The hottest posts everyone is reading

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog this week. Below you’ll see the top weekly posts along with the number of pageviews. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired, share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Entry	Pageviews
6 free ways to capture student responses without c,ickers... Mar 27, 2013, 5 comments	5403
College is costly: 7 innovative ideas for funding Mar 31, 2013, 6 comments	3043
Ed-specific or student specific? Which device... Apr 3, 2013, 1 comment	2310
10 Do’s and don’ts to using PowerPoint to  ... Mar 20, 2013, 3 comments	1580
Want to strengthen family & community engagement ... Apr 1, 2013, 2 comments	1380
8 Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Schoening’s 1st Grade... Jul 15, 2010, 24 comments	933
The 6 Cs for using social media during times of grief... Apr 2, 2013, 2 comments	921
10 Ways Technology Supports 21st Century Learners ... Jan 28, 2011, 13 comments	614

Education Reformers

Ed-specific or student specific? Which device is right for your school?

With the recent release of News Corp’s Amplify Tablet, the discussion of ed-specific verses student-specific devices has come to the forefront.  Some argue for ed-specific devices: a sort of all-in-one reply to education technology needs. A device just for education that’s loaded with filtering and management software sounds like a simple and convenient solution to many IT and administrator concerns.

But what about districts who’ve already made the investment in a variety of different devices? What about schools that accept hardware donations from the community or those that have multiple platforms as a result of being awarded various grants? What about schools that invite students to bring your own device (BYOD)? And what about teaching students on a device that is the same as the one they use in the world today or will use in life after graduation?

The 6 Cs for using social media during times of grief: Consider. Communicate. Connect. Console. Commemorate. HAVE COURAGE!

This has been a tough year for me. I experienced the death of my mother and my grandmother. In both cases I shared the news on Facebook just as my cousin had done when her father (my uncle) passed away a couple years earlier. This is not uncommon in the 21st century. For me this was a way to share sad news with my friends and family around the globe in a way that time and the reality of the situation wouldn't have otherwise allowed as I dealt with grieving and handling of affairs.  It was wonderful to get kind words and support from those who cared.  

Facebook has also become a place to connect with others in cases of tragic losses in school communities due to unexpected deaths, violence, and bullying.  More than a million people liked a Facebook page to show support after the Sandyhook Elementary School shooting. A school Facebook page update honored the unexpected passing of the beloved parent of one of their students.  In a small town in Colorado the family set up a Facebook page, which had 1,447 likes out of a school of 300 students.  It also resulted in enough donations to have the funeral they felt their son deserved and helped many middle school students deal with the issue of suicide, which can have a ripple effect.

Want to strengthen family & community engagement in your #school? Try a flashmob!

Looking for a way to strengthen the family and community engagement at your school? Take a page from the book of PS 10 in Brooklyn, New York.  At a Citywide professional development event where I was discussing using social media to connect and coordinate with families, Parent Coordinator Madeline Seide shared with me the amazing success her school had.

Parent Kristi Spessard, who has a background in choreography worked with families and school staff to organize a huge flashmob on the school playground early one morning as students were lining up for class.  The event was video taped by several members of the school community including Joshua Berger, Benton Collins, John Hennegan, Daniel Koehler, and Mark Rattelle then edited by Benton Collins.

From there the social media fest began!

College is costly: 7 innovative ideas for funding

For some, the hardest part about going to college is not deciding whether college is right for you, the admissions process, or the workload you have once you get there.  For many the hardest part about going to college is paying for it. Regardless of where you go to school, College costs a lot of money.

For students who choose to go to college, here are some ideas for great places to turn for funding.

1. Your Community
Your community undoubtedly has at least a few civic and booster groups that offer scholarships. These scholarships might only be for modest amounts but every little bit helps, right? Beyond this, there are private organizations and businesses that also have scholarships to give out. Spend some time calling around to local businesses and asking about opportunities for scholarships or school sponsorships.

CAVEAT: most local scholarships require that the recipient attend a local or in-state school. This is probably not the best option if you want to go to school out of state or abroad.

2. Third Party Scholarships

Tracking down third party scholarships is time consuming. These are scholarships that are offered by independent businesses, groups, foundations, etc. They don’t always publicize themselves well so you have to be willing to put in the “leg work” to track them down. Before you simply start calling every corporation you know of, spend some time searching through the scholarship databases like FastWeb.There are also sites that have scholarship contests. You can try this one here.