Tech the Holidays

Over the weekend, the leaders of SEPACT held a session called Tech the Halls.  Brandon Lutz and Brooke Mulartrick lead the organization to a sharing that was held for SEPAECT.   This organization has been working to share ideas with other tech loving teachers in such a way that the use of new tools will assist in student centered learning.

I want to thank everyone that attended the session and shared tools that will assist in instructional practices.
That is what the holidays are all about:  sharing new toys!
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Enjoy learning about new information!
Mentimeter--track answers in real-time

KanBan2go--create a to-do list that can be shared with others

Goorulearning.org it is a search tool for lessons, resources, quizzes- it’s great for finding content for teachers.

Slide speech- narrate your Powerpoints - create a PPT and then type what you are going to say in the comment section... upload

Readwrite in chrome browser will add a full set of tools for Google Docs... vocabulary and dictionary and more. It is an extension for Google Docs and can be added to Chrome. Play Pause and Stop buttons... reads and can translate... great for ELL.

Chrome Brower tools: You can go to the Chrome store and add information to your browser.

8 Annotation Tools Teachers should Have

8 Annotation Tools Teachers should Have

Professional Learning Networks

A professional learning network is a place an educator can go to for resources, content, support and overall educational relationships that will build their own learning. I have learned so much from online communities as many that are a part of the community are willing to share information or how they completed a task to make it easier for you.

I can compare online communities to a child's preschool class. Picture some three year olds  playing by themselves for a little bit until a new person comes. Then without fail  one child will go to another child, "Look what I have! Do you want to play?" Before you know the whole class is engaged in the new toy and sharing news, toys, and other information about themselves. All the information is helpful and because you go to these sites fellow teachers from all over the world will share information. A few that I enjoy following are as follows:

Flat Classroom Project Vicki Davis and Julie Linsday   (May have to be in the classes to join the ning)
Educator PLN    Thomas Whitby
The Future of Education Steve Hargadon
Google Reader
Teacher 2.0   Steve Hargadon
Microsoft Partners in Learning

Check one out or share if you have found a new one!! There are many communities through conferences too so keep on looking and you will see new ideas coming into your inbox!

Comment and share the new communities that you find!

Find out more of Teaching Standards

Inquiry Research

While attending the iNACOL Conference, I found that most of the sessions were built around research.  The presenters were sharing their findings and how the research affected their way of thinking, instructing, and planning.

This year our staff will be sharing in this experience of completing an inquiry research and gather data to assist in finding information on any "wondering" they may have.  My question is to find out if I help engage staff in different forms of professional learning will it assist them in extending their own professional development?  Therefore, I have a few willing participates to help me find this information and share different professional learning to them throughout the school year.

I will use this blog to share out information but also reflect on my own thoughts during this research!
It will be a fun ride!

Who is ready to join me:)

Opening Opportunities

Recently I took a course that pushed me further into understanding the tools for Power Point.  I have to say I never really was trained on how to use this resource expect uploading some text and a picture.  Through this opportunity, I have learned to make my presentations more interactive, exploding with information, and a way to share all information with different groups of people.

Now that I have completed this task, I am looking forward to taking the Word and Excel exam to further my knowledge for those tools.  Again, I know from working in the Microsoft products but working through the ITAcademy has given me new ways of utilizing these tools!

I would highly recommend learning these tools as it will help you work more effectively in planning, presenting, and reflecting on any presentation!

Where For Art Thou Portfolio???

As all educators look for a way to secure data from their students, teachers need to think of ways to capture their own data to support their instruction. It seems like an simple idea, but collecting data will be challenging for teachers that do not know how to.  What data should I gather?  How much do I need?  When should I start and end the collection?  Why is it important to gather?

First the idea that collecting data for grades only needs to be revised just a bit.  Education needs to be a more well-rounded, real-life experience in order for students to thrive in a global economy.  Yes we need students to remember certain facts and show ways of comprehension, but could grades only be based off of the paper and pencil assessment; absolutely not!

Second, we can look at Bloom's Taxonomy and how we need students to analyze, evaluate, or create to gain a deeper understanding for any content of study.  This is where the search for thou portfolio comes into play.  With all new technologies, gathering data and reflecting on ways to do this task is easier than ever.   The need to gather writing samples, projects, math journals, pictures, problem solving steps, and more in a portfolio can show more than a quick snapshot of a written test.  If schools could develop a way to have the portfolios travel with students could even get a bigger picture of how a student learns, thinks, and creates.

Now how would that be for real-life experience!  Using project-based for learning which in turns changes the way students graduate, pick a college, and career.  Education could be more then “Open your mind so I can pour the info in it.”  Education  could be “Lets work through ideas for find the best solution.”

Lastly the use of portfolios is not a new idea; however, I think the idea of real-life experiences is becoming a buzz word in education which makes the use of a portfolio ideal.  Students, teachers, administrators  and even parents should keep all student information in one place so when they graduate they have a link that demonstrate their growth as a student since kindergarten!  I can see the commercial now by Google:)  I better trademark my idea before it gets out!