No, that image to the left is not an iPad surrounded by SmartCovers. That is the Microsoft Surface. Not to be confused with the giant table-sized computer the company released a while ago, the Surface is Microsoft’s entry into the tablet market.
Attempting to take a page out of Apple’s playbook on several levels, Microsoft revealed the Surface during a mystery press event in California. What those in attendance saw was an iPad knock-off that is heavier, boasts shorter batter life and an inferior chip. To be fair, the Surface does have an impressive cover that contains a fully functioning keyboard, but that is an accessory that must be purchased.
Microsoft has two versions of the Surface in the works, each for a very different audience. There’s a “consumer version” that will run Windows RT and a “business version” that will run Windows 8.
Microsoft isn’t saying exactly when the Surface will be available for purchase, or how much it will cost, but experts are predicting the “consumer version” to fall in the $500 price range with the “business version” to come in at over $1,000. The pricier version does have better overall tech specs than its cheaper brother, but that improved performance comes at the cost of weight and, of course, cost.
I am thinking about trying the following idea:
Set the room up like a maze or gauntlet~ using curtains~ sheets~ etc. My students then have to navigate the maze and pass a series of tests before preceding to the next section. I want to set the tests up so they test students on nationally established standards for gifted students~ like determining their strengths and choosing the learning style that best works for them.
I would have parents help adminster the...
I retired after teaching for 33 years and continue to develop teaching materials(all free) for use in the classroom. I just returned from a trip of a life-time~ a trip to China and~ many pinch me moments-including walking the Great Wall of China. I just posted pictures and captions which you might find of use in your classroom at my website.http://www.gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?chinafolder.html and...
Editor's Note: Today's guest post comes from Dr. Scott Taylor~ an educator from New Jersey.
A Protocol for Developing Meaningful Curricula
The actual process of developing curricula has not been properly defined for educational leaders who aspire to collaboratively engage their teachers in a thoughtful and sincere codification of the programs they are expected to implement in their classrooms. There are plenty of curriculum...
Try a trampoline.
I asked a parent to donate a mini-trampoline to the classroom and began using it to create excitement in my fifth-grade classroom.
Sometimes~ I jump on it for fun~ and when I land~ I have the class yell "boom!"
Other times~ I reward students who get a correct answer by letting them come up and get in some jumps. It is amazing how hard they will work to jump a few times on a trampoline!
Without exception~ visitors...
Greetings~
I want to share a technique I stumbled upon that I call the Celebrity Challenge! Though it can be used for any subject really~ I use it to motivate my fifth-gradestudents during math instruction.
I hang up a poster of a popular celebrity~ the more controversial the better. Then~ I tell the students that I will tear a small piece of poster up everytime they collectively score a 90 percent or better on a test (the CPS remote system I use provides me with a quick...
Editor's Note: Today's guest post comes from Dr. Scott Taylor~ an educator from New Jersey.
There are certain realities about professional development (PD) that we cannot ignore:
1. After-school hours and the regular school calendar do not provide schools with enough time with which to engage teachers in professional support (Fullan & Miles~ 1992).
2. There are more and more requirements~ codes~ standards~ and...