Learning List Blog

Imagine Learning is a supplemental program of computer-based tutorials that supports the development of language and literacy skills for students in grades K-5. The software is research-based, instructionally differentiated, and fun to use.

August 24, 2014 will mark the beginning of the 365-day countdown to when high school teachers will be required to teach the new high school math Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Since the value of collaboration is far greater than the knowledge of any one person, we ask you: "How are you preparing the teach the new high school math TEKS?"

DynaStudy’s DynaNotes Science Course Notes are app-based supplemental learning aids that support instruction in high school biology and chemistry courses and science courses at grades 5 and 8. Students can create easy, password-protected journals on individual or shared iPads or Android tablets. The apps are grounded in TEKS, personal to each student and connected to the outside world.

Over the past few weeks, we have been working our way through a series of 15 questions that are most commonly asked of Learning List by those who develop and deliver content. After sharing Part 1 and Part 2, this final installment will address the remaining questions.

In the July 15th issue of Education Week, there was a tech-related article about personalized learning titled: “Before Buying Technology, Asking ‘Why?’ ” The same can be asked about the K12 instructional materials selection process. Before you purchase anything, ask “Why?” Why is your proposed selection the best choice? We seek your reply to: What Key Question(s) Do You (the Educator) Ask Before Purchasing Instructional Materials?

...

Earlier this week, we began our series on the 15 questions that are most commonly asked of Learning List by those who develop and deliver content. The series began with the answers to five of those questions. In this installment, we’ll address five more.

Learning List has reviewed hundreds of K-12 instructional materials. What we’ve learned is that no two materials are alike. Learning List verifies that instructional material is aligned to the content, context and cognitive demand of each standard. One of the most challenging aspects of an alignment analysis is to determine whether the material aligns to the verb of the standard to grade-appropriate level of rigor.

Being an independent instructional materials review service for schools and districts, Learning List focuses on serving educators. However, in meeting the needs of districts, we also create value for publishers of instructional materials. We have identified 15 questions that are most commonly asked by those who develop and deliver instructional content. This is Part 1 of a 3-part series.

...

...

Having attended almost 10 years of legislative hearings, I’ve heard countless educators lament that with so many demands on teachers’ time, lesson planning is often relegated to a last-minute “to do”. Just as our alignment reports and editorial reviews help districts and campuses streamline their selection processes, educators can use Learning List’s independent alignment reports to create standards-aligned lesson plans more efficiently and effectively.

...

Have you ever wondered how your district is going to purchase all the new instructional materials your students need? If funding streams aren't sufficient to cover the costs of all the new instructional materials your students need, here are five strategies to help you stretch your dollars so that you can afford the instructional materials to maximize your ROI.

As 1-to-1 and BYOD* initiatives proliferate in K12 education across the country, keyboarding skills increasingly are taking precedence over handwriting instruction in elementary school classrooms. In June, Scientific American cited a 2014 study by psychologists at the University of California Los Angeles and Princeton found that college students who took notes using longhand had better retention and understanding of lecture information than students who took notes on laptops.

...

...

...

...

...