Of the 12 "blog promoting" strategies presented in class, there were only a few that I have not utilized: TwitterFeed, ePals, YouTube (BlogRoll), and RSS Feeds. One strategy I chose to incorporate for the final class assignment was to add a Twitter feed to my blog. This was relatively simple using Twitterfeed. Now everytime I post to my blog, my Twitter account auto-generates a tweet containing the title, description, and link to my latest post. Adding a Twitter feed seems an efficient way to promote one's blog. I am now basically posting in two places at once.
The second strategy I chose to increase blog traffic was not one of the strategies presented in class but one that I stumbled upon while exploring the many settings options of my Blogger account. (I hope this is okay, Dr. Dunleavy?) From the Blogger Dashboard I chose the Settings link. On the Settings tab, I chose the Email & Mobile button. The very first section of the Email & Mobile page is entitled Email Notifications. In this section there is a white text box beside of the words BlogSend address where you can enter a list of up to 10 email addresses to which your blog will be emailed whenever you publish. I chose 10 teachers from the schools I serve who I know are interested in iPods/iPads and Web 2.0 to be on this email list. If a teacher on the email list chooses to "Follow" my blog, I will remove him/her from the email list and add someone new. Of course if someone asks to be removed from my blog email list, I will certainly do so.
The project of creating a blog has been extremely useful toward my overall professional development as an educator. Not only has this project given me an outlet in which to document my professional activities and share integration ideas with others, it has also expanded my personal learning network enormously by putting me in touch with other technology integrators via their blogs, Twitter, Classroom 2.0, etc. I have discovered many new and useful Web 2.0 tools, numerous educational apps, countless tips and trick for using iDevices...the list could go on and on. I truly feel that as a result of this class and the creation of my blog, I have moved into the world of Web 2.0 and evolved from being not only a web consumer but a web producer/contributor as well.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Below is an excerpt from a recent post on the iPads in Education Ning entitled, Do iPads Have the Capacity to Change Education? I encourage you to read the entire posting, but I thought the following excerpt was spot-on:
"In her study of how technology is used in industry, Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff has identified two distinct phases in the way new tools are implemented. She calls them "Automating" and "Informating". In the Automating stage, new tools are used to reinforce existing practices and processes. We see this stamped all over the educational space. Smartboard use that reinforces existing frontal teaching methods. Digital content replacing paper distribution. Technology that speeds the efficiency of existing standardized testing. The essence and character of traditional educational practices however hasn't changed. It's still "business as usual" in most American schools.
The second phase of a tool's implementations - "Informating" as Professor Zuboff calls it - involves the re-imagination of processes using the new technologies. Instead of focusing on making existing processes more efficient, we start to look at entirely new methods and goals. We are in the infancy of that stage in education. In the Informating phase, educators reevaluate goals, visions and processes:
- We see a society that values skills such as critical thinking, communication and creativity over the rote memorization of content. After all, the vast majority of content can be easily accessed within seconds on most mobile devices.
- We value new literacies such as informational literacy that enables students to access, filter and evaluate the evolving mass of content now available.
- We recognize an emerging global society where development of collaborative skills far outweigh traditional demands that students sit still, listen and work only on their own.
- We understand and value the use of text as a means of conveying information but also recognize that alternative medias are the language of new generations and their use needs to be encouraged in schools.
- We feel the empowerment granted by new technologies and their ability to move us from frontal delivery of content to involving students in discovery based and interactive learning practices."
"In her study of how technology is used in industry, Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff has identified two distinct phases in the way new tools are implemented. She calls them "Automating" and "Informating". In the Automating stage, new tools are used to reinforce existing practices and processes. We see this stamped all over the educational space. Smartboard use that reinforces existing frontal teaching methods. Digital content replacing paper distribution. Technology that speeds the efficiency of existing standardized testing. The essence and character of traditional educational practices however hasn't changed. It's still "business as usual" in most American schools.
The second phase of a tool's implementations - "Informating" as Professor Zuboff calls it - involves the re-imagination of processes using the new technologies. Instead of focusing on making existing processes more efficient, we start to look at entirely new methods and goals. We are in the infancy of that stage in education. In the Informating phase, educators reevaluate goals, visions and processes:
- We see a society that values skills such as critical thinking, communication and creativity over the rote memorization of content. After all, the vast majority of content can be easily accessed within seconds on most mobile devices.
- We value new literacies such as informational literacy that enables students to access, filter and evaluate the evolving mass of content now available.
- We recognize an emerging global society where development of collaborative skills far outweigh traditional demands that students sit still, listen and work only on their own.
- We understand and value the use of text as a means of conveying information but also recognize that alternative medias are the language of new generations and their use needs to be encouraged in schools.
- We feel the empowerment granted by new technologies and their ability to move us from frontal delivery of content to involving students in discovery based and interactive learning practices."
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
iPod Enthusiasm
Last week I had the privilege of teaching an iPod Touch/StoryKit lesson to a class of second grade students. It was such a rewarding and uplifting time! Working with these students really made my day. I started the lesson by using a document camera to demonstrate basic iPod Touch uses and features such as the home screen, search screen, volume control, swiping, entering text, etc.
I then demonstrated how to use the StoryKit app. I showed students how to create their own digital book by adding new pages, entering text, and drawing pictures. I also showed them how to include a title, author, and book description for their creation.
Once the direct teaching/demonstration portion of the lesson was complete, the 16 students worked together in pairs to construct a digital story book using their weekly spelling words. The students took turns entering text and drawing pictures while collaborating on their story. They were so enthusiastic and engaged with this project. No one complained, misbehaved, or refused to share, and their finished products were exceptional. At the end of the lesson, we used StoryKit's built in email feature to email the students' digital books to the teacher, who will in turn email the books to the students' parents. We all had a great time, and the students learned several new skills in the process.
I then demonstrated how to use the StoryKit app. I showed students how to create their own digital book by adding new pages, entering text, and drawing pictures. I also showed them how to include a title, author, and book description for their creation.
Once the direct teaching/demonstration portion of the lesson was complete, the 16 students worked together in pairs to construct a digital story book using their weekly spelling words. The students took turns entering text and drawing pictures while collaborating on their story. They were so enthusiastic and engaged with this project. No one complained, misbehaved, or refused to share, and their finished products were exceptional. At the end of the lesson, we used StoryKit's built in email feature to email the students' digital books to the teacher, who will in turn email the books to the students' parents. We all had a great time, and the students learned several new skills in the process.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Web 2.0 Resource - Tripline
Came across a Cool Web 2.0 resource today. It is similar to Google Earth only simpler (in my opinion) and web-based:
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Videos for Parents
A second grade teacher with whom I am working has decided to use the class iPod Touches to record the students' upcoming "Famous Americans" presentations. The students will be giving a speech to the class dressed as the Famous American they chose. I will then take the videos from the iPods and create a DVD for parents. The kids and parents will be very excited!
On another note, for all of you Dr. Seuss fans, here is a link to iPod Touch/iPad apps of Dr. Seuss books. Some are free and some are paid.
On another note, for all of you Dr. Seuss fans, here is a link to iPod Touch/iPad apps of Dr. Seuss books. Some are free and some are paid.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
iPad/iPod syncing, updates, maintenance...who should handle this task?
On a recent weekend I spent eight hours at home “off the clock” updating and syncing iPod Touch devices for one of the elementary schools I serve. This is not a task that I can complete at the school as I have appointments and other responsibilities scheduled during my one day of the week at this location. In addition there are bandwidth and infrastructure constraints which make downloading and updating nearly impossible on site. When I attempt it, the connection times out, can’t be made, or generates an error.
Being an ITRT in my school division poses unique challenges. ITRTs balance both instructional and technical responsibilities and tasks. The main job of the ITRT is to provide training for teachers on the integration of technology into classroom instruction and on the use of administrative applications. On the other hand the ITRTs handle technical problems as well. Each ITRT is paired with a technician, and together the two serve the instructional and technical needs of three to four schools. ITRTs work with technicians to prioritize and complete technology work orders as needed. Personally I enjoy the technical aspects of the job.
The technical/instructional issue has reared its head recently as a result of the numerous iPod Touch and iPads being purchased and implemented in the division. As anyone who has worked with an iDevice knows, they require a good bit of time to maintain, sync, and update. Even with the Bretford carts/cases, time is still a major factor. If an OS update is needed, you can expect about one hour per device to update, and it’s a “one-at-a-time” undertaking.
So here is my question. Who should be assigned the task of updating, maintaining, and syncing the iPod Touches and iPads? Should this responsibility fall to the ITRT who can also work with the teacher to suggest apps and ways to integrate the devices in the classroom? Should this be the job of the technician who addresses all things technical anyway? Should teachers be trained to manage the devices themselves since they will be the ones using the equipment day in and day out or is this too time consuming to ask of educators? I’m very interested in your thoughts and advice as my division moves forward. Thanks!
Monday, March 28, 2011
3-Tier Collaborative Math Planning
This past week I took part in a 3-Tier Collaborative Planning workshop designed to facilitate the integration of iPod Touch devices in math classrooms at the middle and high school level. The three "tiers" represented were the regular ed teacher, special education teacher, and ITRTs. Each of the district's secondary schools has been given anywhere from two to ten iPod Touch depending on the number of students in the building with IEPs. There is also a class set of 17 devices available for checkout from the special ed department.
The event began with an overview of apps that are currently downloaded to the iPods. Three-tiered groups then had the opportunity to browse, research, and download apps that we felt addressed specific SOLs in the math curriculum that proved to be a challenge for students. I worked with two fabulous seventh grade teachers during the workshop, and we came across the following apps that we felt would be useful in seventh grade math:
Basic Math (free) - drill and practice
Number Line (free) - ordering/comparing decimals, fractions, and percents; drag the decimal, fraction, or percent to the correct spot on a number line to order from least to greatest (I've mentioned this one in a previous post too.)
Portion Platter (free) - visualize fractions; interactive
Brain Tuner Math (free Lite version or $2.99 version) - similar to Brain Age games; thought this would be good for a math warm-up each day
Geometry Combat ($0.99) - challenge game with a cage-fighting theme; great for students who like competition; you even get to trash talk a bit (There is also an Algebra Combat app.)
Hot Potato Basic Math (free) - practice up on basic skills; individual and competition modes
Our 3-tier teams were asked to spend the afternoon planning a lesson that integrates the iPod Touch in a meaningful way (or two). My team integrated three apps into our lesson: BrainTuner, Scribble Lite, and Portion Platter. The lesson was designed to address math SOL 7.1: TSW compare, order, and determine equivalent relationships between fractions, decimals, and percents. The lessons are being posted on the district's course management system for sharing with other educators. In my opinion, it was a worthwhile, productive day!
The event began with an overview of apps that are currently downloaded to the iPods. Three-tiered groups then had the opportunity to browse, research, and download apps that we felt addressed specific SOLs in the math curriculum that proved to be a challenge for students. I worked with two fabulous seventh grade teachers during the workshop, and we came across the following apps that we felt would be useful in seventh grade math:
Basic Math (free) - drill and practice
Number Line (free) - ordering/comparing decimals, fractions, and percents; drag the decimal, fraction, or percent to the correct spot on a number line to order from least to greatest (I've mentioned this one in a previous post too.)
Portion Platter (free) - visualize fractions; interactive
Brain Tuner Math (free Lite version or $2.99 version) - similar to Brain Age games; thought this would be good for a math warm-up each day
Geometry Combat ($0.99) - challenge game with a cage-fighting theme; great for students who like competition; you even get to trash talk a bit (There is also an Algebra Combat app.)
Hot Potato Basic Math (free) - practice up on basic skills; individual and competition modes
Our 3-tier teams were asked to spend the afternoon planning a lesson that integrates the iPod Touch in a meaningful way (or two). My team integrated three apps into our lesson: BrainTuner, Scribble Lite, and Portion Platter. The lesson was designed to address math SOL 7.1: TSW compare, order, and determine equivalent relationships between fractions, decimals, and percents. The lessons are being posted on the district's course management system for sharing with other educators. In my opinion, it was a worthwhile, productive day!
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