Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom

Making The Right Digital Decisions

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Recently, my district began a huge initiative to combat bullying/cyberbullying and to help students become more aware of the choices they make both in their face-to-face lives and their digital decisions as well. There is no one right way or right answer that will stop the problems. However, I do believe that the classroom and our schools are the places where tough conversations need to be had.

I have been collecting several resources and I want to share. By no means is this all the stuff that is out there. And some of it may work or may not. The point is to find something (curriculum, activity, website, video, etc) and start having the conversations, not just with students but with teachers, administrators, parents and our communities.

To start, I want to share this powerful video that was recently shared with me. It's all about the choices our kids are faced with everyday and the consequences of their actions.

So besides the interactive nature of the video (which is pretty neat) there are some tough issues here and no doubt these are some of the digital decisions our kids are making each and every day.

How can teachers and schools help? As with most things, education is key. Understanding where kids are in today's Digital Society can be a helpful first step. PBS did a masterful job capturing teen voices in their series, Digital_Nation. You can hear from teens themselves, parents and other experts as they discuss what it means to be a Connected Kid.

There are lots of curricula out there to use in the classroom.You can do a quick search and find lots of free (and paid) stuff. However, I believe one of the best are the lessons and activities from Common Sense Media. They have a full, K-12, free curriculum you can use and adapt to your needs. There are even alignments to the ISTE NETs, AASL, and the English Common Core.

Another way to show students the power their digital footprint has is to check out a great interactive from The Discovery Channel, Your Digital Footprint. In it users are posed with different scenarios and the site shows the impact of that choice and how their image, information and more are recorded and stored. It's more about awareness and understanding than avoidance.

Here are some more just general resources to check out.

Open Thinking Wiki-Media Literacy-Alex Couros has curated lots of great information on a wide array of digital literacy topics like understanding where information comes from, combating cyberbullying and more.
Digital Citizenship Network- One of the best parts of this site are the Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship. There are lots of great links here too.
Own Your Space: Keep Yourself And Your Stuff Safe Online-This free ebook from Microsoft is geared toward teens and goes over many different aspects of their digital lives.

These are just a few resources. I have many more in my Diigo links and you can find that here. I also have a post that I wrote awhile back about Taking Care Of Your Digital Self, that has more ideas on knowing about your online identity.

For me, we need to start having and keep having lots of conversations. Everyday, educators all over the country are asked to use digital tools with kids and increasingly, kids are becoming more and more connected. The earlier we start talking and the more we keep talking, again, not to just our kids but our teachers, administrators, parents and the community, the easier it will be to deal with these digital issues as they arise.

These are some of my favorite resources. What are yours? Or what are you doing to start these conversations where you are? Leave some comments below.

New Posted Resources 01/25/2012

2012-01-25T08:30:00.001-05:00

Five Ways to Visually Explore Wikipedia

tags: wikipedia favorite
What is a definition of networked learning?

tags: networkedlearning network pln favorite
Web 2.0 to support the NETS

tags: web2.0 favorite
28 Creative Ideas for Teaching with Twitter

tags: Twitter favorite
The Google+ Cheat Sheet [PIC]

tags: google+ favorite
The Eight Pillars of Innovation

tags: innovation creativity favorite
Google Tools Workshop

tags: google favorite
13 iPad Apps for Storytelling in the Classroom

tags: iPad apps digitalstorytelling favorite
How do I use Posterous for education?

tags: posterous blogging favorite
9 Questions for Reflective School Reform Leaders

tags: reform reflection Leadership favorite

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

So...You Wanna Be A Blogger

2012-01-18T20:35:00.000-05:00

So this is a blog.

Yep. It really is, or at least I want it to be.

This is a space for me to reflect, share, learn and grow with anyone who stops by. It has been a wonderful experience for me and I really do enjoy working on this.

Besides the professional growth, blogs can be a wonderful addition to any classroom too.

So you are thinking? I wanna start blogging? But I don't know anything about it?

Fear not kind reader! I have several resources for you to read and consult as you begin this wonderful journey.

First, you are going to need a space. There are lots of them out there:

Blogger-This is my platform of choice. If you use anything Google you can set up a blog, for free and start. It's as easy as picking a name and writing your first post. There are lots of customization options too that allows a lot of flexibility to personalize your space.
Wordpress-This is also free and there are 2 options. You can open a Wordpress account and, just like Blogger, begin pretty easily. The other option is to purchase your own domain and install Wordpress there. It really isn't as complicated as it sounds. (In fact lots of web hosting sites will do a bundle, the domain and the hosting, for a discount.) There is a great guide to getting started with all that here.
Posterous-Again, free. Posterous is unique in that you can submit posts via email. When you create your space you get an unique email address that you can send your posts too and poof! they appear on your blog. Its great too because you can add collaborators via their email address and they can post too. (Great for classroom blogging.)

And there are apps for all these so you can blog on the go.

Still confused with all the options and how to get the most of of what you choose? My friend Richard has created a great page with lots of tutorials on how to use Blogger, Wordpress and Posterous.

Ok. Now that you have a space. What exactly are blogs all about?

So you have your space all set up and you have a working knowledge of how things work. What do you post about? Well that's what's great about blogs. They are your personal space on the Internets. Post whatever you think you need to or want to. Decide on a focus but don't get married to it. This blog has gone through lots of changes and I post about all sorts of things. Sure its about Web 2.0 but I touch on Leadership, Education Reform and some personal stuff too. Your blog is what you make of it.

Maybe you are thinking about staying away from the personal reflection stuff (although I really, really encourage it) and you want to do just a Class Blog or have your students blogging. If its a class blog, what do you want to communicate? Maybe its just keeping parents updated on happenings in class. Or you want to spur conversation with your students. There are lots of ideas. The key is to find something to get your started but realize that the focus will change over time and that's ok.

So how about some more resources?

Lets look at the stuff for using your blog as a professional space:
Blogs By Discipline- I think its helpful to see how other educators are using their blogs. This site has a boat load of them listed out by discipline. Find yours and see what others are doing.
7 Reasons Teachers Should Blog-Still not convinced? Check out this excellent post from my friend Steve on why teachers, especially should blog. (His post on the reasons teachers don't blog is worth a read too.)
Blogging Secrets-Richard has a very, very popular blog. People ask him all the time on how to get their blog as popular as his. He gives great advice. While we disagree in some areas the advice is still solid and worth a read.
Getting To Know Your Blog-This is a wonderful post that lays it all out there. Everything you need to know to get started and do more with your blog, no matter the platform you use.
Using Blogs As A Part Of Your Personal Learning Network-Blogs are a great way to keep your finger on the pulse in your area or in education in general. Find out how by reading this post.

On to the Blogging In The Classroom resources:
The Best Sources For Advice On Classroom Blogging-This is my go-to source for everything classroom blogging related because it is updated constantly. Lots of great links to other sites and good information too.
Student Blogging Guidelines-If/When you get started with blogs with students you are gonna want some ground rules. This post goes through some simple guidelines you can use with your students.
Student Blogging Resources-There is more to consider than just the rules in your classroom. Your district might also have rules that you have to follow or forms you will need to send home. This site has sample permission forms, and examples of how blogs are used in the classroom.
Teaching Commenting Skills-One of the powerful parts of blogs are the comments. But kids might need help in getting theirs just right. This page, from an experienced classroom blogger walks you and your student through the process of learning how to comment, the right way.
Comments4Kids-Kids commenting on each other posts are great. But when they get those comments from people they dont know from another part of the world, thats just awesome. Comments4Kids is a great way to make that happen.
15 Topics For Your School Blog-Just some ideas to get you started.

This is just a handful of everything I have collected about blogs and blogging. I have tons more in my Diigo so be sure to head over there and check out everything there.

Like I mentioned before, I really do find blogging rewarding. So if you aren't a blogger and you want to be or you just need some help getting yours off the ground I hope you can use the resources found here.

What advice do you have for beginning bloggers or teachers that want to use blogs in the classroom? Leave some comments below.

Image under CC License from [martin]

New Posted Resources 01/13/2012

2012-01-13T08:30:00.001-05:00

Open Education Resources

tags: OER ebooks opensource digitaltextbooks favorite
Leading Blog: A Leadership Blog: 3 Ways to Be a Positive Leader

tags: leadership favorite
Analyzing Primary Sources

tags: primarysources favorite
Mobile Learning infokit

tags: mlearning mobile favorite
Technology Integration Matrix | Arizona K12 Center

tags: technology integration tpack favorite
Edmodo: Social Networking Reinvented!

tags: edmodo favorite
Facebook 101: Using Facebook as a Professional Development Tool

tags: facebook favorite
Cool Cat Teacher Blog: QR Code Classroom Implementation Guide

tags: qrcode qr mobile favorite
BYOD Resources

tags: BYOD mobile favorite
Using Mobile and Social Technologies in Schools

tags: mobile socialmedia policy favorite
Student Writing Guides

tags: research writing citations favorite

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Watch, Know and Learn With @WatchKnowLearn

2012-01-11T09:20:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago You Tube announced their commitment to education by moving a lot of their educational content to a separate domain, http://youtube.com/education. This allows schools and districts to, depending on their filtering, unblock the videos found there for use in the classroom. It's been open for a while now and reaction has been positive. New content gets added daily and the site continues to grow.

However, one of the complaints is the variety of the content found there. Much of it is for secondary and higher ed, leaving the elementary folks with out a solution.

Until now.

I have known about WatchKnowLearn for a while now. While it looks like your typical video site, it isn't. It's a powerful tool for you to use in your classroom.

When you first visit the site you will see several things:

The Featured Videos Section-This is an ever changing list of the best content found on the site
The Most Recently Posted Section
The Highest Rated Section
The Most Viewed Section

While all of those are great places to start, most folks are going to want to drill down to their subject area. There is a place to do that on the left.

You can see that in many of the content areas there are over 1000 videos and in the major core areas the numbers top 4000. And just look at the variety of content there! When you go into and area you get topics and sub topics and in some cases sub sub subtopics.

Sure, you can drill down. Sure you can search. But maybe you just want to search by the age of your students. You can do that too.

Take the slider from either side until you have the desired age range. Put in your topic and off you go. Wanna search more than just WatchKnowLearn? Use the drop down to search School Tube or Teacher Tube also.

All of the videos are reviewed by teachers and the folks at the site for their quality and applicability to the content area and age level. The comments are also a great place to learn how other educators are using the videos in the classroom.

So you ask yourself, what makes this site so special? Well, for one, it's just plain awesome. But, really it's where the content comes from. Most of it comes from You Tube and other video sites that many districts blanket block. WatchKnowLearn has software that allows for the streaming of the content from You Tube and the other sites without school filtering blocking it. Remember, the content here is reviewed before it ever appears on the site. So there isn't the junk that you would find on many sites nor do your see the junk that would normally accompany videos from You Tube found here. It is a definite win for those that want to have access to this type of content in their classroom.

Oh and it's founder? One of the Co-Founders of Wikipedia (Dr. Larry Sanger)so there is some major backing here so rest assured the site can only get better.

WatchKnowLearn is a wonderful addition to your arsenal of video sites. Or better yet it might just be a replacement for most of them. You can get lost in all the great content. So head over there and definitely check it out!

So That's What I Think About That...

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my friend Steve Wheeler posted an interview with me on his blog. I though I would post it here to. Basically we talked a lot about #edchat and my philosophies on education. It was great to sit and reflect on his questions and it was an honor to be asked to do this.

How did you start out in education? I took a very traditional road to the classroom. I went to college wanting to be a teacher. For the longest time I thought I would be teaching music. I was in marching band all through high school and in college as a tuba player and thought that would continue into my career. In the middle of my sophomore year I volunteered in a Kindergarten classroom a few days a week reading to kids and working on colors and shapes. It was then I realized that I wanted to be in the classroom. So I changed majors and graduated a few years later with a degree in Middle Grades Math and Science Education.

What inspires you to continue working in education? I love the idea of learning and I love to learn. The more involved I get in education through what I do, the more I get to learn. I enjoy spending time watching kids be curious and discover their world. While I work mainly with adults I cherish the moments I get to spend in the classroom talking to kids. It is the drive to constantly be better for them that brings me back everyday. I want to create learning environments for them that allow them to be kids.

Why are you so passionate about using social media? Social media has done so much for my own personal and professional learning. Sure, sending tweets and posting on Nings has had a great impact on my thinking and doing but it's more than that. It is the personal connections that I have made with people from all over the world. My thinking gets pushed everyday because of my involvement in those spaces. And think about it from the seats our kids sit in. It's one thing to read about the Arab Spring in an article or watch a video on You Tube about it but it's a whole other, powerful deal to talk to someone who lived it. Or for some Kindergarten students see something like the weather around the world everyday, is just moving. I started in social media to share resources easily with teachers in a very small district. And for me it has grown in to something more powerful than resources and tools. It is a constant learning, growing and sharing experience.

What is the idea behind #edchat? #Edchat started as an idea between Tom Whitby, Shelly Terrell and myself. Tom loves to ask questions and get people thinking. He is an instigator. He had this idea of a weekly chat where we asked a question to the educational community to get people talking and ideas flowing. Shelly and I helped, initially on the organization and getting the word out. Over 2 years and 100 chats later it has been an incredible experience to be a part of. Not only do we have our main chat at 7pm EST but we grew into a chat for folks in Europe and Asia at 12pm EST. And it has helped create other specialty chats in all sorts of educational topics. Some think of the chats as echo chambers and maybe sometimes they are but we always want people to share their action steps. #Edchat is more than talk. Its about action and causing real change wherever we are.

What other innovative projects have you been involved with? In my district I have been involved with a big push to get kids learning about social media and their digital selves as early as possible. One of our elementary schools came to me and a colleague wanting their school to better understand the role social media could play in not only the learning of the students but the learning of the educators as well. So we worked with the school the entire year talking to the students, K-5, about digital footprints and how to be a good digital citizen. We worked the parents to help them understand the same and to help them see that social media and online learning can be beneficial for even kids that young. And with the teachers we developed a social media policy that embraced its use in the classroom rather than ban it. It was so successful we are working with more schools this year and our district leadership is looking at adopting the policy we create, district wide.

What are the barriers to good learning? Most of the time it's adults. A lot of what I see are adults getting in the way of good, solid learning. There are lots of people who have ideas for what could be better or what needs to be better in education. And most of the time those ideas are self-serving. If we could let teachers teach and kids learn I think all would be well.

If you could change anything in education, what would it be? I wish I could change perception. Take social media for example. There is a perception by some in education (and more not) it has absolutely no place in education. Because of the way celebrities use the products or the way people abuse the products that, to some, instantly means there is no educational value. The same can be said of the educational technology movement. Some say that computers, iPads, tablets, have no place in the classroom. Kids need to learn math and learn how to read and kids only use those devices to play games, not to learn. So to that end I just want people to know that kids can learn with social media and educators can grow and learn with it too. And cellphones, iPads, tablets, computers, laptops, games, pretty much the stuff I fight for in classrooms everyday, have value and can help kids learn and discover and grow.

What is your vision for the future of education? I would like to see a point at which access for all isn't an issue. Access to information is power and all kids deserve to be powerful. So when all kids have access to information, what they learn changes completely. I would like to see more emphasis placed on creating, debating, communicating and collaborating. I would also like to see a point at which kids get to pick courses they are interested in. The Open Courses from MIT and Stanford are so intriguing to me. I think schools could be more like that and offer kids the opportunity to learn what is interesting to them. And those classes may be offered in their school or maybe online or virtually. So maybe the idea of school as we know it now will be different and I am excited about that possibility.

What message do you have for teachers? Focus on kids. Forget about the other stuff. The reason we are in this business is for kids, plain and simple. When we spend our time and efforts and attention on them, then we can go home at the end of the day knowing we've done a good job.

Thoughts? Feelings? Reactions? Leave some below.

Looking Back At 2011 And Looking Forward To 2012

2012-01-02T10:57:00.002-05:00

For the past few years (here and here) I started a tradition (if we can call it that) where I look back at the year in #edtech and try to make predictions as to what's going to take hold in the coming year. No science behind any of this. Just my feelings from what I have been reading and seeing and what I believe will take a great hold in educational technology.

So, how did I do last year?

QR Codes- I said QR would take more of a foot hold. That I believe to be true. We are seeing more and more teachers, conferences, and companies embrace QR as another way to engage students, audiences and customers. One of the most useful examples I saw this year was at a Moodle conference where in the digital conference guide was a QR next to each session. When scanned the QR set up a calendar event with a reminder for the time and location of the session, and the contact information for the presenter so you had it after you left. What a pretty nifty idea. Still don't believe me? My buddy Richard over at FreeTech4Teachers had 10 posts this year about QR. Everything from code makers to ideas for use in the classroom to a way to use them for scavenger hunts (which is pretty cool too.) If you still wanna learn more you can check out my Livebinder all about QR.

More Social Networking- This all boiled down to the continued growth of using Social Media and social networks for learning. While I believe this did happen this year I don't really have a way to measure it. I can say from what I saw in my travels around that educators still are just scratching the surface when it comes to 24/7 Professional Development. We did see things like #edchat and The Reform Symposum grow this year which is great but there is still resistance out there that has to be overcome. Perhaps we will see some movement there this year.

Tablets- It's going to be tough to find anyone who would argue that Tablet did not increase in use in education this year. I wrote several posts about my favorite places to find information about iPads in education or my favorite iPad/Android apps for Administrators. Even in my district we began a tablet roll out with Galaxy Tabs for our Administrators. Look at what my good friend Patrick did at his high school, going 1-to-1 with iPads. These are just a few examples. There are so many more out there and I believe many more to come.

Xbox Kinect- This was my wild card. I didn't really see or hear of much of it's use in education this year. There might be examples out there for Special Ed or Physical Ed that I just didn't hear about but I would love to if you have any examples. Leave them in the comments below.

So what do I think is going to happen this year?

Free Online Courses Will Continue To Grow-Over the past year we saw schools like MIT and Stanford offer up totally free courses in computer science and engineering to anyone who wants to take them. (MIT has had something like this already for a while called OpenCourseware.) But these are the same classes that the students at the universities take, open to the public. Now, its not enough for a degree or anything but if you wanna get your feet wet and do it with some of the greatest minds out there, why not? I think we are going to see more colleges and universities open their courses to the public like this for free. This idea of access to education is only going to grow, I believe, into something pretty amazing.

Badges-Playing off of the Open Course movement I think we will continue to see badges grow in popularity. Think of it like a Merritt badge. You do something, show mastery and get a badge. There was a great piece in Mindshift KQED just before the holiday about badges and how employers could use them. I think, maybe, one day we could see badges rank up there with degrees. Why specialize in one thing when you can take a buffet of courses, get some badges that show mastery and be a versatile member of society. Of course all of this is a long way off but I do think we see more and more conversations about badges and their place in learning.

BYOD- Many are exploring the idea of Bring Your Own Device as an alternative to purchasing devices for students. Look at my district. 57,000 students. And we are only the 5th largest in NC. Providing devices for all students is definitely a challenge. BYOD can help. For me, the device doesn't matter. Its the access to information and the ability to create new learning that's important. I think more districts will revise cellphone and device policies and we will see more and more schools and districts allow students to bring technology with them. Of course that means a change in pedagogy and teaching and (hopefully) we will see that right along with this.

Overall I think we will see more educators embrace social media, more schools and districts see social media as a viable alternative to Face-to-Face Professional Development, digital learning books will take more of a foothold (because of tablets and personal devices in the classroom) and maybe, just maybe, we will see a shift away from learning about specific tools to how learning can be enhanced (TPACK) through the use of technology.

It was a great year. Loads of great things happened. And there are still lots of unknowns out there. But that is what makes working in Educational Technology so exciting right?

What do you think? Is there anything you see that will make waves this year? Leave some comments below.

Image under CC License from and the bird took flight on Flickr.

Guest Post-1:1 Technology in the Math Classroom

2012-01-01T08:25:00.000-05:00

To start the year I have a guest post all about 1:1 in the Math Classroom. Enjoy!

Perhaps the single subject area that stands to gain the most from the introduction of a 1:1 technology program is math. Math classrooms with 1:1 technology can greatly expand the differentiation of content provided to students, can prevent student misconceptions from developing, and can free the teacher to focus on teaching and planning rather than grading. Let’s look at each of these benefits in further detail.

Expanded Content Differentiation

Students in a math classroom without access to 1:1 technology typically follow a textbook in lockstep fashion. With only the teacher as a source of information, pacing and content for all students must be kept identical. 1:1 technology allows each student to have, in essence, his own personal teacher. Through the use of video, a math instructor can record all of her lessons (or utilize videos created by outside sources), allowing students to work through material at their own pace. Similarly, practice problems no longer need to be limited to those found in a textbook; instead, a teacher can utilize online texts and resources that provide problems of varying difficulty and which adapt to students’ previous answers, becoming harder or easier when needed.

A lot of conversation has centered around the idea of “flipping” classroom instruction, allowing students to watch a video lecture as homework so that class time can be devoted to discussion or application of the content being presented. 1:1 technology can certainly permit this, but it can also take it a step further, allowing for classrooms to not only be flipped but also individualized.

Preventing Student Misconceptions

When students complete practice problems in a typical non-1:1 classroom, they often are asked to complete a large number of problems before receiving feedback on whether or not their work is correct. This is incredibly harmful, as students who are doing something incorrectly on a paper/pencil assignment will repeat that error multiple times and get it ingrained in their mind before it can be corrected. 1:1 technology prevents such misconceptions from taking hold by providing students with immediate feedback after each problem is completed. Many online programs don’t just provide a correct answer (even a textbook can do that), but also provide students with a written and/or video explanation of how to solve the problem at hand. This is incredibly valuable not only in preventing misconceptions from developing but also in allowing students to take ownership of their own learning.

Freeing the Teacher

As 1:1 technology provides students with instant feedback on the various practice problems they complete, another huge benefit emerges: the teacher is freed from the crushing, constant burden of assessing student work! Suddenly freed from this overwhelming task (my own math students, from all classes combined, can easily complete thousands of problems each day), the teacher is now able to focus on planning and teaching more effectively. Videos can be created and plans can be individualized in the time no longer spent grading student work. Teachers will still be familiar with their students’ work, of course, because the online tools described above are able to provide the teacher with a detailed summary of how their students performed on their online practice problems.

For any district looking for a place where 1:1 technology will be instantly valued and appreciated, math classrooms might be the best place to start.

About the author:

Mark Pullen, 1:1 classroom teacher, on behalf of Worth Ave. Group. Worth Ave Group provides laptop, tablet computer, and iPad insurance to schools and universities. They have been insuring schools since 1971. http://www.worthavegroup.com/education

The Top Posts Of Web20Classroom For 2011

2011-12-30T09:46:00.000-05:00

Is it 2012 already?

Another year has come and gone and like several of my good blogging friends have done I wanted to recap the Top 5 Posts from this year. I am sorta surprised at the mix but there are some, if I do say so myself, good posts.

Quick List Of iPad Resources For The Classroom-This was my top post of the year. It contains several of my favorite sites and collections of using not just iPads but mobile devices in general in the classroom.

Twitter In Schools-A Getting Started Guide-In this post I lay out things to consider when starting a class/school/district Twitter account. There's more to it than just signing up.Who will manage? What will you tweet? Even what should your name be? There are all sorts of questions to ask when getting started.

Twitter Series-A New Kind Of PD- Back at the beginning of this school year I did a series of posts related to using Twitter as an individual. In this post I address Professional Development when it comes to teaching about Twitter and how I radically changed the way I do it. Is it possible to use Twitter without being a member? Sure. And for some that's all they need.

Twitter Series-Super Secret Tips And Tricks- Another post from my Twitter series, in this one I give you everything you need to know to get more out of Twitter and to find more good information.

Taking Care Of Your Digital Self- Cultivating a digital footprint is important and in this age it begins even before birth. What can you do to begin taking control and getting a positive message out there? And what can you do to protect yourself at the same time.

Here's to another great year of blogging, learning, reflecting and growing, together!

Image under CC License from Sunkato

New Posted Resources 12/22/2011

2011-12-22T08:30:00.001-05:00

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

A New Address and A Big #Eddies11 Thanks

2011-12-21T19:37:00.003-05:00

So if you haven't noticed, this blog has a new address on the web.

http://blog.web20classroom.org

I have had the domain for a while now and am beginning to develop my complete digital portfolio in a few spaces. Adding my blog was a first step.

So that means if you subscribed via RSS you are going to need to update your subscription to the new address. And you can do that easily by just plugging the new address in your favorite RSS program and it will pick up the new feed or you can use the toolbar at the bottom of the blog to subscribe that way as well.

And while I have you here...

A big thanks!

I was honored to receive the Twitterer of the Year Award from Edublogs for 2011. I originally won this award back in its first year in 2009 and it really is an honor for me. To be recognized by your peers for something you get to do (and love to do) everyday is humbling.

I don't use Twitter for awards or #FollowFridays or mentions or retweets. (Those things are just awesome perks.) I do what I do and am involved in that space because of the people. The conversations I get to have, the questions I get to help answer and the friendships I make all mean more to me both professionally and personally than I could ever describe. I have had the opportunity to travel to more places, meet more people and do some of the most important learning I could have ever do and all of that is because of the fact that I am on Twitter and involved in social media spaces. And you reading this blog, following my tweets and generally putting up with me means a lot.

So thanks.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Why I Deleted My Klout Account

2011-12-15T20:40:00.000-05:00

Yep.

Pulled that trigger earlier this evening.

For those that don't know, Klout aims to measure social influence across the web. Basically you connect your Twitter account, Facebook page, Foursquare account, pretty much any social network you use and through their "sophisticated algorithm" they assign you a score based on the number of people you influence, how much you influence them and your reach. (You can learn more about how they say they do it on their Understanding Klout Score page.) The higher the score the more you are claimed to be influential.

Before deleting my page my score was 64, which for Klout is pretty high. I was a Top Influencer in the Education and Mobile Learning categories. I had received over 1000 +K. (Where folks give you a pat on the back or a thumbs up.)

Every day I would get an email saying Mr. So and So give you a +K. Or that I had a new category I was influential in. At first its intoxicating. Realizing that someone (or something) out there says you have influence. So everyday I would check my score. Seeing it go up and up.

And then I go on vacation this summer. And my score drops 20 points because I take a break from all technology while I am on vacation. So I guess I can't be influential on vacation.

No problem. I got back in the grove and quickly got back to the top. But for what? When I would check my score what did it really mean? How can a some computer decide how influential I am on the interwebs how judge how influential my interactions are with people?

So I quickly grew tired of worrying about when my score would drop tenths of a point because I tweeted too many posts with links or didn't engage with enough folks one day.

It's silly.

Being a top influencer is a great feeling to have. But the stigma of the number attached to it is what gets me. The rank. I don't need my social interactions boiled down to a number. If I am going to be influential I want people to decide. And really the only my "influence" can be measured is by the people I interact with.

The bottom line for me is that I value and cherish the relationships and interactions I have online. And that is what it should be about. Not numbers or scores or Klout. It should be about educators reaching out, sharing and learning and growing, together.

Finally...You Tube Education

2011-12-12T14:19:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard You Tube Education officially launched today. It's actually been around for a few weeks but today was the unavailing of the site and the announcement of major content partners.

First, a video:

So basically as as district or school you can (if your filtering allows) unblock just the subdomain of You Tube Education, have access to the content there while keeping the rest of You Tube blocked for end-users. (Now I am not technical when it comes to specific filters so you will have to direct those questions to your IT folks. But in our district we just whitelisted http://youtube.com/education and that was it. Here is the support page if you are tech savvy like that.)

I had the pleasure of talking with James Sanders, the project manager today about the vision for this and some things coming down in the future. I will say, I am pretty excited about this one.

You can search by Category (K-12, Higher Ed, or my favorite, Life-Long Learning). It's great because when you do a search, only the results in the EDU domain are returned.

Now, remember, this is a beginning. It's not prefect and not all the content that you want is in there. But I will say there is a great deal of some super awesome stuff. James wanted me to point out that you can suggest playlists and content you want to be in there by going to the You Tube Teachers Channel and clicking on, you guessed it, Suggest Videos. There you can also sign up to be a content partner and provide content too.

So head over to You Tube Education and check out the great stuff there and if your district blocks You Tube perhaps you can suggest they check it out too.

The Technology Integration Answer (Well Almost...)

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year our group adopted the TPACK model of technology integration.

What is TPACK you ask?

Basically, it takes the approach that planning for technology integration shouldn't be an event. It should be something that adds to what we are already doing. Through the use of Activity Types, teachers can take the activities they are already doing and match them up with appropiate technologies that may or may not work, depending on the context of learning.

You can view this presentation to learn more.

According to the feedback we have gotten from the folks who have embraced it has been overwhelmingly positive. Being able to take the content (which is king by the way) and the activities we always use or want to use with our kids and matching them up easily with the technology has made it much simpler to plan. And the Activity Types Sheets are great to keep in the plan book so they are always there.

Recently I came across something that you can also use to make technology integration easier for you and your staff. The Technology Integration Matrix uses examples for subject area and grade level to attempt to show how technology integration can work in any type of environment.

There are actually 2 that you can take a look at.

The first is the original from The Florida Center For Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida.

The other is an adaption from Northern Arizona University.

(You will want to visit each of the sites where these live because both matrices are interactive.)

Down the left hand side of each is the learning environment. Active, collaborative, goal centered are just a few. Across the top are the levels of integration, moving from entry to transformational, left to right. So you match up where you feel you are. Maybe you are a newbie. Maybe you have kids using technology (rather than passively engaging with it) and you are at the entry level. Go to that box, find your grade level and subject area to get examples of technology integration. Remember these are just examples to show you how it would work. Adaption is always recommended.

As you progress you move up the integration level and as your learning environment changes the types of integration change as well.

You will notice that this is just for lessons where kids are actively engaged with using technology. There is nothing here for the teacher presenting material or using technology singularly. Technology integration is about getting kids out of their seats and working hands-on with the technology to create products.

So between using the TPACK model of planning and the Technology Integration Matrix, using technology in the classroom doesn't have to be a mystery. It can be something that is pretty easy to plan for and do.

Quick List Of Mobile Apps For Administrators

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

When it comes to mobile learning there are loads of great sites for apps for kids and teachers. Everything from apps organized by Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy to apps organized by grade level and subject area. But what you might not know, especially if you are an administrator is that there are some great apps out there for you.

What are they? Well my administrator friend, here are my Top 9 Apps For Administrators

(All of these are for iPad but you can find many, or an equivalent, in the Android Market as well)

1) Google Docs-Where would I be with out Google Docs? Lost I am sure. My life is spent editing and creating documents, presentations and spreadsheets. And the ability to share those easily makes Google Docs my go-to app for editing, not only at the computer but on the go as well. I can edit, comment and view all my documents from this app, no matter where I am. So for the administrator, editing or viewing your school improvement plan, meeting agenda or walkthrough data can really increase productivity.

2) Dropbox-For those items I can’t keep in Google Docs, I use Dropbox. The app gives you access to all your files stored in the cloud so you can retrieve them, email them, view them, and show them, again, no matter where you are.

3) Adobe Ideas- You never know when a great idea is going to strike. Adobe Ideas is always at the ready to capture a drawing, sketch, list or what ever you need.

4) ReadItLater-I am a huge, huge fan of this app. Whenever you are reading a blog or come across a webpage that you just don’t have time to check out or don’t want to save it to your booksmarks before you have a chance to look at it, you can ReadItLater. Adding items to your list is easy as a checkmark in the address bar and the app gives you online and offline access to your entire list.

5) Skype-Desktop video calling is now available on the iPad. You can chat, make calls and even do free video calling, no matter where you are. Participate in a faculty meeting when you aren’t at school or meet virtually with other administrators to build your network. All on your iPad!

6) Zite-This is a Social Aggregator that takes topics you decide and pulls the most relevant stories related to those topics. They are then presenting and a pretty neat magazine format. And you can share what you read via Twitter, Facebook and email. So you can keep up with topics in education and share with your staff with ease.

7) Google Translate-In many of our schools English might not be the main language spoken. The Google Translate app is great for helping to break the language barrier with students and staff and you can put in text and get instant translations for emails and documents.

8) TED-These are inspiring talks given from some of the brightest minds on the planet. This app gives you access to the entire directory. You can use the TED talks build morale and challenge the thinking of your staff and students.

9) Dragon Dictation-Let’s face it, sometimes typing on the iPad can be challenging. Dragon Dictation does it all for you. Using the built-in mic you can dictate memos, documents, blog posts and more.

There are loads more apps out there for all different sorts of uses. Check out this post to learn more about how you can get more mileage out of your mobile learning device.

Image Under CC License From joshfassbind

The 2011 Edublogs Awards Shortlist (A Shameless Ploy For Votes) #Eddies11

2011-12-05T08:05:00.001-05:00

You may remember, last week I did my nominations for the 2011 Edublog Awards. This is an annual event highlighting the best in the Edublogosphere and Twitterverse.

I am humbled that I made the short list for Best Twitter of The Year (an award I won in 2009) and this blog is also on the short list for Best Edtech/Resource Sharing Blog. #Edchat also made the shortlist for Best Educational Hashtag. It is truly an honor to be nominated and I am in good company on both lists.

I hope you will head over to the Edublogs Awards Voting site to vote (not just) for me but for all the other create producers and sharers of content. And, what I think, is the best part of this whole process are the new and exciting bloggers, blogs and resources to check out and share.

New Posted Resources 11/30/2011

2011-11-30T08:30:00.001-05:00

Pencasting to Support Critical Thinking | Livescribe Education

tags: livescribe criticalthinking favorite
Google SketchUp-Tutorials

tags: sketchup google favorite tutorials
Quality Rubrics

tags: rubrics favorite
“Twitter? I Don’t Get It!” A 3-Step Guide For Newbies

tags: twitter favorite
Ultimate List Of Twitter Tools

tags: twitter favorite
Critical Thinking Foundation

tags: criticalthinking critical_thinking favorite
Nine Tenets of Passion-Based Learning

tags: favorite passion passionbasedlearning
6 Quick Ways for Schools to Blog

tags: Blog favorite
AUP Resources

tags: AUP favorite
Cellphones In The Classroom

tags: cellphones mlearning favorite

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

You Know You Always Wanted To Know The History Of Searching The Interwebs, Didn't You?

2011-11-29T08:29:00.001-05:00

I dunno about you but I might do about a billion searches a day. From everything to how to unbrick a phone to a recipe for a holiday party to how to spell words, search is a natural part of how I browse the web. Sometimes its easier to just search for a site, even when I already know the address. (I think that might be on the verge of lazy, but hey, I own it)

Kids do a lot of searching too. Pictures, music, games and even research for class, they spend a lot of time searching the web for content and information too. But if you asked how many of them know how search works or even the pretty interesting history of search.

Digital literacy is important.

Well...

Yesterday Google posted on their blog a great video about the history of search and how it has evolved and adapted as folks changed their patterns of how they look for information.Understanding this can lead to better and more accurate results faster.

There is also another video from about a year ago that tells exactly how Google search works. In terms of digital literacy and understanding where information comes from, this video should be standard viewing for kids. They need to understand how pages are ranked and that just because information is at the top doesn't always mean it's the best.

Don't forget, there are some great lessons that Google has put together that help kids at all levels do better searches and understand where their information comes from.

My 2011 Edublog Award Nominations

2011-11-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again, when bloggers from around the globe submit the best of the best in the education world from the previous year for the Edublog Awards. This is always a tough spot for me. I think everyone is great at what they do. And we should honor everyone who works tirelessly in schools and in education everyday to make learning better for kids. However, there are some that deserve a little something extra. Those who have gone the extra mile and are really making a different in the lives of kids and teachers everywhere.

So in no particular order here are my nominations:

Best Overall Blog: Stump The Teacher Not only is Josh the current Illinois Teacher Of The Year but he is a really awesome guy too. His blog is an open reflection of his teaching and himself and every time I read a post I think a little bit differently about things.

Best Group Blog: Edutopia Group Blog I always look foward to the posts that come out of here. Just today there was a post about financial literacy, while yesterday there was a lesson on how to use TED talks to enhance the Common Core curriculum. You never know the topics that will be covered but you always know it is going to be something worthwhile.

Best Edtech/Resource Sharing Blog: Free Technology For Teachers What Richard has created here is the model of what resource sharing is and should be. It is definitely in my "go to" blogs every morning when I am looking for something new or interesting in the world of Edtech.

Most Influential Blog Post: "My Teacher Is An App"-Will Richardson Will is one of the most respected members of the education community and his posts always help to stretch my thinking. This one was no different. Taking a concept like blended learning (which I am totally for) and completely turning it on it's head and challenging all of us to be different for the sake of kids is more of what is needed.

Most Influential Hashtag: #edchat Ok, I know, I am little biased on this one (since I helped to start it) but this hashtag is way more than the founders or the chats on Tuesday. It has become a gathering place for resources and meaningful conversations and is a great way for those new to Twitter to get engaged in a very easy way and see the value that Twitter can offer the profession.

Best Teacher Blog: Upside Down Education As a former middle school teacher, I can identify a lot with what Amanda writes about in her blog. From about her post on changing the learning environment to her desire for change, I always look forward to her posts and often I get the pleasure of forwarding them on to folks in my district.

Best Librarian/Library Blog: The VanMeter Voice The space that Shannon has put together here should be the standard for library blogs anywhere. The stories she shares about her learning and the learning her kids do in her media center help affirm that there is goodness out there in education. This is definitely one you need to pass along to a teacher/librarian that you know.

Best School Administrator Blog: Burlington High School Principal's Blog Patrick is not only a great administrator his blog is great too. Whether it's sharing the stories of what is right with his school, resources for his teachers, tips for parents or more details about their 1:1 iPad roll out, this blog is another I use when talking with Administrators on what they should be writing about and how easy it is.

Best Free Web Tool: Livebinders If you are are regular reader of this blog you know how much I love Livebinders. And if this is your first time visiting, I love Livebinders. It is such an easy tool to use and the uses are endless. Tina and Barbara have taken such great effort to create a great product and are continuing to improve it. Kudos to them!

Best Open PD/Unconference/Webinar Series: The Reform Symposium The fact that this is a 3 day, 24/7 free, online PD is really amazing. The fact that the folks that organize this every year do it through just the use of social media is astounding. I had the honor of giving the first Closing Keynote two years ago and this year I was glad to just participate. What an amazing event where educators from around the globe present and share whats working in their classrooms and share ideas on how to improve learning, no matter where we are.

Lifetime Achievement Jerry Blumengarten (Cybaryman) There isn't a whole about Jerry that hasn't already been said by folks for many years. Jerry has dedicated his life to education and even in retirement he still continues to maintain his website, participate in chats on Twitter and speak at events all over the country. I consider Jerry a close, personal friend of mine and it is an honor to be able to nominate him for Lifetime Achievement. I can't think of anyone else who has done more than Jerry. Here's to you my friend!

So there you have have. My nominations for the #eddies11. There are loads of other great nominations that will come in. Oh and the Awards are a great way to discover new content too. Check out the winners and the nominees from last year and you will get an idea of the high-quality content that is out there. Be sure to check back here after Dec 2 with a link to the voting and see who is nominated in each category.

It's All About The Hashtag

2011-11-17T07:30:00.001-05:00

If you remember, in my 3 part series on Twitter, I wrote about how I completely changed the way I do professional development on Twitter. In a nutshell, I no longer start with signing up and tweeting the first day. I always show how to use Twitter without ever signing up. I believe it's important to establish the value in using it rather than using it and attempting to find the value.

What a lot of people don't realize that Twitter is a very powerful search engine. Just like Google, if you know how to use the search effectively you can find pretty much anything. And one of those effective ways is leveraging the power of hashtags.

What is a hashtag you ask?

From The Twitter Fan Wiki: Hashtags are a community-driven convention for adding additional context and metadata to your tweets. They're like tags on Flickr, only added inline to your post. You create a hashtag simply by prefixing a word with a hash symbol.

Basically, its a tag in your post so that you or someone else can find it later or track it as it is happening. For example, lets say you are watching the Super Bowl. You want to hear what other folks are saying about the game. You can do a search (on search.twitter.com) for the hashtag #SuperBowl and see what others talking about. Many TV shows, events, companies, and more are creating hashtags to monitor conversations and just generally engage with other followers.

Right, but how does this help you find stuff for your classroom?

Well, there are loads of great educational hashtags that have been created that you can search out and see what folks are posting. Are you a Social Studies teacher or need history resources? Check out #sschat. Maybe English is your thing. So there is #engchat. Perhaps you are looking for just general education resources. Then you should do a search for #edchat.

There are so many more educational hashtags out there. Lucky for all of us we have CybraryMan. Jerry (his real name) has collected several pages of hashtags for all of us to enjoy.

You may notice that many of the EDU hashtags include the word "chat" in them. There are some great chats on Twitter around various issues in education. (I wrote about this a while back.) Jerry also has a great page of how to take part in the EDU Chats and the times of various chats as well.

Oh and I get asked a lot how to create a hashtag. Simple my friends, simple. You just create it! There isn't a special form or permission you need in order to make a hashtag you just make one. My advice is, however, do a search on Twitter for the hashtag you want to use, just to make sure other stuff isn't posted to it already. (That can save a lot of time and embarrassment later.) Once you have it in mind, start using it. This can be great for schools/districts or classrooms to create tags to allow other members of the community to see whats being said to follow along with events, games, etc.

The point of all this is that while you may be a connected educator or you use Twitter regularly, there may be some educators around you who just don't see the point. Or they say they don't want to use Twitter. Well, the hashtag provides a way for anyone, no matter who, to reap the rewards of the information that flows across the Twitterverse and have it delivered to you when ever you need it.

What are some of your favorite hashtags to follow? Leave some comments below.

New Posted Resources 11/14/2011

2011-11-14T08:31:00.001-05:00

Empowering Students Through Reflection and Feedback

letsgetengaged -

tags: reflection assessment favorite
Digital Portfolios Guidelines for beginners

tags: eportfolio favorite
INFOGRAPHIC : How To Twitter Effectively

tags: Twitter favorite
62 things you can do with Dropbox

tags: dropbox favorite
Guide to Twitter in the K-8 Classroom

tags: Twitter favorite
Screencasting Apps for the iPad

tags: Ipad screencasting apps favorite
Thoughts on writing a social media policy

tags: favorite policy socialmedia AUP
Explaining Creative Commons Licensing

tags: creativecommons copyright favorite
30+ Cool Content Curation Tools for Personal & Professional Use

tags: curation favorite
Evaluating Online Resources

tags: evaluating research favorite

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Why #Authorspeak Gets It

2011-11-07T08:11:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the honor and privilege of attending Authorspeak.This was an event put on by the educational book publisher Solution Tree.Over the course of 3 days, all of the authors presented sessions on their books. But there was something different about this event. I felt a deeper connection to it then in other events that I have attended in the past. And after reflecting upon it for a few days I think I know why.

It all started when I began to look at the schedule. While I had my favorite sessions picked out (mainly so I could meet some heavyweights in the publishing world and old friends too) I noticed there was something different about the list. What they had done was I had not seen anyone else do before. Themes. Many of their books follow themes and the sessions where arranged that way as well. There was Leadership, 21st Century Learning, Professional Learning Communities and several others. My goal was to see a variety of sessions. However, if I had been with a group we could have broken out and tracked through a theme. Powerful stuff. ISTE should take note. They ask in the session proposals who the intended audience is for and what NETs the sessions is related to but I don't recall strands like that in the sessions. And it would be easy for them or any other conference organizer to say here are some common themes among proposals. If you are interested in mobile learning, here are the sessions 1-2 per slot that you can go to. Or maybe you want to know more about Leadership in the Digital Age, here are all the sessions on that topic. It was a handy way for someone to organize their session list with ease.

The sessions themselves were something to be modeled. Each was 45 minutes. Now, as a presenter, I know how little time 45 minutes is. But as a conference goer I know how good 45 minutes is. It all came down to how that time was used. There were only a few sessions that felt like 45 mins. was too much. And I am sure the authors have wonderful books but they just weren't the presenter type. The vast majority of sessions were highly engaging. Several presenters started out with intended outcomes of their presentation.What a great idea! I think all who present at some level go into it with the idea they have some outcomes but rarely do we see those communicated to the audience. What a no-brainer. That is something I am definitely going incorporate into my future presentations. Beyond that one of the best features was even though the sessions were 45 minutes, many built in time to talk to the folks around us. It was great to reflect with those around us to gauge their feedback on the thoughts from the session. Again, something I am going to incorporate into my sessions.There was also 30 minutes between each session. You didn't feel rushed to get to the next one (even if it was on the other side of the building.) There was time that allowed after the session to talk with the presenter or have small group networking before and after.

One of the most refreshing aspects was even though this event was sponsored by publishing house, there was no pressure to buy the books (even though I owned many of them already.) Most of the sessions I attended, while related to the topic the books covered, the material was updated and new. Or it was an opportunity to reflect and remix the content from the books. It really was a unique to think out loud right along with the author. It didn't feel like a pitch to buy the books or the accompanying materials. While ultimately that is the goal, it wasn't the purpose. And many of the materials anyway were and still are available to those that couldn't be there.So it truly felt like a learning experience and not a commercial event.

I really did enjoy attending and hope I get the opportunity to return. And hope that more conference organizers take some of the ideas that Authorspeak instituted and incorporate them in to future events. It truly was one of the best conferences I have attended.

Cool Classroom Projects With Skype

2011-11-04T12:43:00.003-04:00

A while back I wrote about Skype and how to get started using it. If you are new or thinking about starting definitely check out that post.

Then yesterday I saw this:

"Calling classes in North Carolina, USA or nearby states to join a book club http://t.co/cnmm1IBx #wsfcs"

So when I saw that tweet I immediately passed it along to all my NC folks. Then I got to thinking. There are lots of great projects out there that need a partner and people ask all the time how to get connected via Skype.

I headed over to the Skype In The Classroom website and discovered there are loads of great projects going on that any class with a Skype account can join. Here are just a few:

High School Literature Discussions-IB English Literature students in Wisconsin are interested in exchanging ideas and conversation via skype, ning, or video conference on various novels and readings including, Like Water for Chocolate (Esquivel), Into the Beautiful North (Urrea), or Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Alexie). Through this exchange, students will share perspectives on literature, school, global issues, and life.

Thankful For Thanksgiving? Looking for classes to Skype in and tell my classes, a wide variety of Grades 1-4, where they are from and what they are thankful this Thanksgiving. This should be just a quick skype call, with 2 or 3 students telling us why they are thankful. And, we will tell your class.

Practicing Graphing- I am looking for a class to play battleship graphing with my class on September 28th or 29th. I have two PreAlgebra classes. One starts at 9:00am central time and the other starts at 9:50am central time. I will provide you with the board template.

What Does Your Sky Look Like? My students are currently studying the solar system and moon phases. I would like to create a project with students from different parts of the world to show students how the Earth is positioned, thus causing different moon phases around the world.

Biomes Around The World- 4 teachers of 3rd/4th graders (8-10 year olds), studying topics such as deserts, rainforests, and oceans would like to connect with other classes learning similar topics or who live near one of the habitats. We would like to Skype with a class, an expert, or anyone who can help us learn about these topics. We can tell you about our biomes- mountain, lake, wetlands!

Regional Skype Pals- We are studying all 50 states, one region at a time. We would like to connect with classrooms all around the country who could give us information on how it is to live in other parts of the country.

That is just a handful. There are other great projects on the site and you can sort by subject area and age level to find the one that is perfect for your class. You can also post a project that you want to do or if you are looking for a speaker, Skype will help you find one to bring into your class.

All you need is a Skype account and an account on the Skype In Education site and you are ready to go.

So why not start creating that wall-less classroom, one Skype call at a time.

What Is Innovation Anyway?

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

What we need is more innovation in schools.

Hum...

Over the past few days I have been tossing around the idea of innovation, especially when it comes to schools and learning. And the more I think about it, the more I just don't like that word.

In its simplest form, the word innovation means "the introduction of something new." But when it is tied to learning I believe folks that want more "innovation" want something more than just something new. Innovations are supposed to be life changing and ground breaking. Take Steve Jobs. Most would agree he was an innovator. The products and vision he created at Apple were true innovations. Cell phones are the way they are because of him. Personal computers, the way we listen to music and more are the results of his innovations.

But what happens when we want that of everyone?

We should be pushing kids to think differently and to be creative in the classroom. No doubt we need much, much more of that. But when it is said that we need schools and kids to be more innovative I wonder, what happens after? Let's assume we get to a point where folks can proclaim schools and kids are now innovative. Ok. What next? Where do we go from there? After everyone and every classroom is seen as an innovator or innovative what happens?

What we need in schools is more creativity. We need to create environments where kids can explore and learn and grow together and on their own and especially environments where they can fail and feel good about that failure and learn from that failure.

I understand where the want for more innovation comes from. Many schools and classrooms have remained static for more than a century, with only a few changes in thinking here or there. So an "introduction of something new" is definitely needed in some places. But as pointed out in this piece, we have to be careful with the words we use because many of what is called "innovation" is just smoke and mirrors for failed initiatives already in place now in many schools and districts.

I think the best part of this week was the feedback I got about my questioning innovation on Twitter. There were a wide variety of opinions and ideas on what is needed. But it seemed even through all those conversations it came back to fostering a community of creative thinkers and doers.

Lets just choose our words carefully. Forget about buzzwords and words to just get a rise or reaction out of people. Kids are more than buzzwords. Learning is more than buzzwords. Let's create communities of learners where they can feel like they can do and try and be anything.

What do you think about innovation in schools? Or that word in general? Should we be using it when it comes to kids and learning? What does that word really mean when it comes to kids and learning and schools? Leave some comments below.

Photo From thinkpublic Under CC License

Bring On The Text Messages With @ClassParrot

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

Cell phones and other mobile devices are beginning to take whole in classrooms around the county. And let's face it, even if our schools or districts haven't embraced the technology for learning, kids are still using phones whether we know it or not. According to Pew Research the cell phone "has become the favored communication hub for the majority of American teens."

I am not sure any of us would argue. Many kids, if not most, have a phone. And according to the same Pew Research poll, text messaging far out weighs any other type of use of the phone. And the average teen sends 3000 texts per month. My sister (12 years old) got a cell phone for Christmas last year. With in 8 days she racked up over 1500. So needless to say, text message in an important form of communication for school-aged kids.

Keeping all that in mind....

Being able to quickly and effectively communicate with students is important. And there are lots of ways to do it. I have advocated Twitter and Facebook in the past. But maybe there is an even easier way? Maybe we can take what we know about text messaging and use that to our advantage somehow?

Enter ClassParrot

ClassParrot is a relatively new service that allows teachers and students/parents exchange text messages without exchanging numbers. Here is how it works. You as the teacher create a free account. Once you have the account you create a class. Now, the class name is important because it was will be attached to every text so it is important to choose something everyone will recognize.

Then you have to decide if Parents/Students will be able to reply. That is what sets ClassParrot apart. If you allow this anyone who subscribes can reply. But, what is great is you can turn it off if you don't want this feature but you can only set it up when you create your class.

Anyway, now that you have a class you will get a unique number and code to text too. This is what you give to students. The number they will be texting to is not your phone number, rather it is a number that is generated by ClassParrot and assigned to your class. When the students reply they then follow the series of texts they get to give their name so the teacher knows who they are. In your class account you can see who is subscribed by name and if need be you can delete someone. But again, no other information is there. No phone number, email address, anything.

Once all the set up is over then you can begin sending messages. Everytime you want to send a message you log into your ClassParrot dashboard and send your message. But you can also send a poll. You decide the question and what responses you want to get back. The default is yes/no but you can change this to anything and have more than 2 responses. They have to respond with one of the choices and you can see those responses come in under your History. That is also where you can read replies to your messages (if you set that up.)

Ok, so yes, ClassParrot is free. But...it works on credits. When you sign up you get 500 credits. And each month you get 200 more. It costs 1 credit to send a message or a poll. And it costs 1 credit each time someone replies. An unlimited plan is $9 bucks so not too bad but I know budgets are tight. If you simply turned off the reply feature and just used it to broadcast you would probably never need to pay. You have to decide what is going to work best for you.

ClassParrot could be a great service if you want to help classes keep up with assignments or dates. Or for coaches/sponsors who have afterschool activities where it might be great to keep parents informed of schedule changes or what have you.

Overall I like ClassParrot for the privacy aspect and ease of use. And I think it has the potential there to open up communication with your parents/students in a familiar and easy way.