New Year's Resolutions

Each year I try to have a personal New Year's Resolution and one for school (some may call that work).  This year my school resolution will be about how to better use technology in the classroom.  Although we use it every day, there are always better or more effective ways of integrating. 

My newest challenge is to get the kids CREATING!  I have gotten better recently, but now that I am a little more comfortable with it, my goal is to make sure the kids "create" something at least twice a week.  I want to make sure they also have some choice involved in what they create.  Here are some things to remember when planning for technology integration...

• It doesn't have to be perfect.  Remember that your goal is not the technology as much as getting them to begin building their own knowledge.  For example, if they use Funny Movie Maker to have Teddy Roosevelt talk about the Panama Canal or the Spanish-American War, then don't worry if the video isn't perfect as long as they have the content.  If the time spent on the technology component outweighs that of what you want them to learn, then the technology integration isn't going to be worth it.  
• Make sure you give the students very specific directions, time limits and expectations for the finished product.  When kids have a time limit, they will stay more focused on the assignment.

Here are some tips to coming up with your own technology New Year's Resolution...

Which way is the right way?

 

• Look at what you are already doing with technology in your classroom or in your life.  
• Think about different things you could add slowly.  For example, do you have a little calendar you carry around with you?  Try starting a Google Calendar, but don't abandon the calendar you carry around until you feel comfortable with your online calendar.

• Whatever level of technology integration (whether school or life) you are currently on, just take baby steps.  If you go from very little integration to full blown BYOD, you are going to overwhelm yourself and give up.

• Don't reinvent the wheel.  There are lots of lessons, activities and apps out there that are just waiting for you.  Don't feel like you need to create new lessons for everything you do.
• Learn to adapt to this digital world, but learn how to make the digital world adapt to you as well.  Find a lesson that you like and adapt it to suit your level of comfort.  Is there a lesson that is written for full integration?  Take some components out, print some handouts, or have the kids work in groups on one computer or iPad.

Final words...

Don't put too much pressure on yourself, but accept that the world is changing and it is changing fast.  You need to be willing to be a little uncomfortable and make mistakes in order to grow.  

What device did you get for Christmas?

Did you get an iPad, Kindle Fire or a Samsung Tablet?  Is it a family device or does everyone have their own? 

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

My children each got an iPad 2 for Christmas, I already have an iPad 2 (I'm on the lookout for an iPad 3), my husband has a Motorola Xoom and a Samsung Tablet as well that he uses for work.

If you have an iPad, how should you handle the iTunes accounts for multiple users?   

Here is a website that will help you manage one account and several devices.  You are only legally allowed to have five devices attached to one iTunes account.  My daughter got her first iPod touch when she is in elementary school.  It was a no-brainer...everything was managed through my iTunes account.  I needed to have control over that account.  (In the terms of service, it states you much be 13 to have an account.)  Now that she is in ninth grade, I think she needs to have an iTunes account of her own.  It is a simple transition.  She still has all of her music on her iPhone, but is now purchasing music and apps with her own account.  If she got a new iPhone and wanted to transfer all of the music to her new phone, it is a little more complicated.  We will cross that bridge when we get there!  My son is in middle school and this is his first Apple device.  I thought it would be a good idea for him to go ahead and start with his own account.

In this BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) day and age, what apps should you start your kids with?  

 

• First and most important, I recommend a gmail email account.  They will be able to use Google Docs and the G Drive with this.  G Drive allows you 5 GB of space for free.  It is also a great idea to get them going with a Google calendar.  You can link Google Calendars together so it is easy to keep up with everyone's activities.
• If you teach your child or student how to use the G Drive, you will not really have a need for Dropbox.  If you aren't using Google or G Drive, then Dropbox is another option.  It allows you one GB of space.
• The last option I would suggest is Skyfire.  It is also free and works with an app called OneNote.  I have recently downloaded this and I like it, but I do not have a lot of experience with it, so I can't give much advice on this one.
• Note-taking-  I have three apps that I really like, but I am starting my kids out with two.  The first one is Evernote.  This is a great app and program.  The thing I LOVE about this program is that it is Account Based and not just Device Based.  What I mean by this is that your account can be accessed from any device or any computer.  You can also "share" notes or notebooks with other users and you can email notes directly from the account.  This would make working on anything collaboratively a breeze.  It also will hold any type of file from Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint and even Audio files.  You can do audio recordings and you can take pictures from Evernote or upload pictures from your camera roll.  The BIG DEAL about Evernote is the ability to access it from anywhere.
• The second note-taking app that I love is Notability.  Notability has several functions that I find valuable.
• Create Notebooks-  Notability allows you to create different notebooks to keep all of your notes organized.
• Import documents- You can import PDF's and the write on them or label something.
• Import a Web Clip- Import a section from a website to a note.
• Import a picture- Import a picture from your camera roll into your note.
• Write in a magnifying glass- At the bottom of the note, you can write larger then with the click of a button it will be in your note in much smaller writing.
• Audio Recordings-  You can do Audio Recordings to go with the notes you are writing or typing.
• Change the type of paper.  You have the choice of different colored paper, lined paper or plain white paper.
• Best of all- Export to Evernote or Dropbox!
• One app that I have not tried, but would like to is Penultimate.  This works a lot like Notability, but it is developed by the Evernote company so should work pretty easily with Evernote.
• Kindle-  This is a must!  Begin to get as many books as you can through Kindle.  This is a great way for kids to learn how to read more deeply into their books.  They can take notes while they read and highlight important parts.  They can even search for key words or phrases.  If they run across a word they don't know, they can click on it and get the definition.
• Browsers that allow Flash- As many of you know, Apple does not support Flash so there are several things that you can't see or use on the iPad.  Puffin, Photon, Swifter are all browsers that allow some Flash content to be played.  It doesn't always work flawlessly, but you can at least view what you need.
• Whiteboard-  There are several whiteboard apps, but I am starting my kids with Whiteboard and Skitch.  Whiteboard is a great app that allows iPads to connect through a wifi connection.  Kids can then work on the same drawing or problem at the same time.  Skitch is a whiteboard app that easily connects with...EVERNOTE!!! 

These apps should get your kids started and get them going if there school is a BYOD school.  If not, these will be great apps to get them going to go between home and school.

Good luck!

Say Goodbye to Your Flash Drive!

It has never been easier to save all of your files than it is today.  I have tried three different programs; Dropbox, Skydrive and Google Drive.  Here is a brief description of all three...



Dropbox has a free version that allows you 2 GB of free space.  This actually a lot of files, but if you need to save a lot of videos or pictures, you will end up needing more space.  The Pro version allows you 100 GB of space, but at a pricey $9.99 per month.  You can log on to Dropbox from any computer or device and there are apps that give you instant access to your files.  You can also download Dropbox to your computer and save files directly to it.




Skydrive works the same way, but you get a huge 7 GB of space for free as opposed to Dropbox's 2 GB.  You can also use Skydrive with Microsoft OneNote and you can share files with other email address.

Google Drive is another great option.  If you have a gmail account and happen to do a lot through your Google Account, G Drive is the way to go.  You get 5 GB of space for free and you can add another 25 GB of space for $2.49 per month!  Like Dropbox and Skydrive, you can download G Drive to your computer and save directly to your G Drive rather than saving to your computer and then uploading. 




Bottom line, if you need to back up anything from any of your apps on your iPad or iPhone, then you should go with Dropbox.  If you like to organize your files in notebooks with OneNote, then Skydrive is your best option.  If you have a gmail account and use Google Docs, Blogger, or any of the other 100's of Google Applications, then G Drive is not only the best option for your money, but will be the best way to access and share any of your files.

New apps I am going to try from Appsfire...

I like to go on to Appsfire at least once a week to see if there are any new apps that have Gone Free.  Here are the newest ones I am going to try...

Image PDF (Regularly $2.99)-  This will allow you to turn images to a PDF.  Why is this a great idea?  I have had instances where my students have taken a screen shot of something and then tried to write on it.  This works in some apps, but not others.  Sometimes, their writing will disappear and end up behind the image.  By converting it to a PDF, they will be able to write on top of the image.




Magnifying Glass (Regularly $.99)- Uses the camera and makes it a magnifying glass.  This would be handy for science experiments.





Typing Class for iPad (Regularly $.99)-  This is a great down time activity.





Some things to always be on the lookout for...

Math Games
Vocabulary Games
MS Office programs
Interactive Science Apps
Reference Apps
Movie Editor
Note Taking Apps
Drawing or Whiteboard Apps
Presentation Apps

Small group technology...

Dedicated to Gina Gullo...Great chat today!

What if you only have five devices in your classroom?  Where should you start?


My first suggestion is to set up Evernote accounts.  Evernote is account base not app or device based so you can log onto your account from any device or computer.  This works on Kindle Fires and iPads.  I would recommend doing this one of two ways.

• Have parents set up the account for their child.  Most school systems have policies about children having accounts, especially if they are under 13 years old.  By doing this, you are asking parents to set up an evernote account for their child and you are not doing it for them.
• The second option is to set up several gmail accounts that only you have control of.  For example:  mrshuss1@gmail.com, mrshuss2@gmail.com, etc.  Then your Evernote Accounts need to match the email address.  By doing this each child does not have their own account, they just have access to that particular group account.  You will need to make sure you send home a letter informing parents of this account.

 Now most anything you do on your device can be sent to the Evernote account and then accessed from a different computer or device.

The next app to get is Skitch.  This is a whiteboard app that syncs directly with Evernote.  You can upload pictures into it and then label it or you can take a photo with your device and manipulate it.  This is good for maps or something you would like the kids to label.  For example, we made an edible cell with a cookie and different types of candy.  The kids uploaded the photo of their cookie cell into their ipad and then they labeled the cell.

I would also highly recommend Edmodo.  This is a website where the kids will need to have an account, but you do not have to have an email address attached to it, so you can set them up for the kids as long as you have permission from parents.  You can upload assignments or ask discussion questions on this site.  The students then log in and can either submit an assignment or answer a question to a teacher post.  They can then comment on each other's posts.  You can also set up smaller groups.  Let's say you have one group of kids reading Maniac McGee.  You can create a group for just the kids that are reading this book.  They simply enter the group code and they can answer discussion questions.

The next app I think is a great one to start with is called Socrative.  You would need to download the Socrative app on the devices and set up a teacher account online.  Once you have set up your account online, you will be given a "room number".  You can create a quiz using their template or you can give questions orally and have the kids answer.  You can do short answer or multiple choice.  When you are done, you can download the report or even have it emailed to you.  All of the answers will come to you in a spreadsheet.  The quizzes can be teacher paced or student paced.  When you complete an activity, the student will be given the option to hand the device to another student.  Since you can get to Socrative on any device or computer, you could have some kids on the iPad or Kindle Fire and some on the computers.  For example, let's say you have a guided reading or strategy group.  After you have met with them, they will get the Kindle Fires or iPads and log into Socrative to do their "quiz".  Now you can meet with your next group.

The final app or website I would suggest is either the PBS app or www.discoveryeducation.com (If your school system subscribes to United Streaming).  You can assign short videos for students to watch to help illustrate a math concept or watch a science experiment or even a documentary on an event from history.





The thing to remember is to add things slowly.  You may not get the use out of the devices you would like at first, but that's okay.  You need to set your procedures up and start slowly.  Kids will think they know everything there is to know about the device they are using and you will find that they think they know better than you.  You need to be very specific about your expectations and the consequences of not following rules and procedures. 

iTunes University

I learned something new...



Thanks to Cathleen Richardson, I have learned how to create a course in iTunes University and send it to my students.  Tomorrow will be the first time I try it with my students.  I created two courses; one for social studies and one for math.  I can't wait to see how well it works.  I am anticipating one problem, but I think I should be able to solve it relatively easily.

In an iTunes U course, you can write out the information they may need to start the unit and then you can attach specific things to an assignment.  For example, if I want them to use a video, a document and then have them use Notability to complete the assignment, I can attach all three, including the app!  It seems like a great way to set up a unit and lays it out nicely.  The students can even take notes within the course.  The only thing you can't do is have them submit anything to you from within the course.

Stay tuned...

http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/

Generation iY

I am obsessed with this book!  I have a much greater understanding for the kids that I am teaching because of this book.
http://www.savetheirfuturenow.com/


Generation iY
Time Elmore
Chapter 2, Page 17 of 208

"I saw a master sailor at work in January of 2010. when I was part of a team that trained youth workers in Egypt. During our stay in Cairo we got into a sailboat for a tour on the Nile River. It was interesting to watch our guide navigate his way down the river. He struggled at first, attempting to figure out which way the winds were blowing at the time. Once he did, some turns were fast, and others-not so much. It was work. Twice he stopped to rest, and we almost drifted into the banks of the river. Needless to say, he stayed quite busy-but he did get us there."

If the wind is this new generation of young people, in our world here in Cobb County, who represents the master sailor and who represents those that are the passengers in the sailboat?

I believe that whoever you personally represent in this story, the feelings are the same. No matter how experienced you are, the winds are always changing and we need to be willing to adjust "if we have an hope of taking our society where it needs to go." (Elmore, T. p17)