An Academic Screen Saver

I came across this great idea at a recent workshop conducted by Kathleen Ferenz, from Apple. Some of the best ideas are in hindsight the most obvious and this is a good example. This is perfect if you are working in an immersive 1:1 laptop environment, or if you have lots of black empty screens …

Developing writing skills using iMovie

Economics is about the contrast between the conceptual understandings and the real world. I want students to make real links between the theories that we learn in class and real life examples of how these ideas actually work. Towards the end of the Microeconomics topic I ask students to find articles that describe economic events. …

Googling Better – how to search the internet

In IB Diploma Economics, students have to write four commentaries about economic events that are published in the news. Therefore students are always searching the internet for good sources of articles. Google has always been a pretty reliable tool to search for articles but students seldom use the advanced features to refine their search and …

What can be achieved in 45 mins… Google Docs

I am still an avid fan of using Google Doc's to spice up some otherwise boring subject matter in Economics. Today students were thinking about the tools available to governments to correct a budget deficit. The cool part about this part of the course is that students are applying ideas from other parts of the …

Extended Response Writing using Google Docs

The writing of extended responses is an important skill that Economics students need to acquire and develop throughout the two year course. I always try to use collaborative approaches and scaffolds to assist students writing skills. My favourite digital approach for developing these writing skills is to use a collaborative google doc. Traditional Approach - …

Using a collaborative approach to develop writing skills

Traditional Approach - posters, paper, group writing Digital Approach - wiki, group planning, comment functions Success in IB Economics requires students to develop their writing and literacy skills to the highest level possible. In the final examinations students are required to write an extended response to a set question. Developing the skills to structure an …