Minnesota high school social studies teacher Eric Nelson created "<a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kickstarter.com%2Fprojects%2Fnelsonejn%2Ffantasy-geopolitics" target="_blank" target="_blank">Fantasy Geopolitics</a>" in 2009 in an effort to engage his students in world affairs and global politics. Modeled after fantasy football, the game lets students draft countries to teams and earn points every time they come up in the news. Nelson used the standings as the basis for classroom discussions and assignments, but teachers can tailor the results to their lesson plans, he says.
Tools to make teaching easier —
Minnesota high school social studies teacher Eric Nelson created "Fantasy Geopolitics" in 2009 in an effort to engage his students in world affairs and global politics. Modeled after fantasy football, the game lets students draft countries to teams and earn points every time they come up in the news. Nelson used the standings as the basis for classroom discussions and assignments, but teachers can tailor the results to their lesson plans, he says.
courtesy elizabeth cole for 4.0 schools
Daniel Fountenberry, right, was volunteering at an elementary school in New York City when he saw a teacher dividing students into reading groups based on their reading ability. "It bothered me that students in the same class could not read and learn together." The experience inspired him to create <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kickstarter.com%2Fprojects%2F407623915%2Fbooks-that-grow" target="_blank" target="_blank">Books That Grow</a> in 2012, an adaptive e-reader that allows children at different reading levels to read the same books. He teamed up with neuroscientist Jason Buhle, who applies his knowledge in cognitive neuroscience to developing the product.<br />
Tools to make teaching easier —
Daniel Fountenberry, right, was volunteering at an elementary school in New York City when he saw a teacher dividing students into reading groups based on their reading ability. "It bothered me that students in the same class could not read and learn together." The experience inspired him to create Books That Grow in 2012, an adaptive e-reader that allows children at different reading levels to read the same books. He teamed up with neuroscientist Jason Buhle, who applies his knowledge in cognitive neuroscience to developing the product.
courtesy elizabeth cole for 4.0 schools
David Magier, left, and Maya Gat are the co-founders of <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbranchingminds.com" target="_blank" target="_blank">Branching Minds</a>, a Web-based application that helps parents and teachers find the best tools to help students learn. By answering questions on the website about areas in which a student is struggling, users receive information about various tools, resources and support systems -- online and in real life -- to help the student.
Tools to make teaching easier —
David Magier, left, and Maya Gat are the co-founders of Branching Minds, a Web-based application that helps parents and teachers find the best tools to help students learn. By answering questions on the website about areas in which a student is struggling, users receive information about various tools, resources and support systems -- online and in real life -- to help the student.
courtesy elizabeth cole for 4.0 schools
As an eighth-grade science teacher, Craig Jones, left, felt overwhelmed by the stacks of tests and assignments that never seemed to diminish. After leaving the classroom in 2012 to pursue an MBA and work as a Teach for America fellow, he began focusing on ways to use technology to make teachers' lives easier. He and co-founder Kevin McFarland came up with <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsmartestk12.com" target="_blank" target="_blank">SmartestK12</a>, which lets teachers transform documents into digital assignments that students can access online or on their smartphones.
Tools to make teaching easier —
As an eighth-grade science teacher, Craig Jones, left, felt overwhelmed by the stacks of tests and assignments that never seemed to diminish. After leaving the classroom in 2012 to pursue an MBA and work as a Teach for America fellow, he began focusing on ways to use technology to make teachers' lives easier. He and co-founder Kevin McFarland came up with SmartestK12, which lets teachers transform documents into digital assignments that students can access online or on their smartphones.
courtesy elizabeth cole for 4.0 schools