I cleaned up all my curriculum maps. I documented my daily routines. I re-organized all of my server files. I shared permissions for all of my Google Apps for Edu data. I made screencasts of all iPad management processes. I worked with administrators to hire and train a middle school technology integration coordinator and a lower school technology specialist. I practiced my conversations with students prior to the announcement.

I thought I was in good shape until my last day of school. My final sessions with kids were tinged with sadness. Students asked all sorts of thoughtful questions about my future plans – ranging from when I would visit to my dog’s ability to accompany me to work at Google.

What I was completely unprepared for was students, faculty and administration leveraging the tools & skills we’d been exploring to give me a send off. I received a heart-warming and beautifully composed email [...]]]> I spend a good deal of time planning for transitions, as both a parent and educator. So when I recently received an unexpected opportunity to work on a long-term educational project with global impact, I started the arduous task of planning a graceful mid-year exit from the classroom.

I cleaned up all my curriculum maps. I documented my daily routines. I re-organized all of my server files. I shared permissions for all of my Google Apps for Edu data. I made screencasts of all iPad management processes. I worked with administrators to hire and train a middle school technology integration coordinator and a lower school technology specialist. I practiced my conversations with students prior to the announcement.

I thought I was in good shape until my last day of school. My final sessions with kids were tinged with sadness. Students asked all sorts of thoughtful questions about my future plans – ranging from when I would visit to my dog’s ability to accompany me to work at Google.

What I was completely unprepared for was students, faculty and administration leveraging the tools & skills we’d been exploring to give me a send off. I received a heart-warming and beautifully composed email from a student who had a history of mis-using the communication medium to make others feel bad. I received digital cards, digital collages, video goodbyes, HTML formatted farewell cards, and even a digitally sketched portrait. Students used a variety of digital media to capture the last day, including a high-5 tunnelled super send off!

Thank you card from the Development & Communications Manager. The message is Photoshopped onto a blank sign.

HTML thank you card from Mr. B. Yes the < p > tag is unclosed, but it will validate in HTML5.

Finally, as the recent collaboration (below) with a class in Los Angeles reminded me: just because I’ve left teaching full-time doesn’t mean I can’t continue to participate in education. I’m looking forward to working with students in the future and using technology as a form of self-expression and communication to enhance those experiences.

We are in a constant cycle of evaluation as we seek to understand the impacts of mobile learning, standards-based assessment, and mixed-age groupings on student academic achievement and character development.

Below are some edtech-focused numbers based on the first 3 months of this school year:

To learn more, take a few minutes to read and watch this previous post, “Got Verbs?“.

A few years ago most of us had never heard of social media managers, market research data miners or app developers. What will be the employment opportunities for recent grads in 2025? One new career for recent economics grads might be a virtual world economist.

Gaming and social networks are a global industry. Many systems allow participants to buy, sell, and trade in native currency that can be purchased with real-world money (Habbo Hotel credits, Facebook credits, Wii points, etc). How will real-world currency fluctuations affect virtual-world currencies?

Seattle-based game-maker Valve recently hired an in-house economist to manage the interaction of their virtual markets (source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18456171).

The event was Storified using social media and the results are below (here’s a link for feed readers):

[View the story "edCampSeattle" on Storify]]]> Seattle’s first local edCamp occurred on November 17th, 2012 at SPU. Over 60 educators from public and private schools, non-profits and universities attended the event.

The event was Storified using social media and the results are below (here’s a link for feed readers):

]]> http://www.techwithintent.com/2012/11/modeling-collaborative-learning-edcamp-seattle/feed/ 0 http://www.techwithintent.com/2012/11/modeling-collaborative-learning-edcamp-seattle/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechWithIntention/~3/AkNLj2KMp7M/ http://www.techwithintent.com/2012/11/apple-distinguished-educator-2013-application-period-opens/#comments Thu, 01 Nov 2012 21:28:36 +0000 Jac de Haan http://www.techwithintent.com/?p=1003 Today Apple opened their application process for the Apple Distinguished Educator Class of 2013. The ADE program currently includes 1500+ international teachers who use fluency with Apple’s products to push the boundaries of education.

I’ve been stealing inspired teaching ideas from these two since the summer of 2008 – I guarantee you’ll walk away from the discussion with new ideas that can be implemented immediately!

I just published The Student Guide to iPads & iOS 6 to the iBookstore for free, in case other students/teachers find it useful.

Constructive feedback is welcomed, and please take the time to review if you find the information useful.

Thanks.

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For years now, my first class has been a discussion on the definition of technology. We use this word everyday but many of us can only give examples, not  a concise explanation. Technology is:

An object or invention created conciously by animal or human, changing the nature of something to make work more efficient or simplify life.

- 6th grade class in 2010

 Technology is the use of new knowledge to improve our lives by solving problems or making us more productive.

 - 5th grade class in 2011

Though my students have different answers year-to-year, we always focus on technology as a means of productivity, creativity, communication and identity.

For years now, my first class has been a discussion on the definition of technology. We use this word everyday but many of us can only give examples, not  a concise explanation. Technology is:

An object or invention created conciously by animal or human, changing the nature of something to make work more efficient or simplify life.

- 6th grade class in 2010

 Technology is the use of new knowledge to improve our lives by solving problems or making us more productive.

 - 5th grade class in 2011

Though my students have different answers year-to-year, we always focus on technology as a means of productivity, creativity, communication and identity.

We then jump immediately into the unintended consequences of technology – a conversation that illuminates our increased reliance on energy, on technology, and our loss of privacy.

This new ad is a great stepping off point for middle- and high-school conversations about both technology’s goals and its impact.