October, 2011

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The Future is Here: Take Advantage of It

A Principal's Reflections

'At New Milford High School we have begun to leverage technology that many students possess. This has led to a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative, where students are encouraged to bring in their mobile learning devices, which include cell phones or personal computing devices (laptops, tablets, iPod Touches, eReaders, etc). Students that bring their own computing devices have the ability to connect to our secure wireless network.

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Why Diigo Rocks!

The Web20Classroom

'Recently, I was asked why do I use Diigo for my social bookmarking tool. The more I thought about it the more I needed to write about all the great features Diigo is not just for regular ol'' users but has some great features for educators too. First, what the heck is Social Bookmarking ? Most people are familar with favorites or bookmarks in their browser.

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Top 10 Signs Your School Is Caught in a Time Warp: List for School Leaders

The 21st Century Principal

'Ian Jukes, Ted McCain, and Lee Crockett write in their book Understanding the Digital Generation , "Schools have not recognized the changes that have occurred in the world around them and have continued to teach as if it were 1980." In the spirit of David Letterman, here''s my "Top 10 Signs Your Schools Caught in a Time Warp." A list for school administrators. 1.

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QR Codes Part 1: What are QR Codes?

SpeechTechie

'I am excited to do a few "theme" series on SpeechTechie that will explore topics and strategies in more depth, as I did with Glogster EDU. To that end, over the next month we will be looking at QR Codes, a hot topic and emerging technology in education. What are QR Codes, you ask? Well, you probably have seen them already and wondered, "What the heck are those things???

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Quickly Create Personalized Learning Experiences that Work

How can we actively engage learners 24/7, on their level and according to their interests, while respecting their learning styles? It’s not impossible. In this guide: Explore how to transform traditional, one-way videos into two-way interactive learning experiences Understand different types of artificial intelligence (AI), including - Generative vs.

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5 Can’t Miss Mobile Learning Resources

The Mobile Native

'Guest Post for BrainPop Mobile Learning Integration via @kylepace If you are looking to integrate iPads and iPods into your classroom curriculum, this is the site for you! It has an entire section of apps that work well in the classroom. It also has user guides, pod casts and a user agreement. Another great aspect of this site is that it highlights tips and tricks for use in the classroom.

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Crafting Quality Teacher Professional Development

EdTechSandyK

'Photo by catspyjamasnz Used with permission under a Creative Commons license I''ve been thinking a lot lately about educator professional development. As an instructional technology specialist, I have the privilege of helping my colleagues grow in their knowledge and implementation of technology in the classroom. This happens in a myriad of ways. In just the last few weeks, I have taught planned sessions to groups of teachers, I have made one-on-one appointments to assist individuals with speci

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Bring On The Text Messages With @ClassParrot

The Web20Classroom

'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.

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Class Size Does Matter

The 21st Century Principal

'Most of us are well aware that our students all have brains that are wired quite differently. The idea that students all learn the same way and that their brains can take in learning the same way is an assumption of a 20th century factory model of education whose time of demise has come. According to John Medina, in his book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, here''s some things that can be done in our schools to make learning more effective in a cl

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Steve Jobs, Visionary. 1955-2011

SpeechTechie

'I distinctly remember my first computing experience. My dad, the head of a public school "Library/Media" department, brought home an Apple ][ (2), and I was instantly hooked. The Apple computer offered a relatively user-friendly experience for the early 80s, and I quickly learned how to switch out floppy discs, endure the machine''s unforgiving "BRAAAAAP" sound that occurred when said discs caused an error, and enjoy games such as "Lemonade Stand" and " In Search of the Most Amazing Thing.

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Creating 21st Century Classrooms

wwwatanabe

'Teching it Up K-12 -- Success Stories, Part 3 In Part 2 of "Teching it Up K-12 -- Success Stories," originally presented at the Arizona CIO/CTO Forum 2011 , we focused on developing a learning culture through peer coaching. In Part 3, we focus on 21st century learning, blogging, and PLN. Pedagogical Shift There is a pedagogy shift happening in our district.

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Can Brain Science Actually Help Make Your Training & Teaching Stick?

Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape

The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.

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Building a Personal Learning Network (PLN) Using Social Media

EdTechSandyK

'On October 13th I''m helping facilitate a breakout session at the TCEA Fall TECSIG meeting. The theme of the session is Social Media & PLNs , so I prepared a Prezi (my first ever; please take this into account if you peruse it below!) which provides an overview of how my PLN has been built over the past couple of years. Although meant as a visual aid for my presentation, I tried to put enough detail into the Prezi so it could stand somewhat on its own.

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Simple Idea, Huge Impact

A Principal's Reflections

'Recently we have been brainstorming ways to motivate students to begin thinking about college at an earlier stage while in school and believing that it is an attainable goal for everyone. One idea suggested by my two new guidance counselors (Michelle Harle and Rebecca Chabrow) was to host an event during the school day that would help us achieve the goal stated above.

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What Is Innovation Anyway?

The Web20Classroom

'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.

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21st Principal's Top 10 Web Tools for Administrators

The 21st Century Principal

'If you''re looking for some tools to put into your digital, administrative toolbox, or if you''re looking for Web tools to teach to an administrator, here''s my top ten that I use during the course of my job as a school administrator. Evernote : I''ve posted about this one many times, but it often is the first application I open in the morning. As I''ve said before, I use it to create my Weekly To-Do List and my Daily Administrator Log.

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Reimagining Chickering & Gamson's Principles Post-Pandemic: Technology's Central Role in Modern Edu

This white paper examines and proposes revisions to the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" introduced by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson in 1987 for today's technology-driven world.

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Check out Pediastaff and Pinterest for Halloween (and many other) ideas!

SpeechTechie

'Pinterest is a site that is creating a lot of excitement. It is basically a spin on social bookmarking and allows members to create "Pinboards" (like a cyber bulletin board) of resources you find on the web. The site is very visual and facilitates sharing of ideas by searching other Pinboards and "repinning" items others have highlighted. The site is starting to be popular with SLPs and other therapists who are sharing items, most notably PediaStaff.

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When the dam breaks.

Learning with 'e's

Publication of research is one of the most important facets of academic life. I can't stress enough how important it is for good research to be as widely and swiftly disseminated as possible. Without it, our practice is less likely to be informed, and more prone to repeated errors. As a researcher myself, I take this challenge very seriously. Along with other educational researchers, I attempt to identify key issues for investigation and then spend considerable time and energy examining as much

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Grow a Learning Culture through Peer Coaching

wwwatanabe

'Teching it Up K-12 -- Success Stories, Part 2 In Part 1 of "Teching it Up K-12 -- Success Stories," originally presented at the Arizona CIO/CTO Forum 2011 , we focused on the importance of a learning-centric vision. Our focus for Part 2 was developing a learning culture through peer coaching. Serving others through Peer Coaching With all the professional development needed to sustain one-to-one, PBL, 21st century learning, and individualized instruction, we turned to the Microsoft Peer Coaching

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Instructional Upgrade

A Principal's Reflections

'With the first month of the school year in the books, I am extremely pleased with how more staff members are embracing educational technology and effectively integrating a variety of tools into instruction. At New Milford High School we clearly articulate that technology is a powerful tool. Together, with a sound pedagogical foundation, these dynamic 21 st Century tools have the ability to assist in transforming learning environments where students are engaged and excited to learn.

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Behind the Bell: The Underlying Impact of Tardiness in K-12 Schools

Managing a K-12 campus with constant pressure to meet performance metrics is challenging. And tardiness can significantly limit a school from reaching these goals. Learn more about why chronic lateness matters, and key strategies to address the following impacts: Data errors caused by manual processes Low attendance and graduation rates that affect a school’s reputation Classroom disruption, which leads to poor academic performance High staff attrition and “The Teacher Exodus” Unmet LCAP goals t

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Can Passion Cross The Line?

The Web20Classroom

'Today I spent some time talking to a education related company, offering feedback on their various products and their social media presence. First, kudos to them for bringing in teachers and other educational professionals to have open and honest feedback about what they are doing right and a little about how they could be better. And here is where I am at a crossroads.

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If Only My Class Were a Video Game…Game Design for the Classroom

The 21st Century Principal

'How many times have classroom teachers pondered statements like, “If my students engaged in learning like they do video games…” Lots of teachers have decided that learning can''t resemble video games and to try to do so cheapens the content. But there are a growing number of researchers out there beginning to earnestly ask the question, "Is it possible to design learning to resemble video games?

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QR Codes Part 8: Wrapping Up! More Ways to Use QR for SLPs

SpeechTechie

'This series has been really fun to write, and I appreciate all the feedback! It''s been busy here with all this content- November will be a little slower! I have several presentations scheduled and have to start writing evals! This final post (for now) in this series deals with a bunch of ideas on how to use QR as suggested recently by some SLPs and other educators.

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Silver and gold

Learning with 'e's

Today my wife and I celebrate our silver wedding anniversary. Those 25 years have flashed by, and like most couples we have had our ups and downs, but I wouldn't change any of it. Our marriage has been the golden age in my life. I want to thank Dawn for all her support, love and commitment to me over those years. She has given me three beautiful children, and has always been by my side through good times and bad.

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The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

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Been Thinking About CTRL+F & Technology Basics

EdTechSandyK

'I read an article, " Why Don''t We Teach Kids How to Use CTRL+F? " a couple of days ago and it reminded me of two things: We make a lot of assumptions about what people know about using computers. No matter how much we know, there are always some basic fundamentals that we don''t know. Technology has too many facets for anyone to know everything. For instance, did you know that CTRL+F is a key combination that works for searching a web page or document in every standard web browser and in Offic

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#Rockstar Meme: 1 Year Blogging Anniversary

wwwatanabe

'I was recently invited by an amazing woman, Joan Young, to participate in the #Rockstar Meme -- How Blogging Rocked Your World. This is such an honor, and the timing couldn''t be better as I celebrate my first year anniversary of blogging. Why blogging? Blogging helps me reflect, process, and focus, which provides clarity. I think in brainstorms, adding ideas and eliminating others as I rule them out.

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New Posted Resources 10/11/2011

The Web20Classroom

'How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement tags: twitter favorite Cyberbullying: An International Perspective | DMLcentral tags: cyberbullying favorite Tony Vincent''s Learning in Hand - Project Based Learning tags: pbl projectbasedlearning mobilelearning mlearning favorite What Does "Technology Integration" Mean? | Edutopia tags: technology integration technologyintegration favorite Everything I''ve learned about podcasting over the last four years tags: podcasting podcasts fa

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10 Possible Ways For Administrators to Use Diigo

The 21st Century Principal

'Like Evernote, Diigo is one of those powerful Web applications with a myriad of features. With a premium account, the versatility of this Web tool expands even more. The question of the day for me is this: What can Diigo do for me as an administrator? I have seen various resources on the Internet describing its classroom uses, but how are those features useful in my role as an administrator?

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The Roses and Thorns of an LMS Strategy: How to Flourish with the Right LMS

Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions

The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.

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QR Codes Part 3: Mobile Scanning Apps and Demo

SpeechTechie

'So in this, Part 3 of my series on using QR codes to deliver engaging messages, stimuli and visuals to students during sessions, you''ll get to see what it looks like when you scan a code with a mobile device. Check out the video here: So, that video pretty much sums it up. The app I used there (for iOS, iPod Touch w/camera, iPad, iPhone) was Scan , and another I have used successfully is RedLaser (both are free).

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Always asking questions

Learning with 'e's

Always asking questions. That's how children learn. They wonder about something and ask a question. Why is the sky blue? Where did I come from? (Are we there yet?) Parents of small children will tell you that sometimes, the incessant 'why?' questions their kids ask drive them mad. When children arrive at the school gates, do teachers encourage them to keep asking questions?

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Qualities of Leadership

EdTechSandyK

'Whatever your role in education (or any other profession), you are probably a leader of someone. The leadership role may be formal, such as that between a teacher and students or between a superintendent and district staff, but it may also be an informal role as well. Perhaps you are the teacher in your grade level who is most innovative with technology or you are a content area specialist who consults with educators on an informal basis.

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Teching it Up K-12 -- Success Stories, Part 1

wwwatanabe

'We see districts who have an established learning culture, and their classrooms are filled with authentic learning experiences. How did they get there? Our story Jon Castelhano and I have the privilege of presenting at the Arizona CIO/CTO Forum 2011 on October 6th. We are going to share how our district closed the door on the 20th century and opened 21st century student-centered classrooms.

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Building the Foundation for a Modern K-12 Classroom

K-12 looks different these days. But one thing remains the same: you need a reliable learning platform that serves as the foundation for teaching and learning––for all students, in a variety of learning experiences. Discover how the Instructure Learning Platform supports today's K-12 classroom through: A central, consistent, connected hub of the digital learning environment.