes.

How to Preserve Your Digitized Copies

While there are plenty of educational videos schools can access online, it’s different when you have several on storage that are easy to access. Plus, many of these old videos include elements of school history and identity that are unique and precious. 

So how can you make sure your digital copies won’t get damaged or leaked online? 

Well, the best method to store and preserve your digital videos for the long term is a combination of cloud storage and local backup on external hard drives or solid-state drives (SSDs). Cloud storage is safe and offers easy access, while an external hard drive or SSD serves as a safety backup in case something happens to the cloud copies.

Wrap Up

At the end of the day, preserving precious memories is essential, and by converting old video formats to digital, you ensure their longevity. By using a combination of the appropriate methods and secure storage solutions like cloud services and local backups, you can safeguard your digital videos for future generations to cherish and enjoy.

Copyright ©2023 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

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Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Need help finding an old elementary school teacher? Our Ask a Tech Teacher team has several ways to track down your favorite educators from years past:

How to Find Old Elementary School Teachers

Do you remember the teachers who shaped your educational journey? Whether it was the teacher who taught you how to multiply fractions or the one who fostered your love for literature, many of us can still recall some of our favorite elementary school educators.

There are various reasons why one would want to find their old teachers. You might want to express gratitude, reminisce about the past, or catch up. But it’s not always straightforward to find someone you knew years ago. They might have left the school, moved to another place, or changed their contact information.

That’s why we’ve compiled this guide of five ways you can track down your old elementary school teachers.

5 Ways to Find Your Old Elementary School Teachers

Here are five easy and effective ways to find your school teacher.

1. Check Your Alma Mater

If you attended elementary school between the mid-1900s and today, chances are there’s an online database of alumni from your school. Some of your former teachers may still be listed on the alumni page of your school’s website.

The official name or other contact details of each teacher may not be listed, but you can find out which teachers taught during your time at school. You can then use that information to search for them online or contact the school office and ask if they have any additional details on the person.

2. Search Social Media

Searching directories, waiting by the phone for hours, and swinging by the last known address were all the old ways of tracking someone down. But now, with the advent of social media, tracking down an old teacher is easier than ever. While social media is most popular among people aged 18-29, Facebook is the most suitable social platform where you have a high chance of finding your teacher, with 72% of users aged 50 or above on the popular platform.

You can search for your teacher’s name in Facebook’s search bar, identify them through their profile picture, and send them a friend request. If not, try reaching out to friends from elementary school who might be connected with your teacher or at least remember their names.

3. Use Online Information Sites

Leveraging an online reverse lookup site to locate your elementary school teacher is one of the quickest ways. With some basic information about your teacher, such as name or email, you can quickly get results with an overview of their current whereabouts and contact details. For instance, with just your former teacher’s name, you can find all of their contact info on Information.com, which is the lookup site we found to be the most accurate.

These lookup tools use information and directories from around the web, giving you access to personal data in minutes.

4. Check Your Local Teachers’ Association

If you can’t find your former teacher by searching online, consider contacting the local teachers’ association. A member of the association may know where your elementary school teacher is now. Many associations keep extensive databases of teachers, so it might be worth contacting them to see if they can give any useful information.

You can also search the association’s archives, as they might have stored information about past and present teachers. You might even find a picture of your teacher from their teaching days.

5. Ask Around

If nothing works, you can always try your luck and ask around. Talk to old classmates, school employees, nearby neighbors, family members, or friends. That’s the simplest way to go, as there must be someone who knows the latest update from your teacher. You may even get some interesting stories about your former teacher.

Final Thoughts on How to Find Old Elementary Teachers

Finding your elementary school teacher may take time and effort, but the rewards can be sweet. Reconnecting with someone you haven’t seen in years is a special feeling that can bring back old memories and happy times.

With these five tips, you should have no trouble finding your old elementary school teacher and reconnecting with them.

Copyright ©2023 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

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Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.