Above & Beyond

Smile!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

You've done it! You finished the course! And in the words of that great philosopher, Dr. Seuss:

You're just beginning a career that truly is one of the most important in the world. Take it seriously, but never take yourself too seriously! Begin each day with a "thank you" and end it with two questions:

1) Did I do my best today? and
2) What will I do tomorrow to make learning more engaging and more relevant for my students?

My wish for you also comes from the great poet, Dr. Seuss:

I appreciate the effort you have put into this course. I've learned from you, and I hope you've learned about technology and the critical role it plays in the lives of students and teachers today! Teaching and learning are forever changed by technology! And technology will only get better, faster, cheaper, more powerful, smaller, more affordable and more available!

Best wishes to you as your continue your education. Never stop learning! Here are some of my final thoughts in an interactive glog.

PLNs: Learn More. Do More. Be More. Pass It On!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:12:00 +0000

If you've been around educational technology for more than a few minutes, you've seen the name Kathy Schrock. In fact, I know you've seen it several times during this course. Kathy has been involved in technology for a very long time. In fact, she started a Facebook group called "Digital Pioneers."

Recently retired as technology director for a school system in Massachusetts, Kathy is continuing to put her experience and knowledge to good use with her web resources, presentations, slideshows and webinars.

If you ever get a chance to hear her in person, get there early and grab a seat near the front! Meanwhile, check out her blog and other resources. Here's one of her recent webinars: Connecting Your Classroom to the Future: Predictions and Predicaments. You'll enjoy her sense of humor, her presentation style and her ability to help you keep up to date on current trends and technologies.

Why You Should Begin Your Own PLN by @a

Kathy is part of my PLN, my Personal Learning Network--a group of people I've "collected" and "connected with" from around the globe via Twitter, email, Facebook, blogs and RSS. They are people I learn from every day, and because of them, I can share more things with you. I connect with people who think like I do, but I also learn from people who "think different" and help me look at things in new ways. I learn from people in education, but also from others in business, sports, entertainment and publishing.

We used to learn from our classmates, our friends, our families and--in teaching--our colleagues in the next classroom. But technology enables us to connect with people from around the world. Our best professional colleages and collaborators may be people we have never met in person!

It's time to start building your own PLN. Why? Because you'll be a better, more confident teacher and your students will benefit from that! How? Here are some resources to get you started:

Live Social Media Counts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:32:00 +0000

You think your life is busy? Look what's happening on the web right now!

Sharing Is Good

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:38:00 +0000

We learn to share early in life....but only recently are things beging produced that are truly designed to be shared. In this video, Michael Jones talks about open content, Creative_Commons and the importance of sharing in today's world. He tells you how to find resources that are free use and designed for you to share.

The History of Technology in Education

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:24:00 +0000

So you think overhead projectors are old school? The history of technology in education goes back much much farther than that. SMART Technologies developed this short video history (so you know it will include SMART boards), but it ends with a very interesting question!

You Say You Can't Do Technology?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:07:00 +0000

I hope that's not the case! For some of you, this course has been easy. For others, however, it's been more of a struggle. So why bother? That's a question posed by Scott McLeod in his Dangerously Irrelevant blog.

from Scott McLeod

Excuse 1: I don’t see it as teachers spurning technology, or choosing not to take advantage of those new ideas and tools. I think most teachers don’t even realize that there’s a decision to be made. It’s not a matter of choosing the red pill or the blue pill… if you don’t know that there are even two pills available as options.

… A teacher that has never heard of Blabberize or Glogster or Prezi, has never been introduced to the new world of online applications that are available to them. They likely don’t follow blogs or listen to podcasts. They have probably never been to an EdTech conference or seen a TED talk. In short, they’re just ordinary, average educators who aren’t aware that there’s a whole other world that they have easy access to… if they just ‘take the blue pill’. (Steve Dembo)

Excuse 2: The fact of the matter is that there exist a very large number of effective educators that are simply not able to contribute in any significantly recurrent amount to online discussion. All told, it’s not that they’re incapable of participating and it’s not that they’re unwilling. Rather, this group maintains perceived silence online because their professional priorities prohibit them from spending the time or energy required to provide plausible contribution. (Darren Draper)

Read what McLeod says in this blog post, "We can't let educators off the hook!"

Which side am I on? Guess! Remember my favorite quotes from that interview with Heidi Hayes Jacobs?

Regarding technology, you have to show me how it’s good for kids

not to use technology. Not using available technology is like going to a doctor who says, “Oh, I’ve heard of Xrays.” It’s not okay. The first issue is not your comfort. It’s a no-brainer. These kids are in the 21st century. The question isn’t whether, it’s how.

Teachers need to grow beyond their habits. Doctors take an oath. They don’t say, every September I am going to give you my favorite medicine whether you need it or not. Would any parent take kids to a doctor using techniques of the 70s and 80s? It’s not okay.

Survival Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:28:00 +0000

The course is almost over, but your learning about teaching and technology is just beginning. My friend and colleague, Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology for the Mankato, Minnesota Public Schools, has written a book I'd highly recommend to you. It isn't expensive and it is full of great ideas and practical advice to help you---well--SURVIVE! It's the Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide, available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions.

In the book, Johnson "offers concrete advice on creating high-quality project assessments, handling the potential distractions technologies may cause, and managing issues of safe and appropriate use. He also answers basic questions about computers, software, and networking and outlines practical ways to use computers, the Internet, and digital cameras in the classroom environment."

Read the reviews on the Amazon page and see what other educators think of the book. Johnson's experience and expertise are evident in all of his work--as is his sense of humor. To get an idea of his style and content, check out his Blue Skunk Blog....including "15 Educational Experiences My Granddaughter Won't Have." You can also read some of his other articles here.

It's Not About the Tools...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:47:00 +0000

Here's a great webinar about some terrific tools for education. Steven Anderson presented this free webinar several months ago, and Simple K12 is making it available to all for free through this recording.

In the webinar, Anderson shows 30 great tools. Some of them were mentioned in the textbook and your assignments. Some were included in the challenges. Some of them you may not have heard about before, but they are all worth taking a look.

This webinar is definitely worth 50 minutes. And check the bottom of the webinar page for a link to some more free resources from Simple K12.

Webinars like this one are super ways to keep up with what's new and to learn from other teachers. You are responsible for your own professional development. What do you need to know? I'll bet there is a webinar or website or online tutorial or and app for that!

When You're a Teacher....Learning Never Ends

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:58:00 +0000

Here's an opportunity for you to learn more about technology, teaching and learning. Join hundreds of other educators from around the world for one or more of these 24-hour round the clock sessions on April 25-26. Yes, right after the final exam!

Here's a few of the sessions:

Using Your iPad to Make Movies on the Go!
Publish a Book as a Class Project
Picture This: Grabbing Attention with Talking Pictures
Digital Writing: Collaborate, Reflect, and Publish
Be the Change You Want To See In the World
Dos and Don'ts for Creating Good Presentations
Using Google Maps for Virtual Journeys

Hunger Games & Slideshare

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:17:00 +0000

Hunger Games, as you know, has become extremely popular, and with the movie playing to sell-out crowds, more and more young people will be reading it.

Teacher-librarian Cathy Jo Nelson, Dorman High School in Spartanburg, SC, developed this presentation to encourage her high school students to read more. Because she can't always reach every student in their classrroms or when they come to the library media center, sharing it on Slideshare allows students to access it from any computer and she can embed it in her blog or on her library media center webpage.

Better than that, others can use her good work....like me....and YOU!

After the hunger games trilogy slideshare3

View more PowerPoint from Cathy Nelson

Free Ebook

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:15:00 +0000

I thought some of you might be interested in this free ebook. Just enter your name and email address, then confirm and download. It's a PDF document with some good stuff! Did I mention it is free? Did I mention I adore teachers who share what they know and do!?

I Told You So....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:17:00 +0000

Remember earlier in the semester when I said I was sure you will have etextbooks and online teaching in your future if you're going to be teacher?

Discovery Education is making the etextbook part come true for science teachers already. Discovery Education’s new “Techbooks” expand on an instructional delivery model that Discovery launched for K-8 science in 2010. Much more than just digitized versions of static textbooks, the Techbooks include videos, embedded assessments, and other interactive features that leverage the power of the internet, the company says.

Florida is one of the states that Discovery is targeting. "Built from the ground up to address Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, Discovery Education SCIENCE TECHBOOK is the new primary instructional resource for Florida’s elementary schools. Dynamic, interactive resources support the 5E model of instruction and capture digitally native students’ attention. Coupled with a real-time assessment component that measures students’ progress, it recommends individualized resources that reinforce classroom instruction."

Read more about Techbooks and see some samples of the content. Pretty impressive.

Utah's Developing eTextbooks!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:32:00 +0000

Utah's Office of Education has announced plans to develop open online textbooks for language arts, science, and mathematics. The press release also reveals that early pilot programs were able to provide 3,800 high school students with science textbooks at $5 each, a drastic savings from the average of $80. (--via EdSurge)

Do you think there will be ebooks in your future? For sure!

By the way, I've been very impressed with the state of Utah's web presence. Take a look!

photo credit: nikkorsnapper via photopin cc

Don't Copy!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:37:00 +0000

You heard about TurnItIn during the FLVS webinar. It's a tool for detecting plagiarism that FLVS teachers use. UCF also uses TurnItIn. Why? Because with the web, copy and paste sometimes takes the place of original writing and critical thinking.

The TurnItIn folks recently completed a study related to plagiarism. You can see the details in this infographic and, if interested, download the whole report. Be sure to see the bottom with ideas for combatting this growing problem.

Things That Inspired Me Today

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:18:00 +0000

I read all three of these today, and they each inspired me and made me think about teaching. I hope one or all will inspire you or make you think about teaching and learning in a different way. Enjoy!

BONUS: Characteristics of 21st Century Teachers

April is....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:29:00 +0000

...the end of the semester!

...the month for showers that bring May flowers!

Yes, but it's also School Library Media Month!

None of you have said you'd like to be a school librarian, but all of you will soon wotk with a school librarian. What do you know about what they can do for you as a teacher? Maybe this video will give you some ideas:

One of this year's events was a video contest for students. The wilnners will be announced on April 17 but until then, take a look at all of the submissions on the School Library Media Month 2012 SchoolTube channel.

Yes! Your school library media specialist (librarian, media specialist, teacher-librarian) can be your best friend. Next time you're in a school, go visit them and see what services they offer for teachers!

April is also National Poetry Month. Check out all the resources and activities in which you and your students can participate. ReadWriteThink has some good ideas and lesson plans, too. And poetry doesn't have to be limited to English or language arts class! Check out these poems about computers and this collection including:

Yesterday

(if the Beatles were computer geeks)

Yesterday,

All those backups seemed a waste of pay.
Now my database has gone away.
Oh I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly,
There's not half the files there used to be,
And there's a milestone hanging over me.
The system crashed so suddenly.
I pushed something wrong
What it was I could not say.

Now all my data's gone
and I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay.

Yesterday,
The need for back-ups seemed so far away.
I knew my data was all here to stay,
Now I believe in yesterday.

Oh, and then there's The Computer Ate My Homework! Any poets in the class?

So putting these two celebrations together, library media specialist Diane Cordell offers "Picturing Poetry" with her photographs illustrating selected poems. Enjoy!

Picturing poetry

View more presentations from Diane Cordell

File Student Work Virtually with Your Phone!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:02:00 +0000

From MakeUseOf

Keeping examples of student work is important in documenting student achievement. You want to be able to show progress--to the student and his or her parents.

Often teachers find it problematic to manage the huge number of student assignments and quizzes they get. At times like parent-teacher meetings, pulling out a student's quiz from a big stack can be time-consuming. Here to help is a tool called Three Ring.

Three Ring is a free to use smartphone application that offers versions for Android as well as iOS devices. The app helps teachers organize the quizzes and assignments of their students by taking pictures of the papers and then uploading those pictures online. When teachers upload the images, they can tag them and sort them class-wise. When you want to find the image, simply log in to the service and use the tag information to pull the images.

Features:

A user-friendly phone app.
Compatible with Android and iOS devices.
Lets you store student's work online.
Lets you tag photos you upload for easy browsing later.

Check out Three Ring @ www.threering.com (by MOin from Thumb Press)

Teaching with the Times

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:42:00 +0000

Did you know that many newspapers offer free teaching materials? One of my favorites is the New York Times. Check out their teacher resources and ideas for helping students learn more about the Titanic.

The Time's Learning Network provides teaching and learning materials and ideas based on New York Times content. Teachers can use or adapt lessons across subject areas and levels. Students can respond to Opinion questions, take News Quizzes, learn the Word of the Day, try Test Yourself questions, complete a Fill-In or read Poetry Pairings. Check out the resources in the right hand column of the Titanic page.

Check with local papers as well as national news outlets to see what they can provide for your classroom--and maybe for your final project!

Blooming All Around

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:17:00 +0000

You haven't seen the last of Bloom's Taxonomy! Several people have looked at online tools and mobile apps in light of Bloom's taxonomy.

Digital Blooms by Mike Fisher, 2009

See the full sized illustration and links to tools at every level at the Digital Blooms wiki.

new version of this taxomony was added 11/09 based on the top 25 tools for learning professionals (2009).

The Visual Blooms wiki looks at some of the tools and the levels of the revised taxonomy at which they might be most appropriate.

The University of Southern Indiana has created this tool for using technology with Bloom's Taxonomy. Each image is hyperlinked to the tool to which it refers.

Kathy Schrock looked at Google tools and Google Apps specifically and assigned each to the appropriate level of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Sylvia Rosenthal Tolisano looked specifically at iOS apps and Bloom's Taxonomy in her blog. Links to the tools at each level are included in her post.

Geeks Just Want to Have Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Is everything on the web true? Not today, for sure!

Over the years, Google has pulled some pretty good pranks! Check them out!

Enjoy these techno-pranks! And check out this video of people's response to a computer prank!

And remember: 23 days before the course is over. No joke!

photo credit: Great Beyond via photopin cc

Must Read!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:42:00 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gforsythe/5619576492/

You've got to read this article by Dr. Joyce Valenza and watch and listen to the videos by Heidi Hayes Jacob. Love it! Love it! Love it!

My favorite parts:

Regarding technology, you have to show me how it’s good for kids not to use technology. Not using available technology is like going to a doctor who says, “Oh, I’ve heard of Xrays.” It’s not okay. The first issue is not your comfort. It’s a no-brainer. These kids are in the 21st century. The question isn’t whether, it’s how.

Teachers need to grow beyond their habits. Doctors take an oath. They don’t say, every September I am going to give you my favorite medicine whether you need it or not. Would any parent take kids to a doctor using techniques of the 70s and 80s? It’s not okay.

Can't wait for part 2!

Mobile Learning: Data Made Visual

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:17:00 +0000

Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly. Take a look at the infographic below and then think about these questions:

What is the most surprising fact that you discovered from this infographic?
Do you agree with the statement that today’s students “are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach”? Why or why not?
Would you consider yourself to be a “digital native”? How do you compare to other digital natives with respect to the way(s) you use mobile devices?
Classroom technologies have come a long way since the end of the 19th century. In your opinion, what is the most important educational technology ever invented? Why?
Many students and teachers around the world have found mobile learning to be very successful. How has mobile learning impacted your own education? Give examples.

Via: Voxy Blog

An Interactive Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:40:00 +0000

Generally, you listen to a podcast. Passively.

But here's a neat experiment in which you can participate in the podcast and see how others have responded. A different story every time! Very clever! Take a look (er, um, listen).

How could you use something like this in your classroom?

Me Manifesto by kiohero

10 Tech Skills Every Student Needs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:03:00 +0000

Time to take stock of what you know about technology. You're a student. And you're going to be a teacher, so you definitely need these skills AND you need to be able to teach them. Reflect on what you already know and use some of the resources provided to learn what you need to know!

The list and resources are from David Andrade, a Physics teacher and educational technology specialist in Connecticut. He is the author of the Educational Technology Guy blog, where he reviews free educational technology resources for teachers, discusses ways to use technology to improve teaching and learning, and discusses other issues in education. Educational Technology Guy is another of the blogs I have on my must read list! This article orginally appeared in the Technology & Learning blog.

1. Internet Search - students need to know how to do a proper internet search, using search terms and modifiers. This skill is needed for school, work and life in general.

Tips on Better Searches (from Google)

Infographic on Better Searches

Common Craft Video on Web Search Strategies

2. Office Suite Skills - students need to now how to create, edit, and modify documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. Businesses still use MS Office for the most part, but iWorks, OpenOffice / LibreOffice, and Google Docs are all getting more popular. They all work similarly so the learning curve when switching isn't that big.

Alternatives to MS Office

Free Alternatives to Paid Software

3. Self learning of tech and where to go for help - knowing how to search a help menu on software or hardware, where to go to find user forums for help, and where to find the manual for technology is a huge skill that many do not know about.

Free Tech Tips and Help

TechEase - technology tips

Online Tech Tips - hardware, software, and more

Tech Support help

4. Typing - yes, typing. I can get much more work done since I know how to type, then people who don't. It's a skill that is necessary for any kind of writing.

Learn to Type

5. Social Media - how to properly use social media for school and work, how to protect yourself on it, the issues of cyberbullying, connecting with others in your profession (PLN).

Twitter, Google+, Facebook comparison

Twitter, Facebook, RSS, Email, Google+ - tips on use

Facebook and Google+ security and privacy

Common Craft Video on Social Media

Create a Personal Learning Network

6. Netiquette - Internet/Email/Social Media etiquette - proper way to use the internet, write professional emails, use social media in relation to your job (not complaining about the boss).

Netiquette - Wikipedia

7. Security and Safety - antivirus, spam, phishing, too much personal information sharing, stalkers, and more are all issues they need to know about.

Internet Safety Resources

Google Family Safety Center

Google Good to Know online safety and internet data

Common Craft Video on Secure Passwords

8. Hardware basics and troubleshooting - knowing what different parts of technology are called, how to make minor fixes, and how to do basic troubleshooting for WiFi, networks, OS won't load, etc.

Free Tech Tips and Help

TechEase - technology tips

Online Tech Tips - hardware, software, and more

Tech Support help

9. Backup data - with all of the data that students create for school and work, it is important to back it up and have access to it at any time.

Backup your Data - tools and resources

Google Takeout - export your Google data

10. Finding apps and software - how to find, evaluate, and use apps for school and business. Also, how to find quality, free alternatives to paid software, apps and services.

Quixey - Search engine for apps

Free Alternatives to Paid Software

Google Apps Resources

Free Apps

On device apps/software vs. web apps

SmartPhone Experts - apps, reviews, tech tips, and more for all smartphones

What do you think are the top tech skills students need to know?

Bonus:

11. Copyright and Citing Sources - students need to understand copyright laws and rules, how to cite a resource, and how to integrate someone else's work into their's properly.

Taking the Mystery out of Copyright

Citation Help

photo credit: Duke Energy via photopin cc

photo credit: timatymusic via photopin cc

Technology Integraton: The Digital Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:32:00 +0000

I found this graphic recently. It was created by Susan Oxnevad for a presentation at the Illinois Computing Educators Conference. The focus of the presentation was on the many ways teachers are integrating technology info learning environments. The fact that the tools are digital means that they can be offered to and used by students anywhere, anytime.

I wanted to share it with you for several reasons. First, it encompasses many of the things we've covered in this course from the perspective of real classroom teachers who are successfully using technology to improving student achievement. Second, it is a great example of a teacher developed graphic and teacher-developed presentations. Next, it shows how generous teachers are sharing information--not just at conferences, but through blogs and social media with anyone interested no matter where they may be. Finally, it is a good example of using Thinglink--one of the tools in your challenges--to present information in a non-linear way.

The author says:

How to use this interactive graphic: Click on the small circle next to Slideshow to view a linear presentation of the big concepts OR click on the small circle associated with each idea to view more information and find resources on my wiki.

Susan has an excellent blog that I follow and a terrific wiki on webtools. Check out her collaborative projects, too.