The Pursuit of Technology Integration Happiness

Mind42

2012-01-27T15:45:00.001-06:00

Mind42 (Mind For Two) is a website for creating mind maps and also provides the ability to work on them collaboratively for free. You can attach notes to the mind maps as well. You can also include images and links to outside websites as well. There is also a section where you can browse published mind maps and see what other people have done, how they have done them to "steal" ideas, and then possibly find one that you can use. If looking to complete mind maps or graphic organizers, Mind42 seems like a reasonable option. I wish I would have thought about this site when doing something related to How a Bill Becomes a Law.

Spaaze

2012-01-27T15:34:00.000-06:00

Spaaze is a virtual cork-board that allows you to easily collect, organize, and share information on an infinite space. The site reminds me of Wallwisher in many ways, but it is different because it is not completely free. You get up to 99 "points" for a free account and the points are deducted based on what you do with your cork-board. For example, creating multiple boards and uploading files will take away some of your free points and you can pay for more points. It is just $1.49 for 100 points in case you decide this is a site you want to use. There is also a subscription that is $3.00 a month. All items on a cork-board are free, so you don't lose points that way. So 99 is actually a lot of "Spaaze Points." You can learn more about the pricing HERE.

On the main page, you can see various demos that take you to an interactive version of various cork-boards that would be worth looking at. Here is a short informational video that someone created below. Spaaze also works on the iPad and there is a video that shares how that works as well.

Kicksend

2012-01-27T15:16:00.001-06:00

Kicksend is a website for easily managing, sending, and receiving large files and groups of files. The service will download and organize your files for easy usage. There is no requirement to sign up to receive files. Desktop applications allow you to easily send large batches of files. There is also an iPhone app as well which lets you send photos and videos to any of your contacts. A great additional feature is the ability to chat about the files you are sending in real time with other users. Give it a try if this is something that you find yourself needing to use.

SimpleMeet.me

2012-01-27T14:53:00.001-06:00

SimpleMeet.me is a simple online back channel web software that allows users to easily communicate on the web. Every visitor is provided a code to share with people they want to chat with. If someone has given you a code, you just type it in and access the chat area. It is very similar to other back channel services out there. Users can type in their name and if necessary a file can be uploaded to share with others involved in the chat. If required you can have a log of the chat emailed as well.

Museum of Obsolete Objects

2012-01-26T15:44:00.000-06:00

A Video Channel on YouTube is the Museum of Obsolete Objects which provides videos of objects we no longer use or that have become extremely out of date, like cassette tapes, and simple calculators. You will also find objects that are not obsolete, but that have been improved but still might be used, like a light bulb or Morse Code. In the "museum" you simply choose an object and it will show a video of it. It is kind of funny to see all these old and "great" technologies that we are no longer using.

At the same time, you can also submit your own videos. This would be a great project idea for technology education courses or even several practical living classrooms.

A sample video is shown below.

uWhisp

2012-01-26T15:36:00.003-06:00

Something a little different. For those of you that keep a Facebook page for your classroom or a Twitter feed, uWhisp is a site currently in Beta that allows you to record audio of yourself that can then be played back within the web browser. It currently requires Google Chrome for plug-in that needs to be installed in your browser. The plug-in also places a button in the text boxes of the social networks that you use.

uWhisp is really new that some of the links on the main page are not up and running yet, but I wanted to share what could be a look into the future of how we use Social Media to actually be vocally social.

You can watch the short video below to see how it works.

ScholarPRO

2012-01-26T15:27:00.002-06:00

Let's face it.; graduation is just around the corner for hundreds of thousands of Seniors and the cost of going to college is not getting cheaper (In fact, my graduate courses have gone from $500 in 2001, to $1350 in 2011). ScholarPRO is a website that touts itself as a better way to find and apply for scholarships.

First thing users do is fill out an informational sheet where students tell a little about themselves. Once the website has that information, they will review potential scholarships that match the information you provided. Students will then be able to apply for the scholarships online. ScholarPRO will manage your essays, recommendations, and transcripts, which makes applying to multiple scholarships very easy.

With all the information that students will be providing it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that students take a look at the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can learn more about their website and services HERE. You can also read more about the website at TechCrunch

ThinkBinder

2012-01-26T15:15:00.000-06:00

ThinkBinder is a web service that allows users, or more specifically students, to create a Study Group online. With the services, students can Discuss topics related to what they are studying. Students can also share videos, links, and other artifacts that would be useful to what they are studying. There is also a chat feature that has both text and video as a option. ThinkBinder also includes a collaborative Whiteboard to work on problems together. If you have files that go along with what you are studying, you can easily organize them in the cloud.

When you create your study group (For Free) you will be given a group code that you can provide to friends and members of your study group. This is how the group gets created. With all web based services, it would be a good idea to check out the Terms and Privacy Policy of ThinkBinder as well. Below is a short introduction video about the service that showcases some of the features.

Meet ThinkBinder from ThinkBinder on Vimeo.

SoapBox

2012-01-25T15:43:00.001-06:00

No, I am not getting on mine, but this new web/computer/mobile based tool/software could allow you and your students too. Currently in Beta for testing and allowing you to email to join, Soapbox looks to be the "do it all" back channel application for teachers.

You or students can create socially ranked questions where students can determine importance and that get updated in real time. Students can also participate in polls and respond to questions through a clicker type system. At the same time, students can mark whether they understand or are confused about something and the software updates real time. There is also an area for discussions where teachers can create topics and the can be discussed. Responses are anonymous, so there would have to be a level of trust and understanding between you and your students. Soapbox is not just an application for class time use. It can be accessed 24/7 therefore making it a lot more than just a back channel system.

From its website; SoapBox is a controlled digital space, designed to improve student engagement by breaking down the barriers students face when deciding whether or not to participate in class, and gives teachers a concrete assessment of student comprehension, in real time.

For more information, see the video below.

Just What Does it Mean to Integrate Technology - Part II

2012-01-22T20:55:00.002-06:00

In a recent post I asked the question: "Just What Does it Mean to Integrate Technology?" I have often wondered what that meant, especially since returning to the classroom. I remember when I first started teaching (JUST 9 years ago by the way) integrating technology meant anything that you plugged in was using technology, and none of the integration focused on student use of the technology and the idea of "Digital Natives" was a term not even in our vocabulary yet.

In 2012 more emphasis is being placed on student use of technology. I currently have a student teacher and she had ZERO classes that focused on technology in the classroom, at least from a Web 2.0 sense. There were classes that mentioned and showcased hardware, but not ALL schools have the hardware, but do provide access to the FREE software available on the web. I mentioned to my student teacher TinyURL, and she had never heard of it. It really got me thinking what else she had not heard of. It also got me thinking that if technology integration is going to be vital to teacher evaluations and student success, why are more universities not offering/requiring classes in the teacher education program? If student use of technology is going to be something focused on, future teachers need to know about a lot of it first, or AT LEAST be introduced to where they can learn and find out about the great tools out there. Twitter is a great starting point by the way!

Student use of technology also brings up an interesting aspect as well. Just what will we consider student use. As I mentioned in the previous post, several school districts consider just placing an assignment under a document camera and showing it to the class as "student use." Most of us with integration specialist experience know and will agree that is hardly "integrating" technology. But in 2012, is creating a simple Power Point student use of technology anymore?

Most students still use Power Point in schools because most teachers know how to use it. Since teacher education programs are not focusing on the new options, neither will the students because they won't be introduced to it, or because the teacher does not know about it, and therefore does not want the student using it. If students are still going to be using Power Point, then we should go beyond simple creation and require students to add music, add voice over and timing, video integration, etc.

When you think about student use of technology, we should be encouraging video and audio editing in projects. Students should record multiple aspects of a project and then work on editing them together. Students should be creating cartoons and comics and piecing stories together. Students should be taking the airliner in their hands and running presentations and drawing over worksheets and highlighting text. Students should be collaborating over the web and using tools to communicate with each other and the teacher about assignments.

Technology Integration is no longer just about the tools we plug in. It is about the tools in the cloud that are always plugged in and available for student use. So just what does it mean to have students use technology?

Mock Congress

2012-01-19T10:42:00.001-06:00

Let me start off by saying that this is a non-technology related post. This past week our government classes were starting their unit on the Legislative Branch. In years past I focused on comparing the two Houses and doing flow charts for How a Bill Becomes a Law. This year with the help of my fellow government teacher our freshman classes conducted a Mock Congress or a simulation of How a Bill Becomes a Law. I wanted to take a moment to share the experience with any fellow social studies teachers out there.

The first step for us was to have students create a bill that they think should become a law. Students came up with some really good laws and controversial ones as well. We had Bills related to immigration, abortion, same sex marriage, driving laws, education, etc. It was great seeing the students take something they had an opinion about and run with it.

The process for the simulation was to first split students up into political party's based on a political spectrum assignment that we did earlier. This allowed students to elect a Speaker of the House, Party Leaders, and Party Whips. We then had the Party Leaders assign students to 6 designated committees based on the Bills that the students wrote. While this was going on, the Speaker of the House looked at the Bills and decided which ones to pass on to committees and which ones to ignore.

In committees, Chairpersons were appointed by the Speaker of the House and then looked through the Bills. They had three options. Pigeonhole it which means not discuss it, send it back to Bill sponsor for changes, or discuss and decide whether to pass it on to the floor for a vote, or defeat it.

Once the Bills left the committee, the Speaker of the House will put them in the order that they will be discussed on the floor. As Bills were discussed on the floor and debated, the Speaker of the House would call on people in the order they see fit. For voting purposes, they could have a vocal vote, a standing vote, and roll call. We made sure to use all the different kinds. If Bills passed, they were sent to the President (myself and the other teacher). We would either sign off on the Bill or veto it. In every class we vetoed a Bill to allow students the opportunity to see that process and see if they could still pass the bill with a 2/3 vote. Every veto was never overturned.

After the experience was over students were still talking about it. We concluded the simulation by having students complete an On-Demand Writing assignment where they picked a Bill that passed or didn't pass and write a Senator or Representative from our state describing why they should consider the Bill or not consider one that did not pass. I also included the process for How a Bill Becomes a Law as an essay on the summative assessment.

Want to know more? Just comment and get in touch with me on Twitter. I plan on uploading all the documents we used to my school website in the future and linking the story from our district website when it is published. I also will get a picture from our local newspaper who I contacted about doing a story on the project.

It was a very rigorous and relevant assignment for our students and something we will do in the future.

Just What Does it Mean to Integrate Technology

2012-01-08T21:51:00.001-06:00

Here we are in 2012 and technology is a booming industry in education. SMARTBoards, Projectors, Document Cameras, Airliners, Clicker Systems, Video and Photo devices, iPods and iPads are invading classrooms all over the world. Teachers and students are being asked to use these new tools, with some having training and others being thrown to the wolves. But just what does it mean to integrate technology?

Does using a projector each day count as a teacher using technology? The pressure is on for teachers to focus on "student use of technology." But what does that mean? If a student places an assignment under the document camera to show to the class, is that student "using" the technology? Does holding a clicker remote really count for student use?

I use technology everyday, but getting my students to use it has been a struggle. I provide ways for students to communicate using technology, whether it is social media or text messages. I assign the occasional assignment requiring searching the web for information and teaching the students how to search properly. I use the occasional web 2.0 tool and encourage students to use it as well for projects. I am quickly discovering that using class time to work on a project in a computer lab is not the best use of class time. But because of technology limitations for many of my students, I have no other choice, which makes assigning projects using technology frustrating.

With teacher accountability changing all the time, where will technology integration fit into the equation? How will they measure a teachers ability to use technology and student use of technology? Then the big question, will it be measured at all? One would hope so considering how much money states and districts are spending on tools and personnel.

I firmly believe that if I was at a 1:1 school I would have much more success with integration. At the same time I know several teachers out there would struggle with a 1:1 program.

So the big question still remains....Just what does it mean to integrate technology? What are your thoughts?

An Art Teacher's Blog

2011-12-13T12:16:00.001-06:00

So my cousin is graduating from college, has passed her PRAXXIS and is becoming an Art teacher. It prompted me to share a blog with her that the Art Teacher at my school is doing with the hope that it will encourage her to do the same with her students. Then it got me thinking, I haven't shared the blog that the Art teacher is doing with his students with anyone who reads this blog. This just goes to show that integrating technology is an opportunity for all.

On his blog, Art Studio 1169 (which is the classroom number for his room), he shares videos, lessons, information, Apps, and samples of student work related to what he is teaching. It is truly a great example of how teachers can easily integrate technology and Web 2.0 into their classrooms. I recommend viewing and sharing with the Art teachers in your school and in your district, and then encouraging them to take this next step.

You might also notice that the title of the Blog is also the hashtag on Twitter that he created for his Art class. He truly has embraced Social Media in his classroom.

Putting Ed Tech Into Practice - Social Media on Paper

2011-12-06T12:39:00.001-06:00

I teach Government for the next 12 weeks. We were starting our investigation into the Constitution and for one of the assignments I had my students take the Preamble of the Constitution and transform it into a SMS, Tweet, and Facebook Status.

For the SMS, students were required to change the text as if they were to text it to friends and texting existed during the Constitutional Conventions.

For the Tweet students had to try and shrink the text to 140 characters. Surprisingly students struggled trying to do this and keep it in the 140 characters limit. I also explained and had them include hashtags that would have been used if Twitter existed.

For the Facebook status, students had to act as if they were participating in the Constitutional Convention and update their friends on what was happening with the Constitution and their thoughts on how it would impact/change the United States.

I found an image of a SMS bubble that you normally see on an iPhone, created my own Twitter update box, and also cut and pasted a Facebook status update. Some students got really creative with their Facebook statuses and even included the "location" for where they were.

Surprisingly, the buy in to the assignment was not as I expected. I am coming to the realization that students I teach have not been exposed completely to using technology outside of the classroom and it is a tough adjustment for them. The interaction online with the blog and Facebook is not nearly the percentage that I thought it would be, and I think a lot of that has to do with students not being comfortable with it and not having exposure to it. I think it also has to do with the fact that I teacher freshman. I feel that upperclassmen would probably have more experience and be more open to using it in and outside the classroom.

I am using the Remind101 website for SMS reminders for students, and I do have 5 times as many students signed up during this 12 weeks.

I think I am coming to the realization that the concept of "Digital Natives" might not be as broad as some people might say. I also know that it is on me as well to figure out how to adjust and encourage use by my students. Something that I know I need to work on and will figure out as time goes on.

Anyone else integrating technology for the first time, more specifically social media, experiencing struggles? Anyone having great success, if so, what are you doing that is working for you?

Back to the "Blogspot"

2011-12-06T12:17:00.001-06:00

Well, when I originally purchased the domain http://edutechintegration.com I checked to have my yearly payment for the domain automatically deducted. Apparently it did not work and subsequent emails letting me know it did not work never got to me. Because of this, I have had to revert back to http://edutechintegration.blogspot.com.

My plan was to contact GoDaddy/Google and get my domain name back, but a subsequent visit to my domain has revealed that someone else has already taken it. Talk about a quick turnaround of those companies.

I have updated the Feed for any subscribers if you are still interested, you can re-subscribe. Going back to the classroom has been difficult in terms of keeping this blog up to date. Hard to find time with teaching, coaching, and being and husband and father of two young children.

Any links that I have embedded to my own blog within posts will no longer work since the domain has changed. It is way to much trouble to go back and try to edit all those, so you will just have to add "blogspot" if you are really interested in seeing any of those posts, at least I think that will work.

Sorry for any confusion. I hope that I might be able to regularly post in the future as I get adjusted to everything. Thanks to everyone who has been and continues to be a loyal reader. Hope that everything is going well for you.

Putting EdTech into Practice - Movies in the Classroom

2011-11-05T09:55:00.002-05:00

Most administrators will tell you they hate when teachers show movies in the classroom. For the most part I agree with them. Movies and videos can play a valuable role in the education process and can be an important aspect of a teachers strategy in providing lesson material to students, as long as teachers are doing it correctly. Recently, I decided to show a video in my geography classes that I thought did a great job of showcasing a point that I was trying to make in class.

We we watched a video about North Korea that did a great job of showcasing absolute dictatorships and extreme isolation. You can see the video by National Geographic HERE. I ran into a snag early on and it was blocked on YouTube for some reason. But being the resourceful person that I am, I checked my Netflix account, and found it. FYI, if you don't have Netflix, you might think about it; they have tons of videos and movies you can stream online in the classroom. Especially for elementary teachers.

The video was about 50 minutes long. In previous years of teaching, I would have asked my students to stay awake and pay attention and we would discuss the video when it was over. This time, I did something different. I had students divide a piece of paper in half and on one side they wrote North Korea and on the other they wrote the United States. As I played the movie in class, I would periodically stop the video to discuss the scene and contrast what they were seeing in North Korea with the United States. It was a great experience seeing students all turn their heads and start writing on their paper at the same time. At the conclusion on the video we discussed it, and then I had them write for 5 minutes their personal thoughts about the video and life in Korea. They had tons of questions as well.

This was probably one of my most successful lessons this year. The students were engaged in the documentary video and I only had one student out of all my classes that I had to get on for falling asleep. I even turned the video into an extra credit opportunity by asking students to comment on my classroom blog about it over the weekend. I also used the video the next day as a bell-ringer assignment asking my kids to list 5 things they could not live without and discuss them. We then discussed this as a class.

Here are some other resources for movies and documentaries. Remember, it is not the movie that is important...it is HOW you use the movie that is important.

Movies in the Classroom - Provides permission slips and movies by subject matter
Movie Sheets - A collection of worksheets that go along with movies - Remember to stop the movie and allow students to write down the correct information.
Mathematics in Movies - A great option for math teachers.
Top Documentary Films - Free documentaries
Movies Found Online - A resource for free movies and documentaries.
Free Documentary TV - Free documentaries

How how could/do you use movies in the classroom?

Thinglink - Make Images Interactive

2011-10-29T11:19:00.001-05:00

Thinglink is a website that allows users to make their images interactive and tag them with links, information, video, sound, and other features. There are several great ways that teachers could use this on a website or blog. Images are an integral part of teaching for most of us. Thinglink would be a great way to take your pictures to the next step and allow students to interact with them.

In all subjects you could link to more information related to a certain aspect of an image. Science teachers could do this for parts of a cell for example. Social Studies teachers could take an image, or even a political cartoon and show video or discuss the image using the audio feature. This really takes images to the next level in the classroom.

For more information, see the video below.

A Cleaner Internet

2011-10-29T10:09:00.002-05:00

A Cleaner Internet is a browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. The concept is simple; it removes all the clutter from websites that we use everyday, especially YouTube. There are plenty options out there that can do this, but with Internet Filtering in schools, it is a good idea to know all your options.

WordStash

2011-10-29T09:37:00.000-05:00

WordStash is another option in the Web 2.0 software that allows users to create Flashcard based study guides and then use the list to study, play games, and share words with friends and students. WordStash allows users to also add images to their flashcards, or create flashcards based on images. This could be useful for special education students, foreign language classes, and especially science and social studies.

One feature noted on the front page is that WordStash uses Science Based Learning to calculate the most efficient time to study using a spaced repetition algorithm. The software can also save words you look up in the dictionary.

You can create an account for free or view list already created by other users. One of the games is waterfall, where you have to type in the correct answer before the definition or image disappears at the bottom of the screen.

Here is a short tutorial that someone created that might be worth checking out.

Boxify.me - Simple File Sharing

2011-10-13T18:32:00.000-05:00

Boxify.me is a website for file sharing for groups. A simple and easy way for teachers to share files with students and different classes. Also provides a way for students to share files for group projects or with teachers. Each "box" has a private URL. The people that you share your "box" with can upload and download files to/from that the "box." You can customize the URL for the "box" as well.

3 New Web 2.0 Resources

2011-10-13T18:26:00.001-05:00

Brief.ly is another option for grouping links together into one set. You can insert up to 3 dozen links. For each link you provide the URL and a caption. For your list you can create a Title, a Description, Table of Contents, and a custom URL. You can embed links in tabs and use the real titles as an option as well. Once you are finished you can provide the link to students and they have the websites that they can use for a project.

Wormwall is a website that allows you to easily create a simple web page in minutes. Create online flyers, fan pages, publish writing, etc. It makes it easy for students to publish online content and share with teachers, other students, and the world. It is easy and requires no "tech stuff." Most of the HTML processes are done for the user.

Let's Pocket is a cross platform website that allows users to easily organize information and take notes easily. You can add notes via SMS messages or through the website. You can customize the look and add tags as well as arrange notes in a fashion that meets your needs. Let's Pocket provides a quick and easy way to "jot down those things of importance," by jotting them down electronically.

Free Rice - End World Hunger

2011-10-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

I have heard of this, but never really looked at it till recently. Free Rice is a website where people can answer simple multiple choice questions and for each one that is right, 10 grains of rice will be donated to help feed the hungry. Questions get easier if you get it wrong and get harder if you get it right. You can choose from various subjects, including Geography, English Vocabulary, Mathematics, Foreign Language, Chemistry, and Humanities.

Students can create an account and track their progress (under 14 requests a parent email). This would be a great way to provide extra credit based on number correct or number in a row correct. Teachers can create groups as well and students can join them. Have a rival school? Create a group for each school and see who can get the most grains of rice donated; would be a great homecoming activity and good publicity.

Have extra time in the computer lab? Have students answer questions and help fee the hungry at the same time. Imagine the impact if every teacher would do this across the country every time the opportunity presented itself.

You can follow Free Rice on Facebook as well.

Trello - Organization and Collaboration

2011-10-13T17:32:00.001-05:00

Trello is a website that allows users the ability to collaborate on projects and organize who is working on what within those projects. If you have students working on a long term project, this would be a valuable tool for them to use to stay on task. With the growth of PLC's and schools seeking accreditation or meeting standard requirements, this would be a good way for principals or superintendents to track the progress of projects designed to meet those standards.

Trello organizes your projects into boards and in one glance you can see what is being worked on, who is working on it, and the progress that is being made. It would obviously take some training, but in time, could be a great way to organize projects. For more information, see the video below.

Quixey - App Search

2011-10-13T17:24:00.000-05:00

It was only a matter of time before a search engine dedicated to Apps became available. Quixey provides you just that capability. You can search for Apps on various platforms: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Facebook, Web, and others. As more schools adopt wireless devices in their classroom, finding an App for student and teacher use could be beneficial. Quixey would be a valuable tool if looking for an App to use in your classroom. You can watch the video below to learn more.

CogniFit - Brain Fitness

2011-10-13T17:14:00.002-05:00

CogniFit is a website for improving memory and brain fitness. CogniFit Brain Fitness "lets you explore your brain, assess your cognitive skills, train the abilities that are important to you and gives you an efficient mind training. You will instantly know how fit your brain is and what can be done to boost it. You simply start by taking a quick assessment that will show you where you stand. You can compare yourself to your family, your friends and the rest of the world and even decide what you want to specifically improve in your life."

Based on that assessment you will learn what your strengths and weaknesses are and focus on those. CogniFit would be a valuable tool for Psychology and Science classrooms to use in their classrooms. You might also look at using this for students who struggle with certain aspects of learning. Have extra time in the computer lab? Let students use Cognifit instead of search the web for games, or use Microsoft Paint.

You can connect with Facebook or create an account. To watch videos about the program and the science behind it, see the videos on their About Us Page.