bit by bit

Guest Post Today by My Daughter

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:58:03 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) As I prepared for this week’s post, my daughter gave me the following essay (along with her permission to publish it here). So, this week, I’ll just get out of the way and let her have this post and my gratitude for her wisdom. ————————————————- Facebook: the bible of my generation. We [...]

Get Ready for iTunes U for K12!

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:05:07 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) Apple’s “trifold” announcement last week was exciting: textbooks coming to iBooks; iBooks Author software to create your own books; and a dedicated iTunes U app, which “bundles” courses in a manageable, multimedia package. If you haven’t watched the Apple Keynote, I highly recommend it, but I want to guide you to my favorite part. It [...]

What Is It This Year?

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:44:00 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) Each year, after the holidays, I ask my elementary school students what new technologies have recently entered their lives. There are many more iPod Touches out there, more computers, more Gaming Stations, but this year many of my students are reporting that they now own e-book readers (Kindles and Nooks being the [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 125

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:33:21 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 125 January 9, 2012 We’re joined by Gary James! Links from the show: Apps For Children With Special Needs “Geek of the Week” Links for 2012-01-09 SEEDLINGS on Facebook! Music: “And So We Strive” by Stuart Lawson Technorati Tags: bitbybit, seedlings, education, cheryloakes, alicebarr, bobsprankle, Gary James

Stop Censorship

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:24:03 +0000

I’ve censored the following, in protest of a bill that gives any corporation and the US government the power to censor the internet–a bill that could pass THIS WEEK. To see the uncensored text, and to stop internet censorship, visit: http://americancensorship.org/posts/28505/uncensor The ???????? is one of the ???? ???????????? ?????????? ????? we ????. It’s ????? [...]

What’s Your Favorite Transformative Tool of 2011?

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:05:12 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) As we near the end of 2011, I thought I would invite you to add to this post by linking and reflecting on the tools that have most transformed your classrooms this year. (Note, I didn’t say technology tool… we don’t want to limit ourselves to the “new and shiny;” please add [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 124

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:55:44 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 124 December 12, 2011 We’re joined by Homa Tavangar, author of Growing Up Global! Links from the show: Growing Up Global: Raising Children to be at Home in the World Growing Up Global Website Growing Up Global on Facebook Growing Up Global on Twitter “Geek of the Week” Links [...]

A Plan for Technology Integration

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:09:31 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) I’ve been thinking a lot about Technology Integration into classrooms, schools, and districts. Of course, I’m always thinking about this, but I’ve been recently been working on our school’s technology budget for next year, so I’m looking at our “needs” and “wants” closely, knowing items in both categories will be cut due [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 123

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:00:15 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 123 November 28, 2011 We’re joined by Adam Bellow of eduTecher! Links from the show: eduTecher.net “Geek of the Week” Links for 2011-11-28 SEEDLINGS on Facebook! Music: “And So We Strive” by Stuart Lawson Technorati Tags: bitbybit, seedlings, education, cheryloakes, alicebarr, bobsprankle, eduTecher, Adam Bellow

Happy Thanksgiving! Please Pass the Purpose

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:36:27 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) Once again, I have the pleasure of posting at Tech Learning on Thanksgiving Day. So, I’d like to start with a “Happy Thanksgiving” to all my American friends, and a “Happy Turkey Amnesty Day” for all of you who aren’t celebrating the American tradition. In honor of all those who are busy cooking up [...]

Minding Our Own Data

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:21:42 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) It’s no surprise that much of our personal data is being collected more than ever these days. Some of it may be without our even knowing (such as “sneaky” browser cookies), or perhaps with our consent (Facebook apps for example). Some of our personal data we willingly exchange for services, such as [...]

Are We Digital Hoarders?

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:07:13 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) I just finished reading the book Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Prof. Gail Steketee Ph.D. Prof. Randy Frost Ph.D. It is a deep and disturbing venture into understanding what people with “Hoarding” disorders go through. The book is both scientific and personal in tone and the authors do a good [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 122

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:31:25 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 122 October 24, 2011 We’re joined by Wes Fryer as he talks about his new book, Playing with Media: Simple Ideas for Powerful Sharing! Links from the show: Speed of Creativity (Wes’ Blog) Playing with Media: Simple Ideas for Powerful Sharing by Wesley Fryer Playing with Media (eBooks) SHARE: Playing with Media (share [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 121

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:03:33 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 121 October 18, 2011 It’s the Annual “Geek of the Week Lunch” at the ACTEM Conference on 10/14/11! Links from the show: Chat Transcript (with Geek Links) at edtechtalk.com UStream of the Lunch: Video streaming by Ustream SEEDLINGS on Facebook! Music: “And So We Strive” by Stuart Lawson [...]

Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 128

Bob Sprankle — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:45:12 +0000

Bit By Bit Podcast: Show #128 October 17, 2011 We go back to the ACTEM Conference 10/14/11 with Tony Vincent: Mobilize for Productivity! Links: Tony’s Session Link Page Learning in Hand (Tony’s resources for Mobile Learning) ACTEM Music: “Tech Talk” by Kevin MacLeod Subscribe to the Feed Technorati Tags: bitbybit, education, bobsprankle, ACTEM11, Tony Vincent

Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 127

Bob Sprankle — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:08:39 +0000

Bit By Bit Podcast: Show #127 October 16, 2011 Lucy Gray at ACTEM Conference on 10/14/11 with “Going Global: Preparing Students to be Citizen of the World” Going Global – Full Version – Fall 2011 View more presentations from Lucy Gray Links: lucygray.org Lucy’s ACTEM Presentation Notes/Slides Where the Hell is Matt? ACTEM Music: “Tech [...]

Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 126

Bob Sprankle — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:43:13 +0000

Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 126 October 15, 2011 We’re going back to the ACTEM 2011 Conference with Tony Vincent’s Keynote on 10/14/11! Links: ACTEM Tony’s ACTEM Keynote Links Learning in Hand (Tony’s resources for Mobile Learning) Music: “Tech Talk” by Kevin MacLeod Subscribe to the Feed Technorati Tags: bitbybit, education, bobsprankle, Tony Vincent, [...]

Kindle Re-Kindled

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:13:22 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) One of the big news items over the past couple of weeks has been Amazon’s announcement of the Kindle Fire, along with other new Kindle flavors. I think at this point, we can safely say that the Fire will not be an iPad Killer, however, Amazon’s new announcements should definitely have an impact [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 120

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:26:00 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 120 October 10, 2011 We’re joined by Emily Hunt-Esch from Common Sense Media! October is Cyberbullying Prevention Month! Links from the show: Common Sense Media Common Sense Media Cyberbullying Toolkit Common Sense Media Cyberbullying Toolkit for PTA Leaders Common Sense Media Cyberbullying Information for Parents “Geek of the Week” Links [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 119

Bob Sprankle — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:15:25 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 119 September 26, 2011 We’re joined by Wes Fryer! We go back to 9/23/11 and share a great conversation with a teaser to Wes’ new book, what ePublishing entails, and Zombies! Links from the show: Speed of Creativity (Wes’ Blog) Playing with Media: Simple Ideas for Powerful Sharing by [...]

“A Google A Day” Turns Search Into Play

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:34:27 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) I have long recommended fellow educators to check out one of my favorite books, Web Literacy for Educators by Alan November. This book gives passage into the inner workings of search engines and how to fully control them to do your bidding. Before reading this book, I thought I understood how to “search;” but Alan [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 118

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:23:00 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 118 September 12, 2011 We’re BACK! Season 4 of Seedlings has started! Links from the show: New York Times Article: “In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores” Liz Davis’ Reply Add YOUR OWN 2 Cents at TechLearning! “Geek of the Week” Links for 2011-09-12 Chat Transcript from EdTech Talk coming [...]

SEEDLINGS Season 4 Teaser!

Bob Sprankle — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:37:13 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast Teaser! September 8, 2011 It’s a Teaser! Join us MONDAY! SEEDLINGS on Facebook! Music: “And So We Strive” by Stuart Lawson Technorati Tags: bitbybit, seedlings, education, cheryloakes, alicebarr, bobsprankle, teaser, season 4

Revisiting 9/11 Together Through Technology

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:32:15 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) This coming Sunday will mark the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. This will, without doubt, be a difficult day for many. Ten years is a long time, and yet it feels like just yesterday when I received the note handed to me while teaching that alerted to me of the tragedies taking place [...]

What I Miss from Paper and What I Want from Ebooks

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:03:36 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) I was reflecting on my reading habits recently, and I realized that I’ve been reading entirely with ebooks for about 9 months without touching paper. I love having a dozen or so books on my iPad with me at all times. I love that I can bookmark, highlight, insert notes and reflections. [...]

Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 125

Bob Sprankle — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:09:25 +0000

Bit By Bit Podcast: August 23, 2011 Show #125 We go back to August 22, 2011 to the William Fogg Library to hear Homa Sabet Tavangar, nationally acclaimed author of Growing Up Global, lead a discussion on “raising successful global citizens.” Links: Growing Up Digital: Homa Tavangar’s page Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home [...]

Stomach Ache? Blame Facebook!

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:33:23 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) Here’s an interesting article that caught my attention this week from the L.A. Times: “Too Much Facebook Time May be Unhealthy for Kids.” Specifically, the article sites a study conducted by Larry Rosen, a psychologist at Cal State Dominguez Hills that finds too much technology for kids: creates health issues such as increase in “stomach aches, [...]

Facebook Awakening

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:18:20 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) During the past week — as folks have been flocking to Google+ — I got to witness a truly wonderful event: an actual 13 year old signing up for an account on Facebook. My daughter turned into a teenager last week, and as promised for years, she had my wife’s and my [...]

Your Own Museum

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:20:51 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) If you haven’t already done so, go spend a few minutes playing with Intel’s “The Museum of Me.” It’s a slightly amusing meme that people have been enjoying for a few weeks. You simply put in your Facebook credentials, and Intel creates a “movie” of a museum, showing you, your Facebook friends, [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 117

Bob Sprankle — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:25:58 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 117 June 16, 2011 It’s our “Wrap-Up” Show for the Season 3! Links from the show: “Geek of the Week” Links for 2011-06-16 Chat Transcript from EdTech Talk SEEDLINGS on Facebook! Music: “And So We Strive” by Stuart Lawson Technorati Tags: bitbybit, seedlings, education, cheryloakes, alicebarr, bobsprankle

Who has the Right?

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 26 May 2011 09:22:39 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) I’ve been using a new LiveScribe pen for several weeks, and I must say, I love it. It’s an amazing tool, and what I would have given to have such a device when I was back in college, taking notes. I’ll let you explore the pen on your own over at LiveScribe [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 116

Bob Sprankle — Fri, 20 May 2011 09:27:35 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 116 May 19, 2011 We’re joined by Dr. Carina Self! Links from the show: Carina Self: Assistant Coordinator of the Women’s Studies Program and Lecturer Carina Self’s Dissertation: Teaching, activism, and the purposes of education: Toward an integrated vision of teachers’ work Bridging Differences: A Conversation Between Deborah [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 115

Bob Sprankle — Fri, 13 May 2011 10:46:16 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 15 May 12, 2011 We’re joined by Christopher Bugaj! Links from the show: A.T.TIPScast: Assistive Technology Tools In Public Schools Podcast The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools by Christopher R. Bugaj and Sally Norton-Darr “Geek of the Week” Links for 2011-05-12 Chat Transcript [...]

Let’s Have Lunch!

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 12 May 2011 09:57:41 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) It started small, but now I have company during most of my free lunch times at school. Word got out about a couple of student gatherings, and now there are regularly scheduled “groups” having lunch with me weekly. What can one do? The students want to keep learning. That’s right. I have [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 114

Bob Sprankle — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:58:40 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 114 May 5, 2011 We’re joined by Miranda Adams! Links from the show: Mrs. Adams’ Third Grade Class “Geek of the Week” Links for 2011-05-05 Chat Transcript from EdTech Talk SEEDLINGS on Facebook! Music: “And So We Strive” by Stuart Lawson Technorati Tags: bitbybit, seedlings, education, cheryloakes, alicebarr, [...]

Honored to be in Life.com

Bob Sprankle — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:30:11 +0000

Thanks to Stephanie Roberts’ book, The Art of iPhoneography, my photo is in Life Magazine: Main Page: My Photo: Deeply honored.

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 113

Bob Sprankle — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:35:18 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 113 April 14, 2011 We’re joined by Rebecca Petersen Director of eLearning Resources and Professional Development Lesley University! Links from the show: Rebecca Petersen (Lesley University) Educause Digitally Learning (Rebecca’s Blog) “Geek of the Week” Links for 2011-04-14 Chat Transcript from EdTech Talk SEEDLINGS on Facebook! I’m (Bob) [...]

Bring Your iPhone to Your Student/Teacher/Parent Conferences

Bob Sprankle — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:32:29 +0000

(cross-posted at TechLearning) Or… iPod Touch 4 or Flip Camera, or any other mini camera that can capture short video clips, needs very little editing, and fits in your pocket so you have it with you all the time. That’s what one of my colleagues did at his recent Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences: he simply hooked up [...]

Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 112

Bob Sprankle — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:30:10 +0000

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 112 April 7, 2011 We’re joined by Michael Richards and Kern Kelly to parse and discuss the 2011 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition! (We get WAY OFF topic, “but it’s all good!”) Links from the show: Horizon Report: K12 Edition Wiki Horizon Report: K-12 Edition 2011 Short List Horizon [...]

The Truth is Out There

Bob Sprankle — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:14:56 +0000

(cross-posted at November Learning) I think the best way to tell this tale, is to rewind to 7 or so years ago. I am a 3/4 Multi-Age teacher, and Google has yet to be invented. I can’t remember exactly what I was teaching to the students at the time, but I believe it must have [...]